S4E13 - There's No Place Like Home (Part 2)

Alas, the summer is officially here and with it, season finales and graduations. It could be said that the Oceanic Six (plus a few others) had a graduation of sorts. Seniors leaving their surreal bubble and moving off to the “real world.” Of course graduation means one thing…

YEAR BOOKS!

LOST Island High – Class of 2004/2005-ish
School Mascot – The Smoke Monsters
School Colors – Ocean Blue, Beach White, and Jungle Green


***[Jack Shepherd]: Plans after graduation – Grow a beard.***

“You can’t leave Jack. You’ll regret it. You know you will.” – John (aka Jeremy Bentham)

And it seems like John’s premonition proves correct. Jack and Hurley’s post-island life takes a turn for the worst, we know. Also, according to John, things go south after the island moves and he blames it on Jack’s leaving. It does make sense that John was the man in the coffin. To me, few people’s death would have elicited such an ambivalent response from Kate. Ben, John, and maybe Michael. Of course Michael got his permission slip to move on (signed by Jacob, delivered by Christian) when the freighter blew. However, seeing John dead was still a surprise simply because of where things were left with him. He totally seemed to be moving into a new leadership role and seemed very content to stay put. Will he have reason to leave the island on occasion, like Ben did and a scattering of others like Tom? Or is he forced to “move” the island, just like Ben had to, so will be officially kicked out at some point?

“Stay sweet!” – Charlotte Lewis


***[Katherine "Kate" Austen]: Plans after graduation – Raise other people’s babies.***

“We’ve had quite a year, huh? I can’t believe you stole Jack from me… JK! You two are cute together. Invite me to the wedding. Ha! BTW, remember that time you helped me perform his appendectomy? Good times! Stay out of trouble! J” – Juliet

Did anybody notice a little moment of chemistry between Juliet and Daniel? Totally a weird match, I know, but there it was. She was all like, “Thank you so much for helping us,” and he said sure and walked off, but totally gave her the over-the-shoulder-look-back. Good for him, he could do better than Charlotte, but Juliet might be a bit out of his league. Sorry, Dan, just my opinion.

“You know I’m not good with this mushy stuff. Don’t forget to do that thing I asked you to do. Yours.” – James (aka Sawyer)

I suppose we’ll see her fulfill that promise to him—whatever it was—sometime next season or the last. Once again, the only off island business he seems to have is with his ex-con girlfriend and their baby girl.

“Stay sweet!” – Charlotte Lewis


***[Hugo “Hurley” Reyes]: Plans after graduation – Go crazy…***

“Take us with you!” – Charlie and Mr. Eko

And who knows what other dead people Hurley is having visions of, poor guy… I totally forgot until just now what was going on with him and Sayid in their flash forward. It seems that Sayid is breaking him out of the mental ward, perhaps as part of Ben’s plan to get them all back together so they can return to the island?

“Stay sweet!” – Charlotte Lewis


***[Sun-Hwa Kwon]: Plans after graduation – Grow a pair. / Avenge husband’s death.***

“Can’t wait to get off this rock and go on the freighter cruise together. Senior trip!” – Jin

While I’m not 100% convinced that Jin is dead, it really did look like bad news bears for him. Let’s say that even if he managed to jump off at the last minute, he certainly didn’t have enough time to swim to the island before it went ghooozjh (that’s my sound effect for disappearing islands). This also makes me wonder about Daniel and the small boat of survivors that were on their way back to the island to escape the immanent explosion. To our knowledge, they were far enough away to be safe, but we never saw them get to shore. I’m sure we’ll see what happens to him (all of the others in his boat were “extras”) next season. He seems to have a good bit of story potential left.

Speaking of freighter people and story potential, they definitely ratcheted up my interest in Charlotte approximately one notch. From her comment to Daniel, it seems like she’s searching for the “place she was born.” Very interesting implications if that’s supposed to be the island, what with the baby complications and all.

“Good for you for sticking out your last few months here even though you got knocked up. Heard you’re going on the Senior trip. Me too! Last time I was on a cruise, though, I got food poisoning. Shellfish. Yuck! Hopefully nothing bad will happen on the freighter. Cross your fingers!” – Michael

Sun had the most interesting flash forward, to me. We see her in a very different light than we have in the past. Very corporate-femme-fatale. Nice. Her interaction with Widmore was intriguing. He seems to know her father very well and she seems to have done her homework too. Is she setting him up, perhaps? Or does she hold Ben indirectly responsible for her husband’s death? That is assuming that Ben is the one she was alluding to when she said, “You know we weren’t the only ones to make it off the island…” Then again, when Jack was speaking to Ben at the funeral home, he made it seem like Sun held him (Jack) responsible for Jin’s death. Not too far of a stretch since he was the one so adamant about not going back to the freighter after the chopper took off. Anyway, so who knows who she’s really mad at, but the thought of her going over to Widmore’s side to somehow avenge Jin’s death is an interesting twist.

“Stay sweet!” – Charlotte Lewis


***[Sayid Jarrah]: Plans after graduation – Killing spree.***

“Hey, dude. You should totally come visit me sometime after we get outta here. Have a great summer!” – Hurley

Lucky for Hurley, Sayid always visits his friends while packing heat. If that break out really was part of Ben’s bigger plan to return to the island (we all know he always has a plan), then it seems like the most difficult people to convince would be Kate and potentially Sun. Of course Hurley seemed very reluctant as well, so next season will be very interesting how they all come to accept the fact they need to go back, that is assuming they do. Kate, obviously has the difficulty of being on probation for 10 years. She can’t leave the state as part of her sentencing. Sun very well could be working for Widmore, so that’s an obvious hurdle, although if Widmore is still trying to find the island she may agree to go along while acting as a double agent. Interesting.

“Stay sweet!” – Charlotte Lewis


***[Desmond Hume]: Plans after graduation – Hook up with high school sweetheart.***

“See you in another life, brother.” – Jack

One thing that wasn’t cleared up for me was the whole, 8/6 survivors thing. The 8 totally made sense at first because the people who got rescued were the Oceanic Six plus Desmond and Frank the pilot. But only the Oceanic Six made it to shore on Amibia or wherever that was, so I don’t get why they even needed to bother lying about 2 other bodies when there were no bodies with them when they made it to civilization. Plot hole, anyone? Maybe I missed something.

Anyway, I’m psyched about Desmond making it off, but I don’t think we’re done with his story by a long shot. Especially if Ben plans on making good on his threat to Widmore about killing Penny, it totally makes sense that Desmond would have to be her protector. More to come on that, I’m sure.

“Stay sweet!” – Charlotte Lewis


***[Benjamin “Ben” Linus]: Plans after graduation – Immediately start planning 5 year reunion.***

“Sorry to see you go. Hear you’re going somewhere cold. Have the best summer ever!” – John (aka Jeremy Bentham)

That whole moving the island thing was interesting. Nice visual effect too. At first I thought Ben could just jump through space and time all willy-nilly, but it seems that maybe he’s just gotten off by “regular” means in the past but when he moved the island, he was subject to a “random” jump. As we know, he jumped a bit into the future, after the Oceanic Six returned. The impression is he was permanently ousted from the island at that point so maybe that’s the only bit of time/space travel he’s ever really done and that’s all he’ll be doing. Fine by me.

However, I don’t think the writers are completely done with time travel. Daniel, especially, seems a likely candidate.

