Top 5 Flashbacks (or Forwards) We've Never Seen

on Comments: (4)

Hello You All Everybody,
Good news. After a 6-month trial separation (at the request of friends, family members and multiple therapists) from my LOST DVD's, my love affair has been rekindled. Just less than two weeks ago, I set out about rewatching the series, starting at Season 2, Episode 20: Two for the Road (the one where Michael went homicidal on everyone's asses). It's one of my favorite episodes and a turning point in the show, so it seemed as good a place to start as any. And it was. Over the past two weeks, I've poured myself back into the show, reaching the end of Season 3 already and bracing myself for an intensive rewatching of Season 4. If that doesn't sound impressive, keep in mind that I have a full-time job and, like, six girlfriends.

Ok, well I have a full-time job.

As I watch, I find myself more and more frustrated by the absence of some key storylines. Desmond often refers to his visions of the future as the front of a box of a jigsaw puzzle, with moments in time being the pieces he must put together to finish the puzzle. With that in mind, here are 5 puzzle pieces I'd desperately like to find:

5. Charlotte

Yes, we saw some of her backstory in the episode that chronicled her, Faraday, Miles and Frank's respective paths to the Kahana mission. But as Entertainment Weekly's LOST guru (and Dharma Blog Authors' Hero) Jeff Jensen often reminds us, it is not-so-subtly alluded to that this journey for Charlotte is a return trip to the Island. In the Season 4 finale, we see this exchange:

MILES: It's just weird. You know, after all that time you spent trying to get back here.

CHARLOTTE: What do you mean, get back here?

Jensen also compares Charlotte's first Island scene (where she dangles above the water, then drops in and splashes around joyfully) to the scene in Prince Caspian, where the children return to Narnia in a similar fashion. And it would make sense, then, that Charlotte is in no hurry to leave the Island, that she wants to stay and learn more about her birthplace.

What I'm curious about is, what does Charlotte need to find out about? What has happened in her life that's led her on a quest back to the Island, and what is so important to find out that she doesn't want to leave? We've seen her archaeological background, and maybe it has something to do with that. But I, for one, think she's got a more important story to tell. I think it's why she was chosen for the mission in the first place. And I hope that, sometime soon, we'll get to find out exactly what her connection is with the Island.

4. Cindy
Despite her seeminly innocuous role as a flight attendant, the flashes of on-Island Cindy that we see (especially in Season 3) lead me to believe that she - and others like her - are hiding something. Remember, she was a Tailie, and was kidnapped in Season 2's tumultuous scene where Ana Lucia mercifully killed Shannon. Since the kidnapping, we've seen about a grand total of 30 seconds of Cindy. But in that brief time, she seems at peace, alligned with the others and accepting of her place.

Part of me thinks she was brainwashed and indoctrnated among Ben's people. Another part of me believes she's been on Ben's side the whole time, acting as a "plant" onboard Oceanic 815 with the mission of guiding the crashed souls to the promised land. Either way, I'd like to know. And I think when (or if) we learn about Cindy, we'll learn a lot about why the Others kidnap people, what they do to them and what their overall purpose is.


3. Rousseau
What we know about Rousseau is what she's told our survivors: a Cliff's Notes version of a 16-year saga that certainly must omit some key details. What kind of "science expedition" was she on? How did she lose Alex? What really happened to her husband? She said everyone got "sick" with that mysterious phantom illness, but is that a cover for something? We do know that, since landing on the Island, she's become a mercenary recluse who eschews typical societal norms such as, well, bras (this has always bothered me. Come on, Frenchie!).

I'd really like to see how she got onto the Island on a simple boat (considering Charles Widmore himself seems to have trouble doing it) and how her first 90 days there compare and contrast with those of our Oceanic 815 survivors. The good news: rumors point to a Rousseau-centric episode this season! The bad news: possible recurrence of Alex and her ridiculous slingshot.

2. Libby

Libby is often the Achille's Heel of LOST theorists. Her presence in Hurley's story (in the mental institution) is one of those intentinoal vagueries that drives people nuts. Did she know Hurley? Was she working with Widmore (or Ben?) to get Hurley to the Island, perhaps by intertwining his fate with that of the numbers?

Don't forget, she also gave Desmond that boat. Add that to the ammunition of those - like Maggie - who think that Libby was indeed working for Charles Widmore to get certain people to the Island. The LOST powers-that-be have always been pretty non-commital about the possibility of a Libby-centric episode, and now that she's dead that probability has sunk even lower. I think our best hope is a cameo appearance by Libby in someone else's story. Hopefully this time, we'll get some more answers.

1. Richard Alpert
If you know me, you know I love me some Richard Alpert. The ageless wonder keeps us guessing with his ever-changing alliances, smooth talking and seemingly limitless knowledge. As far as we know, he possesses the most Island knowledge (except maybe Ben) and he has been on the Island since...ummm...forever?

To understand Alpert is to understand the Island. And the more I watch this show, the more I believe that this show is about, simply, the Island: what it is, what it does, what it means for humanity. Richard knows - at least more than most - the answers to those questions. And now that he's not tied up on the latest Jimmy Smits project (seriously? Jimmy Smits? Did Richard Alpert lose a bet?), the door's wide open for a Richard-centric story. And we can only hope that, in the event of such a story, the presence of creepy-ass-Ethan Rom is minimal at best.

Honorable Mention: Walt
Walt: Age 19 (projected physical appearance)

Come on. Tell us how he does the thing where he appears to people in different places and times. And why he he went through puberty faster than Hurley through a case of Mallomars.



Side note: Jacob is obviously the A-Number-One character I'd like to know more about, but considering he may just be Ben's imaginary friend, I omitted him from this list.

So whose stories would you like to see? What do you think we'd learn? How many times do you think I've watched the Season 3 finale, Through the Looking Glass? Answer to the latter: 7ish. Including right now. Speaking of which, the scenes where Bonnie and Greta are being all good-looking and awesome in the Looking Glass station are on, so I must go.

Namaste.
Charlie

A New Theory for the Bharma Dog

on Comments: (2)


Hello, Dharma Blog readers!! (Or, as my coworker Amy likes to say: The Bharma Dog.)

Happy Holidays to you and yours…and theirs, too, I suppose. It looks like it will be a White Christmas here in tropical Lincoln, NE, where the average high this past week has been a steamy 4 degrees. We have approximately 4 inches of snow on the ground – and, boy oh boy, the ridiculous ice storm bearing down on us today looks like a doozy. My advice? Don’t come to Nebraska anytime soon…unless you have your Dharma Initiative Parka and a penchant for Frozen Donkey Wheels. Oh, I’d give anything to be in Tunisia right about now…
Mua ha ha. Lost jokes are fun for all ages.



Season 4 DVD:
Since we last spoke, I have had the opportunity to re-watch Season 4 in its entirety, multiple times (including five viewings of “The Constant,” my mostest favoritest episode ever!!!), as well as review the many exciting bonus features (2 whole DVDs!). Although I was planning on doing a full-out review, Washington Post’s Jen Chaney really put my thoughts best:

“Like the Lost DVDs that have come before, this one includes numerous behind-the-scenes featurettes, a blooper reel, deleted scenes, several Easter eggs embedded in its menu screens and a smattering of commentary tracks. … As solid as the whole package is, two extras are most likely to fire up fans fixated on the future of the Oceanic 815 survivors. The first? "Oceanic Six: A Conspiracy of Lies," a faux expose that raises numerous questions about the story concocted last season by the six crash survivors who returned to civilization. And then there's my favorite, "Course of the Future," an interactive feature that requires viewers to place several events from the show in chronological order, a challenge considering the writers' out-of-sequence approach to storytelling. Completing that mission unlocks access to every flash-forward from season four, shown in order, uninterrupted.”

Take it from me: to see every single flash-forward, in chronological order, all at once, was both fascinating and a great review as I prepare for Season 5’s premiere, a mere 36 days away!! Blessed be Season 5!! In summary, I highly/strongly/really/definitely suggest putting Lost Season 4 on your holiday gift list, if it isn’t there already. (Frankly, if it isn’t there already, Charlie and I are both questioning your commitment to the show.)

Happy Dharma Birthday, Charlie!
My fellow blogger, Charlie, celebrated his 16th….er….25th birthday on Saturday, December 13th. I think the entire Bharma Dog readership joins me in wishing him a year full of polar bears, the Numbers, and flash-forwards. I contributed to his celebration by contracting the fine folks at The Cookie Company of Lincoln to create a Dharma Birthday Cookie in the shape of the Dharma logo (photo coming soon…once I figure out how to upload images from my fancy-pants new phone). Happy Birthday, Charlie!

