D.O.C.
I’ll be honest. I didn’t think there was going to be much to Wednesday’s episode of Lost. Jin Kwon and Sun Paik-Kwon? Yeah, I know their story – the flashback’s have all been quite similar. Subtitles, adultery, Korean underworld fighting, I know the drill. And they all teach the same “Uptown Girl” lesson:
Uptown girl (That would be Sun)
She's been living in her uptown world (She lives in a Fancy Korean Castle)
I bet she never had an up street guy (Like that waiter named Jin who is serving her the food)
I bet her mama never told her why (No, her Mom wants her to marry the hotel guy)
I'm gonna try for an uptown girl (I’ll just go serve her some of this food)
She's been living in her white bread world (Or her “Baechu Kimchi world”)
As long as anyone with hot blood can (Sun has hot blood like all mammals)
And now she's looking for a downtown man (Like Jin)
That's what I am! (Yes, like Jin!)
So when I changed the channel from “Idol Gives Back” to “D.O.C.”, I wasn’t expecting much. But I was pleasantly surprised. There was more to this episode than met the eye.
Let’s walk through some of the highlights of the episode together, shall we?
That station freaks me out.
I hate light that makes a noise like a mosquito catcher as it blinks…the fluorescent one. CREEEEEEEEPY. As Juliet led Sun into the locker room, I caught myself wondering if they were going to dress up in Others clothes. But then that didn’t make any sense, so I stopped thinking about it. And then, like a scene out of “Scooby Doo”, the locker room wall came out of its hinges and revealed an airtight OB-GYN clinic. The pregnant women on this listserv (I know there are at least two of you...) can speak to this better than I, but how many of you would just submit to a check-up in this atmosphere? I certainly would not be game for it. At least turn on some lights, Jules!
So the ultrasound revealed a 53 day old being inside of our little Yunjin. She’s been on the island for 90 days, so what does that mean? (drum roll please) It is Jin’s baby!!!!! Or is it? I am not entirely convinced that our friend Juliet is telling the truth.
Is Juliet telling the truth?
What if Juliet is lying to Ben about Sun's baby's daddy? If Juliet knows that Sun's baby was conceived off island, she knows that baby and mother will likely survive. If she tells Ben that the baby was conceived on island, he will assume that Juliet has finally cracked the island's fertility problems and release her.
The only FOR SURE we know about Jules is that she has wanted to get off this island for the past 2 years. That's all she wants. That is her "end goal"…her motivation. She is going to do whatever it takes to get off the island. She is playing the roles that will let her do that…I think she is playing both "sides" (others and survivors) trying to maximize her chances of living and leaving.
I do not believe that Sun's baby is Jin's baby.
And I think Jules is trying to get the hell of this island.
Discuss.
And, how is Juliet going to get “Austen’s sample” for Ben?
Mikhail returns:
Now I’m not going to make you go back and read my previous episode summaries. But may I remind you that I, indeed, correctly predicted that Mikhail did not die during the ears-bleeding/electric fence scene a few weeks ago. I believe the explanation I gave at the time was “THIS IS LOST, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!!!” Indeed, this is Lost and the island healed his battered ear drums and raised him up Josh-Groban style. Mikhail’s back…and this surely means trouble for our Lostians. Might I remind you that a few people have tried to kill this guy? Oh, and our guys killed his BFF Bea Klugh in front of his eyes? Yeah, he is not pleased with all of us.
However, McPatchy was able to save our new parachuting friend, Naomi (we know her name is Naomi from the ABC press releases, although it has not been revealed officially in the dialogue of the show). She had a punctured lung from the tree (my gosh, that looked painful, didn’t it?) and McPatchy came to the rescue in return for his freedom. After a failed shoplifting attempt of the not-iPhone that Naomi had, McPatchy was outta there. I’m not sure how, but I think the fact that Desmond followed through with the release of McPatchy will mean good things for Desmond in the future. It is a bargaining chip that he now has…that Charlie, Hurley and Jin do not have. It will be interesting to see how this develops over the next four weeks, because you can mark my words that McPatchy will be back!!!
I need to know the 5 W’s (and 1 H) about Naomi: who, what, where, when, why and how.
My predictions:
Who is Naomi?
I think Naomi has been sent by Penny to find Desmond. I don’t think she really “knew” where she was going, but knew the general direction of her quest. I think she has some connection to the Portuguese guys in the igloo from season 1, but I am not sure yet.
What is she doing here?
She is definitely here to find Desmond, not Flight 815. (More on that later)
Where did she come from?
She came from wherever Penny’s operation is headquartered. Now, I don’t necessarily think that Penny’s operation is formal (like, I don’t think there is a “building”), but she definitely has a network of people working for her to find Des.
When did she leave?
Tough to say, though I don’t think she’s been looking for Des for too long. After all, in Lost time, the purple sky/hatch blows up incident didn’t happen very long ago.
Why is she looking for Des?
Because Penny realized she loved Des and she wants to find him.
How did she crash?
Stupid magnetic island. It will get you every time.
Naomi speaks in foreign languages…so what did she say?
My online investigations have revealed the following:
"Me estoy muriendo" is Spanish for "I am dying".
"Aiutami, sto morendo" is Italian for "Help me, I'm dying".
"出了什么事?(chu le shen me shi)" is Chinese for "What happened?" or "What's going on?"
After Mikhail and Desmond treat Naomi's wound, she says something in Portuguese not spelled out in the captions. It is not "Thank you," as Mikhail claims. Instead, it sounds like "Eu não estou só" which is Portuguese for "I am not alone."
Is Naomi really “not alone”, as she supposedly said?
The bag that they found with the Catch-22 book in Portugese might be hers, but might be someone else’s. I’m going to put $5 on black and bet that she is, indeed, not alone and that one of the Portuguese igloo guys is with her and crash landed somewhere else nearby. And I think he’s going to wander into their island lives very soon.
The wreckage of 815 was found. There were no survivors. Everyone is dead.
Start your conspiracy theory engines, team.
Do we have a huge Widmore cover-up on our hands? They bought a plane and staged a crash somewhere. (Note: If you have watched the extras on the Lost Season 1 DVD, are you also freaked out on how this parallels how the Lost producers set up the initial crash scene in Hawaii? They bought a plane, brought it to Hawaii, set up the crash, and filmed it…sounds familiar, huh?)
So what does that mean? No one is looking for our 815 survivors. However:
1. Penny is looking for Desmond (we know this).
2. Can we assume Juliet’s sister is looking for Juliet? (as someone with a sister, I’d be looking for my sister…)
3. Are there other people who were brought to the island by Ben/”Jacob”? Probably…
Our 815-ers will need to use these people to get off this island, right?
ALTERNATE THEORY:
Naomi is a liar. She is working with Ben. She is an Other or a Dharma or something. She has been placed here to convince the 815-ers that they are stuck here forever and might as well accept it…and take part in their experiments.
I’m not sure what I think, but I can tell you (two semi-sleepless nights later) that I’m thinking about it a lot.
Get ready for an action-packed episode next week with our man Locke. It is time to pick up that crazy story line and run with it. We’re coming to the end, team. Lean on each other during this time…we all need support.
Namaste,
-Maggie
(Prev) Sun Set?
Tonight. Lost. "D.O.C."
10/9c. ABC.
Call the producers at Jerry Springer, it could be time for the Redneck Korean Paternity Fight of the Century (or RKPFOTC, for short).
Who's Yo Daddy?
Tonight's episode focuses on Sun and Jin, a couple whose back-story has one HUGE question looming overhead -- who is the father of Sun's baby? In previous flashbacks, it was alluded to that hotel heir "Jae" might be a homewrecker, as we saw him in bed with Sun. Then Jae died, presumably committing suicide. BUT... what if it wasn't suicide? Some have speculated that Jin (or more likely, his goons or someone else from the Paik family) killed Jae, or that maybe Sun even went back to the room and had some part in the whole thing. Either way, it'll be interesting to see if tonight's flashback is pre- or post-Jae. My guess is Jae will make an appearance in some way, but I'm not sure how central he'll be.
But alas, it's time for the Great Korean Baby's Daddy Debate (or GKBDD).
Let us speculate. There has to be a reason that Sun has that "Oh god. I hope Maury Povich never comes here and puts Jin to a paternity test," look on her face every time she's around him. That's a concern. Additionally, we know Jin can't...um...you know...uhhh...my mom reads this...ah the hell with it, the guy's firing blanks. But there's hope for Jin: in the same way that The Island cured Locke (legs) and Rose (cancer), it could provide for him as well. That would be an interesting twist indeed. But all things equal, my guess is that Sun's transgressions are going to come back to haunt her, Jae will be revealed as the baby's daddy, and Jin won't exactly be celebrating like this. (sorry, I will find an excuse to include that clip in any TDB post. It's just so good.) Whatever happens, I'm sure it will be a very Grey's Anatomy-esque reveal, complete with Damien Rice music. And either way, it leads me to a much more important point...
"You're Gonna Die Charlie." But is "Charlie" Scottish for "Sun"?
Forgive my obsession with this quote/subject, but I think any time you've got the death of a character looming over your head, it's a big deal. Desmond told Charlie he was gonna die, and Desmond can see the future (as far as we know) so you could say Charlie's damned. But Sun is pregnant, and based on what we know from Juliet, we'd say Sun is damned, too. If I had to bet which one is gonna be buried on Boone hill, close enough to hear the last whimpers of Nikki and Paulo, I'd guess Sun. Perhaps that's just wishful thinking, as Sun/Jin are my least favorite of the main characters and I don't want to see Charlie die because of our cosmic name connection and shared love for speaking in a British accent.
