(Prev) Talkin' It Up, on the Barry Gibb Locke Show

LOST. Tonight. “The Brig.”
10/9/8/7 pacific time.
If you don't understand the title of this post, please watch this clip first. It will make your day better, and you will be able to sing along to the song below.

Talkin' It Up, On The Barry Gibb LOCKE Show.

Talkin' about Daddy Issues
Talkin' about Connections with the Island

Talkin' It Up, On The Barry Gibb LOCKE Show.
Talkin' about Others
And their, crazy crazy plans.

Okay now that was just ridiculous. Let's talk LOST.

Brig Pimpin’
Tonight’s episode is cryptically titled “The Brig”, and because we often kick ourselves for not getting more out of the title of an episode (see: “One of Them”, where we were introduced to Ben “Henry Gale” Linus, then proceeded to wonder for 2 months if he was really an Other. I mean, the title of the episode was “One of Them”. Am I the only idiot on that one?), I’m going to spend a little time with this one.

As a card-carrying member of web 2.0, my first stop was wikipedia. There I learned that one definition for brig is a kind of ship used in, among other things, naval battles. It’s primary use was in the War of 1812, which pre-dates any Island events that we know of. Brigadier General is also a military rank, so maybe Brig is a nickname for that (“Yo What Up Brig Daddy” or “Eh Briggie!” or “Briggie Smalls” - okay, that’s two mid-90s rap references in one opening paragraph. And that’s my limit). Given the military history of several of our characters (Sayid, Desmond, Kelvin, Mikhail), it would be reasonable to assume that tonight’s episode might have a bit of a military twist. The Brig shows up in several book titles, as well as in a Star Trek series, and given the writers’ penchant for weaving their favorite literature into the story (and creator JJ Abrams’ love for all things Star Trek) we could see another “Catch-22” situation, where the main theme of a literary work parallels the events of tonight’s episode.
So what do these things mean for tonight? Well, we know the following:

• The Others are in need of a ship because of Locke’s commando operation on their sub. Could they have a brig? Could the sub have been a decoy? Is The Brig a way off the Island? And, if so, is someone leaving the island? Perhaps this weaves back into Juliet’s “deal”, whatever that may be.
• The producers and writers have alluded to a mounting “war” or “battle” between Others and Losties. Seems to me both sides would be in need of a “leader” or “general” or “brig” or a “Notorius B.R.I.G.”

Okay, that second one’s a little bit of a stretch. I think Brig is in reference to a ship. But chances are, “it’s something totally cool that I don’t even know about.” (name that Movie in the comments section. Don’t google it, nerds.)

Locke Out (Not in the Church youth group sense, in the “let’s talk about Locke” sense)

After a torturous 5-week respite from the “Locke just found his dad on the Island” twist, tonight we return to the Book of John. We have SO MUCH to talk about in regards to everyone’s favorite Hunter/Gatherer with Daddy Issues, that I’m going to spend the rest of the preview discussing Locke.

Also, he’s my favorite character, as proved by this picture (for those of you not adept in reading backwards, that reads, “John Locke is my biological father”. I’m hoping that the producers of LOST stumble upon this blog, thus ensuring my position as a future recurring character on LOST: Charlie, the John Locke-Helen love-child. Sweet.



Now, Where Were We?
In case you’ve forgotten, the last time we saw Locke, Ben had just told him that there was a “magical box” on the Island, out of which anything could materialize — be it a dream or a nightmare. In a moment ironically both obvious and impossible, Locke reveals that the latest product from this “box” is John’s father, alive and well (and by “alive and well” I mean “bound and gagged”). The show ended with Locke clearing the cobwebs of disbelief from his mind as he looked up on his father. Meanwhile, papa Cooper looked vulnerable and terrified, feelings that only intensified upon seeing his estranged son – whom he paralyzed and then presumed to be dead after the crash – walking and talking on a remote Island with a cult of Scientists from Hell. Phew. So let’s talk about tonight.

Daddy Dearest
Anthony Cooper might give Alec Baldwin a run for the Most Despised Father of 2007 title. Every heartbreak that has come ole’ John’s way has resulted from his relationship with his father. He conned him out of a kidney, refused his friendship, ruined his chance at marriage, spun him into a cycle of depression and, oh yeah, pushed him out a damn window leaving John paralyzed and unable to participate in the only things that made him feel alive (Australian walkabouts, for instance). Everything Locke has done since the accident has been despite his father, and many of his actions, mannerisms and behaviors on the island were shaped by the tragic relationship he had with his father.

