Monday, May 19, 2008

There's No Place Like Home

The cardinal sin. The delay of the LOST blog. I hear you all and I know! I would say I was busy and blah, blah, blah. But I really think I have psychological issues and I am trying to delay the loss of Lost. After next week’s episode…it’s gone until February 09. 2009!!! I don’t think I can deal with it. I really don’t. So once I write the blog its over. So the delay is my way of hanging. Crazy. I know! But that is my only real defense. I was camping and dancing and fighting the heat. But the main reason is that I want to hang on to the show as long as I can. So that is my excuse…on with the show!

Oh the double edged sword. How badly the wound bleeds.

This would have been a great episode…had we not known about 98% of it before it happened. But leave it to Lost to make the other 2% awesome.

So my issue with the episode is that it seemed to pause as if to allow for the laughing of a laugh track. But instead of laughing we were all supposed to go OMG! I found myself smiling in delight…but no real shocking moments. They landed in Honolulu, ok. Sun socks it to her dad, ok. Hurley sees fruit from the island and hears whispers, turns out to be a surprise party. Ok. Nadia and Sayid are reunited, ok. Jack finds out the Claire was his half sister, ok (although it was nice to find out I was right about when Kate asked Jack if he wanted to come by for a visit. It was to visit his half brother). I am sure if you were someone who didn’t hyper-analyze every episode, this would have been a damn good episode.

Summary

So let’s get to the 2%. The first one for me was the ominous way the door on the freighter slowly closed behind Sun. I have maintained that that Jin is still alive, but that slow look behind was much like the scene between Desmond and Charlie before he died. After confronting her father, she mentions 2 people responsible for Jin’s death. Seemed way more than act and much more like grief to me. I think Jin dies! Next cool scene, when Sayid and Kate were confronted by the Others. That was great. Maybe we finally get to see the temple? Doubt it from the previews but one could hope. Not to mention Richard Alpert cool as a cucumber. Next great scene, the explosives making it clear that the freighter can’t get anyone off the island. I believe Keamy put them there. I guess he only planned for only himself, Ben and a few others getting off the island in the helicopter. The rest where on an unknown suicide mission. I believe the device on Keamy’s arm is the trigger for the explosives. Kill him, freighter goes boom. Maybe thinking they are doing a good thing by killing him without knowing the other consequences. Sound familiar? Sounds like a running theme on the island. I miss Sawyer. I hope to see more of him next season. If he dies, all hell will break loose.

Connections

The numbers were everywhere this episode. The odometer on Hurley’s car, the amount of days the Oceanic 6 were missing (108), on clothes and the number of decorations at Hurley’s party. Hurley was eating from Mr. Cluck’s Chicken Shack. Best lines….I loved it when Sawyer said as he went with Jack, “You don’t get to die alone.” A take from Live Together, Die Alone and the fact that they must stick together. I also liked when Hurley’s dad says to them, “What are you talking about? Building a fire, hunting down boars?” The Losties paused and looked around nervously. Sawyer had his trademark lines, “New Otherton” (The Other’s barracks), “Hold on Shaggy” (To Lapidus) and “Genghis” (referring to Miles). Love it!

Questions

http://youtube.com/watch?v=4bTvAUVPyLI

I have provided a link to the Orchid station orientation video that was shown at Comic Con last summer. Notice the reference to the “leap” and the fear of rabbit 15 getting close to the other rabbit 15. I think they were experimenting with time travel and accidentally caused the rabbits to be in the same time. The only reason why I think its important is that to move the island either means to shift time or the movement of the island also causes a shift in time. I have always maintained that the whispers are echoes from the past or future.

My main questions for this week’s finale:

Did Desmond see Claire get on the chopper with Aaron? This is very simple to explain. Either he mistook the woman holding Aaron as Claire, or what he saw happens in an alternate set of circumstances or he lied. I think he mistook the woman holding Aaron. We shall see.

Is Claire dead? What truths could Christian have told Claire to make her at ease? Sure she was happy to see her dad. She doesn’t know he is supposed to be dead. I think it’s more likely that she died and what they were seeing was a manifestation. That is why Miles kept wanting to take Aaron from Claire. I would rather her be alive.

