S6E14 - The Candidate

Yes, I realize that image is from an old episode, but it's relevant..... what do you mean, you want a picture from this episode? This episode was too sad for screengrabs! Ok... fine.... here's one from this episode:


There it is. Jin and Sun are dead. D-E-A-D! Are you happy now?

Four for the Road

This blog post is dedicated to the memory of those we lost in this episode. Note: Miles is apparently still alive, despite being voted Most Likely to Die Next in my poll.

Sayid: The word you're looking for here is "redemption". Sayid was brought back from the dark side, and he is responsible for saving the lives of the remaining three candidates (plus Kate).

Sun & Jin: Sun was pinned to the wall by what appeared to be an endless stream of bars and file cabinets, she couldn't be freed. Jin tried to pry her loose, and when he realized there was no hope, he stuck by her side. They got some traditional LOST death-music (for extra-sadness), and died a very Titanic-like death.

Frank: While we don't yet know for sure that Frank is dead, I think we can assume that he was only kept around this season so that we believed it was possible to leave the island on the plane. This brings up an interesting idea though...

Leaving the Island

If (not)Locke really wants to leave the island, why did he blow up the sub? Because, with the sub destroyed and the airline pilot seemingly dead, how will he be able to leave? More importantly, does he actually want to leave? He says that he wants to go home, but maybe "Home" is not a location, but more a state of being? Or maybe a time? I think we'll find out tonight!

The Rules

(not)Locke's plan all along has been to kill all of the candidates. But in the same way the he cannot kill Jacob, he also cannot kill the candidates. And while the only way to kill Jacob was to convince someone else to do it, the only way that he can kill the candidates is to trick someone else into killing them. Unfortunately, his plan worked.... for half of the candidates.

The tricky thing here is that, if ONE candidate survives, then (not)Locke will be stuck on the island, as he won't be able to kill him. Perhaps this is what happened to Jacob.... maybe he was the one remaining candidate, and because of these rules, he can't kill him.

Desmond

Before running off with the bomb, Sayid told Jack about Desmond being alive in the well. He warns him, "Locke wants him dead, which means he's important." Jack asks why he's telling him, and Sayid quickly responds, "Because it's going to be you, Jack."

So now I think we can assume that Locke and Jack are both headed straight for the well. It's an interesting parallel because of the struggle between Jack and Locke over the hatch, which was essentially a giant hole in the ground that Desmond was living in. Who gets there first? Answer in the poll.

Catatonthony Cooper

Sideways Question: How did Locke end up in the wheelchair?
Sideways Answer: A week after getting his pilot's license, he was in a plane crash with his father aboard the plane. And while the crash left Locke paralyzed, his father was left in some sort of catatonic state. And to punish himself, he refuses Jack's offer to fix him with a new surgery that they're developing. I still think that we'll see Jack fix Locke by the end of the series. (3 episodes left!)

Mini-Awakenings

We've seen several of our sideways characters "awaken" and come to the realization that there is another world of things that happened. And while no one had a full realization here, they're getting close. While Locke was waking up in the hospital, he said "Press the button" (a reference to the comptuer in the hatch) and "I wish you believed me", which was a reference to the suicide note that he left Jack.

And then when leaving the hospital, Jack said to Locke "I wish you'd believe me", and Locke paused as if he was starting to remember. End-of-LOST, here we come!

Flight 815-ers

Several times in this episode, Jack ran into someone else from the infamous Oceanic flight, and he is starting to realize that this is important. It's just like Jacob said to Hurley: Some people can just be told these things... some people have to see it and figure it out for themselves. So it's not something that Desmond can just approach Jack and tell him about. He needs to realize it on his own.... and that is happening FAST! (Again, have I mentioned that there are only 3 episodes left?)

BONUS: Adam Rucker

There is a guy named Adam Rucker who posts videos of him and his friend watching episodes of LOST, and they are fantastic! And while this episode of LOST didn't reach me emotionally as much as I would've thought, I was nearly brought to tears watching these people watch this episode.... some tears of sadness, some tears of laughter. Check out their video:



OH YEAH.... DON'T FORGET.... The Series Finale, which airs on Sunday, May 23rd, has just been extended by an extra half-hour, so now the final episode will run from 9pm-11:30pm (EST).

S6E13 - The Last Recruit

Another One Bites the Sand

The biggest question coming out of this episode: Is Jack dead? There was a pretty big explosion on the beach (courtesy of Charles Widmore) that sent Dr. Jack flying in the air, landing face-first on the beach. (not)Locke picked him up and carried him to safety, comforting him with, "it's gonna be ok... you're with me now". If Jack died in the explosion and (not)Locke brought him back, that makes him evil, right? It's very similar to Claire's situation. Back in season 4, Claire's house was blown up by the mercenaries and her body was pulled out of the rubble. It has been long-theorized that she died in the explosion. And I guess the same thing could probably be said for Sayid too.