“Stay sweet!” – Charlotte Lewis


*** CLASS SUPERLATIVES ***
Cutest Guy – James “Sawyer” Ford
Cutest Girl – Kate Austen
Most Likely To Succeed – Jack Shepherd
Best Hair – Juliet Burke
Nerdiest – Daniel Farraday
Best Couple – Sun / Jin Kwon
Creepiest Eyes – Benjamin Linus
Best Sense of Humor – Hugo Reyes
Most Likely To Blow Up Your Submarine – John Locke

The ballots aren’t all counted so feel free to send in additional comments or nominate these or other survivors for class superlatives.

Until next season, kids…

S4E12 - There's No Place Like Home (Part 1)

I feel like a lot happened in this episode, but when I sit down and really think about it, the flurry of activity is a bit of an illusion. In reality, it’s just that the entire cast got to do a little bit of something. Maybe the recap would be easier to manage one character at a time. I’ll try alphabetical order, so as not to appear biased.


Aaron – Is treated to a game of hot potato where he essentially plays the role of “the potato.” Claire abandoned him. Sawyer passed him off to Kate. Kate passed him off to Sun. Dude’s gotta be hungry and to my knowledge there wasn’t any “Dharma pureed peas” on the last rations drop.

Alex – Still dead (shot by Militia dude).

Ana-Lucia – Still dead (shot by Michael).

Arzt, Dr. – Still dead (blown up).

Ben – Leads Locke to the Orchid station in order to “move” the island. Communicates with his people in secret code along the way. Offers himself up to the militia dude as a distraction. Always has a plan, like a shady little bug-eyed boyscout.

Boone – Still dead (fatal leg wound).

Charlie – Still dead (drowned).

Charlotte – Just kind of sits around. Maybe she helps organize the beach evacuation, I’m not sure. Great catch you got there, Daniel.

Christian (Shephard) – Dead-ish. Not present in this episode. Likely kicking back a few brewskies with his estranged love-child.

Claire – Brainwashed? Not present in this episode. Likely kicking back a few brewskies with her estranged and dead-ish father.

Daniel (Faraday) – Organizes the beach evacuation and starts boating survivors to the freighter, six at a time. Too bad it’s full of explosives.

Danielle (Rousseau) – Still dead (shot by Widmore’s militia… hopefully her backstory was not buried with her).

Desmond – Tries to help fix the freighter engines. Goes off to discover what is “blocking” the radar. Finds a cargo-load of C4, ready to blow. Uh-oh.

Eko – Still dead (killed by smoke monster).

Frank – Handcuffed to the chopper. Tells Jack and Sawyer about the militia dude’s plan to kill everyone on the island (aka… “plan B”).

Hugo/Hurley – Follows Ben to the Orchid. In the future: Has a panic attack at his birthday party. Darn those numbers.

Jack – Is convinced Desmond and Sayid are on the chopper and want him to follow. Not so much. Finds Frank and learns of “plan B.” In the future: Delivers a eulogy for his dead-ish father. Discovers he’s Claire’s half-brother and Aaron’s half-uncle. Looks like he has a headache.

Jacob – Not present in this episode. Likely went on vacation. Asked Christian to cabin-sit while he was away. Left him a thank you note and $20 for a beer run.

Jin – Gets rescued only to discover the freighter is rigged with explosives. Warns Sun to move to the far side of the ship as if that will help.

Kate – Follows Jack. Reluctantly takes Aaron and drops him on Sun like a bad habit. Follows Sayid. Gets ambushed by the others. In the future: Sits through an awkward press conference filled with lies. LIES!

Libby – Still dead (accidentally shot by Michael).

Locke – Follows Ben to the Orchid. Looks like a deer in head lights as he receives instructions on how to get into the Orchid station.

Michael – Shares an awkward moment with Jin and Sun. Swears he isn’t “working for Ben.”

Miles – Just wandering through the jungle with Sawyer. Has guns pulled on him, yet again. Poor little weasel.

Naomi – Still dead (knife thrown in the back by Locke).

Nikki – Still dead (bit by a spider then buried alive).

Paulo – Still dead (bit by a spider then buried alive).

Penny – Not present in this episode, but probably waiting by the phone.

Sawyer – Passes Aaron off to Kate in order to help Jack. Is concerned that Hugo’s in danger. Awwww…

Sayid – Lands on the island only to find Jack has run off looking for him. Heads off with Kate to find him. Gets ambushed by the others. Too bad they don’t have cell phones. Seems that would have cleared up a lot of the whos-looking-for-who confusion. In the future: Reunited with Nadia. Enjoy it while it lasts, friend.

Shannon – Still dead (accidentally shot by Ana-Lucia).

Sun – Is in charge of Aaron for the time being. Winds up on a freighter ready to go kablooie. In the future: Buys up shares of her father’s company showing some of her late(?) husband’s badassiness.

Vincent – MIA (where has he been, anyway?).


This episode provided an interesting set up for the finale. Particularly due to “where” everyone was by the end. We know, of course, that the Six get off. We even heard a little bit of the “story” of how they were picked up during that press conference. However, as of “now”, Sun and Aaron are on the freighter, Kate and Sayid are presumably being held prisoner, Jack is at the chopper with Frank, and Hurley is hiding just outside of the Orchid station. It will be interesting to see how they all “find” one another and make it off together.

Two comments in particular I found interesting were Sun’s. First, in the beginning when she said, “We ARE in shock, Jack.” Of course they are, and I’m sure it is in part due to their regret of leaving other people behind, but it seemed like more than that. Also, her comment to her father when she said, “I hold two people responsible for my husband’s death. You’re one of them.” So will Jin really die, then? Hmm… Seems like if she was just saying that to keep up the lie of how the Six were the only survivors, she wouldn’t bother to mention that there was some other person she also holds responsible for Jin’s death.

I guess we’ll have to wait to find out.

Season finale airs next week, May 29th, 9pm-11pm.

S4E11 - Cabin Fever

I know I can get long-winded so I’ve broken my recap into three summary-level options. For those with the time and like to overanalyze like me, please see the long recap. For those who just want the highlights, refer to the medium. Finally, for anyone that just needs a quick fix, scroll to the very bottom.


***LONG RECAP***
So, Locke was born 3 months early. It seems there are many “miracles” in John’s life. I can’t remember if it was the first or second season, but I do remember his mom popped in for a surprise visit while he was working in that department store and told him about his dad. The weird thing is, I always thought his dad, being the con that he is, was conning Locke’s mom at the time he knocked her up, but seeing how young she was, I don’t see what his angle would have been. Didn’t Locke’s “grandmother” tell her daughter that so-and-so was twice her age? If Locke’s mom was around 16, then that would make Locke’s dad 32 years older than him. He didn’t seem THAT much older, but whatever, I won’t get too bogged down with that.

Anyway, the biggest what!? in the next two flashbacks was a visit from the island’s very own Richard. I remember thinking it was strange that Richard didn’t seem to age from when Ben originally met him on the island when he was young, but I thought MAYBE they just did a bad job in making him look older, but then again, they did such a good job with Ben’s dad. Well, this is certainly confirmation that Richard is not aging, at least not at a perceptible rate. It also occurs to me if “time-travel” is an option, then he may just be popping around time. His test with young Locke was very interesting. I wonder if any of those items were things that he comes across later on as a kid, or if we will see him with one of these items later on while on the island? It seems like Richard is trying to discover “gifted” children similar to how they wanted to study Walt.

His next flashback was interesting because of the “summer camp” he was invited to. It was hosted by Mittelos labs. I believe that is the same company that Richard was “recruiting” for when he first met with Juliet, so obviously it is a front for island inhabitant candidates.

