(A monsterous Email, but a lot of it was just copied from the Internet. Would later be trumped by my 18 page manifesto about the Season Finale...)
Lost Episode Title: "Deus Ex Machina"
Character Involved: Locke (Part II - if you recall, Locke Part I - "Walkabout" - was probably the best hour of scripted TV of 2004)
TV Guide Description: Locke begins to suffer physical difficulties as he and Boone try to find a way into the hatch; Jack is reluctant to offer assistance when Sawyer begins to experience excruciating headaches.
Brian's Deeper Meaning Guess: In some ancient Greek drama, an apparently insoluble crisis was solved by the intervention of a god, often brought on stage by an elaborate piece of equipment. This "god from the machine" was literally a deus ex machina. Few modern works feature deities suspended by wires from the ceiling, but the term deus ex machina is still used for cases where an author uses some improbable (and often clumsy) plot device to work his or her way out of a difficult situation. When the cavalry comes charging over the hill or when the impoverished hero is relieved by an unexpected inheritance, it's often called a deus ex machina.
So how does this apply to Lost? Well, the most obvious "god from machine" that I’ve seen from the commercials for this week would be the FREAKING PLANE THAT CRASHES ON THE ISLAND. With the plane comes radio equipment, and by the looks of the commercial, it’s working. This could easily "save" the people on the island with an improbably plot device no one saw coming.
However, prior to the commercials, I was sure this had something to do with the hatch. I thought we might get a peek inside that hatch this episode, and the reveal would be something like radio equipment that could offer salvation for the people. Lastly, it could be that Alex makes his appearance in this episode, "saving" the people from some sort of disastrous situation they find themselves in. As he is a character that has never been introduced, his entrance would come from left field and totally fit this title. But the plane looks to be the obvious answer here. I won’t overanalyze… for once.
So are our castaways safe? Nope. Here’s why: the main characters involved in both the hatch and the plane look to be Boone and Locke. Locke being one of the two people who wouldn’t want to leave the island even if he could. Would he sabotage the rest of the people for his own benefit? I think so.
TV Guide Description Breakdown: A two sentence description? Neither of which mention the plane? This has to mean the writers want to keep a tight lip on this episode. But there’s still some analysis here.
#1 - In the commercial, there is a scene with Locke and Boone, where Locke falls down and Boone says "What’s wrong with you?" Locke replies, "This island gave me a gift… and now it’s trying to take it away." The gift being the ability to walk, one wonders why the island would take it away from him. The best thing I can come up with is that the island is somehow protecting itself.
Whatever is inside that hatch is capable of giving the survivors the power to either take over the island or to get off the island, and whatever or whoever is controlling the island is trying to prevent Boone and Locke from getting inside.
Another theory could be that there is something less "magical" about all this. That there is some sort of magnetic force / electrical energy on the island that "jolted" Locke’s legs into use. The source of this power is inside that hatch, and getting close to it is "jolting" him back to the way he was. I’m not really smart enough with the science to take this any further or even hypothesize if this is really possible, but remember the compass that Sayid had in the one episode? That pointed in the wrong direction? Maybe the magnetism on the island is out of whack, causing the compass to point in the wrong direction. Just a thought.
(If you really wanted to get super fantasy on me, you could say that when Locke encountered "The Monster" in the third episode, he made a deal with him ("a deal with the devil"), and he’s due for a payment back to the monster - a sacrifice, perhaps, since it’s been a long time since anyone on the show was eaten or even saw the monster in a non-dream state.)
#2 - Excruciating headaches from Sawyer? Two thoughts here - if there is some sort of magnetic power / energy on the island, opening the hatch is upping the dosage of exposure for everyone on the island and Sawyer is the first to feel it. This would tie the two stories together. It could also be that Sawyer is having some sort of reaction to a drug / or maybe the lack of receiving some drug.
Maybe he was on medication back on the mainland to treat migraines, keep him from going crazy, etc. He’s got a troubled past - maybe he was on some sort of prozac medicine, and without it, he’s in pain. Or, what if Locke has somehow poisoned him a la Boone? Of all the people on the island that Locke has "helped" get over their past, Sawyer is the one remaining who could benefit the most, I think.
Also, if this is a Locke episode, what timeframe do you think we’re going to see in the flashbacks? Prior to his trip to Australia? Things that happened in Australia? I have to think that as the season gets closer to the end, the backstories are going to go to the backburner, with the action on the island coming to the forefront.
Last Month’s Episode Discussion Points:
Who even remembers when the last episode aired? Who remembers what happened? Here’s a brief refresher from the start… Deep Breath….
Episode 01: Pilot (Pt 1 of 2) - First episode, a plane crashes on an island. It’s like Survivor, but without Jeff Probst.
Out of the blackness the first thing Jack (Matthew Fox) senses is pain. Then burning sun. A Bamboo forest. Smoke. Screams. With a rush comes the horrible awareness that the plane he was on tore apart in mid-air and crashed on a Pacific island. From there it's a blur, as his doctor's instinct kicks in: people need his help. Stripped of everything, the 48 survivors scavenge what they can from the plane for their survival. Some panic. Some pin their hopes on rescue. A few find inner strength they never knew they had-like Kate (Evangeline Lilly) who, with no medical training, suddenly finds herself suturing the doctor's wounds. The band of friends, family, enemies and strangers must work together against the cruel weather and harsh terrain. But the intense howls of the mysterious creatures stalking the jungle fill them all with fear. Fortunately, thanks to the calm leadership of quick-thinking Jack and level-headed Kate, they have hope. But even heroes have secrets, as the survivors will come to learn.
Episode 02: Pilot (Pt 2 of 2) - Second episode, we find out the island is crazy! Brian becomes addicted to the show.
The discovery of a transceiver among the plane's wreckage and the thought that rescue could be imminent temporarily raises the castaways' spirits. And the island's mysteries continue to baffle with the discovery of handcuffs, a gun and an animal that shouldn't be able to survive in a tropical climate.
Episode 03: Tabula Rasa - Kate episode, Kate becomes the single hottest female to ever grace network prime time TV, Brian falls in love.
Jack and Hurley discover an alarming secret about Kate, as the marshal's life hangs in the balance. Meanwhile Kate, Charlie, Sawyer, Sayid, Boone and Shannon ponder the island's mysteries they've uncovered and worry that telling the other survivors will cause panic, and Locke's befriending of Walt disturbs Michael.
Episode 04: Walkabout - Locke episode, Locke becomes the second coolest character on TV next to Jack Bauer.
Survivors are jolted awake in the middle of the night when wild island beasts invade the beach encampment. Kate and Michael join the mysterious Locke on a hunt for food - and a shocking secret about Locke is revealed. Meanwhile, some survivors are horrified by Jack's plan for the dead bodies still scattered among the wreckage, and Jack sees someone in the jungle who might not have been on the plane. Also, Jack flashes back at 12 years old, to find himself on the playground in an altercation with a bully, who ultimately beats him up, and later learns a life lesson from his father.
Episode 05: White Rabbit - Jack episode, people continually call Jack "Charlie" due to their recessed memories of Party of Five.
Jack is near delirious from lack of sleep and struggles to overcome the haunting events that brought him to Australia and, subsequently, to the island. Meanwhile, Boone gets caught in a treacherous riptide, the pregnant Claire's health takes a bad turn, and a thief may have stolen the last bottles of water.
Episode 06: House of the Rising Sun - Sun episode, Brian realizes that the episode titles are pun-tastic, launching paragraph long analyses of them on a weekly basis.
Walt and the others are shocked when Michael is brutally beaten, but only the non-English-speaking Jin and Sun know the truth behind the attack. Meanwhile Kate, Jack, Sawyer and Sayid argue about where the survivors should camp -- on the beach, where they're more likely to be seen, or in a remote inland valley where fresh water abounds; and Locke discovers Charlie's secret.
Episode 07: The Moth - Charlie episode, someone knocks Sayid out when trying to send a distress signal, and we STILL DON’T KNOW WHO DID IT.
Charlie begins a painful journey of withdrawal from drugs, surprisingly aided by Locke, whose true motive for helping Charlie is a mystery. Meanwhile, survivors struggle to find and free Jack when he's buried alive in a cave collapse, and someone might be secretly thwarting Sayid, Kate, and Boone when they enact a plan to find the source of the French transmission.
Episode 08: Confidence Man - Sawyer episode, girls realize that Sawyer is dreamy in a "bad boy" sort of way since he is not clean shaven.
When Shannon suffers an asthma attack, Jack and Sayid realize brutality might be the only way to convince Sawyer to relinquish the life-saving medicine he's hoarding. Meanwhile, Sun struggles to decide if she'll obey husband Jin's orders to stay out of others' affairs, and Kate uncovers some shocking secrets about Sawyer.
Episode 09: Solitary - Sayid episode, Brian can’t spell "Rousseau", and so is born Crazy French Lady, or CFL.
Sayid's life is placed in grave danger after he stumbles upon the source of the mysterious French transmission. Meanwhile, Hurley has a ridiculous plan to make life on the island a little more civilized - and it just might work.
Episode 10: Raised by Another - Claire episode, Claire’s 14 month long pregnancy continues.
Jack, Kate and Charlie wonder if Claire's disturbing nightmares might be coming true to threaten her life and the life of her unborn child, and a missing castaway returns with frightening news about what lies just beyond the mountains.
Episode 11: All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues - Jack Episode II, the "gasp heard ‘round the world" when we think Charlie has been hung and is dead.
Survivors wonder why Charlie and the pregnant Claire have been abducted - and by whom - and a search party ventures into the treacherous jungle to try to find and rescue the missing duo. Meanwhile, inner-demons about his father resurface for Jack, and Boone and Locke discover another island mystery.
Episode 12: Whatever the Case May Be - Kate Episode II, we learn Kate is a bad guy, but we love her anyways. Brian puts a toy plane on top of his computer to help ponder the mystery, but it does not help.
Jack, Kate and Sawyer fight over possession of a newly discovered locked metal briefcase which might contain insights into Kate's mysterious past. Meanwhile, Sayid asks a reluctant Shannon to translate notes he took from the French woman, a rising tide threatens to engulf the fuselage and the entire beach encampment, and Rose and a grieving Charlie tentatively bond over Claire's baffling disappearance.
Episode 13: Hearts and Minds - Boone Episode, "Incest is Best" proves to be an expression used outside the world of Delta Sigma Pi
When Locke learns that Boone wants to tell their "secret" to Shannon, Shannon's life is placed in sudden peril, and the shocking truth about her past with Boone is revealed. Meanwhile, Kate is puzzled by Sun's mysterious behavior, and a hungry Hurley must repay a debt to Jin.
Episode 14: Special - Walt Episode, Brian’s suspicions from day one about Walt prove to be true, teaching everyone to never doubt Brian ever again.
Violence ensues and a mysterious island beast makes a re-appearance when Michael and Locke clash over Walt's upbringing. Meanwhile, Charlie is tempted to read the missing Claire's diary, and Sayid enlists Shannon to help decipher the French woman's map.
Episode 15: Homecoming - Charlie Episode II, worst backstory ever, Charlie ruins everything by shooting Ethan. Stupid hobbit!
After the missing Claire returns with no recollection of what has happened since before the doomed flight of Oceanic 815, Jack and Locke formulate a plan of defense against her kidnapper, the mysterious Ethan, who threatens to kill off the other survivors unless Claire is returned to him.
Episode 16: Outlaws - Sawyer Episode II, we learn that Sweet Shrimp stands are located in the middle of the Australian Outback.
Kate and Sawyer divulge dark secrets to each other while tracking a renegade boar that Sawyer swears is purposely harassing him. Meanwhile, Hurley and Sayid worry that Charlie is losing it after his brush with death, and a shocking, prior connection between Sawyer and Jack is revealed.
Episode 17: ...In Translation - Jin Episode, Hurley appears in the background, Team 5/3 translates Korean text before 8:30 am the next morning because we are awesome.
When the raft the survivors have been building mysteriously burns down, Michael is convinced that Jin is responsible for the sabotage, which only further escalates their rivalry. Meanwhile, Sun stuns her fellow survivors with a surprising revelation, and Boone gives Sayid a warning about Shannon.
Episode 18: Numbers - Hurley Episode, Brian’s math skills get pushed to the max with no results - confirming once again, that knowledge of math has no application in the real world.
When Hurley becomes obsessed with the French woman and heads into the jungle to find her, Jack, Sayid and Charlie have no choice but to follow. Meanwhile, Locke asks Claire to help build a mysterious item.
Phew. Breathe.
Which bring us to Numbers. Probably one of the top three Lost episodes yet, and the best if you ask Sully. It was a great episode. We of course, have to start with this:
4 8 15 16 23 42
Before you spend all day trying to crack the code in there, don’t bother. There are internet sites where you can type in numbers and it will give you any sort of pattern or code that the numbers make, and these make none. There are also crazy people on the internet (yes, crazier than me) who have PhDs in mathematics that have posted some crazy hard equations that *almost* make the numbers fit into a pattern, but not quite.
The best theory I can come up with is that they are some sort of password or code to get into something (the Hatch?). The best theory other than that is that they are somehow coordinates for something on the island. The weird thing is that they were being broadcast by the radio tower by the Black Rock. (When will we get to see either of these structures?!?!?!) If you think about it in that light, it’s more of a "message" that’s being sent out. But what? Why play this over and over and over again with no other message?
The two numbers that jump out are 815 which have been seen EVERYWHERE on this show. But there’s still no good way to connect the rest of the numbers to it. One could imagine that there is some sentence that had some numbers in it. "I’m looking FOR flight 815 that will come on the 16th day of the 23rd month of the 42nd year." This takes on much more of a "prophecy" feel to it. Like, you picture this civilization on the island that has been waiting for this plane to crash there for all of time. But I don’t think this is right either. If you look at the Bible, guess what the fourth book is?
NUMBERS. We checked the 8th Chapter, 15th verse, 16 word, and so on - but it was all gibberish. Also, depending on the version of Bible, it would be different. So that’s probably just a weird coincidence - but one that kept Will and I very excited for most of a morning last month.
I’ll let these go for now. They’re even worse than Kate’s little plane. I have ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA.
CRASH. So, now the big question is, did the plane crash because of Walt, or because of Hurley? Seems to me that bad things seem to follow Hurley, and injure those around him but not himself. Could it be that him being on the plane made it go down, and the fact that he himself couldn’t die kept him, and everyone else in his section of the plane alive? I think so. This suddenly seems much more plausible than Walt looking at a picture of a plane crash or something and wishing it to happen.
CONNECTIONS. Before Hurley’s episode, they mentioned something about how he was "directly tied to the hatch" and "responsible for everyone being on that island." Obviously the numbers are on the hatch, so that makes sense, but what about being responsible for everyone being there? If he’s the reason the plane went down, that makes sense - but did you hear that he "owned a Box company" when Hurley was meeting with his financial advisor? Is it a coincidence that Locke worked at a box factory? It sounded like he had his hands in a lot of other companies - what if he is actually directly responsible for putting everyone on that plane by his bad luck spreading? I’m fully expecting all the characters on the show to be much more connected in their lives before the island than any of them realize - this would be a good way to explain it.
ANSWERS. Lastly, remember how there were three answers we are supposed to get before season end?
1. The importance of Kate’s plane. Doesn’t the plane in the commercial that crashes look suspiciously like Kate’s toy plane? What if she is playing with the plane and Walt sees it, causing the plane to appear and crash. The plane also looks way too old to be flying in modern times, lending more credence to this theory. While it still doesn’t really explain the toy plane and why Kate robbed a bank to get it, it could bring the plane back into the forefront of discussion on the show.
2. How Locke can walk. I expect this answer in this episode. Check.
3. The background of CFL. Not sure about this one - I’m still counting on either CFL or Alex saving the survivors in some situation against the Others towards season end. Just seems to make sense.
TIME. Between the surroundings in the CFL’s "lair" and the looks of the plane that crashes this week - is the island some sort of Bermuda triangle time warp? When Boone is on the radio and asking for help, someone responds. What if the plane is actually from CFL’s time and they were actually looking for CFL’s boat, not Flight 815? There is something very odd about the way time works on the show. When Sayid mentioned to CFL about being there for 16 years, she mentioned, "has it been that long?" Her equipment and mannerisms seem much older than the 1980s. I’m not a big fan of the island being "The Land Time Lost" or something like that, but it’s been hinted at.
FUTURE. Variety reported this morning that the May 25 season finale of "Lost" will be two hours long (at the Paley fest a few weeks ago, producers said it’d be 90 minutes). This means the series’ first season is 25 hours, and it will conclude on the last night of May sweeps, and the last night of the entire television season.
How does the rest of the first season shake out?
April 6 1.20 Jack-centric. "Do No Harm"
April 20 1.21 Sayid-centric. "The Greater Good"
May 4. 1.22 Kate-centric. "Born to Run"
May 18. 1.23 Everybody-centric. Season Finale Hour One.
May 25. 1.24 Everybody-centric. Season Finale Hours Two & Three.
I feel like with each passing week, the season finale gets bigger and bigger. Perhaps next week, I’ll be writing to tell you about how it will be a four night, eight hour event.