The Remember-ers

While being wheeled into the hospital on the stretcher, Sun looked over and saw Locke next to her. She began to cry, "No! No! It's him!" It appears that she has joined Desmond's team of "rememberers". So far, that brings the total to 6: Desmond, Charlie, Hurley, Libby, Sun, and Faraday. And coming soon, Locke. Here's my prediction: Jack will fix Locke. Completely, 100% fix him. And Locke will be in the hospital bed, look down, and see his foot wiggle. It'll be shot-for-shot the same as when he first woke up on the island to find that he was healed. In that instant, he will flash and remember EVERYTHING.

The Reunion

Finally Jin and Sun are reunited! Relationship crap.... let's get back to the island stuff. (Oh yeah, she can speak English again now)

Tipping the Scale Back

Since the beginning of this season, there has been no balance of good and evil... only evil (yes, I'm saying it.... (not)Locke is officially evil). But now that Desmond is back, I'm seeing changes. Sayid claimed to have killed Desmond just as (not)Locke had instructed him to do. But we all know that's not true. So was Desmond able to bring Sayid back from the dark side? The thing that confuses me about Desmond is that he is NOT a candidate, so he can't take over for Jacob... yet he has a purpose. So what is that? Is he the "loop-hole" that can kill (not)Locke?

Permission Granted

Before following (not)Locke off into the jungle, Jack asked Hurley if it was ok. And I get that Jack feels like every time he leads, someone ends up getting hurt (or killed). But why is he asking for Hurley's permission. Rather than stepping out of his leadership role, it seems like he's pushing Hurley to become the leader. Could Hurley be the new Jacob?

The White Rabbit

No, this isn't about the Dharma rabbit with the number painted on the side. It's about Jack's vision of his father (from the season one episode, "White Rabbit"), in which Jack follows his (dead) father into the jungle. We got confirmation this week that the man Jack was following was Smokey. It's interesting because when (not)Locke admits to it, he says to Jack, "All I've ever been interested in, is helping you." Is (not)Locke just pulling his leg here? Or could he actually be good? No! Wait! I already decided that he's evil! ...or is he? (probably, yes)

(how's that for indecisive?)

Destiny

It seems like Desmond isn't the only thing trying to get the Losties all together. The universe seems to be pulling them all together even more. When Desmond brings Clarie up to meet Ilana (a lawyer in the sideways world), it seems that Destiny was already working at getting them together. Their father's will mentioned Claire, and Ilana's firm was looking for her.

We also saw this with Sawyer and Kate, who were (on multiple occasions) brought together by the forces of the universe. First on the plane. Then in the elevator. And then in the streets. And pretty soon, in the bedroom. Guaranteed!

Elizabeth

The boat that Sawyer & Co. were on was, in fact, the Elizabeth. For those that don't remember, (here we go...) this is the boat that Desmond arrived to the island on. Kelvin (from the hatch) spent years secretly fixing it, all a part of his plot to leave Desmond back on the island pushing the button... then Desmond killed Kelvin. Then about a month-and-a-half later, when the Losties took over the hatch, Desmond tried to leave on the boat. About 3 weeks after that, his boat ended up back on shore. Then Sayid took the boat (with Jin and Sun) to the Others' camp (which was just a decoy camp), at which point the Others ambushed the boat, Sun shot Colleen. That's when Mr. Friendly (you remember... Tom) and the rest of the Others took the boat back to Hydra island to try and save Colleen. And now, three years later, they suddenly know where the boat is? They've been in the 1970's for the past three years. How could they know where the boat is? Not to mention the boat was in great condition for having been sitting steady in the water for 3 years.

ok.... my rant is over. I guess the whole point of that is.... it was great to see the boat one last time.


Leap of Faith

In the beginning of season 2 (the episode, "Man of Science. Man of Faith"), Jack was asked by Locke to take a leap of faith (referring to the pushing of the button). And that was the beginning of this real battle within Jack to essentially pick a side. He was at times BOTH a man of science, AND a man of faith). It's a real struggle. And in this episode, Jack takes it upon himself to take his leap of faith, right into the water, where he began his return to the island. He even remarks that leaving the island "doesn't feel right". He explains that if (not)Locke wants them to leave with him, maybe he's afraid of what will happen if they all stay. Woah. Step aside man of science. The man of faith has arrived. And could it be any more obvious that Jack will take over as the new Jacob? ...and yes, I know what you're thinking.... "too obvious" on LOST often means that we're wrong. In that case, maybe Sayid is the candidate.