This brings us to his last flashback and to me, the most intriguing. Another person is now interested in Locke’s miraculous recovery. This time it is the tall black guy, who pretended to be a rep from Oceanic when speaking to Hurley and then later pops up as Naomi’s contact when putting together the freighter expedition for Widmore. At first I thought it was crazy how he, too, didn’t seem to age, but then again, Locke’s accident wasn’t too long before the plane crash so I don’t find it as suspicious as Richard popping up in 1960. However, it did solidify something in my mind, which is how that dude is obviously working for Widmore.

It’s almost like Richard and the black guy (I just read somewhere that his name is Matthew) represent the two sides in some way. You’ve got Richard on Team Island, and Matthew on Team Widmore. If Richard isn’t time traveling and is just preternaturally young, then obviously he’s been working “for the island” in some way shape or form even before Ben came onto the scene.

That wouldn’t surprise me from Ben’s comments to Locke during this episode. I got the impression that the island can “choose” someone, then just as easily “unchoose” them. Perhaps there was some leader of the others/hostiles or whatever you want to call them, even before Ben. His comment about how the island gave him spinal cancer while it healed Locke ties in to Rose’s comments about how it healed her, yet gave Jack an appendicitis. I’m not going to even try to understand the pecking order behind who gets healed and who doesn’t, but it’s interesting nonetheless.

Anyway, Locke has a vision of Horrace (same guy that convinced Ben’s dad to come work with Dharma, I think) chopping down trees to build what will be Jacob’s cabin. I don’t know if it was supposed to be spooky because he was “dead”, but the nosebleed he had stood out to me because of the significance it has with time travel on the island. You know, everyone that’s about to die because of too much time travel has a brain aneurism. It turns out it’s a dream (so at least he’s not seeing ghosts), but then again how do we explain who he saw in Jacob’s cabin?

Remember when I said how freaky it would be if the next time we saw Claire she was watching the brain wash video with the others somewhere? Well, strike that, because it was even freakier to see her chilling out with her dead father and a knowing smile on her face. And what’s up with Christian’s advice to Locke about how to save the island? Move it? What’s he going to do, convince all the remaining survivors to gather on the beach and push?

In the meantime, the chopper has arrived back at the freighter and the militia-guy is ready to go all commando. We see how Sayiid escapes in order to get back and rescue his friends (and also potentially why only six can be saved because of the boat’s max capacity). We see why the doctor gets a close shave and also witness the captain getting shot. It seems the only people left on the boat now are Desmond and Michael. Maybe a few extra militia people, but most of them seemed to have left on the chopper.

Looks like Jack and friends may be following the chopper thanks to the tracking sat phone that Frank dropped, Sayiid is on his way to the rescue, Locke is going to come up with some bizarre way to “hide” the island by moving it, and it appears that in the next episode we’ll even see a bit of the Oceanic Six’s homecoming. It really feels this mini-season is wrapping up nicely, though I would say that the new emphasis on time travel has left a sour taste in my mouth.


***MEDIUM RECAP***
Locke was a miracle baby. Thank you, March of Dimes!
Richard is either a time-traveller or crazy old.
The head militia-dude is one mean hombre. No secret, there.
Locke is special, sort of.
Mittelos summer camp is fun… if you like being brain washed and held captive.
Matthew isn’t “just an orderly.” Not by a long shot.
Claire plays beer pong with her dead father in Jacob’s cabin.
Locke plans to tie a rope around the island and pull hard.


***SHORT RECAP***
Huh?

S4E10 - Something Nice Back Home

Well, it looks like AMOROUS MULTIPLUS finally reared its ugly head in this episode, though it was handled well without having to resort to a cat fight. Of course if you recall, Kate and Juliet already had their knock-down-drag-out in the episode where Juliet was ostracized from the others and the two love-torn ladies woke up in the jungle handcuffed to one another.

Since the revelation of the Oceanic Six, I’ve wondered if Juliet ever winds up making it off the island. Like Desmond, she wouldn’t be considered part of the group of crash survivors so wouldn’t be as “newsworthy”. However, we do know she has major motivation (her sister) to leave.

Anyway, it looks like whatever potential there was to be between Jack and Juliet (aka Jackiet/Juliack) is not in the cards as he winds up with Kate in the future (Jacate/Katack). We kind of already knew he was interested based on their conversation in Kate’s flashforward after the trial, but it looks like he finally gets over his aversion to Aaron and asks her out for that “cup of coffee”… and then some.

But alas, it seems even Katack is not meant to be, thanks in part to Jack’s disturbing visions of his dead father and drinking/jealousy issues. The two most interesting comments to me were in their argument towards the end. “Sawyer made his choice” is the follow up indicator that I was looking for to prove at least some of the survivors that don’t get off the island weren’t dead, but rather stayed behind for a reason. I thought as much already, but the only clue we’d been given so far was the conversation between Hurley (crazy) and Charlie (dead), so you gotta kind of question the source. I wonder what Kate’s promise to Sawyer was? Seeing as he’s had his revenge on the “original“ Sawyer, the only remaining tie to the outside world I can think of is his ex-con girlfriend’s daughter. Perhaps it has something to do with her. Anyway, the other interesting comment was Jack arguing how Kate wasn’t even related to Aaron. Not to get too analytical, but the word choice and the way he delivered the line really made me think that he knows he is Aaron’s uncle at that point. I’m sure we’ll see how he finds out in an upcoming flashforward.

Which of course brings us to Aaron’s mama. I didn’t necessarily believe Claire would be killed (though it would surely explain why they would decide to take Aaron with them), but I also never thought she would just up and disappear into the jungle. Very interesting. I wonder if she’s off getting converted into an island-addict a la Locke while everyone thinks she’s gone for good or dead. Wouldn’t it be freaky if the next time we saw her she was watching a brainwashing video while shacking up at the “Temple” hatch where all the others are apparently hiding now?

Oh yeah, and I almost forgot Charlie’s message to Jack via Hurley, “You’re not supposed to raise him.” For those of you that don’t remember, that is a throw back to season 1, I believe, where the psychic that Claire went to see was adamant that she HAD to be the one to raise her baby and no one else could. Presumably, that is why he tricked her into getting on the plane (under the guise of traveling to the US to give the baby up for adoption), because he knew it would crash and she would be forced to take care of Aaron on her own. Hopefully she’s still alive and well somewhere on the island when/if Aaron returns, otherwise he might turn into some sort of devil-child. Who knows?

One of the highlights of the episode for me was Jin’s exchange with Charlotte. It reminded me of how much of a bada$$ he can be.

I thought it was a pretty good episode, myself, but I’m concerned about the previews for this week. While “time travel” is my public enemy number one, number two would have to be “interacting with dead people.” Not sure if you caught the clip, but it appears that Locke has a nice chat with Jacob who claims to have been dead for a little over a decade. …heavy sigh… Why can’t I just accept that this is a science fiction show and not a documentary on PBS? It would make it a lot easier to swallow at times.

S4E9 - The Shape Of Things To Come

Sorry for the recap delay. Everyone in our household is under the weather. I’ve got some allergy shenanigans going on, Courtney has a cold, and we just found out that our daughter Andra has an ear infection.

Speaking of illnesses, what’s up with Jack? (How about that for a transition?) They kind of glossed over that a bit, but it looks like it may become more serious in the next episode. Of course we know he lives, but is that why he’s one of the ones that gets off the island, because he’s in need of serious medical attention?