Happy Early Birthday, Benjamin Linus!
The uber-accurate Lost timeline over at Lostpedia tells us that the-man-we-love-to-hate, Ben Linus, will celebrate his birthday tomorrow, Friday, December 19. Happy Birthday, Ben! You haunt my dreams. And Charlie’s dreams, too...but he still named his dog after you (photo below). (I’ve also include a photo of my dog, Oakley, who is named after my Great-Grandpa instead of Lost character. I tried to change his name last spring to Dr. Jack Shepherd, but he still won't respond to me. Weird.)


LINUS, age 1 (above) and OAKLEY/Dr. Jack Shepherd, age 10 (below)



When the weather gets bad…start theorizing about Lost.

As I stated before, the last few days in Nebraska have been painfully cold…actually, beyond painfully cold. It has been downright nasty. Here is the view out my back door.


I'm kidding. That's the Platte River. Anyways, moving on. So, what’s a girl like me to do when she has already:
(1) watched Season 4 (a "few" times);
(2) dusted and re-dusted her Seasons 1-4 DVDs and placed them in order;
(3) checked airline tickets to Hawaii and realized she still cannot afford a Lost-cation;
(4) decided she will hire her brother to do the shoveling; and
(5) left multiple messages for Charlie, asking if he wants to play Lost charades?

Well, this girl decided to do a little theorizing. Believe it or not, I have a one that, in my humble opinion, is pretty darn good. And so, my holiday gift to you:

A Theory to Keep You Awake at Night

Preface: This theory requires that you take a few leaps with me, and recognize that while all the pieces may not be there right now, I have a feeling that many of the missing portions will be completed throughout the next two seasons. Even so, I look forward to everyone’s feedback on this!

Evil One and Evil Two (above)

We can all agree that Season 4 of Lost set us up for a continuation of the showdown over control of the island between Charles Widmore and Ben Linus, a long-standing rivalry that is likely to continue its arc through the final two seasons of the show. Both Widmore and Ben want the island for different reasons: it appears Ben wants to protect the island and keep it a secret, while Widmore wants to exploit the powers of the island for financial gain. There appears to be a set of guidelines that dictate what Ben and Widmore can and cannot do. We are still in the dark about what the ‘rules’ are for this game, but we know they exist. (I’ll note that from Ben and Widmore’s bedroom conversation in The Shape of Things to Come, it appears that one of the rules is that neither can kill the other.)

My theory is that, unbeknownst to Widmore and Ben, there has been an unforseen collision of their two worlds in the form of Baby Aaron.


Hello little baby!! I love you, little baby! I do love you!” -Maggie

“Oh, give me a break, Maggie. You only wrote this theory because you like babies and wanted a picture of a cute baby on the Dharma Blog,” you might be saying. Well, fair enough.

Maggie and a cute baby.

But could my theory be right??

Okay: go with me on this one. I believe that Charles Widmore has two children. One is Penelope (Penny), and the other is Thomas. Who is Thomas? Well, Thomas is Claire’s ex-boyfriend, the father of Aaron.


Aw, Widmore controls their lives! How cute!

I know what you are thinking: Wow, Maggie has really lost it this time. (Puns are fun!)

Au contraire, my friends.

You must be like Charlie and my friend, Micah, who had never heard the theory of Widmore’s Painting.

Please take a moment to look at these two photos (google Widmore Paintings if you want a bigger picture!):


On the left is a screen shot from Raised By Another, when Thomas (a painter by trade) is arguing with Claire, his pregnant girlfriend, about their coming child. Check out the painting in the background. Now, look at the photo on the right, which shows Desmond in Widmore’s office from Flashes Before Your Eyes. Look at the painting behind Desmond. Yep, it appears to be the same painting. Now, how does a painting hanging in Widmore’s office in the early 1990s (when this scene allegedly fits into the Lost timeline) end up in Claire and Thomas’s flat in the summer of 2004? Did Thomas paint it? Or did he somehow acquire it from Widmore?

I’m going to throw this out there: Thomas, indeed, painted it, and gave it to his father, Charles Widmore.

Too big of a leap for you? Consider this:

Do you remember when Thomas left Claire? How he stumbled around his words, and didn’t really have an answer as to why he was leaving Claire? Well, riddle me this: Did Widmore pay Thomas off to stay away from Claire (the same way he paid off Desmond to stay away from Penny), to begin the sequence of events that eventually brought Claire to the island? Widmore said to Desmond that the reason he wouldn’t give Penny’s hand in marriage to Desmond was that Desmond will ‘never be a great man.’ Could he very well have said the same thing to his son Thomas? That Claire, the pregnant daughter of a single mom, will never live up to the Widmore family standards? Verrrrry interesting, eh?

So far, I have proposed that Thomas is the son of Charles Widmore, which makes Aaron the grandson of Charles Widmore. Now, let’s look at the other side of the coin: how Claire’s lineage traces her back to the island, thus making Aaron and equally viable pawn for the Others and Ben.

It has been confirmed that Claire is the illegitimate daughter of Christian Shepherd. Now, we have a very choppy timeline of the life of Christian Shepherd. This is what is known.


We know that as a young doctor, Christian began dating (and supposedly fell in love with) a woman named Margo (Jack’s mother). On their wedding day, Christian’s father (this scene was only recounted to us; we never saw it) told him that he disapproved of their marriage. Nevertheless, Christian’s father gave him a watch that day, which he later passed on to Jack on Jack and Sarah’s (his first wife) wedding day. Soon after his wedding to Margo, he developed a drinking problem, to the point that he would take sporadic trips all over the globe. This addiction eventually led to a trip to Australia, where he met Carole Littleton (Claire’s mother) and became Claire’s father (Charlie, I explain how this happened to you some day).

After Carole’s car accident (remember, the one where Claire survived? And it put Carole in a coma?), and Christian’s first meeting with an adult Claire, Christian changed his life and decided to quit drinking. At the same time, however, Jack’s life and marriage had taken a turn for the worse. Jack concocted a belief that Sarah was cheating on him with his father, leading to a serious and physical altercation during one of Christian’s AA meetings. Unable to cope with this hurtful incident, Christian returned to drinking. This, of course, led to an ill-fated return-trip to Australia, where he ended up drinking himself to death.

Christian’s untimely death, and Jack’s subsequent guilt for his father’s fate, has led Jack to see his father both on the island and after he left the island, seemingly alive and well. Season 4 showed us that he appears to speak for Jacob – appearing to a number of people (and pets) both on/off the island (Jack, Hurley, Vincent, Claire, Locke, and Miles).

So, why does Christian speak for Jacob? And how? Well, I believe that he is somehow a descendant of, or related to, Jacob. This means that Jack, Claire, and Aaron are also descendants of Jacob. Since we know that, at some point in time and for some reason, Ben could also communicate with Jacob. Note: I don’t believe Ben is a descendant of Jacob (some people think he is, which would make him related to Jack…and WHOAH, that would be insane). However, for the length of time he was the leader of the Others), I think he was more of an ‘adopted’ son of Jacob. I think we’re going to see that Locke took over this role when Ben left. (Footnote: I suppose this could also be a model of Christian’s relationship with Ben. I’ll have to think about that a little more.)

AND SO (drum roll), these theories combined represent how (I believe) Aaron is the “collision” of the two ‘sides’ of this rivalry: Aaron is related to both Widmore and “Ben”/island/“Jacob”.

So what does this mean for the future of the show? Well, we all know about the lengths that both Ben and Widmore go to win this power struggle. However, once the realization is made that Aaron represents part of both families, it will be interesting to see how they move forward. Will Aaron be the ultimate prize? Or the ultimate pawn? And with an almost-certain return to the island for the Oceanic 6 (including Aaron), how will this play into the Ben-Widmore game? In other words, why is Aaron’s return to the island worth so much to Ben (granted, we have been told that everyone has to go back, not just Aaron)?

After all, Widmore’s expulsion from the island at some point in the past caused him to go to great and violent lengths to retrieve information that will allow him to return. You’ll recall in The Other Woman the video of Widmore beating a blind-folded and purported Other to a pulp in a parking lot, which was caught on video by Ben. Widmore also hired Keamy and his mercenary team to use the Kahana to find the island. Keamy’s instructions, as you will recall, were to “breach the Island, locate and retrieve Benjamin Linus, and after retrieving Ben, kill every other living person on the Island, including the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815, if he found that they existed.” While Keamy’s mission was a failure in the end, he did achieve one success (in the mind of Widmore): he killed Ben’s only daughter, Alex. Would he go to such lengths if with his supposed-grandson, Aaron?

We shall see, my friends. We shall see.

And so…comment away! Poke holes in the theory! Propose your own! I look forward to a lively discussion.

Namaste,
Maggie

'Twas the Night Before Season 4

on Comments: (2)


'Twas the night before Season 4's release, when all through her home,

Maggie was stirring…through her house did she roam.

Her seasons 1 through 3 DVDs were placed by the chimney with care,

In hopes that Season 4 soon would be there.

She went upstairs to lay all snug in her bed,

While visions of the DHARMA Initiative danced through her head.

