Lost Theory Question #2: What Are The Whispers?

First mentioned by Danielle and heard by Sayid in "Solitary," the whispers are a mystery never fully explained. Lostpedia has transcripts of them all and, looking closely at them, it seems like someone on the island is watching our favorite castaways. Here's what they said in "Solitary":

Male Voice- "Just let him get out of here"
Male Voice- "He's seen too much already"
Male Voice- "What if he tells?"
Female Voice - "Could just speak to him"
Male Voice- "No"

And here's a sample of what Sawyer heard in "Outlaws":

"Oh my god there's a guy out there"
"Dennis find out what's going on"
"Did he see us?"
"Maybe"
"Open it"
"Did you see what direction he went?"
"Right through those trees"
"Go and get him"
"There is [an explanation/a resolution] and I bet you haven't thought of it"
"What is it?"
"He's been in a plane crash"
"Are you sure?"
"I know what it's like for a plane to crash"
"Complain, complain, complain"
"I want to get closer"
"I know what you said, but he's looking around"
"What if he shoots us or something"

Now these transcripts suggest that 1) someone or something is watching them and 2) they always seem to be nearby, camouflaged or hidden, perhaps suggesting someone with some Predator-like cloaking ability. Since they're worried about being shot, they appear to be mortal at the very least.

But from the Blast Door Map, itwas suggested that DHARMA some sort of remote viewing/listening station that the Others eventually took over. Some samples:

• High potential for R.V.S. Facility
• Interference might also prevent location use as listening station/cryptography research/communications analysis facility

However, the Flame didn't seem to have that sort of capability. And while the notation could have referred to the Pearl, it certainly wasn't used for any sort of cryptography research or communications analysis. Not to mention, Radinzsky and Kelvin could just have been wrong about the facility - perhaps even having heard the whispers themselves and assuming it was DHARMA watching them.

So could the whispers have been Jacob and others like them? He seemed to (creepily) whisper at Locke in his cabin. Could the original inhabitants of the island (who conducted a guerrilla war against DHARMA) be able to hide themselves in the jungle and have some sort of telekinetic ability to communicate? We also know the Monster is able to telekinetically communicate. Maybe it's something like Legion - watching and communicating within itself. Perhaps all the missing dead bodies of everyone on the island live on within the Monster and communicate with each other.

What say you? Are the whispers DHARMA, the natives, Jacob, the Monster, or something totally different?

A Question Of Time

Bigmouth asks an interesting theory question today: One timeline or two? I've left some thoughts on his blog. Check it out - some very cool thoughts that tie in well with some of my own from the finale.

Naveen Andrews <3 "Animals"

There's an inside joke between my friends and I called "The One-Word Movie Title Rule." I have a propensity for really enjoying bad schlock horror/sci-fi films: The Relic, Mimic, The Host (which was actually very good, BTW), etc. Basically, the rule states that if the title of the movie contains only one word (articles excluded), it's a film that more than likely I have on my "must-see" list and one that, more than likely, is going to be excruciatingly bad.

This brings us to "Animals," a small town werewolf flick happily starring Naveen Andrews. Now I say happily because, not only do I have to see this because of the title, but I actually have to see it because I know someone working on the film! One of my girlfriend's relatives is a stunt man who's actually going to be coordinating the stunts for the film. He's getting older (for a stunt man) and he has two kids now, so he's trying to move away from doing actual stunts and into coordinating instead. This is his first foray into it, starting on a small film, but apparently working with some very cool people!

I was browsing through the script he had with him over Memorial Day, and my gut instinct is that it won't exactly be a classic. But, hey, you never know. Any of you ever see "Dog Soldiers?" Surprisingly fabulous film. Highly recommended.

But keep your eyes peeled for "Animals" later this year. Naveen Andrews as a werewolf? How can you go wrong with that? ;)

Huge hat tip to Approaching Lost for the news. And if you need some eye candy to go along with your movie news, AL also happens to have Naveen's Esquire photo shoot too. Sample below.

John Locke Speed Painting

This has been around for a very long time, but it's still awesomely cool if you haven't seen it. Great mad skillz, and the perfect subject to boot!

Top Ten Episodes #9: 3.13 "The Man From Tallahassee"

Quote: "John, you fell 8 stories and survived, okay. I don't want to hear about what you can't do. Now let's go. It's gonna be alright."


TV.com Rating: 9.6 (#4, although technically #3 if "Through The Looking Glass" was counted as one episode)

Brief Synopsis: Off-island, Locke is visited by a young man, Peter Talbot, who claims his mother is about to marry a man by the name of "Adam Seward," who he's suspicious about. He tells Locke that the man used to call himself Anthony Cooper and that he found out Locke donated one of his kidneys to him and wants to know if Locke has an information on him. Locke says donated it anonymously and never met him.

Locke tracks his dad down and confronts him in a flower shop. He tells his dad he wants him to call off the wedding or else he'll tell the son everything. His dad agrees. Later on, two detectives start asking Locke questions because Peter has turned up dead and Locke's name was written on a piece of paper in his pocket.

Shocked and angry, Locke confronts his dad in his father's apartment. Anthony offers Locke a drink. He claims he had nothing to do with Peter's death and tells Locke Peter's mom has called off the wedding. Locke doesn't believe him and asks for her number.

Anthony obliges and points him towards the phone. When Locke turns his back, Anthony barrels toward him, pushing him through the glass window. Locke falls eight stories and hist the ground. He wakes up in the hospital where, in a heartbreaking scene, his wheelchair greets him for the first time.

On-island, Locke, Kate, and Sayid try to "rescue" Jack from the Others-controlled DHARMA Barracks. Kate and Sayid are quickly apprehended, but Locke holds a wheelchair bound Ben at gunpoint and reveals his true objective: He wants to blow up the submarine!

While he waits for Alex to retrieve his backpack with his explosives from some of the Others, Locke and Ben talk about the mysteries of the island; its healing powers, how John has a special connection to it, and how its odd that Ben is healing so slowly. Ben tells Locke there's a "Magic Box" on the island that will make anything you imagine suddenly appear. Locke is skeptical and proceeds with his plan.

Ben allows Locke to blow up the sub because it allows him to break his promise to allow Jack and Juliet to leave on it the next day. After the explosion, Locke is captured and confronted by a shell-shocked Jack. Ben takes Locke to show him what came out of the Magic Box and tells him that he's responsible for it. He takes him to small locked room where inside Locke finds his father, bound and gagged.

Why it's a classic: Let's divide this into two (equally good) parts here:

1) The moment we were all waiting for

I view the second half of the third season, from "Enter 77" to "Through The Looking Glass" as one of the best "runs" of episodes Lost has had. Thing is, many of them kind of blur together because they're all part of one continuous storyline. The only three that really stand out by themselves are the aforementioned finale, Expose (which was really a stand alone episode anyway), and "The Man From Tallahassee."

John Locke is arguably Lost's most popular character. Yeah, Sawyer's better eye candy for the ladies, but Locke episodes are arguably the ones that the viewers respond to the most because he's such a tragic, mystical, and even spiritual character. Not only was this the best set of Locke flashbacks since "Walkabout," it finally answered the long-standing question of how Locke ended up in his wheelchair.

And, oh, what an answer that was. The way it happened wasn't really that surprising; I think everybody and his grandmother figured Locke's dad played a role in it. But I couldn't help but but feel shocked and sickened when it happened.

