5:1 Because You Left

Now that I've been able to watch the season premiere a couple of times (once without falling asleep, ahem) I can finally do a post. It was amazing, packed with revelations. Which was great considering what a cliffhanger the season 4 finale was. The writers had a lot of 'splaining to do.

Like past premieres, the opening scene introduced an unexpected character in a strange place (although it didn't have the same shock value of past seasons - Desmond in the hatch and Hurley yelling "I'm one of the Oceanic 6!" are the top ones for me.) This time there were two. First we see a flashback with Dr. Pierre Chang, AKA Marvin Candle/Edgar Halliwax/Mark Wickmund of the Dharma Initiative Orientation videos. This is the first time we've seen him outside a Dharma video. He wakes up as his alarm clock flips to 8:15, a reference to The Numbers (remember them?) and puts on a record; the song is Willie Nelson's "Shotgun Willie." (The lyrics: "Shotgun Willie sits around in his underwear, Bitin' a bullet, pullin' out all of his hair, Shotgun Willie has got all of his family there. You can't make a record if you ain't got nothin' to say, You can't make a record if you ain't got nothin' to say, You can't play music if you don't know nothin' to play.") Then Dr. Chang feeds a baby, presumably his child. Was the baby born on the island? Is it someone we know? Maybe even Miles Straume?

The next surprising appearance is Daniel Farraday - in the same flashback as Dr. Chang.
Apparently Daniel has time traveled back to work with the Dharma Initiative (some time in the 1970s) which opens the door for a whole host of possibilities. Why did he go back? How? Has he traveled elsewhere? He clearly knows what's going on when he later explains more about how time travel works - he says it's impossible to change anything that has already happened by traveling back (a repeat of what Ms. Hawking explained to Desmond in "Flashes Before Your Eyes.") But then he goes on to tell Desmond that the rules don't apply to him. For some reason, Desmond is "special" and able to do things with time that no one else is able to do; Daniel effectively changes the past by telling Desmond to go visit his mother. With Daniel's help, Desmond just may be the key to saving everyone on the Island.

Daniel explains that either the Island or the people on the Island are skipping through time like a broken record. I think it's safe to say that it's the Island that's moving, since we saw it disappear at the end of season 4. And since all of the Losties are moving together it must be the Island that's taking them along for the ride.

Off-Island, the Oceanic Six are starting their journey back to the Island, even if they don't know it yet. I'm convinced that Ben sent the lawyers to Kate's house to force her to come back; he knows that she'd do anything to protect Aaron. Jack has already been convinced. I am curious about how Hurley is going to be able to join them given that he's surrendered to the police and confessed to a double homicide. Maybe Michael Scofield will come break him out of prison (I'd be TOTALLY on board with that idea!) Sun seems to be teaming up with Charles Widmore, which will lead her back to the Island. As a side note, I noticed that Daniel Dae Kim's name was in the credits as a regular cast member. It looks like I might have been right that Jin is still somehow alive, even though he didn't appear in this episode. Usually when dead characters return in flashbacks or as apparitions they're credited as guest appearances. Interesting...



My favorite moments: Hurley defying Ben right to his face. Locke coming to the rescue right at the end. Frogurt/Neil wearing a red shirt and getting hit with a flaming arrow right after screaming "We can't even get fire!" And Ms. Hawking telling Ben "70 hours is all you've got." 70 hours until what?!

A few (or several) questions: Who is Daniel's mother? (My out-there theory is Ms. Hawking. I think he has her journal. He never calls it "my journal", he says "this journal.") Why does Locke have to die to get the 6 back to the Island? Why is Charlotte getting nosebleeds? Who were the soldiers who apprehended Juliet and Sawyer right at the end? My guess: Charles Widmore and friends.

Let's hope next week we get some more answers...and more questions! It wouldn't be LOST otherwise.

4:9 The Shape of Things to Come, 4:10 Something Nice Back Home, 4:11 Cabin Fever

4:9 The Shape of Things to Come



Another jam-packed episode that gave us a lot to think about. I love the Island mythology episodes, and the fact that this one centers around Ben makes it even better.

