Wednesday, February 21, 2007

"Stranger in a Strange Land" Instant Reactions!

Brian's Two Word Review: Lost Light.

After two weeks of episodes that really made you think, this week we were treated to a number of simple love stories on Lost:

  • Kate and Sawyer - realizing they're not really made for each other
  • Kate and Jack - regretting past decisions
  • Jack and Juliet - a strategic alliance blossoming into something more
  • Jack and Achara - a forbidden love from the past
  • Carl and Alex - a forbidden love in the present

Where was this episode last week for Valentine's Day?

There were a few interesting things (like the big fancy boat the Others have, the branding, the fact that Jack is basically going to become an Other, finally leaving Alcatraz for good), but all-in-all, it was a pretty quiet episode in terms of anything deeper. I'm also fairly skeptical of the commercial for next week's episode, which I've got penciled in to be another episode that's pretty light on any actual story advancement and heavy on Hurley and Charlie hijinx.


Anyways, feel free to comment below. Full analysis soon... I'll leave you with one thought:

Jack, if an Other comes up to you and offers to answer any question, don't ask "Where's Juliet?" Pretty much the worst question I can think of asking in that situation - especially for us viewers!

65 comments:

Anonymous said...

We already knew they had the boat..It's the same one the used to capture Walt.

This episode was weak.

Brian said...

Actually, that was a totally different boat than they used to kidnap Walt. This one was much, much bigger.

Ironically, Michael and Walt left the Island in the boat that the Others used to kidnap Walt.

Anonymous said...

What were the three major questions???

Unknown said...

I don't think it was really fair to call Jack's tattoo one of the "season's biggest mysteries." Sure, they explained who gave it to him and why... sortta. OK, so the tattoo was important to these people. What gives? No motivation was put into why these people would be so protective of their tattoos. We can fill in the blanks, but a very unsatisfying resolution to the flashback.

I think that this season's most satisfying moments have been in the company of the Others, so I'm not really looking forward to going back to the other survivors.

The thing I love about the Others is you never know who to hate! Ben seemed terrible and creepy but his cohorts aren't much better. Hopefully we will know why he is charge sooner or later (most likely later)

Unknown said...

Besides the tattoo, I assumed the other two mysteries were where are the kidnapped children and where do the others live. We kind of knew about these already so they weren't too shocking. Better to get some resolution though.

Anonymous said...

To me, the most annoying thing about Jack--and maybe the most annoying thing about the whole show--is that he *never* seems to ask the right questions! "Where's Juliet?" was just the topper...

Anonymous said...

Something weird is going on with Tom. His comment something like "You see this glass house of yours Jack.....How about I give you a handful of stones." He acts like he has something he wants to tell Jack and Jack still won't ask him.

Just get back to Desmond's story line.

Anonymous said...

So to recap the season's biggest questions:
(1) What's the deal with Jack's tats?
(2) Is Sawyer Horny?
(3) Where's Juliet?

And about Tom...
Do you think he's... you know... one of the 'other' others (if you know what I mean).

First he tells a soon to be disrobed and sopping wet Kate, "You're not my type.", and then at the least intuitive moment possible he awkwardly blurts out to Jack, "By the way, my name's Tom." This may be the reason why the others have such a difficult time procreating...

Anonymous said...

Just when I was thinking that Lost was back strong with last weeks episode being awesome that we get something like this once again. Combine a weak episode with a 10:00 viewing hour, and I can't wait to see the ratings announcement. Can they hire the writers from Heroes? Monday's episode was the best yet and I cannot wait for Monday night to get here to see what happens next. I used to be that way about Lost! C'mon ABC!

Anonymous said...

Wow! You people are really tough on this show. I thought it was great. We did learn some new things about how the others work - such as the eye for an eye judgment.

Besides, I LOVE the who-do-we-trust angle with Ben & Juliet. Talk about mind games!

Heather Arthur said...

As always, looking forward to your analysis this week. BTW, thanks so much for the link. That was super sweet.

Anonymous said...

"walks among us but is not one of us"

that could either mean not one of us in a bad way, like a spy, alien, enemy; or it could mean not one of us in a good way, like emissary, protector, leader, savior. also i rule out the sole applicability of the "mark" to when he is living with the ben's "others". i think this mark has described him continually since he received it. it certainly had an effect on the people that beat him on the beach. they obviously knew that he was "not one of them" because they could tell he was of another ethnicity. there must have been something else in the tatoo that alluded to superiority (or possibly evil) in order to incite them to take such decisive action. the translation posted was "Eagles high up, cleaving the space". that definately implies a type of superiority, detachment, and freedom. notice too that they did not kill him although they clearly could have. perhaps they feared his (perceived) capabilities. they spit him out like a bad luck omen. but i don't really think of jack as bad luck. but he has lost a few patients (and patience). but he also saved a few patients too. hmm..

bottom line: is this forshadowing of jack's eventual role (savior) in Lost's series-concluding storyline?

Rebecca said...

