(Annc) New look, same amount of crazy.

Greetings visitors, and welcome to The Dharma Blog. Yes, The Dharma Blog. It's the same old blog but we've updated the look and feel of it.

Here's what we've done:
Easy on the Eyes. After fielding numerous complaints regarding a general lack of readability (due to the "white text on a black background" design), we've changed things up. Hopefully this will make things easier on the eyes. My esteemed co-worker Staci never fails to remind me that, while she enjoys reading the blog, it "bugs her eyes out." Fear the blog no more, Staci, your eyes are safe.

Flip-side. All the archived content and "extras" used to be on the right-hand side of the blog. Now they're on the left. I assume most of you already figured that out.

Bios. On the left-hand side are bios of me and Maggie. Click on either (or both!) of our names and you can read all about how we arrived at this level of obsession.


Hopefully the new look is okay with everyone. If it's not, well we'll change it back then. Comment below and let us know what you think. And, as always, any suggestions are greatly appreciated and will be adhered to blindly. We're nothing if not total pacifists to public opinion.

LOST is over. Now what?
We're working on that. The Dharma Blog will not rest, and we'll explain what that means later this week. Stay tuned!


LOST is over. I guess it's time to start dating again,
Charlie.

(Rev) Two steps forward, two steps back

Last night’s episode blew my mind. Two hours of major fake-outs, numerous dead bodies, the hope of rescue, heroes around every turn…and the most touching loss so far. We were promised a game-changing episode.

This episode delivered…and also undermined so many assumptions we’ve had about Lost for the last three years.

I’m a Lost addict. I’ll be the first to admit it. No need to have an intervention where my friends and family sit me down and say, in low voices, “Maggie, you have a problem”. It’s true. I stay up hours past when I should be sleeping to think about what will happen next on the island. I sit in front of my computer for hours on end, reading blogs and summaries; testing my Lost knowledge against the oh-so-wise Lostpedia; casting the show with people in my own life (I’m always Kate, of course); theorizing about the next character-connection we’re going to find; and trying to figure out what the heck that smoke is. Recently, I’ve thought about changing all my passwords to 4-8-15-16-23-42. I’ve wondered about taking a few vacation days to fly out into the Pacific Ocean and find the island myself.

Last night reaffirmed for me that I am in love with "Lost" in a big way. No other show has the power to put me in such a profound, almost philosophical state of wondering. (Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman couldn’t hold a candle to Lost…neither can The Bachelor.) I literally feel what the Losties feel – out to sea and unable to figure out what's happening in “real time,” but obsessed with learning the truth. While we all agree that the season began slowly last fall, "Lost" found its groove and has been on a roll since it returned in February.

Although Lost won’t return until February, the finale convinced me to wait that long for more answers to the new bevy of questions that unfolded in the best two hours of television. As we look back on last night’s finale, I won’t try to answer all the questions…we have plenty of time to do that. What I would like to do is touch on some of the big plot and character arcs that were introduced…and theorize about a few possible explanations.

Locke
I think we can all agree that Locke was going to kill himself. He couldn’t move his legs. His “idol” (Ben, not Jordin Sparks) had just shot him in the stomach. He was lost in every sense of the word…so overwhelmed that he didn’t want to try any more. At the end of his rope…and, in his mind, at the end of his life. As he cocked the gun towards his own body, he heard a voice. A voice we “kinda sorta” recognized…ah, yes. Teenager Walt had returned to woo his friend out of the Dharma ditch. “You have work to do” he said to Locke. What did Walt represent for Locke? It was almost a new found hope…a new found encouragement to keep discovering mysteries and answers. And with that, we can assume that his legs returned and he climbed out of the Dharma body ditch.

What does all of this mean for Locke? After the encounter with the mysterious Jacob (and subsequent attempted murder by Ben), Locke had literally hit rock bottom…or should I say “body bottom.” (Gosh, what a horrible joke.) Walt’s appearance switched his frame of mind. The Locke Attack is back (yes, that is a reference to Saved By the Bell). Locke isn’t done yet. What is interesting is that even though Ben tried to kill him, Locke returned to our Losties to essentially “help” Ben keep everyone here. So has Locke decided to “let bygones be bygones” (“Oh, Ben…I forgive you for trying to kill me. You were just having a rough day.”) It certainly appears that way…as confusing as that is. I don’t know about you, but I tend to hold grudges against people who try to kill me.

Next season:
Locke Attack is going to continue to play a key role in unfolding the island’s mysteries. I think he is going to stay on the Ben Team and continue to try to keep our Losties here….make them stay put. The last time we saw Locke Attack last night was a shot of him wandering back into the jungle. Where was he going? Who knows! He’s not trying to find Ben (we’ve got him tied to a tree). Perhaps he is heading back to find Richard.

On that vein, I really like the prospect of Locke and Richard teaming up for the ’08 Others Presidential Election. I think Locke would be on the top of the ticket and Richard would be VP. I’m not sure if the Others will want to elect Ben, the Independent Candidate. His approval rating has really gone down as of late.

Charlie and Desmond
And with last night, Charlie headed to that great bingo game in the sky. A great ending for a really great character. As many people have pointed out, the series pilot introduced us to the background of three characters: Kate, Jack and our Charlie. It is a loss for him to leave, but his arc was truly completed when Desmond’s premonition was fulfilled. Blinking yellow light. Flip the switch. Unjam the communication blocker. Jack & Co. can make a call. Everyone is rescued. Charlie took one for the team...the biggest act of heroism in the whole episode, nay, the whole series up to this point. I shed a single tear as he put his hand on the window with the message “Not Penny’s Boat”…then watched as his body floated backwards. Good bye, Charlie Pace.

Before he drowned, though, Charlie accepted an incoming transition from the beautiful Penny Widmore. Thanks to the quick thinking of Charlie, Penny now knows that 1) there survivors of Oceanic 815; 2) has-been Charlie Pace survived the plane crash; and 3) her soulmate Desmond is alive and well. What a powerful 30 seconds! Crazy Mikhail had to ruin it all with the old grenade-through-the-window trick, but as I’ve pointed out, that was “supposed to happen.” Penny claimed to not know about Naomi…whoahhh. Plot twist! An interesting one, too.

What a wonderful tie in to include “Good Vibrations” as the passcode…and to note that it was programmed by a “musician.” Charlie felt a purpose…felt a calling. It was quite moving.

Next season:
Penny is going to keep searching for her Desmond. Does her transmission with Charlie indicate that she can locate the island? I think so…maybe. And since Penny had no idea who Naomi was, we have a lot to discover about her. How did she have a picture of Des and Penny? Our records show that there are three versions of the Penny/Des photo (which has come to have more and more significance as the season progresses): Penny (on her night stand), Des (in his pocket), and Naomi (in her book). Did Naomi get it from, say, Penny’s father Charles Widmore? This is my new running theory…

Jack
Jack’s apparent backstory (drinking and drugging himself into a stupor) turned out to be flash forward -- flashes into his future life. And in that future, Jack, Kate, a mysterious somebody with whom Kate lives, and another mysterious somebody who just died, appear to have been rescued from the island. Suicidal with remorse for having left the island, Jack takes a plane flight every Friday night across the Pacific Ocean in hopes that one will crash and return him to the island. Oh, and he uses his Golden Pass from Oceanic Air for this purpose…

As many have already pointed out, Jack's future misery casts a shadow backward: knowing that “rescue” isn’t the greatest thing ever darkens our perception of Jack's optimistic struggles to get everyone off the island. It completely reverses the tone of the show. Will we continue to want our Losties to escape from the island next season…or will we reconsider Locke/Ben’s belief that they need to stay put?

Jack’s flash forward also showed that Sarah (the ex) was pregnant with someone else’s child. How painful when Sarah admitted to Jack that she was “still his emergency contact” at work. Whew. That was a tear jerker. Jack doesn’t have anyone else in his life. What happened to Jack’s Mother? What about his doctor friends from before the crash? It looks like Jack is all alone.

Oxycodone:
Oxycodone is used in treatment of moderate to severe chronic pain. Was Jack in severe chronic pain in this episode? No, I think he was turning to Oxycodone for to take him away from all the “pain” of his life. After all, we did see Jack almost commit suicide on the bridge. As wikipedia points out, Oxycodone has similar effects to morphine and heroin, and appeals to the same abuse community. So…Charlie’s heroin addiction lives on through Jack? Interesting…

Thoughts about Christian Shepherd:
Jack-of-the-island arrived on the island because he was coming home from Australia with the body of his deceased father. Christian Shepherd is dead…so why does Jack-of-the-future keep talking about his father (he wrote me this prescription…go see who is more intoxicated, etc.)? While watching the episode, I thought it was because Jack-of-the-future was so drugged by the oxycodone that he was “pretending” like his father was alive. However, after the fact, I’m beginning to wonder…is Christian Shepherd really alive in Jack-of-the-future’s life?? If Jack-of-the-island’s dad was dead when he arrived on the island, can he be alive in the future? He can't, right??

Man, I've got a headache.

Jack’s Beard:
Some disagree with me, but I thought his beard was kinda fake looking.

So…who was in that casket?
Such a terrible thought…to die and have literally no one show up for your funeral and/or viewing. Sends chills up the spine. So who was that? Who has “no one” in their life to come to a funeral? We know that the death was announced in the paper…it appeared to be a short article. But even the TiVo couldn’t pick up what the article said. There are three possible people in my mind who could have been in that coffin: Locke, Sawyer or Ben. Or, it could be someone that we don’t know yet…some character we have yet to meet. But if it is one of our current Losties, my money is on one of these three guys. We must take Kate’s comment very seriously when Jack showed her the article: “Why would I have gone?” she said with a glare…a hint of exasperation in her voice. Surely she wouldn’t say that about Sawyer, right? So is it Locke or Ben? Well, Kate has some anxiety about both of these guys: they both happened to try to keep them on the island. For now, I’m going to predict it is Ben…don’t ask why. I just picked one of them.