The Poll

According to the poll last week, the soon-to-die people are Miles, Claire, and Frank (with Miles slightly ahead of everyone). And now (because this is what I do), I'm going to argue against each one of those:

Miles: He talks to the dead. Having him around will come in very handy in the future. I still feel like he's going to be the one to discover the identities of the real Adam & Eve (from the caves). And since he's been on the island for several years, who's to say that he doesn't already know? I think that he'll be around for at least a couple more episodes. After all, they kept him on the show for a reason, right?

Claire: Back in season 3 when Desmond kept flashing images of Charlie's demise, he finally convinced him that he'd have to die because he saw a flash of Claire and Aaron getting in a helicopter. And while I'm a huge Desmond fan, I think my perception of him would change if I found out that Charlie died for nothing. He would go from A-list to A-hole. And they just can't do that to Desmond.

Frank: He's the pilot. He needs to stay alive right until the end because (not)Locke needs to believe that he has a way off the island. If Frank dies, then (not)Locke would have to find someone else to fly the Ajira plane of the island. And apparently, Smokey doesn't really plan well for the future, since he's actually the one that killed the pilot of Flight 815. Jerk.

This Week's Poll

It's simple.... who is the candidate? Remember, LOST isn't on this week, but next week's episode is titled "The Candidate". So something tells me we're gonna find out very soon! (Only 4 episodes left!)

S6E12 - Everyone Loves Hugo

Blast from the Past

I knew going into season 6 that our favorite characters (Boone, Faraday, etc.) would all get a curtain call. I was surprised to find that they were curtain calling all of the locations (the caves, the statue, etc.). What I didn't expect was a curtain call for specific causes of death. But as soon as Ilana started shoving her water bottles on top of the dynamite, we all knew she was going to be Arzt'ed. Note to self: When handling dynamite, be sure to.... um.... you know what..... actually, just don't handle dynamite.

More Explosions Please!

Ok... it was cool to see Ilana blow up, but it was way cooler when the Black Rock exploded, specifically with Hurley running away, yelling "RUN!" It was very reminiscent of when the Hatch exploded. Explosion curtain call #2.

Libby! Libby! Libby!

I don't know why, but Libby's curtain call was one of the ones I was looking forward to most. And what a cool twist that she ended up in the mental hospital because she "remembered" the other timeline and admitted herself, in fear that she was crazy. It's worth noting too, that Hurley was never in the mental hospital. And there was also ZERO mention of a lottery... so how did he get all that money to buy Mr Cluck's Chicken Shack? Was he born into the money?

Three For The Road

I'm going to make a prediction.... Some of our favorite characters are about to meet their demise. Sun asked Frank if they made the wrong decision, but I think they actually made the right decision. The ones who made the wrong decision-- Ben, Richard, and Miles. Separating themselves from the candidates was not a smart move. The island is officially done with them. (we'll see)

Jungle Boy

This is the second time this season that we've seen this little boy staring at (not)Locke from the within the jungle. It was the same boy, but he did appear older. So, who is this boy? Why does he look older? I heard a cool theory that this was Jacob as a child, and he is progressively "recharging" (getting older and older), and (not)Locke has until Jacob reaches "full-power" to get off the island. If he doesn't get off the island in time, he'll be stuck there again.

The Whispers

Yes, we all want answers. But wasn't this kinda out-of-the-blue? Let's set up the scene:

Hurley & co. are walking through the jungle. They hear whispers.

Hurley: "Don't worry, everyone.... I know what these are."

Michael shows up.

Michael: "Hey, Hurley."
Hurley: "Hey, Dude. Are these whispers just the voices of dead people?"
Michael: "Yep, we can't leave the island."
Hurley: "ok."

Hurley & Co. continue their mission

I had an 11th grade Creative Writing class, and the teacher would always write "SDT!" on our papers; it stands for "show. don't tell." And I never really got WHY until now. I wanted them to SHOW me what the whispers were, rather than just say it. I get it though... they don't really have a lot of time left.... And it's possible for them to redeem themselves by having this pay-off. Is this end-game stuff? If (not)Locke leaves the island, will the other souls be freed as well? How does this play into the big picture? And most importantly, why do they whisper?

Well, Well, Well

Here's a free piece of advice. When an enemy is standing behind you, don't lean over the edge of a well. He will likely push you in! I'm confused, though, at why (not)Locke didn't just turn into the smoke monster and crush Desmond to death. Can he not kill Desmond?

Payback

The episode ended on a GREAT note, with Desmond (in the sideways world) slamming into Mr. Locke (the substitute teacher) with his car. This, of course, will lead to Locke being taken to the hospital with everyone else...

