Saturday, February 28, 2009

The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham

Announcements

Ok. So the not talking about LOST until I blog is not working either. If I don’t talk about it, I forget about it. If I do, then I feel like I’m repeating myself. I can’t win! I will do better next week. I am officially lifting the ban on discussing LOST. I think it hurt me more than it affected any of you anyway!

Summary

I thought the show was okay. I felt that John really didn’t try too hard to get everyone back. He met with everyone once and then let it go. Ben was way more persuasive just by the way he spoke to them. I think it was important in a sense to notice the dichotomy. Locke was back in the wheelchair. Dismissed by all of them. Even Walt didn’t have much time to sit and chat with him. He was impotent and depressed. On the island, he was a leader. Physically strong and persistent, knowledgeable and skillful. On the other hand, Ben lost his followers. He got a tumor. Daughter killed. He was broken on the island. When I look at the episode from that perspective, I take back my okay statement. It was masterful.

Connections

The numbers were everywhere. It had been 4 days for Locke since he saw Widmore in the camp. Locke was told to press 23 on the cellphone to reach Widmore. The Time magazine had the hydrogen bomb on the cover and it was dated April 1954. According to the ID, Jeremy Bentham is born on 15 Feb. 48 (8 years earlier than Locke's real birthday in 1956). Locke and Abaddon are standing outside Southfield's, the New York branch of the London auction house where Widmore bid on and won the Black Rock diary (and where he met with Desmond) in 1996. Since we already saw the plane occupants, we know the connections between Cesar and Illana. Cesar is the Jack-like dude who is now the “leader” of the Flight 316 passengers. Ilana is his Kate.

Questions

Okay there are 2 trains of thought. One is that Ben, Locke, Sun etc are on a different time periods then Jack, Kate and Hurley. They flashed while the plane was landed safely on their current course. That would suck for Sun since now she wont be with Jin, but it would be totally cool to see how the groups eventually meet back together. The other thought is that they are in the same time period, but Jack, Kate, Hurley are on the main island and the rest on the Hyrda station (remember when Sawyer had that heart monitor on and Ben took him out of his cage for a walk), Since Sun and Frank took the boat, we shall see what they find when they get back to the main island. Is it the past or the present? Will they meet with the other Losties, like Rose and Bernard. I don’t know what the heck is going on…but I’m excited. I am voting for different time periods. Mainly because of the boats and the fact that Faraday's drawings were all over the office Cesar was searching. They looked old.

Why isn’t Ilana concerned about her fugitive? She did bring Sayid handcuffed to the island. I didn’t see Sayid in the infirmary. So where is he? Why were Cesar and Ilana on the plane? I feel a Widmore plant. Not sure which one.

Why did Ben stop Locke from suicide and then kill him and bring him back to the island?

Ben.

It bothered me that Ben stopped Locke from suicide just to murder him a few minutes later. But I think I understand.

Ben moved the island. He came back and manipulated Sayid for years to help him fight for him against Widmore. Ben didn't come back, collect everyone and head home. Because it wasn't time. Ben was watching everyone and keeping them close, but allowing them to live their lives. Until it was time. He didn't get to exact his full revenge on Widmore. But then...he saw Locke. He kills Abbadon, who was basically Locke's bodyguard. He goes to Locke to find out why he is there. He talks Locke out of committing suicide because it wasn't time. But the MINUTE Locke mentions Eloise, Ben realizes its time to get back to the island. Ben remembers Eloise (Ellie) from the island. He needs to get to her before Locke does. She knows the way back. He kills Locke, visits Eloise and is told how much time he has to get everyone together and to the correct flight and location. The portal would be re-opening. So, knowing that someone has to be brought back dead, he kills Locke. Sets up the suicide as a way to manipulate the others and it works. Or maybe not so much as time for the portal to open, but to prepare for the "war" that Widmore eluded to. Alpert seemed to get on and off the island. So did Mr. Friendly. But maybe it was Ben. And he could not go back without Locke since he turned the wheel. Why didn't Widmore just jump on the plane as well?

Widmore thinks Locke was tricked off the island by Ben as he was. Locke left willingly because he knew he could get back. Ben left and thought there was no way back. Until he sees Locke and learns his purpose for being in the real world.