Okay, that’s all I got. Partially due to the fact that I’m discussing an episode which aired so long ago, I can’t think of anything else that’s eating away at me. I will say that I have huge expectations for this episode. So here’s hoping it doesn’t disappoint!
Cool people, hot women, and cute puppies gather at the Delta House for Lost tonight at 8:00. All others need not apply.
(PS - Rich people also welcome, if willing to share)
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
Lost (The Beginning of the End)
Lost Episode Title: "Numbers"
Character Involved: Hurley (the last of the main 14 characters to receive an episode!)
TV Guide Description: When Hurley becomes obsessed with the French woman and heads into the jungle to find her, Jack, Sayid and Charlie have no choice but to follow. Meanwhile, Locke asks Claire to help build a mysterious item.
Brian's Deeper Meaning Guess: Back when this episode title was announced (about a month ago), the teaser I read said "Hurley accomplishes what most Americans dream of", and that the title was "Numbers". Enter the genius of Brian Joseph Sullivan and Brian Joseph Sullivan - the combined brain power of the Delta House together and came up with the theory that Hurley must win the lottery. After last week’s shot of Hurley on the TV in Korea (and special thanks to James Joo for the translation of "Lucky Winner - Los Angeles, CA"), I’m more sure than ever that this is what happened. Who wants to bet that the winning numbers somehow involve 815? We’ve also been told that all the characters on the show are somehow connected to each other, and we’ve seen that the number 815 seems to appear all over their pasts - could this episode finally bring the connection to the forefront? Or explain the importance of 815? Here’s hoping!
TV Guide Description Breakdown: This episode was written by David Fury, who so far this season has written "Walkabout" (Locke’s episode - the best hour of TV so far this season), "Solitary" (Sayid’s episode that introduced CFL), and "Special" (the Walt episode that showed he had special powers). Based on that, I think we’re all in for a very special treat.
I’m unsure why Hurley would suddenly become obsessed with CFL - seeing as he hasn’t shown much interest in her up until this point. Does he see her as the best bet to get off the island? Does something he learns about her connect with something in his own past? Is he Alex? (Maybe Sayid mentions that she has her own power source, and he sees this as a way to continue to jam to music, now that the batteries to his Walkman are dead!) It’s been far too long since CFL was around given how important she is. Perhaps Sayid will bring the maps with him and attempt to get some answers from her? Are the attacks seen in the preview coming from CFL as the they approach her camp? I think we’re all hoping those attacks are coming from "The Others". I know I am. Given we also saw a shot of the four of them crossing a man-made bridge we haven’t seen before, it looks like they’re going into a new part of the jungle, and perhaps closer to the Black Rock.
Locke asking Claire to build a mysterious item? It has to be something to do with the metal hatch in the woods, as this has been Locke and Boone’s obsession of late. But what could Claire build that they couldn’t build themselves? Does it have something to do with the fact that she is pregnant? Does her baby somehow have the power to open the hatch? We all know that Ethan wanted the baby - is this why?! Mystery abounds!
Last Week’s Episode Discussion Points:
Fantastic episode.
1. Jin never killed anyone. Our assumption from the Sun episode was that he was basically a goon for her dad, coming home bloody from murdering someone. In fact, he was the exact opposite. Her father wanted him to be a hit man, but he found a way to both please her father and not murder someone. Sure, he gave him a heck of a beating, but as he put it "I just saved your life" as the other goon with the gun stood in the doorway. I guess we don’t know if there were other "jobs" that we don’t see - but I have a feeling that Jin has never killed someone (unlike Kate, Charlie, Sawyer, Sayid, Walt?)
2. Does Jin understand English? I went into the episode thinking, "Oh, this is going to be ironic - Jin and Sun will both be able to speak English, but neither will know about the other!" After watching the episode, I’m not so sure. Here are the main points:
a. Jin stopped when Sun was explaining to him why she was going to leave him, even though she was speaking in English. His response was as if he understood what she just said… "It’s too late".
b. Jin was planning on going to America for a job - would he need to have at least a rudimentary understanding of the language to do business there?
c. At the end of the episode, Jin referred to Michael by name. How could he have picked out Michael’s name from the rest of the English words everyone was saying? I guess it’s possible he’s put it together over the weeks on the island, but maybe he’s also putting together an understanding of the English language.
3. Why didn’t Jin go back with Sun? Based on his talks with his dad, he was all set to turn his life around. One last job for Sun’s dad, then turn over a new leaf and get a fresh start on life, getting back to lovin’ the hotties and hatin’ the crime. Sun explained her rationale for wanting to leave him, but then said "This is our chance to start over." Which seems precisely what Jin wanted too! Is her brief interaction with Michael enough for Jin to throw it all away? Very odd.
4. Putting Hurley in the background on the TV is the kind of attention to detail that I appreciate in a TV show. The creators know that we watch and dissect with a fine toothed comb, so touches like this is a direct nod to people like us, saying "Hey, we know you’re going to screen capture this and send it around at work the next day - have fun." I also love how the episode ended with the parallelism between Claire and Hurley sitting on the beach with their large stomachs, and then the camera held on Hurley, a foreshadowing that his episode was coming up next.
5. I think we all knew that Jin was not responsible for burning down the raft, but the fact that is was Walt that did so was a great twist. I also assume he used his mind to burn the raft, rather that setting it on fire manually. If you remember, when Michael yelled at Walt a few episodes back for reading the Spanish comic book, he threw it into the fire. Is this Walt’s way of getting back at dad? You burn my book, I burn your boat?
6. Locke was genius for using this as an opportunity to give a pep talk to his "troops". He put all the focus on The Others, making it seem like they have just made the first attack against the Flight 815 Survivors. When he comes back to them in a later episode, saying "We need to attack the Others", no one will have a reason, they’ll already have one.
7. The Locke and Walt scene at the end was great. It was almost the exact same scene as in the first episode where the two sat down at Backgammon. If you remember that episode, Locke introduced the game as "a game of two players, two sides, dark and light" and then said "do you want to know a secret?". The rest of their conversation is still unknown, but isn’t it ironic that now these two both like it on the island and want to stay?
LOCKE. This week, I was posed the following question: "Why are you surprised that Locke knew how to handle the gun in the episode two weeks ago? Didn’t they hint at his involvement with the military in his first flashback?" This got my mind racing - I definitely remembered the phone call that Locke received in that episode where he was talking in military time, and someone called him "Colonel". I went back and read the script for the episode (no, I didn’t transcribe it, it was on the Internet, home of anything in the world you could ever want to know!) and the phone conversation was concerning the risk-like game that he played at lunch. So there really has been no hint of Locke being anything special before coming to the island. Therefore, the real question is: why did Locke have a suitcase full of knives on the plane? These wouldn’t be needed on the Walkabout, would they? If he worked at a box factory and was in a wheelchair - what in the world did he need all the knives for? That’s the one piece of Locke’s past that doesn’t make much sense.
FAMILY. I also find it very interesting that we’ve heard about Locke’s family in recent episodes. His sister dying, his father leaving his family - it just contributes to the overall "family theme" that we’ve seen on this show for a bunch of characters. Jack, Kate, Charlie, Walt and Michael, Sun and Jin, Boone and Claire, Sawyer… all full of family issues! The only character who has no real connection to anyone else so far is Hurley… and I bet we get that this week!
HURLEY. Based on the TV shots, Hurley won the lottery. But when people win the lottery, they generally don’t put it on TV in a foreign country, do they? There must have been something very odd about the way he won, or it was like the world’s biggest lottery jackpot ever. I don’t know. Something doesn’t add up. I’ve really gone back and forth on the Hurley character from the start. He has always been very "happy" on the island. Listening to music, building the golf course, playing Backgammon - he’s going with the flow and doesn’t seem too worried about things. However, he was also the person that found the manifesto and was worried about doing a census.
After the whole census / Ethan issue - I was wagering that Hurley was actually the one who wasn’t on the plane. However, Ethan being crazy, and the flashback showing Hurley on TV seems to squash that idea. There have been other hints at Hurley’s past though - when losing at Backgammon to Walt, he owed like $50,000 to Walt and laughed about it. Then he made some reference to being a "warrior". Did Hurley maybe win his money through some contest - not a lottery win? Like a Backgammon contest? That would add all the more irony to the fact that he lost to Walt - it would also explain better why it would be on TV in Korea…
WALT. Walt is 100% on Locke’s side. The two have now shared the confidence that both want to stay on the island, and Locke definitely has more influence over him than Michael does. If Locke is building up his troops for a battle, this is easily the most powerful soldier he can have on his side. If Walt torched Michael’s boat with his mind, does he realize the power that he has? If he does, what’s stopping him from going crazy? Does he realize there’s a reason that he always wins at Backgammon? Can he truly control it without focusing on what he’s doing? If he dreams something in the middle of the night will it come true? Walt may be the most powerful, but I think he’s also the most dangerous. I could see him "accidentally" killing someone by thinking the wrong thoughts…
DEATH. Which brings me to this. It’s a well known fact on the internet that someone is going to die before the end of the season. As time goes on, a few more clues have been brought to light. Everything I’ve read leads me to believe it will be a MALE character who dies (there are only like 4 female characters on the show for one). I’m also betting that we get some "Circle of Life" action by having the death and Claire’s baby birth being in the same episode. If they’re going for true shock, I expect Jack, Locke, or Sayid to die. If they play it safe, I’ll bet on Boone, Jin, or Michael. We’ll see how much chutzpah the show’s writers have.
EXTRAS. Have you noticed that there is more screen time of extras on the show lately? You know, the other 30 or so characters who we don’t know by name but have seen walking around on the island in the background. Lately they’re actually showing these characters faces in focus. It makes you wonder - is that guy / girl going to be a main character next season? I wonder what their story is? Were they in the original episode? I’d be curious to see how many people are actually under contract on this show - people that appeared in the first episode just standing around that are going to be full fledged stars next season? How crazy would it be if you signed up to star on this hit TV show and no one knew you yet?
NUMBERS. 815 has been everywhere. Sawyer’s shirt, Charlie’s copier, Kate’s safe deposit box, etc. I have to assume these numbers play a role in Hurley’s "big win". But there are other numbers that this can refer to. The episode preview hints that Hurley is going after CFL - what about the numbers on CLF’s maps? What do those numbers mean? A latitude and longitude? Some math equation? Will Hurley somehow figure them out?
CFL. Just one quick thing - what side of the battle do you think CFL is going to come down on? I see her being a wild card, as I can’t imagine her siding with The Others who made her crew go crazy, stole her son, and likely tried to kill her. On the other hand, she’s CRAZY - she obviously was about to kill Sayid before he talked her out of it. I’m thinking that Hurley is unsuccessful in making contact with her, and she remains in the background until everyone comes under attack. Then she swoops in to save them (did someone say Deus Ex Machina?)
ALEX. Speaking of wild cards - is this guy even still alive? Is he even a "he"? Forget CFL, he could be the true Deus Ex Machina - a true warrior of the forest that comes crashing in from the trees when our heroes are surrounded by the Others. Whoa. When I wrote that I just got to thinking… if Alex isn’t a "he", if it’s a "thing" - how great would it be if our heroes (let’s say Locke, Jack, Kate, and Sayid) are trapped in the season finale, about to get killed by the Others and "the monster" which is actually "Alex" comes in and eats the bad guys and saves them? Talk about coming full circle! I know I would geek out like when Seth and Summer get together on the OC! Why aren’t I writing for this show again?
SAD NEWS. Why is it the beginning of the end? Well, from a story telling standpoint, this should be the episode that gets the wheels in motion that will lead to the season finale. The preview for this week showed explosions, guns, and our survivors coming under attack. This would serve by far as the biggest danger they’ve faced so far this season, and isn’t something they can "ignore" for the next few episodes (like they did with the Hatch / Ethan / Claire going missing). The bad news is that this is the last new episode until April 13th. That’s right, not March 13th, but APRIL - over a full month away. The good news is that it will be new episodes from April 13th through May 11th (when it is predicted the season’s two hour season finale will air). So breathe the sweet taste of new Lost episode goodness in deep this week! It’s going to be a long time before we get another taste.
Thank God for March Madness to help us keep our sanity for the next four weeks!
Delta House. 8:00 pm. It’ll be a Lost-astic time!
Character Involved: Hurley (the last of the main 14 characters to receive an episode!)
TV Guide Description: When Hurley becomes obsessed with the French woman and heads into the jungle to find her, Jack, Sayid and Charlie have no choice but to follow. Meanwhile, Locke asks Claire to help build a mysterious item.
Brian's Deeper Meaning Guess: Back when this episode title was announced (about a month ago), the teaser I read said "Hurley accomplishes what most Americans dream of", and that the title was "Numbers". Enter the genius of Brian Joseph Sullivan and Brian Joseph Sullivan - the combined brain power of the Delta House together and came up with the theory that Hurley must win the lottery. After last week’s shot of Hurley on the TV in Korea (and special thanks to James Joo for the translation of "Lucky Winner - Los Angeles, CA"), I’m more sure than ever that this is what happened. Who wants to bet that the winning numbers somehow involve 815? We’ve also been told that all the characters on the show are somehow connected to each other, and we’ve seen that the number 815 seems to appear all over their pasts - could this episode finally bring the connection to the forefront? Or explain the importance of 815? Here’s hoping!
TV Guide Description Breakdown: This episode was written by David Fury, who so far this season has written "Walkabout" (Locke’s episode - the best hour of TV so far this season), "Solitary" (Sayid’s episode that introduced CFL), and "Special" (the Walt episode that showed he had special powers). Based on that, I think we’re all in for a very special treat.
I’m unsure why Hurley would suddenly become obsessed with CFL - seeing as he hasn’t shown much interest in her up until this point. Does he see her as the best bet to get off the island? Does something he learns about her connect with something in his own past? Is he Alex? (Maybe Sayid mentions that she has her own power source, and he sees this as a way to continue to jam to music, now that the batteries to his Walkman are dead!) It’s been far too long since CFL was around given how important she is. Perhaps Sayid will bring the maps with him and attempt to get some answers from her? Are the attacks seen in the preview coming from CFL as the they approach her camp? I think we’re all hoping those attacks are coming from "The Others". I know I am. Given we also saw a shot of the four of them crossing a man-made bridge we haven’t seen before, it looks like they’re going into a new part of the jungle, and perhaps closer to the Black Rock.
Locke asking Claire to build a mysterious item? It has to be something to do with the metal hatch in the woods, as this has been Locke and Boone’s obsession of late. But what could Claire build that they couldn’t build themselves? Does it have something to do with the fact that she is pregnant? Does her baby somehow have the power to open the hatch? We all know that Ethan wanted the baby - is this why?! Mystery abounds!
Last Week’s Episode Discussion Points:
Fantastic episode.
1. Jin never killed anyone. Our assumption from the Sun episode was that he was basically a goon for her dad, coming home bloody from murdering someone. In fact, he was the exact opposite. Her father wanted him to be a hit man, but he found a way to both please her father and not murder someone. Sure, he gave him a heck of a beating, but as he put it "I just saved your life" as the other goon with the gun stood in the doorway. I guess we don’t know if there were other "jobs" that we don’t see - but I have a feeling that Jin has never killed someone (unlike Kate, Charlie, Sawyer, Sayid, Walt?)
2. Does Jin understand English? I went into the episode thinking, "Oh, this is going to be ironic - Jin and Sun will both be able to speak English, but neither will know about the other!" After watching the episode, I’m not so sure. Here are the main points:
a. Jin stopped when Sun was explaining to him why she was going to leave him, even though she was speaking in English. His response was as if he understood what she just said… "It’s too late".
b. Jin was planning on going to America for a job - would he need to have at least a rudimentary understanding of the language to do business there?
c. At the end of the episode, Jin referred to Michael by name. How could he have picked out Michael’s name from the rest of the English words everyone was saying? I guess it’s possible he’s put it together over the weeks on the island, but maybe he’s also putting together an understanding of the English language.
3. Why didn’t Jin go back with Sun? Based on his talks with his dad, he was all set to turn his life around. One last job for Sun’s dad, then turn over a new leaf and get a fresh start on life, getting back to lovin’ the hotties and hatin’ the crime. Sun explained her rationale for wanting to leave him, but then said "This is our chance to start over." Which seems precisely what Jin wanted too! Is her brief interaction with Michael enough for Jin to throw it all away? Very odd.
4. Putting Hurley in the background on the TV is the kind of attention to detail that I appreciate in a TV show. The creators know that we watch and dissect with a fine toothed comb, so touches like this is a direct nod to people like us, saying "Hey, we know you’re going to screen capture this and send it around at work the next day - have fun." I also love how the episode ended with the parallelism between Claire and Hurley sitting on the beach with their large stomachs, and then the camera held on Hurley, a foreshadowing that his episode was coming up next.
5. I think we all knew that Jin was not responsible for burning down the raft, but the fact that is was Walt that did so was a great twist. I also assume he used his mind to burn the raft, rather that setting it on fire manually. If you remember, when Michael yelled at Walt a few episodes back for reading the Spanish comic book, he threw it into the fire. Is this Walt’s way of getting back at dad? You burn my book, I burn your boat?
6. Locke was genius for using this as an opportunity to give a pep talk to his "troops". He put all the focus on The Others, making it seem like they have just made the first attack against the Flight 815 Survivors. When he comes back to them in a later episode, saying "We need to attack the Others", no one will have a reason, they’ll already have one.
