Thursday, March 29, 2007

Expose

Don’t faint. Yes, it’s an early blog. I didn’t like this episode for completely personal reasons. I HATE BUGS!!! So it was difficult to watch. Sorry I just can’t be impartial. But I will try my best to provide you with the same level of professional blogging you have been receiving…despite the fact that even sitting here now and remembering it, I am twitching and brushing invisible bugs off of me.

Summary
I thought that Nikkie was faking her death since she was just in a scene in which she died. There of course is still a possibility since Locke had said that “Nothing ever stays buried.” It was cool to see Vincent try his best to show them that Nikkie and Paulo weren’t dead. Vincent truly has a connection to the island. I think that before I thought he was the cause of things bad. But now I think he is warning them and they misinterpret his signals.

I loved Sawyer. He was funny without even trying to be. His “Who the hell is Nikki?!?” Was too funny! He slipped in “Nina and Pablo”, again being funny by accident. Hurley was funny as well when Jin was speaking Chinese and he responds, “I know.” The humor in the show is what gets keeps me.

Connections
This week there are some connections but a lot of parallels. Let’s start with the connections. The red flowers were in the kitchen when Paolo was preparing the meal are the same as the ones on the island. The number 4 and 8 were everywhere! The show was in its 4th season. The tv slate had the numbers on it. The time stamp told everything in 84, 80 4, 8 increments. Razzle Dazzle is the name of a song in the musical Chicago where the jury is being distracted by the theatrics of the defendant and away from the real crime. Sawyer was reading Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie, which was basically about love and betrayal.

The parallels are that Nikkie and Paolo poisoned someone in their previous life and were poisoned on the island. Nikkie says, “We all know what happens to guest stars.” And her character later dies. Even though she was supposed to be a character, she seemed more like a guest star. Nikkie asks Paolo to promise that that they will never end up like Shannon and Boone. Of course they do. Paolo refuses to get in the plane while Boone does and dies. I am glad the writers didn’t truly mess with history when recreating the scenes with Nikkie and Paolo in them. They did seem to die for nothing? If we would have had their flashback sooner and then used them, they might have been more liked. I definitely liked Paolo more after this and now he is dead. I’m okay with it, it just seemed a little weird for me. If they wanted filler, they could have focused on Rose and Bernard. We know that Locke was healed by the island, maybe some more support for that fact that she was too.

Questions
So was it Smokey that killed them as a manifestation of bugs? We heard the familiar sound and bending of trees. Although Paolo really loved Nikkie, he was still a murderer. Yet another person on the island to have killed before. Sawyer seemed to have learned a lesson that she didn’t. Their existence on the island was more important than money. It was worth nothing there. She died for something that was useless due to her nature.

It was funny to see the characters try to figure out the whole “You’re next” line from Ecko. I am definitely leaning more towards the 2 of them being next. Hurley already proved that deathbed words can be misunderstood.

So to touch on the timeline: Paolo and Nikkie find the hatch. Later Ben and Juliette come, thinking that Tom left it exposed. Ben instructs them to move the plane over it. We thought this was a mystical sign at first when they discovered it. But now we know it was a coincidence. Ben brings Juliette to see inside the other hatch. After, Ben will send messages to Michael pretending to be Walt to coax him out of the hatch. There main goal was to have him get Jack. Nikkie referred to Jack and Sawyer as Kate’s 2 boyfriends, so it would have been clear to Ben as well the emotional attachment. So they were brought, just to manipulate Jack. Hurley was brought because he wouldn’t fight back and they could send him with a message. So this debunks some of the “lists”. Ethan’s list was just to find out who was on the plane so they could run background checks. He never made the list because he went after Claire against his orders. This is kind of connected since he did have an earlier fascination or connection with Juliette’s sister. So instead of making the list, he tells Tom they have a flight manifest. So they get that and find out about the remaining folks on the plane. Michael’s list is just the names of folks that will help them with their ultimate goal of getting Jack to do the surgery. But it contradicts the timeline because at that point the sky hadn’t turned purple. They could still communicate with the outside world. So why use Jack? The only remaining list is Jacob’s list. That one I am still trying to figure it. I think I mentioned it before as the list of people who may eventually become Others.

Conclusion
As many of you know, I will be attending the LOST Weekend in Hollywood this weekend. I was nervous at first but now that I have been on the boards and talking to other nuts, I feel right at home. I will tell you all about it whether you want to know or not.  Next week looks like good one. So until then…c-ya!

Thursday, March 22, 2007

The Man from Tallahassee

Well…it’s not all in his head! Getting pushed out of building would result in a little trouble walking.