How do those 6 get off the island? It’s a simple thought that they all make it back to the beach, jump on the raft and sail away. But with them all spread out and now in different camps, it will be interesting to see how they get this done.

Finally, how does Locke move the island? He seems to be gloating with Jack in the previews about what he is about to do. How will this affect the Others, people on the beach, people on the freighter, and our heroes in the jungle?

I’m both excited and scared to see how this all turns out. It could be very shocking and Lost worthy…or one big disappointment. I am trying to temper my excitement but its not working. How will the show continue if time catches up? TPTB stated a while back that flashbacks and flash forwards will no longer be important soon. That is a cryptic comment. Could mean that everything is in real time. NAW! Probably means that we won’t know what is a forward, back or side to side.

Conclusion

Mind you there are a ton of spoilers on the net and I have not read any of them. Stay away from them. Someone wrote a blow by blow of the finale. That really sucks. Some people cannot take the suspense!

Season finale next week. Party at Chez Clark. Look for another email with the specific details. Until then, C-ya!

Friday, May 09, 2008

Cabin Fever

Side note: I am really bad about telling you about non-show Lost stuff. However last week, producers were on Jimmy Kimmel show discussing the season and because Jimmy is a huge fan. He tried to grill them but the other guest, Terrance Howard, kept interrupting. Jerk! But here is the link if you would like to hear what they had to say, no spoilers.


http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/05/05/kimmel-grills-the-lost-guys-video/

Cabin Fever

Hello everyone. It’s hard to write this because I am in an empty building and it’s so quiet I can hear the ticking of the clock. It’s annoying as hell! I think I need the constant “Are you done yet!?!” and the loud of voices to be able to focus. But how could I not do okay because it was a GREAT episode. There was so much to ponder and theorize about. I am not sure I have had enough time to truly sit down and reflect. But I will do my best.

Summary

I loved the fact that it seems as though they are bringing back old Locke. I hated how he seemed to falter and now has a renewed sense of self. The gun shot and his legs temporarily becoming paralyzed were signs that he was falling out of favor with the island. His question to Jacob was perfect! It meant that he had found his way and was the new true leader. Ben is still powerful but become obsessed with his own power, controlling the Losties and his daughter and lost focus of the true nature of the island. Locke scenes still move at a snail’s pace. I am screaming at the tv, “hurry up!”. But this week was great because you can see the build up to the season finale.

Hurley’s character is the perfect medium. His problem is that despite the fact that he is good and deserves all he receives, he still believes he’s cursed. He is the one I am not sure of his path. That goes double for Jack. Both flawed in a way that makes them repeat history.

Connections

The scene after the commercial break opened with the eye which is a recurring theme. Locke as a kid was playing backgammon which he also played with Walt on the beach. Locke was also on the white side of the game board. Locke said, “Don’t tell me what I can’t do” yet again, which is his Achilles’ heel. Ben’s mother was also named Emily like Emily Locke. Locke’s mom was locked up in the same mental institution (Santa Rosa) as Hurley (we see her again when she is running a con on Locke with his father for his kidney). Horace Godspeed cutting down the same tree over and over is like the biblical story for Sisyphus pushing a bolder uphill, only to have it roll back down again. Locke being asked to choose and item from Richard is like the choosing of the Dali Lama. Each item is similar to an item Locke either had or was given on the island. Not sure about the comic book just being about a lost island or if perhaps Walt had a copy of that comic too.

Questions

This is going to be a long one.

#1: Why is Keamy trying to blow up the island? The Captain and the commando kept saying that they thought it was a simple extraction mission. Why would Widmore want the island to be blown up? I thought he wanted the island for himself? That makes no sense to me. Kill everyone, ok. But why torch the island? Widmore never really wanted Ben because when Ben was in his bedroom, their focus is still the island. Ben is a means to an end. What Keamy was reading from the safe was a Dharma document. It had the same logo that was on Ben’s parka. Maybe Widmore thinks he needs Ben out of the way so that he can destroy the island. Maybe start anew. But why?!?