COMPULSORY LEADERIDUS
[Description: Often surfaces when someone is forced into a leadership role, especially when survival hangs in the balance. This condition is exacerbated by involvement in more than one romantic relationship (see also AMOROUS MULTIPLUS).]
[Symptoms: irritable bowels, severe stomach cramps, permanent five o’clock shadow]
[Cure: stop trying to fix things]

It makes me wonder, once again, what will happen to those who don’t get off the island. Do they elect (or are they forced) to stay behind for some unknown reason? Or do they all get wiped out? A few “extras” certainly bit the bullet when Widmore’s militia came into Locke’s camp, guns blazing, so it very well may be that the Oceanic Six really ARE the only ones to survive. They certainly did a fake-out with Claire. However, I always go back to Charlie’s ghost and his comments to Hurley in the flash forward when he says, “They need your help.” I gotta believe that some folks are still alive, but have to stay behind. Locke, for instance, has plenty of motivation what with his serious case of…

LOST ISLAND FEVER
[Description: Specific to an uncharted island in the South Pacific, this disease makes many who come into contact with said island become unhealthily attached to the point where they are willing to remain at all costs.]
[Symptoms: hallucinations, aimless wandering, killing strangers]
[Cure: no known cure, though blowing up a submarine can temporarily suppress symptoms]

I guess Widmore’s militia blows my theory that Ben purposefully led his daughter’s entourage into an ambush. Good for him. However, I’m still bummed that Danielle didn’t pop out of the jungle at the last minute and shoot the militia leader before he plugged Alex. I guess I need to accept she’s gone. I almost felt bad for Ben, but then again he’s still a total weasel, even in trying to call the leader’s bluff. This brings us to his part in this episode, which fills in the gap of how Sayiid came into his employment. What it also does, as is typical for the show, is bring up more questions.

DISPROPORTIONATE INQUIRIUS EXPONITA
[Description: Answering a question with more than one new question.]
[Symptoms: pulling out chunks of hair, yelling at your TV, repetition of the phrase “Huh?”]
[Cure: series finale (we hope)]

Did he “teleport” into the desert in the beginning? I’m sure we’ll see how he gets that nasty cut on his arm in the “future.” Did he “call” the smoke monster? What was the deal with the “rules” he kept mentioning? I’m sure they have something to do with his comment to Widmore in the end when he said, “I can’t kill you, you know that.” Does this have something to do with time travel? Maybe Widmore does something in the future/past so that if Ben kills him it will undo some important something or other before/later? And what’s the deal with the doctor’s dead body? I had to think if we’d seen him die yet and I guess we haven’t, we only saw Regina jump overboard. Anyway, looks like something that will happen in the “future” on the freighter and he washes ashore in the “past.” Ugh, I wish that everyone involved in time travel would just have a brain aneurism and get it over with.

TEMPORAL DISPLACEMENTITUS
[Description: A result of exposure to high doses of radiation in combination with proximity to an uncharted island in the South Pacific (see also LOST ISLAND FEVER).]
[Symptoms: confusion, vivid flashbacks, nosebleeds]
[Cure: phone call to an old flame]

I suspect Desmond won’t take too kindly to Ben’s plan for revenge on Widmore. I wonder if the D-meister will also get off the island. Entirely possible since he would not be included in the Oceanic Six simply due to the fact he wasn’t on the flight. If so, that will pose an interesting new role for him as Penny’s protector. Perhaps Widmore would even be down with the idea despite his obvious dislike for him.

Other illnesses known to the island, but asymptomatic in this episode:

OBVIOUS INQUIRIUS MYOPIA
[Description: Being so immersed in a traumatizing situation that you fail to ask important questions.]
[Symptoms: ignoring or accepting the extraordinary with little to no need for explanation]
[Cure: asking direct questions such as Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How?]

AMOROUS MULTIPLUS (aka Love Triangle, Quadrangle, Pentangle, Hexangle, etc..)
[Description: Condition where attractive people in isolation or captivity simultaneously become romantically involved due to limited options.]
[Symptoms: accelerated heart rate, profuse sweating, excessive blushing, cat fights (in extreme cases)]
[Cure: monogamous relationships, keeping your pants on]

S4E8 - Meet Kevin Johnson

So, Michael goes through all of that mess, killing Ana Lucia and Libby, freeing Ben, leading Jack/Kate/Sawyer/Hurley into an ambush, getting off the island safely with his son, but then feels guilty about what he did (and rightly so), but is going to essentially throw all of that away by trying to kill himself. What an idiot. I don’t know why the island would even bother to keep him alive.

Want to know what his note to Walt said?
“Dear Walt, Sorry I’m such a lame-wad. Love, Dad.”

Granted, life on the lam probably isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, just ask Kate, but even SHE knows the value of life (even if it’s just the value of staying alive for someone of whom you are a pseudo-parent). You don’t see her getting off the island and finally being free of the charges against her only to go home and pin a note to her shirt addressed to Aaron saying she’s guilty she left everyone on the island behind in order to save her own sorry butt so she thinks it’s best to just sign off early and leave him to fend for himself, parentless. Nope. She’s all like, “Cool, I’m not a wanted felon anymore, now I get to stay home and play mom.”

Perhaps I’m being unfair as Kate likely doesn’t kill anyone in order to save herself, but then again, there is definitely the impression that they leave folks behind (presumably “alive”) to their own fates for whatever reason. The preview for the rest of the season even suggested that we’ll see how the Oceanic Six escape, though I wasn’t expecting that reveal so soon. Makes you wonder what the last two seasons will look like.

Anyway, there didn’t seem to be that much surprise in Michael’s flashback. It did fill in the expected gap of how he came to be on the freighter, but I don’t feel there was anything too shocking or new in that. We did see Tom off the island, which was mildly interesting, but not much else. It was curious to hear Tom’s side of the story, about how Widmore was the one that staged the wreckage. At this point, I’m not sure which side to believe, but if anything, Ben has earned more doubt points than anyone else on the show.

And speaking of which, that brings us to the death(s) at the end of the episode, which is what I had the most problem with. As for Carl, whatever… you could totally see Ben’s wheels turning when he saw how “familiar” he was being with Alex. I don’t doubt that Ben cares for his fake-daughter in a way and I can understand his concern about her having any kind of close relationship, especially when the promise of her getting pregnant on the island means certain death, but for all of his talk with Michael about not wanting to harm any “innocent people”, I TOTALLY think he lead Alex, Carl, and Danielle into a trap. Now that he’s free, he could have easily radioed ahead to his people at the Temple and said, “Hey guys, hope things are okay without me. FYI, I’m sending my daughter your way so if you could just knock off her boyfriend and mom when you see them, that would be great. Later, gator!” Now I’m not positive if that’s what the deal was, but it does seem super convenient, don’t you think? I can’t think of who else could be responsible, anyway. All of the freighter folks are accounted for, except for the chopper pilot that went on a “secret mission”, but that doesn’t seem to be his style.

Anyway, my biggest complaint was Danielle being shot. Of course we’re not positive she’s dead, but she certainly looked it. I feel like there was SO much flashback potential with her. Think about it, we would get to see how her research vessel came to crash or get stranded there, we’d see how the others managed to take Alex in the first place, and the biggest mystery in her past was the “sickness” that she said effected the entire science team she was with. I think she even suggested that she had to kill them all or something. If we don’t get to see that, I will be hugely disappointed. Not that she can’t work into someone else’s flashback somehow, but even so, her death didn’t honor how cool her character was (or could have been if they had bothered to develop her).

One thing I will say, Danielle and Ben were having a fierce staring contest right before they made the decision to leave for the Temple. I can’t remember the timing of her pregnancy or if they even explained that—you would think that if she met Ben and did the hoky-poky while on the island then she would have died like all the other pregnant women—but I wouldn’t be too surprised if they work out some way for Ben to be Alex’s real father somehow. Maybe not, because I think I remember Danielle alluded to the fact that she had to kill Alex’s “father” due to the sickness. Alas, we may never know. Arggghhh.