Good morning! Yes I am going to try to get this out by noon. But every time I point my bat at the fence, ya end up with the blog on Friday. SO let’s stop predicting and more typing!

Summary
EXCELLENT SHOW!!! The show seems to be getting better and better each week. At times it feels like they are telling us too much! But I also hope they keep it coming. It moved right along last night. I record it so I can go through the commercials and I couldn’t wait for each scene. I think they gave a little too much away on the previews and promos, so I am going to stay away from those as well as spoilers. I guessed everything that happened EXCEPT for the fall out the window. That was great! I would have bet cash money that it was all in his head. Especially with the whole depression thing. I was hoping that there would have been a Libby/Hurley connection with the mental illness but it took a different turn. I really enjoyed Locke this week. I think it’s a really fine line between him being completely clueless and being crazy like a fox!

Connections
Locke fell 8 stories, so there is the connection with the numbers. The tv tray had symbols found on the map. He spent 4 years paralyzed, again reference to the numbers. His address on the disability paperwork was 168. You see the book, A Brief History of Time again, this time in Ben’s house. The song Jack was playing on the piano was the score that is played every time Jack has a reflective moment. Kind of his theme song. When Locke looked down into the submarine, it was like when he was looking down into the hatch the first time. Cooper was pouring MacCutcheon whisky for Locke. Remember Sawyer’s comment, “You may have been to Phuket, Doc, but I've been to Tallahassee.” That seems to connect the dots for me that Cooper is the REAL Sawyer. I would be truly surprised if that connection was not made in future episodes.

Questions
OK. I have so many ideas floating in my head I am going to just write them ALL down. I am not really sold on what I think is going on.

Liars always tell as much of the truth as possible. Helps keep the lies straight. Ben is manipulative and a liar, but most of what he said is true. I do believe that once you leave the island now you can’t come back. But I don’t believe that you can no longer leave the island. If Ben was so concerned about seeming weak to his people with letting Jack go, why was he okay to let Walt and Michael go? Probably because the submarine could truly make it and the boat they are on cannot. I do think the whole Penny thing will factor into them eventually being able to go home.

Ben is not the top figure. Tom warned Jack that he was being listened to. By whom? I don’t think he meant Ben. He is definitely the leader, but he is not Jacob. Ben also mentioned that some happened on the island (Losties) others were recruited (Dharma). That further convinces me that the Others are Dharma and the Losties are Hostiles.

That brings me to the List. Remember Jacob’s list? Why those names? Jack wasn’t on it but Locke was. Maybe the list is people who will eventually want or who are meant to stay on the island, for some reason or another. Maybe not so much chosen because they are good, but because they want to stay. Locke definitely could become an Other, but there is also something about him that makes him dangerous to them as well. I think when Ben said he was coming for Locke before he was captured, he was telling the truth.

So is there a magic box? Is the magic box just Smokey and there is a concentration of it near the black rock? Can anything you wish come true? Probably not. Because none of them seem to be getting their wishes. Not even Ben. He wants everyone to stay, and WANT to stay. He doesn’t want to be ill. He wants Alex to love him. It seems to be bringing up their fears instead. Mikhail alluded to the fact that their minds couldn’t comprehend it. I am beginning to believe them. Good to see that Jack was not one of them, he seemed just a clueless as he was before. Calm, but still clueless.

The biggest question, of course, is how did Cooper get on the island?
- He was on the plane. Claire, Jack and the dad (whom we have never seen his dead body). Why couldn’t he have been? He could have been in the tai lsection and was taken by the Others. I don’t believe he is the Others captor and is working with them. It seemed wherever Locke moved to, his father was near running another con.
- Or could he have been running another con in Tallahassee involving Mittlelos and the con went astray? Ben didn’t ask Tom to get Cooper, he asked Richard who is the island recruiter.
- Cooper may be rich now that he is always running cons, could this all be part of a rich man’s game? Him and Widmor were drinking the same expensive whiskey. Could they be working together? Ever see the movie The Game with Michael Douglas & Sean Penn? This reminded me of that.
- Maybe they grabbed him to use him as a pawn once they knew who Locke was. They have been on the island 80 days, they would have had time.
- The supernatural answer is that he is either a manifestation of Smokey (unlikely because most are alone when they see it), he is a clone (not liking this one either), or they just snatched him (which makes no sense since they cannot leave and return to the island). Well, take your pick!

Conclusion
Next week seems like another great episode. We see Sun hit Sawyer and some other stuff that I should care about (someone dying and a spy for the Others). I only care about the hitting. I hope they continue the way they are going because it is fantastic! 7 more days folks…..C-ya!