7. The Locke and Walt scene at the end was great. It was almost the exact same scene as in the first episode where the two sat down at Backgammon. If you remember that episode, Locke introduced the game as "a game of two players, two sides, dark and light" and then said "do you want to know a secret?". The rest of their conversation is still unknown, but isn’t it ironic that now these two both like it on the island and want to stay?
LOCKE. This week, I was posed the following question: "Why are you surprised that Locke knew how to handle the gun in the episode two weeks ago? Didn’t they hint at his involvement with the military in his first flashback?" This got my mind racing - I definitely remembered the phone call that Locke received in that episode where he was talking in military time, and someone called him "Colonel". I went back and read the script for the episode (no, I didn’t transcribe it, it was on the Internet, home of anything in the world you could ever want to know!) and the phone conversation was concerning the risk-like game that he played at lunch. So there really has been no hint of Locke being anything special before coming to the island. Therefore, the real question is: why did Locke have a suitcase full of knives on the plane? These wouldn’t be needed on the Walkabout, would they? If he worked at a box factory and was in a wheelchair - what in the world did he need all the knives for? That’s the one piece of Locke’s past that doesn’t make much sense.
FAMILY. I also find it very interesting that we’ve heard about Locke’s family in recent episodes. His sister dying, his father leaving his family - it just contributes to the overall "family theme" that we’ve seen on this show for a bunch of characters. Jack, Kate, Charlie, Walt and Michael, Sun and Jin, Boone and Claire, Sawyer… all full of family issues! The only character who has no real connection to anyone else so far is Hurley… and I bet we get that this week!
HURLEY. Based on the TV shots, Hurley won the lottery. But when people win the lottery, they generally don’t put it on TV in a foreign country, do they? There must have been something very odd about the way he won, or it was like the world’s biggest lottery jackpot ever. I don’t know. Something doesn’t add up. I’ve really gone back and forth on the Hurley character from the start. He has always been very "happy" on the island. Listening to music, building the golf course, playing Backgammon - he’s going with the flow and doesn’t seem too worried about things. However, he was also the person that found the manifesto and was worried about doing a census.
After the whole census / Ethan issue - I was wagering that Hurley was actually the one who wasn’t on the plane. However, Ethan being crazy, and the flashback showing Hurley on TV seems to squash that idea. There have been other hints at Hurley’s past though - when losing at Backgammon to Walt, he owed like $50,000 to Walt and laughed about it. Then he made some reference to being a "warrior". Did Hurley maybe win his money through some contest - not a lottery win? Like a Backgammon contest? That would add all the more irony to the fact that he lost to Walt - it would also explain better why it would be on TV in Korea…
WALT. Walt is 100% on Locke’s side. The two have now shared the confidence that both want to stay on the island, and Locke definitely has more influence over him than Michael does. If Locke is building up his troops for a battle, this is easily the most powerful soldier he can have on his side. If Walt torched Michael’s boat with his mind, does he realize the power that he has? If he does, what’s stopping him from going crazy? Does he realize there’s a reason that he always wins at Backgammon? Can he truly control it without focusing on what he’s doing? If he dreams something in the middle of the night will it come true? Walt may be the most powerful, but I think he’s also the most dangerous. I could see him "accidentally" killing someone by thinking the wrong thoughts…
DEATH. Which brings me to this. It’s a well known fact on the internet that someone is going to die before the end of the season. As time goes on, a few more clues have been brought to light. Everything I’ve read leads me to believe it will be a MALE character who dies (there are only like 4 female characters on the show for one). I’m also betting that we get some "Circle of Life" action by having the death and Claire’s baby birth being in the same episode. If they’re going for true shock, I expect Jack, Locke, or Sayid to die. If they play it safe, I’ll bet on Boone, Jin, or Michael. We’ll see how much chutzpah the show’s writers have.
EXTRAS. Have you noticed that there is more screen time of extras on the show lately? You know, the other 30 or so characters who we don’t know by name but have seen walking around on the island in the background. Lately they’re actually showing these characters faces in focus. It makes you wonder - is that guy / girl going to be a main character next season? I wonder what their story is? Were they in the original episode? I’d be curious to see how many people are actually under contract on this show - people that appeared in the first episode just standing around that are going to be full fledged stars next season? How crazy would it be if you signed up to star on this hit TV show and no one knew you yet?
NUMBERS. 815 has been everywhere. Sawyer’s shirt, Charlie’s copier, Kate’s safe deposit box, etc. I have to assume these numbers play a role in Hurley’s "big win". But there are other numbers that this can refer to. The episode preview hints that Hurley is going after CFL - what about the numbers on CLF’s maps? What do those numbers mean? A latitude and longitude? Some math equation? Will Hurley somehow figure them out?
CFL. Just one quick thing - what side of the battle do you think CFL is going to come down on? I see her being a wild card, as I can’t imagine her siding with The Others who made her crew go crazy, stole her son, and likely tried to kill her. On the other hand, she’s CRAZY - she obviously was about to kill Sayid before he talked her out of it. I’m thinking that Hurley is unsuccessful in making contact with her, and she remains in the background until everyone comes under attack. Then she swoops in to save them (did someone say Deus Ex Machina?)
ALEX. Speaking of wild cards - is this guy even still alive? Is he even a "he"? Forget CFL, he could be the true Deus Ex Machina - a true warrior of the forest that comes crashing in from the trees when our heroes are surrounded by the Others. Whoa. When I wrote that I just got to thinking… if Alex isn’t a "he", if it’s a "thing" - how great would it be if our heroes (let’s say Locke, Jack, Kate, and Sayid) are trapped in the season finale, about to get killed by the Others and "the monster" which is actually "Alex" comes in and eats the bad guys and saves them? Talk about coming full circle! I know I would geek out like when Seth and Summer get together on the OC! Why aren’t I writing for this show again?
SAD NEWS. Why is it the beginning of the end? Well, from a story telling standpoint, this should be the episode that gets the wheels in motion that will lead to the season finale. The preview for this week showed explosions, guns, and our survivors coming under attack. This would serve by far as the biggest danger they’ve faced so far this season, and isn’t something they can "ignore" for the next few episodes (like they did with the Hatch / Ethan / Claire going missing). The bad news is that this is the last new episode until April 13th. That’s right, not March 13th, but APRIL - over a full month away. The good news is that it will be new episodes from April 13th through May 11th (when it is predicted the season’s two hour season finale will air). So breathe the sweet taste of new Lost episode goodness in deep this week! It’s going to be a long time before we get another taste.
Thank God for March Madness to help us keep our sanity for the next four weeks!
Delta House. 8:00 pm. It’ll be a Lost-astic time!
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
LOST ...in Translation
Lost Episode Title: "…in Translation"
Character Involved: Jin (the super jealous Korean man). Fun fact: this actor used to be on both 24 and Angel! Talk about picking good TV shows to work on!
TV Guide Description: When the raft the survivors have been building mysteriously burns down, Michael is convinced that Jin is responsible for the sabotage, which only further escalates their rivalry. Meanwhile, Sun stuns her fellow survivors with a surprising revelation, and Boone gives Sayid a warning about Shannon.
Brian's Deeper Meaning Guess: Two fold this week. First "…in Translation". Lost in Translation. A clever take on the Oscar nominated movie from 2003. Second, and more importantly is that it refers to the fact that Sun can speak English and knows what is going on, but no one other than Jack knows this. Not even Jin. Here’s something else I’ve thought of - what if Jin can also speak English? Sun is hiding it from Jin, Jin is hiding it from Sun - both are "lost in translation"? The reason I say this, is that Jin seems to smile when he hears different things like Hurley making comments like "Dude, your wife is hot" or the whole scene where he is trying to fish. Jin seems to know more than he lets on. Of course, the other option is that Jin finds out Sun can speak English this episode, and it causes serious drama in their relationship. There’s also the super-obvious part where Jin is "lost" on the island since he cannot understand everyone else speaking English. He’s "lost" in the "translation". Witty.
TV Guide Description Breakdown: Remember the raft that Michael talked about building two episodes back? There was a brief shot of him working on it last episode, and it looked to be a pretty sizeable raft, capable of saving more than just Michael. Who would burn it down? Someone who doesn’t want them leaving the island. Good candidates: Locke, CFL, or The Others. The fact that Michael is going to blame Jin is clearly a red herring, used to fuel the tension between the two of them started by the fact that Michael clearly has the hots for Sun. Remember when he saw her all nekkid in the woods? Oh yeah, he has a thing for her. And there’s the whole deal where Jin ATTACKED Michael with an axe on the beach. Jin is in the mafia, remember? If Michael goes after him, I think Michael will be the one who gets messed up.
Sun’s surprising revelation will definitely be her speaking English. I think she’ll have to use her English speaking skills in defense of Jin. Everyone will now see her in a different light, and she’ll become more accepted in the group - also furthering herself from Jin…
Boone warning Sayid about Shannon? Saying "Stay Away"? "She’s mine"? Is his warning out of concern for Sayid, since Shannon pretty much uses and abuses guys? Or is he warning him to stay away because he still has feelings for her and is jealous of the time the two spend together? I want to think that Boone is 100% a Locke-y (my term for a follower of Locke, and a clever play on the word "lackey") and no longer cares about Shannon. Plus, remember when Locke made some comment about "We’ll want Sayid on our side"? Maybe Boone’s warning is to prevent Sayid from getting messed up with Shannon’s mind games, so that he’s good to go when Locke calls on him to join his side, whatever that means.
Last Week’s Episode Discussion Points:
I thought last week was a really good episode. However, I still feel like we’re just spinning tires at this point in terms of moving the overall storyline of the island further. Yes, it was great to learn more about Sawyer and what drives him, but I think the show is at its best when the back story helps us learn more about the island and what’s going on there. (See: the Locke episode, the Claire episode, etc.) I’ll again hypothesize that the writers of the show made an overall story arc for the season, planning on a typical 22 episode season. When ABC requested they expand it to 24 episodes, they had to make some filler. Rather than mess with the overall arc or the suspense of the conclusion of the season, they used episodes like this one as a way to tell a good story, but not get into the main story of the island mystery. In a way, they’re holding all their best cards until the end of the season. Which I think starts next week! But I digress…
1. We still didn’t learn why Sawyer was in jail during the Boone episode. Did he get caught for killing the Sweet Shrimp guy? I don’t think so, since he was saying something about "I didn’t kill him" when getting carried in the police station. Also, how in the world was he on the plane leaving Australia if he committed murder there? I think he got away with the murder of Sweet Shrimp, but got falsely accused of killing someone else (like Jack’s father!). Once they cleared him, he was on Flight 815 to head home.
2. How long will Sawyer wait before telling Jack about his dad? Will he ever tell him? I could see him holding something like this, using it as leverage, similar to how he hoards all the goods he finds on the island. I predict that Jack has some crisis of faith / breakdown and Sawyer tells him to get him to snap out of it / pull himself together. It will be very poetic. Girls will cry.
3. The Sawyer and Kate scene was fantastic. Holding true to every time anyone ever played "Never Have I Ever" in college, it takes about two rounds or two drinks before the questions turn sexual. My only question is, how did the two of them not hook up?! I’m willing to accept that a paralyzed man can now walk, a kid has magic powers, and there’s a monster running around on this island eating people, but this? I don’t know if I can willingly suspend my belief this far. Plus there was alcohol involved! Writers, you disappoint…
LOCKE. Okay, Locke shows up out of nowhere to tell a story about when he was a kid and his sister died, a dog appeared that his mom thought was "the spirit" of his sister. What a coincidence that Sawyer is currently being tormented by a boar that could be the spirit of the Sweet Shrimp guy he killed! In a way, telling this story could mean that Locke has won Sawyer over / helped him overcome his demons (which would bring his count to like 5 people on the island).
SAWYER. So we still don’t know who the "real" Sawyer was who destroyed this Sawyer’s life. At this point, I don’t think we ever will. I definitely see Sawyer as somewhat of a redeemed individual. Much like Kate, who seems to have real remorse for her past, Sawyer has now learned that revenge is not the way. Sawyer now becomes a "tragic hero".
ANIMALS. So - the boar was Sweet Shrimp? Could Vincent (the dog) represent someone else who has died? My initial thought was "Walt’s mom" - but Vincent was around before Walt’s mom died. But this theory of animals as spirits of those who died is very interesting.
KATE. Her talks with Sawyer confirmed that she has indeed killed someone. From her episode it was "someone she loved". She also confirmed that she has been married before. Was this to the man she killed? What combination of events could cause Kate to fall in love, get married, and then kill her husband in a short period of time? It has to be tied to that little toy plane! Where is Kate Back Story Part 3! Arg!
SIDES. By my count, people who I see "in Locke’s corner" are Boone, Charlie, Jack, Walt, Michael, and maybe now Sawyer. Really the only other main character he needs to win over is Sayid, and he’ll have all the strong players on his side.
JIN. Hopefully this episode sheds some more light on this character. Sun’s backstory helped a little, but this has been a vastly underused character so far on the show. Remember in the first episode when he caught the fish and gave it to Claire, which made her baby seemingly "come back to life"? Did he know that would happen? He was seemingly forcing her to eat it…
VOICES. In last episode, the voices Sawyer heard were seemingly saying "It’ll come back to you" or something along those lines - which makes sense if you think about the Boar getting his "revenge" on Sawyer for the death of Sweet Shrimp. But thinking back to the other characters who have heard voices (CFL, Jack, Sayid) - all have had someone they know die / killed someone. Are these voices simply inside their heads? Their conscience? Or are they the spirits of the those who have died? Or are they The Others playing tricks on them? It’s just very interesting that no one else has heard these voices.
KATE. AGAIN. Speaking of which - why is this girl getting off so scott free? She murdered someone, but has not heard voices / had to deal with seeing images of the person she killed walking around / etc. She seems to have a very tortured past, but the island and the events on the island have been easy on her so far. Is it because she’s smoking hot? Or is her "redemption" still coming up? Maybe Locke will have to help her work through it, and win her over to his side as well.
TITLE CHANGE. Remember last week when I gave you a run down of upcoming episodes? Well, they changed the title for Episode 21..
21 - "The Greater Good" - Sayid Episode II - It used to be called "Sides"? So that’s obviously a theme. The fact that it says "The Greater Good" makes me think of one thing - someone sacrificing themselves for the greater good of the group. Since it’s a Sayid episode, I worry it might be him.
We all know everyone is not going to survive. I’d be very sad to see Sayid go, as he’s awesome and has clearly improved Iraqi-American relations in this modern day and age. No work on the last three episodes… yet.
ANSWERS. The most exciting part of this week’s Email! Per the Internet, there was a radio interview with Lost creator JJ Abrams last week where he said the following questions WOULD BE ANSWERED before the season ends:
1. How Locke can now walk. (Hooray!)
2. The importance of the little plane Kate has. (YES!)
3. What is up with CFL (I guess also exciting!)
My two thoughts are:
4. Immense excitement. Sometimes you wonder if we’re ever going to get any answers - this shows that we’ll definitely get some!
5. Wonderment. Does this mean we’re not going to get any other answers? I doubt it. Most likely, there are big secrets to reveal, and there’s no way JJ would reveal them to a radio show. See every season finale of Alias ever (JJ’s other show). They always end BIG and SHOCKING. Hopefully this won’t be an exception!
Okay, so let it be written, so let it be done. Let me know if you actually receive this Email this week since there was some issue last week with sending them from my work account. All are welcome at the Delta House tonight for Lost!
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
LOST Email is Back!
Lost Episode Title: "Outlaws"
Character Involved: Sawyer (Part II - he’s dreamy!)
TV Guide Description: Kate and Sawyer divulge dark secrets to each other while tracking a renegade boar that Sawyer swears is purposely harassing him. Meanwhile, Hurley and Sayid worry that Charlie is losing it after his brush with death, and a shocking, prior connection between Sawyer and Jack is revealed.
Brian's Deeper Meaning Guess: "Outlaws" must refer to Sawyer and Kate, as they are the two "criminals" on the island. Both were outlaws in their past lives, and Sawyer is also the outlaw on the island, hoarding everything he can get his hands on while on the island, effectively ostracizing himself from everyone. It just seems like too simple of an answer for my liking. But I got nothing else.
TV Guide Description Breakdown: It sounds like Kate and Sawyer are going to tell each other their criminal secrets, which will bring the two closer together. They’ve been hinting at the relationship for some time, so it’s about time. Here’s hoping Kate ends up scantily clad for some reason… any reason. Also, on the commercials there’s a clip of Sawyer saying "It’s payback time" and pointing a gun at someone (or something) - smart money is that he’s pointing it at the wild boar that is harassing him. Deep down, Sawyer’s a good guy. There’s no way he’s pointing that gun at Jack or even Sayid.
The shocking, prior connection between Jack and Sawyer? Remember a few episodes ago, during Boone’s flashback when he was in the police station and Sawyer was being dragged away in the background, yelling "I didn’t kill him"? I think that Sawyer is somehow involved in the death of Jack’s father. Not that Sawyer killed him, but that he was there when Jack’s dad died. Maybe Sawyer grifted him? Something to cause more tension between Jack and Sawyer besides their mutual love for Kate? Sounds like a good plotline to me.