(Across town, Linus in his 'kerchief, and Charlie in his cap,

Had just settled down for a long winter's nap.)

And when morning finally came, Maggie arose with much clatter,

She sprang from the bed (not that you care, nor does it matter).

Away to Best Buy she drove like a flash,

Flung open the automatic door and ran…my, did she dash!

The GE appliances sat on the newly-mopped floor,

lined up like the survivors along the Island's shore.

When, what to Maggie's wondering eyes should appear,

The shiny Lost Season 4 display! Oh, how Maggie did cheer!

With a beautiful blue box, so vivid and fine,

She yelled out right then, "This DVD shall be mine!!!"

More rapid than Smoky, to the cash register Maggie came,

As she skipped, and shouted, and called the characters by name;

"Now, Jack! Now, Locke! Now, Kate and Benjamin!

On, Sawyer! On Desmond! On, Charlotte, Sun and Jin!

To the hatch or the beach! To the Kahana or Jack's hospital!

Now flash(back) away! Flash(forward) away! Flash away all!"



This is me, pretending like I am happy.  It was 20 degrees outside and very windy.

This is me when I found Season 4 on the shelf.

This is me and my new Season 4 Box Set.

This is me and Sarah, the Best Buy Clerk who sold me Season 4.

I couldn't wait to look inside. This is me, under my desk at work, reviewing the bonus features.

Rise and Shine

on Comments: (1)

Like a Polar Bear roused out of hibernation only to find himself on a mysterious, electromagnetically-charged island, the LOST side of my mind is wiping the crusties from its eyes and hitting the snooze button. The Season 5 premiere looms large, scheduled for January 21st (that’s a Wednesday!). Who says January is the most depressing month of the year? Pssssh.

The perfect morning coffee to shake the cobwebs from your LOST hibernation is YouTube fan videos and the ever-cryptic official previews from ABC. This weekend, my YouTube scouring found this nugget:



The Fray!? LOST is getting its Grey’s Anatomy/Scrubs/The O.C. on by playing whatever it is the kids are listening to these days. As long as it’s not a no-talent ass clown like Sheryl Crow, I’m fine. But formulaic alt-rock ballads aside, the preview is pretty interesting. While it’s light on new material (instead recycling dramatic scenes from Seasons 1-4), there are a few nice highlights:

  • Start with a plane crash. That’s good. You always open with an old favorite.
  • New tagline: Destiny Calls. Interesting, as the concept of “destiny” or “fate” is heavily-tilled ground in the LOST universe.
  • Mysterious dude in haz-mat suit pops out of a hatch and startles the skittish Daniel Faraday. More Island people!?! Are we sure there’s a procreation problem? Oh, and later there are people pointing arrows at Faraday and Charlotte. Peter Pan?
  • Jack and Sayid come to fisticuffs! Put all your money on Sayid in that one.
  • Miles the Ghost Whisperer (not Jennifer Love Hewitt the Ghost Whisperer, unfortunately) looking puzzled. Probably something related to that whole Claire the Talking Ghost thing.
  • Hurley’s Got a Gun (sing it to the tune of the old Aerosmith jam. You’ll like it). It seems his paranoia is about to get the best of him. Later, we see him peering suspiciously out the window while Sayid is unconscious on the ground. "We shouldn’t have left, Jack. It wants us to come back."
  • Was that Juliet discovering another underground hatch?
  • Richard Alpert! Woot!
  • Jack ends with “Let’s go get ‘em.” Oh. Snap.
  • Oh, and random spliced-in cells of a flaming logo for Ajira Airways, no big deal. Wait. What the…?
Ajira Airlines: No Borders. Now Boarding.
Allow me to Google this for you. Ajira Airlines does indeed have a web site. Conveniently, they use the same “Destiny Calls” tagline that LOST is currently toting. And the copy below it:

Let Your Journey Begin
The skies have no limit with our new destinations launching January 21st, 2009. Take an adventure anywhere around the globe and reimagine your world as big as ours. Check back often to discover new ways to get lost in the world. No Borders, Now Boarding - Ajira Airways.

Obviously, the launch date is no coincidence. Neither is the tag line, “Destiny Calls.” And a little Lostpedia-ing reveals that this is, indeed, an official LOST microsite. Lostpedia’s slogan should be “We nerd out so you don’t have to.” Instead of going to all the trouble of searching through the IP addresses that update and register Ajira Airlines' site, the friendly geeks at Lostpedia have done the dirty work for us. It appears that Ajira Airlines was registered, set up and is maintained by ABC Studios. Furthermore, the site is not hosted by Hoodlum, the Australian entertainment company behind LOST ARG’s (Alternate-Reality Games) such as the now-defunct Dharma Initiative Recruiting Project, and, I believe, the Find 815 game from last year.

You can enter your e-mail address on their site for updates (yes, of course I did). Chances are, it'll launch you into a fun little game for the next month, giving you some clues, hints and even exclusive scenes for Season 5. While you wait patiently by your inbox for that, you can chew on a few fun facts (gleaned from, where else, Lostpedia and interpreted by, what else, my crazy head).

Like everything LOST-related, Ajira is not an arbitrarily selected term. In Hindi it means “island” or “isle”; in Islam, “Eternal Life after Death.” Maggie also pointed out that “Ji” is contained in Ajira, a possible allusion to Ji Yeon, the child of Sun and Jin. Additionally, Maggie informs me that Ajira Airways will be based in Seoul, Korea, home of Sun. How she knows that, I’m not sure. I suspect she obtained the information through questionable means.

It all points to a storyline that will be played out by the now-rich, now-powerful Sun: majority shareholder of Paik Industries. Allow me to dust off my tinfoil hat and provide you with my first completely baseless theory of the year:

Sun uses the Paik Industries manufacturing ties to buy (or create) Ajira Airlines. Remember, Oceanic Airlines went bankrupt handing out settlements to the Oceanic Six, so she might be using their supplies or people. She uses the company’s aeronautical and navigational capacities as a means with which to find out what happened to the Island, and possibly find Jin (provided he made it into the wormhole and didn’t die in the explosion). Her persistence in the matter represents a threat to Widmore’s concealment of the Island, and serves to escalate a feud between them. That feud acts as both a catalyst and an impediment to the Oceanic Six’s return to the Island. Because when it’s all said and done, I think Season 5 will be all about Jack’s efforts to rally the O6 – and Locke’s carcass – back to the Island.

Crazy? Yes! Unfounded? You bet! But it’s December, and we’ve got 53 days to wait for the Season Premiere, titled “Because You Left.” Kinda sounds like the title of a Fray song, doesn’t it?

Namaste.
Charlie

PS: Stay tuned for an announcement on how Maggie and I will be preparing you (via the blog, of course) for LOST Season 5. We'll have full details on our plans for the month leading up to the season premiere - including our first-ever video entry. Be afraid.

From the Dharma News Room...

on Comments: (0)

Dharma Wedding Announcement
We here at the Dharma Blog are thrilled to announce that on Saturday, September 27, two loyal and faithful Dharma Blog readers, Beth Tiehen and Chad Kreikemeier, will be united in Holy Dharmamony. Our records indicate that Chad and Beth are the third Dharma couple to find love on what Charlie suggests we now call E-Dharmany. Previous Dharma love connections were found with John and D’Ann, as well as Courtney and Joseph.

Chad and Beth met on the comments section page of the Dharma Blog after the episode Do No Harm, where they both left comments on how much they loved the decorations at Jack and Sarah’s wedding. One thing led to another, and pretty soon, they had their first date: watching Fire + Water and eating fish biscuits. We have reason to believe that Chad and Beth will use Lost quotes for their vows. Undercover Dharma Blog readers who are in the wedding party have indicated Chad will use the follow wedding vow (it should sound familiar):

I didn't...write any vows. I've been trying to for a month but I couldn't, so I started to wonder why that was. And as time went on, it only got worse because I'm not good at letting go…or maybe I’m afraid of what'll happen if I fail. But I know one thing. I would have never been able to write anything as beautiful as what you just said. And last night, Beth, you got it all wrong. I didn’t fix you, you fixed me. I love you, Beth, and I always will.

Congratulations to Beth and Chad, our third match on E-Dharmany!

Why LOST Lost
(Huge Kudos to LOST watcher Jon for his added analysis)
Being a LOST fan, I was very excited to see the show nominated for the Best Drama Emmy, but I didn’t expect it to win. Like most fans, I put up the false front of hopefulness that our show would somehow be validated (again) as the ‘best’ there is. But, at the end of the day, the nod went to Mad Men, and deservedly so. The fact is, LOST doesn’t have to prove itself anymore. That the show has managed to exist this long with the eclectic blend of story-telling that seems to bridge every genre and literary motif known to man is a feat that they haven’t produced an award for yet.