Locke was never going to be allowed to kill himself. Jack and Michael tried and failed. It was not their time. Locke needed to die, but Ben had to be there as well to get the others. I am not certain that Ben knew that Locke would be re-born. He kept saying "I'll miss you." to him after the death. More so, sorry I have to do this but we have to go back. Not sorry, but its okay because you will be alive again soon. Or maybe because Locke is a little different now. Like Christian was and like Claire. Content. Resurrected. I will have to let this one marinate for awhile.

Conclusion

I think from this jumbled mess of a blog, I need the Thursday discussion! I think things are going to pick up on LOST island and I am sooo excited. I didn’t watch the previews for next week so I have no idea where we are going. But I am enjoying the ride. I saw the headline about Evangeline Lily leaving LOST. It’s a deceptive article. She has been auditioning for new TV shows. Not a big deal because this is close to the last season anyway. Not to mention the way it is shot, she can do both if she got another gig. Several character actors play multiple roles at the same time. I watch the TV show Life and Sarah Connor Chronicles. The killing terminator on one show and the Russian mobster on the other is the same guy. It can work. Not to mention I don’t think anyone would throw his or her career down the drain by leaving a show like this in its final season. But just in case, I’m staying away from any more potential spoilers. Have a fun and safe weekend and until next week…c-ya!

Friday, February 20, 2009

316

Announcements

Hello all! I just wanted to give a personal shout-out to WMC. I know they won’t be reading this for awhile, but my thoughts are with you making this very difficult for me to shift gears and focus on the lighter things in life. But that’s I guess how we eventually make it through…by looking for the silver lining in otherwise dark days. Much Love!

Summary

Onto the show…I think this episode was great if we had 3 or 4 or 5 more years of Lost. But knowing this is part 1 of the final season, we really did get a lot of answers. Or maybe “answers” is the wrong word. They took some theories and tied a nice little knot with a bright bow. They clarified that the island is moving. That there were different pockets around the world, as the doctor said to Rose and Bernard. Obviously that was what Penny’s men were tracking. It something you can find if you know what to look for. Of course with answers, there are more questions (see below). I was antsy the whole episode. From screaming at the tv for Jack to open the damn letter to thinking that Locke would re-animate as soon as Jack slipped on the shoes. Lost has a way of taking the impossible and making it seem normal. We had to take several leaps of faith as viewers this episode. Best Line: Jack to Eloise about Ben, “Is he telling the truth?” Eloise, “Probably not.”

Connections

So many connections this episode. The eye opening at the start of the episode was the same eye opening at the beginning of the series. Jack was even in similar clothes as the first time. The US army date on the Top Secret mission picture in the hatch was 9/23/54 – 1 day and 50 years from the Oceanic crash. If you think about flying to Guam (which I have done – it’s West of the international date line and is 1 day ahead of the US…making it the same day in effect). The woman sitting at the bar next to Jack was also a nurse in Shannon’s flashback when her father died. The comic book was the Y: The Last Man and written by one of the writers and producers of Lost. I loved that the hatch in the church was called the Lamp Post. It reminded me of the beginning of the Twilight Zone, you know, “That's the signpost up ahead - your next stop, the Twilight Zone!" They flew over an ocean and magically were flashed off the plane and onto an island. Major Twilight Zone! In this case, the naming of the station as the lamp post in relation to the Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. A lamp post marks the entrance from Narnia into the real world. The Anjira Flight is #316. That can be related to John 3:16 in the Bible (For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life). It’s about belief. John leaves a note wishing Jack had believed him. Ben tells Jack that everyone believes sooner or later. Eloise tells Jack to start believing and take a leap of faith.

The coolest connection was the Oceanic 6 took on the roles of others of the people from the original flight. Locke is Christian in the cargo hold. Hurley was a cross between Charley (guitar) and Walt (comic book). Sayid being Kate (the fugitive). Kate being Sawyer (guilty and alone). Middle Eastern dude being Sayid (I thought he was from the past but his credits are only this 1 episode of the show). Sun being Rose (looking at her wedding ring as Rose did). Ben makes the flight last minute (Hurley almost missed the flight and him getting up like Charlie did). Frank Lupidus was supposed to be flying the Oceanic Flight 815.