Claire: Aaron's birth
Sun: Shot in stomach
Jin: With Sun
Ethan: Doctor
Jack: Doctor
Kate: Maybe visiting Claire?
Locke: Hit by Desmond
Sawyer: Maybe assigned to Locke's case?
Ben: Maybe visiting Locke?
Sayid: Last seen w/ Jin & Sun???

The Poll
Congratulations to Love at First Sight, which most of the voters believe in. This week's poll is all about prediction. Who's next to die? Vote at the top.

S6E11 - Happily Ever After

Woah.

7 hours of LOST left now. Tonight.... Then next week.... Then a week break (sorry).... Then episodes the first 3 weeks in May.... and then.... gulp.... the Finale. ABC recently announced that LOST's Sunday May 23rd finale will be a 5 hour event! (Yes, you read that right) 2 hours of LOST-recap, 2 hours of LOST finale, and an hour-long LOST tribute with Jimmy Kimmel. And if last week's episode was a sign of what's to come, we are all in for a hell of a ride!

You All Everybody

Charlie's band was known to be a one-hit wonder, with their single, "You All Everybody", but in this episode, we see that Charles Widmore (one of the most powerful people) is trying to get them to play at his charity event. So does this mean that Driveshaft was more that just a one-hit-wonder? Too bad Charlie died in the island timeline, so we probably won't get this full story. I guess this little glimmer of hope is all we really need.

The Coil

According to Widmore, the island is not yet done with Desmond. And because Desmond is the only person that Widmore knows has survived a "catastrophic electromagnetic event", Widmore says he won't be harmed by the giant electromagnetic coil, despite the fact that he just watched as another man was killed (fried, in fact) during a test run.

Desmond Episodes

In the episode "Flashes Before Your Eyes", after the implosion of the hatch (the aforementioned "catastrophic electromagnetic event"), Desmond was blasted back in time to his life with Penny. During this time, he had recollection of his island days, and when he tried to change his path, Eloise guided him, telling him that it was his destiny to go to the island.

In the episode "The Constant", because of his overexposure to electromagnetism, while trying to leave the island, flying through a storm, Desmond's consciousness was split in two... one on the helicopter/freighter, and the other in the past. In order to survive, he had to find his constant-- the one person that he cares about, and that exists in both time lines.

So now in this episode, another electromagnetic event has occurred, and again, Desmond is thrown into another time, and he again has recollection of the other world. It isn't until Charlie "shows him" that he sees it too. He sees the name "Penny" on Charlie's hand. He sees them kissing. He sees the birth of their son. Note: He does NOT see the island.

All he sees is love.

And he's not the only one. Charlie realized it when he was dying on the plane (after choking on his stash), and he had a vision of Claire. Faraday realized it when he saw Charlotte working at the museum. Is it possible that in order to exist, they need to find their constants? We know that Desmond (off-island) is now on a mission to find all of the passengers of Flight 815 so that he can show them too. But what I hadn't thought about until my wife pointed it out during our weekend re-watch, is that ON-island Desmond ALSO remembers the off-island world. So could this be what Juliet saw too? After detonating the nuclear bomb, and while nearing death, she started talking to Sawyer about going out to get coffee. And just before she died, her last thought to Sawyer was "it worked" (referring to the bomb).

Daniel Widmore

The return of Faraday revealed a little more on the subject of the bomb. He approached Desmond in the limo and told him that, although he is a musician, after "seeing" Charlotte, he wrote some equations in his notebook that could've only been written by someone who'd been studying physics their entire life. The equations (as explained to Faraday by his "math whiz" friend) document the idea that with the detonation of a nuclear bomb, he could prevent something catastrophic from happening. And he theorizes that he may have already set off a nuclear bomb and is currently living a life that he should not be living.

The Violation

Similar to her role in "Flashes Before Your Eyes", Eloise appears to know what is going on, and is guiding Desmond into the "right" direction. When she realizes that he is trying to find Penny, that he may have recollection of this other life, she refuses to help him, telling him that he's "not ready yet". She goes on to say, "Someone has changed the way you see things. This is a problem. It is, in fact, a violation." A violation of what, though? I'm definitely intrigued by this, as it appears that she is trying to stop him from finding Penny, but why? It's not like they're going to find the island again (remember, it's underwater). I get the feeling that she is afraid that they're going to reverse things and try to get back to the other life. If this is the case, then that would mean that it's actually possible to go back to the island-life. Woah.

Super Desmond

After waking up in the electromagnetic coil box, Desmond is more than willing to go with Widmore. I can't explain why, but it certainly appears that he has recollection of this off-island life. So why he wouldn't want to go back to Penny is a big mystery. But now, he's headed back to (not)Locke's camp with the neck-snapping Sayid. Is this all part of the plan, though? Since Desmond has survived something like this, does Widmore need him to defeat smokey? Will he act as some sort of human-version of the sonic fence? And was this the whole point of the Dharma Initiative? To create this super-human to "save the world" from the evilness that is (not)Locke?