Friday, March 16, 2007

Par Avion

Par Avion

I would apologize for getting this to you on a Friday. But MOST of you didn’t even watch it Wednesday. And by MOST I mean one person. But it stings. If you, and you know who you are, are not going to make the commitment to stay up to 11:00-12:00 to watch LOST and be ready for discussion the next day, everyone suffers. And by everyone, I still mean just you.

I think we (the fans) have done a good job voicing that 10pm is just WAY too late. They won’t do this again to us Season 4. It’s a 9:00 show for sure. Oh well, on with the show. This will be short and sweet this week.

Summary
Great episode! LOST is definitely back. Of course I mentioned the major connection between Claire and Jack last season. So it was anti-climatic. But the whole Locke thing gave me chills. We will discuss that later. I thought they did a good job wrapping up stray storylines and I also liked how Desmond just told Claire what was up. No stringing her along, withholding, lying…he just told her. It was a nice contrast from the whole We-Are-The-Others-And-We-Never-Reveal-Anything thing that always happens. Sawyer almost got off his Barbie comment, can’t wait for his week to be up!

Connections
The biggest one of course is that Claire is Jack’s half sister. It makes it seem less than a coincidence that not only Claire and Jack are on the same plane, but that Christian was there too. This revelation is clue that everyone has daddy issues. The beginning of the episode when it opened showing her eye was similar to Jack’s when he woke up on the beach. The numbers were on the odometer on the car and were said over the intercom in the hospital. The tv program in Claire’s mom’s hospital room was the documentary about migratory birds that she would later refer to on the island. The book that Sawyer was reading was The Fountainhead. In a nutshell, about a man trying no to conform, preferring to struggle in obscurity rather than compromise.

Questions
Charlie – It seems to me that being around Claire is dangerous. All the near deaths are when he was with her. I think it’s a leap to think that it has anything to do with baby Aaron. Remember the Others wanted Aaron, why? Is he trying to off poor Charlie? For now, Claire doesn’t care and is standing by her man.

Claire – So she never knew Christian’s name. Will she connect the dots with Jack before they leave the island? Did she kill her mom? Wasn’t it just like when Juliette wished her ex-husband was hit by a bus and then he was? Now Claire, arguing in the car with her mom and wishing her dead, and then being hit by a car. Car crashes are extremely prevalent in the show. Another thing…didn’t Claire’s note seem really cryptic!

To whom it may concern, we are the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815. We have survived on this island for 80 days. We were six hours into the flight when the pilot said we were off course and we turned back towards Fiji. We hit turbulence and crashed. We've been
waiting here all this time. Waiting for rescue that has not come. We do not know where
we are. We only know you have not found us. We've done our best to live on this
island. Some of us have come to accept we may never leave it. Not all of us have
survived since the crash, but there is new life too, and with it, there is hope.
We are alive. Please don't give up on us.

On one hand it was very poetic. But then again, it was like the other messages, no dates some information, I think we will definitely see that bird or at least, that message again.


Mikhail – He clearly would have rather died than taken back to the camp. I think an important thing he said was that since the sonar was down, if they leave, they couldn’t come back. That to me is important because of the reason they would want to…which they of course won’t reveal. We also get confirmation that Ben is not HIM. He seemed a little surprised that they didn’t know. Some people think that Jack will be their new leader. I don’t. I do think there is someone pulling the strings. The security fence didn’t have any dead animals, polar bears, boars – so I don’t think the Losties would have been hurt going through it. Someone (the above mentioned person who is responsible for the late blog) suggested that it might be a chip in the Others and the fence keeps them in. This is supported by the fact that it didn’t kill him until he was facing outward as if he was leaving. He fell, got up and faced them. Could just be dramatics…who knows!

One thing about the flashbacks, they can go pretty far into the past or just recently. That is something to always keep in mind. I have felt that the Losties existence is a flashback as well. Perhaps the Red Sox game is history because they are in a different plane of time. The Losties think its current but they are in the future and it is their past. Would kind of explain Mikhail saying “you won’t be able to come back” and “you are not capable of understanding.”

Locke - The biggest thing was Locke. I am going with the fact that, yes he is a sad sack, but he is doing all this for a reason. I think its still to easy to just say he doesn’t want to leave the island. If they leave and can’t come back, he can just stay. He’s blowing up hatches and now he has the C4. To blow up the submarine perhaps? Mikhail was about to reveal that Locke was paralyzed. Which leads me to believe the intel they have was all before the left the island because they didn’t try to steal Sun who is now pregnant. No one seems surprised that he is now walking around. Perhaps because they know the healing properties of the island? But then again, why would Ben need surgery. Everytime you seem to get one piece of the puzzle, there’s some crazy edge that just doesn’t fit. But Locke knew he didn’t win the chess game last week since he is an avid player. So he was searching for something. He was pushing that stupid code into the computer in the hatch, this is the first time a computer interacted with him. Not to mention the shout out to WarGames with the secure menus to the computer hidden by a game. So he was smart to sit at the computer in my opinion. He knew there might be an explosion because he would have already found and taken the C4. Locke is now the guy to watch.