And if the actual event was shocking, the scene which followed was quite possibly the most heartbreaking of the entire series. Not only did Terry O'Quinn portray Locke perfectly when he's being placed into his wheelchair for the first time, but the orderly telling him that "there's nothing he can't do" (and thus giving us the origin of the phrase) was just brilliantly scripted by the writers.

To me, the moment when Locke is placed in his wheelchair is one of the most awful feeling moments of anything I've ever seen. Think of how you felt when Han was placed in carbonite, when the warden threw Andy Dufresne into solitary after finding out who framed him, when Silvio took Adrianna into the woods. Even though in this case you know he's not going to stay in there forever, you still feel horrible. Just an incredible scene, and one of the best of the series.

2) Ben and Locke

The rest of the episode was primarily Ben and Locke trading barbs and dishing sweet, sweet dirt on the mysteries of the island. Let's take another look at the "Magic Box" conversation, shall we?

Locke	Where do you get electricity?
Ben	We have 2 giant hamsters running on a massive wheel at our secret underground cave...
Locke	Yeah, that's funny.
Ben	There's leftovers in the refrigerator. Help yourself.
	[Locke walks into the kitchen, opens the refrigerator, and takes out an aluminum foil covered plate of meat]
Ben	I ate most of the dark meat. Sorry.
	[Locke starts eating the meat with his hands]
Locke	Hmm. I never really...appreciated chicken until right now.
Ben	I know you think you need to do this, John, but if you blow up my submarine, I have a big problem with my people.
Locke	Is that supposed to be an incentive not to blow it up?
Ben	I was born on this island. Not many of my people can say that. Most of them were recruited and brought here and as much as they love this place...as much as they would do anything to defend it...they need to know they can leave if they want to. The sub maintains that illusion.
Locke	So you're lying to them.
Ben	[Frustrated] No. There here because they want to be here. Some of them are just not ready to make a full...commitment yet. But you John...you've already made that commitment. And now you have a choice...because if you stop and think, I can show you things. Things I know you want to see very badly. Let me put it so you'll understand. Picture a box. You know something about boxes, don't you John? What if I told you that somewhere on this island there's a very large box...and whatever you imagined...whatever you wanted to be in it...when you opened that box, there it would be. What would you say about that, John?
Locke	I'd say I hope that box is big enough to imagine yourself up a new submarine.
Ben	Why are you so angry, John?
Locke	Because you're cheating. You and your people. Communicate with the outside world whenever you want to you...you come and go as you please...you use electricity and running water and guns...you're a hypocrite...a Pharisee. You don't deserve to be on this island. If you had any idea what this place really was...you wouldn't be putting chicken in your refrigerator.
Ben	You've been here 80 days, John. I've been hear my entire life. So how is it you think you know this island better than I do?
Locke	Because you're in the wheelchair and I'm not.

This conversation has a little bit of everything, doesn't it? Zinger by Ben, zinger by Locke, some insider island info, and a nice bit of insight on John's part. It exemplifies everything that was great abotu the second half of the season: crisp dialogue, good characterization, and just some spectacular acting. Michael Emerson, Elizabeth Mitchell, and Terry O'Quinn all seriously deserve some Emmy consideration for their work and it will be a shame if at least one of them isn't honored.

But what to make of the Magic Box? Ben later admits it's a metaphor, but for what? The writers have repeatedly claimed there's nothing in the show out of the realm of science or pseudoscience, so we're likely talking about something that is able to either 1) Teleport or warp things from place to place 2) Transport things from time to time or from timeline to timeline. Given the conservation of matter (and its apparent ability to transport Locke's dad), I don't think it can simply materialize things out of thin air. But we really don't have enough information to fully speculate on its nature yet.

However it does seem that only certain "good people" are able to use the island in such a way Does that mean innocents? Children? Is there some other criteria? Walt was obviously very special because of his psychic ability, but being psychic doesn't seem to be a prerequisite for using the box given that Locke brought his dad to the island.

It's interesting to note that John seems to almost have a child-like innocence about him: His need for a father-figure, his simple enjoyment of games, his gullible trusting nature that always seems to get him into trouble. It seems that young Ben had these properties, but perhaps his time leading the Others (and his subsequent desire to hang on to his power) has corrupted him.

Certain combinations of characters can simply make a great episode, especially when one of the tandem is either Ben or Locke; TMFT gave us a whole episode. Mix with a terrific flashback and you get some classic TV. I don't doubt that after the show is over that this episode will be considered one of the highest points of the entire series.

Summary:

Episodes #6-#9 on my list are pretty much interchangable. I was going to list TMFT higher, but for some reason it just seemed to fit well here. I think many people would justifiably have this episode in their Top 5, but as good as this episode was, there are others in the series that give me just a tad bit more of that sweet Lost buzz we've all come to know and love.

What do you think? Should this be in the Top 5? Is it in yours? Or were you disappointed at how Locke ended up in his wheelchair? :)

Previous Reviews:
#10: White Rabbit

Solution or Ramblings?

Via Buddy TV, here's a whacked out theory that's apparently been around for half a year or so: HEMA Theory. I haven't had the time to read through the whole thing in detail, but two things stand out to me here:

1) The guy knows his Lost details
2) My gut reaction is that he's crazy

Now maybe that will change when I've read through everything. His basic theory seems to be that the island amplifies psychic energy into whatever the person desires (i.e. The Magic Box) and does so through special magnetic properties found in the rocks on the island. That's why the Others wanted Walt and that's how Locke's dad ended up on the island.

That's actually sounds pretty plausible given what we know and the guy certainly knows his details. But it's awfully hard to read because for every coherent thing he writes, there's a paragraph of psychobabble, like something L. Ron Hubbard would come up with.

I haven't gotten to his theory on the Monster yet, but I'm curious. Take a look and tell me what you think.

Lost Theory Question #1: Richard Malkin

Question: Who was/is Richard Malkin working for?

Given the dearth of Lost news, I'm going to periodically post some musings I've had on the show to see what y'all think about some of the pending mysteries. To me, this first question hits at one of the central themes of the show itself - namely that everything happens for a reason. Many of the connections on the show can be chalked up to simple chance, i.e. seven degrees of separation, small world phenomena, etc...

But Claire's presence on the plane and her relationship to Jack can absolutely not be an accident - she was put on that fight for a very specific purpose by a very specific person: Richard Malkin.

Malkin is the psychic who insisted that Claire take Flight 815. Later on, when Eko visited him to investigate his daughter's "miracle" in "?,"we found out that he's a fraud:

Mr. Eko	And why is your wife so convinced otherwise?
Richard Malkin	Because she's a zealot! All of this, everything she's doing is to spite me.
Mr. Eko	Why would she spite you?
Richard Malkin	Because she knows I'm a fraud. Because I make my living as a psychic. You see, that's what I do. I gather intelligence on people and I exploit it. Every day I meet people looking for a miracle. Desperate to find one. But there are none to be had. Not in this world anyway.

Now we suspect this the first time we him too, but it's nice to have it officially confirmed. So the question is who was he working for? Who hired him to gather intelligence on Claire and why?