The Poll

Congratulations to Kate for winning this week's "Who would Jack save?" poll. My sympathies to Claire, who received only half as many votes as her skull baby. This week's poll is a more serious question proposed by Faraday... Do you believe in love at first sight?

S6E10 - The Package

Color me surprised... this was probably one of the best Jin/Sun episodes. I'm not usually a huge fan of Jin/Sun episodes, but this one was great! I think my favorites are Locke and Desmond centric stories. And what do you know... tonight is Desmond's episode! But we'll save that conversation for the next post. Let's look at "The Package".

Baby Paik/Kwon

We learned that the difference in the Sun/Jin timeline is that they aren't married. In fact, they're sneaking around behind her father's back... and that $25K that Jin had in his luggage was payment to Keamy for killing him, as he should know better than to date his boss's daughter. This brings up an interesting question, though... if Jin and Sun aren't knowingly together, then why is Jin working for Mr. Paik in the first place? Originally, he worked for Paik in exchange for his daughter's hand in marriage.

The other difference here is that Jin apparently has no fertilization problems, as Sun (who, at the end of the episode, was shot in the gut) is pregnant! They'd better head to the hospital. I'm going to go ahead and put money down that they're headed to Jack's hospital.

Final Destination

I just wanted to point out that the actor playing the hotel worker was in the movie "Final Destination". This movie dealt with the idea that if you were to try to change your destiny, it would only get delayed, but you can't escape it for good. This is an issue that LOST has dealt with heavily in the past, and I'm sure will deal with for the remaining 8 hours. ...just an interesting choice in actors. Coincidence? I think not.

The Seasons

Season one was the season of the Losties. Season two was the season of the Dharma Initiative. Season three was the season of the Others. Season four was the season of the Freighter-folks. Season five was the season of the Oceanic 6, and time travel. Season six is the season of the Candidates.

When it comes to the candidates, it appears that BOTH (team)Jacob and (not)Locke want to protect them. But why? What if the final candidate is not chosen, but instead is the last one standing? If (not)Locke protects them, then he may be able to leave the island before all-but-one dies. If that's the case, though, he should just kill them all at once. Maybe he can blow up the plane.... I think that's the one thing on the island that Locke has yet to blow up. Though if Richard can make it there in time, he's already planning on blowing it up.

No Speak English

Ok... let me get this straight.... Sun is running from (not)Locke and hits her head on the tree.... then God only knows what happened.... but by the time she is found, she can no longer speak English. And I keep thinking that this is somehow tied to her flash-sideways where she also doesn't speak English. Remember how when Jack was on the plane in the premiere and he looked in the mirror and found a scratch on his neck. Could this be a small connection to what he was experiencing on the island? Could these two "paths" already be closing in on one another?

Speaking of Mirrors

It's worth noting that reflections have appeared in EVERY flash-sideways so far. Jack looking into the mirror on the plane, Sawyer looking into the broken mirror in the locker room, etc. Another call-out to these flash-sideways? 8 hours left to explain!

Pockets

After capturing Jin, Zoe began to question him about some maps that he'd made back in his Dharma days. She's looking for the island's pockets of electromagnetism. And I'm willing to bet that these have something to do with the "package", which (in case I haven't mentioned) was DESMOND! We know that working in the hatch (around all that electromagnetic energy) has had effects on Desmond in previous episodes. And we know that he's also "special". Could they be looking to use Desmond's "special abilities" to somehow harvest that energy? I know we've got 8 hours left.... but I'm expecting some answers tonight!

Limited Days

I hate to say it.... but..... dare I? Of course, I will. Kate's days are limited. Claire made it pretty clear that she still intends on killing her. And if that's not bad enough, (not)Locke made it even more clear that he's going to let her do that as soon as he's got all the candidates. I can see it right now.... Claire and Kate are in a huge fight and both of them are nearing death, when Jack has to make the decision-- Save the woman he loves, or his sister? Vote in the poll.

The Return of Patchy

I was excited to see Mikhail again, and relieved that he had both of his eyes. But rest assured that as soon as Jin picked up the gun, I leaned forward and shouted at the TV, "Shoot him in the eye!" Wish granted!

One more thing to mention when it comes to Mikhail... Keamy referred to him as "Danny's friend". I wonder if this is Danny Pickett (the "other" who tried to kill Sawyer back in season 3). I'm looking forward to his curtain call (assuming he gets one).