But here's further evidence as to why we should be planning Sun's funeral. Traditionally, character's only die when it's their flashback episode (see Boone, Shannon, Eko and I think Ana Lucia). Tonight, a Sun/Jin flashback. It seems that characters only die when they confront their demons (Shannon's insecurities/using of people, Boone's obsession with Shannon [eww, by the way], Eko's justifications of his malice and his issues with his brother, Ana Lucia's general bitchiness and paper-thin tough girl exterior). We know there are major demons in Sun's past: the father of her unborn child, the very possible reality that she drove him to suicide and the distant possibility that she killed him. We could very well have that mystery revealed tonight, exposing a troubled part of Sun's past that she will be forced to confront in some way. You see where I'm going with this. Additionally (again, I'm protective of young Charlie) I think Charlie has already dealt with his demons (heroin, genuinely caring for someone without using them) and he's still alive - so maybe he's on borrowed time, or maybe he's got a greater purpose. No, he's not a central figure in this story. But Desmond is, and Charlie's fate seems to be closely tied to Desmond's. Add it all up, fellow nerds: the Sun will set soon (again, these are just my unfounded predictions/wishful thinking, so take my words with a grain of salt).
Heaven...(do do do)...Must be missing angels.
Remember how last week that parachuter fell from the sky? Yeah, so do I. ABC credits the young woman as "Naomi", but gives no further information - so let's make stuff up! Here's the deal, the one discernible word Naomi uttered last week was "Desmond", and due to the relative clarity of Desmond's premonition of her arrival, we can assume that she either knows Desmond (I don't think so) or is working for the Widmores/Penny (Oh hell yeah). Maybe just enough time (LOST time) has passed for Penny to take the Portuguese scientists' info, triangulate the location of the island, and send somebody in (enter Naomi, the forgotten Knievel sister). This could explain her presence. OR she could be some sort of messenger for the Others, who did not have the luxury of taking the SS Dharma over to the island after Locke went Die Hard on its ass. She came via helicopter, wasn't prepared for the island's electromagnetic effects on the chopper, and when it began to crash she was out quicker than Sawyer in a low-stakes game of ping pong. My guess is she's here for Desmond, and the fact that she was Naomi, not Penny, means that the picture on the front of Desmond's puzzle box is a little fuzzy (either permanently, or just this time due to his saving of Charlie and subsequent alteration of the future).
Bottom line, she's here, and the reason for her arrival may be a catalyst for the end of the season run we're about to embark upon. If she is indeed bringing a message/on a mission from the outside world, it could again blow the doors of possibility wide open. As she recovers tonight, pay close attention to everything she says/does -- whatever her mission is, it's definitely in panic mode right now, as I don't think the jungle crash landing was part of the plan. And as we know, once someone hits panic mode, they can be forced to take some drastic measures to achieve their ends (just ask Ben "Henry Gale" Linus about that).
Ahhh, the end of the season is such an incredible time. The final 5 episodes seem to be the writers' depositories for huge reveals, big explosions, major character revelations, deaths and the exploration of previously uncharted territories. All year they store up some good mysteries and then bust 'em out during the end of the season. Well, we're here. So strap in, grab a Dharma Beer and nerd out.
D.O.C.: In Haiku
So long, my sweet Sun.
That's what you get for cheating.
But who is daddy?
I'll see ya in another life brutha,
Charlie.
10/9c. ABC.
Call the producers at Jerry Springer, it could be time for the Redneck Korean Paternity Fight of the Century (or RKPFOTC, for short).
Who's Yo Daddy?
Tonight's episode focuses on Sun and Jin, a couple whose back-story has one HUGE question looming overhead -- who is the father of Sun's baby? In previous flashbacks, it was alluded to that hotel heir "Jae" might be a homewrecker, as we saw him in bed with Sun. Then Jae died, presumably committing suicide. BUT... what if it wasn't suicide? Some have speculated that Jin (or more likely, his goons or someone else from the Paik family) killed Jae, or that maybe Sun even went back to the room and had some part in the whole thing. Either way, it'll be interesting to see if tonight's flashback is pre- or post-Jae. My guess is Jae will make an appearance in some way, but I'm not sure how central he'll be.
But alas, it's time for the Great Korean Baby's Daddy Debate (or GKBDD).
Let us speculate. There has to be a reason that Sun has that "Oh god. I hope Maury Povich never comes here and puts Jin to a paternity test," look on her face every time she's around him. That's a concern. Additionally, we know Jin can't...um...you know...uhhh...my mom reads this...ah the hell with it, the guy's firing blanks. But there's hope for Jin: in the same way that The Island cured Locke (legs) and Rose (cancer), it could provide for him as well. That would be an interesting twist indeed. But all things equal, my guess is that Sun's transgressions are going to come back to haunt her, Jae will be revealed as the baby's daddy, and Jin won't exactly be celebrating like this. (sorry, I will find an excuse to include that clip in any TDB post. It's just so good.) Whatever happens, I'm sure it will be a very Grey's Anatomy-esque reveal, complete with Damien Rice music. And either way, it leads me to a much more important point...
"You're Gonna Die Charlie." But is "Charlie" Scottish for "Sun"?
Forgive my obsession with this quote/subject, but I think any time you've got the death of a character looming over your head, it's a big deal. Desmond told Charlie he was gonna die, and Desmond can see the future (as far as we know) so you could say Charlie's damned. But Sun is pregnant, and based on what we know from Juliet, we'd say Sun is damned, too. If I had to bet which one is gonna be buried on Boone hill, close enough to hear the last whimpers of Nikki and Paulo, I'd guess Sun. Perhaps that's just wishful thinking, as Sun/Jin are my least favorite of the main characters and I don't want to see Charlie die because of our cosmic name connection and shared love for speaking in a British accent.
But here's further evidence as to why we should be planning Sun's funeral. Traditionally, character's only die when it's their flashback episode (see Boone, Shannon, Eko and I think Ana Lucia). Tonight, a Sun/Jin flashback. It seems that characters only die when they confront their demons (Shannon's insecurities/using of people, Boone's obsession with Shannon [eww, by the way], Eko's justifications of his malice and his issues with his brother, Ana Lucia's general bitchiness and paper-thin tough girl exterior). We know there are major demons in Sun's past: the father of her unborn child, the very possible reality that she drove him to suicide and the distant possibility that she killed him. We could very well have that mystery revealed tonight, exposing a troubled part of Sun's past that she will be forced to confront in some way. You see where I'm going with this. Additionally (again, I'm protective of young Charlie) I think Charlie has already dealt with his demons (heroin, genuinely caring for someone without using them) and he's still alive - so maybe he's on borrowed time, or maybe he's got a greater purpose. No, he's not a central figure in this story. But Desmond is, and Charlie's fate seems to be closely tied to Desmond's. Add it all up, fellow nerds: the Sun will set soon (again, these are just my unfounded predictions/wishful thinking, so take my words with a grain of salt).
Heaven...(do do do)...Must be missing angels.
Remember how last week that parachuter fell from the sky? Yeah, so do I. ABC credits the young woman as "Naomi", but gives no further information - so let's make stuff up! Here's the deal, the one discernible word Naomi uttered last week was "Desmond", and due to the relative clarity of Desmond's premonition of her arrival, we can assume that she either knows Desmond (I don't think so) or is working for the Widmores/Penny (Oh hell yeah). Maybe just enough time (LOST time) has passed for Penny to take the Portuguese scientists' info, triangulate the location of the island, and send somebody in (enter Naomi, the forgotten Knievel sister). This could explain her presence. OR she could be some sort of messenger for the Others, who did not have the luxury of taking the SS Dharma over to the island after Locke went Die Hard on its ass. She came via helicopter, wasn't prepared for the island's electromagnetic effects on the chopper, and when it began to crash she was out quicker than Sawyer in a low-stakes game of ping pong. My guess is she's here for Desmond, and the fact that she was Naomi, not Penny, means that the picture on the front of Desmond's puzzle box is a little fuzzy (either permanently, or just this time due to his saving of Charlie and subsequent alteration of the future).Bottom line, she's here, and the reason for her arrival may be a catalyst for the end of the season run we're about to embark upon. If she is indeed bringing a message/on a mission from the outside world, it could again blow the doors of possibility wide open. As she recovers tonight, pay close attention to everything she says/does -- whatever her mission is, it's definitely in panic mode right now, as I don't think the jungle crash landing was part of the plan. And as we know, once someone hits panic mode, they can be forced to take some drastic measures to achieve their ends (just ask Ben "Henry Gale" Linus about that).
Ahhh, the end of the season is such an incredible time. The final 5 episodes seem to be the writers' depositories for huge reveals, big explosions, major character revelations, deaths and the exploration of previously uncharted territories. All year they store up some good mysteries and then bust 'em out during the end of the season. Well, we're here. So strap in, grab a Dharma Beer and nerd out.
D.O.C.: In Haiku
So long, my sweet Sun.
That's what you get for cheating.
But who is daddy?
I'll see ya in another life brutha,
Charlie.
(Prev) Break Out the Desmond Impressions
LOST. Tonight. "Catch-22," a Desmond episode.
Your local ABC station.
I'll see you at 10/9c, brutha.
"Ms. Widmore. It's us. I think we found it." or [Hey, remember those Portuguese guys? Yeah, so do I.]
With those 8 words, LOST left us dangling perilously off a cliff at the end of season 2. If you're having trouble remembering this scene (you mean you didn't watch it 37 times!?! Oh. Yeah. Me neither.) then refresh your memory here. Of all the blindside attacks this show has launched on its viewers, this one may be the most puzzling. They introduce two random Portuguese guys, in the arctic, who are monitoring the island and waiting for some moment to do something that will lead them to call Penny Widmore. No explanation, just a tasty "what the hell?" roast placed in our heads and left to marinate.
Well good news, impatient ones. Tonight's LOST is about Desmond, who is possibly the most unpredictable character - or at least the one with the most unpredictable back-stories. The last Desmond-centric episode was maybe the best of the season (that or last week's), as it opened up Pandora's Box to challenge our notions of what was possible on the island. He traveled back through time, then discovered that while it was technically possible to alter his fate, to do so would have dire consequences. Thus, he put his head down and obeyed the time line, once again leaving him Penniless (get it? ha ha ha).
We talk a lot in this forum about character motivations; Jack's mission to save/fix/rescue people, Locke's journey of self-discovery, Juliet's out-for-number-one mentality. For Desmond I think it comes down to this: Penny. Penny Penny Penny. Not this Penny, but rather the one pictured here. Everything he does is done in the interest of reuniting with the one that got away, the one with whom happiness was out of his direct control. Mr. Widmore, the race, the crash, Ms. Hawking, the army (?) - all these things seem to stand in the way of Desmond and Penny's happiness. Now the couple faces their biggest challenge: Desmond's captivity and presumed death. But wait one second...