Here's what we know from "Raised By Another." Malkin tells Claire that she must raise the baby herself no matter what. Then he tells her that she must get on Flight 815, that fight and no other:

Claire	You spent the last 4 months telling me I have to raise the baby myself. Now you're giving me money and saying I don't have to?
Richard	I found a couple in Los Angeles who are very eager to adopt. The baby will be safe in their care. Now, I've foreseen...
Claire	Heh, foreseen? I don't even know why I'm here. I'm sorry.
Richard	I know this sounds ridiculous, Claire. All this psychic business and I appreciate that you must think I'm a raving madman. But this is what must happen.
Claire	So you're giving me 6000 dollars to give my baby to a couple of strangers in Los Angeles?
Richard	12,000. The other 6 when you arrive in Los Angeles. And they're not strangers, Claire. They're good people.

Claire	I can't go tomorrow. I have to get my...
Richard	It has to be this flight. It can't be any other. They're already scheduled to meet you when you arrive. Flight 815. Flight 815.

The "good people" line strongly suggests that he's working for the Others, which was my initial assumption. However, there are two problems with this:

1) From "Tale of Two Cities," we saw that Ben and the Others were completely surprised by the plane crash. It truly seems that the crash was an accident caused by Desmond failing to push the button.

2) Furthermore, in "One Of Us," Ben suggests to Juliet that he had no knowledge of Claire being on the plane:

Ben	I'm not a liar Juliet.
Juliet	[Crying] I want to go home.
Ben	That's not our agreement. You need to stay here until your work is finished.
Juliet	[Crying] It's impossible. The mothers keep dying.
Ben	Then we'll find more mothers. Who knows...maybe there's even 1 on that plane.

He could be lying here, but given the surprised he and everyone else showed in TOTC, I don't think he is.

So if Richard Malkin isn't working for the Others, then who was he working for and how did he know that Fight 815 was going to crash? Was he tipped off by Desmond's psychic ring peddler, Ms. Hawking? Could the bad guys on Naomi's ship have orchestrated all this? What about a few bad daddies, including her own? Mr. Paik and Charles Widmore have money and influence as well.

So have at it! What do y'all think? :)

McFarlane Lost Toys: Series 2

I haven't bought any of the Lost toys Todd McFarlane's company has produced. I really, really want the Locke statuette and the Hatch panorama from their first series released last year (Locke would just look great on my desk at work). :)

But coming next month is Series 2, which features Jin, Sun, Sawyer, and Mr. Eko (complete with Jesus Stick)! I definitely want the Eko figure, but Sun's is nice too, showing her iconic bikini moment from season one.

If you haven't seen them, check out the site. There are multiple photos of all the figurines from every angle.

Link Dump: 06/19/07

Every once in a while I'm going to do a post like this, featuring several LOST related links from around the net that I didn't have time to each post on their own. If you have anything LOST related (or otherwise) that you'd like me to link to, just send me an e-mail. :)

• Amanda Cuda, TV columnist for the Connecticut Post, will be filling her LOST-less summer looking at the music from the show associated with each of the characters, starting with Charlie in today's column. You can also read her TV blog, Turned On, on the CP website.

• Wanna know what it feels like to have to push the button? Well, now you can Enter The Hatch. Let's see if we can keep it going until the Season Four premiere.

• Via TV Squad, check out this fan-spliced You Tube video that tries to re-create the pre-crash events as they occur in the Barracks, in the Swan, and on the plane. There's also a link in the video sidebar to sightly longer version, but the short one is just fine. It doesn't really tell us anything new, but it is kinda neat to see.

• Looks like Evangeline Lilly has gone blond! And looks like she's ready to plant some pipe-weed for her hubby! Oh what has that hobbit done to her...

• Random favorite Lostpedia Link: Appearances of literary works

Top 10 Episodes, #10: 1.05 "White Rabbit"

Quote: "Last week most of us were strangers. But we're all here now. And God knows how long we're gonna be here. But if we can't live together...we're gonna die alone."



TV.com Rating: 9.0 (not in the Top 50)

Brief synopsis: Jack saves Boone from drowning as Joanna Miller dies after being pulled out into the ocean by a riptide. After blaming himself for not being able to save two people at the same time (typical), Jack sees his father standing at the edge of the water. A moment later, the vision disappears.

He later sees his dad again in the jungle and chases him. Locke goes after Jack and possibly saves his life after he runs off a cliff. Jack has a sit down with Locke, who tells him he needs to catch his "white rabbit" because, like it or not, he's a leader and the people on the beach need him.

Jack follows his father to the water-laden caves where he finds his father's coffin, empty. In a rage, he destroys it and heads back to the beach to tell everyone what he found.

Why it's a classic: A lot of people don't like this episode because it's filled with angsty, "Party of Five" Jackface. But to me, this episode not only establishes Jack as the central hero of the show, it begins the show's pervasive Science vs. Faith theme with a terrific scene between Jack and Locke (thanks to the Lost Hatch for their invaluable episode transcripts):

Jack	How are they, the others?
Locke	Thirsty. Hungry. Waiting to be rescued. And they need someone to tell them what to do.
Jack	Me? I can't.
Locke	Why can't you?
Jack	Because I'm not a leader.
Locke	And yet they all treat you like one.
Jack	I don't know how to help them. I'll fail. I don't have what it takes.
Locke	Why are you out here Jack?
Jack	I think I'm going crazy.
Locke	No. You're not going crazy.
Jack	No?
Locke	Crazy people don't know they're going crazy. They think they're getting saner. So, why are you out here?
Jack	I'm chasing something. Someone.
Locke	Ah. The white rabbit. Alice in Wonderland.
Jack	Yeah, wonderland, because who I'm chasing... he's not there.
Locke	But you see him?
Jack	Yes. But he's not there.
Locke	And if I came to you and said the same thing, then what would your explanation be, as a doctor.
Jack	I'd call it a hallucination. A result of dehydration, post traumatic stress, not getting more than 2 hours of sleep a night for the past week. All the above.
Locke	All right, then. You're hallucinating. But what if you're not?
Jack	Then we're all in a lot of trouble.
Locke	I'm an ordinary man Jack, meat and potatoes, I live in the real world. I'm not a big believer in magic. But this place is different. It's special. The others don't want to talk about it because it scares them. But we all know it. We all feel it. Is your white rabbit a hallucination? Probably. But what if everything that happened here, happened for a reason? What if this person that you're chasing is really here?
Jack	That's impossible.
Locke	Even if it is, let's say it's not.
Jack	Then what happens when I catch him?
Locke	I don't know. But I've looked into the eye of this island. And what I saw was beautiful.
Jack	Wait, wait, where are you going?
Locke	To find some more water.
Jack	I'll come with you.
Locke	No. You need to finish what you've started.
Jack	Why?
Locke	Because a leader can't lead until he knows where he's going.

Not only is this the first time Jack and Locke have really squared off, but it the first time we hear Locke describe the Monster as being "beautiful." It's also the start of John's wise man/shaman role that he maintained so well throughout all of first season and subsequently lost when he found the button. I still get goosebumps watching them square off for the first time.

It's also interesting to point out here the parallels between Jack's vision of his father and young Ben's vision of his mother. First of all, remember that Richard considered Ben very special for seeing a vision on the island. I wonder what he would say if he knew Jack saw his dad?

Furthermore, Jack's vision is one of the only true visions seen on the island aside from Ben's. Lostpedia has an excellent list of all the dreams and visions we've seen. Looking through them, the only ones that aren't dreams or otherwise artificially induced (such as Boone and Locke's drug and steam induced hallucinations) are:

1) Jack's Dad
2) Kate's horse
3) Dave
4) Yemi (not in Eko's dream, but right before he was killed)
5) Shannon seeing Walt
6) Locke seeing Walt

Now Kate's horse could be real (the Others have horses), Dave could simply be in Hurley's head, and Yemi was likely the Monster. And if those visions were created by the Monster (like Yemi with Eko), why did it react so violently with him. Was it because he failed to help John and allowed the Swan to implode? Or was it because he refused to admit his sins?