This wasn't the most exciting episode ever, but it was very good. I am still confused why the island men were so pissed at Jack for getting the tattoo. You'd think they'd be angry with the chick. She kept my hubby interested in the show tonight in those skimpy outfits. Anyway, my over all opinion of it was good.

Unknown said...

This episode was weired to me. There were subtle things, like what Tom said about some stones that made you wonder.

Three things that I didn't like:

(1)The random chick, I forget her name,(no not the SO FINE Thai girl) that is the sheriff of the others. They just keep adding people in on these episodes that arn't going to go anywhere. i.e. Nikki and Paulo.....WTF....Never actually introduced to them, and we havn't seen them anytime recently.

(2)Jacks tattoo plot seemed VERY out of place. Just a random flashback of Jack with this Thai girl. It seemed very thrown in there just to mix with the whole "your going to join us others" scheme. Also kind of like a "we got to give the views something so they'll keep watching"

(3)Stick to a story line for a while, the show trails off on so many tangents that it really starts getting hard to remember everything from all the episodes.


BUT I havn't "lost" faith in our show.

Next week looks kind of interesting. More of Charlie and Hurly.

Unknown said...

This show made me sad. First of all I was hoping that "Not In Portland" would be some big thing after such a long break, but it really only raised further questions. After that disappointment, I saw Desmond's flashbacks with severely injured my hopes in an eventual rational explanation. Then this episode, in which we're explicitly (admittedly it's the advertisers who said this, but why would they say something so specific without knowledge of the episode?) promised three "big reveals", we get half an explanation for half of Jack's tattoo. I'll round that up to a full half all together, but this latest episode just heaped 83% disappointment on my already-faltering dedication.

One last thing. Brian, your analysis of the Jack-Kate-Sawyer love triangle was spot-on. She ran away from Jack, and she explicitly turned towards Sawyer one hot night in a bear cage (my dream honeymoon...). That they still showed Kate as undecided in this episode just proves that they're not doing it with the integrity of the story in mind--they're artificially stretching it out to keep people watching. Like the orangeade at an elementary school bake sale, they've watered it down until it's hardly orangeade... I mean, drama... at all. I think Anthony Burgess said it best: It "has the appearance of an organism lovely with colour and juice, but is in fact only a clockwork toy to be wound up by God or the Devil;" or the almighty producers.

Okay, one good thing came out of it at least: the phrase "clockwork orangeade". XD

Unknown said...

Oh, by the way. Tom's comment took me a few seconds (I think because of his tapping on Jack's literal glass house), but I'm pretty sure what he meant was "You should talk." Jack had just called them murderers, etc., and Tom was reminding him that they did all this because they were provoked by them doing it first. If there's anyone that doesn't recognize it, the proverb is "Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones," meaning that you shouldn't injure someone if you're equally open to being injured the same way. This fits right in with the whole "eye for an eye" thing.
Although I'm not sure how following == hanging. Maybe they're just nuts.

Anonymous said...

Brian I am sorry to pressure you but I can't wait for your indepth. I actually think this was a pretty good follow up from last week and reveals quite a bit more then the initial feeling it leaves you walking away with. When it was on again I realized how much it offers; a lot more in subtle answers. Especially where the Others are concerned.

As for Jacks' tattoo. I think we only got the first part of his tattoo story. After the "5" guys gave him the beats, we see that his tattoo isn't complete. Perhaps we will get a second flashback to explain it's meaning rather than just its translation. We also learned that Jack is a great man. I'll refrain from getting into another time fiasco just yet. But didn't Ben/HGI say that their leader was a great man. Considering he might not have been talking about himself; then who... (whom?)... haha just kidding not going there. But Jack seems to already be setting himself (if things progress) as a potential leader for the Others; even putting the "sheriff" in her place. He a stranger in a strange land, but he's the one in control. So if one day he does become the leader, it could explain why the show is so Jack centric and even why the show is focused in the time period it is.

what the? ... ok it's late, I'm sorry; CLT.

Anonymous said...

A couple of points;

1. The ABC promo deptartment should not hype upcoming shows or they may disenchant viewers. There were no big reveals this week, as promised that their would be.

2. Although I LOVE this show, the absence of inquesitivness, from Jack...as well as Sawyer and Kate to Carl....is implausible at this point! The writters now seem to be stretching things out but it is to a point of being terribly unrealistic how and why more questions would not be asked of The Others when the opportunity to do so is presented to them. Could not believe Jack did not ask Cindy what is going on either when he had the chance to do so!
3. The hot thai chick and that story line is mildly interesting. Here, Jack is having a physical relationship with her, with no problem or apparent judgement from the Thai natives....but him learning of her "special talent" and getting the tatto has "consequences" and is forbidden. I don't think this has anything to do with Jack specifically and appears to be more to do with outsiders in general. (Boy...she was hot though).
4. Ben's comment about Julliete is interesting that "she is one of us and doesn't care about you". Who can be trusted here? Where is this going?

All in all, this episode didn't really advance the overall story much and reveals were basically non-existent. Nevertheless, still very enjoyable, riveting show!

Stef said...

I actully proud of Kate, for once. She found out more about the Others in 3 minutes with Carl than they did the whole time on Alcatraz. My favorite line of the night was Sawyer's - "You have backyards?"