"With enough money and effort, you can find anyone." - Penny Widmore (paraphrased by Charlie Stephan. With Dwight Schrute). We now know that when Penny said that to Des, it wasn't an empty statement. She's got some kind of elaborate-yet-covert search (and rescue?) mission operating out of the arctic. My guess is this: Mr. Widmore (whose company has been involved heavily in this show. If you don't believe me, read the Bonus Tracks and Maggie's wonderful Widmore-post) has something to do with the island (I have a devious notion of what that involvement is, ask me if you're interested). He maybe even knew Desmond would end up there, far from his daughter. Penny knows all about it, but her efforts to find Desmond must go under his radar - think about it, if Mr. Widmore can maroon a potential black sheep on an island, he could certainly stop Penny from finding him. She knows what he's up to, and she's going ninja-style to find him - enter the Portuguese Arctic Dynamic Duo (or PADD, as I will call them. That is not the same as Pandas Against Drunk Driving).
So what's up tonight? Well, if there's one part of Desmond's life that has been teased but not explained, it's why he was in the army, and why he was imprisoned there. That's where his story first picked up, and tonight we may be treated to the story of how he got there. And maybe, just maybe, his cell-mates were a couple of Portuguese guys. Now that, my friends, would be a tasty nugget.
"No matter what I do, you're gonna die Charlie." or [Okay, does he really have ESP? He does? Shit. Sorry Chuck]
Desmond's damning prediction of the island's reigning rock star has been hanging over our heads for a few weeks now. As Desmond batles the inevitable demise of Charlie, he is constantly staying just a step ahead of fate. Last-second visions lead him on mad dashes across the jungle, hoping to reach the scene of Charlie's death before Charlie does, and to keep Charlie out of harm's way.
But how long can Desmond outrun fate? And when it does catch him, what chance does Charlie have to escape unscathed? My guesses: about four weeks and "a snowball's chance in hell". Sadly,
I get the feeling that Desmond's prophecy will be fulfilled sometime this season - they don't just introduce things like "You're gonna die Charlie" and leave them in the air. Plus, if it's "the island" (or Smokey) that wants him dead, you can bet that it won't stop until he's got him. Charlie's already escaped the clutches of death a few times, but as Desmond (via Ms. Hawking) said, "The universe has a way of course-correcting itself," - it only takes one bad move to not escape, and then the search for Driveshaft's new bassist will begin.
So what does this mean for Desmond? Well, we already know him as a man who struggles with the idea of predestination versus free will. He is tampering with predestination by constantly saving Charlie, and I would imagine that if Charlie dies it will come as a major blow to Desmond. He is so attached to and embittered by the philosophical argument of free will because of everything with Penny, that any other misfortune that results from him being shackled to universal truths could shatter him. We shall see. But as you watch Desmond tonight, pay attention to the fervor he has for saving Charlie - I see it not as a rescue mission, but as an attempt to defy the natural order of things in order to compensate for fate's cruel handling of his love life. Phew.
"I'll See You in a Week" or [Watch that tricky Juliet!]
Since last week we've wondered whether Juliet's sinister alliance with Ben was a plot against the survivors or a ploy against her captors. We've got one week (in LOST time) to find out, and I think that, starting tonight, it would serve us all well to watch her closely. Yes, she's still out for herself, and if you know that then you know Juliet. But the big lingering question in my mind is, "What does, 'I'll see you in a week' mean,"? Is Ben coming to Survivor-ville? Is there another kidnapping in the works? Was he talking to viewers and reminding them that LOST will be on in one week, and to watch it? Okay, probably not the last one. But I would guess there's some prepping that Juliet will need to do to prepare for whatever it is that Chief Coke-Bottle-Bottom Glasses has in mind. Watch her, watch her carefully.
In Closing, a Haiku
From now on, each preview post will end with a haiku:
Des has to save Chuck
And speak in a cool accent.
Where is Locke's daddy?
Enjoy,
Charlie (not the doomed one).
Your local ABC station.
I'll see you at 10/9c, brutha.
"Ms. Widmore. It's us. I think we found it." or [Hey, remember those Portuguese guys? Yeah, so do I.]
With those 8 words, LOST left us dangling perilously off a cliff at the end of season 2. If you're having trouble remembering this scene (you mean you didn't watch it 37 times!?! Oh. Yeah. Me neither.) then refresh your memory here. Of all the blindside attacks this show has launched on its viewers, this one may be the most puzzling. They introduce two random Portuguese guys, in the arctic, who are monitoring the island and waiting for some moment to do something that will lead them to call Penny Widmore. No explanation, just a tasty "what the hell?" roast placed in our heads and left to marinate.Well good news, impatient ones. Tonight's LOST is about Desmond, who is possibly the most unpredictable character - or at least the one with the most unpredictable back-stories. The last Desmond-centric episode was maybe the best of the season (that or last week's), as it opened up Pandora's Box to challenge our notions of what was possible on the island. He traveled back through time, then discovered that while it was technically possible to alter his fate, to do so would have dire consequences. Thus, he put his head down and obeyed the time line, once again leaving him Penniless (get it? ha ha ha).
We talk a lot in this forum about character motivations; Jack's mission to save/fix/rescue people, Locke's journey of self-discovery, Juliet's out-for-number-one mentality. For Desmond I think it comes down to this: Penny. Penny Penny Penny. Not this Penny, but rather the one pictured here. Everything he does is done in the interest of reuniting with the one that got away, the one with whom happiness was out of his direct control. Mr. Widmore, the race, the crash, Ms. Hawking, the army (?) - all these things seem to stand in the way of Desmond and Penny's happiness. Now the couple faces their biggest challenge: Desmond's captivity and presumed death. But wait one second..."With enough money and effort, you can find anyone." - Penny Widmore (paraphrased by Charlie Stephan. With Dwight Schrute). We now know that when Penny said that to Des, it wasn't an empty statement. She's got some kind of elaborate-yet-covert search (and rescue?) mission operating out of the arctic. My guess is this: Mr. Widmore (whose company has been involved heavily in this show. If you don't believe me, read the Bonus Tracks and Maggie's wonderful Widmore-post) has something to do with the island (I have a devious notion of what that involvement is, ask me if you're interested). He maybe even knew Desmond would end up there, far from his daughter. Penny knows all about it, but her efforts to find Desmond must go under his radar - think about it, if Mr. Widmore can maroon a potential black sheep on an island, he could certainly stop Penny from finding him. She knows what he's up to, and she's going ninja-style to find him - enter the Portuguese Arctic Dynamic Duo (or PADD, as I will call them. That is not the same as Pandas Against Drunk Driving).
So what's up tonight? Well, if there's one part of Desmond's life that has been teased but not explained, it's why he was in the army, and why he was imprisoned there. That's where his story first picked up, and tonight we may be treated to the story of how he got there. And maybe, just maybe, his cell-mates were a couple of Portuguese guys. Now that, my friends, would be a tasty nugget.
"No matter what I do, you're gonna die Charlie." or [Okay, does he really have ESP? He does? Shit. Sorry Chuck]
Desmond's damning prediction of the island's reigning rock star has been hanging over our heads for a few weeks now. As Desmond batles the inevitable demise of Charlie, he is constantly staying just a step ahead of fate. Last-second visions lead him on mad dashes across the jungle, hoping to reach the scene of Charlie's death before Charlie does, and to keep Charlie out of harm's way.But how long can Desmond outrun fate? And when it does catch him, what chance does Charlie have to escape unscathed? My guesses: about four weeks and "a snowball's chance in hell". Sadly,
I get the feeling that Desmond's prophecy will be fulfilled sometime this season - they don't just introduce things like "You're gonna die Charlie" and leave them in the air. Plus, if it's "the island" (or Smokey) that wants him dead, you can bet that it won't stop until he's got him. Charlie's already escaped the clutches of death a few times, but as Desmond (via Ms. Hawking) said, "The universe has a way of course-correcting itself," - it only takes one bad move to not escape, and then the search for Driveshaft's new bassist will begin.So what does this mean for Desmond? Well, we already know him as a man who struggles with the idea of predestination versus free will. He is tampering with predestination by constantly saving Charlie, and I would imagine that if Charlie dies it will come as a major blow to Desmond. He is so attached to and embittered by the philosophical argument of free will because of everything with Penny, that any other misfortune that results from him being shackled to universal truths could shatter him. We shall see. But as you watch Desmond tonight, pay attention to the fervor he has for saving Charlie - I see it not as a rescue mission, but as an attempt to defy the natural order of things in order to compensate for fate's cruel handling of his love life. Phew.
"I'll See You in a Week" or [Watch that tricky Juliet!]
Since last week we've wondered whether Juliet's sinister alliance with Ben was a plot against the survivors or a ploy against her captors. We've got one week (in LOST time) to find out, and I think that, starting tonight, it would serve us all well to watch her closely. Yes, she's still out for herself, and if you know that then you know Juliet. But the big lingering question in my mind is, "What does, 'I'll see you in a week' mean,"? Is Ben coming to Survivor-ville? Is there another kidnapping in the works? Was he talking to viewers and reminding them that LOST will be on in one week, and to watch it? Okay, probably not the last one. But I would guess there's some prepping that Juliet will need to do to prepare for whatever it is that Chief Coke-Bottle-Bottom Glasses has in mind. Watch her, watch her carefully.
In Closing, a Haiku
From now on, each preview post will end with a haiku:
Des has to save Chuck
And speak in a cool accent.
Where is Locke's daddy?
Enjoy,
Charlie (not the doomed one).
(Rev) The Long Road Home
In his column yesterday, our friend Doc Jensen said the following would happen on last night’s episode (and I quote):
The episode is filled with sharp writing, stunning cinematography, and great performances. It is a weird, wicked, wonderful hour of television. I loved it.