What Happens if Smokey Leaves

The big mystery in this episode is something that Widmore mentions to Jin. On the topic of what happens if (not)Locke leaves the island, "Everything you know and love would simply cease to be." He's not simply saying "Everyone would die". The words "cease to be" are used intentionally. This suggest to me that going "home" also involves going back in time, and severly altering the future. Think to "Back in the Future"... if (not)Locke went back in time and made it so that Lorraine and George never went to the dance together, Marty and his siblings would all disappear from the picture.

My wife's probably laughing while reading this, as I spent an entire season telling her that she can't compare LOST time travel to "Back to the Future"... that they have different rules.

Enjoy tonight's episode, titled "Happily Ever After", which I doubt is how it'll actually end.

S6E09 - Ab Aeterno

The Balance of Good vs Evil. Which is which? I've always thought that this is one of those bigger questions that will be up for debate long after LOST is over.... but this episode really changed my mind.

Cork Island

Big reveal #2: The purpose of the island is to keep evil at bay. That being said, I don't think they can continue the story without saying definitively that (not)Locke is officially evil. According to the producers, the analogy of the wine bottle has been used in the writers room for a VERY long time to describe the island. And what a great analogy! Well done, writers! Keep up the good work!

Rock the Boat

Confirmation! Richard came to the island as a slave on the Black Rock. And how cool was it to see the Black Rock smash into the statue. But there was one thing worth noting that I'm sure not a lot of people caught onto.... At the season 5 finale, Jacob and (not)Locke(yet) were sitting on the beach, watching the Black Rock in the distance... but the weather was beautiful! So why was it now storming? This goes back to one of the season one mysteries of why the weather changes so drastically on the island. I wouldn't be surprised if after that sunny beach scene, (not)Locke(yet) created some massive storm in an attempt to kill the passengers. For those skeptical, I believe the producers have confirmed that the boat was, in fact, the Black Rock.

Also a fun reminder, the captain of the Black Rock was Magnus Hanso, who was an ancestor of Alvar Hanso, founder of the Hanso Foundation, who funded the Dharma Initiative.

Hell Island

This is the second time a character on LOST has referred to the island as Hell. The first time was back in season 3 when Sawyer killed Locke's dad (also on the Black Rock), and Locke's dad told Sawyer that they were in Hell. I believe his exact phrasing was, "It's a little hot for Heaven, don't ya think?". And remind me... have I ever mentioned the idea of good vs evil on this show? Heaven vs Hell?

Immortal Ricky

Another answer! Why doesn't Richard age? Because Jacob made him that way. Why did Jacob make him that way? Because Richard is afraid that when he dies, he's going to go to Hell. Are we sure this isn't purgatory?

Scanned by a Monster

Chained up against the wall of the Black Rock, Richard appeared to be the only one that Smokey didn't kill. But it did come by and scan him (the same way that we've seen it scan Juliet and Eko in the past). Later, Richard saw an apparition of his dead wife, and I truly believe these were connected. Smokey likely scanned Richard to learn as much about him as possible so that he could use that information to manipulate him. Remember, right before Eko was killed, smokey presented himself as Yemi and some of the other people that Eko killed.

Corruptible or Not?

There is a battle between Jacob and (not)Locke(yet). Jacob is trying to prove that mankind is truly good, while (not)Locke(yet) believes that mankind is always corruptible. You know the drill... vote at the top of the page.

Hired!

One of Jacob's rules in proving that mankind is good, is that he cannot intervene. Of course, that doesn't mean that Richard can't. So Jacob hired Richard to be the "in-between" man. But maybe Richard is the one being tested. After Jacob dies, the question is whether or not Richard will stay good or cross over to the dark side.

The White Rock

After Jacob convinced Richard to help him, he sent Richard back to (not)Locke(yet) with a white rock. Remember.... it's an inside joke. I think we can assume that the white and black rocks were sitting on that scale in the cave since then. But now that Jacob is dead, the white rock is gone.... or is it?

And by the way, how cool is it that the slave ship is called "The Black Rock" and they're using this black vs white rock analogy.

Elina's Theory

Thanks to Elina, who provided this great theory, definitely worth posting...

Desmond is coming back to the island (maybe on Widmore's sub), and will be the one to take over Jacob's role. Jacob told Ilana that there were 6 candidates left; but wasn't that after Locke died? Maybe the spot that we assumed was reserved for Locke was actually for Desmond. And when Desmond takes over as Jacob, he makes it his first priority to give the losties their lives back (treating it as if Jacob had never lured them to the island). And THAT is what the flash-sideways is.

As for why the island is underwater? With Desmond taking over as the new Jacob, the "cork" was moved to a new location. I couldn't say where, but since so many people already seem to know about the island, the only way to protect the world from the evil getting out is to move to a new place.