I thought the Jack-Bai Ling storyline was disappointing and somewhat boring. Jack's never been my favorite character, so yet another flashback for him doesn't have me thrilled.

Anonymous said...

My one word description?

'Frustrated'

This epsiode is why the rating are dropping. I think back to season 2, I see that the others being revealed a little a time. Ben did a great job saying nothing when held captive in the hatch, but now that they're interacting with them daily, the resistance of the writer to reveal only 'tidbits' is painfully obvious. I suppose I can't blame Jack considering his situation, but I don't understand how Sawyer and Kate couldn't ask better questions to Karl. You have a fountain of knowledge, you could ask about the hatches, at least ask 'what type of projects'. The characters seem so disinterested in what's going on. Karl voluteered tidbits of information, he wasn't asked. Is 'you have backyard? quaint' the best they could do? Couldn't Jack have asked better questions about the missing losties and the children? How about Alex and the questions over why he didn't kill Ben? They've opened too many story lines and haven't really closed any. Even the Walt/Michael story isn't closed.

I haven't lost all faith in the show, but if they don't make some changes soon, the show might not be on after season 4. Honestly, I stayed up until 11pm for this? I'll be using my DVR in the future.

This brings me to the flashbacks, they're starting to drag. When you've had 7 on the same person, it just happens. The last Desmond and Juliet centered episodes were great, but that's because their characters are still fresh. Jack and Kate? They're just dragging on and on. I had no interest in this flashback story at all. I also didn't like seeing Jack with that Thai woman. It's not just that she was sketchy, she was hard to look at ugly. Sometimes I think you can put just about any skinny woman in a revealing outfit with enough makeup and men will go gaga.

Alec said...

Oh my god, that was the worst backstory yet. So he got some "mystical" tattoo. Big deal. The only tie-in with the show is the theme of whether or not Jack is a leader, and, frankly, I don't really care about the history and theory of Jack's leadership abilities. For the love of god, either make him a leader or have him fail as one. Stop talking about it.

And as for rest of the episode, if I have to endure one more Kate moment like "Oh no -- I can't have him... Then I want him, not you..." I'll go mad.

Anonymous said...

Geez people, if you have such short attention spans, then maybe this isn't the show for you.

If you want answers to all your questions without having to think about anything, go watch Heroes.

This episode gave us plenty of insight into the others. I don't know what else you could ask for.

Anonymous said...

What is "the mark" on Juliet supposed to symbolize?? Looked like some sort of sunburst or something. Also, is there more to Jack's tats? Thai chick only gave him the bottom border part and not the large #5 and stars. I agree that Kate & Sawyer lack some serious interagation skills. How about how did you get here? How long have you been here? Can you communicate with the outside world? Are there any beer coolers in your backyards?

Wasn't that an awful large ship for such a short distance between the two islands. Is there a third island that they are also using for a base of some sort?
JP

Anonymous said...

True how it is now terribly evident how the writters are painfully only giving reveals in the smallest possible doses. This, in itself, could be fine and not infere with good, compelling story telling, but at this point here, it is straining plausibility. How could Jack blow off Cindy and the other lostees? How could Jack as well as Kate and Sawyer not be filled with deep and desperate curiousity whereby they would pepper whomever they can with a myriad of questions. It was posted that soon, Sayid will be asking many of the 'right' questions....hopefully, he'll be cut loose and have an opportunity to interogate some of the Others on his own terms!

Anonymous said...

I have to say I liked Jack's reaction to the others. If he sat there and peppered them with desperate answers, they not only would blow him off, he wouldn't appear to be the leader he is. I think he commands their respect by ignoring them, and basically saying he doesn't care about their twisted reasoning and strange morals, and threatening him with death or imprisonment isn't going to change that. I liked the episode, although I will agree the tatoo flashback seemed forced. Also I took Jack being beat up by the locals, partly as revenge from her brother for taking advantage of his sister.

Anonymous said...

I posed this on another site, but I think it sums up how a lot of us are feeling:

I'm a Lost die hard. So long as they make new episodes, I'll watch.

That said, it really does look like Heroes has learned how to capitalize on every mistake that Lost makes, not just in terms of storytelling, but also in terms of marketing. Heroes obviously has some big story archs (the explosion, Sylar, Mohinder finding a cure/identifying other Heroes, etc.) but has very quickly moved through several smaller plots, and Lost has struggled with that. Just as a quick example, we found out very early on that Claire (cheerleader) was adopted, and we already know who her real mother and father are, and some of the implications of that knowledge. Towards the end of last season in Lost it was presented to us that there's a chance that Jack and Claire (not the cheerleader) might be related, but whether or not that actually matters to anything on the show is anyone's guess and the possibility has not been visiting in a long, long time. Moving things along so quickly helps the viewer forgive a lot of mistakes - has anyone else noticed that Ando and Hiro have been in Vegas, NY and Texas at various times in a very short time span, all with the same rental car, bouncing around wracking up rental charges, gas expenses, and eating waffles all the time? This strikes me as ridiculous, but I don't even care because at least they're always involved in something. Bottom line - Heroes tells you in the preview what is going to happen, and it does in pleasantly unexpected ways. Lost... not so much.