The visions of Walt could actually be Walt himself (remember Bea Klugh's question to Michael: "Has he ever appeared in a place he wasn't supposed to be?") We know Walt has some sort of psychic powers and connections to both Locke and Shannon (remember Shannon was taking care of Vincent at the time). But looking at these objectively, really the only for certain, on-island while awake visions for which we have no other plausible explanation are Jack's dad and Ben's mom.

But it seems reasonable to assume that the same entity created both of their visions given their similarity. Was it the Monster? Was it Jacob? Was it the island itself? And in both cases, their visions seemed to want to help them. Jack's dad led him to his coffin and the fresh water that the camp so desperately needed (this episode also featured Boone stealing the case of water for "safekeeping"). Ben's vision kept him from running away and getting fried by the fence. We know Locke and Ben are special because they can hear Jacob, but the events of White Rabbit make it seem that Jack is just as special as either of them.

This was probably the best series of Jack flashbacks too. We get to see Christian Shepherd telling Jack he hasn't got "what it takes," Jack finding his dad's body in the morgue, and the great scene in the airport that we see again and again where Jack tells Chrissy that he needs his father's coffin to be on this plane because he needs it to be over:

Jack: No! I want you to listen to me, okay. Because I'm asking you a favor, Crissy. I'm standing in front of you in the same suit that I'm wearing to my father's funeral and I'm asking you a favor. In 16 hours I need to land at LAX, and I need that coffin to clear customs because there's going to be a hearse waiting there. And I need that hearse to take me and that coffin to a cemetery. Why? Crissy, why can't I just bring him to a funeral home and make all the arrangements? Why can't I really take my time with it? Because... because I need it to be done. I need it to be over. I just... I need to bury my father.

The disappearance of Christian's corpse is also one of the most debated mysteries of the entire show. There are three primary theories here:

1) Screwed by the airline: The body itself may never have even gotten on the plane, left behind by the airline who couldn't (or didn't want to) honor Jack's impassioned request.

2) Faked Death: Likewise, Jack's dad could have faked his own death. He could have known the mortician and had him fake his records. Jack only took a teary, casual glance at the body. The airline then loaded an empty coffin on the plane.

3) The Island Made It Disappear: Dead bodies have a strange habit of disappearing on the island. We know Yemi's body disappeared for certain. But what about Kelvin (if he's really dead)? And as morbid as it sounds, has anyone ever checked all those graves? This, to me, seems like what the writers want us to think now, given how overt Yemi's body's disappearance was presented.

Lastly, this episode ends with Jack's now classic "live together, die alone" speech.

Jack: It's been 6 days and we're all still waiting. Waiting for someone to come. But what if they don't? We have to stop waiting. We need to start figuring things out. A woman died this morning just going for a swim and he tried to save her, and now you're about to crucify him? We can't do this. Every man for himself is not gonna work. It's time to start organizing. We need to figure out how we're gonna survive here. Now I found water... fresh water up in the valley. I'll take a group in at first light. If you don't want to come then find a way to contribute. Last week most of us were strangers. But we're all here now. And God knows how long we're gonna be here. But if we can't live together...we're gonna die alone.

From here on out, Jack became the leader of the Losties and their scientific, logical center. Despite everything he saw that day, he still remained the Man of Science - refusing to believe anything out of the ordinary happened to him. Think about it, you spend a day chasing a vision of your dead father through a jungle, who happens to lead you not only to his empty coffin, but to the water and shelter everyone needs, and you chalk it all up to dehydration and lack of sleep? Now, of course, that's a completely reasonable explanation, especially taking coincidence into account. But now, given all we've seen on the island, it seems much more plausible that someone or something on the island was leading him to what he was searching for.

This episode makes my Top 10 list because it sets up Jack as the antithesis to Locke, establishing his character not only as the hero of the show, but as its logical, rational center. While this has not served Jack altogether well on the island (and from the finale it looks like it's led him to a disastrous decision too), I believe that both Jack and Locke need each other to balance themselves out.

White Rabbit is one of the foundations of Lost, not only delving into one of its central characters for the first time, but establishing one of the central themes of the show. And, even if you dislike Jack, you can't deny how classic several of the scenes ended up being to the series as a whole.

According to the LOST fans at TV.com, White Rabbit is one of the worst episodes in the series. Of course, worst is all relative since it still scored a 9/10, but it certainly didn't compare with many of the other pivotal episodes of Season One to the watchers at large.

So what do you think? Is White Rabbit a LOST classic? Would it make your Top 10 list? Or have I seriously overrated it? :)

Lost Junkie Fix #1: Mobisodes

This was mentioned in the Sopranos article, but it's worth pointing out if you missed it. During the (really, really long) hiatus, ABC will be putting out these 90 second little clips of our favorite islanders, first over mobile phones and eventually on the internet.

These were supposed to come out last summer, but were apparently scrapped so they could make sure the entire primary cast got on board. It was also thought they might be able to squeeze them in after the mini-series, but they were apparently replaced with the "Lost Moments" clips shown during the ill-fated "Day Break."

The original storyline was supposed to be that Hurley finds a video camera and goes around randomly taping people, but the article doesn't mention whether that's changed.

If you didn't participate in the "The Lost Experience" from last summer, it was terrific fun and a great way to get your Lost fix during the break. I'm sure these mobisodes won't be the only thing ABC does to keep everyone hooked until February.

Lost Puzzle Clues

In 2006, four Lost jigsaw puzzles were produced, each giving hidden clues to the show once assembled. Various people across the net assembled them and worked to decode the messages. Lostpedia has a great page summary of all the info they contain.

Because I'd like eventually review the Blast Door Map now that we have another entire season under our belt, I thought I'd talk a little bit about the puzzles first since many of the hidden clues refer to abbreviations and missing notations from the Map that were heavily debated when it was released. Let's take them one-by-one.

1) Abbreviations

There were about a dozen different abbreviations on the Map, some easy to decipher and some which caused some head scratching, especially one in particular: "CV." There were several CV markings on the map, numbered with roman numerals: CVI, CVII, CVIII, CVIV. However, because CVIII also equals 108, there was a lot of discussion as to whether these were simply numbers (even though CVIV is not the correct notation for 109 (which would be CIX).

One of the theories was that CV stood for "Cerberus Vent," i.e. something the Smoke Monster could pop out of from underground. From the puzzles, this turned out to be correct. The abbreviations:

Periodic Supply Drop (PSD)
Alvar Hanso (AH)
Dharma Initiative Hanso Group (DIHG)
Cerberus Vent (CV)
Emergency Escape Protocol (EEP)

The others were nice to have confirmed even though fans had pretty much guessed them (EEP was still somewhat being debated, but the others were pretty clear). But CV actually being Cerebus Vent was huge because 1) it actually suggests Smokey = Cerberus and 2) that he uses these vents to pop out at certain places on the island from underground. This explains a bit as to why it tried to drag Locke into that gaping hole in "Exodus." I'll reflect on this a bit more when I talk about the Map.