When I look back on the great episodes in Lost history, there are a few that stick out. I think this should and can be personalized for each individual, but a few that stick out for me (this is not in an order…just what I can think of right now):
1. Last episode of Season 1 – with the gang looking down the hole of the Swan hatch. Wowzers.
2. First episode of Season 2 – Desmond riding his bike and listening to “Make Your Own Kind of Music” gave me chills.
3. Last episode of Season 2 – our guys are pushed out on the dock with blind folds. Oh, and the sky turning purple.
4. First episode of Season 3 – Juliet, with that I-just-bawled-my-eyes-out look, listens to “Downtown” while preparing for the book club meeting.
The newest addition to my list?
5. One of Us – April 11, 2007
Juliet’s goes to our island:
So let me get this straight. After accepting the job with Mittelos Biosciences, she agreed to: move away for 6 months, not talk to her family, sign her name on a lot of dotted lines, drink an orange juice tranquilizer. While I may or may not have done three of those four things before accepting this job (you guess, I’ll tell), it seemed a little excessive. Nonetheless, Jules did everything and woke up hoarse and on a submarine. When she emerged from the sub to look at the island, I can’t help but wonder what was going through her mind. I would have turned right around, climbed down the stairs, and asked for the direct swim home.
Juliet has had a rough run on this island. She has gone through a lot and tried her darndest. She was brought here to figure out a way to save the women who die (see below). She did not succeed, but she was “tricked” into stay (or was she?) by Ben. “Stay here, your sister won’t die from cancer because we can cure her” (see below). So she stayed. And now it has been three years. And she is tired. She is mad. And she wants to go home to see Julian, the two-year old her sister has had in her absence.
The last scene (Ben and Juliet at the table discussing the final plan) begs the question: do we trust Juliet or not? Is she One of Us or One of Them? The producers are trying to set her up to be someone we cannot trust…someone who is plotting against our guys. I’ll admit that last night, that was my reaction (if you watched it with me, you know that I was swearing incoherently…). However, after a day to digest, is Juliet still just trying to get off the island? Is she doing everything Ben is telling her to do (infiltrate, lie, cheat, watch, learn) because she will eventually get to leave? I believed her crying scene in Ben’s kitchen…she wants to leave!! So, like Locke, is she just going to do what it takes before she is allowed to leave? (I think Locke is doing whatever it takes to get to his father…he is playing along). I don’t know.
In other news, Mikhail runs a one-man show in his little blue hut. It appears he had access to whatever the heck he wanted to have access to…and had a minion named Richard whom he could send on and off the island to film their you tube clips. Was he watching CNN? Unbelievable! I thought this scene was more powerful than almost the entire episode. Juliet gasping and reaching for the television after the live feed ended made it even more heart wrenching. I believed her. She wasn’t acting. She wants to go home.
Juliet is now on the beach in a hut, trusted by Jack which means she is trusted by everyone. As so many bloggers have pointed out today, the season finale is going to have a heavy heavy emphasis on JACK: we all trust him…but should we?
On the island, pregnant women bleed out of the mouth and die:
Another “worst nightmare come true” on the island, as I have alluded to in previous summary emails. We have our confirmed bleed-at-the-mouth-and-die cases – many before Jules arrived, then the woman on the table who Goodwin/Jules declared a time-of-death for). However, we have some pregnancy “anomalies”, if you will:
1. Claire: She has lived thus far. Juliet seems to think that she holds the answer, but I’m not so sure. Claire was impregnated off the island…maybe you live if you conceive off the island?
2. Ben’s Mom: Not sure who she is or if she is alive. (I just wanted to throw her out there, though, since Ben has said multiple times that he was born on the island.)
3. Danielle Rousseau: Danielle has said that she gave birth to Alex on this island. Again – when did she become pregnant? On the island? Off the island? We don’t know, but we know Danielle is alive.
Other maybe-pregnancies to think about:
1. Sun: Oh, golly. This was unexpected. Sun’s unanswered question until now has been “who is the father?” Now it is “Will she live?”
2. Kate: The horizontal tango with Sawyer while in the cage could lead to something deadly.
3. Juliet: I know you boys all thought Juliet didn’t look too shabby post-tango with Goodwin. This is all besides the point – something might have happened. Who knows.
On the island, they have a cure for cancer:
Since I have spent the day doing research on stem cells (sorry this email is so late…I had to “work”), I can tell you that cancer is a class of diseases characterized by uncontrolled division of cells and the ability of these to spread, either by direct growth into adjacent tissue through invasion, or by implantation into distant sites by metastasis. In order to “cure” cancer, you have to figure out a way to kill or replace the abnormal cells. How do you kill the cells? You remove the abnormalities (tumor) or you kick their butts with radiation. How do you replace cells? Well, you have to recreate the cell in its more pure form. The most pure type of cell? That would be stem cells, which have the potential to become any of the 200 kinds of cells that make up the human body. Serving as a sort of repair system for the body, stem cells can theoretically divide without limit to replenish other cells as long as a person is still alive.
Speaking with my ‘work’ hat on, I’m wondering if the Others are conducting stem cell research. Speaking with my ‘Lost’ hat on, it actually doesn’t sound all that bad either. Mittelos Biosciences…that sounds stem celly. I checked on the stem cell laws in Oregon – and they’ve got a California feel to them. Oregon can do pretty much whatever they want to do. Thoughts?
Jacob returns:
Jacob, Jacob, Jacob. He’s back. Or is he really a he?
The references were everywhere last night and they did not go unnoticed. We’ve talked about this before, but I think the Jacob references come back to Jacob, the Father of Modern Israel.
Four wives. Twelve sons. The youngest? Cue those Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat soundtracks: BENJAMIN. I don’t know, but it sure makes a nice “wonder”…Ben is the son of Jacob…hmm? Jacob De Groot, maybe??? (see below) (Note: if you had to guess who on the island would wear a Technicolor dreamcoat, would you also guess Happy Tom??? Hahahaha)
Also, Jacob agreed to cure the cancer that afflicted Juliet’s sister. Remember her name? RACHEL. What is the connection? Rachel was Jacob’s favorite wife in the Bible.
Okay…I just got too Biblical. Sorry.
Sayid has got his stuff together:
If I had to someone to be stranded on an island with, I’d pick Sayid. If I was picking teams for kick ball, I’d pick Sayid. If I was going grocery shopping, I’d ask Sayid to come along. If I wanted to perm my hair but wasn’t sure if I could manage it on the day-to-day, I’d ask Sayid about his experience.
I’m going to default to Sayid 99.99% of the time. And that means, I’m going to go with Sayid for the rest of the season. Sure, he’s made mistakes (note: I cannot believe I just said that about a torturer…”mistakes”?? Good night, who am I???!!!?!?) However, Sayid seems to be the only one with a straight head right now. This is kind of ironic, seeing as his lover/best friend Shannon was killed only a few weeks ago in Lost-time. I’m glad he has a friend in Sawyer. I think that could work. Opposites attract – weren’t these the two guys who didn’t trust each other at all when we first landed? It wasn’t too pretty…
Looking ahead:
In the next four weeks, we’ve got the following flashes: Desmond; Jin/Sun; Locke; De Groots (the hippie couple we’ve seen in the Dharma films). My predictions? Desmond’s flash is going to bring back Penny and provide a little more clarification on that pseudo-flashback (Was it a dream? Was it real? Did it happen? What the heck?) Jin/Sun’s flashback is going to somehow address this “pregnant women die” thing, as well as a hint or clue at who is the baby-daddy. Locke (finally) is going to catch us up on that whole DAD IS TIED TO A CHAIR ON THE ISLAND IN A ROOM WITH A GAG IN HIS MOUTH story line. And the De Groots? Well, I’ll say this. The De Groot episode will air on my birthday (May 9…mark it on your calendars). I can say that there is no other way I’d like to celebrate my birthday than to give a little air time to these two very important people…as our Charlie has conjectured: Ben’s parents? You be the judge.
Until next week, friends, sleep with one eye open, rewatch episodes to your heart’s content at abc.com, and don’t forget to visit our Dharma blog.
Namaste,
Maggie
PS: Head to EW.com for Doc’s wrap up this week. It is pretty powerful. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20034600,00.html
The episode is filled with sharp writing, stunning cinematography, and great performances. It is a weird, wicked, wonderful hour of television. I loved it.
When I look back on the great episodes in Lost history, there are a few that stick out. I think this should and can be personalized for each individual, but a few that stick out for me (this is not in an order…just what I can think of right now):
1. Last episode of Season 1 – with the gang looking down the hole of the Swan hatch. Wowzers.
2. First episode of Season 2 – Desmond riding his bike and listening to “Make Your Own Kind of Music” gave me chills.
3. Last episode of Season 2 – our guys are pushed out on the dock with blind folds. Oh, and the sky turning purple.
4. First episode of Season 3 – Juliet, with that I-just-bawled-my-eyes-out look, listens to “Downtown” while preparing for the book club meeting.
The newest addition to my list?
5. One of Us – April 11, 2007
Juliet’s goes to our island:
So let me get this straight. After accepting the job with Mittelos Biosciences, she agreed to: move away for 6 months, not talk to her family, sign her name on a lot of dotted lines, drink an orange juice tranquilizer. While I may or may not have done three of those four things before accepting this job (you guess, I’ll tell), it seemed a little excessive. Nonetheless, Jules did everything and woke up hoarse and on a submarine. When she emerged from the sub to look at the island, I can’t help but wonder what was going through her mind. I would have turned right around, climbed down the stairs, and asked for the direct swim home.
Juliet has had a rough run on this island. She has gone through a lot and tried her darndest. She was brought here to figure out a way to save the women who die (see below). She did not succeed, but she was “tricked” into stay (or was she?) by Ben. “Stay here, your sister won’t die from cancer because we can cure her” (see below). So she stayed. And now it has been three years. And she is tired. She is mad. And she wants to go home to see Julian, the two-year old her sister has had in her absence.