I am starting to worry about Lost, because it felt like before the characters drove the story, and it feels like now the development of the story is not allowing the characters to function properly in some of the episodes. One of the keys to good character development and storytelling is having your characters actively perform to the most of their abilities, and having those actions be what advance the story. Jack is being written in a way so that he is completely tanking in this department right now. He comes face to face with Cindy, asks a good question about why she's with the Others, and she says its complicated. Jack we assume is intelligent because he's a doctor, and he obviously has some time and isn't going anywhere because he's in a cage. You would think he would press and try to find out something useful, and say "Well, explain it to me, because I'm not going anywhere for a while now." But he doesn't, and the story goes nowhere. He did ask the right question to Tom to find out about "The Sheriff" which opens up some potentially interesting consequences, but blew it again when he got to talk to Alex and used his question to determine where Juliet was. That moved the immediate story along, but not much else. Essentially, he went 1 for 3, which is certainly not indicative of working to the best of his ability, and I'm not even going to get into Sawyer and Kate mailing it in with Carl. The past two episodes I thought were great, but they need to take a mulligan on this one. They had all sorts of steam going and now the engine sputtered and they really need to get back on track.

Anonymous said...

Mr Other, I don't think anyone expects Lost to reveal their secrets like Heroes does, but there comes a point that you have to reveal something, or the human nature of these people to understand becomes completely unrealistic and frustrating to watch. The lack of revelation now seems forced, and is starting to drag the show down... and read the comments, I'm not the only one to feel this way!

Enough people have been bitten by shows like X-Files that opened too many questions, but often dropped changes the mythology or dropped the story line all together. I'm not saying that Lost is like the x-files) but I have watched this show now for 2.5 years now, and it's time for some answers... PLEASE!!!

Oh, and Stephanie, we're all different, that's what makes the world an interesting place. Look at Mr Other, he doesn't like having his questions about the show answered.. and that's cool.. that's him. I agree with you on Achara(Thai Woman) Her body was freekish and her face and skimpy clothing didn't help. But hey, to me Juliet is easily the sexiest woman on the show.

Anonymous said...

For what it's worth, I thought Tom was the most interesting part of the episode. I feel like he's either bursting with things to tell Jack, or he's not bright enough to keep them in. In any case, he definiely seems different from the rest of the others and I'm waiting to see him more.

And yeah, weak episode. As my clock neared 11PM I was waiting for that last minute cliff-hanger (i.e. 'we're not on your island' etc.) But it never came. A montage set to mellow music? WTF. Those usually come when there has been a major resolution. If you ask me, things are at a height of change. Everyone on the island should NOT be so chill.

Anonymous said...

Questions Answerered in the last 3 episodes alone:

Can the others leave the island for the outside world?
Why do they steal the children?
What's the relationship between Ben & Juliet?
What's the relationship between Ben & Alex?
How does alex get back and forth between islands?
What happened to carl?
Did Ben really have a tumor?
How did Desmond know about the lightning?
What happend when Desmond turned the key?
What caused the friction between Desmond and Penny\Charles?
How/When did Jack get his tattoo?
What does the tattoo mean?
What happened to Cindy?
What happened to the children?
What was Ethans position?
What is the purpose of Hydra island?
Does Kate really love Sawyer?

And this is just the last three episodes. Imagine if I listed all of season 3.

Like I said, people won't be satisfied unless EVERY question is answered.

Anonymous said...

Do you think Carl can navigate Sawyer and Kate to the other's "home"? He seemed to know the star very well. Assuming the other's home and where their backyards are, is where we first saw Juliet in a comfy home at a book of the month club.

Or was Carl planted to distract or "watch" them?

Anonymous said...

Also, everyone keeps wondering why Jack didn't ask enough questions. I'm thinking this has something to do with his flashback. We saw what can happen when he gets too curious.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
I have to say I liked Jack's reaction to the others. If he sat there and peppered them with desperate answers, they not only would blow him off, he wouldn't appear to be the leader he is. I think he commands their respect by ignoring them, and basically saying he doesn't care about their twisted reasoning and strange morals, and threatening him with death or imprisonment isn't going to change that.

Good post IMO and decent logic to help explain characters lack of curiosity. However, a middle ground may exist whereby he would not compromise his leadership persona while trying to gain intellegence as to why he is there and the myraid of other questions he naturally has.

Alec said...

Questions answered in this episode:

What does part of Jack's tattoo say (but not mean)?

Will Kate act (yet again) like a whiny high schooler?

Will Saywer have a cute nickname for Carl?

What role did creepy Ethan play in the Others' creepy commune?

Is there a second-in-command in the creepy commune?

These last two, admittedly, were interesting. But c'mon. They could at least have given us a flashback that connected with the island in a more than cursory way.

* * * * *

Important question not answered:

How long will it take Jack to figure out the fish biscuit dispenser?

Anonymous said...

Jack = jacob?

Anonymous said...