But still, let’s ask “Why LOST lost.” The truth is LOST is not a show that plays well against competition because its real competition is itself. The episode that was submitted to the Emmy judges, The Constant, is a perfect example. The Constant was a sequel to the episode Flashes Before Your Eyes…and provided an extension of the themes setup in Flashes and carried out throughout the series since. In short, The Constant was a classic example of LOST improving on LOST.

Unlike predictable dramas that have a plot start and plot end week after week, LOST aims to break at ever higher plateaus, relying on the immensity of its back-stories to bolster any attempt to raise its bar internally. When examined on and episode-by-episode basis, not having a sense of the history of the plot and characters makes discerning LOST’s achievements a formidable, if not impossible, task. The reality is that LOST cannot (and should not) be judged on a single episode. LOST is the televised equivalent of a novel, and as such, even the best chapter is never going to represent the achievement of the story as a whole.

It doesn’t really matter if LOST ever gets another Emmy, because it all comes down to the fact that as long as LOST is succeeding at bucking tradition and providing world-class entertainment, eluding an Emmy for best series is just further validation that it is doing what it does best: coloring outside of the lines, and staying off the ‘business as usual’ radar screen.

Welcome Home, Captain Maher!
The Dharma Blog is thrilled to announce the homecoming of faithful LOST watcher and Dharma Blog reader, Captain Joseph Carter Maher, USMC. Since February, Captain Maher has been serving our country in the Al Anbar province of Iraq, near the town of Akashat. A Marine Corps Captain, Joe served as the XO for the 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Delta Company. Joe will be welcomed back to the United States by his wife, Dharma Blog reader Courtney, and many friends and family members. (Note: Joe is admittedly behind in his LOST watching, so don’t engage him in LOST talk until he finishes season 4.) Welcome home, Joe, and Semper Fidelis!

Happy Dharma-Ween!
With Halloween just around the corner, Charlie and I would like to take this opportunity to suggest that our Dharma Blog readers dress up as their favorite LOST character for the holiday. To get those creative juices flowing, here are some ideas:

Jack: Go for a classic Pilot episode Jack look. A suit, covered in dirt. Perhaps some scratches on your face. And don’t forget the small bottles of alcohol in your pocket (for those readers who are of age).

Kate: The normal Kate look is a pair of jeans, a tank top, long wavy hair, and hiking boots. Maybe a pair of handcuffs on one wrist. How about a toy plane around your neck? Of course, covered in dirt, too.

Hurley: Oversized tye-dyed shirt with the Numbers on it would be a nice look. Maybe a bag of some Dharma provisions, too. If you can do the long curly hair, that’d be fantastic.

Charlie: A Charlie DriveShaft look would be nice. The more black, the better. Don’t forget the pieces of masking tape on your fingers that spell F-A-T-E. If you have a guitar to carry along, that’d be a nice touch.

Desmond: Long, wavyish hair that is styled “wild” like his. A jacket/jumpsuit with a Dharma logo. Maybe find a toy gun and a backpack, as well.

Ben: Go for the “Dharma Dad” look. Khakis, a button-up shirt, deck shoes. Googly glasses would be a plus. Do you have a walking stick? How about a walkie-talkie?

Locke: The balder, the better. Wear a white t-shirt with cargo pants and hiking boots. A backpack on your back and a Backgammon set would be a nice addition. Put an orange in your mouth, a la Pilot-episode LOST.

What other ideas do you have? How will you dress up for Dharma-Ween? Send us photos of your best costumes and we’ll post them on the Blog!

Namaste,
Maggie

Feeling Empty Inside?

on Comments: (3)

As we often do, Maggie and I have been emailing back and forth today. Perhaps it's the influx of new and returning shows this week that has us pining for the all-too-distant return of LOST. Or as we like to put it:

Excerpt from email conversation today
Me: With everyone getting excited about their shows coming back on, do you kind of feel like it’s the first day of school and everyone but you has a new bike? But in the back of your head, you know you’re gonna get a new bike in a few months and it’ll kick everyone else’s bike’s asses?

Maggie: Yes, your analogy to what today feels like is right on target. It also feels like we go to Catholic school and everyone else goes to public school…and they are all excited for their 6th grade roller skating party at Skate Zone tonight, but since we go to Catholic School, we have to go to Bible Study tonight. But we know that in the end, we’ll be the ones going to heaven…unlike those public school heathens. Yeah, that is what it feels like.
End of excerpt

Well played, Maggie. Also, our apologies to public school heathens. Wait, Maggie and I were public school heathens. Oh well, at least we got to go skating.

For those of you thinking LOST is coming back this fall, allow me to violently rip the rug from beneath you... February 5th. Yeah, that's the probable return date (give or take a week) for Season 5. Oh, and the first episode's title: Because You Left. Noodle that one for the next 5 months, because lord knows Maggie and I will.

Now, back to coping mechanisms. I'm not advocating cheating on LOST by getting intimate with any poseurs this fall - but a man has needs. And I need me some addictive TV. So here are a few little nuggets that you might like if you're a LOST fan (and let's face it, if you regularly read a LOST blog, you're a fan).

Fringe. (Fox, Tuesdays)
The new offering from LOST-God J.J. Abrams is a trip. Biological warfare - which is caused and cured by the experiments of a pair of mad scientists with differing motives - is at the center of everything from conspiratorial global terrorism to the murder of a local hooker, and it appears to be permeating the highest levels of governments and mega-corporations worldwide. It's also got several eerie similarities to LOST:
  • Ominous black guy played by Lance Reddick – Check
  • Pseudo-sciences – Check
  • Previously unknown hottie – Check
  • Former teen drama star – Check
  • Plane crash opening – Check
  • Crazy underground laboratories – Check
  • Knife-throwing shaman/box salesman - Not Yet
I could go on and on, but I won't. Here's the skinny on Fringe, as I see it: Yes, it's classic Abrams mind games. But whereas LOST draws out a mystery for weeks, months or years at a time, Fringe introduces and explains whole mysteries within single episodes. As a complement, bigger-picture mysteries serve as the backdrop for these weekly offerings. It's an interesting formula, and certainly more palatable to the "LOST never answers anything" crowd. Me, I like a show that rewards the audience for staying tuned and thinking about it. I like how LOST gives me something to think about, then gives me weeks or months to let the thoughts marinate before (partially) explaining itself. But Fringe is great, and it's only been two episodes. Lest we forget, LOST got exponentially better as it got older and developed its characters further. If Fringe can delve deeper into its complex characters and not get stuck in the quicksand of the "Blow it up, show something gross and do a sex scene" Fox Network Formula, it could be excellent.

Heroes. (NBC, Mondays)
Heroes is money. And if you think LOST is hard to follow, you'll need a PhD or a background as a comic fanatic to stay totally on top of Heroes. But even without fervent following, Heroes is damn enjoyable. The arcs are brilliantly spun and woven together so intricately that a LOST fan can easily get hooked. Characters' lives intersect in cool, weird ways, and everyone's motive is allowing or preventing the demise of the world (not in the cryptic LOST way, but in an, "Oh shit, a bomb/virus/bad guy" way). The special effects? Not terrible for network TV, but if there's a romantic teenage flying scene on a green screen this season, I'll be upset (if you watch, you know what I'm talking about). Added bonus: lots of hot chicks. Plain and simple.

The Office. (NBC, Thursdays)
Yeah I know, totally different genre than anything else listed here. But if you don't think The Office is funny - or if you're one of those insufferable elitists who can't avow often enough how much funnier and subtler the British version is - then you, my friend, have no soul. Beer me that show.


What about you? What fills your LOST void? Serious TV Shows? Funny TV Shows? Spending time with your family?

Charlie

Come Downstairs and Say Hello. A Review of "There's No Place Like Home"

on Comments: (9)

A few years ago, one of my favorite bands (Guster) came out with a brilliant song called “Come Downstairs and Say Hello.” Lately, I’ve felt there’s a connection to this song and Season 4 of LOST. It’s got Wizard of Oz references, self-actualization motifs and a title that screams, “Orchid Station.” After last night, I’m making it John Locke’s new theme song. Read the abridged lyrics below to judge for yourself.

Dorothy moves
To click her ruby shoes

Right in tune

With Dark Side of the Moon

Someone, someone could tell me

Where I belong

Be calm

Be brave

It'll be ok


To tell you the truth I've said it before: “Tomorrow I start in a new direction.”

I know I've been half asleep I'm never doing that again

I look straight at what's coming ahead and soon it's gonna change in a new direction

Every night as I'm falling asleep these words repeated in my head

Voices calling from a yellow road

To come downstairs and say hello

Don't be shy just say hello


Come downstairs, John Locke. And say hello to your destiny. Don’t be shy. Just say hello.

We’ll get back to John Locke going downstairs. But man, last night was remarkable. LOST brought us a lot of answers (for LOST, anyway) and did it with some scenes that wrenched our hearts as quickly as they warmed them. As expected, there’s a lot to cover: the Frozen Donkey Wheel, the coffin reveal, the list goes on.

