Keeping Up With the Joneses

A Desmond-Penny baby! A huge step toward understanding Charles "Jonesy" Widmore! And an H-Bomb!? With so much to cover from last night’s Jughead episode, there’s no time for a pithy, ambiguous introduction. So let’s get to it.

AND LO, A CHILD WAS BORN
The collective swooning sigh of the female LOST population was audible last night, as we were treated to the arrival of none other than Charlie Hume-Widmore (we'll assume he's named after Charlie Pace, not Charles Widmore). Charlie looks about three years old (do some math… Desmond and Penny didn’t waste any time upon their reunion), and as if learning to use big-boy pants and count to 10 isn’t enough to deal with (trust me), Charlie’s parents are on a crash course with a dreary destiny.

“I’ve Got to Get My Honor Back”
Our off-Island story last night focused not on the Oceanic Six, but on Desmond’s fulfillment of his time-traveled directive from Daniel Faraday. Penny’s adamant pleas for Desmond to steer clear of Island-related shenanigans seemed like a transparent attempt to prevent Desmond from becoming the man she has grown to hate: her father. But while he heeds Penny’s warnings to a point, Desmond ultimately forges on to Oxford. Why? Let’s consult our character history.

While training for his sailing race, Desmond explained to Penny, “I’ve got to get my honor back.” He failed at the monastery, the military and with the woman he loved. He didn’t know what he believed in, and he certainly didn’t believe in himself. Now flash forward to last night. Desmond is driven, undeterred and fearless. He is called by duty, and by honor, to take care of those he left behind. If there’s a silver lining to his 3-year island ordeal, it’s that he did indeed get his honor back.

But it wasn't easy. Tracking down Faraday’s mother proves difficult, largely because Oxford University has chosen to forget Daniel Faraday. I’m going to make a couple small assumptions here just to make things simple (call me out in the comments section if you think I’m wrong). Faraday’s experiments went awry when he used a woman named Theresa Spencer as a human Eloise (his old lab rat) and turned her brain to Time Travel Mush. As we find out later, Theresa has been relegated to a bed-ridden existence in which her conscious mind “awakens” in different states, and at different times in her life. Clearly, this Theresa is without a constant and is imperiled by her untethered existence. Faraday abandoned her in this condition, but if his perceived familiarity with “Ellie,” the 1954 Other, is any indication, he won’t be able to completely escape her (read: Ellie reminds Faraday of Theresa). That said, let’s talk about Boone.

Okay. Wait, Boone? From Season One? Have You Been Drinking, Charlie?
That’s none of your business. At the risk of going too tangential, I’m going to summarize the early rumblings of a hair-brained theory for you. Remember Boone? Remember in Locke’s dream when Boone kept saying, “Theresa falls up the stairs, Theresa falls down the stairs.” He was referring to his childhood nanny. But now that we know a more significant "Theresa," is there more to the story? It might be nothing. But it might be something. That’s all I’m saying.

The Tie That Binds
Eventually, it’s revealed that Faraday’s research – and Theresa’s resulting hospice care – has been funded by none other than uber-benefactor Charles Widmore. This leads to Desmond’s stark, confident confrontation with Widmore, in which he puts his father-in-common-law in his place to get the information he needs about Faraday’s mommy. There’s a lot to say about this scene, but perhaps most telling is this quote from Widmore: “Get out of this mess. You’re getting yourself involved in something that goes back many, many years. It has nothing to do with you or my daughter. Wherever you were hiding, go back there.”

For me though, this final scene threw a wrench into some alliances. Assuming that Faraday’s mother is indeed Ms. Eloise Hawking, why would Widmore so willingly give Desmond her info? Is he working with her? But isn’t she working with Ben? Or is she working for herself, and using connections with opposing forces Ben and Widmore to further her own agenda? That’s a mystery for another day… on to the Time Travelers!!


PARTY LIKE IT'S 1954
A little tip: if you’re signed on for an episode or two of LOST, and they don’t give your character a name… go ahead and book that return flight from Honolulu. A few more nameless wonders were spent last night as the 1954 Others ambushed a rendezvous point and conveniently left only Faraday, Charlotte and Miles alive. Or as I like to call them, Team Discovery Channel.

About Those H-Bombs: My Bad.
Team Discovery Channel and Locke’s Band of Lost Souls are in 1954, in immediate conflict with a group of Others led by (surprise!) Richard Alpert. The Others have mistaken our six remaining characters for American military officers, and they're not greeting them as liberators.