No more episodes until late April. Maybe that’s good. I feel like I need a mental break.

Later, gator.

S4E7 - Ji Yeon

$5 to everyone that called Michael as the mole. Unfortunately, that’s a lot of money to hand out. Don’t get me wrong, I think having Michael back in the picture is an interesting twist, but it’s a little of a let down at how predictable it was. If I were one of the writers, I would have had him in the episode, but it would have been as Sun’s new husband. Who could forget the pseudo-chemistry they had in Season 1? Anyway, the real interest in having Michael back is to see everyone’s reaction to him after what he did. I guess we’ll get to see a bit of that even though he’s on the freighter and not truly off the island. I’m still interested to see his backstory as I’m sure we’ll get a flashback to what the “real” deal between him and Ben was and what got him from then to now. I just wonder if “Tall Walt” is hanging out on the boat or if he’s safe and sound somewhere else. To me, the biggest revelation on the freighter was the Captain’s comment about the staged wreckage. We all knew it was staged, but I for one, thought the Dharma initiative or Widmore or whatever/whoever you want to call the outside forces, were responsible, wanting the island all to themselves. However, if we are to believe him, the Captain indicated that Ben was the one responsible. It makes sense after I thought about it. Ben certainly has the resources to pull it off and the motivation to remain undiscovered.

Anyway, though Michael was a fairly easy call, the episode did not disappoint on other twists. I had a suspicion that all was not as it appeared with the flash forward. At first I thought I was wrong about counting Aaron as one of the Oceanic Six since Sun AND Jin would make it seven. But then, when I started thinking of everyone else’s flash forwards, I thought how everyone so far (except Kate who managed to escape her fate, but I’m not counting her out) has a really crappy life post-rescue, so I was thinking Sun and Jin were divorced. What really happened was even more surprising/confusing. Once I realized Jin and Sun were not “together” I thought maybe Jin was working for Ben post-island just like Sayid. This ties in perfectly with his reconciliatory comment to Sun when he said, “I will do anything I can to protect my wife and child,” or some such thing like that. It also makes sense that with Ben’s apparent resources, he could get Jin off the island without anyone knowing. However, if all that is true, then why was he so smiley about being newly married? When Jin and Hurley went to visit his grave, I thought maybe she was just faking it to save face, but it was pretty obvious that she truly believed he was dead. This brings up an interesting possibility, that other folks may make it off the island, but fly under the radar somehow for some reason and are not counted as part of the Oceanic Six.

So, in true LOST-fashion, by the end of the episode we are left with new questions.

Is/Was Jin part of the Oceanic Six?
Why did he fake his death?
Is he working for Ben like Sayid?
When Hurley found out no one else (I’m assuming of the survivors) were coming to see Sun’s baby, he said, “Good.” Why?
Did anyone else make it off the island incognito without being counted as one of the “six”?
What was up with that Regina lady? Just a bad case of “cabin fever” or something else?
What was up with the cut/bite mark(?) on the doctor’s face?
Where’s Walt? Will he be six foot three and sporting a beard the next time we see him?
And, in case you caught the preview, who will die in the next episode?

My money is on Michael to kick the bucket, but only because I think the episode will center on him and he’ll probably do something heroic or resolve some issues he has from the past, which of course on this show means he’s toast.

***UPDATE***

Okay, so someone brought to my attention that in actuality all of Sun’s flashes were forward and all of Jin’s were backward to when he and Sun were newly married…?

Am I the only one that didn’t get that?

I suppose that makes a lot of sense because I couldn’t fathom how/why Jin would get off the island undercover and why he would fake his death. Was Paik Automotive the company that Sun’s father owned? I don’t remember that being the name of it, but I guess it’s true. We just tagged along while he ran an errand for his “new” father-in-law in the past while his “widow” in the future birthed his child.

If that’s the case, then we know at some point Jin for-real-dies, either on the island or off if they’re counting him as part of the Oceanic Six or not. Maybe he’s the one that dies next week, though it seems too soon to reveal that he WILL die and then BAM he kicks it in the next episode.

Whatever, at this point, I’m too confused to think any more.

How awesome would it be, though, if my original assumption was true? Makes you wonder what kind of shenanigans will occur in the future for him to have such a falling out with Sun that he fakes his own death and remarries. But alas, he’s just plain (soon-to-be) dead.

If one more cooky or confusing thing with “time” happens this season, I may be liable to hunt down J.J. Abrams and punch him in the face.

S4E6 - The Other Woman

TRAMP
So, Juliet is a homewrecker. Okay.

PSYCH
I enjoyed the typical fake out in the beginning when you think they’re in one place, but they’re really somewhere else. The therapy session made you think Juliet was adjusting to the “celebrity” of being off the island, but really if you think about it, she wouldn’t be big news. She wasn’t on the flight so it’s not like she survived a plane crash and was thought dead. She’s just some chick that made a really poor career change.

“YOU’RE MINE”
And that whole stuff between her and Ben was a little much. I mean, I always got the impression that Ben had a little crush on her and I suppose this is confirmation, but for him to yell “You’re mine” towards the end seemed a bit un-Ben-like to me. The interesting thing that was mentioned almost in passing was the bitchy therapist, Harper, saying that of course Ben likes Juliet because she looks “just like her.” Hmm… I remember some little girl that he made friends with when he was young on the island, but once we was grown up and gassed everyone, you never saw her again. Could it be that she was killed as a result of his betrayal and he’s obsessed with Juliet because she looks like her?

LOVE HEPTAGON?
I feel like this is what the whiteboard looks like after soap opera planning meetings.

Kate <-> Jack
/................\
......... Sawyer ...... Juliet <- Ben

................... /

Harper -> Goodwin

POOR GOODWIN
Juliet’s motivation for wanting Ben dead (as was obvious from her attempt to convince Jack to let him die on the operating table last season) is a lot more clear now.

WHISPERS
You know, I was thinking the other day about all of the loose ends left to tie up and the whole whispers thing came to mind. No one was there, whisper whisper, bitchy therapist pops up (and Jack sees her too), she chit chats Juliet, whisper whisper, she’s gone. So what… it’s a form of travel? The others can hop aboard the Whisper Express and scoot around the island at the speed of sound? I believe Sayid was the first to hear them, though no one from his past popped out of the jungle immediately afterwards. Anyway, not sure what’s up with that.

LOCKE-NESS
I used to like Locke… well, mostly in the first season. But he’s really gone off the deep end and now he just kind of seems aimless and crazy. I always wish he would do something cool when confronting Ben (like shove a grenade in his mouth like he did with Miles) or be wily enough to outsmart him just once, but Ben always seems to have the upper hand. No surprise because Ben is an awesome manipulator, but either way, it just makes Locke look more and more pathetic and that’s no fun to watch.

DADDY WARBUCKS
So, if you didn’t know, the Widmore guy on the video that Ben showed Locke is Penny’s dad. That definitely confirms his suspected interest in the island, though I’m still not sure if he’s the one that also funded (or is funding) the Dharma Initiative. Either way, that seems like the biggest new piece of the puzzle. The interesting thing to me is that Desmond reached the island supposedly “by accident” when his estranged-pseudo-father-in-law has been looking for it presumably for years.