-Jack starts to feel sick and jokes with Kate about writing his own prescription. It's not so funny when we see him actually do that in his flashforwards.

-Hurley says "Australia is the key to the whole game," which applies to RISK, but might also apply to the show itself.

-I had to go look on Lostpedia to see what the Arab men on horseback say, and here it is: "Look around! He doesn't have a trail! Where did he come from? Fell from the sky?" ...and out comes the Ben stick! There's something about this scene that makes me think Ben is actually a jedi.

-Sawyer becomes sort of a hero when he runs through the compound to save Claire. What a different guy than the one we've known!

-Miles rings the doorbell. Ha!

-A still unanswered question: Did Widmore really have Nadia killed, or was it Ben?

-Mirror image: Ben using Nadia to control Sayid is a parallel to Keamy using Alex to control Ben. Both situations end pretty badly.

-I hadn't noticed before that Locke fully expects Ben to go out and save Alex.

-Another unanswered question: when Keamy kills Alex Ben says Widmore "changed the rules." What are the rules? Who came up with them, and why? If the rules have been changed, then why can't Ben kill Widmore?

-Daniel didn't expect Bernard to know Morse code. Oh, snap!

-The final scene between Widmore and Ben is one of the best ever. Each has his face half in shadow, to signify that we don't know which one is good, and which one is bad. It's a war that we don't know yet who we want to win.

Best lines:

WIDMORE: Don't stand there, looking at me with those horrible eyes of yours and lay the blame for the death of that poor girl on me, when we both know very well I didn't murder her at all, Benjamin. You did.

BEN: No, that's not true.

WIDMORE: Yes, Benjamin, it is. You creep into my bedroom in the dead of night--like a rat--and have the audacity to pretend that you're the victim?

4:10 Something Nice Back Home

-It's cool in the opening scene of Jack's flashforward that his appendectomy scar is visible.

-The story Jack reads to Aaron is from "Alices Adventures in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll. The sequel to that book is "Through the Looking-Glass." Both books have many parallels to LOST - Alice discovers a strange new world where regular logic does not apply, and the passage of time is not the same. In "TTLG" everything is the exact opposite as in the real world, a mirror image.

-Now that we know what happens to Locke, the part of the story Jack reads has more significance: "Alice took up the fan and gloves, and, as the hall was very hot, she kept fanning herself all the time she went on talking: `Dear, dear! How queer everything is to-day! And yesterday things went on just as usual. I wonder if I've been changed in the night. Let me think. Was I the same when I got up this morning? But if I'm not the same, the next question is, 'Who in the world am I?' Aha, that's the great puzzle."

-So Rousseau is really, definitely dead. It's kind of funny that the only way to tell for sure that someone is dead on LOST is to see their body buried in a grave. And even then we might see them again, which thankfully is true in this case.

-It's funny to me when Juliet shaves Jack's stomach, because he has so clearly waxed it already. There's nothing to shave. Maybe it's the same Island property that keeps all the women's armpit hair from growing.

-Jack drives me crazy sometimes. Seriously, being awake during your own abdominal surgery?! That is pretty much the height of control-freakishness.

-I refuse to take sides in the Jate/Skate debate (that rhymes!) but I really like Jack and Kate together off the Island. Too bad it doesn't last that long.

-Hurley tells Jack he has a message for him from Charlie: "You're not supposed to raise him Jack." I assumed he meant Aaron, but now I wonder if he could have meant Locke.

-Another smoke monster clue - the smoke alarm starts beeping right before Jack sees his dad, wearing white sneakers in the hospital lobby.

-Claire sees Christian in the jungle and follows him. Still unanswered: is she dead at this point? How is she able to see him, and why does she so easily leave Aaron behind?

Best lines:
DANIEL: Where do you suppose all this power's coming from?

CHARLOTTE: Add that one to the list, Dan.

-------

JULIET: Jack wants to watch the surgery, "talk me through it."

[Kate chuckles.]

JULIET: What?

KATE: I'm just surprised he hasn't taken it out of himself by now.

4:11 Cabin Fever


See my original post on this episode here.