Conclusion
Next week looks even better. They really did mean it when they said the rest of the episodes they will start showing us more. I am curious to see the Rousseau thing unfold, of course what is Locke’s connection to them. Not sure they will give up THAT much next week. But one can hope. Until next week, c-ya!

Thursday, March 08, 2007

Enter 77

I can’t stand the 10pm start time!!!! I am so tired by the time it comes on I can’t string together a coherent thought by then. And they are actually making me work at work. Boooo! I tried to get Lost Blog as one of my duties for work, but they aren’t buying it. But enough of my excuses, on with the show.

Summary
I thought it was a good episode. But I don’t feel like I was able to comprehend all of it the way I think I should. I think I am sliding backwards and over analyzing again. I will just tell you what I got from of it and you can all yell at me about how wrong I am. I am also pleased to see some anonymous comments on the board. Yeah! Comments are always welcome.

I liked the sub story with Hurley and Sawyer. Hurley really understanding Sawyer and that his frustration was not really about loosing his stuff but loosing his girl. I also loved how Sun could have asked to keep the stuff for the group if they won but preferred to have his respect and try and bring him closer to the group. Sawyer had some good lines: Grimace, Zoro, Avalanche, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (which on a side note I bought under the old Blockbuster video policy since I kept it 4 months and to this day, still have not seen). I think all of us did a collective-oh yeah when Sawyer said: “B) Who the hell are you?!?” We are all wondering that dear Sawyer.

Below is the Russian translation of the conversation between Mikhail and Ms. Klugh:
Klugh: Mikhail. Mikhail! You know what to do.
Mikhail: We still have another way [out].
Klugh: We cannot risk it. You know the conditions.
Mikhail: There is another way.
Klugh: They captured us. We will not let them to get into the territory.
Klugh: You know what to do. That's an order.
Mikhail: We still have another way!
Klugh (in English): Just do it, Mikhail.
Mikhail: Forgive me. (shoots)

Miss Klugh obviously a higher authority to him.
Connections
There were a lot of little connections this week. The cat was not the same but a symbol for the cat Sayid had seen when he was being tortured. The scene also mirrored what he did to Ben when he was in the hatch (torturing him while all the while Ben denied the truth). The cat was named Nadia after the love of his life, which he was incidentally on the way to see when the plane crashed. He was in Australia in the first place looking for large amounts of C4. Mikhail and Nadia’s b-day is on the same day. The overall parallel between 2 men, Mikhail and Sawyer, who both want isolation. Locke finding Ecko’s message "Life up your eyes and look north. John 3:05", led them right to the Flame. The heading 305, 3+0+5=8. The title of the episode Enter 77, it’s the 77 day on the island for the Losties. 7700 is the international aviation emergency code. The numbers added together on the manuals Sayid was holding equal 108. The number 4 was throughout. The numbers were also on the chess game.

Questions
This is what we were told, The Others (Hostiles) and the Dharma folks. Dharma came to the island and the Others were already there. They eventually took over the Dharma folks who are now missing and presumed dead. I saw somewhere that in some episode that the food drop was “automated and sent in perpetuity”, so no one is interacting with the outside world to receive it. Every hatch has a fail safe that blows up if there is a breach. The hydro filled with water, and Locke has blown up 2 others now.

Now who really is who? Mikhail was an Other. Kelvin was Dharma. But he was there after Dharma was supposedly over? This also makes me wonder about Juliette. She was Dharma but changed to an Other? Is that why she wants off of the island? But then, what about Ethan? He was off of the island and was recruiting…was he recruiting for Dharma or the Others? If Dharma, when did he become an Others? OR could the Others REALLY be Dharma and the ultimate switch-a-roo! That’s what I meant by saying earlier that I think I am missing the bigger picture in this episode. It’s hard for me to step back and see all the pieces and where they fit. Rememebr, Ben said he has been there all his life. But if he’s 45 that means he was born in the 60’s. So perhaps his mom was Dharma scientist? MAYBE the Losties ARE the hostiles!!!! There is no Others. Just Dharma (Others) and Hostiles (Losties and/or any survivor throughout the years). The Losties are killing, crossing lines and blowing up things. And remember from the Russian translation of Miss Klugh, “They captured us. We will not let them to get into the territory.” The Losties sure sound like the Hostiles. I got a chew on this a minute so don’t jump all over me just yet. But could the Others be Dharma and they make survivors to the island like Desmond believe they are part of Dharma, this long extinct experiment. This keeps them there with a purpose and keeps the island a secret. Maybe some of Dharma broke off and created another group as opposed to just native people of the island. Who knows!!!