The last scene (Ben and Juliet at the table discussing the final plan) begs the question: do we trust Juliet or not? Is she One of Us or One of Them? The producers are trying to set her up to be someone we cannot trust…someone who is plotting against our guys. I’ll admit that last night, that was my reaction (if you watched it with me, you know that I was swearing incoherently…). However, after a day to digest, is Juliet still just trying to get off the island? Is she doing everything Ben is telling her to do (infiltrate, lie, cheat, watch, learn) because she will eventually get to leave? I believed her crying scene in Ben’s kitchen…she wants to leave!! So, like Locke, is she just going to do what it takes before she is allowed to leave? (I think Locke is doing whatever it takes to get to his father…he is playing along). I don’t know.
In other news, Mikhail runs a one-man show in his little blue hut. It appears he had access to whatever the heck he wanted to have access to…and had a minion named Richard whom he could send on and off the island to film their you tube clips. Was he watching CNN? Unbelievable! I thought this scene was more powerful than almost the entire episode. Juliet gasping and reaching for the television after the live feed ended made it even more heart wrenching. I believed her. She wasn’t acting. She wants to go home.
Juliet is now on the beach in a hut, trusted by Jack which means she is trusted by everyone. As so many bloggers have pointed out today, the season finale is going to have a heavy heavy emphasis on JACK: we all trust him…but should we?
On the island, pregnant women bleed out of the mouth and die:
Another “worst nightmare come true” on the island, as I have alluded to in previous summary emails. We have our confirmed bleed-at-the-mouth-and-die cases – many before Jules arrived, then the woman on the table who Goodwin/Jules declared a time-of-death for). However, we have some pregnancy “anomalies”, if you will:
1. Claire: She has lived thus far. Juliet seems to think that she holds the answer, but I’m not so sure. Claire was impregnated off the island…maybe you live if you conceive off the island?
2. Ben’s Mom: Not sure who she is or if she is alive. (I just wanted to throw her out there, though, since Ben has said multiple times that he was born on the island.)
3. Danielle Rousseau: Danielle has said that she gave birth to Alex on this island. Again – when did she become pregnant? On the island? Off the island? We don’t know, but we know Danielle is alive.
Other maybe-pregnancies to think about:
1. Sun: Oh, golly. This was unexpected. Sun’s unanswered question until now has been “who is the father?” Now it is “Will she live?”
2. Kate: The horizontal tango with Sawyer while in the cage could lead to something deadly.
3. Juliet: I know you boys all thought Juliet didn’t look too shabby post-tango with Goodwin. This is all besides the point – something might have happened. Who knows.
On the island, they have a cure for cancer:
Since I have spent the day doing research on stem cells (sorry this email is so late…I had to “work”), I can tell you that cancer is a class of diseases characterized by uncontrolled division of cells and the ability of these to spread, either by direct growth into adjacent tissue through invasion, or by implantation into distant sites by metastasis. In order to “cure” cancer, you have to figure out a way to kill or replace the abnormal cells. How do you kill the cells? You remove the abnormalities (tumor) or you kick their butts with radiation. How do you replace cells? Well, you have to recreate the cell in its more pure form. The most pure type of cell? That would be stem cells, which have the potential to become any of the 200 kinds of cells that make up the human body. Serving as a sort of repair system for the body, stem cells can theoretically divide without limit to replenish other cells as long as a person is still alive.
Speaking with my ‘work’ hat on, I’m wondering if the Others are conducting stem cell research. Speaking with my ‘Lost’ hat on, it actually doesn’t sound all that bad either. Mittelos Biosciences…that sounds stem celly. I checked on the stem cell laws in Oregon – and they’ve got a California feel to them. Oregon can do pretty much whatever they want to do. Thoughts?
Jacob returns:
Jacob, Jacob, Jacob. He’s back. Or is he really a he?
The references were everywhere last night and they did not go unnoticed. We’ve talked about this before, but I think the Jacob references come back to Jacob, the Father of Modern Israel.
Four wives. Twelve sons. The youngest? Cue those Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat soundtracks: BENJAMIN. I don’t know, but it sure makes a nice “wonder”…Ben is the son of Jacob…hmm? Jacob De Groot, maybe??? (see below) (Note: if you had to guess who on the island would wear a Technicolor dreamcoat, would you also guess Happy Tom??? Hahahaha)
Also, Jacob agreed to cure the cancer that afflicted Juliet’s sister. Remember her name? RACHEL. What is the connection? Rachel was Jacob’s favorite wife in the Bible.
Okay…I just got too Biblical. Sorry.
Sayid has got his stuff together:
If I had to someone to be stranded on an island with, I’d pick Sayid. If I was picking teams for kick ball, I’d pick Sayid. If I was going grocery shopping, I’d ask Sayid to come along. If I wanted to perm my hair but wasn’t sure if I could manage it on the day-to-day, I’d ask Sayid about his experience.
I’m going to default to Sayid 99.99% of the time. And that means, I’m going to go with Sayid for the rest of the season. Sure, he’s made mistakes (note: I cannot believe I just said that about a torturer…”mistakes”?? Good night, who am I???!!!?!?) However, Sayid seems to be the only one with a straight head right now. This is kind of ironic, seeing as his lover/best friend Shannon was killed only a few weeks ago in Lost-time. I’m glad he has a friend in Sawyer. I think that could work. Opposites attract – weren’t these the two guys who didn’t trust each other at all when we first landed? It wasn’t too pretty…
Looking ahead:
In the next four weeks, we’ve got the following flashes: Desmond; Jin/Sun; Locke; De Groots (the hippie couple we’ve seen in the Dharma films). My predictions? Desmond’s flash is going to bring back Penny and provide a little more clarification on that pseudo-flashback (Was it a dream? Was it real? Did it happen? What the heck?) Jin/Sun’s flashback is going to somehow address this “pregnant women die” thing, as well as a hint or clue at who is the baby-daddy. Locke (finally) is going to catch us up on that whole DAD IS TIED TO A CHAIR ON THE ISLAND IN A ROOM WITH A GAG IN HIS MOUTH story line. And the De Groots? Well, I’ll say this. The De Groot episode will air on my birthday (May 9…mark it on your calendars). I can say that there is no other way I’d like to celebrate my birthday than to give a little air time to these two very important people…as our Charlie has conjectured: Ben’s parents? You be the judge.
Until next week, friends, sleep with one eye open, rewatch episodes to your heart’s content at abc.com, and don’t forget to visit our Dharma blog.
Namaste,
Maggie
PS: Head to EW.com for Doc’s wrap up this week. It is pretty powerful. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20034600,00.html
(Prev) Many Happy (or Unhappy) Returns
Tonight. Lost. “One of Us.”
10/9c.
But wouldn’t it be sweet if it was called, “Just the Two of Us,” and the first five minutes would be the music video from the Will Smith classic, “Just the Two of Us” in which he raps about his impending fatherhood? Dang, that would be so awesome. And relevant.
Us vs. Them
Last season, one of the most talked-about episodes was "One of Them", in which Rousseau "captured" Henry "Ben Linus" Gale in her crazy jungle net. This prompted the “Is he who he say he is? Is he good or bad?” question among most viewers. Fast forward to now, and tonight’s episode: “One of Us”. Jack, Kate and Sawyer return to the beach with Juliet in tow, amid speculation about her motives and questions as to her allegiance. A very similar situation here, and a deliberate parallel created by the writers. This time around, we’ve got a head start on our skepticism, as we’ve already been wondering all season what Juliet’s true purpose and motivation was, and we know she’s at least a pseudo-other. Last year, Ben took on the task of deceiving an entire culture of people, opting to play his manipulation and exploitation cards in the hopes of gaining more information and driving a wedge between the survivors. Juliet may not be as manipulative as Ben (and who is?), but she’s no stranger to deception. She’s got the best poker face on the island, to the point that even her greatest ally, Jack, occasionally doesn’t trust her.
My take? Juliet’s not good. She’s also not bad. She’s just surviving. We have to remember that she is not a natural Other, but she is, like the Survivors, held captive by this island and these people. In the same way that Jack and Locke are beginning to abandon their notions of what’s right in favor of doing whatever it takes to survive, Juliet has developed a keen survival instinct. As we’ve discussed, this instinct has manifested itself in a few ways. When she came to the island she was manipulated, easily persuaded by empty promises that, even at the time, seemed too good to be true (I imagine that sales pitch went something like: “Come to a place where you can run all the experiments you want, experiments that will change the face of mankind and, on a more personal level, help people like your sister. What? There’s no memory-regurgitating smoke monsters or miles-long force-fields. Electro-magnetic anomalies? A society of cult-like scientists hell-bent on achieving some sort of seemingly devious initiative? No, Juliet, that’s all in your head. It’s just a research facility.”). Now, in addition to some serious martial arts training, she’s received her masters in manipulation and is working on a doctorate in mind games. But like I said, it’s not as simple as “good or bad”, it’s a more complex tapestry of, “Will the Good Juliet or the Bad Juliet show up today?” And the answer is, “Whichever side Juliet needs to show to survive, she’ll be there.” Remember, she was supposed to be let go after three months, in time to see her sister give birth. It’s been three years. Fair Juliet may be a little angry, and as such she is most certainly out for herself. We’ll see what information Sayid can extract from her tonight, and if she survives the episode with all her fingers and toes in tact.
Note: The literalist would say, “In ‘One of Them’ the survivors are introduced to Ben, who turns out to be an other (one of them). So because this episode is titled, ‘One of Us’, and the survivors are introduced to Juliet, then Juliet must be good. (one of us)” But it couldn’t be that easy, could it?
That’s What She Sayid
Sayid. Here’s a character whose stock is rising on the CSLSE (Charlie Stephan LOST Stock Exchange). Is this guy ever wrong? He’s one of the most perceptive characters on the island, he’s like Locke without all of the internal struggles and past issues. Locke’s perceptive vision is often clouded by the trials of his personal past, but the only hindrance for Sayid is the remorse he feels for things he did in the war. The only time his mind gets in the way of his might is when he must torture someone (like he did to Sawyer in Season One). In the same way, though, that we’ve seen characters abandon their normal patterns in the interest of surviving, we may see Sayid come to that same crossroads soon. He seems more and more fed up with being left in the dark. He also seems to longer be satisfied sitting on the beach, making Kate-like efforts to be included on every excursion and fact-finding or rescue mission. But, to quote 18th century philosopher Spiderman, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Sayid is stepping up to more of a leadership role, which may force him to make a tough decision: the return to torture. The pressure to investigate Juliet is going to mount, as the beach crew is more distrustful than ever, especially of a confirmed Other (cuz, you know, they captured and killed a bunch of their people. So they’re not exactly trustworthy right now). I’m guessing Juliet will be relegated to Suburbia status, much in the same way that Ana Lucia was after she killed Shannon, when emotions ran too high for her to stay on the beach. I’m also guessing that the survivors will elect Sayid to be their ambassador to Juliet, and not exactly because of his “diplomatic prowess.” So here’s where Sayid comes to the fork in the road: continue his internal mission to forgive himself for wartime atrocities, or do what he needs to do to get the information he needs from Juliet?