GASSY
I thought the others (back when they were referred to as “the hostiles”) had gassed the Dharma folks with canisters thanks to Ben’s assistance. I could be wrong. Maybe Ben just gave “the hostiles” (who we really only know to be that Richard guy that doesn’t seem to age) access to the Tempest and they flipped the switch to release enough gas to wipe everyone out. I wouldn’t put it passed Ben to do something like that again if he wants to keep the island a secret so badly.

That’s about it…
BEN IS SWEET ON JULIET
BEN LIKES TO PLAY WITH DEADLY CHEMICALS
BEN’S AFFECTIONS SHOULD NOT BE SPURNED

The end.

By the way, my guess is that they DID count Aaron as one of the Oceanic Six because the preview for this week mentioned we would learn the last member. I debated back and forth if they counted Kate a few weeks ago because technically we already knew her. Anyway, so that means it is:
Jack
Hurley
Sayid
Kate
Aaron
and…?

My guess is Sun just because it looked like Juliet was driving home the point that she needed to get off the island pronto before she and the baby died. I guess we also find out who Ben’s man on the boat is.

S4E5 - The Constant

Rather than digging for my last recap and hitting the reply all button, I’ve now created an Outlook distribution group. My first ever. How exciting.

As a matter of fact, on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the most exciting thing going on right now, this is how it ranked:

10 – Closing on the sale of my old townhouse today
9 – Plans to eat at Ted’s Montana grill for lunch
8 –
7 – I’m taking the rest of the day off after I hit SEND on this e-mail
6 – Creating on Outlook distribution list <--
5 –
4 – I ate too many donuts at our staff meeting this morning
3 –
2 – Last night’s episode of LOST
1 –

Perhaps some will disagree with my ranking of last night’s episode, but really, mental time travel? Come on.

I only have a few things to say, really.

First of all, it looks like Desmond is “living” in his flashbacks similar to how he did during his flashback once he blew up the hatch. Except this time, there was no mysterious jewelry store owner that knew him and tried to convince him not to change his past. Remember that? Oh MAN, time travel is so lame. I only say this because I’m REALLY trying to view this show in a “real world” scenario. The producers have always claimed that everything happening on the island can be explained by science. However, if you watch the sci-fi channel to get your news, then maybe your perception of what science can achieve is a bit skewed.

So, I’m calling what they’re portraying on the show as “junk science” and according to “junk scientists” exposure to high doses of radiation (in Desmond’s case, electromagnetism when he blew the lid of the hatch) + the weird effects of the island (a la The Bermuda Triangle) = time travel in your mind (or what some people like to call, remembering shit). Looks like bad news for Daniel since his little radiation apron didn’t come with a helmet option. It will be interesting if Daniel also suffers from this time travel effect. My theory is that he will at one point, which is what may contribute to his unstable mannerisms. Remember when he saw the footage of the wreckage on the TV in his brief flashback and he cried and couldn’t explain why? Maybe it was because at that point he had already bounced back from the future and knew everyone’s true ultimate fate, but he was so wonked out from mental time travel he couldn’t grasp what was going on. Just a thought, brought to you by “junk science.”

Hopefully these Desmond shenanigans are done now that he’s had a heart felt phone call with his “constant.” Don’t get me wrong. I love Desmond’s character, just not what the writer’s have done with him. Anyway, if we are to accept the junk science of time travel, then I suppose we have to accept this notion that there must be a constant in your present and past/future to keep you anchored or you’ll have a brain aneurism. Fine. I accept that. However, by Daniel’s own explanation, it had to be something you REALLY cared about. Maybe even a person. So, if we are to accept that as well, then why the flip would Desmond be Daniel’s constant if something were to happen as he found scribbled in his journal at the end? Granted, Daniel at least knows that Desmond is one person that factors into his past and present so it’s a good call, but still, I don’t see them exchanging tearful “I love you”s over the sat phone anytime soon.

A few other things. It looks like Minowski may not have been Ben’s inside man as I first suspected. I only originally thought that because Frank was cautious of Daniel talking to him as if he suspected something. However, maybe he was cautious of Minowski because he was already starting to crack up at the time. Anyway, judging from the door being left open and the sabotaged communication equipment, it looks like Ben’s mole is alive and well. There didn’t seem to be too many others on the boat. The captain, who we only caught a glimpse of, the two dudes that initially met them when they boarded, and the doctor. Maybe there’s more of course, but it wasn’t that huge of a ship, really.

Also, I’m not sure if anyone caught it, but Penny’s dad was bidding on a logbook from the “Black Rock” ship that is the one crashed in the middle of the island. The really interesting this was that the auctioneer said the original owners was the Hanso family, and if you recall, the Hanso foundation was mentioned in the Orientation video that Locke and Eko spliced together and is the company that funded the Dharma Initiative. Man, I’m such a geek.

Anyway, in short…
THE ISLAND IS IN THE MIDDLE OF SOME SILLY TIME BUBBLE.
BLEEDING FROM THE NOSE IS NOT COOL.
PENNY IS STILL SWEET ON DESMOND, EVEN AFTER ALL THESE YEARS.

The End.

S4E4 - Eggtown

Man, oh man. It’s amazing what a nice twist can do for an otherwise average episode. I feel like the Aaron reveal was so monumental, we should start with it and work our way backwards… kind of like eating your dessert first.

FLASHBACK COUNTDOWN:

So, I was maybe half right with the whole “I need to get back to him” comment Kate made to Jack at the end of last season. She did mean a baby, but not her own! Now I’m still wondering if Desmond’s flash of Claire getting into a helicopter will still happen. There’s obviously so much that has yet to happen, she could very well hop on a chopper and still not make it. If the preview from next week is any indication, it’s apparently a fairly treacherous ride back. So a few possibilities here…

1) Claire dies before being rescued and Kate decides to take the baby. Perhaps as Claire’s final request?
2) Claire decides to remain on the island for some reason. This is an interesting possibility because then the obvious question would be why would she decide to remain and give up Aaron. Or if she didn’t give him up willingly, why would Kate feel so strongly about taking him away?
3) Claire does make it off and is one of the Oceanic Six, but something happens to her afterwards and Kate raises Aaron as her own.

One good point Courtney made last night was that if Kate already claims Aaron as her child once they are all rescued, it would be easy for anyone to do the math and figure that she would have had to have been pregnant pre-flight, which would be fairly easy to confirm she was not considering how closely she was tracked by the Feds. Maybe this is why she was so adamant about not letting her mom visit as well as not bringing him to the trial, she doesn’t want him in the public eye because people might start asking questions.

Taking one step backwards, the brief conversation between Kate and Jack after the trial REALLY had me thinking that the baby was his and the reason he didn’t want to see it was because he just didn’t want to be involved with the parenting. It certainly would have fit with her comment to him, which I have taken the liberty to insert my assumed subtext:

“I understand why you don’t want to see him (because you’re a dead beat dad), but until you do (take responsibility for your child) there can be no ‘you and I going for coffee.’ (because you can’t have your cake and eat it too.)”

I thought THIS was going to be the twist. That Jack is the future father of Kate’s baby. Of course then she drops the Aaron bomb and bam, that theory is shot. But then what are we to think of this dialogue between them? Was it just a trick to get us to think that Jack and Kate eventually hook up only to sucker punch us in the end? I would think not. So this leaves us with the obvious question of why would Jack be SO hesitant about seeing Aaron?

As far as her sentencing goes, ten years probation without leaving the state, I think it will be an interesting obstacle in the future because I’m pretty convinced that at some point they will all believe they have to go back to the island.