Last Week’s Episode Discussion Points:
Last week’s backstory did NOTHING for me. I can sum it up in two points:
1. Charlie was selling copier model C815. 815 being the flight number, the safety deposit box number, the number that’s been associated with EVERYTHING on the show so far. Creepy.
2. It provided a reason why Charlie would shoot Ethan at the end. "You’ll never be able to protect anybody". This was his way of doing that for Claire.
The main problem with the backstory is that the "big reveal" didn’t mean much to us. Also, I didn’t really care to see Charlie fighting his drug habit / stealing since we know that now he has kicked the habit and is a pretty good guy. It’s like the story was almost out of date. Plus, I was really really really hoping we were going to get a flashback of when he was kidnapped by Ethan. Arg!
ETHAN. Great, now he’s dead before we get any answers. Here’s what’s weird - Ethan totally kicked Jack’s a** the first fight, but was totally dominated this time. It was also raining both times they fought. There’s something very surreal about both fights. Also, how do you figure that Claire escaped Ethan? He is obviously stronger than her, and you would think "the Others" would have a close watch on her. The scratches on his face last episode could have come from her, or perhaps he had an encounter with an island beast (polar bear or wild boar) that caused the scratches and gave her a chance to escape. Unfortunately, killing Ethan makes a lot of sense storyline wise, as having him around forces way too many of the island mysteries to be revealed. This way, they still don’t know who or what "the Others" are, or why they wanted Claire so badly.
CLAIRE. Speaking of good plot devices, having Claire lose her memory is a great one. This way, she can slowly remember things about the island and her kidnapping as it becomes convenient for the plot / in critical times. Shouldn’t she be having this baby by now? They’ve been on the island for over a month, and she was at least eight months pregnant when she got on the flight. That baby will be born before the season is up, I guarantee it!
LOCKE. There was something very weird about the scene where Locke got the gun in this episode. For one, there is no reason that Locke should have known how to use a gun. He worked in an office building. Did this talent somehow come to him when he met the monster that gave him his "outdoorsman skills"? He pauses before he grabs the gun, and once he grabs it, he cocks it and smiles. If you remember back to the Walt episode, Locke was talking about visioning things "in your minds eye" when teaching Walt to throw knives. Walt visualizes throwing the knife accurately, and he can do it. What if Locke is also picking up this power? He saw the gun, visualized himself knowing how to use it, and then grabbed it. There just has to be something more to this guy. The "minds eye" theme also works with the number of times his eyes have been black and white / the scratch over his eye that is now disappearing / seeing the future in the Boone episode by preparing the cream for his head. There’s some symbolism here, people!
(Is he working with Ethan? I don’t think so, but his strategy for catching Ethan was somewhat suspicious. Jack wanted to pull everyone in to the caves, but Locke wanted to keep people spread out on the beach and the caves, and Ethan seemingly killed Scott / Steve from the water… Probably nothing, but it stuck out…)
KATE. Where has she been the past few episodes? She’s really taken a back seat. And we still don’t know about the plane. I doubt this week will answer any more questions about it, but I’m hoping something comes out of her conversations with Sawyer.
CHARLIE. Why did Ethan approach him to bring Claire back? Why didn’t he just go get Claire by himself? Obviously Charlie would do anything for Claire, but that doesn’t seem to make much sense. Also, is Charlie’s memory really gone from his encounter with Ethan that he is unable to help anyone with an explanation? Maybe he and Claire will have some conversations about the experience. I just can’t figure out if something caused him to lose his memory, if something erased his memory, of if he is blocking out the bad memories.
THE METAL HATCH. I love how there are huge storylines on this show that go untouched for weeks at a time. First Claire disappearing and now this. More on this in the upcoming episode listing below. But it’s allegedly "the key to the whole thrust of the story of the island."
VINCENT. Yes, the dog. There is something up with this dog. I almost think maybe the dog has the powers, not Walt. The dog was there when the bird flew into the window in Walt’s flashback. Whenever the dog disappears, the monster appears. The dog was way creepy watching people from the forest in the first few episodes. And what keeps causing him to run away and come back and opportune times? I read a rumor that an upcoming episode might be a Vincent flashback, which would be fantastic. Okay, maybe I’m just going crazy at this point…
DEATH. Okay, the producers of the show have said "It would be crazy to think that all 14 main characters get through the first season without dying." So at least one of them is going to die before the year is up. But who? Would they have the chutzpah to kill of a Jack or Kate? (They better not kill of Kate). I could see Sawyer having a heroic death to redeem himself a bit, or Claire dying giving birth to a baby, or Shannon dying to create tension between Sayid and Boone. The only character I see as safe is Locke, just because he seems to be the one who is going to pull everything going on on the island together at some point.
CFL. She’s due to be back any episode now. Now that Ethan is killed off, she’s the only "outsider’ on the island who can give them information. Also, it’s quite possible that she was the one who attacked Ethan to free Claire, perhaps feeling some connection to Claire after she lost her baby. Do you think she was abducted and had her baby stolen as well? It’s a possibility…
COMING ATTRACTIONS. We’ve almost got episode titles for every episode left for the season! Here’s what’s on tap:
17 - "… in Translation" - Jin’s Flashback - I think we find out that Jin either speaks English, or that he finds out that Sun speaks English and beats her. But that doesn’t make good TV, so I’ll go with the former. Plus, remember when Hurley was talking to him, and he seemed to smile when Hurley said "Dude, your wife is hot."?
18 - "Numbers" - Hurley’s Flashback - Allegedly, Hurley achieves "the number one dream of most Americans, but it ends badly". It’s got to be that he wins the lottery, but the money doesn’t bring happiness. Makes sense with the "Numbers" title. Other things I’ve heard about this episode - "What happened to Hurley in his life before the island is DIRECTLY tied to everyone on the island and the mysterious hatch on the island." As well as "there will be a string of numbers shown in this episode that are very significant." Let me guess… 815?
19 - "Deus ex Machina" - Locke’s Flashback II - okay, literary nerds out there, you know what the title means. "God from Machine". A term used to describe when something swoops in and saves characters who are otherwise doomed in a story. Somewhat of a cop-out if you ask me, like the whole "It was all a dream" ending used at the end of Super Mario Bros. II or "Who Shot JR?" on Dallas. I can’t think of how that would tie to the show, since there is no resolution coming midway through the season. Maybe it needs to be taken more literally - they find some machine that serves a god-like purpose? Is it referring to how Locke got a "second life" on the island by being able to walk / be a skilled hunter and leader?
20 - "Do No Harm" - Jack Episode III - Three? Greedy! The "Do No Harm" reference has to be related to the whole "Doctor" thing, and perhaps Jack does some bad stuff on the island, like killing someone? That would be intriguing…
21 - "Sides" - Sayid Episode II - Sides? As in choosing sides? As in good vs. evil? The theme I’ve been hinting at all year? I think so! The best part is, after this episode, there are still THREE MORE LEFT...
(Word on the street is that the season finale will be a flashback to before the flight takes off on its fateful voyage.)
WHERE ARE WE GOING? So what’s the "State of the Union" on Lost at this point? Well, I still think we’re heading to a good vs. evil showdown on the island. Locke will be their leader, and he’s recruiting people to his side / way of thinking. I think we’ll also find out that all the people were specifically chosen to be on that flight, and to end up on that island. How? Not sure yet. But nothing on this show is coincidence. There’s a master plan at play here. I think the Hurley story is going to be huge, and the hatch will reveal some big secrets about the island. I think the Locke episode will also shift us into the denouement of the season, with the survivors going through the rationale of "we need to fight", then "what side will you be on?", followed by "let’s do it." I’m excited.
My apologies for the lack of Emailage last week. It was a struggle to even watch Lost, to be honest with you, so you know I was nearly dead. Hopefully this brings you up to speed and renews your excitement about the show.
PS - The DVDs of the first season are due out this September, complete with alternate scenes, additional scenes, and creator commentaries. Retail price of $39.99. A steal!
The Delta House has been cleaned, sterilized, and disinfected for all those who want to re-join the Wednesday tradition of Lost watching! Come one, come all! Watch in horror as Brian and Brian dissect TV much farther than anyone ever intended. Stare in amazement as two TVs sit side by side in the same room! See a life sized cutout of the President, George W. Bush. Fun for the whole family!
Okay, there’s my pitch. I know how this goes. I’ll see Annette, KB, Sully, and maybe Tom or J Cal here. That’s okay - I didn’t want you to come over anyways...
Character Involved: Sawyer (Part II - he’s dreamy!)
TV Guide Description: Kate and Sawyer divulge dark secrets to each other while tracking a renegade boar that Sawyer swears is purposely harassing him. Meanwhile, Hurley and Sayid worry that Charlie is losing it after his brush with death, and a shocking, prior connection between Sawyer and Jack is revealed.
Brian's Deeper Meaning Guess: "Outlaws" must refer to Sawyer and Kate, as they are the two "criminals" on the island. Both were outlaws in their past lives, and Sawyer is also the outlaw on the island, hoarding everything he can get his hands on while on the island, effectively ostracizing himself from everyone. It just seems like too simple of an answer for my liking. But I got nothing else.
TV Guide Description Breakdown: It sounds like Kate and Sawyer are going to tell each other their criminal secrets, which will bring the two closer together. They’ve been hinting at the relationship for some time, so it’s about time. Here’s hoping Kate ends up scantily clad for some reason… any reason. Also, on the commercials there’s a clip of Sawyer saying "It’s payback time" and pointing a gun at someone (or something) - smart money is that he’s pointing it at the wild boar that is harassing him. Deep down, Sawyer’s a good guy. There’s no way he’s pointing that gun at Jack or even Sayid.
The shocking, prior connection between Jack and Sawyer? Remember a few episodes ago, during Boone’s flashback when he was in the police station and Sawyer was being dragged away in the background, yelling "I didn’t kill him"? I think that Sawyer is somehow involved in the death of Jack’s father. Not that Sawyer killed him, but that he was there when Jack’s dad died. Maybe Sawyer grifted him? Something to cause more tension between Jack and Sawyer besides their mutual love for Kate? Sounds like a good plotline to me.
Last Week’s Episode Discussion Points:
Last week’s backstory did NOTHING for me. I can sum it up in two points:
1. Charlie was selling copier model C815. 815 being the flight number, the safety deposit box number, the number that’s been associated with EVERYTHING on the show so far. Creepy.
2. It provided a reason why Charlie would shoot Ethan at the end. "You’ll never be able to protect anybody". This was his way of doing that for Claire.
The main problem with the backstory is that the "big reveal" didn’t mean much to us. Also, I didn’t really care to see Charlie fighting his drug habit / stealing since we know that now he has kicked the habit and is a pretty good guy. It’s like the story was almost out of date. Plus, I was really really really hoping we were going to get a flashback of when he was kidnapped by Ethan. Arg!
ETHAN. Great, now he’s dead before we get any answers. Here’s what’s weird - Ethan totally kicked Jack’s a** the first fight, but was totally dominated this time. It was also raining both times they fought. There’s something very surreal about both fights. Also, how do you figure that Claire escaped Ethan? He is obviously stronger than her, and you would think "the Others" would have a close watch on her. The scratches on his face last episode could have come from her, or perhaps he had an encounter with an island beast (polar bear or wild boar) that caused the scratches and gave her a chance to escape. Unfortunately, killing Ethan makes a lot of sense storyline wise, as having him around forces way too many of the island mysteries to be revealed. This way, they still don’t know who or what "the Others" are, or why they wanted Claire so badly.
CLAIRE. Speaking of good plot devices, having Claire lose her memory is a great one. This way, she can slowly remember things about the island and her kidnapping as it becomes convenient for the plot / in critical times. Shouldn’t she be having this baby by now? They’ve been on the island for over a month, and she was at least eight months pregnant when she got on the flight. That baby will be born before the season is up, I guarantee it!
LOCKE. There was something very weird about the scene where Locke got the gun in this episode. For one, there is no reason that Locke should have known how to use a gun. He worked in an office building. Did this talent somehow come to him when he met the monster that gave him his "outdoorsman skills"? He pauses before he grabs the gun, and once he grabs it, he cocks it and smiles. If you remember back to the Walt episode, Locke was talking about visioning things "in your minds eye" when teaching Walt to throw knives. Walt visualizes throwing the knife accurately, and he can do it. What if Locke is also picking up this power? He saw the gun, visualized himself knowing how to use it, and then grabbed it. There just has to be something more to this guy. The "minds eye" theme also works with the number of times his eyes have been black and white / the scratch over his eye that is now disappearing / seeing the future in the Boone episode by preparing the cream for his head. There’s some symbolism here, people!
(Is he working with Ethan? I don’t think so, but his strategy for catching Ethan was somewhat suspicious. Jack wanted to pull everyone in to the caves, but Locke wanted to keep people spread out on the beach and the caves, and Ethan seemingly killed Scott / Steve from the water… Probably nothing, but it stuck out…)
KATE. Where has she been the past few episodes? She’s really taken a back seat. And we still don’t know about the plane. I doubt this week will answer any more questions about it, but I’m hoping something comes out of her conversations with Sawyer.
CHARLIE. Why did Ethan approach him to bring Claire back? Why didn’t he just go get Claire by himself? Obviously Charlie would do anything for Claire, but that doesn’t seem to make much sense. Also, is Charlie’s memory really gone from his encounter with Ethan that he is unable to help anyone with an explanation? Maybe he and Claire will have some conversations about the experience. I just can’t figure out if something caused him to lose his memory, if something erased his memory, of if he is blocking out the bad memories.
THE METAL HATCH. I love how there are huge storylines on this show that go untouched for weeks at a time. First Claire disappearing and now this. More on this in the upcoming episode listing below. But it’s allegedly "the key to the whole thrust of the story of the island."
VINCENT. Yes, the dog. There is something up with this dog. I almost think maybe the dog has the powers, not Walt. The dog was there when the bird flew into the window in Walt’s flashback. Whenever the dog disappears, the monster appears. The dog was way creepy watching people from the forest in the first few episodes. And what keeps causing him to run away and come back and opportune times? I read a rumor that an upcoming episode might be a Vincent flashback, which would be fantastic. Okay, maybe I’m just going crazy at this point…
DEATH. Okay, the producers of the show have said "It would be crazy to think that all 14 main characters get through the first season without dying." So at least one of them is going to die before the year is up. But who? Would they have the chutzpah to kill of a Jack or Kate? (They better not kill of Kate). I could see Sawyer having a heroic death to redeem himself a bit, or Claire dying giving birth to a baby, or Shannon dying to create tension between Sayid and Boone. The only character I see as safe is Locke, just because he seems to be the one who is going to pull everything going on on the island together at some point.
CFL. She’s due to be back any episode now. Now that Ethan is killed off, she’s the only "outsider’ on the island who can give them information. Also, it’s quite possible that she was the one who attacked Ethan to free Claire, perhaps feeling some connection to Claire after she lost her baby. Do you think she was abducted and had her baby stolen as well? It’s a possibility…
COMING ATTRACTIONS. We’ve almost got episode titles for every episode left for the season! Here’s what’s on tap:
17 - "… in Translation" - Jin’s Flashback - I think we find out that Jin either speaks English, or that he finds out that Sun speaks English and beats her. But that doesn’t make good TV, so I’ll go with the former. Plus, remember when Hurley was talking to him, and he seemed to smile when Hurley said "Dude, your wife is hot."?
18 - "Numbers" - Hurley’s Flashback - Allegedly, Hurley achieves "the number one dream of most Americans, but it ends badly". It’s got to be that he wins the lottery, but the money doesn’t bring happiness. Makes sense with the "Numbers" title. Other things I’ve heard about this episode - "What happened to Hurley in his life before the island is DIRECTLY tied to everyone on the island and the mysterious hatch on the island." As well as "there will be a string of numbers shown in this episode that are very significant." Let me guess… 815?
19 - "Deus ex Machina" - Locke’s Flashback II - okay, literary nerds out there, you know what the title means. "God from Machine". A term used to describe when something swoops in and saves characters who are otherwise doomed in a story. Somewhat of a cop-out if you ask me, like the whole "It was all a dream" ending used at the end of Super Mario Bros. II or "Who Shot JR?" on Dallas. I can’t think of how that would tie to the show, since there is no resolution coming midway through the season. Maybe it needs to be taken more literally - they find some machine that serves a god-like purpose? Is it referring to how Locke got a "second life" on the island by being able to walk / be a skilled hunter and leader?
20 - "Do No Harm" - Jack Episode III - Three? Greedy! The "Do No Harm" reference has to be related to the whole "Doctor" thing, and perhaps Jack does some bad stuff on the island, like killing someone? That would be intriguing…
21 - "Sides" - Sayid Episode II - Sides? As in choosing sides? As in good vs. evil? The theme I’ve been hinting at all year? I think so! The best part is, after this episode, there are still THREE MORE LEFT...
(Word on the street is that the season finale will be a flashback to before the flight takes off on its fateful voyage.)