-Emily Locke goes into labor at 5 (almost 6) months pregnant; the same gestational age Ben was when he was born. According to Juliet, women who conceive on the Island die at this same point of their pregnancies.

-When Sayid and Desmond wake up in their bunks, Desmond speaks so tenderly to him that it kind of sounds like they're in love. Makes me laugh every time.

-Smoke monster alert! Mrs. Locke starts lighting a cigarette and the nurse says "You can't smoke in here." Right after that, Richard Alpert shows up at the window. Mrs. Locke seems to be lying when she says she doesn't know who he is. Has she seen him before?

-It's so cool that we know now why Richard was there in the first place - because Locke told him to be.

-In season 5, Richard says that he is able to live the way he does because of Jacob. Could Locke now be the same after his death (which Jacob revived him from) -existing outside of time?

-Inside the cabin, Christian tells Locke that he's not Jacob, but he can "speak on his behalf." Is he telling the truth?

-Still a big unknown - what is Claire's status? Why is she acting all drugged? After watching season 2 again I noticed that she is behaving exactly the same way in the cabin as she did in "Maternity Leave" when Ethan was drugging her to keep her happy.

Best lines:

BEN: Those things had to happen to me. That was my destiny. But you'll understand soon enough that there are consequences to being chosen... because, destiny, John, is a fickle bitch.

---------

LOCKE: He wants us to move the Island. [THUD]

Sneak Peeks

Here's are a few LOST sneak peeks I've come across. If you don't want to be spoiled at all, don't watch!







The lawyer showing up at Kate's house has Ben written all over it. He's proven himself to be an expert at convincing people that they want to do exactly what he wants them to do. Or he leaves them with no other choice.

A few clips that stood out for me in the last video: Sawyer saying "Everyone I cared about just blew up on your boat." The people who are still on the Island think that the ones who left are all dead. Also, Daniel Farraday apparently made it back to the Island - he was on the zodiac when the Island disappeared. SL-Lost reports that the backwards sounding words at the beginning are John Locke on a loop, saying "When am I?"

Some questions: Is that a monk doing math on a chalkboard? Who's the baby? (Charlotte Lewis?) Why does Desmond decide to go back?

I can't wait for the season 5 premiere in TWO WEEKS! If it's even half as mind-blowing as the season 4 premiere, we're in for a treat!

2:6 Abandoned

-In the interest of full disclosure, I will start off by saying that I am not the biggest Shannon fan. I mostly find her whiny and annoying. This episode does finally provide some explanation for why she acts the way she does, but sadly it doesn't make me like her any more.

-Therefore it won't be a shock when I tell you that I HATE Shannon and Sayid together. Not only does it seem completely out of character for Sayid to fall for someone like Shannon, it cheapens his love for Nadia, who he supposedly has never given up on. I think the writers introduced the Shannon-Sayid connection purely as a way to cause drama when the tail section survivors and the fuselage survivors collide - with Boone gone, there was no one else to be devastated by her death. When Sayid says "I have someone to protect" it makes me gag.

-Also super annoying in this episode is Charlie patronizing Claire. I could relate to Claire's lament, "Everyone knows more about my baby than me." I think most new moms have felt that way.

-I love seeing Locke call Charlie on his hypocrisy. "That's an interesting thing to say, for a heroin addict."


After season 5:

-Knowing how Charlie's story ends up makes me able to forgive him for being so annoying in this episode.

-When Sayid says "I know what it is to lose someone you care deeply about" he really isn't kidding. Shannon, Elsa, Nadia...falling in love with Sayid is pretty much a death sentence.

-One of the big questions that still hasn't been answered - what are the whispers? We hear lots of them this episode: Before Cindy disappears, when Walt appears, and before the two groups collide, resulting in Shannon's death.

Favorite lines:

Locke: Babies like the feeling of being constricted. It's not until we are older that we develop the desire to be free.

The LOST Diet

I just came up with the best idea ever - a new diet for Lost fans who want to lose weight in between seasons. I call it "The Lost Diet." It's pretty simple.