From the preview. Juliet says, “If I told you everything I know, they’d kill me.” Sayid responds, “What do you think I’ll do if you don’t?” Chills, baby. Chills.
We Don’t Know Jack. Hell, Jack Doesn’t Know Jack.
Remember the last time Jack was on the beach? Me neither. I think the first Bush was president, and snap bracelets were all the rage. In LOST time, he’s only been gone about a month (give or take a few days). But the Jack who left the beach under the delusion that he was going to get Walt back is not the Jack who is returning to the island. It’s amazing what a few weeks in Othersville will do to someone (or a few years, eh Juliet?). He’s got Other mentality now (yes, I believe he’s still good), but if we thought Jack was difficult to walk all over before, we haven’t seen anything yet. He’s a little older, a little wiser and real pissed at Locke for squandering his chance at rescuing himself (and, presumably, everyone else). I think he’ll be in a take-no-shit-from-anyone mood, finally restoring a sense of legitimacy and seriousness to the beach.
But since the cat’s been away, the mice have played. And changed. If Jack had a personal assistant on the beach (like, I dunno, Nikki. Wait. Buried alive. Damn.), she might welcome him back from vacation like this:
As they walk through the various corridors of the office, Nikki walks two steps behind Jack, with pages up on pages of messages that have amassed in his absence. She would try to catch him up to speed in the time it takes him to get from the front door to his office. Something like: “Welcome back, sir! How was vacation? Great? Oh not great? Okay. Well a lot has happened, where do I begin? Ummm, that hatch thing blew up with Eko, Charlie, Desmond and Sawyer inside — that’s why the sky turned purple and stuff. So afterwards, Charlie and Eko were okay, but Locke couldn’t speak until he rescued Eko. But then Eko confronted his past demons and got killed by Smokey. Bummer, he was a nice guy. And get this, something in that explosion gave Desmond ESP! Crazy, right? Anyway, he keeps having premonitions about Charlie’s untimely death, so everyone’s all like, ‘Oh no, Charlie’s gonna die,” but we dont’ know if he’ll die but Desmond has to look out for him. Ummm, so then me and Paolo showed up, and nobody liked us, and Medusa spiders bit us, paralyzed us and then everyone buried us alive. Seriously! Ummm, Charlie admitted to Sun that he, not the Others, kidnapped Sun. She was pissed! And last week, Sawyer made an effort at civility, so Hurley crowned him as the new leader. Phew, I think that’s about it. Hey where’s Locke?”
See what I mean? It’ll be a readjustment for Jack, complete with a power struggle with Sawyer, who really is the new sheriff in town. Should be a classic.
Enjoy
Okay, enjoy this one tonight. And check out Dharma Bonus Tracks (on the right-hand side of the page) for some added thoughts.
Coping with the sneaking suspicion that tonight’s episode probably won’t include Nikki stripping OR Juliet/Kate mud fights,
Charlie.
10/9c.
But wouldn’t it be sweet if it was called, “Just the Two of Us,” and the first five minutes would be the music video from the Will Smith classic, “Just the Two of Us” in which he raps about his impending fatherhood? Dang, that would be so awesome. And relevant.
Us vs. Them
Last season, one of the most talked-about episodes was "One of Them", in which Rousseau "captured" Henry "Ben Linus" Gale in her crazy jungle net. This prompted the “Is he who he say he is? Is he good or bad?” question among most viewers. Fast forward to now, and tonight’s episode: “One of Us”. Jack, Kate and Sawyer return to the beach with Juliet in tow, amid speculation about her motives and questions as to her allegiance. A very similar situation here, and a deliberate parallel created by the writers. This time around, we’ve got a head start on our skepticism, as we’ve already been wondering all season what Juliet’s true purpose and motivation was, and we know she’s at least a pseudo-other. Last year, Ben took on the task of deceiving an entire culture of people, opting to play his manipulation and exploitation cards in the hopes of gaining more information and driving a wedge between the survivors. Juliet may not be as manipulative as Ben (and who is?), but she’s no stranger to deception. She’s got the best poker face on the island, to the point that even her greatest ally, Jack, occasionally doesn’t trust her.
My take? Juliet’s not good. She’s also not bad. She’s just surviving. We have to remember that she is not a natural Other, but she is, like the Survivors, held captive by this island and these people. In the same way that Jack and Locke are beginning to abandon their notions of what’s right in favor of doing whatever it takes to survive, Juliet has developed a keen survival instinct. As we’ve discussed, this instinct has manifested itself in a few ways. When she came to the island she was manipulated, easily persuaded by empty promises that, even at the time, seemed too good to be true (I imagine that sales pitch went something like: “Come to a place where you can run all the experiments you want, experiments that will change the face of mankind and, on a more personal level, help people like your sister. What? There’s no memory-regurgitating smoke monsters or miles-long force-fields. Electro-magnetic anomalies? A society of cult-like scientists hell-bent on achieving some sort of seemingly devious initiative? No, Juliet, that’s all in your head. It’s just a research facility.”). Now, in addition to some serious martial arts training, she’s received her masters in manipulation and is working on a doctorate in mind games. But like I said, it’s not as simple as “good or bad”, it’s a more complex tapestry of, “Will the Good Juliet or the Bad Juliet show up today?” And the answer is, “Whichever side Juliet needs to show to survive, she’ll be there.” Remember, she was supposed to be let go after three months, in time to see her sister give birth. It’s been three years. Fair Juliet may be a little angry, and as such she is most certainly out for herself. We’ll see what information Sayid can extract from her tonight, and if she survives the episode with all her fingers and toes in tact.Note: The literalist would say, “In ‘One of Them’ the survivors are introduced to Ben, who turns out to be an other (one of them). So because this episode is titled, ‘One of Us’, and the survivors are introduced to Juliet, then Juliet must be good. (one of us)” But it couldn’t be that easy, could it?
That’s What She Sayid
Sayid. Here’s a character whose stock is rising on the CSLSE (Charlie Stephan LOST Stock Exchange). Is this guy ever wrong? He’s one of the most perceptive characters on the island, he’s like Locke without all of the internal struggles and past issues. Locke’s perceptive vision is often clouded by the trials of his personal past, but the only hindrance for Sayid is the remorse he feels for things he did in the war. The only time his mind gets in the way of his might is when he must torture someone (like he did to Sawyer in Season One). In the same way, though, that we’ve seen characters abandon their normal patterns in the interest of surviving, we may see Sayid come to that same crossroads soon. He seems more and more fed up with being left in the dark. He also seems to longer be satisfied sitting on the beach, making Kate-like efforts to be included on every excursion and fact-finding or rescue mission. But, to quote 18th century philosopher Spiderman, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Sayid is stepping up to more of a leadership role, which may force him to make a tough decision: the return to torture. The pressure to investigate Juliet is going to mount, as the beach crew is more distrustful than ever, especially of a confirmed Other (cuz, you know, they captured and killed a bunch of their people. So they’re not exactly trustworthy right now). I’m guessing Juliet will be relegated to Suburbia status, much in the same way that Ana Lucia was after she killed Shannon, when emotions ran too high for her to stay on the beach. I’m also guessing that the survivors will elect Sayid to be their ambassador to Juliet, and not exactly because of his “diplomatic prowess.” So here’s where Sayid comes to the fork in the road: continue his internal mission to forgive himself for wartime atrocities, or do what he needs to do to get the information he needs from Juliet?From the preview. Juliet says, “If I told you everything I know, they’d kill me.” Sayid responds, “What do you think I’ll do if you don’t?” Chills, baby. Chills.
We Don’t Know Jack. Hell, Jack Doesn’t Know Jack.
Remember the last time Jack was on the beach? Me neither. I think the first Bush was president, and snap bracelets were all the rage. In LOST time, he’s only been gone about a month (give or take a few days). But the Jack who left the beach under the delusion that he was going to get Walt back is not the Jack who is returning to the island. It’s amazing what a few weeks in Othersville will do to someone (or a few years, eh Juliet?). He’s got Other mentality now (yes, I believe he’s still good), but if we thought Jack was difficult to walk all over before, we haven’t seen anything yet. He’s a little older, a little wiser and real pissed at Locke for squandering his chance at rescuing himself (and, presumably, everyone else). I think he’ll be in a take-no-shit-from-anyone mood, finally restoring a sense of legitimacy and seriousness to the beach.
But since the cat’s been away, the mice have played. And changed. If Jack had a personal assistant on the beach (like, I dunno, Nikki. Wait. Buried alive. Damn.), she might welcome him back from vacation like this:As they walk through the various corridors of the office, Nikki walks two steps behind Jack, with pages up on pages of messages that have amassed in his absence. She would try to catch him up to speed in the time it takes him to get from the front door to his office. Something like: “Welcome back, sir! How was vacation? Great? Oh not great? Okay. Well a lot has happened, where do I begin? Ummm, that hatch thing blew up with Eko, Charlie, Desmond and Sawyer inside — that’s why the sky turned purple and stuff. So afterwards, Charlie and Eko were okay, but Locke couldn’t speak until he rescued Eko. But then Eko confronted his past demons and got killed by Smokey. Bummer, he was a nice guy. And get this, something in that explosion gave Desmond ESP! Crazy, right? Anyway, he keeps having premonitions about Charlie’s untimely death, so everyone’s all like, ‘Oh no, Charlie’s gonna die,” but we dont’ know if he’ll die but Desmond has to look out for him. Ummm, so then me and Paolo showed up, and nobody liked us, and Medusa spiders bit us, paralyzed us and then everyone buried us alive. Seriously! Ummm, Charlie admitted to Sun that he, not the Others, kidnapped Sun. She was pissed! And last week, Sawyer made an effort at civility, so Hurley crowned him as the new leader. Phew, I think that’s about it. Hey where’s Locke?”