Questions

What?!? – I know we don’t get answers on the show. But why not ask the obvious questions directly to Ms. Hawkings. Who are you and what the hell is going on? Why us? Were we ever meant to leave the island? If I can get meaningful answers to those 4 things by the end of this show, I will be satisfied. Also Desmond leaving after actually not accomplishing anything tangible was dumb. He gets it that it’s the same woman from the past but leaves without any answers!

Stragglers – How and why did the stragglers decide to go back to the island? What convinced Kate and who did she give Aaron to? Why was Sayid arrested and supposedly being taken to Guam? Why did Hurley come and bring a guitar? Hurley could have been visited by Charlie and decided to go. But Kate and Sayid? I will be interested in that flashback.

Revenge – Of course, why was Ben all bloody when he called Jack? I assumed that he went after Penny as his promise was to Widmore to kill his daughter. This could be why Desmond returns to the island – for Ben and revenge. I saw a post mention that Ben called from a pay phone at the Marina. Desmond may have sailed to L.A. by boat and Penny was waiting for Desmond on the boat when Ben came for her.

What happens when Ben gets back to the island since he wasn’t supposed to leave in the first place? Did the plane eventually crash when they flashed? Was it the pieces found on the beach? My guess is yes. The Oceanic 6 flashed back to the island as they flashed off of it in the first place. But everyone else crashed, perhaps in a different time.

Sayid, Sun and Ben – Are they in the same time as Jack, Kate and Hurley? My guess they are. If they are recreating the original crash – you have the 3 groups. Jake, kate, Hurley are the Losties. Sayid, Sun and Ben are the Tailies (Ana Lucia’s group). Locke is Christian in the jungle. Now that Locke has Christian’s shoes on, he can act as Christian’s proxy in this new time zone as Christian tried to guide Jack and Locke in the future.

Jin – So the Losties 6 flashed back to the past and are pretending to be Dharma. This is probably when Daniel sees Charlotte as a child. I am very excited to see what happens next!

Conclusion

So next week is a flashback in a sense to find out what happened to Locke when he arrived 3 years ago back in the real world as Jeremy Bentham. Next week’s episode was switched and was really supposed to air first. Not sure why it was important to change the order. My guess is that it was too linear for Lost and would have made too much sense! :) Okay…sour grapes. The episode is going to run 6 minutes past 10pm so make sure to dvr the next show in case you don’t watch it live. That’s it for this week. Feel free to comment on the message board below this post. I would love to hear your thoughts. Until next week, c-ya!

Saturday, February 14, 2009

This Place is Death

Announcements

Hello all! I have added a new section to the LOST blog: Announcements. Here I will relay important (to me) information about the site or about the world outside of the episode but in relation to the show. I also added 2 links to the blog page. The first is Characters on LOST. If you ever get confused about who is who and how they are connected to another character, you can go there. The second link is the LOST timeline. Since we have flashbacks, flash forwards, present time and time shifts, things can start getting confusing fast. Both were created by people on Wikipedia. I thought about building it myself for about 5 seconds and then spent the next 30 finding them on the Internet.

Also at the bottom of the LOST Blog page you will find a message board box. I am still testing to make sure it works, but feel free to post on it. No better way then trial and error. I love the idea of us dialoging together about the show. Post comments, thoughts, questions, projections…no spoilers please! I like to discover the show as it happens and knowing the future ruins it for me (i.e. knowing Michael was coming back).

Also in an attempt to get these out in a more timely fashion, I will no longer be discussing the episode before posting the blog. What happens is I get all talked out about it and forget to type my thoughts out and post. Hence this Saturday blog! So be forewarned. No blog=no talk! Now, on to the show…

Summary

I thought his was a good episode. No big shocking moments that we have had recently, but still solid. I loved it when Sawyer and Jin are reunited. Very touching considering they have only known each other about 4 months. They are now like brothers. Also still loving Miles. When Sawyer looked at him to translate what Jin was saying, his response “He’s Korean, I’m from Encino.” Classic! I didn’t like the scenes between Sun, Locke and Jack at the pier though. I didn’t think they advanced the story much.