But first, the most explosive scene of the night.

Boom Goes the Dynamite
Last week, Michael informed Sun that he wasn’t working for Ben Linus; he was working through Ben Linus to redeem himself for what he did. Last night, Michael’s mission of redemption came full circle.

And with Christian Shepherd as his witness, Michael was redeemed. It happened when Mike told Jin to get out of the dynamited room and go be a father to Sun and their unborn child. It was a perfect act of redemption for Michael: it was selfless, it involved being a good father and it was sacrificial. In short, it was all the things he hadn’t been his entire life. And where suicide attempts failed him in his post-Island life, his selfless sacrifice ultimately delivered Michael “Kevin Johnson” Dawson from the man he never really wanted to be.

Christian’s brief cameo and succinct reassurance to Michael (“You can go now”) was absolutely perfect. It also reinforced the idea that people can’t die until they finish their business. And it appears that Christian – as someone who can speak on Jacob’s behalf – is Jacob’s gatekeeper, responsible for determining when that business is finished. I wonder if Jacky boy will ever have a similar meeting with the Island’s Saint Peter…

Then there’s Jin. I could almost hear the tears rolling down Maggie’s face from halfway across town. Jin’s desperate run through the freighter underbelly was, for me, a devastatingly unavoidable death march. Jin wasn’t going to make it, and we all knew it. As pregnant Sun’s cries pierced through the whir of the helicopter, the Kahana exploded into a million pieces. And with it, the father of Ji Yeon was killed.

Last week, Sun blamed her father and one other man for the death of Jin. Last night, it seemed that “other man” turned out to be Jack, who refused to let Frank Lapidus dip back down to the Kahana to pick up Jin. Such is the burden of leadership and the price of acting on behalf of the greater good. It’s a lesson Jack keeps learning, forgetting, relearning and re-forgetting.

Let’s also not forget about Saywer, who sacrificed his own freedom for that of Kate’s. What did he whisper to her before taking the swan dive off the chopper? I’m guessing something along the lines of, “Take care of that daughter, Clementine, I told you about. You’ll find her in Albuquerque.”

But in the end, Jack, Kate, Sayid, Hurley, Sun, Aaron, Desmond and Frank Lapidus escaped the Kahana explosion. And so, the O6 + 2 flew toward the Island. Until the Island disappeared.

The Oceanic Six: Case Closed. Then a Bunch More Cases Opened.
I have to credit LOST with actually filling in the blanks of the Oceanic Six story. We learned a lot, and had some really interesting set-ups for the next two seasons. Let’s start with what we now know.
The Great Lie
I figured this elaborate Oceanic Six story was concocted to save the non-O6 people in some way. But I’ve believed all along that the O6 were forced to lie – and fed a story – by Ben Linus, Charles Widmore or one of their many intermediaries. Wrong! It was John Locke’s idea to lie. And it was Dr. Jack’s idea to agree with him.

In what may have been the final confrontation between the Man of Science and the Man of Faith, John Locke pled once more with Jack not to leave the Island. Jack, stubborn as ever, stuck to the script – believing Locke to be off his rocker and promising again to rescue the 815 survivors.

But once upon the lifeboat was in sight of rescue, reality struck Jack. The world believed them to be dead, and whoever made the world believe that would make the fake deaths a reality if the O6 told the truth. Jack knows that the O6’s Island knowledge jeopardizes the island, so, in order to save the O6, Jack convinced his fellow survivors to “let me do the talking.” Of course, that initially overwhelming task of deception was lessened when we learned that Captain Penny Widmore was in charge. At that point, Des and Pen took over, stole the spotlight and – once again – put the love scenes of Jack, Kate, Sawyer or Juliet to shame. It is, without a doubt, LOST’s best love story.

Catching Up. Moving Forward.
But I expected the tying up of those O6 loose ends. I didn’t expect the introduction of loads of O6 storylines that will surely permeate the scripts of Season 5.

Jack, Kate and Aaron. Season 4’s finale picked up exactly where Season 3’s finale left off. Kate reiterated the absurdity of Jack’s “We gotta go back” plea. Jack tried to make her understand. It’s here we see that Jack & Kate haven’t just lost touch, they’ve lost each other. While Jack remains mired in the past, Kate wants nothing more than to look ahead to being Aaron’s mother, to being free from the law and to forgetting the Island.

Hurley, Sayid & Walt. Wow. Wesley Snipes is playing Walt now!! That’s great. I’m glad he found work. Seriously though. He’s getting older faster than he should. And I’m going to spend the next 8 months figuring out how he becomes Matthew Abbadon. This I swear.

Hurley’s impending despair was foreshadowed earlier this season in his conversation with Jack, where he questioned if they should go back. Last night, we saw a Hurley that was utterly confused. Between chess matches with Dead Mr. Eko and awkward conversations with Walt, Hurley has become a malleable little piece of clay. By the end of the episode, Sayid easily convinced Hugo to follow him into – presumably – another Ben Linus rabbit hole (“safe place,” my ass). Didn’t matter though. Hurley would’ve followed anyone – and that could help Jack later.

Sun & Widmore. Sun’s a bad ass. Really. She doesn’t mess around. And her sneaky little meeting with Widmore only placated my conspiratorial belief that Paik Industries and Widmore are in cahoots. Golf reference? Check. Small talk? Check. It’s got all the signs of a business partnership. And the more I learn about Charles Widmore, the more I suspect anyone who does business with him.

All these flash-forward O6 storylines are really just seeds for what I believe will be Season 5’s pivotal question: if, and how, Jack can convince the rest of the O6 to return to the Island. He’ll have some tough sells (Kate) and some easier ones (Hurley). But know this: the reluctant leader’s job isn’t over. It never is.

Best-Laid Plans
"How many times do I have to tell you? I always have a plan." Okay, Ben. I believe you.

First, we learned that the bit of mirror signaling he did in the jungle last week was Linus Code for “Find Kate and Sayid, use them as pawns to distract the freighter folk, then work together to kill those mercenary bastards and set me free so that I may assist John Locke with this ‘Island-moving’ business.”

Pretty sweet move. The Sayid vs. Keamy vs. Richard Alpert fight scene was classic. And when Keamy pulled a Mikhail Bakunin and traveled down to the Orchid, I soiled myself a little. Most interesting was the unnerved Ben Linus. When Keamy’s taunting of Alex’s death reached a boiling point, Ben snapped. In doing so, he sacrificed the freighter folk. But when you’ve got a grander scheme in mind – and Ben always does – what’s a few dozen freighter lives?

So with Keamy out of the way, Ben gerryrigged the Orchid Time Travel device, blowing a hole between it and its adjacent electromagnetic material stockpile. And that, my friends, is how we got to our Frozen Donkey Wheel.

I Like to Move It, Move It. I Like To Move It, Move It.
Man, I didn’t think there would literally be a frozen donkey wheel. I can’t believe I’m about to analyze the implications of a frozen donkey wheel. I’ve lost my mind.

Here’s the deal (as I see it). There’s this electromagnetic anomaly, right? Basically, it creates a shell around the Island that renders it impossible to find and near-impossible to navigate toward. When Desmond turned the fail-safe key a while back, the electromagnetic shield was retracted, and the Island was locatable by outside forces (Widmore).

When you "move" the Island, you take it one step further than the fail-safe key. You don’t just retract the electromagnetic shield, you rebuild it in another place (or time) around one of the world’s “hot spots.”

Hot spots, Charlie? Yes, reader. Hot spots. Remember when Rose visited Isaac of Uluru (the healer), and he told her that different spots in the world had these intense levels of energy? Isaac’s hut was one. The Island was one. And wherever they moved the Island to was another. The turning of the treadwheel (or donkey wheel) by Ben simply refocused the Island’s electromagnetic-dependent elements to another electromagnetic hot spot.

That’s what I think, any way. And it’s the simplest I can put it. It also might be very wrong. But what you need to know is this: wherever the Island was geographically located, it was still untraceable by traditional means. Once Desmond exposed and compromised its location, Ben knew it might come to this: changing the electromagnetic hot spot upon which the Island’s healing energy is centered. The Island relies on this physical condition. But it can rely on it in a different location.

The question remains: what are the “consequences” of this move? What we know is, it doesn’t kill everyone. John Locke obviously lived enough to travel to the real world, assume a fake name and make contact with the O6. As for the Others and the 815 survivors who were left behind? That’s a question for Season 5 to answer.


Human Chess
Though he wasn’t as prominently featured as Jack, Ben or even baby Aaron, this episode was about John Locke. Don't be shy, John. Just say hello.

John worked with Ben to learn how the Orchid worked. Once Ben gave him the tutorial, it was time to pass the torch. But didn’t Ben seem emotionless about that passing? He shook Locke’s hand, apologized for making his life miserable, and strolled into the tunnel toward the donkey wheel. He told Locke to go lead the Others, that they would listen to him, that the torch had been passed. For someone who worked so hard to build an entire culture of people devoted to his power, Ben really didn’t seem to broken up about giving it away to John.Why?