And about Kate’s comment (“he’ll notice I am gone”)…is it Sawyer? Or is it…maybe…her son??

Next season (and beyond):
Jack and Kate apparently get off the island. As I pointed out earlier, Jack’s rescue does not lead him to fields of flowers, bunnies and butterflies. Instead, getting off the island plunges Jack into a deep, dark despair. He says to Kate “We weren’t supposed to leave” and “We have to go back to the island.” He appears to feel like there is “unfinished business”….so what is it? What did he not do? At this point, I can’t even go there. I can’t even guess what it is. Heck, I have seven months to come up with theories.

For now, let’s just all sit back and drop our jaws. What an excellently-acted (not a word) episode, Matthew Fox. Bravo, you. Bravo. Standing ovation. Brilliant performance. Best performance by an actor in a drama. My vote is for Matthew Fox. Ding ding ding. Wooooo!

Ben
Beaten to a pulp, tied to a tree. Ben didn’t fair too well last night….and I loved it. Ben was betrayed multiple times during the episode…by people he thought he “controlled,” no less, which made him quite angry.

Juliet:
Juliet told the Others’ kidnapping plan to the Losties. Instead of capturing three possibly-pregnant women (note: who is the third? There were three tents marked, right? Kate, Sun and ___ ? Ideas?), Ben lost ten men. Quite a blow for his creepy compound. Ben thought Juliet was his mole. Turns out she was kissing the doctor. Ben lost.

Alex:
Alex told Karl the kidnapping plan, who subsequently filled in some of the details for the Losties. Ben’s “daughter” (anyone else notice that Alex called him Ben, not Dad???) turned on him. His response? He puts her up for adoption and introduces her to her real mother, Danielle. What a moment that was…when Danielle and Alex “met” each other for the first time. So powerful. And Ben’s stock just went straight into the ground when you saw how overwhelmed and touched Alex was at the meeting. Ben lost.

Jack:
Ben told Richard that he was going to the radio tower to convince Jack to not make the call off the island. During the scene, Ben seemed quite certain that he could manipulate the situation to “win.” That is, he was certain he could convince Jack to not do it…to just stay put. In the end, though, Jack last through three fake shootings of his friends (I knew they were alive…I just knew it) and a near murder by Locke to make the call. Ben lost.

Next season:
Physically, Ben can’t escape from his captivity by our guys. I also don’t know if any of his people “want” to save him. The only guy I could maybe, sorta see coming for him is Mikhail….and that rests on whether or not Mikhail survived the grenade explosion (I just don’t think he is dead, as crazy as that sounds.) Outside of Mikhail, perhaps Locked would do it. However, it is clear there is dissension in the ranks. People aren’t too pleased with Ben (Richard said “A lot of people are questioning you right now”). If Locke is going to reunite with Richard, I could see them just forgetting about Ben.

In addition, I am wondering what Ben’s purpose is from now on. What does he have left to do? This all rests on who the heck answered the phone call that Jack made. Whoever it was…I don’t know if they are necessarily “good guys.” While Jack’s plan might work, there have to repercussions.

Was the man on the other end of the phone maybe a Dharma guy? Someone who has realized that the Dharma people are gone….that another group has taken over? Maybe they are trying to figure out what is going on? Do they think Jack and our guys are “Others”? Will Ben lie and say that they are part of his team? Or that Ben, himself, is the victim? That he, himself, crashed on the island? Or is the guy on the phone someone connected to Charles Widmore???

So much to wonder about.

Naomi
At the start of the episode, I did not believe her…I didn’t believe anything she said. In the end, she was killed by John Locke and may have jeopardized our Losties since they made a call with her phone. So…is Naomi a good guy or bad guy? Did Naomi “know” she would be killed? Not necessarily a vision a la Desmond, but perhaps she knew that someone would not want the island to be found. She told Jack how to use the phone to set our guys up…she knew we would use the phone and her people would find the island location.

Next season:
So assuming Naomi’s boat people show up, what is going to happen? WHO KNOWS. Are they here to find the people on the island or the island itself? If it is the people, is it a certain “person”? If it is the island, do they know there are people on the island? (Random questions: Is Naomi some crazy horticulturist trying to find an extinct plant? A zoologist trying to find island-living polar bears?) If Naomi really does work for a company that finds people (like she claimed), will they come pick up Desmond, then take off? Maybe Penny didn’t send Naomi (I believe Penny when she said “Who is Naomi??”)…maybe Charles Widmore sent Naomi in order to get Desmond out of Penny’s life once and for all.

Again, so much to wonder about.

Maggie S. and Charlie S.
At the start of 2007, Charlie and I started to write this blog. It is now May 24, 2007…and we are without a new episode of Lost and without meaning in our lives. It is going to be tough for the first few weeks. For those of you that see us both on a regular basis, a hug or a pat on the back would be most appreciated. Although neither of us will turn to oxycodone for relief from the pain, there is a good chance we’ll both start eating a lot of Sour Patch Kids and drinking a lot of Diet Dr. Pepper. If you see us dampening the pain with either of these, offer us a water and an apple.

Next season:
Stay tuned for continuous updates from us during the next several months. Although we don’t know if there will be a multimedia internet “game” like last year, we will definitely find things to blog about during this interim.

Good bye:
Although Boyz II Men “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” is playing in my head (it has been for 16 years…haha, just kidding. I don’t like that song.), I’ll close with an old Lost blessing that I was once told by my Great Grandpa Kelvin (again, I’m kidding…Great Grandpa’s name was Oakley):

May the jammer rise to allow your transmission.
May the polar bears always be far, far away from you.
May the Others not gas you to death.
May all your pregnant women friends be safe.
And may Damon and Carlton and JJ hold your questions in their forefront of their minds as they write the next season.

-Maggie

(Prev) All's Well That Ends Well

LOST: “Through The Looking Glass” – A Jack Episode.
Tonight. 9/8c.

Two hours of bliss. To be followed immediately by eight months of silence. Indeed, this is a bittersweet day for all LOST fans. Like a recovering heroin addict on a plane bound to L.A., we are about to enjoy the thrill and rush of our high, to be followed by a slow, painful, sweat-filled eight-month withdrawal. Personally, I wish that I, like Charlie Pace, had someone like John Locke to ease me off my addiction…

John: I’m going to let you ask me for the Season 3 DVDs three times Charlie (me, not Charlie Pace). On the third time, I’ll give them to you.
Charlie (me, in a pithy British accent): Okay. Can we be best friends?
John: No, Charlie.
Charlie: Okay then, can I have the DVDs?
John: No, Charlie. That’s once.

(2 minutes later)

Charlie: What about now?
John: That’s two (says John, with a menacing look and head shake that say “NO” much louder than words ever could).
Charlie: Not cool. What about the best friends thing?
John: Still a no.

(30 seconds later)

Charlie: Okay, come on. Gimme the DVDs.
John: Here you go, Charlie. (John says this, expecting me to make like Charlie Pace and cast my addiction into the fire).
Charlie: Do you have a DVD player I could borrow (he says, dancing excitedly)? Also, where’s Nikki? We have a date. She’s what!?!?

And… scene.

Let’s talk about tonight. But first, read here about the Top 10 moments of Season 3 (it's a nice refresher course. Thanks to Maggie for the link). All done? Okay, then. Before we get to deep into it, let's clear something up. Before someone hurriedly approaches me tomorrow morning with a "Bet you never saw that coming!" comment, let me just say, "You're right." There WILL be a moment with as much shock factor as the "Penny and the Arctic Rangers" scene last year. Could I even begin to predict that? No. Not in all my infinite wisdom could I foresee the things that will happen tonight. But let's explore anyway.


Trust Issues
Get ready to blur the lines of black/white, good/evil and right/wrong tonight. The mounting war between our castaways and The Others is the physical manifestation of the mounting philosophical allegory of good and evil that has been building since early in the series (remember the dream where Locke had one white eye and one black eye?).

Quite simply, it comes down to this: who do you trust? And be careful, the natural hesitation is to blurt out “Juliet!” “Ben!” or Naomi!” quicker than that kid who always knew the answer before you did in elementary school (for me, her name was Stacie Corliss. I will never forgive her for her treacherous one-upsmanship). But to guess these names would be to play right into the writers’ hands. They want you to distrust Juliet and Ben. And they have cast a shadow of doubt over Naomi as of late. But, as I always say, this is LOST. Nothing is as easy as it seems, and this is no exception.

Let’s talk about Jack. Ever since his return, I have half-heartedly conformed to the castaways’ distrust of their once-infallible leader. Yes, I think something happened to him when he was at Camp I-Wanna-Be-An-Other (“Think I-Wanna-Be-An-Other, Speak I-Wanna-Be-An-Other, Live I-Wanna-Be-An-Other, Ug!” name that classic Nickelodeon TV show), though I’m not sure how significant it was. I just have trouble believing that Jack’s desire to escape would trump his “onus of heroism,” that little voice inside him that seems to guide him to abandon his usual modus operandi to serve the interests of the greater good. But here’s a big fat branch in the spokes of the bicycle of logic: the writers have hinted that Jack’s back story will reveal something about him that we currently have no idea about. This sounds like it’s not a “What do Jack’s tattoos mean?” kind of mystery, but rather a “Holy shit. Seriously?” kind of mystery. Maybe there’s a sinister side to the good doc. Maybe he has previously abandoned the greater good for his own interests. And maybe, just maybe, he’s screwed someone over before. If the back story does reveal that he’s stabbed a back, then sit back and brace yourself for an island mutiny of epic proportions.