Poll Results

I just wanted to say "Thanks" to everyone who voted last week....and congratulate Destiny for winning over Free Will.... and "Free Willy 2", which beat out "Free Willy" by just one vote. Don't forget to vote this week!

S6E08 - Recon

"Recon" - verb - to con again.

Detective Ford

Wow... right out of the gate, we found out that Sawyer-- I mean Jim, is a detective. He talked about why he decided to become a detective, and his response was, "I was at a point in life where I was either going to become a criminal or a cop... so I chose cop". They're really driving this idea of the balance of good and evil within each one of us, and are introducing the theory that we can all choose which path we take. Destiny or free-will? Vote in the poll.

So if James is a cop, why didn't he stop Kate at the airport when he saw that she was on the run? In fact, he helped her escape! Sometimes, I wish I looked good enough to get away with crimes! ...not that I would... but you get the point.

Anyway, I guess we'll see what happens to Kate now that he's arrested her. I mean, he can't exactly let her go now that Miles is there too.... unless Miles has a thing for pretty ladies too.

Don't Touch Smokey!

After being nearly killed by Claire while Sayid just sat back and watched, Kate was rescued by (not)Locke. But after (not)Locke sat with Kate and explained the state of mind that Claire is in, we started to get some insight into who (not)Locke really is.... and he doesn't seem totally bad. Though, Kate didn't fall for his sob-story because when he reached out to help her up, she stood up on her own. And the fact that she didn't touch him (or rather, that he didn't touch her), I think, is significant. It goes back to when Jacob touches people, they are given a gift. Perhaps when (not)Locke touches people, something else happens. Then again, if this were the case, you think he'd just run around tagging everyone in sight.

The Search for Anthony Cooper

Even in this sideways-world, James/Sawyer is looking for the man who is responsible for the death of his parents. Reminder: The man he is looking for is Locke's dad! I completely forgot about this connection until this episode, and that's when I realized that this is how they were going to cross paths. Maybe he'll learn that Anthony Cooper has a son, and James will try to connect with Locke to learn more about his dad.

The Dharma Initiative

We got confirmation last week from Ben's dad that the island and the Dharma Initiative both co-existed; however, in the sideways world, they both left the island before it was sunk. And now in "Recon", we got a very quick mention of Pierre Chang (aka the guy from the "Orientation" videos, aka Miles' dad). When Miles was setting James up with Charlotte, he mentioned that Charlotte works with his dad at the museum. So this is yet another confirmation that the island did not sink as a result of the H-Bomb, as Pierre was also on the island at that time. The 2 big questions I have are (1) what happened to the island, and (2) why did they all leave?

Sonic the FenceHog

After Sawyer's recon mission went sour and Zoe took him back to Widmore's sub, we get a quick glimpse of Widmore's crew setting up a sonic fence... you know, the one used to keep smokey out. I was always under the assumption that smokey couldn't travel to the Hydra island, but it looks like Widmore is preparing for such an occurrence. I guess that's what I get for assuming ANYTHING on this show.

The Hatch (part 2)

We spent half of season one, and the summer before season 2 wondering what was in the hatch. And now, we're given a second "what's in it?" scenario. Widmore is keeping something locked up in his submarine and I heard a really good theory about what is in there. What if Desmond was killed off-island, and Widmore is bringing his body back so that Jacob's soul can take it over? Then, it'd be Desmond vs Locke? I'd be cool with that.

Mommy Issues

Ok, so the characters on LOST are basically known for having "daddy issues", but now (not)Locke tells Kate about his "crazy" mom, and tells Kate about how Claire is crazy now. I've received several e-mails and instant messages asking me if I think that (not)Locke is actually Aaron. And while I'm hesitant to jump to that conclusion for a number of reasons, I'm still sticking to my guns that there is a definite reason that they have not yet said his name. I mean, at this point, they can't just call him "Fred".... he's GOT to be someone! And right now, Aaron is starting to make sense. Though, I'm not fully committing.

This Blog is Dying

I realized today, on the 23rd of March, that the season finale of LOST airs exactly 2 months from today. It hurts to write that. And while part of me is ready for the end, there is another part of me that will never be ready. I guess we have no choice but to sit back and enjoy it while it lasts.... unless, of course, they have a Sawyer and Miles "cop-show" spin-off.

Until next time!

S6E07 - Dr. Linus

Ok... let me just start by saying that episodes like this are what makes LOST LOST. It's all about characters. Forget the smoke monster. Forget the island. This is a show about people.

OK.... maybe you should forget I said that. True, this show is about people, but if it weren't for the mythology, not as many people would be as hooked as they are. And, frankly, none of you would even be reading this blog. But this show really wouldn't be what it is without a foundation of great characters... characters like...