2) Missing Notations

The second set of info gleaned from the puzzles was the writing at the top of the Blast Door Map that you couldn't pick up from the screen captures. This was mostly in the top right-hand corner near the Arrow Station. Here's everything we couldn't read:

On the left, near the crossed out station (italic writings are old)

Believed to have divested from project in 1985 following AH/MDG incident.
Know to be a hub for EFP conduits
DHARMA Protocol - no stations past security barrier
Why a DHARMATEL Intranet presence past this border?
Carcharodon carchareas selective breeding facility?

On the right, near The Arrow

Possible offshore data dump
Arrow Station Primary Function: Restocking and staging area for DIHG
Possible terminal point for subterranean EEP tunnel network?
Final destination in case of code 42?
Hub of DIHG road system or other major route of overland travel?

While this doesn't give us a wealth of new information from the Map itself, it's nice to have everything filled in. EFP could have been a typo since EEP fits much better there. Code 42 is interesting because of the codes the computer in the Flame used (42 wasn't one of them). It also seems that DHARMA does have a bunch of escape tunnels across the island that the Losties have yet to find and explore. They also say the breeding facility is for Great Whites, although I don't think the shark Michael shot was one of those.

The Arrow being a restocking or restaging area is curious too. This makes it sound like The Arrow was merely a point station for shipping supplies to all the others (although we did see some of that happening in the Barracks too). But Horace Goodspeed had an arrow insignia on his jumpsuit and he was a mathematician - maybe more went on there than Radzinsky and Kelvin suspected.

3) Phrases

Lastly, there were four phrases also included with the notations, two which seem to be jokes, and two which hit home at a central mystery of the show:

The Jokes

Need More Mac And Cheese
What Good Is Peanut Butter And Cereal Without Milk

These seem to be inside jokes from the writers with a sideways nod to Henry Gale's terrific "got any milk" line. But the other two are a bit more serious...

The Clues

There Is No Sickness
Quarantine Is A Hoax

Whoa, eh? While this has been suspected for some time (and somewhat confirmed by Kelvin using the sickness excuse to keep Desmond in the Swan), it's a pretty big deal to see it in writing. So why would DHARMA do such a thing?

It could have been added incentive to keep people from exploring the island and getting themselves killed by the Others or the Monster. What better to quash scientific curiosity than with the fear of a deadly illness? Remember "Quarantine" wasn't just written on the Swan's Hatch, it was also written on the door of The Arrow. This suggests it wasn't just made to keep people pushing the button, it seems to be to keep people from exploring the island in general.

So the question remains, what happened to Danielle's crew? the first time we ever heard of "The Sickness" was when Danielle told Sayid that she killed them all after they got sick and went insane. However, we have to remember that 1) Danielle's been on the island for 16 years and, aside from being slightly bonkers from the exile and having her baby stolen, her health is fine and 2) No one from the Losties or the Others seems particularly ill either. Perhaps Danielle's crew did get sick and go insane. But it seems plausible that their sickness is unrelated to the DHARMA hoax.

This is pretty good stuff for a puzzle sales pitch: They said there would be clues when assembled and they delivered on the goods. They gave us several answers to questions we had on the Map and threw in a bonus answer to one of the central mysteries of the show. I'll refer back to this a bit when I talk about the Blast Door Map later on.

Lost Won't End Like "The Sopranos"

According to the writers, anyway.

Oh darn. And I so wanted the end to feature Jack, Kate, and Sawyer munching onion rings in a diner to the dulcet tones of Journey with Ben rushing in to meet them. Then you get a quick fade to black overlaid with a cacophony of Monster noises.

Whip It Good

Check out this Josh Holloway "In Fashion" photoshoot from long ago, when he must have been poor and unknown because no one in their right mind would ever let someone dress them this way, regardless of the decade.

Wonder what Sawyer would nickname him here? Devo? Spicoli? Toto?

Lost Season 3 DVD

TVShowsOnDVD has some high res box art for the Season 3 set which, in case you hadn't heard, won't be released until December 11th. Oy. Despite the long wait though, you can already pre-order it from Amazon for $38.99, not a bad price at all.

Notice the Hydra Station on the side and "Jacob Loves You" scrawled on the front. Sweet.

Season 3 Recap

Episodes (Flashbacks) – Rating (out of five stars):

1. A Tale of Two Cities (Jack) – ****
2. The Glass Ballerina (Jin/Sun) – **** ½
3. Further Instructions (Locke) - ****
4. Every Man For Himself (Sawyer) - *** ½
5. The Cost Of Living (Eko) - ****
6. I Do (Kate) - ***
7. Not In Portland (Juliet) - ****
8. Flashes Before Your Eyes (Desmond) - *****
9. Stranger In A Strange Land (Jack) - **
10. Tricia Tanaka Is Dead (Hurley) - *** ½
11. Enter 77 (Sayid) - ****
12. Par Avion (Claire) - ****
13. The Man From Tallahassee (Locke) - *****
14. Expose (Nikki/Paolo) - ****
15. Left Behind (Kate) - *** ½
16. One Of Us (Juliet) - **** ½
17. Catch-22 (Desmond) - ****
18. D.O.C. (Jin/Sun) - **** ½
19. The Brig (Locke, on-island flashbacks) - *** ½ (but ***** for The Brig scene)
20. The Man Behind The Curtain (Ben) - ****
21. Greatest Hits (Charlie) - **** 9/10 (oh, so close)
22. Through The Looking Glass (Jack) - *****

Best Episode: Flashes Before Your Eyes (yes, you read that correctly)
Runner-Up: The Man From Tallahassee
Worst Episode: Stranger In a Strange Land (it’s not even close)
Runner-Down: I Do (Mal aside, what an awful end to the mini-series)

This season's been an interesting one. It started fabulous, with a terrific opening five minutes and solid first three episodes. But then it stagnated before the break and really didn't find its groove, aside from "Flashes Before Your Eyes," until "Enter 77." Since then, Season 3 has been an incredible roller coaster of entertainment and the show has revealed a ton of info.

What I’d like to do is go over some of the more prominent plot points from the season and recap what happened to each character. Then I’m going to just give my overall impressions of the season as a whole.

What We’ve Learned

1) DHARMA

We’ve certainly learned quite a bit more about the organization of DHARMA and their stations on the island. We found their living quarters in the Barracks, their zoological research station in the Hydra, their communications station in Flame, the sub dock in The Looking Glass, and (finally) their Radio Tower. We learned they traveled by sub, there's a secret room in the Staff where all the medical supplies disappeared to after Claire escaped, and that the beach cable connects the Looking Glass to the DHARMA grid. We learned the Looking Glass has a homing beacon for the sub that stopped working when the Swan blew and that the Others are using the station to jam the radio tower transmission.

We also learned a bit of their history. We know now that DHARMA at least knew a bit about the Monster, such that they constructed a special fence to keep it out. We know they they didn’t get along with the Others and that they were purged from the island with help from Ben on the inside.

We know that Kelvin was indeed a DHARMA operative (not an Other) and that he (and Radzinsky) likely became trapped in the Swan after the purge. We know that DHARMA worked on polar bears and sharks in the Hydra station and that they escaped after the purge.

What we still don’t know about DHARMA is what “the incident” was and why they viewed the Others as a threat? Was the incident the last straw that made the Others purge them all? Also was the Monster part of DHARMA or part of the island? Was the Monster the “Cerberus” security system mentioned on the Blast Door Map and could the “catastrophic malfunction” of that system be the incident instead?

The bottom line, though, is that no matter how noble DHARMA’s intentions were, the Others perceived them as a threat and killed them all for what they thought was the greater good.