Connections

Although I still have not had enough or Rousseau, it was nice to see the beginnings of her story. Everything she told Sayid and later the Losties about her early time on the island was shown to be true. The musical box that Sayid fixed while being held captive (thanks R.G) was the same one that Jin comes across on the beach that Montand gave Rousseau. The gun locks on Montand as he is about to shoot Rousseau just like Sayid’s did when he was about to shoot her. Rousseau disconnected the firing pin with Sayid and I am guessing did the same thing with Montand. Ben tells Rousseau to take Alex to the Temple for safety from Keamy, I guess to be protected by the smoke monster. Rousseau and crew left from Tahiti on November 15th, 1988 – the numbers. Charlotte makes a comment about Geronimo Jack (who was mentioned in earlier episodes) and by Daniel’s former lab assistant while she was suffering the effects of time shifing. Most of the other connections were from last week (Oceanic 6 are at Pier 23, an anagram for reincarnation is on the side of Ben’s van).

Questions

Smoke Monster – Why does it click?!? I hope I learn that answer by the end of the show. I think they take away some of the mystery by it sounding like roller coaster acending a hill , like something that is being unleashed rather than and actual thing that attacks based on its own mind. Why is it protecting the Temple? What happened to the science team after it was exposed to it for several weeks (Rousseau was still pregnant and dead guy’s arm was not that decomposed)? Was it exposure to the monster or interaction with the Others?

Christian/Jacob/Locke – As said before in the cabin, Jacob is speaking through Jacob. Do they both still exist then? Christian makes a reference to his son and then there is a flash, like Daniel tells Desmond to find his mother, and then there is a flash. Always the mystery instead of – Tell JACK I said hello, Find my mother Eloise Hawkings – never simple! What is Jacob’s interest in the Oceanic Six returning to the island? If Locke, no Ben gone in the first place, how would things be different? It seems as if Locke was either destined to move the wheel and leave the island forever or sacrifice himself for the island. It seems as if he gets a raw deal no matter what. I didn’t like it when he became weak again. I like strong, kick-ass Locke. Not befriending FBI agent, swindled out of my kidney Locke.

Daniel/Charlotte – So Daniel will time travel again to Charlotte and tell her as a child not to return to the island. I am curious to who is Charlotte’s mother, or father in all of this. Is it significant? It would seem pointless for her to come back for a month and then die without a clear connection or purpose. I am sure we will see her again or her manifestation.

Oceanic 6 – Why don’t they ALL have to go back? I will be extremely disappointed if only some of them have to return. If Jeremy/Locke has been running around for months trying to get them to go back, Ben must have convinced him somehow that his death was the only way to convince them. Jack is going back because of guilt, Kate because of Jack, Sun because of Jin, Hurley if Sayid tells him to, but how do you get Sayid to go? I think he is the weak link.

Conclusions

Hopefully the new guidelines in the above announcements will make things run a little smoother. I think this episode was a connector so next week will be pretty great. I look forward to more Daniel. He has slowly become my show favorite. Feel free to comment in the message box. Any questions you have, please feel free to put it in there as well I’m sure our collective minds can answer it! You can use your real name, fake name, and initials whatever. All are welcome. So until next week…c-ya!

Thursday, February 05, 2009

The Little Prince

Hello all! I think I am actually going to get this out in a timely manner! (kiss of death!). I am truly loving season 5 of LOST. I am falling helpless in love with Daniel. I might just have to re-watch the episode and stare at him. And as if it were possible, Sawyer is even more hot! Okay, fellas…I can hear your groans. But I commented on Kate and her panties and the shower scene with Jack last season…so let’s be fair! I am still waiting for more character development with Miles. I love almost everything he says.

Just when you think its going to be a slow episode….that nothing earth shaking is going to happen…BAM! Jin is back! I love it! I knew he wasn’t dead, but I didn’t know how or when he would return. It was beautifully done. So many questions so let’s get started!

Oh! For easier discussion I am creating a new name – the Losties 6 – Locke, Sawyer, Juliet, Miles, Daniel and Charlotte. Coincidence that there is an Oceanic 6 and a Losties 6? Coincidence that there are 4 boys and 2 girls on each side. Love the subliminal stuff!