A lot of you complainers must need everything spoon fed to you. We've gotten plenty over the past 3 episodes. Use your brain a little. Try using that full 10% instead of settling for 2-6%.

Jeez..

Anonymous said...

Don't feed the troll!

No reason to throw out attacks. This is a quality blog, lets not step low enough to attack other bloggers viewpoints. It's all opinion.

Renee' said...

Hmmm...I wonder if the "others" are the ages that they appear.
Tom seems childlike to me.
Danny did also the way he blamed Sawyer for Colleen's death. I guess I'm thinking of the lost boys in Peter Pan. Remember Wendy fell from the sky...

Anonymous said...

This wasn't one of my favorite episodes but it did have a few things I liked. But I do feel it didn't move the story much. So many missed opportunites for answers that have more importance.

Next weeks episode looks to be good, though you can never trust the promos. The only thing about the next one is it looks to be wrongly placed. It appears it is going to be more light hearted, and to me, should follow either a sad event like a death, serious action, or a true major reveal.

But I'll watch and record like allways.

Alec said...

hey renee -- very interesting!

Unknown said...

Mr. Other- I do agree we have gotten more answers than we give the show credit for. But think of how many questions you listed are still unsatisfying resolved!

*Can the others leave the island for the outside world?
Yes, but under what conditions? Is this voluntary or does some company control when they leave?
*Why do they steal the children?
Actually answered fairly satisfyingly. Apparently they adopt them to Other parents for a "better *life."
*What's the relationship between Ben & Juliet?
Juliet was kidnapped in a sense. She definitely isn't staying her on her own free will. Very strained relationship indeed- on one hand Ben alone appears to be able to grant her permission but doesn't appear to want to do so
*What's the relationship between Ben & Alex?
Ditto with the adopted children. I can tell Alex doesn't completely agree with her dad so it will be interesting to see if she does any major betrays against him.
*How does Alex get back and forth between islands?
A boat! No sub so far- too bad.
*What happened to Carl?
Tried to brainwash him. Still not fully fleshed answer yet IMO.
*Did Ben really have a tumor?
Yep.
*How did Desmond know about the lightning?
He could see flashes of the future. We think...
*What happened when Desmond turned the key?
So the hatch imploded and his life flashed before his eyes. Implosion appears to given him psychic powers. How on earth he survived is a little hazy. Did the island grant him a reprieve until he comes to terms w/ his demons?
*What caused the friction between Desmond and Penny\Charles?
Desmond was determined to prove he is a good man. Hope his life doesn't get any worse.
*How/When did Jack get his tattoo?
By the Thai women when he went to "find himself."
*What does the tattoo mean?
It means that he is leader, but still an outsider. Also a very angry dude, which we see sometimes.
*What happened to Cindy?
So she was kidnapped and turned into an other. So we think. This wasn't really answered well.
*What happened to the children?
Adopted by Others.
*What was Ethans position?
Doctor
*What is the purpose of Hydra island?
Research facility for as of yet unknown research. Sketchy- wish I knew more.
*Does Kate really love Sawyer?
Guess not.

At least you helped point out that we learned something. It can be easy to forget the answers we do have when so much of the overarching story remain a mystery.

Unknown said...

I just realized something about Cindy. Was she kidnapped to be an adoptive parent to the children they had kidnapped earlier? Maybe this is what it means to be on the "good list." Or maybe the "good list" refers to survivors that would be easy to brainwash. Or some combination of the two qualities.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I think these two scenarios could work well. What does everyone else think?

Anonymous said...

I don't know why everyone is going so crazy over Heroes - admittedly being in the UK I've only seen the first 2 epsiodes, but to me the pacing of the show is just off. It's intriguing enough to keep me watching, but it's not what I'd call amazing storytelling.

Also, does anyone else think Jack's forcefulness in getting those tattoos was way out of character? What the hell was going on there?

And Mr Other, I think the biggest problem people have is not getting answers to the BIG questions - I don't think we should get it all dumped on us in one go, but wouldn't it be nice just to have one? But hey, that's just me being impatient I suppose. Although I would argue that technically, we still don't know what happened when Des turned that key - only what he perceived to happen.

Anonymous said...

We need a couple of Locke/Sayid adventure episodes, just like the old days, to remind us of what the show used to be about.

Don't get me wrong i'm still a big fan of the show, but i did enjoy the mystery that used to surround the show.

Maybe the gang could go find the '?' hatch that seems to have been overlooked at the moment (unless the '?' is in fact othersville where Jack is heading) or find Patchy, just something that will remind us of the great adventure type episodes they used to do so well.

Anonymous said...

I need a reminder about something. Ben said that they had! an excellent surgeon in Ethan. I just cannot remember, what happened to Ethan?

Anonymous said...

Didn't Ana Lucia kill Ethan??

Anonymous said...

Ethan was killed by Sayid, Jack etc they used Claire as bait then jumped him. He's buried just off camp

Anonymous said...

Charlie actually dealt the killing blow, shooting him 4-6 times.

Anonymous said...

I'm going to assume this was one of those episodes where you think nothing happened, but in later episodes it all makes sense.