As we later piece together, the 1954 Others suspect our left-behinders of being part of an H-Bomb drop on the Island. Eventually, Faraday convinces the Others to let him diffuse the bomb (by professing his love for pasty, dumpy Charlotte), and he and Ellie trek off to find Jughead, the titular warhead. While they’re there, Faraday hurriedly tells Ellie how to diffuse the bomb, knowing that he has to tell her before time changes again. I liked seeing Faraday prepare for time travel by imparting necessary info to Ellie before it was too late – it reminded me of Richard’s rushed explanation to Locke from last week.

Locke, Juliet and Sawyer set off on a collision course with the scientists when they track two young Others mercenaries back to their camp. Once they arrive, Locke wedges his way into Camp Other by invoking the name of Jacob. Which was a good move, because it causes Richard to call off his gun-toting underling, a young Charles Widmore. Wait. What the hell? Let’s get back to that later.

Take Me To Your Leader
I thought Locke’s conversation with Richard was phenomenal, as expected. In an epic role reversal, Locke is explaining mysteries to Richard and dictating destiny’s orders, imploring him to conform to fate’s roadmap. This after referring to Young Charles Widmore as “One of my people.” It’s clear that Locke is embracing his role, telling Richard he’s “his leader” and operating with the cool confidence of a man who knows his purpose, his destiny. Funny what the dire consequences of a little time travel will do to a man, eh?

And in a snippet of conversation sure to throw a few wrinkles in the fabric of time, Richard challenges John’s assertion that he is the leader. “We have a very specific process for selecting our leadership, and it starts at a very young age,” says Richard. Desperate to prove who he is, Locke tells Richard to go visit him in two years (1956) when he will be born in Tustin, CA. We already know that Richard does in fact come to Tustin in 1956 to see baby Locke, then returns at various points throughout Locke’s childhood.

My assertion is this: when we saw Richard visiting young Locke, we were seeing a Richard who had already had this conversation with John. Put another way: In 1954, Richard is visited by a man from the future (Locke) who tells him to go to Tustin in two years, when the man from the future will be born. This explains Richard’s fascination with John as a young man, why he tells him how “special” he is. It explains why Richard asks Locke which items “already belong” to him (the compass, sand, etc.) when testing him. But what it doesn’t quite explain is why Richard dismisses young Locke as unprepared, or “not ready yet.” If Richard knows Locke to be the man who will eventually ascend to Island preeminence, why does he doubt him at a young age? Debate that one amongst yourselves.

Oh, also: Charlotte may be dead. Fingers crossed.


MR. JONES WISHES HE WAS SOMEONE JUST A LITTLE MORE FUNKY
One of the men captured by Locke, Sawyer and Juliet sported a jumpsuit with the nametag “Jones.” I’m going to assume that he lifted this jumpsuit off of one of the infantrymen that the Others murdered. Because his name isn’t Jones. It’s Widmore. Charles. Freaking. Widmore.

With one simple exchange, we were treated to the beginnings of the Charles Widmore character arc. He was an Other, under the supervision of Richard Alpert. There are a few things to dissect from this revelation, and as a means to that I’m going to refer back to two choice selections from Widmore and Ben’s scene last season.

Widmore: “Everything you have you took from me.”
My early thoughts: Widmore will begin an ascent to power within the Others, only to be preempted and supplanted by young Benjamin Linus. Ben’s usurping of the throne will spark the rift that we currently see between he and Widmore.

But hang on. Both men were working under the orders of one, Jacob. Widmore was working for Richard who was working for Jacob. Ben, eventually, became Jacob’s intermediary. So if both men were working under the same boss, is the chasm between them merely a matter of ego? Are they both working toward the same end, but caught up in the pettiness of who gets to steer the ship?

Widmore: “I know who you are.”
Nah, it’s not a petty battle of egos. Here’s why. The main thing about that Widmore/Ben, Good/Evil, Darkness/Light conversation from last season that still haunts me was Widmore saying to Ben, “I know who you are, boy, I know what you are.” WHAT you are. It’s still early, but what I think might be happening here is an argument over the concept of entitlement. If Widmore is a native Islander, he may feel that the ascension of Benjamin Linus is a slap in the face of Jacob. I foresee a rift forming with Widmore on one side and Ben and Richard on the other. Widmore will claim that Richard forsake his obligation to Jacob by anointing the man (Ben) who fixed a problem (The Dharma Initiative) instead of awarding the man who was the rightful heir to the throne (Widmore).

“I know who you are” = my nemesis, the man who stole everything I deserved.
“I know what you are” = a non-native, carpet-bagging opportunist.
“I know everything you have, you took from me.” = the Island, and what it can do.