1) Eat only things they eat on the show (pre-Dharma Initiative drops and supplies from the hatch. Apollo Bars are a no-no!) Appropriate menu items include mangoes, papayas, plantains, passionfruit, guava, coconut, fish, mussels, sea urchins, and wild boar. In Season Two they also ate a chicken, but it was split between about 20 people, so interpret that as you like. Alcohol is allowed if you can sneak it out of Sawyer's stash, or if it's involved in a game of "I Never".

2) Run for about half of every day through jungle and mountainous terrain while you are pursued by a mysterious monster made of black smoke and/or The Others. Also go on frequent hikes to find sources of water, boost a radio signal, retrieve dynamite, etc.

3) Carry firewood and/or water whenever you're not running or hiking. Be aware though that the characters who are always carrying things in the background are usually the first to get killed off.

Results are guaranteed. Unless you're Hurley.

4:13 There's No Place Like Home, Parts 2 and 3

Last night's Lost was so full of action and twists and turns...I don't even know where to begin. I gasped, screamed, and yelled "Oh no!" so many times that Eric very sweetly told me to shut up. Now that's good TV!



First things first: they moved the Island! Something I noticed while Ben was in the cold room with the Wheel of Time (that's what I'm calling it, anyway!*) - the sound effects that were used sounded just like the ones in the Swan Hatch before it exploded. The same eerie humming that signified massive amounts of electromagnetism. The soundtrack music was the same too. And then when Ben finishes turning the wheel, the blinding light that results is the same that we saw in the finale of season 2. So, could the Island have been moved at that point too? There wasn't anyone offshore at that time to observe it, so theoretically none of the Losties would have been able to tell it had moved - they would have been moved right along with it. Maybe that could explain though how Desmond and Eko woke up far apart in different places on the Island, but completely unscathed.

We saw in "The Shape of Things to Come" that right after he turns the wheel, Ben ends up in the middle of the Sahara Desert. Remember that polar bear skeleton that Charlotte found in the Sahara? It had a Dharma Initiative collar next to it. I think the DI was using the polar bears as test subjects to turn the wheel, and that's how one (maybe several) ended up in the Sahara. At least they wouldn't mind the cold in the time chamber. The wheel spokes had holes in their ends - maybe for hitching up to polar bears?


*A bit of useless trivia about the wheel - for every season finale, the writers come up with a code word/phrase for the big reveal or cliffhanger of that season so they can refer to that scene in front of anyone without giving the secret away. Season 1 was "The Bagel" (Walt taken from the raft by The Others), season 2 was "The Challah" (Penny's men detecting the electromagnetic anomaly and reporting it to her), season 3 was "The Rattlesnake in the Mailbox" (finding out that Jack and Kate are off Island in the future) and this one was "Frozen Donkey Wheel". Damon and Carlton talked about this in the podcast a few weeks ago - who would have guessed that "Frozen Donkey Wheel" meant exactly what it said?

The big question though, is where is the Island now? Or when? One clue might be the Orchid Station orientation video that Locke watches. The writers had serious time issues this season (condensing 16 episodes into 13) and they took a big chunk of time for us to see that video, so it must be important. Right before the tape starts going haywire, Dr. Edward Halliwax says that when the rabbit is sent a few milliseconds in the future it will "seem to disappear" for a brief moment. Maybe that's what happened to the Island too - in being sent into the future it seems to disappear. And if it was being sent much farther than a few milliseconds (it could be months or years) it could seem to disappear for much longer.

Speaking of Locke...I was shocked, SHOCKED that he was the one in the coffin. I was sure it was going to be Ben, especially since the alias he was using was Jeremy BENtham. Turns out if I had paid more attention in philosophy class in 10th grade I might have clued in to who it was; Jeremy Bentham was a philosopher in the late 1700/early 1800s. (Also named for philosophers: Danielle Rousseau, Desmond Hume, Richard Alpert (AKA Ram Dass), and John Locke himself.) Jeremy Bentham was heavily influenced by Locke's work, and was also a rationalist. Here's an excerpt from iep.com:

Bentham is primarily known today for his moral philosophy, especially his principle of utilitarianism which evaluates actions based upon their consequences, in particular the overall happiness created for everyone affected by the action. He maintained that putting this principle into consistent practice would provide justification for social, political, and legal institutions. Although Bentham's influence was minor during his life, his impact was greater in later years as his ideas were carried on by followers such as John Stuart Mill, John Austin, and other consequentialists.