I really wish everyone would quit comparing Lost with Heroes. Heroes is only in it's 1st season!! It's getting the same treatment Lost got in it's 1st season. Honestly, I don't know how it will have a 2nd season; they may have answered too many questions!

Anonymous said...

I think the idea that the others just "adopt" the kids to give them a better home is BS and there are other reasons behind the kidnappings. It is becoming more and more obvious the Others don't help you unless you're helping them (eye for an eye).

Also Ben said last season "We got more than we bargained for with Walt." You could argue that this just means Walt was just to wild for them and they didn't want to deal with it any longer. But I'm pretty sure if that was what they meant they wouldve just dealt with the behavior issues due to the fact they cant reproduce. They need every child they can get whether he is bad or good.

The others are doing a lot more than just giving the kids a better home.

Anonymous said...

Heather's one word reaction to the comment section: WHOAH!

Yikes, you guys all got ruthless and on the sho we all love to hate this week and then on eachother!

I would like to say I told you so on the previews...do NOT put much stock in them. It is their job to get you tuned in next week....not to be honest!

Also, I want to point out that the others have never been all we presumed and Tom's comments along the way are very important! This week's comment was no exception! People in glass houses should not throw stones! You will inevitably break something and most likely YOUR OWN WINDOW! Jack and the survivors, in most cases, were defending their lives...how Tom makes it seem that the survivors are bad guys made me chuckle. If you go back to the first season and watch, they defended themselves. In the case of Ethan, he was like super evil...I will kill them one by one until you bring her to me...so eye for an eye is their OWN doing! They started it! (In my best kindergarten voice!)

I guess what i wanted to say in all this is some real disconnect between what has happened in 3 seasons and what is happening right now is clear to me! They forgot about the sickness (or conveniently used it until it was no longer necessary) Made the others seem very evil only to now pretend it was all the survivors doing...because the others are law abiding citizens of nutsville...UGH! Call it what you want, but holding people against their will, in cages, is in fact wrong!

So, that is my thoughts...oh yah, about the episode. Lots to make you think...stranger in strange land...his tattoo! It was all very underneath. I agree about the action, it would be nice to get back to Locke and Sayid, but this was a BRAINY episode, not lovey dovey at all! I am thinking those that hated it, just have to take a minute and rewatch fromt he angle of "what does THAT really mean?"

till later!

Anonymous said...

OH MY GOSH! In all my ramblings I forgot to mention something...

I have mentioned before that we are a homeschool family. We discuss and analize a lot! Not just Lost either. My fourteen year old son is so clever sometimes and this one I thought was worth sharing...

This goes back to Desmond's episode...

when the old woman says to him, YOU HAVE TO GO TO THE ISLAND AND TURN THAT KEY OR WE ALL DIE! My son points out that if Desmond did NOT go on that race, and did not crash on the island, he would not have followed Kelvin outside, would not have made the plane crash and would not have had Locke down in his hatch. Would not have had a dismantled computer and would not have a need to turn that key! Therefore, she was wrong!

This was by far BRILLIANT in my eyes, but I am biast!

Now, this just goes to show how many flaws are in time travel theories and why a course correcting universe is implausable. It would just mean then that a simple decision is not a decision at all but more of a necessary means to another's end. No self control or free will available! If you believe that, then stick your hand on a stove that has been on for 5 minutes on HIGH. Trust me, unless you are a Sadist, you can not willingly do it! If this theory is true and the universe WANTED you to burn you should have no choice...

Okay, I will go to bed now. SORRY!

Anonymous said...

To Heathers Brain

Isn't the fact that you WON'T put your hand in the fire an example of you doing what the universe wants? Surely by PUTTING your hand in the fire and breaking your self-preservatory programming would be free will?

Or would it? Perhaps for those few who burn themselves, that was THEIR destiny (destiny doesn't have to be something dramatic and world-changing after all, just something pre-ordained - even standing trying to choose whether or not to burn yourself may be a part of your future. Or not.) I suggest reading Watchmen for an intresting view on the idea (and for one of the best reads you'll ever have). One of the characters exists simultaneously in all times, so to him, everything is the present, it all exists at once. And I quote "everything is pre-ordained, even my responses" - this from a guy who is IN the future right now. Also, one of my fav lines:

"Some blocks of marble have statues in their future."

I think that's probably one of the best analogies for fate - altho things have the appearance of randomness (hey, I could make a statue out of any of these) only certain things WILL happen (guess I'll chisel away from this one.) There is only one possible outcome.

Now I'm not saying this is true (or for that matter untrue) of our world as we know it - that's for minds larger than mine to figure out. But it's a possibility, a theory, and well worth considering.

Anonymous said...

The dialogue for Tom was interesting...."what kind of people you think we are?..." Also, still can't get over that Sawyer, a street slick guy, would not think to interogate Carl to learn about Ben, et al. Watched this episode again and the writting AND directing were weak and implausible. Still love the show but weak episode and no reveals.

Anonymous said...