2) The Others:

Even though this season was supposed to be about the Others, I think we actually learned more about DHARMA than we learned about the Others themselves.

We know their ultimate objective right now seems to be trying to figure out why women die in childbirth on the island. But they have several other projects, including building an airstrip on DHARMA island (mentioned in the finale). They’ve taken over all the DHARMA stations and the Barracks. They had been able to communicate with the outside world up until the Swan blew and it seems they had several projects and people working for them out there.

We know Ben’s plan was to manipulate Jack into doing his surgery (and possibly into goading Kate into having sex with either Jack or Sawyer). We know Ben and Tom were monitoring the Losties from the Pearl Station before Ben got caught by Danielle. Ben was brainwashing Karl because he was afraid Alex was going to get pregnant.

The only Other we know that’s a true island native is Richard Alpert, who first met Ben when he was just a child. We know Ben is not an island native, but he has a special connection to the island since he can see and talk to Jacob. It’s interesting that Richard seemed awed that Ben saw a vision of his dead mother on the island and it makes me wonder what he’d saw if he knew Jack saw his dad, Kate saw her horse, Eko saw his brother, etc...

The Others seem to follow Ben because of this ability, but have grown greatly distrustful of him since his surgery. We also know that the native Others seem to respect Locke because the island healed him. We know the Others have been on the island a very long time, judging from the foot statue, the ruins, and the unseen Temple Richard mentioned in the finale.


What we haven’t seen is where they’re conducting their biological research and tests – where are they working on the blood samples they took from Kate, Jack, Michael, and Sawyer? Where are they processing any samples they take from the women? Plus, what were the Others doing with Walt and what role did Bea Klugh have in all this? What was she protecting that was so important for her to kill herself?

Next season looks to have and all out Others revolt against Ben although it seems from the finale that both the Others and the Losties may have to unite against a common enemy – which I think would be very cool.

3) Characters

Jack – He stalked his ex-wife and got some tattoos in Thailand that mean “He walks among us, but he is not one of us.“ He bonded with Juliet in captivity, but he still really loves Kate. And, most importantly, either in our the future or an alternate one, he gets off the freakin' island! Whoa.

Kate – She got married to Mal Reynolds and got Cassidy to help her see her Mom. She also did the nasty regularly with Sawyer (despite still being in love with Jack), and now is likely pregnant with from his Super Island Sperm. But, most importantly, either in our the future or an alternate one, she gets off the freakin' island! Whoa.

Sawyer – He’s a daddy (and a good one at that, setting her up a trust fund). He finally got some Kate tookus (and likely gave little Clementine a potential sibling). He also finally got his revenge on Anthony Cooper and revealed to Sun that he and Charlie were behind her kidnapping. Sawyer had most of the best lines of the season.

Locke – Off island: He grew some good hemp on a commune and got pushed out a window by his Dad.

On island, he was a busy bee: The island was pissed he blew up the Swan and got him to save Eko with his trippy vision inside an IT-style sweat lodge. He discovered Mikhail using the Pearl video cameras, then followed Eko’s stick to the Flame. He blew up the Flame, tried to kill Mikhail, held Ben at gunpoint, and blew up the sub. Then, having to face his dad after he came out of the “magic box,” he got Sawyer to kill him.

He beat the crap out of Mikhail to get Ben to take him to Jacob (which I imagine is going to come back to haunt him since dollars to donuts Mikhail is still alive), heard Jacob say "HELP ME," then got shot and dumped in a mass grave by a jealous Ben.

But the island healed him, sent a vision of Walt to prevent him from killing himself, and got him out of the grave. He killed Naomi before she could call her ship, but couldn't bring himself to kill Jack.

Desmond - Des has some of the most significant developments of any character on the show. By turning the failsafe key, Desmond got both the power to see into the future and an unexpected trip back in time. We learned how he met Penny, after a failed relationship in which he backed out of marriage at the last minute (his cowardice again) and a failed stint in a monastery (which also is why he calls everyone "brother"). And for those of you who doubt it, the writers have specifically said he did indeed travel back in time in "Flashes Before Your Eyes." Lemme repeat that:

The writers have specifically said he did indeed travel back in time in "Flashes Before Your Eyes."

Furthermore, Ms. Hawking (a nod to Stephen Hawking to be sure), the old woman he met in the jewelry shop seems to be playing a larger role in his destiny. She also appeared in a photo with Brother Campbell which was sitting on his desk at the end of the episode. This suggests she may have arranged him to get thrown out of the monastery and meet Penny, setting off the chain of events that led him to the island.

Desmond's power could be the deus ex machina that resolves everything in the show.

On-island, aside from saving Charlie's life over and over again, Desmond also found Naomi and helped Charlie turn off the jammer in the Looking Glass. Question here is, who is Naomi really working for? Penny didn't know her, yet she certainly knew of Desmond. Is she working for Penny's evil Dad? That's really one of the biggest questions out of the finale.

Mr. Eko (remember him?) - We learned Eko committed yet another heinous crime in his past, attempting to steal and sell vaccine for the village on the black market and brutally murdering three (evil) smugglers inside a church.

But it was his confrontation with the Monster that was the most interesting. Beforehand remember, Eko returned to the drug smuggler's plane and saw that Yemi's body had vanished. This vanishing bodies trick is curious. Remember Christian Shepherd's body was missing as well. And what about Kelvin Inman's body that no one seems to have discovered (although he could still be alive). Does the Monster sweep them all up? Did the Others collect them? Does the island take them? And since all these bodies have disappeared, why didn't Adam and Eve poof away as well?

The Monster than confronted Eko as Yemi, who asked Eko if he was ready to confess his sins. Eko replied that he has not sinned saying:

"I did not ask for the life he was given. But it was given nonetheless. And with it, I did my best."

And then the Monster went all WWF on him.

What would the Monster have done if Eko confessed and said he was sorry? Would it have let him live? Everyone on the island has sins and some (Kate, Sawyer) are likely not very sorry for some of them. And remember Eko's last words were "you're next," referring to Locke and the others. More Monster action next season, please.

Benjamin Linus - Ben's gets more interesting the more we find out about him. We know he manipulated Jack into doing his surgery. He was a DHARMA kid who had a bad daddy and a special connection to the island - so special that the native others made him their leader. He orchestrated the purge and is convinced he's still a "good person."

However, despite this, he's deeply jealous of Locke's connection. If he was so obsessed with trying to save the island (or the world) wouldn't you think he'd want Locke's help? He seems like a character who's been corrupted a bit by power. Where his character goes next season is one of the more interesting decisions the writers have to make.

Sayid – What’s most interesting about Sayid is what we don’t know: What the heck is the “Basra incident” that Juliet mentioned? Otherwise he had his usual kick-ass, Mr. Fixit type season: After being pwned by the Others who took the Elizabeth (remember that, wonder where it is now), he found the Flame, went to the Barracks, told Alex her mother was still alive, and blew up some Others.

Off island, he got a taste of his own medicine from one of his victims.

Hurley – He has a bad daddy too. But he found a VW van with the corpse of Ben's Dad inside and he used it to save everyone! Dude!

Jin & Sun – Our favorite Korean couple actually had a pretty eventful year. Their flashback were generally pretty good: Sun had an affair with Jae Lee, was bribed by Jin's evil Mom, responsible for Jin becoming her Dad’s henchman, and had a sweet heart-to-heart talk with Jin's GOOD daddy. It's really interesting that Jin is the one character on the whole show who has a loving father and an evil mother. Jin, on the other hand, was sent to kill to kill Jae Lee by Sun's father but couldn't bring himself to go through with it.