Let’s talk about Ben. Oh Ben. Poor Ben. Poor, poor Ben. Hated by daddy, lauded by hostiles, challenged by Locke and now left without an ounce of respect from his fellow Others. It’s fourth down, fourth quarter, tie ball game for Bug Eyes. He, more than anyone else, needs to prove his leadership prowess in order to maintain/re-establish his preeminence on the Island. But how? His people are somewhat against him. The survivors are very against him. And his oneness with the Island is in question. He needs a miracle to get through this one. But this is Ben we’re talking about. When has he ever not had a plan to dig himself out? That’s what I thought. I know it’s not considered going out on a limb to call Ben “devious,” but I’ll go somewhat out on a limb to say this: Ben has a plan, it’s gonna be big, it’s gonna be evil, and it’s gonna get somebody (or somebodies) killed.


One last prediction on the issue of trust: Ben should watch his back. The Others do not presented as united a front as the survivors, and with Tom, Richard and the rest of the camp second-guessing Captain Linus, the possibility for treason is huge. Where do I think that treason will come from: daughter dearest, Alex. I think we tend to forget that Alex is Rousseau’s daughter, and that Rousseau can tear some shit up. Their mother and child reunion (cue one of the best Paul Simon songs ever, actually I’m listening to it right now) is bound to happen soon, and when it does expect an emotional scene followed by a joint mission of redemption. Who against? How about the man who kidnapped Alex and brainwashed her for 20 years to believe she was his daughter? Yep, I bet they’ll get that guy. At least, that’s what I think happened to Alex. But who knows. Maybe Ben and Rousseau knocked the boots (yes, “knock the boots” is a link. Click it and watch the whole thing. I swear, it’s the best thing you could do today) back in the 80s. You know? Maybe Ben turned on the Hall & Oates, fixed his Flock of Seagulls hair and then they… ewww.



You’re Gonna Die, Charlie? (Emphasis on the question mark)
We’ve thoroughly exhausted the issue of Charlie’s impending death, but let’s take a different perspective: that of Desmond’s. Did he really not see Hotty McPistol and Cutie O’Gun-toter in his little vision (by the way… they’re my new favorite characters. “Ladies, please. Put down the guns. Can’t we just talk?”)? These two NRA spokesmodels are credited as “Bonnie” and “Greta” in the cast list this week (my apologies to all of you “One of those chicks is Ben’s childhood friend, Annie!” theorists). But Desmond claimed Charlie would simply accomplish his mission before drowning nobly. He didn’t mention Bonnie and Greta. So did he not see them? Did he see them, but for some reason not want to forewarn Charlie of their presence (Not that I could blame him. I know if I would’ve known that two mega-babes would’ve been waiting in The Looking Glass for me, I would’ve done something really awkward upon surfacing. Like, I don’t know, knocking over an entire dessert tray at Grisanti’s before 9th Grade Promotion. Not that I did that. Let’s move on.)?

See, unlike earlier Desmonitions (Desmond premonitions), the audience was not treated to the actual “flashes” before Desmond’s eyes. We did not get to see any snippets of his vision, which we usually do. Is there a reason we were kept in the dark this time? Does Desmond know something that he’s not telling Charlie Pace/Stephan? I don’t have a good feeling about this, though I have no reason to suspect Desmond of deviance (save his desire to reunite with Penny).

Then again, previews for this week show Desmond going after Charlie in The Looking Glass. So something must drive him to swim down there – and whatever that is will be pretty interesting. My guess is that Desmond is, once again, on a collision course with his own destiny. Something in that hatch, something with those girls, something with Charlie represents some aberration of his past, some demon he hasn’t yet slain. Personally, I find any Desmond-struggles-with-himself storyline fascinating, so I look forward to this. That is, unless…

Could Desmond die? God, I hope not. I want to believe that he, like Locke, is too central to this story to kill off yet. But if he’s walking right into the same death trap he sent Charlie to, he could be in trouble. Then again, this is the man who weathered the hatch implosion and lived to tell about it (and by “it”, I mean “the future”).

And finally, where does this whole Charlie-Desmond-Looking Glass-Total Babes storyline fit into the World War III storyline? The title of tonight’s episode is the name of the station, so you would have to believe that there would some literal significance (though, as I’ll discuss later, the figurative significance of this title is probably much greater) with the happenings of The Looking Glass hatch.

Alright then, now that I’ve talked painted myself into a corner with that topic, let’s move on. Shall we? We shall. Let’s. Very good then. Here we go. Take a deep breath, we’re about to get crazy on this biatch.


Through The Looking Glass, Down the Rabbit Hole, Second Literary Reference on the Left
Those could be the Mapquest directions (though Google Maps is the best. True dat. Double true.) to the conclusion of this episode and season. The “Looking Glass” symbolism is Tolkienesque in terms of its complexity. I’m not even going to attempt to delve too far into it here, as there is too much from the books that could possibly fit into tonight’s episode. I would be merely taking stabs in the dark, and that would be a waste of everybody’s time. But alas, there are some things we should touch upon.

The Looking Glass.
In the “Alice” books (and this is going off distant memories/recent Wikipedia readings), The Looking Glass refers to the other side of a mirror, which is home to a fantasy world that, when explored, reveals greater common maxims about the world as a whole. Alice wonders about life on the other side of the mirror while looking at herself in it.

Interesting. The theme of pseudo-Socratic self-examination, in which one must question himself in order to understand and make peace with himself, has played itself out many times in LOST. Characters on the show, after thorough self-examination (which you might literally do by looking in a MIRROR), have been able to make peace with themselves and face their troubled pasts. At that point, they are exposed to the expanse of reality via their reality on The Island. Could this all be an elaborate metaphor about how, through thorough self-examination, a larger picture begins to develop. Ponder that one.

The Rabbit Hole.
Like The Looking Glass, the concept of a Rabbit Hole represents a sort of “point of no return.” Once one ventures down a “rabbit hole,” they are mired in a world of uncertainty and mystery; a world that, unless one is equipped to handle, can be terrifyingly real and revealing. Our characters went down something of a rabbit hole on the day Oceanic 815 crashed. They were unwittingly hurled down that rabbit hole, and have since been forced to make due with their lot in life. But maybe their not being simply forced to “make due.” Maybe, as many have speculated, The Island represents a large-scale rabbit hole in which participants are subjected to a bare-bones reality. Look at the primal nature of The Others, the naturalistic environment and the journey of discovery of fundamental truths. There’s nothing sexy about the Island, it’s merely a stripped down alternate reality that causes people to see the world and themselves for what they really are.

So what do the Looking Glass and Rabbit Hole metaphors mean for tonight's episode? Ha! I wouldn't touch that with a 10-foot pole. Let's just let that story play out.


Five Alive (Actually more like Five Dead!)
Uber-nerds like myself (and Maggie) who hang on the every word of the hallowed LOST production/writing team know that the creators have forecasted the deaths of up to five characters by season’s end. In the last several weeks, the only significant death was that of Anthony Cooper’s (Locke’s papa).

Let’s look at the odds of characters dying, since apparently I’m obsessed with gambling (not really, mom).

• Charlie Pace. 2:1. Charlie is the odds on favorite to bite the dust – even a casual viewer would know that.
• Bernard. 5:1. Bernard’s got a gun. Bernard’s not a bad ass. Other people (who are bad asses) are coming. With guns. It doesn’t look too good for Bernie.
• Jin. 10:1. Don’t adjust your screens, that says Jin at 10:1. Think about it: is he really that important? His death would be sad, but not earth-shattering – sounds like a good person for the writers to off. And he'll be on the front lines of the battle, so look out.
• Juliet. 25:1. No real reason for saying this, other than the fact that there are a lot of people out to get her. Personally I would miss her.
  
• Desmond. 50:1. No way, he’s too important.
• John Locke. 70:1. (see reasoning on “Desmond”)
• Someone that we’d never imagine. 1:1. Be honest, you know someone will die tonight as we all, in unison, utter the words, “How can they do that?!?!”

There’s not much more I can say on this one, other than to remind you all that if Charlie dies, I’m going to be a wreck for a while. Just puttin’ that out there.


In Closing
And I really do mean “In Closing,” this time (at least until next January). I always qualify the speculations of this blog with the warning that the best way to watch this show is to not ask questions. Just sit back, suspend your notions of possibility and let the creators of this show tell you a good story.

The words of the great singer/songwriter Martin Sexton come to mind:

Oh, it's in the journey that we see there's no destination (no path off the Island, just a path to discovery)
It's in the journey that we find our true love (insert your Grey’s Anatomy-esque analysis of the Kate-Jack-Sawyer love triangle here)
It's in the journey that we learn we can’t do it alone, can’t do it alone (Live Together, Die Alone)
Still gotta dig deep down inside and lose my pride (Still listening, doctor Shepherd?)

Martin Sexton. In The Journey.

That’s what it’s all about. Don’t worry yourself silly about the details of this show, it’ll only drive you mad. Just enjoy the journey.


The Haiku

The show hibernates
Actors go on vacation
But the blog lives on


It’s been a pleasure serving you this season, and I can’t wait for Season 4. And don’t fret, the blog will be alive and well in the meantime (details on that will come later). Until then, enjoy tonight's story.

Namaste.
Charlie.

(Rev) When I get where I'm going

One of my favorite albums these days is Time Well Wasted by my man Brad Paisley (yes, the Brad Paisley who is married to Annie from Father of the Bride).