When Ben made the deal with Jack that he can leave the island and "go home" did he mean home (the US mainland) or the other island where the Others call "home"? I wonder if Walt and Michael made it back to the real mainland or not.

Craig said...

Way back in the comments Hobbes posited Jack as a possible leader of the Others, and anon mentioned Jac=Jacob - if I may expand on that even further (read - leap off the ledge head first!)...

First the crazy statement - Remember when Pickett made the off-hand comment that "Shepherd wasn't even on Jacob's list."?

Why would he be if he is Jacob? Or rather - if he will BECOME Jacob. And maybe some of the Others already know this having been messing with funky-time a-la-Des. Have they seen something of their future and know Jack plays 'a big role'? If you take aforementioned leap and accept that certain people and items can jump around in time (maybe items like Des/Penny photo - check the official Producers PodCast for a possible clue there, plus for their take (i.e. the truth!) on whether Des did actually go back) maybe the list is written later by none other than Jack for some other reason, to save/bring certain survivors to the Others or whatever. Maybe it is taken back in time during another purple-haze moment (again a-la-Des and the key), maybe even so far back to an 'ancient' time when the name Jack was known as Jacob and 4-toed (pawed maybe) statues abound, and the list was taken/misconstrued as a prophecy and later found and formed part of Dharma mythology and then used by the Others as a 'subject list' written by a 'Jacob'? A Leader that they know by name but have never seen? A list that has some of the names that just so happen to appear on the lists made by Ethan and Goodwin? Wouldnt they freak out if they saw that? It would solve the destiny debacle, it all just a circulatory time-continuum fididdley that they mistook as fate?

Are the Others, and most particularly Ben, just going through the steps knowing pretty much that whatever happens along the way (as they monitor and 'tweak' their subjects here and there to try and upset the Valencetti equation), the play will play out, the end is written and they have seen it?

What a head-trip! Now where are those 'shrooms?

Anonymous said...

nothing btetter;
YOU are gonna get your wish about a Locke/Sayid adventure. From the promos, it certainly appears that Sayid and Locke are gonna go with Kate to save Jack. AND FYI: episode 3.11 is Sayid-centric!!!

I'm excited, too.

Anonymous said...

1. First off, I love the the show and will watch it until they stop making it, but this past episode was very weak. The first two were definitely A+ episodes, and this latest one was at best a C.

2. Why a C? Because the characters have not been acting to the best of their ability. It is one thing when they don't talk amongst themselves about new developments, but when they encounter people from outside of their circle that threaten their welfare, the response needs to be better. Consider the first time that Sayid met CFL, and think about how much information he got from her, to Jack's recent conversations with Cindy and Alex. Did anyone else feel that Cindy's appearance left a lot to be desired?

3. Comparing Heroes to Lost is completely legitimate. Everything about Heroes screams "we learned from Lost!" Have you ever seen a promo for Heroes? And then watched the subsequent episode? I ask because if you have, you will know that they simply do not have the same problems as ABC has marketing Lost. Their teams are on the same page. I guess it might be possible that NBC is just a better network than ABC, but the truth is, at least when it comes to promoting the upcoming events on the show accurately, Heroes is taking Lost behind the shed. So what excuse is there for not being on the same page?

4. Again, I love the show, but you can't have two bang up episodes and then act like this one is going to follow suit and have it tank. The producers even tried to temper expectations because they knew that what they had wasn't on par with the last two. That could have been corrected with a promo that actually made sense (instead of promising answers to 3 mysteries) and having Jack, Kate and Sawyer hammer away at the Others to figure stuff out. You wouldn't have cheered if Jack had grabbed Cindy through the cage and said "Complicated?!?!? Do you know what they've done to us? Do you really think that the situation being complicated makes it OK?!?!?" or have gone nuts if Kate yelled to Karl "A better life? Among murderers and kidnappers!?!?!" and gotten reactions that actually provoked information?

Anonymous said...

This was posted on Lost Podcast. I thought it was a great comment

Ok heres one for you… I was checking out the Official LOST site on ABC, and you have the capability of watching clips from the past of how everyone is connected, well if you watch how Jack and Desmond are connected, it will take you back to the stair running scene that we all know… Well watching it now, knowing what we know from this episode, things make sense. Jack is talking to him about Sara, and how he made a promise he couldn’t keep and that he didn’t fix her, and Desmond responds with “Well, what if you did fix her” meaning that because he has been through this all before, he knows that she was going to be fixed… and all of this is followed by the famous line… “See you in another life, brotha” also showing that Desmond knew what he was talking about.

So now that hopefully everyone went to go check out what i was just talking about…

Do you think that just because it shows Desmond waking up back at the island after being whacked in the bar, it doesn’t mean that he really continued out life in his flashback and just woke up with a headache in the bar?…. anyone follow me?

Anonymous said...

To Heather's Brain...

Your son seems to be right about the fact that if Desmond had never done any of that stuff, he wouldn't have turned the key. But that creepy lady may not have necessairly meant turn the key to keep us from dying in that exact moment. Maybe she thought that the key needed to be turned, whether or not the numbers had run out or not. I don't know if this makes sense, but basically we still don't know the full effects if the key turn. Maybe it affected the world positively in ways as of yet unknown.