Turf War
Until now, Cooper has always held the position of authority over Locke, operating from his comfort zone and pulling not-so-delicately on John’s heart strings. He’s a con man, and he made sure to manipulate every encounter with John so as to put himself in control. But now, Cooper is bound and gagged. And to make it worse (or better, depending on your perspective), he’s in said position on an Island with which his disgruntled son feels a special connection — in other words, we’re in John’s backyard now, and shit’s about to get real.

Payback’s a Bitch
Forgive my use of the b-word, mom, but tonight’s episode should feature the theme of retaliation. John Locke’s two most prolific torturers — Ben and Cooper — are together, and we know from the preview that Locke will kidnap Ben, then recruit Sawyer — who also has beef with the Spectacled One — to kill him. So obviously John ain’t exactly in the forgiveness mood, rather he seems intent on an eye for an eye strategy. And he’s going to play on the anger that lives within Sawyer (lingering from the kidnapping/torture/imprisonment fiasco) to get Sawyer to do his bidding. But why can’t John kill Ben himself? Maybe he’ll be busy with that other guy who’s been such a torment to him. And if you think Locke’s angry at Ben, wait until you see him with his now-vulnerable daddy.

Bargaining Chips
But don’t throw in the towel yet, Ben lovers. See, Ben has the ultimate ace in the hole when dealing with Locke: Island knowledge. Locke is the most spiritually connected to the Island of anyone, thus he is also the most curious about what the hell is happening there, what it’s all about and why he was “chosen” to go there. Ben knows most, if not all, of these things. If he needs to play the “I can tell you something about yourself” card, he can. And yes, he will. We know how Ben reacts when his back’s against the wall, and tonight it’s gonna be pinned so close to a concrete wall that he won’t even have room to poop his pants. Think about it: Locke and Sawyer staring you down and demanding answers, solutions and payback. If you’re Ben, you might have to pull out some big guns to stave off this attack. The benefit for us? Some f*$%@* answers! Maybe. Who am I kidding, this is LOST. For every answer we get, we’ll also receive 3 new questions.

If Your Appetite’s Not Whetted Yet, Just Wait
Tonight’s Tiview (Tivo Preview) states: “A newly focused Locke breaks away from "The Others" in an attempt to persuade Sawyer to help rid them of a great nemesis that has caused nothing but pain in both of their lives.” That alone is enough to make me want to skip work today just to prepare for this. Let’s examine.

Newly-focused Locke: This could explain his sunny acceptance of his plight, and why he frightened Kate so much when he told her, in no uncertain terms, that he was going away and didn’t seem to mind. Earlier this season we suspected Jack of playing possum, appearing to be happy with the Others in order to earn their trust and eventually escape them — and we were mainly right about that. But if Jack is the Donatello of mind-games, Locke is Master Spinter (Yes, references to both Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and a few late 90-s rappers in the same post. Success.). Locke’s got something up his sleeve: a new focus, a game plan and a mission.

Breaks Away: Escapes? Bargains? Hmmmm. I hope they show this, as I think it will be the impetus for the unfolding of John’s plan.

Pain in both of their lives: BOTH Sawyer and Locke? Well that could be Ben, and that would be the obvious choice. But if LOST had a different name, it would be, “IT’S NEVER GOING TO BE WHAT YOU THINK.” That would be too long for marketing purposes, so they went with LOST. But I digress. Again, BOTH of their lives?!? If you don’t want to know what I think this could really mean, skip past this section and down to the haiku.

There is rampant speculation that Cooper is not just Locke’s dad, but also the Real Sawyer — the man who killed James Ford’s (the man we know as Sawyer) father after conning his parents. Now that’s a common enemy. If this were revealed tonight it would be a major reveal, and the resulting actions of Sawyer and Locke could be both series-changing and unforgettable. Oh that would be good.



In Closing, A Haiku
Locke’s real daddy
And the island’s weird daddy
Are both in deep shit


The guy with a button that says, “John Locke is my biological father” and another that reads, “Dude, you got some...Arzt...on you”,
Charlie.