See what I mean? It’ll be a readjustment for Jack, complete with a power struggle with Sawyer, who really is the new sheriff in town. Should be a classic.
Enjoy
Okay, enjoy this one tonight. And check out Dharma Bonus Tracks (on the right-hand side of the page) for some added thoughts.
Coping with the sneaking suspicion that tonight’s episode probably won’t include Nikki stripping OR Juliet/Kate mud fights,
Charlie.
(Rev) It keeps you running, yeah it keeps you running
Note: I am adopting most of my summary from the WP girls this week. I was less than pleased with the episode, but their summaries made me realize that maybe there was more to the episode than met the eye.
Last night, we had action unfolding in both major areas of the island, muddy girl-fighting, the return of the smoke monster, Hurley getting one over on Sawyer, a handy Sawyer tie-in via Kate's flashback and, ultimately, promise of an interesting episode next week when Jack, Kate, Sayid and Juliet return to the beach.
Kate's flashback was pretty much meaningless, except to again illuminate a character with daddy (and mommy) issues (of which we were already aware) and give us these telling quotes from her mother: "You can't help who you love" and "What you did you did for yourself." Which translate that in her heart of hearts, Kate loves Sawyer.
However, perhaps Kate's flashback was, among other things, a way to set up the post-gas scene with Jack. She said, "I came back for you." He essentially said, "no, you came back for yourself." Similar to her conversation with Mom in the bathroom. Kate seems to think she's being altruistic when actually she's motivated by selfish (though understandable) desires.
Juliet admitted that the Others were aware of the smoke monster and don't know what it is, but have learned that it doesn't like their electrified perimeter fence. There's still a part of me that thinks the smoke monster is some kind of fear engendering device controlled by Ben. But what was with the four flashes of light it seemed to aim at Juliet?
Juliet may not be telling the complete truth about the monster or her status as "left behind." I'm with Sayid (who is usually right) -- I think she's being sent back to the beach as some kind of spy. And, by the way, when exactly did her transformation from meek fertility doctor who is constantly crying to trained kickboxer with a four-time dislocated shoulder actually occur? If Sayid doesn't start asking the obvious questions of Juliet, I'm going to be pretty frustrated. Suspension of disbelief is one thing, abandonment is quite another.
I'm not one to knock a beach vacation, but if I were one of the nameless losties on the beach and learned there was an abandoned village with electricity, running water and soft pillows, I'd ask Jack, et. al. for the most direct route to the YMCA camp (did I tell everyone that the Others village is actually filmed at Y camp in Hawaii? No joke.)
Lots of questions:
What is the deal with Locke? What is he trying to do? Where did the Others+Locke go?
Could Kate's father, Wayne, be the original Sawyer?
Did Juliet wake up, carry Kate to the jungle, handcuff them together, and then fake unconsciousness? Did she wake up handcuffed to Kate and happen to have the key? Did she wake up next to a cuffed Kate, uncuff her, and then cuff them to each other?
Anyone else suffering from flashback fatigue?
Last night, we had action unfolding in both major areas of the island, muddy girl-fighting, the return of the smoke monster, Hurley getting one over on Sawyer, a handy Sawyer tie-in via Kate's flashback and, ultimately, promise of an interesting episode next week when Jack, Kate, Sayid and Juliet return to the beach.
Kate's flashback was pretty much meaningless, except to again illuminate a character with daddy (and mommy) issues (of which we were already aware) and give us these telling quotes from her mother: "You can't help who you love" and "What you did you did for yourself." Which translate that in her heart of hearts, Kate loves Sawyer.
However, perhaps Kate's flashback was, among other things, a way to set up the post-gas scene with Jack. She said, "I came back for you." He essentially said, "no, you came back for yourself." Similar to her conversation with Mom in the bathroom. Kate seems to think she's being altruistic when actually she's motivated by selfish (though understandable) desires.
Juliet admitted that the Others were aware of the smoke monster and don't know what it is, but have learned that it doesn't like their electrified perimeter fence. There's still a part of me that thinks the smoke monster is some kind of fear engendering device controlled by Ben. But what was with the four flashes of light it seemed to aim at Juliet?
Juliet may not be telling the complete truth about the monster or her status as "left behind." I'm with Sayid (who is usually right) -- I think she's being sent back to the beach as some kind of spy. And, by the way, when exactly did her transformation from meek fertility doctor who is constantly crying to trained kickboxer with a four-time dislocated shoulder actually occur? If Sayid doesn't start asking the obvious questions of Juliet, I'm going to be pretty frustrated. Suspension of disbelief is one thing, abandonment is quite another.
I'm not one to knock a beach vacation, but if I were one of the nameless losties on the beach and learned there was an abandoned village with electricity, running water and soft pillows, I'd ask Jack, et. al. for the most direct route to the YMCA camp (did I tell everyone that the Others village is actually filmed at Y camp in Hawaii? No joke.)
Lots of questions:
What is the deal with Locke? What is he trying to do? Where did the Others+Locke go?
Could Kate's father, Wayne, be the original Sawyer?
Did Juliet wake up, carry Kate to the jungle, handcuff them together, and then fake unconsciousness? Did she wake up handcuffed to Kate and happen to have the key? Did she wake up next to a cuffed Kate, uncuff her, and then cuff them to each other?
Anyone else suffering from flashback fatigue?
(Annc) The New Breakdown
Okay,
Still new at the blog thing, so here are a few updates.
1. So we can keep it clean and tidy on "TheDharmaBlog", I'm going to (for now) reserve it for previews, reviews and pertinent announcements. If you'd like to add your two cents worth in the form of preview/review-related comments, I will enable you for that, fo sho.
2.But fear not, contributors and aspiring contributors. Check out: Dharma Bonus Tracks. It's an offshoot blog from the meat-and-potatoes, preview-and-review goodness of TheDharmaBlog.
3. Posts on TheDharmaBlog (what you're reading now) will be titled so you know what they are:
Finding blogging to be a tricky science,
Charlie.
Still new at the blog thing, so here are a few updates.
1. So we can keep it clean and tidy on "TheDharmaBlog", I'm going to (for now) reserve it for previews, reviews and pertinent announcements. If you'd like to add your two cents worth in the form of preview/review-related comments, I will enable you for that, fo sho.
2.But fear not, contributors and aspiring contributors. Check out: Dharma Bonus Tracks. It's an offshoot blog from the meat-and-potatoes, preview-and-review goodness of TheDharmaBlog.
3. Posts on TheDharmaBlog (what you're reading now) will be titled so you know what they are:
- (prev) for previews by Charlie
- (rev) for reviews by Maggie
- (annc) for announcements
Finding blogging to be a tricky science,
Charlie.
(Prev) The Thrilla in Manilla (assuming The Island is near Manilla)
Tonight. LOST. “Left Behind.”
10/9c.
A Kate flashback the week after a Nikki flashback!?! What God did I please?
“Oh No She Di’int”
This is what many of us have been left thinking (or saying, if we’re blessed with the ability to pronounce it without sounding completely ridiculous) after watching a Kate flashback in this series. Where to start? She robbed a bank after planting herself inside as a potential customer and charming a banker who in turn risked his life to save her despite having only known her for 5 minutes. Then once inside the vault she went Tony Montana on her own team, ultimately retrieving a seemingly meaningless heirloom from her past: the toy plane that belonged to the first man she deceived (you always remember your first). She fell in love with a doctor, accidentally got him killed while fleeing. She deceived Old Man River (the Aussie farmer widower) into believing she was an innocent wanderer. Then last time, she almost settled into June Cleaver mode, until she decided that “Taco Night” was for the birds, so she drugged her cop husband and left him on the floor to die. And, oh yeah, the reason she’s on the run in the first place? She blew up a house with her abusive stepfather inside and hit the road (actually a completely justifiable, and awesome, move). And yet. I still love her.
So much of this show centers on the theme of redemption. The idea of confronting and dealing with your demons in order to overcome them and move on has been a big part of the story. We saw Kate do this when Black Beauty (the horse that caused a car accident that freed her) appeared on the island, and she couldn’t approach it until she dealt with her stepfather issues. So I think tonight may feature a little bit of a journey for redemption. And because Kate and Juliet will be taking that journey through The Forest of a Thousand Whispers (and a Smoke Monster), expect those more mystical island elements to make an appearance. They seem to show up at just the right (or wrong) time.
As for Kate’s actual backstory: I’d like to see a departure from her usual siren song. We’ve seen her lure guys in only to leave them dead, dead-broke or broken-hearted. So lets throw in a little flavor this week, eh LOST writers?
Rumble in the Jungle
Previews for this week’s episode (you can watch them by clicking on the preview on the right-hand page of this blog) show Kate and Juliet on the run in the jungle. They also show Kate throwing a sweet right hook on Juliet after Juliet plays a mind game with her. Juliet says, “Jack didn’t want you to come back because you broke his heart,” arousing Kate’s ire and presumably leaving Juliet with a sore jaw. (By the way, a Kate vs. Juliet fight scene ?!? Again, what God did I please?) This appears to be the Modus Operandi in Othersville. Like a little kid on the playground who taunts and taunts until someone puts him in his place (and yes, I was this kid), The Others seem to seek out a fight. They play on the weaknesses and insecurities of the survivors, which they easily identify and exploit thanks to their wealth of background knowledge on each survivor. Ben did it with Locke, then Jack turned the tables and did it to Ben, then Ben did it to Jack and Juliet by promising them the final ace up his sleeve: a trip home.