Perhaps you've heard this song, which was going through my head last night as we watched Charlie finish his life here on Earth (then again, we don't know if he is really on Earth...this island could be on another planet, things are so messed up.)


When I get where I'm going
on the far side of the sky.
The first thing that I'm gonna do
Is spread my wings and fly.

I'm gonna land beside a lion,
and run my fingers through his mane.
Or I might find out what it's like
To ride a drop of rain

Yeah, when I get where I'm going,
there'll be only happy tears.
I will shed the sins and struggles,
I have carried all these years.
And I'll leave my heart wide open,
I will love and have no fear.

Yeah when I get where I'm going,
Don't cry for me down here.


This post is in tribute to Charlie, who I think is on his way out (more on that later) (sorry, Charlie) (my character died, too, you know) (Shannon's real name is Maggie Grace) (then again, I was really happy when Shannon died because she was annoying).


The Looking Glass


The sequel to Alice in Wonderland was entitled Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There. Instead of being based on a card game like the original Alice, it's theme is a chess game. Yes, a chess game. Sound familiar? And the symbol for the Looking Glass station was the dharma hexagon with a white rabbit symbol. Hmm...white rabbits. Let's think here: the rabbit in Alice in wonderland? Ben's pet white rabbit from his childhood? Emily the Rabbit, the rabbit that my family adopted during the winters from Lincoln's Folsom Children's Zoo? Yes, yes, and yes.


Oh, I'm loooooving the Looking Glass station.


So Charlie knocks out Desmond (had to happen...) to dive into the ocean towards Looking Glass. After finding Titanic, he swims up to the Moon Dock (awesomeness) and joyful exclaims "I'm alive! I'm alive!" On Lost, most scenes that have some sort of jubiliation over surviving a threatening situation are followed by another threat to their life. In this scene, it happened to be two pink Power Rangers around the lap pool -- pointing guns at him and looking mighty brainwashed. (Question: Was one of these girls Annie from Ben's childhood???)


So let me get this straight. Juliet knew the Looking Glass existed, but she was told by Ben that the hatch was flooded from "an accident." So if she thought it was flooded, then she never saw people go in or out of that station, right? So who are these two Power Rangers? Was Juliet lying to us when she said the station was flooded, or was Ben lying to Juliet when he said the station was flooded?

I know I'm not supposed to trust Juliet, but I am going to have assume Ben is lying...because he is just a flat out liar. He lies and I think he looks like a creepy rabbit. (red beat-y eyes, pointy nose, general creepiness, etc.)


So what is going to happen to Charlie? Well, the previews show he is going to be tied to a chair and beat up. Tough luck, Charlie. Tough luck. I hate to say it, but I think that Charlie is going to die next week. He's going to flip the switch by the yellow flashing light, then die. My friend John stated this morning that he thinks Desmond's vision of Charlie drowning will occur after the Looking Glass is blown up....much like when Mikhail's station and the Pearl were blown up. Perhaps all of the stations have an emergency "blow up" quality...that if worse comes to worse, Ben & Co. can flip the switch and explode everything. I think that makes a whole lot of sense.

Side bar: Naomi. Do we believe her? Did Penny really send her? I doubt her more and more everyday. She seems content. She is not trying to take Desmond back to the ship that is 80 miles off shore. She is just "living" on the island with our guys. Why?? Wouldn't she be adament that they pack up and leave? Swim? Row? Anything? She seems to content to be who she says she is. We know she is feeling better (she is walking around, joking around, etc.). I just don't buy it. Call me doubting Thomas, I don't care. It just can't be that easy...that simple...that plain. Where is her boat? Why aren't they trying to find her? What theeeeee heck is her deal?

Question: Locke -- Dead or Alive?


I was disappointed that Locke didn't make an appearance last night. This leads me back to a question we had last week: is Locke dead or alive? Here are the two scenarios, fleshed out:

Locke is dead.
Like I said last week, if Locke is dead, then the whole Jacob-in-the-hut story line is going to have to be discovered again by our survivors. Locke's death would make that entire story pointless...you can't expose the idea of Jacob and then kill Locke. You just can't. I don't think Locke is dead. I think...


Locke is alive.
Locke has to be alive...not necessarily because of the island's healing powers, but just because of Locke's awesomeness powers. Someone is going to come upon him and help him out of the body pit. I've been thinking it would be Alex or Karl, but now that they are involve in that whole pregnant-kidnapping story, it must be someone else. Ideas? Well, let's just say Person X will help Locke out of the whole and he will live. Now what?

We need to figure out what Locke's motivation will be after his heart-wrenching Bentrayal (ben+betrayal...awesome). Locke used to view Ben as a step towards answering the island's greatest mysteries. Will that change now, after Ben tried to kill him? Yes, I think it will. Although he still has an obsession with what this island is, I don't think he will turn to Ben for these answers anymore. That being said, who will he work with? My money is on Richard. Locke still wants to stay on this island and will do anything to keep "rescue" from coming. If you remember last time someone tried to communicate with the radio tower, you'll remember that Locke admitted he was the one who knocked out Sayid when he was using the transceiver...yeah, that whole scene was crazy! I think it is going to happen again. I think Locke is going to come upon the radio tower and Jack & Co...and try to hinder their efforts to use the iPhone.


The Greatest Hits

Charlie writes down his own personal "greatest hits" for Desmond to give to Claire following Charlie's death. In this episode, all five greatest hits come full circle:

5. Hearing "You All Everybody" on the radio for the first time.

• Naomi reveals that, following the "death of Charlie" on Oceanic 815, Drive Shaft released a Greatest Hits album in his honor.

4. Showing his father that he knows how to swim.

• Charlie swims to the Looking Glass.
  

3. When Liam gave him the DS ring. It initally did not stand for Drive Shaft; instead, it represents initials of an ancestor.

• Charlie left the DS ring in Aaron's crib. Recall, Liam initally gave it to Charlie because he didn't trust himself and thought Charlie would be the one to succeed. Specifically, Liam said "give this ring to your kid." (anyone else wipe a tear away when Charlie said "I love you, Aaron" right before he left? sigh...)

2. When Nadia told Charlie that he was a hero after he rescued her from a mugger in the alley. (Welcome back, torture survivor Nadia! How is the new home treating you??)

• Charlie is the hero for our group -- he goes to the Looking Glass to save them all.

1. Meeting Claire for the first time following the crash.

• Seeing Claire for the last time before she and Aaron head off to the radio tower with Jack. I don't know about you, but I think they are setting Hurley up to be Claire's new best friend...I loved it when he offered to help her with Aaron and her things. And, since Hurley lost his GF Libby, he'll be a nice companion for Claire who is almost certain to lose her BF Charlie.

Where do we go from here?

As you all saw, tonight at 10/9C is a Lost clips show, hosted by Damon and Carlton (the producer, not the Fresh Prince guy). MAN! This week is like the last week of high school...when you get to do all of these cool things and not really have to work at all. Like, last night was Lost. Tonight is Lost. And then next Wednesday is a two hour Lost! Score! Senior Week!

Okay, nevermind.

But really, what a way to end it all. My predictions about what will happen next week:

1. Locke will live and somehow meet up with our guys at the radio tower.

2. Sayid, Jin and Bernard will all live. If they were going to die, they would have made more of an effort to "close" their character's stories.

3. Some of the 10 Others who are coming to the beach are going to die. We don't know anyone who is coming in that crew, though, so I don't know if their deaths will be that big of a deal.

4. Charlie will flip the switch and Jack & Co. will get a signal off the island to someone (Penny, maybe?)

5. Desmond will wake up on the boat (the explosion might wake him up?) and dive down to the station to try to save Charlie, but will be too late. Charlie will die.

My questions about what will happen next week:

1. So if they're not going to live on the beach or in the caves or in a hatch, where are our Survivors going to live?? Are they going to back to the beach? Isn't that kind of, oh, I don't know, dangerous?

2. The preview shows Jack saying "I love you" to someone, presumably Kate. I mean...whoah. He does love her, but what happens to make him tell her that?

3. Penny is listed in the cast list for next week...how will she tie into the episode??

4. Where is psycho Mikhail these days? Until I know, I will continue to be scared. (By the way, someone named Mikhail is coming into the office next week to meet with my boss. I'll be honest...I'm kind of freaking out about it. I mean, what if it is really Mikhail from Lost????)

5. In the words of Le Ann Rimes, circa '99:


How do I get through one [Wednesday] without [Lost]

If I had to live without you [until January 2008]

What kind of life [will] that be

Oh I, I need you in my [TiVo]

Need you to [watch]

You're my world, my heart, my soul

If you ever leave [for eight months]

[J.J.] you would take away everything good in my life

And tell me now

How do I live without [Lost]

I want to know

How do I breathe without [Lost]

If [Lost] ever [goes away for eight months]

How do I ever, ever survive

How do I

How do I

Oh, how do I live?

(Prev) You're Gonna Die, Charlie.

LOST: “Greatest Hits” - A Charlie Episode.
Tonight. 10/9c.

Tonight's episode is called Greatest Hits. Did you know Smashmouth has a Greatest Hits album? Seriously. Are you freakin’ kiddin me? Smashmouth. Greatest Hits. That assumes that (a) they have had songs that didn’t totally suck and (b) there were enough of them to constitute a whole album. I hate Smashmouth so much. In fact, as any close friend of mine knows, they are on what I not-so-affectionately refer to as my “Six Bullet List,” a morbid term that refers to the six bands/musical artists I would not hesitate to use a bullet on. Here, in reverse order (from sixth-most hated to all-time most hated) is the rest of that list.

6. Smashmouth
5. The B-52s
4. Shaggy
3. Sean Paul
2. Lenny Kravitz
1. Sheryl Crow

Make no mistake, Sheryl Crow. I straight up hate you.