Because Ben didn’t pass the torch to John Locke. He passed a temporary set of problems onto him.

The “moving of the Island” is done with certain consequences, as Ben told John at the outset. Ben also knows that John’s lack of confidence in himself and inability to comprehend his connection with the Island will render him unable to deal with those consequences. Need confirmation of that? Fire up your DVR and check out John Locke’s face when he emerges from the Orchid and meets up with the Others. He comes just short of saying, “What the hell did I just agree to?”

I’m going to assume this: the moving of the Island causes problems that Locke feels can only be solved by the O6’s return to the Island. Taking a page out of the Linus Notebook, Locke assumes the identity of Jeremy Bentham and ventures to the real world in order to convince the O6 to come restore balance to the Island. (Interesting Wikipedia note: Jeremy Bentham was a philosopher who opposed the idea of Natural Right, a concept championed by, yes, John Locke. A Bentham/Locke analysis is prudent, but it’ll have to wait for another day.)

What’s important about last night is this: Jeremy Bentham/John Locke is the man in the coffin. And two men visit that coffin. One, Jack, is visibly broken, confused and uncertain of where to turn. The other, Ben Linus, is alive, well and seems to be fit as a fiddle. Ben reiterates the message of Jeremy Bentham to Jack (you have to go back - all of you!), but does so much more convincingly, with greater credibility and with a greater sense of purpose and urgency.

So Locke is dead. Jack is lost. And Ben is alive, well and still pulling strings. If you think Ben Linus doesn’t have a plan, reread the last few paragraphs. He didn’t pass the torch. He passed the buck. He passed it a man who he knew would drop the ball. And he knew just what to do and where to be (the funeral parlor) when that ball dropped. When the dust settled, Ben Linus was still the man.

To me, this is pretty poetic. John Locke’s long search for purpose led him to an Island where he was inflated with a sense of meaning, only to be used (yet again) as a pawn in a greater game of human chess. So after all the heal-clicking John did to find his “home” in the world (as referenced by the “Welcome home, John” line last night), I think he’ll find that there’s often much more to learn in the journey then there is in the destination.

Tying it All Together
Anddddd…. Exhale. That’s a lot to digest, I know. I’m still processing a lot of it in my own mind. But here’s what I think we can take from There’s No Place Like Home.
  • Desmond and Penny are reunited. And it feels so good.
  • Jin really does pass away, as does Michael. But only once they’ve redeemed their shortcomings.
  • The O6 lied to avoid undermining Widmore’s cover story. Why? To avoid getting themselves (and possibly their friends) killed.
  • Locke takes over for Ben. Ben leaves him with a mess. Locke screws it up. Ben swoops in to save the day. Ben is still in charge.
  • The O6 have a lot of internal rifts to heal. And Jack is going to have to heal them. Why? Because after all the Man of Science vs Man of Faith debates he had with Locke, Jack has finally learned that there are some instances when empiricism and reason are no match for a man’s inclination to yearn for something bigger. After a life of living on facts, Jack is finally ready to believe in something.
And… scene.

A final note: this show was made to be discussed. Each week, Maggie and I get the privilege/pressure of discussing it in this very public forum. We hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as we've enjoyed writing it. We'll have a few debriefing posts in the coming weeks, then it may be off to our own hiatus until Season 5. But thanks for reading, and thanks for loads of kind words over the months and years.

Namaste.
.charlie

How Do You Feel Today?

on Comments: (0)


Do you remember those posters entitled "How Do You Feel Today?". They were big white posters filled with faces displaying different emotions -- mad, sad, glad, afraid, ashamed, hurt, happy, etc. I think one of my fourth grade teachers, Ms. Zimmerman, had one on the wall.

As I mentally prepare for this evening's finale, I am reminded of the poster because of the wide ranging emotions I am feeling. For today's post, I'm going to walk you through my complex emotions...which will hopefully help YOU prepare.

Let us begin.

Agonized
I have spent the last several weeks agonizing over the decision the O6 make as they leave the island...it is becoming increasingly evident that they left fellow survivors behind, alive. How did they make this decision? Why did they make this decision? What made one survivor more deserving of rescue than another (poor Rose and Bernard!)? Who made the decision about who stays and who goes?

Anxious
Just as Charlie's previous post discussed, I've also been very anxious about the Frozen Donkey Wheel. Although I think the idea of a donkey moving a large wheel, which then moves the island (interesting visual, Charlie), I think it is more of a theortical title for a mystery that we cannot even comprehend. I mean, did anyone see the flash-forward coming last season? No. So how can we even predict what the FDW will be?

Cautious
Call me crazy, but I get cautious when I see explosives. Whenever you run into a storyline that involves a room on a boat full of explosives, you have to worry about the safety of individuals inside of that room. I'm just saying things don't look great for Jin, Michael, and Desmond. My prediction? Jin dies. Michael dies. And (Lord, please let) Desmond live(s).

Concentrating
I'm concentrating on piecing together all the information we have about the four-toed statue. It was apparently from a colossal statue that was never finished, or has crumbled, or has been destroyed. We have learned the statue pre-dates the arrival of the DHARMA Initiative on the Island in the late 1970s. It was also 'guessed' that the foot stood at about 40ft. Based on this estimated height, it can be assumed that the completed statue would be roughly 250ft tall (about the height of a 30-story office building). ...All together now: Huh? Are we ever going to address this randomness??

Confident
I'm absolutely confident that Ben has a plan...and we shouldn't be deceived by his apparent vulnerability in the final scene of Part 1. Ben always has a plan. Ben is always in control. Well, except for when Alex got killed. So not always. But most of the time. But I'm still confident that Ben has a plan and is in control at this very moment, whenever it falls in the timeline of Lost.

Curious
We've talked about this before, but I'm going throw out for discussion my curiosity about Charles Widmore and his connection to DHARMA and the island. When did it start? What does he know? Is he the 'good guy' or the 'bad guy'? I'm not sure if we will find out any more information tonight, but I'm still curious about it.

Disgusted
I remain disgusted by the pile of decomposing DHARMA bodies, the bug-infested bodies of Danielle and Karl, and the bodies of Adam and Eve in the cave. The Lost prop people are pretty darn good at their jobs...because I can't get those images out of my head. (And I'm wondering whose body will be added to the pile tonight...).

Frightened
The Keamy & Co. team, camoflauge and all, makes my heart race...and not in a good way. They are very frightening because they appear to not have hearts. When I think about the damage that they can do (note: Keamy's iPod explosive detonantor on his arm)...it is truly exhaustive. Locke, Ben and Hurley are at the Orchid, where Keamy & Co. are at this moment. So, who does this spell bad news for? FREAK OUT!

Grieving
I know I've complained about her character in the past, but Claire's (apparent) death really has me grieving. Perhaps it is more grief for Aaron than it is for Claire, but nevertheless. Her death means Aaron has lost his mother. Her death also means she won't be able to watch her son grow up. No matter if you like Claire or not, that is pretty sad.

Lovestruck
I remain lovestruck watching Jack prance through the jungle (yes, prance). Enough said.

Optimistic
We know that the O6 survive whatever is going to happen tonight, which makes me optimistic on some levels. The flash forward has changed so much about Lost. We don't know how many years have elapsed since the O6 left the island, or what happened in the meantime. Did the other crash survivors die? Are they stuck as they were before? Or have they managed to escape off-camera? Truth be told, without these plot points, I don't know whether to think of the O6 as heroes or as Judases who have somehow betrayed the likes of Sawyer and everyone else still there.

Paranoid
Anyone else see Ben's buggy eyes staring at you when you are alone in your house at night? Yeah, me either. Anyone besides Charlie wondering if Walt is going to sneak out from behind a tree in tonight's episode and give instructions to someone? Yeah, me either.

What Lost has accomplished through its flash-forwards is nerve-racking. Instead of waiting for a bomb to go off or not go off, we are transported to a time after the bomb has or has not exploded...only we don't know which. Without a frame of reference, we all experience serious paranoia and anxiety, doubting even our most basic assumptions about the world the characters live in.

Perplexed
I have read a number of reasons that Desmond might die tonight in a few blogs. I am perplexed by this because I just don't see how this can happen. Desmond HAS to reunite with Penny, right? There is no way that he can die tonight because he HAS to see her again, right? I'm perplexed because I am positive that, someday, Penny is going to show up on the island. If Desmond dies, someone is going to have to tell her the truth...and Lord if I can actually watch that scene without passing out. I can't. I just can't. Desmond HAS TO LIVE.