WHERE ARE WE GOING? So what’s the "State of the Union" on Lost at this point? Well, I still think we’re heading to a good vs. evil showdown on the island. Locke will be their leader, and he’s recruiting people to his side / way of thinking. I think we’ll also find out that all the people were specifically chosen to be on that flight, and to end up on that island. How? Not sure yet. But nothing on this show is coincidence. There’s a master plan at play here. I think the Hurley story is going to be huge, and the hatch will reveal some big secrets about the island. I think the Locke episode will also shift us into the denouement of the season, with the survivors going through the rationale of "we need to fight", then "what side will you be on?", followed by "let’s do it." I’m excited.
My apologies for the lack of Emailage last week. It was a struggle to even watch Lost, to be honest with you, so you know I was nearly dead. Hopefully this brings you up to speed and renews your excitement about the show.
PS - The DVDs of the first season are due out this September, complete with alternate scenes, additional scenes, and creator commentaries. Retail price of $39.99. A steal!
The Delta House has been cleaned, sterilized, and disinfected for all those who want to re-join the Wednesday tradition of Lost watching! Come one, come all! Watch in horror as Brian and Brian dissect TV much farther than anyone ever intended. Stare in amazement as two TVs sit side by side in the same room! See a life sized cutout of the President, George W. Bush. Fun for the whole family!
Okay, there’s my pitch. I know how this goes. I’ll see Annette, KB, Sully, and maybe Tom or J Cal here. That’s okay - I didn’t want you to come over anyways...
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
Worst Lost Email Ever
(Ah yes, I was super sick during the writing of this episode - I almost slept through this week's episode of Lost, in fact.)
Lost Episode Title: "Homecoming"
Character Involved: Charlie
TV Guide Description: After the missing Claire returns with no recollection of what has happened since before the doomed flight of Oceanic 815, Jack and Locke formulate a plan of defense against her kidnapper, the mysterious Ethan, who threatens to kill off the other survivors unless Claire is returned to him.
Guys, unfortunately, I’m very sick right now so I can’t do a full official "Lost" Email because when I’m not in my bed I feel like I’m going to pass out. Hopefully this just serves as a reminder of the new episode tonight. I’ll only mention one point:
1. Who dies this episode?
Best bet? Ethan.
Other potential choices: Michael and Jin
It’s up to you guys to send around any discussions. I’ll have to make next week’s Email extra long. My apologies this week.
Lost Episode Title: "Homecoming"
Character Involved: Charlie
TV Guide Description: After the missing Claire returns with no recollection of what has happened since before the doomed flight of Oceanic 815, Jack and Locke formulate a plan of defense against her kidnapper, the mysterious Ethan, who threatens to kill off the other survivors unless Claire is returned to him.
Guys, unfortunately, I’m very sick right now so I can’t do a full official "Lost" Email because when I’m not in my bed I feel like I’m going to pass out. Hopefully this just serves as a reminder of the new episode tonight. I’ll only mention one point:
1. Who dies this episode?
Best bet? Ethan.
Other potential choices: Michael and Jin
It’s up to you guys to send around any discussions. I’ll have to make next week’s Email extra long. My apologies this week.
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
A Very Special Lost
Lost Episode Title: "Special"
Character Involved: Michael and Walt (the father and son)
TV Guide Description: Violence ensues and a mysterious island beast makes a re-appearance when Michael and Locke clash over Walt's upbringing. Meanwhile, Charlie is tempted to read the missing Claire's diary, and Sayid enlists Shannon to help decipher the French woman's map.
Brian's Deeper Meaning Guess: I’ve been all over this one for a while. Remember in the first episode, when Walt looked at the Spanish comic book with a picture of an angry polar bear, and minutes later people were being attacked by a polar bear? Coincidence? Remember in the third episode, when Walt wanted Michael to look for his dog Vincent but it was raining and Michael said "I’ll look when it stops raining"? It immediately stopped raining. Coincidence? Remember when Walt needed very particular rolls of the dice against Hurley when playing backgammon and kept getting them every time? Coincidence? I THINK NOT! There is something seriously up with this kid. He is "special". He has "magic powers." Did he have them before they crashed on the island? Maybe. Is the island somehow causing them? Maybe. The previews say "From start to finish, this episode answers more questions than any other episode ever has". Could so many of the island’s mysteries be tied to Walt?
TV Guide Description Breakdown: The mysterious island beast makes his reappearance this week, meaning last week the monster was 100% inside Boone’s head. Is the monster somehow tied to Walt? If you think about it, the monster has only "appeared" twice times where people saw more than the trees moving. The pilot in the first episode. Dead. Locke in the fourth episode. Drastically changed. Everyone else simply hears the mechanical sound and sees trees moving.
Could the monster somehow be connected to "violence" occurring on the island? In the first episode, there was the violence of the plane crashing into the island and the forest. In Locke’s episode, he was attempting to kill the boars, an animal of the island. The monster as a defense mechanism on the island? This could explain why the description says the monster reappears when "violence" occurs between Locke and Michael.
The clash between Michael and Locke has been brewing since episode one. Locke taught Walt backgammon in the first episode - "a game of light and dark". Walt showed interest in wanting to hunt with Locke in later episodes, and looks up to him. Michael somewhat abandoned Walt for his own self interests when he would rather golf than hang out with Walt. There’s a definite rift there.
Why is Locke so interested in Walt? If you think about it, Locke has been working to better everyone on the island so far. Helping Jack get over his father’s death, helping Charlie kick his drug habit, helping Boone un-obsess about Shannon. Could Michael be a negative influence on Walt, that Locke is trying to free him of? Why was Ethan so concerned about kidnapping pregnant Claire? Is there something about babies / kids on the island that give them some magic power? Has Locke figured this out, and wanting to combat the "evil" Claire baby, is recruiting the "good" Walt to his side?
Charlie is still obviously obsessing about Claire - and it’s about time someone did! Since her disappearance three episodes ago, she hasn’t hardly been mentioned. However, I expect that to change next week, where the episode is about Charlie again (and smart money is on his flashback being of what happened when Ethan abducted him and Claire), and the episode is titled "Homecoming." Is Claire coming home? Will she be with or without child? Wait, this is a topic for next week’s Email - I digress…
The last point is about Sayid enlisting Shannon’s help to read CFL’s maps (not to be confused with CCL). But… didn’t this happen last week… and the week before? Maybe this means they actually venture out to follow the maps this week.
Last Week’s Episode Discussion Points:
Last week’s episode was fantastic. It touched upon many characters, hinted at a LOT of different things. I would probably rank it my third favorite, behind the Locke episode and the Charlie episode. Let’s get at it:
LOCKE. Good? Evil? I’m thinking good now. I think Locke is preparing all of them for a battle (the survivors of the plane crash vs. the "Others" on the island OR maybe the cave people vs. the beach people). He's now prepared Jack, Charlie, Boone, and now looks to be working on Walt by making them "let go" of their inner demons / troubles. Does he know that some big battles is coming, and he’s shoring up his side?
Also, can Locke see the future? He was preparing the ointment he put on Boone’s head long before Boone mentioned anything about telling Shannon… and at the end, he said to Boone "Is that what IT made you see?" referring to the monster? This makes the monster seem more physical than something imaginary. Does Locke know that the monster makes you see things? What did the monster show him? The "inner beauty of the island" or whatever he said?
KATE. Where was the plane this week? She seemed totally happy and upbeat compared to last week’s episode, which was weird.
BOONE. What caused the hallucination? The monster? Did Locke know that if someone is left alone in the forest, the island will make them see things? The weird thing is that Shannon’s body was torn up very similar to the pilot’s, and Boone never saw the pilot’s body - only Kate and Jack did. So either it’s a big coincidence that in Boone’s mind, the monster would attack in the same way as in Jack and Kate’s minds, or the monster is actually causing these visions of death. Did the pilot from the first episode really die? Or exist at all?
THE METAL HATCH. I thought the Michelangelo speech Locke gave was very interesting. What is inside the metal hatch? There’s no outside handle, so it can only be opened from the inside. This must mean there is an entrance somewhere else on the island. I think it must be some entrance to a research facility type place. The other option is that it’s some sort of fallout shelter, if the island was used for nuclear experimentation.
THE COMPASS. When Locke gave Sayid the compass, he said "I don’t need it anymore." Sayid and Jack determined that the compass does not point north. Did Locke tamper with the compass to keep Sayid from following the maps and finding something? Or was Locke unaware the compass didn’t work, and simply meant "I know the island well enough to not need this anymore"?
Yikes - I think I’m in trouble, because looking at this Email, almost every sentence is ending with a question mark. I have so many questions! Hopefully, tonight will answer some of them, as promised in the previews. Here’s the other exciting news. Apparently, ABC is working to get the show’s producers to make 24 episodes, rather than the typical 22 episodes most shows have each year. YES! The bad news is that after tonight, there are no new episodes until February 9th.
Also, here are the upcoming episodes, their titles, and the characters involved, just to whet your appetite:
"Homecoming" - Charley’s Second Flashback (will we see what happened when he and Claire were abducted?)
"Outlaws" - Sawyer’s Second Flashback (will we see what caused him to be in the same prison as Boone in last week’s episode?)
"… in Translation" - Jin’s Flashback (how clever is that episode title? Think about it for a second…)
"Numbers" - Hurley’s Flashback (the last flashback of the regular characters - this one has to be huge)
After that, there’s at least 4 more episodes (and I’m hoping 6!), one of which is Locke’s second flashback - so you know that has to be good.
Okay, the Delta House is open for business tonight for Lost / Alias / Meeting point for going to Burning Desires after Lost, if you’re still young and fun.
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Lost (and Gone Forever)
(Fun Fact: My most clever Email title ever.. and the closest to my heart. It will become the title of this website. Guster is for Lovers!)
Lost Episode Title: "Hearts and Minds"
Character Involved: Shannon and Boone (the brother and sister)
TV Guide Description: When Locke learns that Boone wants to tell their "secret" to Shannon, Shannon's life is placed in sudden peril, and the shocking truth about her past with Boone is revealed. Meanwhile, Kate is puzzled by Sun's mysterious behavior, and a hungry Hurley must repay a debt to Jin.
Brian's Deeper Meaning Guess: Not too sure about this one. Since it involves both Boone and Shannon, perhaps one is the heart and one is the mind of the relationship (I would go with Shannon as the heart, since Boone seems pretty logical most of the time). However, it could be something altogether different, a more of a "head vs. heart" meaning. Should I do this? I want to, even though my head says this is a bad choice. Here’s the other thing. Word on the street is that this is a pretty racy episode. Lost won an award a few weeks back for being a "Family Friendly" TV program.
When they won, they somewhat laughed at the honor, saying "Wait until you see this episode and then you’ll take it away from us." The two things I think of here is that there is some sort of incestuous relationship between the two, or that they murdered their parents for their money.
TV Guide Description Breakdown: Shocking truth about Shannon’s past? I’m even more intrigued now. The previews showed Locke smacking Boone in the back of the head with a knife, but why would he do that? What does he have to gain by keeping the underground metal structure secret? Unless he is somehow in cahoots with whoever or whatever the metal thing belongs to, it makes no sense. I was so sure that Locke was a good guy last week, but now I wonder again. It’s amazing how many paradigm shifts his character has had thus far on the show! Why would Shannon knowing about the metal lair put her in danger? It also looks like she is getting carried away in the previews. By what? The monster? The ropes that were around her? The ropes were also around Boone in the preview. Does this mean that Locke tied them both up when they were getting too close to finding out some secret on the island? Or is evil Ethan (and the Others) back?
Is Shannon a goner? This would play very easily into the "The island is purgatory" theory, where a character is "removed" from the island when their secrets are revealed to others. It sounds like we’re going to find out Shannon’s deep dark secret, so she could be killed this episode.
Sun’s mysterious behavior might be caused by the fact that she heard Jack and Kate’s conversation last week. If she heard that Kate was a criminal, it might cause Sun to act differently around her.
I have no idea about what Hurley will have to do in order to repay a debt to Jin. Sun and Jin have been pretty absent on the show lately, so it’s interesting that they’re being mentioned twice in this week’s description. From the looks of upcoming episodes, Hurley will be the last one to have his backstory revealed, so you know it has to be BIG. Watch him very closely…
Last Week’s Episode Discussion Points:
THE PLANE. This small toy has been torturing me and consuming my thoughts since last week. I now have a small toy plane sitting on the top of my computer at work. Seriously. The problem is that I still have NO IDEA what the meaning behind it is. Let’s just hit the facts first:
1. The plane belonged to someone Kate loved.
2. The plane belonged to someone Kate killed.
3. Kate had the key to the safe deposit box, but not the signature card.
4. Kate setup an elaborate bank heist as a front to get this box.
And then here are my thoughts:
1. She knew about the box, but did she know she was going through all this to get a toy plane? If she did all that for sentimental value, I’d be surprised. Especially because if it was just sentimental value, why couldn’t she tell Jack and / or Sawyer what it was? She was trying to be VERY secretive about getting this little toy plane...
2. Who did the safe deposit box belong to? "Someone she loved" and "Someone she killed". Her husband? Her lover? Her father? Her brother? Her son? Due to the nature of how safe deposit boxes work, I think we can rule out her husband (if she is even married?) and her son (if she even had a son?) because Kate would surely be on the signature card in either of these cases. Did she kill to get the key to the box? Or did she accidentally kill someone and then came across the key?
3. The weird thing is that the whole bank heist happened in America, so this is before the whole "I’m an outlaw in Australia" story that we saw in week three. So this pretty much rules out anything about the plane giving her a message (like, "You need to be on this plane", "Avoid this plane", etc.) because the only reason she ended up on Flight 815 is that she got caught by the Bounty Hunter and put on that plane.
4. The big thing is that there has to be some importance to the plane. My best guess is below…
KATE. So, is she really a bad guy? She was reluctant to kill anyone in the bank robbery, shooting people in the legs and not allowing the bank president to be killed. Was this the first crime she committed? She must have at least done SOMETHING else either before or afterwards in order to have a bounty on her head, that would be posted in multiple countries around the world (i.e. - Australia) and be worth having a bounty hunter come after her. Did she lead a life of crime until coming upon the toy plane? Or did the toy plane lead her to a life of crime?
BEST GUESS. I’m leaning towards getting that plane to being a turning point in her life. It made her see the error of her ways, which caused her to run and try and start over with a simple life in Australia. I’m still not 100% clear on it, but this is my best guess. The only problem being who the box belonged to? Someone she loved - but then why did she kill them? Was she that driven by money, thinking that someone with a safe deposit box would be rich? The plane would then serve as a simple reminder that money is not everything in life… and also serve as an ironic twist to her current situation.
THE SONG. The song that was all over CFL’s maps, the one that Shannon finally recognized is "La Mer", written and recorded at the close of World War II by French music idol Charles Trenet. Most Americans know "Beyond the Sea" as Bobby Darin’s 1960 hit. This is the song which plays during the closing credits of Finding Nemo (the animated fish movie she refers to). So what’s the deeper meaning behind the song? Is it being used as some sort of map? What is it leading them to? Is it just CFL being crazy and writing something that is familiar to her to prevent her from getting crazier? Here’s the info on the song:
"La Mer" is generally performed with all the solemnity of a national anthem.
The song describes the fluctuating moods of the ocean, finding in the depths of the waters "the sea shepherdess of infinite azure," "pure angels," and "white sheep." It’s a kind of a mood poem about the different moods of the sea, and how the sea affected him-the tides reflecting the skies, sometimes the clouds-and how the sea could be happy or sad. The American version was made into a love song. There’s somebody standing on the shore waiting for their lover to come back, never to sail again, so they can be together.
The sea
which one sees dancing along the clear gulfs
to sparkles of silver.
The sea
Of changing sparkles
Under the rain.
The sea
Confuses the summer sky's sheep
With angels so pure.The sea
Shepherdess of blue infinity.
Look!
Next to the ponds
Those tall wet reeds.
Look!
Those white birds
And those rusty houses [cabins of boats?]
The Sea
Has rocked them [like a baby]
Along the clear gulfs.
The Sea
Has rocked my heart for life.
There are lyrics in there that could suggest the whole "they are all dead" theme - "angels", "blue infinity", but I think the more relevant lyrics will be the ones concerning "Look next to the ponds, those tall wet reeds", which could be a reference to the pond that Sawyer and Kate swam in where they found the briefcase. What if the song lyrics, coupled with the mathematical equation on the papers, makes a map of sorts? Start at the pond, go this far in this direction, "rusty houses" = the metal thing Boone and Locke found???
NUMBERS. The flight number of the plane they were all on was 815. The safe deposit box that Kate got the plane out of was 815. That’s weird. There were also some numbers written on the one wing of the plane (5205, I believe) - a flight number?
ROSE. She seems so confident that her husband is alive. There could easily be another "tribe" somewhere else on the island. But here’s another theory - what if she knows that she is dead, but her husband is alive? Maybe all the "survivors" on the island are really the ones who died, and everyone else is alive. It would be very Nicole Kidman in "The Others", but it would be interesting. There’s more to Rose than we are led to believe. They’ve had her specifically say "My husband is alive" too many times for nothing to come from it.
After last week’s somewhat slow, but very puzzling episode, I expect this week to be a great episode. Of course, stay tuned for Alias afterwards. Last week, Lost received it’s highest ratings ever, and so did Alias. Good work, people. Let’s keep shows like this on the air instead of reality TV.