On island, Sun learned that Jin is the father of her child and that she only has about two months to live before her body kill the baby and herself. She also learned Charlie was the one who kidnapped her and that Sawyer put him up to it.

Claire – Claire had a pretty eventful year too (for her). First of all, we learned she’s Jack’s half-sister - long-suspected, but finally confirmed. But we also found out quite a bit about what happened to her during her kidnapping. We know Ethan put an implant in her that can be activated remotely and inactivated with an injection. Question is: Could it be re-activated again and does anyone else have one as well?

Also, don't forget about the bird with the note. It might seem silly, but it may just become an important plot point later on.

Charlie – He really had nothing to do all season except try and survive Desmond's predictions. We did learn though that he saved Nadia's life though in his Greatest Hits flashbacks.

Nikki/Paolo - I'm only really including them here because they had a whole episode to themselves (a fun episode, to me) and that their flashbacks did reveal a few things regarding Ben's plan and the island timeline in general. The walkie-talkie they picked up didn't figure into the plot as I thought it would (except for insinuating they might be spies).

But there are two things to remember from this episode: The 8-hour spider venom (which could come into play in a later episode) and the buried diamonds (which may be useful later on).

Season Four thoughts

Next season is likely going to have to deal with the ramifications of Jack’s phone call. It seems like he made a mistake - i.e. Ben was telling the truth when he said Naomi’s people are evil.

I don’t think there are going to be only flash forwards from now on; there are still a lot of back stories to be told. Here are some of the flashbacks I’d like to see next year:

1) Danielle – I’ve been waiting for her story since Season One
2) Richard Alpert – The Others’ ancient history
3) Ben – What happened after the purge? What’s his deal with Jacob?
4) Mikhail – He’s got to still be alive. And I bet he has a great story to tell.
5) Kelvin Inman – I think he’s still alive too - maybe he can tell us what the incident was
6) Alex – What was her life with the Others like?
7) Karl - Ditto
8) Desmond – Why was he dishonorably discharged from the army?
9) Penny – What’s she doing to track down Desmond?
10) Sayid – What happened in Basra?
11) Sawyer – What was the Tampa Job?

Jack, Kate, Hurley, Locke, Claire, and Jin/Sun really don’t have much more to tell in their backstories anymore and would seem to be likely candidates for flash forwards should the writers do that again.

As far as plot questions, here are my top ten I'd like to see answered:

1) Who was Naomi working for?
2) Who or what is Jacob?
3) What is the Temple and how does it relate to the history of the Others?
4) Why were the Others building a runway on Hydra Island?
5) Why is Ben obsessed with solving the island's baby problem?
6) Do natives of the island really live longer (or not age at all)?
7) What's Locke's connection to Jacob and the Island?
8) Is the Monster responsible for the disappearing bodies?
9) Is the Monster responsible for the visions seen on the island?
10) What is the Monster and is it connected to DHARMA or the island itself?

All-in-all, a terrific season once it got going. There are now officially only 48 episodes left (although three of those may be two-hour season finales).

What do you think will happen? Did you enjoy the season? What questions do you want to see answered? Whose flashbacks do you want to see? Let me know what you think in the comments.

Love Is A Biscuit In The Shape Of A Fish

There are people out there who are more crazy about this show than I. Like these people who have figured out how to make DHARMA fish biscuits.

Here's hoping your significant other tastes like strawberries too.

Lost 3.22 Review: "Through The Looking Glass"

So was this a mind-blowing season finale or what? Crisply paced, fabulously acted, and containing a huge, thought-provoking twist at the end. Jack's "Flash Forward" made me think of several works the writers are certainly familiar with. Question is: Which one is it? I'll explain later, but first my five favorite moments of the episode (outside of the ending, which I'll talk about later on).


1. Charlie's Death

I've been waiting for Charlie to die for about a season and a half now, ever since the awful "Fire + Water" episode. His backstory was fully told, his junkie storyline had run its course, and the only purpose he seemed to have left was to whine and bug the crap out of Claire.

But I have to say, he fully redeemed himself in my eyes the past two episodes. Flaunting his death in front of the Other chicks was great, the need for his musical talent to input the code was a nice touch (it gave him purpose), and his sacrifice was touching and noble.

And, make no mistake, he had to die for Desmond's vision to come true. Or at least he believed he did. That's why he closed himself in - not just to prevent Desmond from doing something stupid, but to ensure his vision of Claire and Aaron being saved comes true. If LOST does go down as one of best shows in history (and I think it will), Charlie's death is going to become an iconic moment and I have to think the Hobbit has to be pretty happy about that.

2. Hurley To The Rescue

I should have seen it coming. After Sawyer heartbreaking said to Hugo what everyone was thinking and he walked dejectedly away, you knew he was going to save them all. You could also kinda predict he was certain to save them in his own unique way.

But when he ran over that Other with the van, I was literally floored. I stood up and applauded. Of course he was going to use his van, dude! And when he jubilantly told Jack he saved them, like a little kid in the schoolyard, I had a big weepy grin on my face. Just a fabulous moment.

3. Locke and Walt

Well that was kinda creepy, eh? And not just because the producers had to do some funky voice and perspective things to make Malcolm David Kelley look prepubescent again. Was he the Monster? Jacob? The island itself? Simply a spine-tingling moment.

4. Danielle and Alex

As touching as this scene was, did anyone else find it hilarious that her first words EVER to her daughter were "Help me tie him up," referring to the bloodied Benjamin Linus. Speaking of which...

5. Jack Beating The Crap Out Of Ben

It wasn't pretty, but, boy, didn't it look like it felt good?

Tidbits:

1) The Dead: Charlie, Tom, Naomi, the two chicks from the Looking Glass, a lot of minor Others. I was pretty wrong about most of these, and totally shocked Bernard didn't die. I really don't think Mikhail is dead.

2) I thought the episode was terrific overall, Lost Easter Eggs has some great screencaps of key things, especially Jack's obituary. What you can read sorta says:

"The body of J --- --- antham of New York was found shortly after 4am in the ---- of Grand Avenue. Ted ----- man at the Tower heard loud noises ---- antham's loft ---- from a beam.

(Note: Dashes do not correspond with actual letters. They're just illegible parts.)

Sounds like someone we haven't met yet, who's from New York and who hung himself from a beam. He was found by 'Ted" the watchman at the Tower.

The words "Tower" and "Beam" appearing in this very important obit coupled with Jack's flash forward certainly makes me (and probably several of you) think of a very significant work the writers are sure to be familiar with. More on this later on.

3) The funeral parlor was called "Hoffs/Drawlar," an anagram for "Flash Forward"

4) The date on Jack newspaper was May 2007, our present day

The Ending:

The ending offered up a host of possibilities, and the writers went on record afterward to say they don't want to reveal what it meant because they want people to discuss it (no problem). The big question is whether Jack's flash forward represents the actual future, an alternate future, or Jack's memories. Now before you call the men in the white coats, lemme explain...

1. The Future aka "The Star Trek Scenario"

If what we saw represents the actual future, it means the ending is set in stone and the rest of the series will be leading up to how Jack got to that point (and possibly what he does to correct his mistake). This is the most literal interpretation of the finale and what most people on the net generally seem to think.