Okay, now that you know that important tidbit of information about yours truly, it’s time to discuss this week’s episode. Here we go…


Charlie’s “FATE”
Fate. On LOST, the concept is heavily-tilled ground. We’ve examined it closely in the stories of Locke, Desmond and even Eko. It’s also a prevalent, over-arching, guiding principle of the story of LOST. Most recently, we have seen Desmond deal with fate very directly. His visions of the future have left him pondering his role, and specifically whether or not his efforts to alter his present have consequences on his future. One of Desmond’s primary recurring premonitions: the untimely death of young Charlie Pace (one of my favorite characters, by the way. I mean come on, we have the same name!).

For weeks we have dwelled on Charlie’s fate. Ever since Desmond handed down his death sentence in “Flashes Before Your Eyes” (one of the best episodes of this season, I might add), we have cringed at every perilous situation Charlie has encountered. Yes, the death of DriveShaft's (click on DriveShaft there, they have a MySpace page - very weird) bassist seems inevitable, right? Right? Not so fast.

Let me begin by saying that if I were a betting man, I’d put some money down on Charlie’s demise going down tonight. It’s been predicted in the plot, tonight is Charlie’s back story (a classic indicator of death) and you have to believe that there’s only so long one can outrun fate. But when have LOST writers ever allowed a plot element as grave as a main character’s death to unfold so predictably? Deaths on this show (Nikki and Paulo’s excluded) usually take us by surprise, and seem to post a big Dead End sign square in the middle of logical storylines (ain’t that right, Libby?). So there’s a “student of LOST history” side of me that has trouble believing they would kill off Charlie when so many people expect it to happen. Then again, it would be very much in the writers’ character to kill off a character the second people begin second-guessing their predictable death.

But you can’t kill a Charlie Pace with a mere accident. Or a gun shot. Or a Smokey encounter. Okay, maybe a Smokey encounter. But the “Charlie fan” in me wants to believe that Charlie will go out with a bang, of sorts. We have watched the progression of a character whose experiences span that spectrum of misdeed and redemption that so poignantly characterizes LOST. Remember Charlie’s initial modus operandi? It was rescue. Pure rescue. Then he seemed to settle into an acceptance mindset, even going so far as to write the word “Fate” on his fingers, as if he were putting his life in the hands of a higher presence. Later, he changed the “F” to an “L”, seemingly reverting back to his playfully realistic pre-Island self. But look at this story arc. A guy who only ever wanted to make music and please his family was led down a path into drug addiction, unfathomable stardom and, ultimately, abandonment by his family and loved ones and the disintegration of his beloved band. When the plane crashed, he was huddled over the toilet, desperately gathering the remnants of his heroin addiction in an attempt to escape his own tragic “fate”, or “lot in life” as it were. Then the plane crashed, he battled with his addiction, he lost his guitar, he fell for a girl who wanted nothing to do with his vice and he was left living out an existence with no light at the end of the tunnel. For Charlie, that light was escape: not just from the island, but also from the depths of his own sorry state. For Charlie, that light symbolized redemption; it symbolized reconciliation with his brother, Liam, and an end to his drug-riddled lifestyle. Charlie’s home was his family and his music. And all he ever really wanted was to go home. The light at the end of the tunnel dimmed, that is until John Locke made his move. He helped Charlie overcome his addiction (eventually), and in the process reunited Charlie with his guitar, giving the lad a much-needed reminder of what his life could be (and had been). After taming his personal demons and reconnect with Claire, earning back both her trust and his sanity. And he has Locke to thank for a lot of that – interestingly enough, John was able to step in and be the father/older brother figure that Charlie needed, despite John’s own family issues. Once Locke stepped in, the light at the end of thee tunnel reappeared for Charlie.

So take that into consideration and ask yourself: can they really kill Charlie? As heartbreaking as it may seem, the answer is, “Yes. They really could.” But they can’t do it without one last hurrah. Charlie knows he is doomed, and as his trust in Desmond grows, so does his obligation to destiny. That mounting obligation could very well lead him to one last dance: a sacrifice to the Island, a sacrifice of himself, and the last act of a man on a mission of redemption. Yes, this is probably Charlie Pace’s last night. But hopefully (for Charlie, fans of Charlie and those who sympathize with his plight), he will die in an effort to save the people he now calls family (Papa Locke, Wifey Claire, Son Aaron, Brother Hurley, Uncle Jack and Crazy Uncle Desmond). Charlie must die only in an effort to protect the Survivors. And whatever that translates into on the Island tonight is going to be a very intense, very authentic moment.


Battle Plans
Military success is contingent on frontline soldiers being able to respect those in charge (hear me, W?). No, this blog did not just transform into a left-wing rant factory. Rather, I’d like to take some time to examine the “escalating sectarian and regional tensions” on The Island.

Let’s see. We have two sides that misunderstand (and underestimate) each other. They both feel they have a right to a certain plot of land. They both have strong leaders who have personal beef with each other (Ben and Jack). They both believe that their current situation is a make-or-break survival scenario. In short, trouble’s a brewin’ down at the ole’ well. In the same way that the assassination of Arch Duke Francis Ferdinand served as the catalyst to World War One, the pseudo-treachery of Juliet could initiate a domino effect of Island warfare. Think about it. The Others trust Juliet, they believe she’s on their side. The Survivors don’t trust her and believe she’s still aligned with The Others. Both sides are wrong. Juliet is more than willing to betray The Others if it will increase her chance of escape – especially because to do so would help her feel redeemed for the way she was treated by them. And The Survivors, I believe, must overcome their distrust of Juliet and realize that she is angry enough at The Others to be a tremendous ally. Whatever side realizes Juliet’s true intentions first is going to have a huge leg up on the competition.

Enter Jack. The former Golden Boy of the Survivors, whose approval rating was at times higher than Charlie Pace after a bender. But the Survivors’ distrust of The Others is so strong that Jack’s Othersville vacation has rendered him untrustworthy and suspicious. And he certainly didn’t help his cause by canoodling (did I just say ‘canoodling”? Dear God.) with Juliet, whom the Survivors’ don’t trust as far as they can throw (which isn’t very far, because Juliet knows karate. And you just can’t throw a black belt too far without them turning around, mid-air, and delivering a devastating scissor kick to the head). Since his return to the beach, Jack’s leadership has been, at best, laissez-faire. He seems detached from his fellow castaways and content to confide in Juliet. It has gone so far that the Survivors did not trust him with the discovery of Naomi (the parachutist), a finding that he would’ve been the first to hear about if this were an earlier season. But it seems as if he’s on the cusp of redemption. His revelation last week that he knew of the plot against the Survivors – and was merely biding his time and weighing his options – could restore faith among some of Jack’s more loyal supporters. And with their support, more stalwart opponents like Sayid , Sawyer and Kate could soon follow.

On The Other side, Ben is experiencing a similar level of disapproval among his own people. His obsession with the fertility problem seems to have blinded him to bigger problems on the Island, and that has ruffled the feathers of a few in his tribe. Richard was so upset with Ben that he gave Locke the key to upending him: Sawyer’s story. Once Locke was in possession of that, it was easy to make sure Cooper would be killed, and thus Locke would have the leverage he needed to challenge Ben’s authority and learn some vital secrets. Now Locke and Ben seem to be competing in a World’s Creepiest and Most Spiritually Connected to the Island contest (by the way, the score after two rounds of that contest is 1-1. Locke gets 1 for hearing (and seeing?) Jacob, Ben gets one for shooting Locke. Locke’s theme song is now, “Shot through the heart. And you’re to blame. You give creepy island fantasy lands a bad name.”) And now, Ben is being questioned by his people in terms of his leadership, knowledge, connection to the Island and foresight. Burn. He better do something to earn their trust/respect/fear soon, or they won’t stand a chance – maybe that’s why he shot Locke.



And with that “State of the Island” speech in mind, we turn our attention to the matter at hand: War of the Worlds, Island Edition. The Others are coming, apparently with the mission of “rescuing” the pregnant women. The Survivors are waiting, apparently with the intention of “protecting” the pregnant women in the interest of sparing them the fate of (what I like to call) the Worst OBGYN Clinic Ever. As the loving brother of a pregnant woman (Hi, Karen!), I understand the protective instinct of the Survivors. They don’t know what’s best for the doomed Island pregos (yeah, that’s a medical term), but they seem to believe that The Others aren’t it. And who can blame them? A 100% mortality rate? Not exactly the kind of people you want to trust without a second (and third, fourth, fifth and sixth) opinion.

But the question becomes: how do the Survivors protect The Others? The Others are paramilitary killing machines – just ask The Dharma Initiative. The Survivors are merely a random group of people. Then again, the Survivors have Sayid, who can throw you up in the air and kill you five times before you hit the ground. (“My name is Sayid Jarrah, and I am a torturer.” Oh yes, my friends, it’s throw-down time.)


Outsiders?
As we near the end of this season, I am really interested in what has happened to a few characters that have been (either accidentally or purposely) marginalized. There are some people we haven’t seen in a while, and I wonder if they will factor back into the show soon. Here, with minimal inside knowledge, are the odds on a few characters returning to get some face time (either on the Island or in a flashback).