Continuing our countdown, to me, Jack’s testimony was the next biggest surprise because of one comment and I may need a little help with it. He said there were eight survivors of the crash, right? But then went on to say that Kate saved him, but couldn’t save the other two. I wonder if that has any significance or if that’s just part of the story they all agreed to tell. I just don’t know why you would bother to say there were eight survivors if two of them drowned right after.

ISLAND COUNTDOWN:

Island-wise I feel like there were only two things worth noting, maybe three. The first being Miles’s attempt at blackmail. Even Ben seemed offended and you would imagine he’d jump at any chance to not be found or at least left alone. It seems Miles enjoys squeezing money out of folks, both living and dead. The most interesting piece was Miles’s claim to know who Ben was and “what he could do.” Obviously he was some financial power based on that desk stash of cash, but what else is he keeping up his sleeves?

The second noteworthy snippet was the emergency line conversation with Regina. First of all, the fact that there was an emergency line that was perfectly functional and the freighter folk didn’t bother to tell them seems odd. And secondly, the fact that the chopper hadn’t arrived yet is suspect. We know that Sayid, at least, survives so either there was a problem with the chopper and it has to crash land (on the “Alcatraz” island from the beginning of last season maybe?) or this is just a side effect of the time distortion?

And the last thing, weird, but still noteworthy, was Dan and Charlotte’s little “exercise” just before Jack confronted them about the sat phone. I have a feeling that Dan is a little unstable so maybe he’s off his meds or something and Charlotte is just helping him keep it together mentally. That seems reasonable. Any other theory about why it would be difficult to memorize three playing cards is beyond me. No one else seems to suffer from memory loss.

That’s about it. I thought we were supposed to discover another member of the Oceanic Six, but it was just Kate who we already knew survived, unless they’re counting Aaron, but I doubt it.

Biggest mystery of the episode... WHY IS IT TITLED "EGGTOWN?"

Comments? Theories?

S4E3 - The Economist

Wow.

A very special Valentine’s Day episode I would say. I shall recap in honor of the holiday.

***LOST VALENTINES***

To: Naomi
Card: White construction paper with a lot of neon marker colors squiggled all around the border.
Outside: “I’ll always be with you”
Inside: One of those old school “slap bracelets” from the 80s. “I’m getting one of these made for you in metal real soon!”
From: RG

Interesting bracelet. I don’t believe we know anyone with the initials RG… yet. However, I think the most interesting thing about it was the fact that Elsa (that blond chick that Sayiid offed in his flash forward) was wearing one too.

To: Mr. Avellino
Card: Green card depicting a lavish golf course.
Outside: “Hope you get a hole-in-one for Valentines!”
Inside: “And by that I mean a hole somewhere in the vicinity of a vital organ.”
From: Sayid

Well, I had a feeling Sayid would be one of the Oceanic Six, but mainly because his pseudo-girlfriend that he let escape way back when is too much of a good reunion storyline to not develop. However, his “future” was definitely a surprise. More on that later…

To: Naomi
Card: Just regular notebook paper folded a bunch of times.
Outside: “I dig your accent and I think you’re hot.”
Inside: “Wanna go out or something once we finish our mission? Check box YES or NO.”
From: Miles

Apparently Miles doesn’t care much about Charlotte and only cared about Naomi on a superficial level. However, he seemed super interested about Locke and how he wound up dividing the group. Was this just forced dialogue to lead to Sayid’s snappy “I haven’t decided yet” comment on whether the freighter folks were good or bad? If not, it really begs the question of why Miles is so interested in their group dynamic. Whatever… I bet he’s there to try to “talk” to all of the dead Dharma folks in that mass grave in order to get the missing pieces of their research.

To: Dan
Card: No card, just a big tube.
Outside: Steel durable enough to withstand being shot from a freighter.
Inside: A portable clock/timer for people who hate watches. Also great for baking or performing physics experiments.
From: Regina

If I remember correctly, the timer he had with him showed maybe 3:15ish and the one in the tube read 2:45ish. So, something funky with time is happening on the island? Okay. His comment to Frank at the end about making sure he takes the same bearings when flying out as they did coming in mirrors Ben’s comments to Michael when he gave him the boat at the end of season 2 and said to make sure he stays on those coordinates or else he wouldn’t be able to leave. Interesting, but it doesn’t tell us much besides “there is a lot of crazy shitake going on with this island.” Not exactly news.

To: Ben
Card: Oversized manila envelope
Outside: Unmarked.
Inside: Wads and wads of foreign currency and fake passports.
From: Self

What the…? So does ol’ Benny boy travel incognito? We knew from last season when he showed Juliet the footage of her healthy sister that he has a little influence with the outside world, and more so now that we know he has a plant on the freighter, but maybe he’s a lot less “confined” to the island than we think. Hmm…

To: Kate
Card: Plain white paper folded in half with a drawing of one of the Dharma barracks.
Outside: “Let’s play house together…”
Inside: “Until the electricity goes out or we starve, whichever comes first.”
From: Sawyer

I wonder if she really voluntarily stayed with the Locke camp. Sawyer did make an interesting point, though. What does she have to get back to? They’re just two criminal peas in a pod. Interesting, though, because we know she does get off. I wonder, though, if Sawyer will too. He seems like an obvious guess of the “he” that she told Jack she needed to get back to at the end of last season. My theory is that she gets pregnant while on the island with Sawyer Jr., but is afraid he will die like all of the other island-conceived kiddies, so she decides to leave and Sawyer decides to stay or is killed or something tragic. Or even better, he’s killed in the process of helping her get rescued. Not that I want him to die, but you know, it seems like it would be good closure for his character… self-sacrifice for his baby momma.

To: Sayid / Elsa
Card: Pink with red and white cut out hearts.
Outside: “We’ve certainly had a whirlwind romance this past month.”
Inside: “Too bad I have to shoot you.”
From: Elsa / Sayid**

**They laugh at how funny it was they bought each other the same card until an awkward silence falls between them.

Wow. You know I had a tiny suspicion that she wasn’t being totally up front at one point, but it still surprised me when she pulled the gun. It did seem he really cared about her, though. Either way, if she had a similar bracelet as Naomi, what does that mean? Perhaps Elsa’s “employer” is the mysterious RG? However, “I’ll always be with you” seems a bit odd of an inscription from your boss…

To: Sayid
Card: Red construction paper with the numbers 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42 written in black sharpie along the border.
Outside: “I (heart) lists almost as much as I (heart) you!”
Inside: Long list of names scribbled on a napkin. “Speaking of which… I’ve added to the list of people I want you to kill. Have a great Valentines!”
From: Ben

Double wow. I guess when Sayid mentioned the list to Elsa just before she shot him, that should have been the clue, but I was still pretty surprised that Ben is his employer. The interesting thing to me was that Ben said, “You know what happened last time when you thought with your heart instead of your gun,” or something like that. That leads me to believe that Sayid WILL have the touching reunion with the woman from his past, but then she is killed by whatever forces Ben is supposedly against. That’s the only way I can see Sayid deciding to work for him.


Crazy, crazy, stuff. A really good episode I would say. Brian, I totally forgot about Claire getting on a helicopter was part of Desmond’s “flash” when he was talking to Charlie last season, so I think I’ll put her on my list of one of the two remaining Oceanic Six.

Comments? Did I miss anything? Any other guesses of who comprises the final third of the Oceanic Sextuple?

S4E2 - Confirmed Dead

Well, well… it looks like a few new characters to focus on. Always a nice treat to keep things fresh.