But why would Juliet, not a natural Other, resort to this? I find her character to be a fascinating case study in nature vs. nurture. She came to the island timid and weak after years of mental and emotional abuse from her ex-husband/boss. The Others lured her to the island when she was in that state, and three years into her stay there, she seems to have done a 180. She manipulates, lies, goes behind the backs of those who trust her and ultimately leaves everyone wondering, “Which side are ya on, boy, which side are ya on?” I think her true allegiance is to anyone who might get her off the island. She’s in survival mode, whether that means fight or flight. And she’s willing to manipulate and prey on anyone who might aid her in that survival. She obviously got close to Ben for that reason (though we don’t know what they mean by “close”. Yet.) Apparently tonight she will see something in Kate that makes her believe that manipulating her will help open the door to survival — it’ll be interesting to see what she’s after here.
O Sawyer, Where Art Thou?
Personally, uncertainty kills me. So perhaps it’s my masochistic side that leads me to watch LOST, a show rife with uncertainty. One of my major sources of frustration: what is Sawyer after? Remember the “new sheriff in town” speech where Sawyer asserted his authority by commandeering the gun supply? Flash forward to a man who’s trying to learn how to beat an obese millionaire in Ping Pong in the wake of a seemingly failed relationship with the one woman he truly loved, Kate “The Female Sawyer” Austen. Flash forward to a man who disregarded the gravity of two survivors’ “deaths” (Nikki and Paolo) just to find what they were hiding, only to realize it wasn’t worth fighting for. So who is Sawyer? Obviously a con, obviously a user of people. But what is he trying to do? Does he need (or secretly just want) the approval of the other survivors? Is he just doing whatever he needs to survive, hoping to hold out long enough for rescue? I just don’t know. It’s hard to follow him, as he seems to waver back and forth in his direction. As we return to the beach, I’ll be interested to see his character take a new direction, and I think the seeds of that direction might be planted tonight.
Here’s why: In earlier episodes, Sawyer was untouchable. He took what he want from the wreckage. He branded people with ridiculous (and often disparaging or racially insensitive) nicknames. He kissed whoever he want. He stood up to Jack. He stood up to Locke. He attacked Sayid after accusing him of being a terrorist. He was, frankly, an ass. And nobody could stop him. Now he’s playing by everyone else’s rules (Ping-Pong and Poker games with disadvantageous stakes) and, what’s worse, he’s abiding by them. Maybe he’s given up the fight. Maybe he’s playing the game on a grander scale by remaining like a wolf in the weeds until it’s time to strike. Either way, I want to know why he’s become the weak pig in the runt, and what he plans to do to return to his previous position of the untouchable outsider who does what he wants, when he wants, how he wants. We’ll see, but come on Sawyer, (re)grow that backbone. I think it’s reaching a boiling point, and tonight his own internal sense of self-awareness will begin to kick in and soon cause him to choose a path.
(By the way, I would never say that to the real Sawyer as he could probably kick my ass. But seeing as I’ll never meet him and, oh yeah, he’s a fictional character, I’ll launch this assault from the safety of anonymity in this blog. Hooray!)
Until next week my friends. Enjoy tonight’s episode, and keep an eye open: I think we’ll have a visit from Eko’s killer, and maybe this week it’s Kate who will make like Locke “Look into the eye of this island.” But will what she sees be beautiful?
Still learning what the hell a blog is,
Charlie.
10/9c.
A Kate flashback the week after a Nikki flashback!?! What God did I please?
“Oh No She Di’int”
This is what many of us have been left thinking (or saying, if we’re blessed with the ability to pronounce it without sounding completely ridiculous) after watching a Kate flashback in this series. Where to start? She robbed a bank after planting herself inside as a potential customer and charming a banker who in turn risked his life to save her despite having only known her for 5 minutes. Then once inside the vault she went Tony Montana on her own team, ultimately retrieving a seemingly meaningless heirloom from her past: the toy plane that belonged to the first man she deceived (you always remember your first). She fell in love with a doctor, accidentally got him killed while fleeing. She deceived Old Man River (the Aussie farmer widower) into believing she was an innocent wanderer. Then last time, she almost settled into June Cleaver mode, until she decided that “Taco Night” was for the birds, so she drugged her cop husband and left him on the floor to die. And, oh yeah, the reason she’s on the run in the first place? She blew up a house with her abusive stepfather inside and hit the road (actually a completely justifiable, and awesome, move). And yet. I still love her.
So much of this show centers on the theme of redemption. The idea of confronting and dealing with your demons in order to overcome them and move on has been a big part of the story. We saw Kate do this when Black Beauty (the horse that caused a car accident that freed her) appeared on the island, and she couldn’t approach it until she dealt with her stepfather issues. So I think tonight may feature a little bit of a journey for redemption. And because Kate and Juliet will be taking that journey through The Forest of a Thousand Whispers (and a Smoke Monster), expect those more mystical island elements to make an appearance. They seem to show up at just the right (or wrong) time.
As for Kate’s actual backstory: I’d like to see a departure from her usual siren song. We’ve seen her lure guys in only to leave them dead, dead-broke or broken-hearted. So lets throw in a little flavor this week, eh LOST writers?
Rumble in the Jungle
Previews for this week’s episode (you can watch them by clicking on the preview on the right-hand page of this blog) show Kate and Juliet on the run in the jungle. They also show Kate throwing a sweet right hook on Juliet after Juliet plays a mind game with her. Juliet says, “Jack didn’t want you to come back because you broke his heart,” arousing Kate’s ire and presumably leaving Juliet with a sore jaw. (By the way, a Kate vs. Juliet fight scene ?!? Again, what God did I please?) This appears to be the Modus Operandi in Othersville. Like a little kid on the playground who taunts and taunts until someone puts him in his place (and yes, I was this kid), The Others seem to seek out a fight. They play on the weaknesses and insecurities of the survivors, which they easily identify and exploit thanks to their wealth of background knowledge on each survivor. Ben did it with Locke, then Jack turned the tables and did it to Ben, then Ben did it to Jack and Juliet by promising them the final ace up his sleeve: a trip home.
But why would Juliet, not a natural Other, resort to this? I find her character to be a fascinating case study in nature vs. nurture. She came to the island timid and weak after years of mental and emotional abuse from her ex-husband/boss. The Others lured her to the island when she was in that state, and three years into her stay there, she seems to have done a 180. She manipulates, lies, goes behind the backs of those who trust her and ultimately leaves everyone wondering, “Which side are ya on, boy, which side are ya on?” I think her true allegiance is to anyone who might get her off the island. She’s in survival mode, whether that means fight or flight. And she’s willing to manipulate and prey on anyone who might aid her in that survival. She obviously got close to Ben for that reason (though we don’t know what they mean by “close”. Yet.) Apparently tonight she will see something in Kate that makes her believe that manipulating her will help open the door to survival — it’ll be interesting to see what she’s after here.
O Sawyer, Where Art Thou?
Personally, uncertainty kills me. So perhaps it’s my masochistic side that leads me to watch LOST, a show rife with uncertainty. One of my major sources of frustration: what is Sawyer after? Remember the “new sheriff in town” speech where Sawyer asserted his authority by commandeering the gun supply? Flash forward to a man who’s trying to learn how to beat an obese millionaire in Ping Pong in the wake of a seemingly failed relationship with the one woman he truly loved, Kate “The Female Sawyer” Austen. Flash forward to a man who disregarded the gravity of two survivors’ “deaths” (Nikki and Paolo) just to find what they were hiding, only to realize it wasn’t worth fighting for. So who is Sawyer? Obviously a con, obviously a user of people. But what is he trying to do? Does he need (or secretly just want) the approval of the other survivors? Is he just doing whatever he needs to survive, hoping to hold out long enough for rescue? I just don’t know. It’s hard to follow him, as he seems to waver back and forth in his direction. As we return to the beach, I’ll be interested to see his character take a new direction, and I think the seeds of that direction might be planted tonight.
Here’s why: In earlier episodes, Sawyer was untouchable. He took what he want from the wreckage. He branded people with ridiculous (and often disparaging or racially insensitive) nicknames. He kissed whoever he want. He stood up to Jack. He stood up to Locke. He attacked Sayid after accusing him of being a terrorist. He was, frankly, an ass. And nobody could stop him. Now he’s playing by everyone else’s rules (Ping-Pong and Poker games with disadvantageous stakes) and, what’s worse, he’s abiding by them. Maybe he’s given up the fight. Maybe he’s playing the game on a grander scale by remaining like a wolf in the weeds until it’s time to strike. Either way, I want to know why he’s become the weak pig in the runt, and what he plans to do to return to his previous position of the untouchable outsider who does what he wants, when he wants, how he wants. We’ll see, but come on Sawyer, (re)grow that backbone. I think it’s reaching a boiling point, and tonight his own internal sense of self-awareness will begin to kick in and soon cause him to choose a path.
(By the way, I would never say that to the real Sawyer as he could probably kick my ass. But seeing as I’ll never meet him and, oh yeah, he’s a fictional character, I’ll launch this assault from the safety of anonymity in this blog. Hooray!)
Until next week my friends. Enjoy tonight’s episode, and keep an eye open: I think we’ll have a visit from Eko’s killer, and maybe this week it’s Kate who will make like Locke “Look into the eye of this island.” But will what she sees be beautiful?
Still learning what the hell a blog is,
Charlie.
(Annc) Horned Frog Spotting on The Island
We'd like to welcome three new regulars (or occasionals, depending on how often they check this) to TheDharmaBlog. They are three of my friends from college, that is TCU, that is the home of the Horned Frogs.
Mitch Hines
James Brown - who has also asked to be enabled as a contributing writer. welcome!
Garrett Taylor
Rest assured gentleman, your presence on this list will in no way endanger your lives in the way that Jack, Kate, Sawyer and (momentarily) Hurley's lives were threatened by the list Michael had. It's totally different. It's just a blog. I mean, seriously.
More Horned Frogs are perhaps in the mix, stay tuned.
Charlie.
Mitch Hines
James Brown - who has also asked to be enabled as a contributing writer. welcome!
Garrett Taylor
Rest assured gentleman, your presence on this list will in no way endanger your lives in the way that Jack, Kate, Sawyer and (momentarily) Hurley's lives were threatened by the list Michael had. It's totally different. It's just a blog. I mean, seriously.
More Horned Frogs are perhaps in the mix, stay tuned.
Charlie.
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