On a personal note, I’ll be unable to attend the traditional Wednesday night gathering at the Delta House tonight. Unfortunately, I’ll be in Wyomissing, PA for work. If my flight there is 815, I’m not getting on…
PS - did anyone understand the title of the Email?
Lost Episode Title: "Hearts and Minds"
Character Involved: Shannon and Boone (the brother and sister)
TV Guide Description: When Locke learns that Boone wants to tell their "secret" to Shannon, Shannon's life is placed in sudden peril, and the shocking truth about her past with Boone is revealed. Meanwhile, Kate is puzzled by Sun's mysterious behavior, and a hungry Hurley must repay a debt to Jin.
Brian's Deeper Meaning Guess: Not too sure about this one. Since it involves both Boone and Shannon, perhaps one is the heart and one is the mind of the relationship (I would go with Shannon as the heart, since Boone seems pretty logical most of the time). However, it could be something altogether different, a more of a "head vs. heart" meaning. Should I do this? I want to, even though my head says this is a bad choice. Here’s the other thing. Word on the street is that this is a pretty racy episode. Lost won an award a few weeks back for being a "Family Friendly" TV program.
When they won, they somewhat laughed at the honor, saying "Wait until you see this episode and then you’ll take it away from us." The two things I think of here is that there is some sort of incestuous relationship between the two, or that they murdered their parents for their money.
TV Guide Description Breakdown: Shocking truth about Shannon’s past? I’m even more intrigued now. The previews showed Locke smacking Boone in the back of the head with a knife, but why would he do that? What does he have to gain by keeping the underground metal structure secret? Unless he is somehow in cahoots with whoever or whatever the metal thing belongs to, it makes no sense. I was so sure that Locke was a good guy last week, but now I wonder again. It’s amazing how many paradigm shifts his character has had thus far on the show! Why would Shannon knowing about the metal lair put her in danger? It also looks like she is getting carried away in the previews. By what? The monster? The ropes that were around her? The ropes were also around Boone in the preview. Does this mean that Locke tied them both up when they were getting too close to finding out some secret on the island? Or is evil Ethan (and the Others) back?
Is Shannon a goner? This would play very easily into the "The island is purgatory" theory, where a character is "removed" from the island when their secrets are revealed to others. It sounds like we’re going to find out Shannon’s deep dark secret, so she could be killed this episode.
Sun’s mysterious behavior might be caused by the fact that she heard Jack and Kate’s conversation last week. If she heard that Kate was a criminal, it might cause Sun to act differently around her.
I have no idea about what Hurley will have to do in order to repay a debt to Jin. Sun and Jin have been pretty absent on the show lately, so it’s interesting that they’re being mentioned twice in this week’s description. From the looks of upcoming episodes, Hurley will be the last one to have his backstory revealed, so you know it has to be BIG. Watch him very closely…
Last Week’s Episode Discussion Points:
THE PLANE. This small toy has been torturing me and consuming my thoughts since last week. I now have a small toy plane sitting on the top of my computer at work. Seriously. The problem is that I still have NO IDEA what the meaning behind it is. Let’s just hit the facts first:
1. The plane belonged to someone Kate loved.
2. The plane belonged to someone Kate killed.
3. Kate had the key to the safe deposit box, but not the signature card.
4. Kate setup an elaborate bank heist as a front to get this box.
And then here are my thoughts:
1. She knew about the box, but did she know she was going through all this to get a toy plane? If she did all that for sentimental value, I’d be surprised. Especially because if it was just sentimental value, why couldn’t she tell Jack and / or Sawyer what it was? She was trying to be VERY secretive about getting this little toy plane...
2. Who did the safe deposit box belong to? "Someone she loved" and "Someone she killed". Her husband? Her lover? Her father? Her brother? Her son? Due to the nature of how safe deposit boxes work, I think we can rule out her husband (if she is even married?) and her son (if she even had a son?) because Kate would surely be on the signature card in either of these cases. Did she kill to get the key to the box? Or did she accidentally kill someone and then came across the key?
3. The weird thing is that the whole bank heist happened in America, so this is before the whole "I’m an outlaw in Australia" story that we saw in week three. So this pretty much rules out anything about the plane giving her a message (like, "You need to be on this plane", "Avoid this plane", etc.) because the only reason she ended up on Flight 815 is that she got caught by the Bounty Hunter and put on that plane.
4. The big thing is that there has to be some importance to the plane. My best guess is below…
KATE. So, is she really a bad guy? She was reluctant to kill anyone in the bank robbery, shooting people in the legs and not allowing the bank president to be killed. Was this the first crime she committed? She must have at least done SOMETHING else either before or afterwards in order to have a bounty on her head, that would be posted in multiple countries around the world (i.e. - Australia) and be worth having a bounty hunter come after her. Did she lead a life of crime until coming upon the toy plane? Or did the toy plane lead her to a life of crime?
BEST GUESS. I’m leaning towards getting that plane to being a turning point in her life. It made her see the error of her ways, which caused her to run and try and start over with a simple life in Australia. I’m still not 100% clear on it, but this is my best guess. The only problem being who the box belonged to? Someone she loved - but then why did she kill them? Was she that driven by money, thinking that someone with a safe deposit box would be rich? The plane would then serve as a simple reminder that money is not everything in life… and also serve as an ironic twist to her current situation.
THE SONG. The song that was all over CFL’s maps, the one that Shannon finally recognized is "La Mer", written and recorded at the close of World War II by French music idol Charles Trenet. Most Americans know "Beyond the Sea" as Bobby Darin’s 1960 hit. This is the song which plays during the closing credits of Finding Nemo (the animated fish movie she refers to). So what’s the deeper meaning behind the song? Is it being used as some sort of map? What is it leading them to? Is it just CFL being crazy and writing something that is familiar to her to prevent her from getting crazier? Here’s the info on the song:
"La Mer" is generally performed with all the solemnity of a national anthem.
The song describes the fluctuating moods of the ocean, finding in the depths of the waters "the sea shepherdess of infinite azure," "pure angels," and "white sheep." It’s a kind of a mood poem about the different moods of the sea, and how the sea affected him-the tides reflecting the skies, sometimes the clouds-and how the sea could be happy or sad. The American version was made into a love song. There’s somebody standing on the shore waiting for their lover to come back, never to sail again, so they can be together.
The sea
which one sees dancing along the clear gulfs
to sparkles of silver.
The sea
Of changing sparkles
Under the rain.
The sea
Confuses the summer sky's sheep
With angels so pure.The sea
Shepherdess of blue infinity.
Look!
Next to the ponds
Those tall wet reeds.
Look!
Those white birds
And those rusty houses [cabins of boats?]
The Sea
Has rocked them [like a baby]
Along the clear gulfs.
The Sea
Has rocked my heart for life.
There are lyrics in there that could suggest the whole "they are all dead" theme - "angels", "blue infinity", but I think the more relevant lyrics will be the ones concerning "Look next to the ponds, those tall wet reeds", which could be a reference to the pond that Sawyer and Kate swam in where they found the briefcase. What if the song lyrics, coupled with the mathematical equation on the papers, makes a map of sorts? Start at the pond, go this far in this direction, "rusty houses" = the metal thing Boone and Locke found???
NUMBERS. The flight number of the plane they were all on was 815. The safe deposit box that Kate got the plane out of was 815. That’s weird. There were also some numbers written on the one wing of the plane (5205, I believe) - a flight number?
ROSE. She seems so confident that her husband is alive. There could easily be another "tribe" somewhere else on the island. But here’s another theory - what if she knows that she is dead, but her husband is alive? Maybe all the "survivors" on the island are really the ones who died, and everyone else is alive. It would be very Nicole Kidman in "The Others", but it would be interesting. There’s more to Rose than we are led to believe. They’ve had her specifically say "My husband is alive" too many times for nothing to come from it.
After last week’s somewhat slow, but very puzzling episode, I expect this week to be a great episode. Of course, stay tuned for Alias afterwards. Last week, Lost received it’s highest ratings ever, and so did Alias. Good work, people. Let’s keep shows like this on the air instead of reality TV.
On a personal note, I’ll be unable to attend the traditional Wednesday night gathering at the Delta House tonight. Unfortunately, I’ll be in Wyomissing, PA for work. If my flight there is 815, I’m not getting on…
PS - did anyone understand the title of the Email?
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
L O S T / A L I A S
This is going to be another big one, mostly because this is the biggest Wednesday so far in 2005 (also, it's the first Wednesday of 2005, but whatever). After three grueling weeks without, we finally get a new Lost. To make the deal even sweeter, it's followed by a two hour season-premiere of Alias (more on that later for the newbies and skeptics out there). Needless to say, there's a lot to be excited about. Let's get down to business.
Lost Episode Title: "Whatever the Case May Be"
Character Involved: Kate (Part II - Yes!)
TV Guide Description: Jack, Kate and Sawyer fight over possession of a newly discovered locked metal briefcase which might contain insights into Kate's mysterious past. Meanwhile, Sayid asks a reluctant Shannon to translate notes he took from the French woman, a rising tide threatens to engulf the fuselage and the entire beach encampment, and Rose and a grieving Charlie tentatively bond over Claire's baffling disappearance.
Brian's Deeper Meaning Guess: This one is pretty easy, I think. It's really three-fold:
1. Whatever the case may be, referring to the newly discovered locked metal briefcase in question.
2. Whatever the case may be, referring to Kate's crime and the "case" involved with her being wanted by the law / bounty hunters.
3. Whatever the case may be, referring to Jack not caring what the "case" or "crime" that Kate committed, because he hearts her anyways!
I'm wondering where this briefcase comes from - this can't be the metal thing that Locke and Boone discovered last week because that seemed to be huge and buried pretty good underneath rocks and mud and stuff. Also, from the looks of the previews, I was sure this would be a Boone and Shannon episode, since they seem to focus a lot on the two of them. I guess it will likely be similar to how the last new episode was Jack Part II even though the storyline really focused more on Charlie and Claire. Which brings us to our discussion items:
1. Okay, let's check out the TV Guide description first.
a. Jack, Kate, and Sawyer fight over the briefcase. Okay, so perhaps this is something that Sawyer has been hoarding for a while and Kate just now sees and makes the connection to? (I would think that if this was the case, it would be pretty easy for Kate to get it away from Sawyer with her womanly ways) Was this something that the bounty hunter was carrying on the plane?
b. Sayid asks Shannon to translate the French woman's notes. So Sayid is at least confiding in Shannon about his encounter with CFL (Crazy French Lady). Perhaps this is what puts Shannon into danger, which is what looks like it happens on the previews.
c. A rising tide threatens to engulf the fuselage and entire beach encampment. This would be a great way to get all the characters back in one camp (the caves) to create new group dynamics / tensions (and force Jack and Kate to hook up!) But since they've already been on the island for a few weeks and this is the first time the tide has risen so high, does this make any sense? Tides rise and fall on a daily basis. Is the island sinking? Or is this more "magic" like how it will stop and start raining instantaneously? (Note: I actually read that they wanted to get rid of the plane debris on the beach to make filming easier - this way they can use any part of the beach and not have to worry about setting up a two story fuselage to film.)
d. Rose and Charlie bond over Claire's disappearance. So Rose is still on that island! It's been a while since we've seen her last. I wonder if this means that Charlie is out of his daze from last week - if so, how much will he be talking? The obvious connection here is that Rose thinks her husband is on the island and missing, much like Charlie thinks Claire is still alive on the island and missing. We always assumed that Rose was nuts, but what if she's not - and her husband is discovered with Claire?
2. Now back to the last new episode, which was fantastic!
a. In theory, the abduction of Charlie and Claire could have been carried out by Ethan alone, but I doubt it. Unless there was someway that he "held Claire hostage", he would have had to overpower Charlie to get him to come with him. Plus, did you see how Charlie was strung up in the tree? There is NO WAY one man could do that. That's the work of a lot of guys (with ladders or something?) So are these the people encountered on the way back from Black Rock, as CFL put it? Do you think there's a whole clan of them? Where did they come from?
b. What kind of super power does Ethan Rom have? He seemed almost supernatural in fighting Jack last time (moving way too fast, being a bit too strong). How did Kate not see him or hear him? It makes me wonder about Kate. She didn't hear the screaming either when they were chasing after them in the woods. It's weird.
c. So, let's say that Ethan is part of some "cult" on the island, why do they want Claire's baby so badly? Is there some prophecy about a baby coming to the island? Is there a connection with the psychic that put Claire on the plane? Is all of this way off?
d. I'm more convinced than ever that Ethan is not Alex.
e. Did Ethan intend to kill Charlie? How long do you think he was hanging there? You can only hang for like two or three minutes before the lack of oxygen makes you go brain dead - but most of the time, people who are hung die from their necks breaking. The thickness of the ropes around his neck prevented this from happening - was that intentional? They could have just used one rope...
3. Other thoughts:
a. How about the symbolism of Jack saving Charlie, after Charlie saved Jack during the cave in?
b. Did Locke know that he and Boone were approaching the metal tunnels of the cult? Remember how he kept telling Boone to back because it was late, but Boone refused? Maybe he was afraid they were getting too close? Also, once they found the metal underneath, Locke kept hitting it with his flashlight - that would be SUPER LOUD if you were inside the metal below, and could serve as a warning sign to hide... The thing is, up until this point, I was firmly back on the "Locke is a good guy" side - now I'm back to "I have no idea."
c. The scenes for this week show Jack yelling at people (I think he's going crazier and crazier as the season goes on), Kate and Sawyer running through the forest (probably one has the suitcase and the other is chasing them for it), and Shannon being carried away as Boone looks on - is this Shannon and Boone coming face to face with the monster? Is Shannon getting eaten? Since Locke was with Boone, is he going to be there to somehow communicate with the monster like he did when he first met it?
Okay, unfortunately, since it's been so long since the last episode, that's all I can think of. I'm somewhat ashamed...
The good news is, there's plenty more Email to go! We need to hook you on Alias, which will be immediately following Lost. Here we go...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alias Pitch:
Keen to jump into the fourth season premiere of "Alias" this coming Wednesday but worried that as a new viewer you won't understand what's going on? Don't panic. According to an interview with creator J.J. Abrams, the two-hour opener will be easy for newcomers to follow - "We're not going to have any reprise (of previous seasons). We're not going to have any explanation...In no way is this first episode imposing or convoluted".
The plan, at least for the earlier episodes of this coming fourth series, is that more than a few of the episodes will be self-contained. Like any show there's more rewards in it for the long-term viewer but the strategy is at least for the opening few weeks to make it easy for a new audience to jump into the show which hopes to benefit from its post-"Lost" timeslot. Don't expect the show to go all "CSI" reset each week style however, as the season goes on "Alias" will move back into the larger schemes (essentially it's like the show's first season all over again). "Hopefully, people will be so invested in the characters that they'll enjoy the ride" says Abrams.
Indeed, already a few reviewers of the first half of the premiere episode (which introduces Angela Bassett in a recurring role) have been raving it's better than ever, "the first ten minutes of the premiere are among the most exciting I've ever seen on TV" says TV columnist Kristin from E! Online.
Alias Summary:
Okay, so now that I've sold you on why you should be watching this show, here's a brief summary of the first three seasons of the show. Brace yourself:
SEASON ONE
For those unfamiliar with the show, it essentially plays out like a forty-five minute episode of James Bond, with plenty of high-tech gadgets, flamboyant action sequences, and rapid-fire dialogue.
Alias, if you don't know, features Jennifer Garner in the role of Sydney Bristow. Sydney is an agent for the CIA...or that's what she thought. Turns out Syd is working for SD-6, a secret, nefarious organization working against the interests of the United States and other law-abiding nations.
Sydney discovers the truth in the first episode after SD-6 kills her fiance. Determined to avenge his death and destroy SD-6, she approaches the CIA with the plan of being a double agent - continuing to work for SD-6, but all the while stealing intelligence and foiling their plans for the CIA. Vaughan (Michael Vartan), a young, handsome CIA agent, becomes Sydney's handler and she passes the SD-6 secrets on to him.
Her father, Jack (Victor Garber), is also working for SD-6, but Syd comes to find out that he is also a double agent for the CIA! To say Syd and Jack have a strained relationship is to grossly understate the situation. Syd, as she says in the intro to most episodes in Season 1, hardly knows her father. Her mother (supposedly) died in an accident when Sydney was very young, and her father has always been emotionally distant.
The premise of the show is that Jack and Syd, sometimes working together, are trying to destroy SD-6 from the inside. The main plot-line in Season 1 is that SD-6 wants to collect as many artifacts of Milo Rambaldi as possible. Rambaldi is a 15th century architect who may have been a prophet. As Vaughan would say, "think Leonardo Da Vinci crossed with Nostradamus". The hunt becomes a race with another group for these items, headed by the mysterious "The Man."
In the course of the season, Syd also discovers that her mother was a KGB agent and that she is very much alive. Her mother only married her father as part of a KGB plot, and then left him and Syd by faking her own death when her mission was over. The season ends with Syd finally coming face to face with "The Man". A tied up Syd watches the figure come into the room and utters "Mommy?"