Let’s see… we’ve got:

Daniel – The nutty physicist
TURN ONs: Inexplicable crying
What was that about, anyway? What a strange reaction to a news report. I wonder if he’s supposed to be a bit unstable. He really did seem to have a super scattered personality. Also, did anyone notice if the lady that was in the room with him when he was watching the news called him by a different name? I may be making that up.

TURN OFFs: Packing
“Uh, I wasn’t in charge of packing,” he fumbled, after Kate and Jack opened the metal trunk that had fallen from the chopper. And did you notice what was in there? Gasmasks and bags to store hazardous material. Definitely not your average search and rescue gear.

Miles – The skeptical ghost hunter
TURN ONs: Talking to and extorting money from dead people
Seriously? Is this going to be an ongoing theme for the rest of the show? People who aren’t there, but maybe kind of are there? I hope he parachuted down with his Dirt Devil, finds an outlet in Jacob’s shack, and sucks him into oblivion a la Ghost Busters.

TURN OFFs: Mean people
Not much love for the LOSTies, but I guess it’s to be expected after Naomi’s veiled warning. I think everyone should come up with and share an emergency code word or phrase with their friends. Mine will be “GLADIOLA”… or if things get really hairy I’ll say… “THER’S TOO MUCH ASBESTOS IN THE ATTIC.”

Charlotte – The deceptive anthropologist
TURN ONs: Digging up fossils, Hanging upside down
I wonder how long she was hanging there since Daniel clearly parachuted while it was still dark. The Dharma logo she found had a picture of a mythical hydra. I think I remember someone referring to a station named Hydra on the island, maybe something to do with animal research? Who knows. The interesting thing, though, is that she didn’t seem to have a what-the-hell-is-this-doing-here expression. It was more like a sweet-this-is-what-I-was-looking-for expression. I wonder if she already new about (or was already hired by) Dharma at that point.

TURN OFFs: Getting shot in the chest
Who can blame her, really? Perhaps because of Naomi’s warning, but especially judging from the guns and gasmasks, they clearly weren’t expecting a welcoming parade.

Frank – The loose cannon pilot
TURN ONs: Flying, Drinking
At least he was a drunk according to Naomi. Interesting interaction between her and the “fake Oceanic lawyer” guy. Once again, I think he’s tied to Dharma somehow. Especially once Miles flipped out and grilled Juliet on Ben’s whereabouts. Considering that Ben pretty much sold out everyone in the “original” Dharma initiative who now lay in that mass grave that Locke found himself in, I’d say they definitely have a score to settle with him. And just how difficult did they think it would be to extract him that they would need such an assortment of “specialists” to do the job? We know this is more than just a flight 815 rescue, but I think it’s more than just a Ben kidnapping as well.

TURN OFFs: Flying WHILE drinking
Maybe that’s why he “should have been the one piloting that plane,” but wasn’t. A little juice on the job, you know? And of course that’s why he feels guilty so gets roped into this mission, being told the intent is to find the “real” crash site…?


That’s one thing I don’t get—well, one of the many things. I’m going on the assumption that the discovery of the wreckage and those people’s reaction in the very beginning were real. However, was the wreckage, itself, real or was it staged? I guess it had to have been staged, right? We know the plane broke off in two pieces and is on the island, well, most of it. And even Frank, himself, swore that the footage of the pilot wasn’t really him. So the question is who would go to such lengths to stage that?

My theory is that the Dharma initiative is still alive and well on the mainland and they staged this fake wreckage so that the search would be called off and no one would discover the island. This brings up another point of clarification. How many days have they been on the island now? I’d say only three months or so. This would mean all of the flashbacks of the freighter people that we saw were probably not that long ago, since they all saw some report of the wreck discovery. I also wonder if this means that we will get more flashbacks to fill in the gaps of these new characters while continuing to get flash forwards from the “Oceanic Six.” That would definitely help broaden the potential character development rather than cycling between only six folks.

Any bets on who the other 3 of the 6 are? One of my bets is on Sayiid.

Gladiola…

S4E1 - Beginning Of The End

So another season of LOST is upon us. It’s been so long, I may have lost my recap skills. I feel there were a number of “red flag” details that I was afraid I’d forget. If I have to start watching with a pen and paper handy, shoot me. Anyway, here goes…

Red Flag Numero Uno:
We are treated to a Hurley flash forward and he yells about being one of the “Oceanic Six” (is that like a supped-up version of the “Fantastic Four”… or perhaps a lackluster version of “Ocean’s Twelve”?) Anyway, I guess the assumption here is that only 6 of the original survivors actually make it off the island. We know Jack and Kate from Jack’s flash forward last season, and now Hurley. In last year’s finale Kate had mentioned a “him” to Jack when she said she had to get back to someone. The temptation is to think that’s Sawyer, but really it could be anyone. It could even be her unborn son… ***insert dramatic soap opera music***. The only thing I wonder, though, is if there truly are only 6 people that make it off the island, and the show continues with the flash forwarding for the rest of the series (there would be a nice symmetry to that, first 3 years in the past, last 3 years in the future) then will we be limited to flash forwards of Jack, Kate, Hurley, and 3 other folks?

Red Flag 2:
The “Oceanic Legal Rep” forgot his business card at home. How convenient. My theory is that he must represent the Dharma Initiative (even though it was essentially defunct on the island doesn’t mean there aren’t people still funding or behind the research off the island) or at least SOME interested party that knows about the island’s secret, whatever the hell that is, and still has a vested interest. The flag is especially waved when he leans in and asks, “Are they still alive?” or something to that effect. This maybe ties in with two other conversations in the episode, which I shall flag now.

Red Flag C:
Hurley see’s Charlie’s ghost. So it’s pretty confirmed that Charlie is dead. I know some folks may have questioned that, but I’m thinking he’s kaput. Anyway, he apparently is trying to convince Hurley that “they need your help.” I can only assume the “they” is the “they” that the fake legal rep dude was referring to. By the way, Charlie looked way more hip dead than he ever did when he was a living breathing rock star.

Red Flag the fourth:
Jack stops by for a friendly game of HORSE. While I feel Jack was genuinely concerned for his friend, apparently there may have been an ulterior motive for the visit. “You want to make sure I didn’t tell anybody?” Hugo asks. Hmm… I’m assuming this is also in reference to the “they” who apparently are still alive and perhaps in trouble.

So what does it all mean? Of course, we have no clue. Even though we believe only six get off the island, it’s not to say everyone else is dead. Many may have chosen to stay voluntarily, Locke and Rose/Bernard for example. Of course then the question is, why lie about it? This likely plays into the bigger “secret” of the island. Anyway, the writer’s are definitely playing up the fact that even when they get off the island, they’ll have to go back. It’s already interesting to see Jack so against it in what is presumably the “earlier” version of the future versus where we saw him in the season finale last year when he is convinced they made a mistake by leaving. I wonder if Kate and the “other three” survivors will come to feel that way as well.

(smaller flags, not necessarily red, but fun to note)
Black and Blue Flag:
Danielle gives Ben a big rifle butt against the head when he says, “Get my daughter as far away from here as possible.” Boo-yah, Ben! She ain’t yo baby!

Random Flag:
The investigator questioning Hurley was Ana Lucia’s ex-partner. I wonder how many “future connections” people will have with each other?

Warm Fuzzy Flag:
Sawyer’s attempt to comfort Hurley was pretty touching.

Bizarro Flag:
Hurley sees Jacob’s shack in the jungle, multiple times. Was that Locke’s head that popped up in the window? That Jacob stuff is still weird to me.

I’ve heard they have 8 episodes “in the can” which represents half of the anticipated season’s length. Hopefully the strike will come to an end in time for them to write/film/produce the remaining 8.