If we take it all literally, Jack and Kate got rescued, the mysterious J. -antham dies, and Jack is miserable trying to get back. Jack's obsession with returning to the island reminded me of the Nexus in Star Trek: Generations. In that film, Malcolm McDowell plays a somewhat cheesy villain who's obsessed with trying to get back to a roving space anomaly called "the Nexus." It's like a virtual reality where all your dreams come true. Problem is, once you leave, it's virtually impossible to get back (unless you destroy a planet or two) and it leaves you like a junkie in permanent withdrawal with no chance of scoring a swag.

If this scenario is real, it means we're likely to be seeing other flash forwards for the other characters and that the last season of the show may involve them trying to get back to the island to correct their mistakes. But honestly, it really looks like the damage was already done. Did you notice how dark the entire future was? It was almost always night, Jack looked awful, and everywhere he went seemed decrepit and hopeless.

The darkness of what we've been shown makes me think this vision is a Ghost of Lost Yet To Come. Remember, they haven't actually left the island yet. So the question is, can they change the future? Bringing us to...

2. An Alternate Future aka "The Days of Future Past Scenario"

Could Jack's flash forward be a glimpse of a possible future? Could the rest of the show instead be moving towards preventing that future from occurring instead? This offers much more reason for hope to me, and it reminds me of one of the most significant comic book stories ever written: Days of Future Past.

For those of you not familiar, DOFP is an X-Men comic where Kitty Pryde gets sent back in time to prevent the assassination of a rabidly anti-mutant U.S. Senator by Mystique. His death sets off a series of events resulting in the death of nearly all superhuman characters in the Marvel Universe and an America destroyed and overrun by sentinels. Kitty manages to prevent the assassination from taking place, presumably erasing the terrible future altogether.

We know Desmond can not only see the future, but has already traveled into the past once before earlier in the season. Could the writers be setting us up to have Desmond go back in time and preventing Jack's dark future from happening? This seems much more optimistic to me and despite it's fantastical nature, a plausible one given the nature of the show. But there is one more crazy scenario that seemed to be hinted at in the finale...

3. Jack's Memories aka "The Dark Tower Scenario"

Okay, if you haven't read Stephen King's Dark Tower series and you plan to, I highly recommend you skip this little section. STEPHEN KING SPOILERS ABOUND.

The series involves a gunslinger, Roland, who's obsessed with the Dark Tower, a lynchpin of reality that evil forces are trying to destroy. At the beginning of the tale, Roland is chasing a Man in Black, who supposedly can tell him how to reach the Tower, across a desert. He eventually catches him and the Man tells him his future with a Tarot deck before he dies. It isn't a pretty one.

The Tower is held up by six "beams," which all cross and intersect at the Tower itself. Roland follows one of the Beams to the Tower, prevents the evil men from destroying it, but makes some mistakes along the way that result in the of many of his friends . Nevertheless, he climbs the Tower to face his destiny. At the top, he finds a door with his name on it. When he opens it, for an instant his memories come flooding back. Memories of climbing that same tower and opening that same door an infinite number of times before. Before he can do anything, Roland is sucked into the door and sent back to the very beginning, to the edge of the desert where he was chasing the Man in Black, with no memory of what has transpired. Forced to repeat his quest, he starts off after the Man in Black again.

Could Jack be Roland? Could he be destined to repeat his mistakes again and again until he gets it right and saves the island? Could what we saw in the finale be something Jack has already experienced before, a true flashback if you will?

The Tower ending does offer some hope in this regard - namely that if Roland makes some small changes in what transpires, he can alter the future and finally end his time-loop once and for all. In this scenario, maybe Desmond is the key here - he'll be able to see what's happening and prevent Jack from repeating his mistakes.

So what set me off on this crazy theory, aside from the usual, that is? Well, first of all, the writers are definitely familiar with the Tower, considering how big Stephen King fans they are. Secondly, the newspaper article that Jack was obsessing over in the finale had several prominent Tower related words present: "Tower," "Beam," and "Ted," the name of one of the major characters from the latter books in the series. Furthermore, an easter egg hidden in an earlier episode this season also ties into this. If you reverse the audio from the film Karl was being brainwashed with in Room 23, you can hear the creepy phrase "ONLY FOOLS ARE ENSLAVED BY TIME AND SPACE." I thought that screamed Dark Tower when I first heard it. Now it reminds me of it even more.

Crazy? Yeah. It's certainly not Occam's Razor. But keep the Dark Tower in mind. Or better yet, read it. You certainly won't regret it.

Overall:

If this episode isn't a 5/5, I don't know what is. Lots to chew on, eh? What did you think of the finale? What did you think Jack's flash forward means?

Who Are Adam And Eve?

I'm going to be slowly and periodically moving all my Lost posts from SU over here, expanding on some of them too. One of my first was from an almost unseen tidbit from "Flashes Before Your Eyes."



If you look closely at the small table in the foreground, you can see two small stones on it. Since they seem so out-of-place in an apartment being remodeled, this has fueled speculation that they're actually the two stones Jack found on the bodies of Adam and Eve in the caves, way back in "House of the Rising Sun."

Furthermore, the writers have explicitly stated that these two rotting bodies are central to the mystery of the island:

Question: "What is the meaning or significance of the two skeletons that Jack and Kate found in the cave of season 1?"

CUSE: The answer to that question goes to the nature of the timeline of the island. We don't want to say too much about it, but there are a couple Easter eggs embedded in "Not in Portland", one of which is an anagram that actually sheds some light on the skeletons and hints at a larger mythological mystery that will start to unfold later in the season.

LINDELOF: There were certain things we knew from the very beginning. Independent of ever knowing when the end was going to be, we knew what it was going to be, and we wanted to start setting it up as early as season 1, or else people would think that we were making it up as we were going along. So the skeletons are the living -- or, I guess, slowly decomposing -- proof of that. When all is said and done, people are going to point to the skeletons and say, "That is proof that from the very beginning, they always knew that they were going to do this."

The anagram is probably Mittelos Bioscience, where Mittelos = "Lost Time."

Now there are currently three major theories around who Adam and Eve actually are:

1) Jack and Kate - Almost too obvious, really.

2) Amelia Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan - Given the presumed location of the island is so close to where Earhart's plane disappeared and the island's penchant for sucking in random aircraft, there's been a lot of thought that these skeletons are actually Amelia and Fred. The added bonus of this theory is that no time travel would be required for it to be true.

However, the one thing that makes me think these are NOT Amelia and Fred is that we've already seen an Amelia on the island. And she's alive.

3) Penny and Desmond - I really think the stones add credence to this theory. Plus, given the fact that Desmond's already traveled back in time once in the show and that Penny and Desmond are probably the most significant couple on the show. I could see a scenario where Desmond has to use his power to go back in time to save them all, but as a result he can never return. And Penny decides to go with him rather than live in the present alone.

Regardless of who they are, Adam and Eve are a central part of the show's mythology and one of my top questions I want eventually answered.

Greetings!

I'm Jay, a scientist obsessed with picking apart and analyzing LOST. This is going to be the new home of my Lost reviews and theories. I have a blog over at Stumble Upon, but it's 10,000 character limit on posts has forced me to move over to blogger. Everything will eventually be imported here, but it'll probably take quite a few days.

In the meantime, check out what's up over at my SU blog. While the show's on hiatus I'll be offering a Season 3 recap, reviewing my Top 10 episodes of all time, and going over all the little bits of information the show has divulged so far. Enjoy! :)