SEASON TWO
The search for Rambaldi artifacts remained the central plot point in Season 2. However, the main event of the season occurred halfway through, in an episode that followed the Super Bowl, that changed the Alias world forever. After accessing security codes on an airborne server, the CIA raids all SD cells simultaneously. In a single hour, SD-6 was no more, Syd was no longer a double agent, and the show became focused on the "Spy Family" of Jack, Syd, and Irina. Irina (Syd's mom) has a ton of knowledge on the subject matter, so the CIA takes her into custody and uses her for information throughout the season. Also, the destruction of SD-6 finally allowed Vaughan and Sydney to become romantically involved (as there was no danger in someone from SD-6 seeing the two of them together)! However, the rest of her personal life is pretty much destroyed. In addition to her fiancé being killed in the first season, her best girl friend Francie has been murdered and her best guy fried Will has to go in the witness protection program - all of the people close to her have suffered because of her spy job, through no fault of their own.
The season ended with a HUGE cliffhanger, with Syd waking up on the streets of Hong Kong, two years in the future, with no memory of the previous two years.
SEASON THREE
The third season is basically divided in two: the first half dealing with Sydney's attempts to find out where she'd been for such a long time. The second half focuses once more on the relentless pursuit of the sacred Milo Rambaldi artifacts, which may hold the answers to Sydney's destiny.
When Sydney comes back to the CIA, she is shocked to find out what's happened in those two crucial years. Her father, Jack (Victor Garber) is being unlawfully held in prison due to his questionable methods of trying to track down his missing daughter. Her mother is in hiding (and never appears all season, ex except via written communication with other characters). Her arch-nemesis, the shifty monster Arvin Sloane (Ron Rifkin - former head of SD-6) has been granted a full pardon by the government for his role in bringing down over a dozen terrorist cells and is the head of a charitable group. We still do not know if he is truly good or bad. Most shocking is that her former lover, agent Vaughn is now happily married to the National Security Council's CIA liaison Lauren Reed (Melissa George).
The new evil enterprise this year is the Covenant. This terrorist outfit is determined to collect the Rambaldi artifacts, which are extraordinarily powerful devices that hold the key to Sydney's fate, and the fate of the world. The CIA must stop the Covenant from solving the equation of Rambaldi's endgame, so Sydney and her team attempt to capture these priceless gems and figure out their true meaning before the Covenant can get their hands on them. We find that Vaughn's wife, Lauren, is also working for the Covenant and is pure evil (also having an affair with a high up Covenant member, Mr. Sark).
The season wraps up with the Rambaldi artifacts leading to Sydney's long lost half-sister, Nadia - an Argentinean spy who was imprisoned in Russia. Nadia's subconscious held the key to the last Rambaldi artifact. The season finale ends with Sydney killing Lauren, whose dying words direct Syd to a safety deposit box. The final scene of the season shows Syd reading a piece of paper from this box with a shocked look on her face. Her father, Jack enters the room and says "You were never supposed to find out about this."
So there you go. Again, none of that knowledge is necessary to start watching the show now - but if you're curious what the show is all about - that's it! (I would highly recommend sitting down and watching the DVDs, as the show is incredibly fun, exciting, and engrossing.) Hopefully I've intrigued you about the show, and the fact that this is a great starting point to watch the show will keep you planted in your couch for the entire evening.
All are welcome at the Delta House!
Lost Episode Title: "Whatever the Case May Be"
Character Involved: Kate (Part II - Yes!)
TV Guide Description: Jack, Kate and Sawyer fight over possession of a newly discovered locked metal briefcase which might contain insights into Kate's mysterious past. Meanwhile, Sayid asks a reluctant Shannon to translate notes he took from the French woman, a rising tide threatens to engulf the fuselage and the entire beach encampment, and Rose and a grieving Charlie tentatively bond over Claire's baffling disappearance.
Brian's Deeper Meaning Guess: This one is pretty easy, I think. It's really three-fold:
1. Whatever the case may be, referring to the newly discovered locked metal briefcase in question.
2. Whatever the case may be, referring to Kate's crime and the "case" involved with her being wanted by the law / bounty hunters.
3. Whatever the case may be, referring to Jack not caring what the "case" or "crime" that Kate committed, because he hearts her anyways!
I'm wondering where this briefcase comes from - this can't be the metal thing that Locke and Boone discovered last week because that seemed to be huge and buried pretty good underneath rocks and mud and stuff. Also, from the looks of the previews, I was sure this would be a Boone and Shannon episode, since they seem to focus a lot on the two of them. I guess it will likely be similar to how the last new episode was Jack Part II even though the storyline really focused more on Charlie and Claire. Which brings us to our discussion items:
1. Okay, let's check out the TV Guide description first.
a. Jack, Kate, and Sawyer fight over the briefcase. Okay, so perhaps this is something that Sawyer has been hoarding for a while and Kate just now sees and makes the connection to? (I would think that if this was the case, it would be pretty easy for Kate to get it away from Sawyer with her womanly ways) Was this something that the bounty hunter was carrying on the plane?
b. Sayid asks Shannon to translate the French woman's notes. So Sayid is at least confiding in Shannon about his encounter with CFL (Crazy French Lady). Perhaps this is what puts Shannon into danger, which is what looks like it happens on the previews.
c. A rising tide threatens to engulf the fuselage and entire beach encampment. This would be a great way to get all the characters back in one camp (the caves) to create new group dynamics / tensions (and force Jack and Kate to hook up!) But since they've already been on the island for a few weeks and this is the first time the tide has risen so high, does this make any sense? Tides rise and fall on a daily basis. Is the island sinking? Or is this more "magic" like how it will stop and start raining instantaneously? (Note: I actually read that they wanted to get rid of the plane debris on the beach to make filming easier - this way they can use any part of the beach and not have to worry about setting up a two story fuselage to film.)
d. Rose and Charlie bond over Claire's disappearance. So Rose is still on that island! It's been a while since we've seen her last. I wonder if this means that Charlie is out of his daze from last week - if so, how much will he be talking? The obvious connection here is that Rose thinks her husband is on the island and missing, much like Charlie thinks Claire is still alive on the island and missing. We always assumed that Rose was nuts, but what if she's not - and her husband is discovered with Claire?
2. Now back to the last new episode, which was fantastic!
a. In theory, the abduction of Charlie and Claire could have been carried out by Ethan alone, but I doubt it. Unless there was someway that he "held Claire hostage", he would have had to overpower Charlie to get him to come with him. Plus, did you see how Charlie was strung up in the tree? There is NO WAY one man could do that. That's the work of a lot of guys (with ladders or something?) So are these the people encountered on the way back from Black Rock, as CFL put it? Do you think there's a whole clan of them? Where did they come from?
b. What kind of super power does Ethan Rom have? He seemed almost supernatural in fighting Jack last time (moving way too fast, being a bit too strong). How did Kate not see him or hear him? It makes me wonder about Kate. She didn't hear the screaming either when they were chasing after them in the woods. It's weird.
c. So, let's say that Ethan is part of some "cult" on the island, why do they want Claire's baby so badly? Is there some prophecy about a baby coming to the island? Is there a connection with the psychic that put Claire on the plane? Is all of this way off?
d. I'm more convinced than ever that Ethan is not Alex.
e. Did Ethan intend to kill Charlie? How long do you think he was hanging there? You can only hang for like two or three minutes before the lack of oxygen makes you go brain dead - but most of the time, people who are hung die from their necks breaking. The thickness of the ropes around his neck prevented this from happening - was that intentional? They could have just used one rope...
3. Other thoughts:
a. How about the symbolism of Jack saving Charlie, after Charlie saved Jack during the cave in?
b. Did Locke know that he and Boone were approaching the metal tunnels of the cult? Remember how he kept telling Boone to back because it was late, but Boone refused? Maybe he was afraid they were getting too close? Also, once they found the metal underneath, Locke kept hitting it with his flashlight - that would be SUPER LOUD if you were inside the metal below, and could serve as a warning sign to hide... The thing is, up until this point, I was firmly back on the "Locke is a good guy" side - now I'm back to "I have no idea."
c. The scenes for this week show Jack yelling at people (I think he's going crazier and crazier as the season goes on), Kate and Sawyer running through the forest (probably one has the suitcase and the other is chasing them for it), and Shannon being carried away as Boone looks on - is this Shannon and Boone coming face to face with the monster? Is Shannon getting eaten? Since Locke was with Boone, is he going to be there to somehow communicate with the monster like he did when he first met it?
Okay, unfortunately, since it's been so long since the last episode, that's all I can think of. I'm somewhat ashamed...
The good news is, there's plenty more Email to go! We need to hook you on Alias, which will be immediately following Lost. Here we go...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alias Pitch:
Keen to jump into the fourth season premiere of "Alias" this coming Wednesday but worried that as a new viewer you won't understand what's going on? Don't panic. According to an interview with creator J.J. Abrams, the two-hour opener will be easy for newcomers to follow - "We're not going to have any reprise (of previous seasons). We're not going to have any explanation...In no way is this first episode imposing or convoluted".
The plan, at least for the earlier episodes of this coming fourth series, is that more than a few of the episodes will be self-contained. Like any show there's more rewards in it for the long-term viewer but the strategy is at least for the opening few weeks to make it easy for a new audience to jump into the show which hopes to benefit from its post-"Lost" timeslot. Don't expect the show to go all "CSI" reset each week style however, as the season goes on "Alias" will move back into the larger schemes (essentially it's like the show's first season all over again). "Hopefully, people will be so invested in the characters that they'll enjoy the ride" says Abrams.
Indeed, already a few reviewers of the first half of the premiere episode (which introduces Angela Bassett in a recurring role) have been raving it's better than ever, "the first ten minutes of the premiere are among the most exciting I've ever seen on TV" says TV columnist Kristin from E! Online.
Alias Summary:
Okay, so now that I've sold you on why you should be watching this show, here's a brief summary of the first three seasons of the show. Brace yourself:
SEASON ONE
For those unfamiliar with the show, it essentially plays out like a forty-five minute episode of James Bond, with plenty of high-tech gadgets, flamboyant action sequences, and rapid-fire dialogue.
Alias, if you don't know, features Jennifer Garner in the role of Sydney Bristow. Sydney is an agent for the CIA...or that's what she thought. Turns out Syd is working for SD-6, a secret, nefarious organization working against the interests of the United States and other law-abiding nations.
Sydney discovers the truth in the first episode after SD-6 kills her fiance. Determined to avenge his death and destroy SD-6, she approaches the CIA with the plan of being a double agent - continuing to work for SD-6, but all the while stealing intelligence and foiling their plans for the CIA. Vaughan (Michael Vartan), a young, handsome CIA agent, becomes Sydney's handler and she passes the SD-6 secrets on to him.
Her father, Jack (Victor Garber), is also working for SD-6, but Syd comes to find out that he is also a double agent for the CIA! To say Syd and Jack have a strained relationship is to grossly understate the situation. Syd, as she says in the intro to most episodes in Season 1, hardly knows her father. Her mother (supposedly) died in an accident when Sydney was very young, and her father has always been emotionally distant.
The premise of the show is that Jack and Syd, sometimes working together, are trying to destroy SD-6 from the inside. The main plot-line in Season 1 is that SD-6 wants to collect as many artifacts of Milo Rambaldi as possible. Rambaldi is a 15th century architect who may have been a prophet. As Vaughan would say, "think Leonardo Da Vinci crossed with Nostradamus". The hunt becomes a race with another group for these items, headed by the mysterious "The Man."
In the course of the season, Syd also discovers that her mother was a KGB agent and that she is very much alive. Her mother only married her father as part of a KGB plot, and then left him and Syd by faking her own death when her mission was over. The season ends with Syd finally coming face to face with "The Man". A tied up Syd watches the figure come into the room and utters "Mommy?"
SEASON TWO
The search for Rambaldi artifacts remained the central plot point in Season 2. However, the main event of the season occurred halfway through, in an episode that followed the Super Bowl, that changed the Alias world forever. After accessing security codes on an airborne server, the CIA raids all SD cells simultaneously. In a single hour, SD-6 was no more, Syd was no longer a double agent, and the show became focused on the "Spy Family" of Jack, Syd, and Irina. Irina (Syd's mom) has a ton of knowledge on the subject matter, so the CIA takes her into custody and uses her for information throughout the season. Also, the destruction of SD-6 finally allowed Vaughan and Sydney to become romantically involved (as there was no danger in someone from SD-6 seeing the two of them together)! However, the rest of her personal life is pretty much destroyed. In addition to her fiancé being killed in the first season, her best girl friend Francie has been murdered and her best guy fried Will has to go in the witness protection program - all of the people close to her have suffered because of her spy job, through no fault of their own.
The season ended with a HUGE cliffhanger, with Syd waking up on the streets of Hong Kong, two years in the future, with no memory of the previous two years.
SEASON THREE
The third season is basically divided in two: the first half dealing with Sydney's attempts to find out where she'd been for such a long time. The second half focuses once more on the relentless pursuit of the sacred Milo Rambaldi artifacts, which may hold the answers to Sydney's destiny.
When Sydney comes back to the CIA, she is shocked to find out what's happened in those two crucial years. Her father, Jack (Victor Garber) is being unlawfully held in prison due to his questionable methods of trying to track down his missing daughter. Her mother is in hiding (and never appears all season, ex except via written communication with other characters). Her arch-nemesis, the shifty monster Arvin Sloane (Ron Rifkin - former head of SD-6) has been granted a full pardon by the government for his role in bringing down over a dozen terrorist cells and is the head of a charitable group. We still do not know if he is truly good or bad. Most shocking is that her former lover, agent Vaughn is now happily married to the National Security Council's CIA liaison Lauren Reed (Melissa George).
The new evil enterprise this year is the Covenant. This terrorist outfit is determined to collect the Rambaldi artifacts, which are extraordinarily powerful devices that hold the key to Sydney's fate, and the fate of the world. The CIA must stop the Covenant from solving the equation of Rambaldi's endgame, so Sydney and her team attempt to capture these priceless gems and figure out their true meaning before the Covenant can get their hands on them. We find that Vaughn's wife, Lauren, is also working for the Covenant and is pure evil (also having an affair with a high up Covenant member, Mr. Sark).
The season wraps up with the Rambaldi artifacts leading to Sydney's long lost half-sister, Nadia - an Argentinean spy who was imprisoned in Russia. Nadia's subconscious held the key to the last Rambaldi artifact. The season finale ends with Sydney killing Lauren, whose dying words direct Syd to a safety deposit box. The final scene of the season shows Syd reading a piece of paper from this box with a shocked look on her face. Her father, Jack enters the room and says "You were never supposed to find out about this."
So there you go. Again, none of that knowledge is necessary to start watching the show now - but if you're curious what the show is all about - that's it! (I would highly recommend sitting down and watching the DVDs, as the show is incredibly fun, exciting, and engrossing.) Hopefully I've intrigued you about the show, and the fact that this is a great starting point to watch the show will keep you planted in your couch for the entire evening.
All are welcome at the Delta House!
Wednesday, December 08, 2004
LOST ("The Most Powerful Episode Yet")
(The first really "long" Lost Email I wrote - little did I know this was just the start...)
Did you see the previews for tonight where they claim tonight’s episode is "The Most Powerful Episode Yet"? It might just be a clever marketing ploy, but after last week’s episode, I think it might be true.
Tonight’s Episode Title: "All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues"
Tonight’s Character Spotlight: Jack (that’s right - a second episode!)
TV Guide Episode Preview: Survivors wonder why Charlie and the pregnant Claire have been abducted - and by whom - and a search party ventures into the treacherous jungle to try to find and rescue the missing duo. Meanwhile, inner-demons about his father resurface for Jack, and Boone and Locke discover another island mystery.
Deeper Meaning: That title is way to oddball to not have something deeper to it. Since the episode is about Jack, it means that he’s the "cowboy" and he has "daddy issues". What does Jack as a cowboy mean? That he was some sort of renegade doctor, who didn’t follow the rules? What about Jack’s daddy issues? Did Jack and his father have some sort of falling out? All I remember about Jack’s first episode was that his mother was like "You need to go bring your father home" - but did his dad run away to Australia because of something Jack did? No idea. But I think that the flashback / backstory is going to take a back seat this week, as there looks to be a LOT of action on the island going on.
Points to Ponder:
1. Remember last week’s episode title? "Raised by Another"? What if it’s "raised by an other" (aka - the "others" on the island?) Who is the creepy guy at the end? ETHAN ROM - First, it’s not a coincidence that Ethan spelled out his very odd last name for Hurley last week. They wanted us to know the spelling. Ethan Rom rearranged is "Other Man"…
2. Who is Ethan Rom? Someone who was originally on the island? One of the "others" or "voices" that CFL talked about meeting on the way back from Black Rock? What about this - We’re all going on faith from Hurley that Ethan wasn’t on the plane - what if Hurley was the one who wasn’t on the plane, but is trying to throw us off his track?
3. Is there a whole other civilization on the island that Ethan is a part of? Do they live at the "Black Rock"?
4. The three main people we don’t have backstories on are the Father and Son, Hurley, and the Brother and Sister. Per the Internet, the next episodes deal with (in order) - Kate (again - hooray!), the Brother and Sister, and the Father and Son. This further strengthens my opinion that something is up with Hurley and his reveal will be a BIG ONE.