• Michael 50:1. Come on! Did they make it home? Are they helping with rescue? How many times did Michael look proudly at his son before staring off at the horizon on the trip home? That was, like, his favorite move.
• Walt 45:1. Okay, if Walt comes back I’m gonna lose my mind. He was always one of my favorites, and I felt we were cheated out of his story a little bit. There’s a lot that was left unexplained about his time with The Others, and damn it, I want to know.
• Penny 12:1. For all of our sakes, especially mine, let’s hope Penny comes back. If not to the Island, then maybe they show her conducting the Desmond search. Maybe she has to conduct it from Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha and while there she falls for a dashing young ad man from Lincoln, whose name she pronounces in that cheeky Scottish accent. Yep. I think those odds just increased.
• Rose and Bernard 5:1. Where are these two?! Was there any reason they were written out of the rest of this season, other than the Bernard’s general awkwardness? I mean shit, Rose’s cancer was cured by the Island, where is she?

I can’t do odds on dead people (it’s a rule… that I just made up because I didn’t want to do any more odds), but that doesn’t mean it’s not a distinct possibility. We’ve seen deceased castaways appear in dream sequences, flashbacks and hallucinations throughout this show, so don’t rule it out – especially with the finale coming up.

Let’s look at our departed brothers and sisters, with my probable reaction to their return in quotes after each name:

• Boone (“Eh”)
• Shannon (“Where’s the mute button?”)
• Ana Lucia (“Seriously?”)
• Libby (“Cool! Explain what the hell was up with you in that mental hospital with Hurley!”)
• Eko (“Oh hell to the hell to the hell to the hell yeah.”).

I don’t know if any of the living or dead (or soon to be dead?) characters will appear in the show anytime soon, but bringing someone back from the dead is always a good curveball. And it’s that special time of the year where the writers start pulling out things that make you realize that this whole time, you’ve only been looking at a very small piece of the picture. Watch closely.

Greatest Hits: A Haiku.
Goodbye, Dear Charlie.
If you see Jerry Falwell
You’re in a bad place.



Only two weeks left, time to finish strong. Enjoy tonight’s episode!
Charlie.

(Rev) I do believe in spooks. I do believe in spooks. I do, I do, I do, I do, I DO believe in spooks.

Pale face.
Cold sweat.
Shortness of breath.
Shaking hands.
Increased heart rate.
Chills, followed by being very hot.
Inability to form words or thoughts.
Weak muscles, unable to get up.

Signs of the flu? No.

Signs that Maggie is watching Lost: The Man Behind the Curtain.

As a perfect end to my birthday yesterday, I settled in to watch last night’s episode. After bidding farewell to Lakisha on American Idol (she shouldn’t have sang Stayin’ Alive…it just didn’t work), I was ready for a night of Lost mystery, adventure and enchantment.

And then I found out that Ben’s birthday was “today,” too.

Man, can this get any creepier?
No, me thinks no.

In keeping with the theme (and subject of this review), I’m the Cowardly Lion in Wizard of Oz. I am scared of a lot of things…okay, most things (top 3: weather, balloons [not mylar balloons…just normal balloons], and the dark). Part of the reason last night’s episode really got to me, I think, is because I let myself believe that what happens on the screen could actually happen. I allow my mind to be opened to the possibility of Lost as a real story, a true story. I allowed myself to be SCARED of the uncertainty. I didn’t know what was going to happen. Just like I learned in Sunday School to “open my heart and mind to receive the word of God,” last night, I “open my heart and mind to receive the word of J.J., Damon and Carlton.”

And what a “word” it was.

Ben’s Childhood
The young Ben looks like Harry Potter, with a touch of the “young Charlie Stephan”. No lie. There were parts of this episode when I thought I was watching Harry “Charlie” Potter talk to Jesus (Richard). Sounds like a joke, huh? What do you get when you introduce Harry “Charlie” Potter to Jesus? …Okay, I have no idea what the punch line of that joke would be.

But moving on. Ben lies. He lies and he is good at it. Ben was born in Oregon and came to the island as a young elementary-aged chap. (Lie: “My name is Benjamin Linus and I've lived on the island all my life.”).

Ben was the shy, quiet son of an alcoholic janitor named Roger. On the island, he lived a very normal life. You know, he went to school and did volcano experiments (interesting reveal during the classroom scene that there is a volcano on the island, huh? Any connection between the volcano and the grey sand surrounding Jacob’s hut? Keep reading.). He played on the swings with his best friend Annie. (Something tells me the story of Annie is not over yet – Ben is holding on to the doll she gave him. Is it a reminder of his childhood (where he came from)? Or is it a reminder of her?) He had a pet rabbit. He participated in fire drills….uhh….tornado drills….uhh….hostile drills. (I kept thinking what it would have been like to have my 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Sellmyer, pull out a rifle and tell our whole class to take our positions for the hostile drill. Craziness.)

Ben was unhappy. His father blamed him for the death of his mother. He was lonely. He wanted a friend.

So when he saw the apparition of his dead mother on the other side of the sonic boom fence, of course he was going to go after her. Poor kid. Little did he know that the jungle was home to Jesus (Richard). Ben was so distraught over his life, he asked Richard for freedom. And Richard agreed to give it to him…in due course. There was one little thing they needed to do first…

The Purge
The gas returns. Richard and Ben, Inc. managed to kill the entire Dharma hippie colony by opening up a few cans of death. What a horrifying scene when Ben returned to the barracks and saw all the bodies strewn about…some of them with their eyes still open. Everyone appeared to have just been killed without warning…Horace was reading the newspaper on a bench, a few of the people appeared to be in the middle of a soccer game of some kind. It was an immediate, sudden death that came about them…and it was surreal to see.

What does this mean? Ben has a capacity to kill…a capacity that he probably believes dates all the way back to his entry into the world. He believes that he started his life as a killer…and will always be one. It cannot spell anything good for our island friends…

Is Locke dead?
Locke was shot and is now lying in a pit of purged Dharma bodies. That stinks big time. But is Locke dead? I don’t think so. It isn’t that I believe that Locke will not die this season…I hate to say it, but he might. However, as dramatic as it appeared, I don’t believe the single shot from Ben into the purged pit is going to be “big enough” to kill off our Locke. Personally, I think Locke has to tell someone about what he heard from “Jacob”…and then he can die. Who is he going to tell? Well, I think Locke is going to stumble to his feet, start wandering…and run into someone. Maybe Alex? Maybe Sawyer or Sayid? That’s my theory.

Mikhail gets the living daylight kicked out of him.
Loved that scene. Pow pow pow bam bam bam! You are beat up! Yesssssssssss. Locke wins. Two points for Locke.

Jacob’s House
Grey powder perimeter. No electricity. Rocking chair. Table. Jars of RED LIQUID.(bloooooooooooooooooooooood!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHH!). Cobwebs. Broken glass. Man, that was scary…almost as scary as the Lincoln Jaycee’s Chamber of Terror at 16th and O Streets during Halloween. Nevermind: it was scarier.

That grey powder has to be volcanic ash. (MUCH MORE about this later…)

I’ll be honest: I missed the 11 frames of Jacob last night that everyone is talking about this morning. (I might have been hiding under the blanket, shaking violently and saying a silent prayer for my safety.) There are many websites that have still-framed Jacob, so check those out if you haven’t yet. (losteastereggs.blogspot.com)

But in spite of this, there are many remaining questions about those 5 minutes of fear:

1. The action that took place inside the house was reminiscent of Smokey the Monster: bodies being thrown around, items flying around, glass breaking, etc.

2. The action appeared to be instigated by Locke turning on his flashlight. Is this because Jacob didn’t want to be seen? Was Jacob hiding in the corner??

3. Ben is definitely the kind of guy who might have an imaginary friend…how freaky was his pretend conversation with the rocking chair?? Regardless of whether or not Jacob actually exists, I feel like Ben’s past has an imaginary friend. I mean, for crying out loud: he lived on the island, he had very few (if any?) friends, he hated his family, he was lonely…I think he had a friend. It was too “real” when he talked to the chair.

Jacob, Dharma, Richard…how does it all fit together?
So who is Jacob and what is his role? What does he do? He doesn’t have electricity and Ben acted as if he doesn’t see him very often. So how does he communicate with the Others? Was Jacob part of Jesus Richard’s group? While we may have discovered answers to who the Dharmas are and what they were doing (I need to watch Dr. Candle’s film again that was showing in the check-in area that young Ben was watching, but he said something about studying the animals on the island), we now have the questions about what Jesus Richard’s group was doing on the island.

Were they born on the island?
They were referred to as “hostiles” and “original inhabitants”…but what does that mean

As TJ always says, any answers that are provided on Lost always mean more questions…and we got a boatload last night.

Volcanic Ash means…
I think the volcanic ash around Jacob’s house was a huge clue to a mystery of this island. After speaking with Tara A. Rothschild, Energy Policy Advisor to United States Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE), as well as consulting the United States Geological Survey website (and wikipedia…), I found out a lot of interesting facts about volcanic ash:

* Volcanic ash consists of tiny jagged particles of rock and natural glass blasted into the air by a volcano. Ash can threaten the health of people and livestock, pose a hazard to flying jet aircraft, damage electronics and machinery, and interrupt power generation and telecommunications. Wind can carry ash thousands of miles, affecting far greater areas and many more people than other volcano hazards. Even after a series of ash-producing eruptions has ended, wind and human activity can stir up fallen ash for months or years, presenting a long-term health and economic hazard.

* Because wet ash conducts electricity, it can cause short circuits and failure of electronic components, especially high-voltage circuits and transformers. Power outages are common in ash-fall areas, making backup power systems important for critical facilities, such as hospitals.

* Eruption clouds and ash fall commonly interrupt or prevent telephone and radio communications in several ways, including physical damage to equipment, frequent lightning (electrical discharges), and either scattering or absorption of radio signals by the heated and electrically charged ash particles.

* Volcanic ash can cause internal-combustion engines to stall by clogging air filters and also damage the moving parts of vehicles and machinery, including bearings and gears. Engines of jet aircraft have suddenly failed after flying through clouds of even thinly dispersed ash.