Bentham is also known for designing the Panopticon, a prison design in which an observer can see all the prisoners, but the prisoners don't know they're being watched. The pyschological effect of the design is the "sentiment of an invisible omniscience"; the idea is that the feeling that they are constantly under scrutiny will lead to better behavior and reform. Here's a sketch:



Maybe the name Jeremy Bentham represents Locke's new role and how he sees himself as the new leader of The Others. That group definitely has a history of people watching (the many surveillance cameras, the black smoke, the whispers). I like the way we were shown Locke in the coffin, but have no idea how he got there - it's the same storytelling device the writers used last season when they showed us Jack and Kate off the Island with no explanation of how they were rescued. I bet a lot of season 5 will be about Locke as a leader on the Island and what "bad things" happen to prompt him to seek out the ones who left.

There were a lot of deaths last night (speaking of which, I recently saw Matthew Fox on Jimmy Kimmel, and he commented that the show has become a lot more violent since it was moved to the 10:00 time slot. So it's not just my imagination.) Three of the originals: Michael, Jin, and Locke - although technically we didn't actually see any of them die. The only person we saw die (twice!) was Keamy - holy moley, I was glad to see that guy gone. He was scary. Almost as scary as Ben. (Did anyone else get total chills when Locke told Ben "You just killed everyone on the boat!" and Ben said "So?" The guy is pure evil. But man, he's fun to watch!) Michael's death has me perplexed - why did Christian Shepard, who Michael had never seen before, appear to him? "You can go now" - does that mean "You can die?" or "Let me teleport you along with the Island"? We never actually see him get hit by the blast. Add to that the fact that Walt thinks Michael is still on the Island - and since Walt has been visited by Jeremy Bentham/Locke, you'd think he would have been clued in about his dad's passing. Curiouser and curiouser.

As for Jin, I think there is a good chance he's still alive. That was a pretty big explosion - but if people can survive a plane crash, a gunshot to the stomach, a helicopter crash, or a harpoon to the chest, why not a huge pile of C4 detonating? That would be a pretty good twist for season 6 too: Sun goes back to the Island and - surprise! Your husband didn't actually explode! (And hopefully you didn't start dating again.)

I think my favorite scene was the reunion between Desmond and Penny. Their story is one of the best arcs on the show. (On a side note, I really wish they didn't have to tell us in the opening credits who the guest stars are going to be. I saw Sonya Walger credited and instantly knew Penny was going to show up at some point - talk about ruining the surprise. But apparently it's in the actors' contracts or something so the writers/producers don't have a choice about who shows up in the credits.) The scene in "The Constant" when they speak to each other on the phone has the high honor of being the first scene in a television show ever to make me cry. If none of the other characters end up happy, I hope Penny and Desmond do. I almost wish this could be the end of their story - but it can't, since Ben's mission in life now is to kill Penny. Way to wreck the honeymoon, Ben.

Lots of creepiness last night too - Hurley playing chess with Mr. Eko sent shivers down my spine. Kate's dream about Claire was chilling, although I was glad to see Kate showing some remorse about taking Aaron away from his mother. And when Ben startles Jack in the funeral home I just about peed my pants - I mean, Ben is creepy even when he's sitting there eating an Apollo Bar; appearing in the corner of a closed funeral parlor dressed all in black pushes him way over the edge of the creepy scale.

A few of my favorite moments: finding out Charlotte was born on the Island (did her parents know Ben?), Sawyer jumping out of the helicopter and sacrificing himself for the rest of the group (when did he become so noble?), Sun confronting Mr. Widmore in London, and Sayid playing the spy/assassin role again (they are both so badass in the future).