Dr Benjamin Linus

When it comes to characters on the show, none is more complex than Ben Linus. He's the man we all love to hate, but in this episode, we can't help but feel sympathy for the poor guy... even though he's just as scheming off-island as he is on-island. Hey, speaking of the island...

What the hell?! Ben's dad talked about joining the Dharma Initiative and leaving the island. Clearly, the h-bomb isn't what reset the timeline. I keep going back to what I posted last week.... that the crash of Flight 815 was a part of a deal made with the Losties, and that this sideways world was actually the original timeline. Off-island, we're seeing Ben taking care of his dad, and his dad reminices on what would've been if they hadn't left the island. Imagine Ben gets approached and an offer is made-- Ben can go back in time and gets to experience life as if he never left the island. And just as the deal that Dogen made with Jacob, there must've been something that Ben (or his dad) gave in return.

Roger Gasman

It was so ironic to see Ben taking care of his dad. Here Ben is changing out his dad's oxygen tank in this off-island reality, while in the on-island life, Ben killed his dad by opening up a poison gas canister. Life given. Life Taken.

Miles the Rat

It's clear that Ilana was brought to the island to protect Jacob; and now that Jacob is dead, then it is her sole responsibility to protect the 6 candidates. She also comments about Jacob being the closest thing to a father that she's ever had. So I wasn't too surprised that when Miles revealed that Ben is the one that killed Jacob, Ilana swore to kill Ben. And it did feel a little good to watch Ben begging for his life. The best part, though, was when Ben offerred Miles $3.2 Million, but Miles refused, stating that Nikki and Paulo's bodies were buried with $8 Million in diamonds. And even better, we see Miles staring into a diamond later, suggesting that he actually dug up their bodies. And for that kind of cash, I can't say that I blame him.

Prinicipal / Island Leader

I'm noticing a strange (yet, surely intentional) similarity between (not)Locke and off-island Locke. In this episode, we saw (not)Locke inticing Ben with the idea of becoming the leader of the island. And off-island, substitute teacher Locke convinced Ben that he should try to take over as principal of the school. And while Ben did sacrifice Alex on the island, but not off-island, he appears to have chosen the "good" team in both timelines. Could this be foreshadowing of the finale, suggesting that, while the two timelines are very different, they will "merge" in the end?

Everyone in LA?

I thought it was a little strange that EVERYONE is in LA. Ben was born in Oregon (just outside of Portland), while Rousseau (and Alex) are from Europe. Sayid's from Iraq, while Jin & Sun are from Korea. Sawyer was from the south. And yet, everyone seems to STILL be in LA. I guess this is the island's way of getting everyone together.

Dy-no-mite!

The return of Richard couldn't have been better. I take that back.... it'll surely be better in a week when Richard gets his own episode! FINALLY! But in this episode, not only did we get confirmation that Richard came to the island on the Black Rock, but we also got one of LOST all-time best scenes with Jack and Richard talking about destiny, all while the fuse on a stick of dynamite quickly burns, just inches away. And when the fuse suddenly burned out, Jack proved to Richard that he was brought to the island for a reason, and that they still have a purpose, and Jack delivered a classic Jack line... "wanna try another stick?"

I'm telling you, if LOST doesn't sweep the emmies this year, there are going to be riots.

Not Penny's Submarine

...or is it? The episode ended in traditional LOST fashion, with the big shocker that Widmore made it back to the island on a sub. What?! What is he doing there?! Is he on Jacob's side, or (not)Locke's side? Maybe he wants to take over for one of them. Maybe he's trying to destroy the island. Producers have hinted that it won't take long for us to find out. (Maybe tonight?)

And I've got a strange feeling that Widmore is not alone on this sub. I've spent a lot of time thinking about Widmore's role in the big picture, and I keep going back to him and Eloise working together. And we've seen Eloise guiding Desmond in the past, making sure that he makes it to the island. Perhaps Widmore was mean to Desmond, only because he knew that it would push him to the island. But now that he's back, maybe Desmond and Widmore are working together. I'm going to go out on a line here and make a prediction that Desmond is on the sub.

The Battle

Since the beginning of LOST, there has been a lot of focus on the idea of Good vs Evil. Science vs Faith. Dark vs Light. And it wasn't until the final season that we realize that this isn't a battle between 2 entities. It's a battle within a single entity. Every man has a good side AND a bad side. Jack is BOTH a man of science AND a man of faith. Hurley is both lucky AND unlucky. And perhaps that's all this flash-sideways is demonstrating. It's the good side AND the bad side that make us who we are. I honestly have no idea where I'm going with this. I just love how they can easily do something that completely changes the way I see things. Well done, writers!