SO: Your Assignment:

1. The island’s volcano: Nature’s Beauty or HUGE PROBLEM? Write me a 100 word essay on your thoughts. The winner gets a signed photo of Senator Hagel.

2. Were the Igloo Portuguese Men looking for a volcanic erruption on their radar? Did the hatch explosion cause a volcanic erruption? Is this a HUGE KEY to this show? Write me a 100 word essay on your thoughts. The winner gets a signed photo of me.

Juliet and Jack: What is their plan?
To trust Juliet, to not trust Juliet. To trust Jack, to not trust Jack. I don’t know what to do, actually. I want to believe that they have a plan…that they have been hanging out in the shadows trying to figure out how to “purge” the Others just like the Others “purged” the Dharmas. But do we have the capacity? The knowledge? We are like the British during the Revolutionary War, right? I don’t think we have the knowledge, the know-how, the organization, the common passion to succeed! Our group is not a unified front. They don’t trust each other. And if we’re not working together, it isn’t going to work. (“Live together or die alone,” remember?) So if this island raid is really going to happen, J&J need to get rally the troops and figure out how we are going to do this, how we are going to win. Because right now, there is too much distrust and secret alliances to be successful.


Let the countdown to next week begin.
Namaste,
Maggie

PS: Interesting website I just found. No connection to this week’s episode, but it is crazy weird. Connected to Lost? Absolutely. http://www.hansoadoptions.org/ eehhhhhhhweird!!

(Prev) Let’s Get Biblical

LOST: “The Man Behind the Curtain”, a Ben-centric episode.
Tonight. 10/9c.

A warning: This post is a little long. But there are some really interesting things to know before you watch tonight, that I think any fan (from the casual observer to the dateless wonder) would be well-served to know.

And also, let me warn (and simultaneously shock) you by noting that I am not now, or have I ever been, a biblical scholar. I went to church youth groups and Confirmation, but as a child was much more fascinated by thoughts such as, “How is poop made?”, “Why did Kelly leave Zach for Jeff, the frat-tastic manager of The Max (played by the reprehensible Patrick Muldoon. Total ass face.)?” and “Why does my mother refer to me as ‘the happy accident?’” But this post includes a few biblical references and parallels, most of which I have gleaned from reliable religious sources such as Wikipedia and my own shaky memory. So no e-mails pointing out flaws in my biblical minutia, unless they are offensive to you, in which case let me know and I'll take care of it. Enjoy!

Jacob’s Ladder Unfolds
Tonight promises the unveiling of the most highly-anticipated mystery man in recent LOST history: Jacob. Often simply referred to as “him”, Jacob's identity, importance and role on the island all seem to be of central importance. The Others’ cryptic references to this man have led viewers to recklessly speculate about his identity and purpose (I'm guilty of this too -- just check the Bonus Tracks).

Background.
Let’s look at what we know (and don’t know) so far.

• During his life-or-death chess game with Ben’s back surgery, Jack arouses the ire of a few Others, who angrily pout that “Shepherd wasn’t even on Jacob’s list.” What is it with these people and lists? Obviously Jacob’s list differs from the one Ms. Klugh gave Michael as part of the deal for Walt, as that list explicitly called for the good (?) doctor.
• Several Others have spoken of Jacob in terms of extreme adoration. “He is a great man, but not a forgiving man” as Ben put it. Mikhail (Patchy) called him "magnificent." And the New York Times said, "A non-stop family thrill ride from beginning to end!" Okay, not the last one. But the sheer fear and reverence that the rest of the Others hold toward Jacob would indicate that he is a man of great power, such as when Tom called Ethan out for going against “his” wishes during his exploits with Claire (in an episode that should’ve, in my opinion, been called, “(Messed Up) Adventures in Babysitting”).
• In the brainwashing video that Karl was watching in the mysterious Room 23, the quote, “God loves you as he loved Jacob,” a sentiment that Karl regurgitated to Sawyer and Kate around the time of Sawyer’s pull-up-a-backwards-chair-and-have-a-man-to-man-after-school-special-chat with the young, star-crossed lover.

Oh My Dear God.
The latter fact provides me a segue to get into some God Talk. The character of Jacob in the bible has many interesting potential parallels with the Jacob we barely know on the Island. The following cross-references of biblical and Island factoids are taken from Lostpedia, and I have added my thoughts below each.

Jacob is literally translated in Hebrew as "holds the heel," and is a play on words that means "trickster" or "deceiver."
Fairly self-explanatory, this Island is built on a solid foundation of trickery and deception.

Esau was the firstborn, but Jacob conned him into selling his birthright.
Again, fairly obvious. The theme of “conning” is prevalent in this show. If you don’t believe me, you didn’t see last week’s episode – which happened to feature, the longest, sickest, most convoluted con in history. Furthermore, much of the conflict between Jacob and Esau came as they both sought their father's approval. Let's not even get into the daddy issues some of our favorite characters have ("Has anyone seen my kidney?")

Esau was an outdoorsman/hunter while Jacob was studious, reserved, and "dwelled in tents."
Hey, I know a group of people who seem to worship a guy named Jacob. And they sooo dwell in tents!

According to the Book of Malachi, God "loved Jacob but hated his brother Esau" (Malachi 1:1-3). This is the only time God specifically says he "loves" an individual in the Hebrew books.
Again, in the brainwashing film, the idea of “God loving Jacob” is present, and it’s obviously a strong enough element that it sticks with Karl (by the way, Karl? That name's about as biblical as “Duane”. My advance apologies to anyone named Duane who stumbles upon this blog. But come on. Duane? "And God so loved Duane.")

Jacob was later given the name "Israel," which means "Struggled with God," with an implication of prevailing.
The struggle of man vs. god (or science vs. faith) has reared its contentious head a number of times in this show, specifically between Jack and Locke. It has also been hinted at as a major cog in Ben’s paradigm.

Rachel was apparently barren, but later amazingly gave birth to Joseph and Benjamin after failing to become pregnant for years. She died whilst giving birth to Benjamin.
I couldn’t make this stuff up. Again, if you can’t catch that parallel, you need to do some serious self-examination.

And finally…
In Jewish history, the tribe of Benjamin's women and children were all killed, and the remaining members of the tribe could not longer proliferate. The historical solution they came up with was to kill the men from another sub-tribe and take their women and children.
Are you shittin’ me?


Okay. Take a minute. That was a lot to take in. Ready? Okay. The inner conspiracy theorist inside all of us must be having the day of his/her life. There are some eerily resonant and relevant ties between the biblical Jacob and things we know about the Island. If the writers hadn’t repeatedly squelched the “They’re all dead and in heaven/hell/purgatory” theory, I would be promoting it like it was going out of style.

The Ladder.
One more note on Jacob. His little ladder. In the bible, it served as a sort of conduit between the physical world and the spiritual one, upon which Jacob could see the angels ascending to heaven. And that, my friends, is an interesting historical interpretation of the Island: that it is, in fact, some sort of byway (or rip in the universe) that provides its inhabitants an up close and personal look at the afterlife. I. Have. Chills.

So, what does this all mean? I wouldn’t touch that with a ten-foot pole, for fear that tonight's episode will pick apart any theory I could spout out right now. If you want a CRAZY theory, here's one. But honestly, I wouldn’t even want to be right about anything tonight, lest we spoil the epic nature of this episode. I just wanted to arm you with some knowledge to get you thinking, and it might be some good stuff to have in your back pocket as you watch tonight.


We Are So Not in Kansas Anymore
Tonight’s episode is titled, “The Man Behind the Curtain,” a reference to the Wizard of Oz.
In that story, the man behind the curtain is the man who has pulled the cloak of fantasy over the main characters, presenting them with a world that didn't exactly "exist". Again, at the risk of pointing out an obvious parallel, could tonight begin an unraveling of the delicate fabric of deceit that coats island? Is Ben’s undoing imminent now that Locke has fulfilled his destiny? And where, if anywhere, will this essential crack in the foundation occur?

The writers have a penchant for weaving their favorite literary themes and titles into this show. Sawyer’s Book Club usually featured the con man reading some obscure work of literary significance that - upon further research (by those more obsessive than I) - had some similarities to and clarifications of what was happening on the Island. And a favorite work of at least a few of these writers: The Wizard of Oz. Remember Ben’s cover story when he was captured? He said he was Henry Gale, and that he had crashed his hot air balloon on the Island – a clear nod to Wizard of Oz. (Oddly, a man named Henry Gale [not Ben] did crash on the island in a hot-air balloon; something that’s never been explained, but was awesome. Ben's lie, if you remember, was exposed by Sayid on one of his “I Want The Truth, and Yes, I CAN Handle The Truth” missions, where he found Henry Gale's driver's license, and the real Henry Gale looked a little different than Ben.

But enough mythology, let’s talk about the actual show. Tonight we focus on Ben, in a story that will most likely be told to us as it is told to Locke, by Ben. Ben owes Locke answers, and as Locke receives them, so will we. I can honestly say I have not been this excited about an episode…probably ever. Seriously. I don’t want to over-hype things (when have I ever done that), but tonight’s offering will likely be a watershed moment in the history of the show. There is a perfect storm brewing: our first flashback of an Other (unless you count Juliet, and I don’t), the revelations of Island secrets, the unveiling of the hallowed Jacob and the promise of some incredible moments between Locke and Ben: the duo with undeniably the best on-screen interplay on all of television. Strap yourselves in, friends. This one’s so good, I couldn’t bring myself to speculate as much as usual. Tonight is a night to sit back and enjoy, and let the best show on television tell us a wonderful story.