Sad
You all know that I am a Jack-Kate fan. I'm sad because of the final future scene we watched with them...Jack was yelling, Kate was crying, and there appeared to be some serious domestic un-bliss. The Lost producers have told us that tonight will shed some significant light on what the "end" is for the Kate-Jack-Sawyer love triangle. My gut tells me that it is going to end with a Kate-Sawyer scene that will blow "Gone With the Wind"'s library scene with Scarlet and Rhett out of the water. ...Okay, so maybe that is an exaggeration, but I think Kate and Sawyer are going to be "til death do us part." And that makes me sad.

Shocked
In Part 1 of the finale, Ben gave Locke some very bizarre instructions regarding entrance into the Orchid. Apparently there is an elevator inside of the falling-apart building...and the elevator leads to the REAL station...and Locke has some stuff to do in the basement. We've seen the basement in the Orchid Instructional Video that was released last summer (you can youtube it if you missed it). From what we know, there is some strange rabbit experimentation going on in the Orchid basement. Sounds like a wild time. I just know that I am going to be shocked when we finally see the real station...and figure out just what-on-earth (or not) is happening down there.

Surprised
Who is in the coffin? We've been told we are going to find out tonight. The predictions are fairly uniform: Locke, Ben, or Michael. As I discussed with Charlie in last week's "Lost Duel" post, I think it is Locke. Why? Well, Ben always has a plan...and SOMEONE would have shown up for Michael's funeral (Mom, son, etc.). I know my "Ben has a plan" theory seems like a cop-out, but like I've said before, that man is tied to the island. And he will die protecting that island. But no matter who is in that coffin, we are all going to be surprised.

Withdrawn
I used to work in an office where nearly every person watched Lost. (You know who you are.) I now work in an office where I can count the Lost watchers on one hand. As we enter this finale, I'm finding myself feverishly searching the internet for any theories (no spoilers, though) or articles I can find on what may or may not happen tonight. Instead of sharing my discoveries with the whole room, however, I'm forced to just nod to myself and keep going. What a pathetic, withdrawn existence. I seriously NEED to get a life...


And with that, enjoy tonight, folks!! It is going to be quite a ride! Don't forget to come back tomorrow and read what Charlie the Wise Oracle has to say.

We've GOTTA go back...

Namaste,
Maggie

Frozen Donkey Wheel

on Comments: (0)

As Facebook friends of mine can attest, my status for the last several days has been all about my interest in the Frozen Donkey Wheel. What is an FDW? I have no idea. Which is precisely why I'm excited.

See, each year, LOST powers-that-be shroud the season finale's big plot twist in mystery with a cryptic codename. This year, it's Frozen Donkey Wheel. Let's look back at our first three seasons' codenamed finale twists.

Season 1: Bagel
What It Is: Delicious Breakfast Treat
What It Meant: For some reason, "Bagel" referred to the abduction of Walt by The Others after they commandeered Michael's expertly-crafted raft of doom. What a bagel and a 10-year-old with mental powers have in common, I don't know. Really. I can't even think of a clever ending for this paragraph.

Season: 2: Challah
What It Is: A braided bread consumed by Jewish people on the Sabbath and holy days. (Thanks Wikipedia!) Apparently during the home stretch of a season, whoever is in charge of codenames gets hungry.
What It Meant: Conflicting reports here. Some say it refers to the opening of the hatch (The Swan Station). Others (including me) believe that the opening of the hatch was rather inevitable and not shocking, and that "Challah" instead refers to the revelation that Penny Widmore hired two Arctic Monkeys (not the band) to sit at a listening station in the South Pole and wait for an electromagnetic anomaly. That seems like the kind of secret you'd want to protect. Still, it's tough to see a connection between holy bread and Remote Arctic Island Monitoring. Seems the LOST higher-ups weren't quite as into using codenames to subtly allude to the twist itself. That is, until, Season 3...

Season 3: Rattlesnake in the Mailbox
What It Is: Certain pain.
What It Means: In this case, the codename might actually have carried some significance. You go to the mailbox expecting mail. The last thing you'd expect? A rattlesnake. It may just whip it's rattling self out of the mailbox and bite ya. Translated to "Through the Looking Glass": What we thought for 1 hour and 58 minutes was a flashback was actually a flash forward. Snakebite also means bad luck, or to bring someone bad luck. Flash forward Jack had certainly been snakebitten by his post-Island fate.

Season 4: Frozen Donkey Wheel
What It Is: Some sort of sick joke? Are they just screwing with us to see what nerd will blog about this?
What It Means: Good question. I'll try to tell you for certain in Friday's recap. But we can explore a little here...
While initial Google results say things like, "LOST Spoilers here!", causing me too immediately keyboard-shortcut my way out of the rabbit hole, I did find one entry that a "donkey wheel" is slang for a treadwheel that uses a donkey as motive power. A treadwheel is a big machine powered by people or animals that moves water. At first glance, that points to Locke's "move the Island" task. Maybe they have to move what's around the Island (the water? the world?) in order to move the Island itself. But then, it's frozen? Perhaps there is some complication with moving the Island (certainly there is). I wonder if the all the time travel complications of late - the failsafe key, the freighter finding the Island, etc. - could impede John from being able to carry out his mission.

We'll see. But it'll be interesting, for sure. Make sure you check back tomorrow as Maggie attempts to set up the epic finale of Season 4. And I'll be growing a post-Island Jack beard and sprouting my first gray hairs as I attempt to recap the episode Thursday night/Friday morning.

Namaste.
.charlie


Battle of the Century

on Comments: (1)

Welcome to the first ever "Dharma Blog Duel: Charlie vs. Maggie" (ala the Washington Post). What you're about to see is an e-mail battle between myself and Maggie, in which questions are raised, theories are posed and mild profanity is uttered. It began with a question from Maggie to me, which I answered akwardly before firing back at her. Today's Battle Questions will cover the O6's lies and conflicts, who is in that durned coffin, Claire's deadness, a little Walt action and our new mystery Orchid station. Enjoy!

Maggie:
G’day, Charlie. Can you believe the season 4 finale is next week? Where has the time gone! It has been an interesting season, that’s for sure. Look at everything that has happened, both in real time and in flash-forward time, since our first season 4 episode, “The Beginning of the End.” It has been one hell of a ride. We have so much to talk about today in our first Dharma Blog Duel, which will pit you versus me in the “2008 Lost Theory-Rama”.

Shall we begin with the Oceanic 6 reveal from last week? The scene on the Coast Guard plane was eerie, to say the least. Jack was so determined to tell the story, to sell the story…and everyone else just looked exhausted, introspective, scared, and disappointed. What’s your take on this, Charlie? Why the story? Where is it from? And why are the O6ers going along with the charade? Ready…set…go!

Charlie:
We’ve said from the moment we learned about the O6 having a cover story that something big must be causing the secret. In Season 4, Episode 1 Jack cryptically questioned Hurley, “You didn’t tell, did you?” Jack’s face displayed worry, while Hurley’s displayed a resignation to his fate, saddened that he couldn’t unpack the burden of this huge farce. So it does beg the questions – why could only six leave, and why do they have to lie about it? My guess: a bargain. With Keamy’s impending “island torching,” the 815’ers may be put in a position where they have to bargain people’s lives for people’s freedom. I see it playing out as a, “We won’t kill all your people, but only six of you can leave.”

As for why they have to make the O6 lie: I think that mass population and knowledge of the Island threatens Widmore and/or Benjamin’s ability to harness and/or exploit it. The mere ability of people to find and reach the Island seemed to threaten Ben’s authority greatly, and I’m sure Widmore doesn’t need the entire universe waltzing around, petting smokey and falling into hatches (that’s a lawsuit waiting to happen). So I believe that our great orchestra conductors, Ben and Charles, have formulated this lie. The O6 is agreeing to tell it to save their friends.

Your turn, dear friend. Riddle me this: where is the O6 rift stemming from? We see Hurley in conflict with Jack, nobody coming to see Sun (except Hurley) and Jack eventually losing touch with reality and his fellow former castaways. But why?

Maggie:
I’m down with your answer, Charles. I definitely think that an O6 reveal of the island’s secrets puts the lives of those still on the island in jeopardy. At some point in his post-island life, however, Jack decides that it is up to him to save the day again…and take on the powers that be (Ben and Widmore) and this lie. It has been said that seasons 5 and 6 will focus on the O6’s return to the island…which I think we can agree is against the will of Ben and/or Widmore.
As for your quesiton about the O6 rift…great question. That rift (Sun/Hurley vs. Jack/Kate/Aaron vs. Sayid) is very significant. Sun and Hurley are, arguably, two of the kindest, calmest, most trustworthy survivors. The scene where Hurley is relieved that no one else came to see baby Ji Yeon and Mama Sun tells us that something HUGE must have happened. Okay – so what sort of events could cause this kind of rift? I think it has something to do with the rescue of the O6.