Anonymous said...

Not necessarily. Kelvin explored outside. If the show is right and destiny is destiny. Even if Desmond never came on the island, Kelvin would still have been exploring that day...he would have missed pushing the button and eventually die, since that was his destiny and then in the end, there would be no Desmond to turn the key.

PHG said...

WOW.

So much anger here. I thought we all knew that you get little morsels of info from Lost, and when you find something out you get three more questions unanswered. That is how the show works. For those of you just looking for the answers, prepare to be disappointed. I guarantee you are extremely upset with whatever the conclusion of the series is. I enjoy watching Lost. Here is how I do it.

1. I never never ever depend on the promos. They are usually garbage. Complete garbage. If they show something, i don't even count on seeing it (like that scene where they were attacking and explosions and whatnot that never happened).

2. I don't expect to learn anything new. Nothing. That way anything new I find out is a bonus. I guarandamntee you that next week we will think we find out something, but it isn't much. Logically, it is a good time. Jack is going into their home. You would think we would find out more about their origins and whatnot.

3. Just sit back and enjoy the ride. If you are still watching you are either a fan or just bitter and looking for shit to nitpick. Have faith and just enjoy the show. if it lays an egg, big fucking deal. It's a tv show. You were entertained.

I don't know why I am so angry. It just seems once there is a "slow" episode everyone blows up and gets pissy. Hey, it happens like every other epsidoe! I thought everyone knew this buy now. I just think that everyone has crazy high expectations now.

Anonymous said...

If you go to TV.com page for this past episode, you can really tell the abuse this episode has gotten from viewers. Whoever made the promo really dropped the ball on this one, I hope they get fired or never make previews for Lost again. This episode didn't really make use of potential opportunities to answer some of the big questions, which was only highlighted by the previews. Normally a (seemingly) filler episode like this would be shrugged off by most but the promos really just emphisized the weaknesses.

Anonymous said...

I'm really baffled as to why they went out their way to incorporate Matthew Fox's real life tats for the last two years only to lie about what the Chinese characters say. They know people can look this stuff up on the internet right?

Two things that have been mentioned on various podcasts: the marketing dept. at ABC needs to be fired. Promising three significant pieces of information was a flat out lie. Secondly, the whole Cindy scene might have been impressive if they hadn't advertised it for two months before this episode.

There were really only three pieces of relevant info:

01. There wasn't a more capable surgeon available besides Jack because Charlie shot him to death in Season 1.

02. There are A LOT of others. That room was packed, I would not be surprised if their population on the island at least doubles that of the crash survivors.

03. Not everyone recruited into their village really knows what is going on. Cindy and the others (no pun intended) didn't seem to have any idea why Jack was in a cage, and she thought Ana Lucia was still alive.

The flashback in this episode was particularly weak. I thought it would be good since it wasn't going to be more "Jack is mad at his Dad" but it just seemed goofy, and it looked like they filmed it less than a mile from where the main set it.

Anonymous said...

One other thing: while I found it interesting that Ethan was the one who would have handled Ben's surgery, it further muddles the logic of the characters on the show.

Why send your primary physician on a dangerours scouting and kidnapping mission? And with Ethan having died well before Ben was captured, if they could get off the island before the "purple light in the sky" than why were they plotting to kidnap Jack as if he was already the last resort for surgery? The fail safe wasn't enacted until Jack/Kate/Sawyer/Hurley were already captured on the dock, hands tied, mouths gagged, ready to be carted off.

As much as I like the new characters that have been worked into the show like Desmond, Ben, and Juliet, with 18 minutes of commercials and 14 minutes or so of flashbacks it seems like it is getting to the point where there are more characters in the show than minutes spent on the island in a given episode.

Last year they did a much better job of showing what was going on with other people. I wasn't crazy about the second episode last season where Michael and Sawyer were stuck out in the water, but they at least showed that it was concurrent with when Locke was going down into the hatch. This year the episodes are so narrowly focused that by the time they get back to the main cast on the beach all of a day has passed even though it seems like a weeks worth of events have taken place.

As much as I like some of the new characters, they need to put the brakes on for a bit and refocus back on the main cast.

Anonymous said...

a) i agree that tom appears to be one of the most intriguing characters. everytime he's on screen i think something interesting happens... he brings the good mystery and tension to the show & is not annoying.

b) i agree that jack is purposeful in his belligerance and his apparent indifference to the other's lives. he's assuming the only control over his life that he can. he asks just enough to ensure his survival. he's cunning and calculating all the time. and i agree he may have learned his lesson from the thailand incident to NOT pry so hard for information.

c) so therefore, when tom threw out the 'glass houses' dig after jack accused them of being kidnappers, torturers and murderers... was tom referencing jack & the losties and how they killed some of the others (out of fear and defense of themselves... for survival)? or was he talking about some other part of jack's pre-island life (something that hasn't been completely revealed yet)?

and i think the idea of jack = jacob is very intriguing!!! not necessarily likely, but it's not completely out of the realm of possibility.

bring on sayid and locke!