#2: I wasn’t freaking out when I saw Christian in the cabin, because we had already guessed it was him from the previous season. But, Claire? OMG! 2 options. She is dead, Christian is dead and that is how the island communicates with the living. OR Claire just drank the kool-aid as Cindy and the kids did. Remember when Cindy and the kids were looking at Sawyer in the cage? They were like business as usual, not shocked at all. So she has either understood the bigger picture or is dead. I don’t know. But her creepy smile was freaky.

#3: Richard Alpert. “Which one of these belongs to you already?” Great question. As to say, “In your past incarnation, which one of these is yours.” Is time moving forward, backwards or in a loop! Just like the Matrix, Neo can change the future only when he has exhausted all of his choices of free will. But every choice creates another new choice. And if he didn’t learn from the last path, he will end up in the same place. Perhaps Locke answered correctly before and was taken to the island sooner. Next time, not until he was a teenager. I think it’s more likely that he chose wrong as a kid and then Ben was recruited. But when Ben started to go astray, they gave Locke another try. Is Richard ageless or is he a clone? They dropped all that cloning business and the rabbit stuff awhile ago. But is it still significant?

#4: Matthew Abbaddon. I thought he was a bad guy since he seemed to have been working for Widmore and gave the instructions to Naomi. He still could be. Since Richard focused on Mittelos school and science camp. Matthew just wanted Locke on the plane. Maybe Widmore found out John was important and thought if he could get him on a plane over the island, the island would in a sense, reclaim him? I can’t see how Matthew and Richard are on the same side. Not too mention, Matthew asking Hurley if they were still alive. Richard already knows since he is still on the island, supposedly at the temple. The more I type, the more confused I am. Remember when Matthew was talking to Hurley and asked, are they really dead? What if Matthew got Locke on the plane, hoping the island would claim him. Now they are gone, missing. Then these 6 people make it off. He is asking Hurley if they are really dead, but really wanting to know if they found the magical island Widmore has been looking for and Locke is alive on it. Hmmm. Need to chew on that a little while. Still a little tough. Matthew and Richard may be the same type of entity, but working on different sides.

#5: So we know that Locke is the new leader because he wants to protect the island, basically finally answering correctly and now on the right path. How, why, who….still big questions. Maybe the electromagnetic event causes the islands coordinates to be altered? If that is so, all they would need to do is cause a breech. The explosion of the hatch is what caused Penny to believe she had found Desmond and the island. But what if its move the island in time not space? Someone mentioned it online and now that I am thinking about it, that is way cooler. Perhaps the 6 that leave are supposed to go to ensure the island can’t be found. The island (or smoky) cannot kill the commandos. It tried. And the island doesn’t ask to the losties to kill the commandos, much like Ben killed Dharma. To protect it, it must be moved. So move it off the radar, recloak it, send survivors back so that noone keeps looking. May still be too many questions. Again Matthew finding Hurley and asking if they are really dead. People seemingly following Sun.

But what if the move is in time? Maybe those 6 go back to alter events so that it cannot be found. OR if they return means they can't be found. I thought they accounted for all the bodies in the crash? Was there a bigger investigation of the hoax OR was the past changed (the island is future so past for off the island?). It’s a way off idea that I cannot even begin to conceptualize. But there may be something there.

The questions mount!

Conclusion

All around, great episode. I did watch the preview for the coming weeks and noticed some BIG little things in the scenes. I am sooooo excited. Just to remind all of you, I am still planning the season finale party at my new digs in North Park. Start time is 7:30 to allow for dinner, drinks and trivia. The date for that is May 29th. And now that I know the owner of L & L Hawaiian Barbecue (she lived next door to me), score! So be sure to pencil it in. That’s it for today. Have a great week. Talk to you soon. C-ya!

Friday, May 02, 2008

Something Nice Back Home

This is going be a quick one because this episode seemed more like a set-up for things to come. I didn’t love the episode because it hinted at a direction on the show that I hope it doesn’t continue. The title, Something Nice Back Home, is from when Bernard was talking to Jack and said wouldn’t you rather be dreaming about something nice back home, instead of awake for the surgery. That hints at the fact that the flash forwards are not real and are dreams. Add in that Hugo thinks they are all dead off the island. I don’t like that. And if it’s not a dream, then possibly the island is living and off the island is purgatory. I would hate that. And the producers still maintain that within reason, events are rooted in reality. I hope for their sake that remains true because them all being dead or this is a dream or someone’s subconscious projection will cause riots in the streets!