Since the episode Ji Yeon, I have believed that Jin is dead. Sun’s silence on the Coast Guard plane and subsequent blank stare during the press conference (and the Kahana filled with explosives) confirms for me that Jin has, indeed, died. We know that Sun blames her father for Jin’s death…but she said she blames two people, so who is the second? I’m starting to formulate a theory that it might be one of the O6’ers that she blames, rather than the obvious answer of Ben, Keamy, etc. Perhaps Jin was initially on the chopper, but there wasn’t enough room and he was “kicked off the chopper”, for lack of a better phrase. Perhaps there was room for one more, but it was decided to not go back for Jin. Perhaps they could have landed on the Kahana, picked up Jin, and flown off before it exploded, but they didn’t. And maybe Hurley was the only person agreeing with Sun in the whole matter.

The more I think about it, the more I believe that the O6 rift is centered around Jin. And Sun blames everyone for his death.

What say ye, Charlie?

And on another note, let’s talk about that coffin. Who has entered the pearly gates?

Charlie:
I like that theory. I like it a lot. Perhaps that’s what made it easy for Hurley to turn back on Jack and insist a return to the Island. Or maybe it has some bearing on Jack and Hurley’s need to return – like Michael, they want to redeem themselves for past wrongs.

But oh no you didn’t just open Pandora’s Box. The coffin? Damn you. I’ll honor the question, as it has been foretold by the prophets Lindeloff and Cuse that this mystery will be solved in Season 4.
Ben. Locke. Michael. These are my three likely suspects. Here’s what we know: the funeral took place in LA, a few years after 815 left Sydney (how time plays out between the crash and the funeral is another story). Nobody came to the funeral, so it’s someone nobody likes. The more I think about it, the more I gravitate toward Ben. Locke’s funeral may have been attended by somebody from his past, and I have to think Michael’s family would show up (sans Walt, perhaps). But who would visit Ben? No family. No friends (off the Island, anyway). And if it is Ben who is responsible for the O6 lie and/or the deaths of several 815 survivors, can’t you see Jack begrudgingly attending the funeral home and Kate reacting incredulously to that notion with her bewildered, “Why would I go to that?” So how does Ben die? I think when he announced that Sir Charles had “changed the rules,” he may have been referring to the idea that Alex’s death was not in the plans that fate had so carefully laid. He changed the rules because he changed the future. And the future – which Ben thought he knew, thanks to his Quantum Time Travelers Air Miles Visa – with a living, breathing Ben in it was no longer in play. But then, wouldn’t fate “course correct” and find a way to keep him alive? Sigh. This is the very circle in which my mind runs when I think about this. But I maintain that it’s Ben in the coffin, and that one of these major Island happenings (the failsafe key, Alex’s death, the freighter conflict) tinkered with fate in a way that makes that possible.

Your move. Same question, with the addendum: where in the name of the Psychic Friends Network is Walt? Do you see him factoring into Season 4?

Maggie:
I agree with you that Ben, Locke, and Michael are the prime suspects. I agree that Michael, although he has caused a lot of grief (and death) on this show, is the least likely. We have seen in the last few episodes that he is trying to redeem himself, and one can only imagine that, in light of his change-of-heart, surely his Mother would show up for his funeral. Or someone else from his life. I agree with you about Ben – no family, no friends, etc. However, you know just as well as I do, Charlie, that Ben always has a plan. Part of me just cannot see how there would be a time when Ben actually dies – or, should I say this: Ben dies in LA and has a funeral. I can see a scenario where Ben dies saving the island…you know, tying himself to a tree in protest or something. But, I cannot see Ben dying in LA and being placed in a coffin. I just can’t.

And so, that leaves Locke. I don’t have much of a theory about how Locke ends up back in LA and dead. However, I feel strongly enough that it is NOT Michael or Ben, and that Locke is my only option. So, running with this theory, somehow Locke leaves the island separate from the O6 (which means he has access to leave…which means Ben or Jacob let him go somehow OR he jumps into the Island Delorean and time travels to the future. Perhaps his death is course correction for his life…or for Ben’s life. Locke has to die so that Ben and Charles can keep fighting?

Oh, I don’t know. I really don’t know.

On to the next question. Damn you and your Walt question. He’s at Grandma Dawson’s house in New York, right? Or is he on his own Delorean, traveling to far off places and killing people for Ben? Who knows. A short answer to your question: No, I don’t see Walt factoring into next week’s episode. I think some of our O6ers will encounter him in their off-island life, but I don’t think we’re going to see him next week. Do you?

And your question is: Is Claire alive or dead or halfsies?

Charlie:
Criiiiiiiipes! No crazy Walt theory? I was hoping you would begin a sentence with, “Here’s how Walt becomes Matthew Abaddon...” But alas. I think he’ll factor in somehow. But I might just be saying that to disagree with you.

Claire vexes me. But I think her appearance with Christian Shepherd clues us into something. Christian exists in this murky grey area of life or death. His physical body is dead, I’m fairly certain. But just as Desmond’s “conscious mind” can leave and travel to a past self, perhaps Christian’s “conscious mind” from the past has traveled into his dead Island body. Make sense? Say Christian is alive in 2002, in LA, practicing medicine and tossin’ the sauce. Maybe a visit from Richard Alpert allows him to time to take a Desmond-esque journey of the conscious mind to his future self, which is dead and on the Island. Because we’ve talked about people time traveling from the Island to elsewhere in time and space – so couldn’t it work the other way around? And this, I’m postulating, is what has happened with Claire. In some vacuum of time, either before or after the crash, Claire’s conscious mind has traveled into her Island body, and with the knowledge that her conscious mind has, she is an Island Believer, in the same vein as Locke, Christian, Ben, Jacob, etc. That might be totally wrong. And probably is.

Final question: what the hell is the Orchid?

Maggie:
You’re right. I do think Walt is a younger Matthew Abaddon, but I don’t have the brain power to back up that wild Maggie theory today.

I think the half-alive, half-dead idea makes sense (Wow, I cannot believe I just said that…it is not possible! But I still believe it! I am crazy!). Claire and Christian are definitely alive somewhere in time (likely back in time). However, they somehow have come back to the future (pun intended) and are continuing to live in their dead bodies.

God, I love this show.

What is the orchid? Well, orchids are perennial epiphytes, which grow anchored to trees or shrubs in the tropics and subtropics. Some orchids are lithophytes, growing on rocks or very rocky soil, or are terrestrial. Nearly all temperate orchids are terrestrial.

Mua ha ha. Wow, I’m funny.

Seriously now. The Orchid is a Dharma station first mentioned in outtakes from a Dharma Orientation Film originally presented at the 2007 San Diego Comic-Con (a big nerd convention) and later on the Season 3 DVD. The film is presented by Edgar Halliwax. According to the video, the Orchid (or "Station 6") is a fake botanical station that houses many numbered white rabbits. It seems to have an alarm system similar to that of the Swan. The subject of the Orchid's research is described as "highly volatile and potentially dangerous", and reference is made to the Casimir effect. Remember that when Ben woke up in the Tunisian Desert, he was wearing an Orchid Jacket with the name Halliwax on the right pocket.

It is interesting to note that before the film was aired at Comic-Con, Lost producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse told a story in which the film was sent to them after being found in a building in Narvik, Norway that was set to be demolished (possibly the Hanso Foundation headquarters?). They claimed the film was then spliced together and restored by the Lost writers.

From the outside, the Orchid station resembles a greenhouse, containing a variety of flora and fauna. The station's exterior also appears to have become overgrown with vines covering stairs and support beams. In last week’s episode, Ben claims there is a hidden switch within the station that activates an elevator taking one to the "real" station underground. Ben told Locke: "You're going to go into that greenhouse through that hole there. Once inside, you're going to turn left. Go about 20 paces until you see a patch of anthuriums [Maggie note: this is a tropical flower] on your left. They're in an alcove against the north wall. Face that wall, reach down with your left hand, you'll find a switch that activates the elevator. The elevator takes you down to the actual Orchid station."

So, to answer your question, Charlie: the Orchid is a freaky place that you probably don’t want to get stuck in. People have argued that the Orchid must be the brain of the island – the central point from which all of the island’s powers emanate. If this is the case, it is less than great that Keamy and his crack-pot team is there. It is less than great that Locke is about to go in there by himself. It is less than great that Ben has been knocked out and left Hurley/Locke to their own devices.

Truth be told, the Orchid is this season finale’s “radio tower”…this season finale’s “New Otherton”…this season finale’s “Swan Hatch.” The action in this episode is going to take place at the Orchid…and likely partially spill over into Season 5, which means a long 7 months of theorizing on our part!

Well, I think this is a wrap! What a successful first dueling analysis!! Any final thoughts, Charlie?

Charlie:
No thanks. My brain hurts. Until next week.

Your Turn!
Did reading any of our crackpot theorizing make you pull your hair out? What did we miss? Take a stab in the comments section - if we can see that a lot of people are liking this, we may just make it a more semi-regular part of the blog (though not usually this long - this is the Thursday/Friday post for this week).

Namaste.
.charlie