Haiku Time
Let’s get answers, from
The Man Behind The Curtain
Like "Where the hell's Walt?!".


I promise I have a life,
Charlie.

(Rev) They're NOT dead.

These are the kind of episodes that have me wrapped around Lost’s little finger. What a night. Let’s dive right in…

Murder in the Brig
Thanks to Our Charlie’s research yesterday, I understood what a Brig was before the episode started. However, I didn’t make the connection that Tom Sawyer’s final hour was going to go down in the brig of the Black Rock. What a scene. The skeleton remains, chained up like puppets. The sun shining through the cages. Locke sharpening his knife while listening to the screams inside the Brig (eerily familiar to the abuses our Survivors inflicted upon Ben while he was locked up in the gun closet inside our hatch, huh?...)

There were two men who needed Tom Sawyer to be dead in order to “live.” Locke needed Tom Sawyer dead before he could “follow his path” and “find his purpose” with Ben and Company (Ben said “kill your dad, then you can be in the cool-kids club”). James Ford needed Tom Sawyer dead before he could sleep with both eyes shut…and move on. The pain that Tom Sawyer inflicted (physical, emotional, spiritual, everything…) was so deep that you just knew Tom’s final hour had arrived. Who was going to do it? Richard (remember him as the recruiter who gave Juliet the drug-laced lemonade on Day 1) gave Locke the file of James Ford, which revealed his past misgivings, including the untimely death of the shrimper. James Ford had the capacity…and Locke had the guy. It was a perfect match.

I struggled with this scene because I struggled with whether or not James Ford really had it in him to kill this guy. Part of me thought there was no way he could do it – he tried to act like a tough guy on the outside, but inside, he still was the child hiding under the bed as his father’s dead body slumped over after the gun shot. But then I reminded myself that every step James Ford has taken since the death of his parents has been in search of the killer, in revenge for the death. This had been building up for much too long to let an opportunity like this pass him by.
And with that passion (and that chain…), Tom Sawyer went from staged car accident in Tallahassee, to island in the Pacific, to the movie theater in the sky…

Has Sawyer “found his peace?”
So when you live every day of your life trying to find one man and kill him, what do you do when it is “mission accomplished?” James Ford’s identity is gone…literally and figuratively. Literally, the man he allowed himself to become (Sawyer) is dead. Figuratively, his “life” is dead…his purpose in life is dead. So who is James Ford? What drives him? We don’t know…and he doesn’t know either. James Ford is going to have a tough time for awhile. He is lost…in every sense of the word. I don’t know how he will find his new path. He needs not only a new name…but a new way to live. Will Kate play a role in this? Probably…but at the same time, James needs to do this on his own if he is going to survive this ridiculously long chapter of his life: The Long Con.

Danielle – “Don’t mind me; I’ll just take this box of explosives and be on my merry way…”
Did it bother anyone else that Danielle came into the Black Rock, took a box of unstable explosives (same kind that killed our 8th grade science teacher back in Season 1), and left? Nevermind that Locke was sharpening a knife while listening to the sounds of yelling from behind a locked door. I don’t know – Danielle seems pretty phased from everything that is going on. She has seen Alex – she knows her daughter is alive. All signs point to something drastic happening. We know that the driving factor in Danielle’s life right now is to find her daughter (check) and get her back. Next stop? Large explosion that creates enough chaos to allow for a kidnapping? Me thinks yes.

Naomi – Just searching for people.
Okay, so our Italian-Portuguese-Chinese vixen who fell out of the sky as if from a tornado in Kansas…she is a people hunter. She finds people. Doesn’t matter where you are, what you are doing, who you are, or why she is supposed to find you…she’s going to fly around in her helicopter and haul you home. (How do I get a job like that?? I’m really good at googling…surely that equates to a skill at helicoptering…). Anyways, she revealed the big “mystery” from last week: Penny Widmore hired Naomi’s company to find the coordinates (thanks for the coordinates, Portuguese Igloo Men), find Desmond (“He’ll look like the man in this photo”), and bring him back to England. Naomi has been searching for weeks…and she can’t find the darn coordinates. But then the clouds part and the island is revealed….along with a suction tornado that spins her astronaut body down to the island. Whoops. Good thing she brought her not-iPhone with her.

Biggest question this raises? Penny had the Portuguese Igloo Men looking for an “incident” that would lead them to these coordinates, right? So what the heck were they looking for? How did she know there was going to be an “incident”? Even deeper…how did she know something would show up on the radar? How did she know what would show up? If the hatch explosion turned the sky purple and showed up on the radar…then what the heck? How did Penny know??

Sayid has a hard time trusting people.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: “I know Sayid, I trust Sayid. I trust his judgment.” …Okay, so I really don’t know him, but I do tend to think he is on the right track. Naomi was taken aback by his line of questioning, but I’m glad he did it. Afterall, Sayid has come across multiple people on this island just randomly…and has every right to not trust everyone he finds. (i.e. Danielle….Ben….Desmond….Juliet….Ana Lucia (she killed his Shannon, remember?)) All of this aside, I am glad he made Naomi recount the story. I’m also glad that the not-iPhone has been given to Sayid’s Electronics for repair.

I’m going to stick by Sayid for the remainder of the season. He goes with his gut…and I like the guy.

Kate can’t keep a secret.
Kate clearly still has a thing for Jack. When you have a “thing” for someone, you tend to divulge secrets. For me, this happens when I have 1 too many glasses of wine and disclose the location of the hidden office football to a certain young gentleman on the other side of the hall. For Kate, this happens when she comes across the M.A.S.H. tent where Naomi is recovering. Hurley just looks like he is hiding something…Kate immediately knew something was up. Yet, when Sayid said “Don’t tell anyone,” she hears “Go tell Jack.” So she does. And in a bumbling mess, she tells all…and Jack has a really strange response…

Jack and Juliet – What are they hiding?
So while Jack and Jules listen to Kate shed light on the existence of Naomi, they both have a very strange demeanor. A few things right off the bat:
1. I do not believe that J&J knew about Naomi.
2. When Jules says “We should tell her [Kate],” I believe this was in response to Kate’s comment about the possibility of communication via not-iPhone. I think Jules wanted Kate to know that it just isn’t possible for Naomi to communicate with the ship…that there is a bubble of some sort around the island that will prohibit the signal from leaving.
3. Other individuals I have spoken with believe that Jules wanted Kate to know what is going to happen in three days…the whole Beach Kidnapping thing that Ben et. al. are going to pull. While I do think J&J are working together on a master plan of their own, I don’t think they would clue Kate in on the plan. Jack may still care about her, but Jules certainly sees her as a threat to marrying the spinal surgeon of her dreams.

Oceanic 815 was underwater and full of bodies.
GROSS. I mean, that is absolutely disgusting. From the story Naomi told, it sounded “Titanic-ish.” That is, it sounded like the plane remains in its’ underwater grave…and that they sent little water cameras down there to check in out. So if the plane is to remain there (and not be brought to the surface), then it makes total sense that the bodies would just wither away into the nothingness of the ocean, never to be DNA-identified or anything. However, what the heck? Since when does the NTSB allow a U.S.-bound plane with many Americans to be left on the bottom of the ocean? This is ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous! Why didn’t they bring the plane up? How come no one noticed that there wasn’t a Hurley-like person on board? Or Kate the fugitive, who is being escorted by a U.S. Marshall? Something doesn’t match up. Something doesn’t feel right. Clearly the U.S. Government is behind the whole thing. (kidding…)

Locke is special, but so is Desmond, right?
Is there a connection between these two characters? They obviously both have huge impacts on the bigger storyline of this island. Who is “more” important? I’m not sure. I look at it this way: Desmond has been sent to the island by someone; Locke has been brought to the island by someone. Could the “someones” be the same? Maybe…but maybe they are two different people with the same “end goal.” Idea: Desmond was sent by Mr. Widmore, Locke was brought by “Jacob” (still am holding out for a big Jacob reveal before the end of the season.)

The Biggest Conspiracy ever.
Mittelsos Biosciences…the Widmore Corporation…the Hanso Foundation…the Dharma Initiative…Oceanic Airlines…

Put them all together and what does it unscramble to spell? THERE IS SOMETHING GOING ON AND I DON’T UNDERSTAND IT BUT MR. WIDMORE IS BEHIND THIS WHOLE DARN THING AND IT ALL COMES BACK TO EITHER DESMOND OR LOCKE, BUT I AM NOT SURE WHICH ONE.

Okay, so it doesn’t spell that. But it should.

This show makes my brain want to explode because it is working on overdrive.

Three days.
The time period of three days has both Biblical and pop culture significance. I will now share some of these with you:
1. Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
2. The story of the crucifixion of Jesus was three days and three nights.
3. Three days is used in the Old Testament as an expression for a short, indefinite period of time.
4. While interpreting dreams in prison, Joseph told the baker that within three days, Pharaoh would lift off his head and hang him on a tree.
5. In the Little Mermaid, Ursula told Ariel that before the sun sets on the third day, she must get Prince Eric to kiss her or else she would remain a mermaid forever.

Last question: Are we at the Disneyland from hell?
I didn’t sleep well last night. I’m going on a roller coaster for the first time in my life on Saturday at King’s Dominion in Richmond. For some reason, I’ve convinced myself that if I go through a tunnel on the roller coaster, the other end of the tunnel will be on this stupid island. And I will be stuck there, living in the burlap tents and eating Dharma Cheerios for the rest of my life. However, I am going to take my Sprint cell phone with me…and I’m willing to make a call in “analog roam” mode to let you all know what I’ve discovered. If I do survive, I look forward to discussing the next three episodes with you all – it is going to be awesome.

Namaste,
-Maggie