A few things I don't really get: The Island let Michael die (if he did) once the freighter was about to blow up because that was the mission he was supposed to accomplish. But why did the freighter need to be destroyed? They moved the Island, so there's no way Widmore could have come back to find it (the reason they wanted to get rid of the freighter in the first place). Also, Keamy's "dead man trigger" - how in the world was it sending a radio signal to the freighter from so far underground in the Orchid Station? And when he died, why couldn't Ben and Locke just pick up the device quickly and put it on one of their arms? I'm not very knowledgeable about dead man triggers (a little, but not very) but I was surprised they didn't even try that.

Predictions for next season: On Island, we'll see Locke's rule as the new leader of The Others and how that eventually leads to his death. Hopefully we'll find out more about how the Island moved, and where it is now. We'll see the gathering of the Oceanic Six and how they are each persuaded that they have to go back to the Island. As far as how they'll get back...I'm kind of hoping next season will end with another plane crash.

What are your thoughts? Questions? Rants?

Eight long months to go until the next new Lost. I need a new hobby.

4:12 There's No Place Like Home, Part 1

This week I took notes. Here are my reactions to last night's LOST, scene by scene. It centered on flashforwards (or flashbacks, depending on which story line you consider present time) for all of the Oceanic Six. Stop reading now if you haven't watched it yet!

-I didn't think we'd see the arrival home of the Oceanic Six until the very end. Very cool. The Oceanic rep is Michelle Forbes (from Prison Break, 24, and Battlestar Gallactica - or so Eric tells me).

-Jack: "We all know the story." I wonder who told them what "the story" was? No one's there to greet Kate. So sad. No wonder she becomes so devoted to Aaron, she has no one else.

-"Don't bleed to death Jack." I really like Juliet. I hope they don't kill her off.

-How does Daniel know about the Second Protocol and The Orchid?

-Oh my. Sawyer looks mighty fetching with a baby in his arms. But how is that baby not starving by now? Did Claire get out her Medela and pump 12 ounces into a coconut shell before walking off into the jungle?

-Ha! He called it "New Otherton"! That's a long standing inside joke between the writers, so funny. "You don't get to die alone." I like Responsible Sawyer.

-So Kate is actually claiming that she gave birth to Aaron! Wow. She and Jack are both way too good at lying. They are saying Jin died on the plane and not on the Island. I wonder who they will say *did* die on the Island?

-I kind of hate that we know Nadia is going to be murdered soon. Stupid flashforwards. Poor Sayid.

-EW! 15 year old crackers!

-I can't figure out how only the Six are going to be rescued. So far they're still in three separate groups - Sun and Aaron on the freighter, Kate, Sayid and Jack in the jungle, and Hurley with Ben and Locke. It will be very interesting to see how they all get together for the rescue.

-Sun takes over her evil father's company. Go Sun!

-Hurley hears whispers! ...and it's a surprise party. A luau?! Nice. It's so weird to see Kate, Sayid and Hurley hanging out at a backyard barbecue. Hurley's keychain is a rabbit foot just like the pilot's in the beginning. Oh no, the numbers! I would run too!

-Hurley gets the best question of the night: If they move the Island, won't the bad guys just be moved along with it?

-Locke to Ben: "When are you ever entirely truthful?" Another excellent question.

-It's Claire's mom!!! Holy crap, that gave me chills. I never thought that's how Jack would find out that Claire is his sister. So he did know in the flashforward when he yells at Kate "You're not even related to him!"

-I really think Claire is still alive on the Island. It's so much more dramatic if she's still there and Kate is raising Aaron as her own. It gives them a huge reason to have to go back.

-A less than joyous reunion between Sun, Jin and Michael. Too bad he can't give the watch back.

-Whoa, the freighter's loaded down with C4. Is that what Keamy's device is set to detonate? I'm willing to put money down that we'll see the Kahana explode next episode. It just wouldn't be a season finale without stuff blowing up! (Past season finales exploded the door of the Swan hatch, the inside of the Swan hatch, and lots of Others)

-Gah!!! Richard Alpert! Dressed in Other clothes!?

-Ben always has a plan.


What did everyone think of this episode? I liked that all of the Six got a bit of the spotlight. Although this was kind of a bridge episode, it seems like they're gearing up for a big one next time so I'm excited. Let me know your theories about how the rescue will happen - and who is in that coffin!