Connections

The title of the episode The Little Prince a connection the French children’s book. I never read it but did a lot of reading about it last night. It was too difficult for my pea brain to understand especially having not read it myself. But the main theme of the story is the importance of looking beneath the surface to find the real truth and meaning of a thing. It is the fox who teaches the Prince to see with one's heart instead of just with one's eyes. I am guessing the connections are of Kate’s love for Aaron. The flashback emphasizes how she was there at the birth, then once Claire went missing and again now after the rescue. She loves him despite the fact that he isn’t her son. Besixdouze is the name of the French boat and that is French for B612 the name of the planet the Little Prince in the book was from. Also the author of the book disappeared in his plane in the Mediterranean. He was never found but his plane was discovered 50 years later.

Canton Rainier is an anagram for Reincarnation. They often say the numbers when speaking (Sayid was unconscious for 42 hours), it isn’t always visually (Kate’s address number is 42). I did notice it was raining in Los Angeles similar to the times it was raining on the island. It rarely rains here in Southern California so I thought it was nice mirror of what was going on the island.

Questions

Ajira Airways

I feel like an idiot. My daughter made a connection to the show that I hadn’t even made. I will pretend she is 24 and has watched the show since the beginning instead of a 9 year old who just wandered in for her goodnight kiss. When Losties found the wreckage of the Indian airlines Ajira Airways she said “oh the crashed again. I guess that’s how they get back to the island.’ Huh? Could it be? I was hoping for a door or a portal. But another crash…this time with the Oceanic 6 on it? I know if I boarded a plan and recognized all 6 of them on my flight…I would get the hell off it. But interesting idea. We know it’s the future since it was day time (flashes at night are the past, flashes during day are in the future). But we don’t know what happens on the island between 2004-2008 when Locke gets off the island and dies (Maybe the time shifts for him in the “real world” cause him to die?). We assume there wasn’t another plane crash so I would put the Ajira Airways crash at 2008 or later.

I am adding this as a Timeline page on the site but for the sake of this discussion I am putting it inside the blog for now.

Oceanic 6

1) 2004 Flashback – Kate on boat with Jack going to claim Aaron as her own.

2) 2008 – Oceanic 6 are being manipulated by Ben to return to island.

Losties 6

1) Time Jump (night) - 2004 – Losties 6 back a few months when Claire was giving birth to Aaron.

2) Time Jump (day) - Future (2008 or further) – Losties 6 at wreckage of flight in the future (possibly the flight that brings the Oceanic 6 back or much further in the future)

3) Time Jump (night) 1988 – Jin is washed on the beach with Rousseau pregnant with Alex. (Alex was 16 when she was killed by Keamy in 2004). Losties 6 once back on shore come across items on the beach in French

Jin

I love the fact that he is with Rousseau! They said we would get her flashback story last year…never did I imagine that we would see it as she was instead of a memory. I can believe that Rousseau never mentioned meeting Jin in the past because everyone went crazy, she killed people, her baby was stolen and she was alone for 16 years living in a jungle. I don’t think it’s a leap that she forgot or that she just never said anything (she wasn’t ever really talkative). I am glad we get to see what happened to her crew. The other question is if Jin will connect with the Losties 6 or continue to time jump on his own.

Miles

Another bean in the pot for Miles being Dr. Chang/Marvin Candles son. If Daniel is right and both Miles and Charlotte have been to the island before, what happened? Will the time jump eventually kill one of them before Locke leaves? I hope not. Daniel is being evasive. Really evasive. I don’t believe he doesn’t know what is going on to all of them. BUT maybe he cannot tell them because he can’t change the past. His past. He has been a time jumper for some time. So perhaps he is not telling them because it may effect what they decide to do.

Walt

So was Walt jumping all those time people saw him places he was not supposed to be? Just like Daniel is able to. That would explain tall Walt when Locke saw him. I think the times when he would try to stop something, course correct, he would unintentionally cause it – Like when he tried to warn Shannon and she followed him and was shot.


Conclusion

I thought it was a really good episode overall. I do feel that more is being answered, or should I say connected then previous seasons. I think that is what is leading to the overall feeling of satisfaction in this last episodes and with the show overall. I think those that left in season 3 were just really dissatisfied and confused. But this season there is definitely a lot more pay-off.

I have yet to make the alterations on the site but give me some time this weekend. I hope to add a link to character backgrounds, major (and minor themes) and a discussion board so that you can participate more. Sounds like a lot but hey…what are weekends for! So until next week…c-ya!