When Mikhail said the computer cheats, made me think that it was a live feed and not a video screen that would be the same no matter who was typing. Just like the computer talking to Michael and he thought it was Locke. A little too fortuitous. But it does make sense that he would basically dare Locke to play, knowing that all communication functions were down and that he would wind up blowing up the station. My head hurts. It was too much for me this week because nothing is ever as it seems.

Conclusion
I thought it was a good episode. I think it is slowly building momentum for the end of the season. I think Rousseau may be a key to a lot of things in the end. I don’t want to speculate a lot about the previews, they are often misleading. But I found it interesting that there may be an invisible wall around the Others. Is it to keep them in or something else out? What was Miss Klugh so willing to die for? And how does my old tried and true theory of time shift fit in?!? I can’t wait to find out. Until next week….c-ya!

Friday, March 02, 2007

Tricia Tanaka is Dead

Okay, I do have a good excuse this week for being so EXTREMELY late with the blog. My daughter is having difficulty in school. Now that is completely surprising to me since I am either listening to Howard Stern on headphones, talking online to people about LOST and now American Idol or working until midnight because during the day I am gossiping about who was doing what at work. No home support?!? Are they crazy! You ask her anything about season 1 or 2, she’s golden. Wonder if that can that be a question on the standardized test? Anyway I was rocked by a pretty bad teacher conference and now my sweet child will have to get by on her looks. Luckily for me she’s cute. So I apologize profusely and will make a weak promise to never do it again. On with the show…

Summary
I thought it was a good episode. I am now going to stop waiting/looking for the show to give answers and try just enjoying it. I think it was one of the funniest ones they have had and a good transition to the rest of the season. Sawyer had some absolutely hilarious lines, “Jiminey Cricket, Snuffy (as in Snuffleupagus), Jimbo, Oliver twist, Skeletor, International House of Pancakes.” Best lines, “Let’s look death in the face and say, whatever man.” “Well somebody’s hooked on phonics.” And of course, S: What’s going on Jumbo Tron? H: Shut up. Red- -Neck- -Man. S: (pause) Touchè. Loving it. I liked how everyone was happy to see Kate and Sawyer back. They all seemed like family.

Connections
The father/son connection was made, now with Hurley. Yet another person with daddy issues. Hurley was not able to fix the Camaro with his dad, but he was able to fix the VW bus. The rabbit foot keychain was a connection to the, “You gotta make your own luck, Hurley.” The number 4 was in the license plate to the Camaro and Tricia Tanaka worked for Action 8 news. One of the documents in the van had the heading “Ho’oulu Lahui” which means to grow/propagate/inspire a species/tribe. The song that was playing when Hurley’s dad left was playing when the van started, Shambala by Three Dog Night. There is a picture of a tropical beach on the wall in Hurley's dining room.
Hurley told his father "I'm not going anywhere with you." Walt said those exact words to Michael when Michael came back into his life. The label on the beer shows The Swan logo as opposed to the normal Dharma logo that was on the food at the beginning. We now know how Randy becomes the boss of Locke at the box company, because we see the meteorite hit Mr. Cluck’s thus ending his tenure as manager there. I found it interesting the name, Roger Workman. Similar to the man on the orientation, Mr. Wick Man. Could it be their jobs on the island and not their real last names?

Questions
Not too many new questions. I am curious to find out what killed the people on the island. From Mr. Work Man and the bodies in the cave. Was there a road that the truck was on and it is now covered by the jungle? Where does the road lead? If Ben has been on the island all his life he would have been a kid when the island was filled with people. He knows what happened to them. Hurley’s line about the beer being as old as Rocky III, maybe II, puts the age at 1979. That would match the later age of the orientation video. Again, no new questions, no new answers.

Conclusion
Glad to see Rousseau back and perhaps now in a prominent role. Wonder what will happen when she comes face to face with Alex. Obviously a season finale moment. I don’t look at spoilers so I will have to be patient and wait. I look forward to more action next week. The tv show Heroes this week showed that a show that has to go slow lest it spoil all its surprises, can give answers and still continue strong. Take a lesson, Lost, however you’re still my number one! C-ya next week.