I loved Jin as a bad ass. He can go between good guy and bad guy so easily. It seems as though he understands on some level that him and Sun won’t both get off the island. All he wants is for Sun and his baby to make it. That was really sweet. So I will accept this meandering episode…but I don’t have to love it!

Connections

We had some nicknames…Sawyer called Miles “Donger” from Sixteen Candles. Charlotte was referred to as “Red”. The opening scene was of an eye which is a reoccurring theme. Jack is reading about a Red Sox game that took place the end of August 2007, that is the potential date stamp for the flash forward. Jack stepped on the Millennium Falcon toy from Star Wars. I definitely believe that Sawyer is Hans Solo. I’m not sure about the further implications of it because RG (yes, you got a shot out!) is not here to bless me with is Star Warian theology. I think it was the constant need for both Skywalker and Hans to save Princess Lei. Jack feels he has by rescuing her off the island. But it may have really been Sawyer. He stayed so she could go, much like Jin staying so that Sun could go.

We had another parallel with Alice of Wonderland. Jack reading the story to Aaron, especially the chapter about Alice in transition from the real world to Wonderland. Much like Hurley seems to now be stuck. Jack’s assistant calling him reminding him about his appointments because he has issues with time. That refers to the potential time distortion and off the island. The x-ray Jack was looking at had the same tumor on the L4 vertebrae that Ben had. I started to get worried there because the whole subconscious dream thing, but hopefully it’s just coincidence.

Questions

On the boards, folks were mad that the smoke monster didn’t kill all the freighties. It mainly just distracted them so that the Losties could get out of the barracks. I’m ok with that because we still don’t really know what the smoke monster is all about. Also the smoke alarm going off and then the smoke monster appears in the form of Christian Shephard. It thought it was more like an alert. But that is a cute connection. Claire made the comment that she was glad she is no longer seeing this. This was based on a scene that was cut. It seemed too sudden that she sees Christian and then goes off with him. Blame that one on the strike. It was better explained and further developed but cut due to the shorter season limitation. With Claire gone, not sure how Jack makes the connection that it is his half sister. That is what I am waiting for.

Hurley had the best line with “You’re not supposed to raise him.” Is that because no on who is related to Aaron is supposed to raise him? Remember the psychic said that Aaron had to be raised by another. It is sad to think he can’t be with Kate even if he got his addictions cured. The way he said, “He isn’t even your blood” indicated that he knows that Aaron is his nephew. Again, that is the scene I am waiting for.

Kate, when talking on the phone, was making plans to visit with someone because Jack wouldn’t be home until 6. Jack, being paranoid, came home earlier than expected to catch her. I believe Kate was making plans to check on Clementine, Sawyer’s daughter. Of course from Jack’s fight with Kate, Sawyer obviously chooses to stay. But why?

Miles had some great moments. He is the only one that can understand the whispers. That is big. Is that because the whispers are of the dead or because he just has a heightened sense of awareness? He knows that something happens to Claire and that is why he kept wanting to take Aaron for her. One theory is that Claire is really dead. The house explosion killed her and she is just a manifestation. That is why she seemed so odd after the explosion and why Miles was looking at her strangely. I don’t think I like that idea but it does make sense in relation to Miles. Miles obviously saw her with Christian and knows that Christian is dead. So why did he allow her to go? If she was dead too, then she was supposed to leave. But if not, why would he allow her to walk off with a ghost? I am digging Miles right now.

Conclusion

Just erased what I typed because some of you don’t watch the previews. Let me just say it gets more confusing next week. Great. I think I like the supernatural aspects of the island the best. I was also digging the scenes with Juliette. She’s one sharp chick. Not only reading Jack like a book about his feelings for Kate but calling him out for being awake while they were talking. Loved it! Of course the Neanderthals online could only talk about Kate’s ass when she leapt into Jack’s arm. On one hand I am disgusted and rolling my eyes as I read the comments. On the other I am renewing my membership at the gym. J

I am looking forward to the end of this season because we are really getting closer to some real answers. I also have to fight back the depression that it almost over. We’ll hang in there together. Until next week….c-ya!