5. The only thing working against my "Ethan is a Red Herring" theory is the scene in the previews for this week’s episode that has him standing on Jack’s chest saying, "If you keep following me, I’ll kill one of them". I can’t really argue with that.
6. Is Sayid back to normal? Is he going to be crazy like the French people? Is he becoming one of the "Others"?
7. Is Ethan the CFL’s "Alex"? - I think not (due to the age difference not really adding up), but it’s a possibility I suppose.
8. How did Ethan carry off both Charlie AND Claire? Were there "others" around to help? Did he just overpower Charlie and take Claire, and then Charlie chased after? Did he somehow "hypnotize them"? (see Locke point #11 below for a similar situation).
9. Do you think they’ll find Claire and Charlie this week? My money is on them finding a beat up Charlie, but no Claire - and then later Claire will have her baby, and be killed by the Others.
10. Is the baby the anti-Christ? During last week’s episode, when Claire asked her boyfriend how long it had been since she took the pregnancy test, he answered "6… 66 seconds" (666) and then said the color of the lines were "red, not pink". The psychic obviously knew that the plane was going down - did he put Claire on it to force her to raise the baby, or to just be sure that the baby would be eliminated? Did he cause the plane to go down? Is he connected to the "Others" who wanted that baby on the island for some reason?
And then here are thoughts relayed late last week that some of you may not have read:
11. I’m more convinced than ever that Locke has already become one of the "Others" or is possessed by something on the island. I went back and re-watched the Sayid episode from three weeks back, and there is a scene of Locke and Ethan "hunting at night". Locke was really not that good at hunting / walking around, etc. in the early part of his episode - remember? The first boar just knocked him down and took off. Then, he meets the "monster" and all the sudden he is Johnny Cool - a hunter, really wise, and calm about everything that is going on on the island. What if the "monster" took him over / converted him to being a hunter like Ethan? If so, this is how he has such an understanding about what is going on (and would explain all the sage like advice he has been giving) - this would also make him a "hunter" who is on the inside with the new group and could work to convert them over. Locke seemed super calm when Said came back and was talking about the others being on the island. Who’s willing to bet Locke is working to sabotage the rescue effort / help Ethan?
12. Or maybe Locke is somewhat "possessed". He is always shown with both white and black, good and evil (the backgammon game, his eyes in Claire’s dream). Maybe he is fighting the "Other" in him with his natural goodness?
13. Here are Lost themes so far, as written by my roommate:
Black v. White (good v. evil)
Do people have free will or is there predestination (Claire's child being evil if not raised by her)
Locke's name as a reference to the philosopher John Locke. (One of John Locke's main points was that man should not be held against his will). Just as he gave Charlie the drugs back after three times, he didn't help Jack out of the cave, etc.
Survivors v. Island (Man v. Nature, and the ability for man to overcome it surroundings against the power of nature over everything on earth.)
Man's understanding of a higher being (The "Monster", the "voices")
Mind over Matter (Locke being able to walk/the girl beating asthma without an inhahler/the guy with the hives)
Science/Evolution (The CFL and her role as a scientist and her creation/offspring "Alex" and its affect on the survivors)
That was a mouthful. Lucky thing I’ve been discussing and jotting down my thoughts every night since last week’s episode with anyone who will listen.
Obsessed. Me? No.
Did you see the previews for tonight where they claim tonight’s episode is "The Most Powerful Episode Yet"? It might just be a clever marketing ploy, but after last week’s episode, I think it might be true.
Tonight’s Episode Title: "All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues"
Tonight’s Character Spotlight: Jack (that’s right - a second episode!)
TV Guide Episode Preview: Survivors wonder why Charlie and the pregnant Claire have been abducted - and by whom - and a search party ventures into the treacherous jungle to try to find and rescue the missing duo. Meanwhile, inner-demons about his father resurface for Jack, and Boone and Locke discover another island mystery.
Deeper Meaning: That title is way to oddball to not have something deeper to it. Since the episode is about Jack, it means that he’s the "cowboy" and he has "daddy issues". What does Jack as a cowboy mean? That he was some sort of renegade doctor, who didn’t follow the rules? What about Jack’s daddy issues? Did Jack and his father have some sort of falling out? All I remember about Jack’s first episode was that his mother was like "You need to go bring your father home" - but did his dad run away to Australia because of something Jack did? No idea. But I think that the flashback / backstory is going to take a back seat this week, as there looks to be a LOT of action on the island going on.
Points to Ponder:
1. Remember last week’s episode title? "Raised by Another"? What if it’s "raised by an other" (aka - the "others" on the island?) Who is the creepy guy at the end? ETHAN ROM - First, it’s not a coincidence that Ethan spelled out his very odd last name for Hurley last week. They wanted us to know the spelling. Ethan Rom rearranged is "Other Man"…
2. Who is Ethan Rom? Someone who was originally on the island? One of the "others" or "voices" that CFL talked about meeting on the way back from Black Rock? What about this - We’re all going on faith from Hurley that Ethan wasn’t on the plane - what if Hurley was the one who wasn’t on the plane, but is trying to throw us off his track?
3. Is there a whole other civilization on the island that Ethan is a part of? Do they live at the "Black Rock"?
4. The three main people we don’t have backstories on are the Father and Son, Hurley, and the Brother and Sister. Per the Internet, the next episodes deal with (in order) - Kate (again - hooray!), the Brother and Sister, and the Father and Son. This further strengthens my opinion that something is up with Hurley and his reveal will be a BIG ONE.
5. The only thing working against my "Ethan is a Red Herring" theory is the scene in the previews for this week’s episode that has him standing on Jack’s chest saying, "If you keep following me, I’ll kill one of them". I can’t really argue with that.
6. Is Sayid back to normal? Is he going to be crazy like the French people? Is he becoming one of the "Others"?
7. Is Ethan the CFL’s "Alex"? - I think not (due to the age difference not really adding up), but it’s a possibility I suppose.
8. How did Ethan carry off both Charlie AND Claire? Were there "others" around to help? Did he just overpower Charlie and take Claire, and then Charlie chased after? Did he somehow "hypnotize them"? (see Locke point #11 below for a similar situation).
9. Do you think they’ll find Claire and Charlie this week? My money is on them finding a beat up Charlie, but no Claire - and then later Claire will have her baby, and be killed by the Others.
10. Is the baby the anti-Christ? During last week’s episode, when Claire asked her boyfriend how long it had been since she took the pregnancy test, he answered "6… 66 seconds" (666) and then said the color of the lines were "red, not pink". The psychic obviously knew that the plane was going down - did he put Claire on it to force her to raise the baby, or to just be sure that the baby would be eliminated? Did he cause the plane to go down? Is he connected to the "Others" who wanted that baby on the island for some reason?
And then here are thoughts relayed late last week that some of you may not have read:
11. I’m more convinced than ever that Locke has already become one of the "Others" or is possessed by something on the island. I went back and re-watched the Sayid episode from three weeks back, and there is a scene of Locke and Ethan "hunting at night". Locke was really not that good at hunting / walking around, etc. in the early part of his episode - remember? The first boar just knocked him down and took off. Then, he meets the "monster" and all the sudden he is Johnny Cool - a hunter, really wise, and calm about everything that is going on on the island. What if the "monster" took him over / converted him to being a hunter like Ethan? If so, this is how he has such an understanding about what is going on (and would explain all the sage like advice he has been giving) - this would also make him a "hunter" who is on the inside with the new group and could work to convert them over. Locke seemed super calm when Said came back and was talking about the others being on the island. Who’s willing to bet Locke is working to sabotage the rescue effort / help Ethan?
12. Or maybe Locke is somewhat "possessed". He is always shown with both white and black, good and evil (the backgammon game, his eyes in Claire’s dream). Maybe he is fighting the "Other" in him with his natural goodness?
13. Here are Lost themes so far, as written by my roommate:
Black v. White (good v. evil)
Do people have free will or is there predestination (Claire's child being evil if not raised by her)
Locke's name as a reference to the philosopher John Locke. (One of John Locke's main points was that man should not be held against his will). Just as he gave Charlie the drugs back after three times, he didn't help Jack out of the cave, etc.
Survivors v. Island (Man v. Nature, and the ability for man to overcome it surroundings against the power of nature over everything on earth.)
Man's understanding of a higher being (The "Monster", the "voices")
Mind over Matter (Locke being able to walk/the girl beating asthma without an inhahler/the guy with the hives)
Science/Evolution (The CFL and her role as a scientist and her creation/offspring "Alex" and its affect on the survivors)
That was a mouthful. Lucky thing I’ve been discussing and jotting down my thoughts every night since last week’s episode with anyone who will listen.
Obsessed. Me? No.
Friday, December 03, 2004
Lost Transcript
(The first non-official Lost Email - a reaction because I couldn't contain myself!)
Just to blow everyone's mind (I'm not even kidding), I rewatched last week's episode of Lost (the Sayid centered episode), and lo and behold - ETHAN IS IN IT. What's even more creepy is the scene he's in, and who he's in it with. Here's the transcript:
(Ethan and Locke emerge from the jungle at night, dropping two bags at the foot of Hurley)
Hurley: What are you guys doing out in the jungle at night?
Ethan: Best time to hunt.
Locke: Ethan here has some experience - spotted some tracks, looked like they might be rabbit or some other rodent
Hurley: Rodent - yum.
Ethan: I figured people are tired of eating boar meat.
Immediate thoughts: Locke is already in cahoots with Ethan. The monster converted Locke to be one of the "Others" when he came face to face with it. Remember, Locke was not an expert survival person at all until he encountered the monster. Now all of the sudden he's catching boars, spitting out sage advice, and totally at peace with the world? The monster changed him. I think he's on the side of evil now. Something is afoot.
Wow.
Just to blow everyone's mind (I'm not even kidding), I rewatched last week's episode of Lost (the Sayid centered episode), and lo and behold - ETHAN IS IN IT. What's even more creepy is the scene he's in, and who he's in it with. Here's the transcript:
(Ethan and Locke emerge from the jungle at night, dropping two bags at the foot of Hurley)
Hurley: What are you guys doing out in the jungle at night?
Ethan: Best time to hunt.
Locke: Ethan here has some experience - spotted some tracks, looked like they might be rabbit or some other rodent
Hurley: Rodent - yum.
Ethan: I figured people are tired of eating boar meat.
Immediate thoughts: Locke is already in cahoots with Ethan. The monster converted Locke to be one of the "Others" when he came face to face with it. Remember, Locke was not an expert survival person at all until he encountered the monster. Now all of the sudden he's catching boars, spitting out sage advice, and totally at peace with the world? The monster changed him. I think he's on the side of evil now. Something is afoot.
Wow.
Wednesday, December 01, 2004
Lost (Finally Back!)
It’s been too long. And by too long I mean two weeks.
Tonight’s Episode Title: "Raised by Another"
Tonight’s Character Spotlight: Claire, the Pregnant Girl
Deeper Meaning: Not too sure this week - but I have one good guess. I think it has been established that Claire is a single mother, so the baby might be raised by "another" meaning that the father would not be around. But that’s no fun. It could be in reference to "Alex", Crazy French Lady’s child who may or may not be dead. If they’re not dead - they would be raised by someone or something else on the island… But how about this? From the previews, it looks like Claire is going crazy, thinking that someone is trying to harm her and get her baby (Crazy French Lady, anyone?). But they also show at one point she collapses - what if she dies during the birth of the child - then the baby would definitely be "raised by another". I think it’s only a matter of time before a main character dies on the island - why not her? She hasn’t really done too much as of yet, and it could set off an interesting Charlie angle with him being angry at Jack / the world for her dying and losing all hope on the island - going off by himself, etc. - that would be cool.
Points to Ponder:
1. Do you think Claire is really going crazy, or is someone actually trying to get her? I think the obvious answer is just that she is hallucinating - but I think in reality someone is actually after her.
2. Will Said return this week? At the end of his episode he was definitely hearing the voices that Crazy French Lady (CFL) said made all the others go crazy, leading to her killing of them. If he comes back, will he tell everyone about CFL? How can he not?
3. How long until we find out what the Black Rock is? (Other than an O.A.R. song, of course).
4. It was weird - when CFL was talking about what made everyone go crazy, she mentioned "we were on our way back from the Black Rock when we ran into THEM" or something along those lines. This makes me think that they ran into OTHER PEOPLE / THINGS on the island and their influence is what caused the insanity.
5. CFL also said "I had to kill them - what if someone would have come to rescue us?" Think about that for a second - it sounds like she was afraid of contaminating the rest of the world, which sounds like the people had some sort of virus or infection or something. Then think about this - last time they introduced that new character who had hives - the annoying guy who kept bothering Jack - what if he is the first one to get infected with whatever it is?
6. Alex. I have three thoughts about Alex.
a. CFL killed Alex. Everyone went "crazy", including Alex. She killed him/her and now is somewhat disturbed herself, having killed her own child.
b. Alex ran away. When Said first appeared, she asked him if he had seen Alex. That makes me think he/she is still alive.
c. Alex is not a he/she. CFL said "Alex was my child." But CFL is a scientist - a lot of times scientists refer to experiments as their "baby" or "child" because scientists are crazy people who spend all their time working and have no life outside of work (like a 5/3 employee). What if "Alex" is an acronym for Artificial Life Experiment X-Ray (I can’t think of any good X words)? What if the "monster" is Alex? CFL did say "there’s no such thing as monsters" - she wouldn’t think of Alex being a monster because it’s "her child".
7. How did CFL still have power in her living area? Weren’t they shipwrecked for 16 years? Didn’t everything in her place look waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay older than 16 years old? 16 years ago puts us at 1988. The stuff in her place looked like it was from the 1940’s.
8. What about how CFL said "You heard my transmission? They have it now." - Is this the same "they" that her group met coming back from the Black Rock that fateful day years ago?
So many questions. Holler back.
(Also, afterwards tonight is the Nick and Jessica Christmas Special, which should be entertaining and provide a quick fix to our Newlyweds addiction now that the show is not on the air.)
Brian
Tonight’s Episode Title: "Raised by Another"
Tonight’s Character Spotlight: Claire, the Pregnant Girl
Deeper Meaning: Not too sure this week - but I have one good guess. I think it has been established that Claire is a single mother, so the baby might be raised by "another" meaning that the father would not be around. But that’s no fun. It could be in reference to "Alex", Crazy French Lady’s child who may or may not be dead. If they’re not dead - they would be raised by someone or something else on the island… But how about this? From the previews, it looks like Claire is going crazy, thinking that someone is trying to harm her and get her baby (Crazy French Lady, anyone?). But they also show at one point she collapses - what if she dies during the birth of the child - then the baby would definitely be "raised by another". I think it’s only a matter of time before a main character dies on the island - why not her? She hasn’t really done too much as of yet, and it could set off an interesting Charlie angle with him being angry at Jack / the world for her dying and losing all hope on the island - going off by himself, etc. - that would be cool.
Points to Ponder:
1. Do you think Claire is really going crazy, or is someone actually trying to get her? I think the obvious answer is just that she is hallucinating - but I think in reality someone is actually after her.
2. Will Said return this week? At the end of his episode he was definitely hearing the voices that Crazy French Lady (CFL) said made all the others go crazy, leading to her killing of them. If he comes back, will he tell everyone about CFL? How can he not?
3. How long until we find out what the Black Rock is? (Other than an O.A.R. song, of course).
4. It was weird - when CFL was talking about what made everyone go crazy, she mentioned "we were on our way back from the Black Rock when we ran into THEM" or something along those lines. This makes me think that they ran into OTHER PEOPLE / THINGS on the island and their influence is what caused the insanity.
5. CFL also said "I had to kill them - what if someone would have come to rescue us?" Think about that for a second - it sounds like she was afraid of contaminating the rest of the world, which sounds like the people had some sort of virus or infection or something. Then think about this - last time they introduced that new character who had hives - the annoying guy who kept bothering Jack - what if he is the first one to get infected with whatever it is?
6. Alex. I have three thoughts about Alex.
a. CFL killed Alex. Everyone went "crazy", including Alex. She killed him/her and now is somewhat disturbed herself, having killed her own child.
b. Alex ran away. When Said first appeared, she asked him if he had seen Alex. That makes me think he/she is still alive.
c. Alex is not a he/she. CFL said "Alex was my child." But CFL is a scientist - a lot of times scientists refer to experiments as their "baby" or "child" because scientists are crazy people who spend all their time working and have no life outside of work (like a 5/3 employee). What if "Alex" is an acronym for Artificial Life Experiment X-Ray (I can’t think of any good X words)? What if the "monster" is Alex? CFL did say "there’s no such thing as monsters" - she wouldn’t think of Alex being a monster because it’s "her child".
7. How did CFL still have power in her living area? Weren’t they shipwrecked for 16 years? Didn’t everything in her place look waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay older than 16 years old? 16 years ago puts us at 1988. The stuff in her place looked like it was from the 1940’s.
8. What about how CFL said "You heard my transmission? They have it now." - Is this the same "they" that her group met coming back from the Black Rock that fateful day years ago?
So many questions. Holler back.
(Also, afterwards tonight is the Nick and Jessica Christmas Special, which should be entertaining and provide a quick fix to our Newlyweds addiction now that the show is not on the air.)
Brian
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