And as Charles cryptically noted at the end of the conversation, “The hunt is on” for both of them, as the battle for Island preeminence is about to repeat itself.


Okay. That’s the best I can muster for 1am in the immediate aftermath of an episode that was brimming with theory-making and theory-breaking moments. I enjoyed Jughead a lot, and I thought it nicely assuaged the fear that Season 5 would be too rapid-fire, egg-headed and nerdy for the average viewer. It was a solid return to the mythology of the Island and the an intriguing – albeit fleeting – revisiting of the origins of power on the Island.

What did you think? What are Ms. Hawking’s motives? How does the Widmore vs. Ben feud manifest itself? Is Charlotte gonna die, brother?

Until next week!

Namaste.
Charlie

Edit: BONUS THEORY!!!
Is "Ellie" on the Island short for Eloise? As in "Eloise Hawking"? As in Faraday's MOM!? Was he recognizing Ellie last night because it's actually the 1954 version of his mother? That might help explain Ms. Hawking's fascination with the Island.

Just another tidbit to noodle on :)

Preview: Jughead

Greetings, Dharma Blog Readers!

Can you handle any more mysteries?
Well, it has been one week since the premiere of Season 5. Are you still feeling as…well…just as confused as you felt last week? Charlie and I have spent a substantial amount of time during the last week watching and rewatching the premiere, and also checking out many of the other Lost blogs out there in cyberspace. While the producers did feed us a lot of answers last week, we know have a whole new set of questions.

So, do you think you have it all figured out? Where do you stand right now on some of the more intriguing new questions? I’ve included some of my current-and-probably-wrong thoughts, too:

Where, in time, is the island? And what is causing the sudden flashes in time?
Maggie thinks: The island is moving sporadically through time because the island has no constant. Who is the island’s constant? Maybe Ben, or maybe the Oceanic 6. As for what is causing the continual flashes, no clue.

Who fired the flaming arrows at the survivors still on the island? (R.I.P. Neil Frogurt)
Maggie thinks: Members of the Dharma Initiative fired the flaming arrows. I am going with the theory that at that moment in time, the survivors had traveled back to the glory days of Dharma. In fact, I think we’ll see this story line continue since Sawyer and Juliet have been captured.

When Richard told Locke to give him the compass next time they met, do you think this was a reference to Richard’s meeting with a five-year old Locke? (Yes, a compass was one of the items young Locke could have chosen.)
Maggie thinks: Ab-so-lutely. (So what does that mean? No clue.)

Daniel Faraday told Desmond “Go to Oxford and find my mother.” So, who is Faraday’s mom?
Maggie thinks: EW’s Jeff Jensen is right when he guessed that Faraday’s Mom is Mrs. Hawking, the jewelry store clerk who assisted Desmond when he went to buy an engagement ring for Penny.

Does Charlotte’s nosebleed mean she is going to die soon? (Charlie hopes so.)
Maggie thinks: nosebleeds are gross. And she hopes Charlotte dies soon, too.

Who hired Dan Norton, the lawyer who showed up at Kate’s door to determine her relationship to Aaron through DNA testing?
Maggie thinks: Ben Linus.  He always has a plan. Ben is using the DNA testing as a scare tactic to get Kate into a position where she feels like she has no choice but to trust Ben in order to save Aaron. (Maggie also thinks that Aaron is going to be used by a pawn for the rest of the season by everyone…and I mean everyone.)

What about Sun’s conversation with Widmore – do you believe her when she told Widmore that their common interest is to “kill Benjamin Linus”, or is Sun lying?
Maggie thinks: Sun is being very deceptive. I think she is trying to keep her friends close and enemies closer.

What did Ben pull out of the air duct at the motel, and then put into his bag?
Maggie thinks: she is scared of it. And she doesn’t want to think about it. Because it is probably really scary and dangerous and time travel-y.

Are you afraid of Jill the butcher? (Charlie is.)
Maggie thinks: from now on, Charlie should sleep on rubber sheets after every episode with Jill. (And Maggie is terrified of all butchers, including those named Jill who are okay with using their empty freezers to hide dead time-traveling bodies.)

In that final scene, Mrs. Hawking told Ben that he has 70 hours to round up all the O6 members. With Hurley in jail and Kate on the run, how will he manage to do this? (It is interesting to note that Sun told Kate she will be in LA for three days [72 hours].)
Maggie thinks: Ben always has a plan. What if those really weren’t police officers? What if it was all a set-up by Ben and the ‘officers’ were working for him? Maybe, maybe not.

Tonight: Jughead
The ABC media release says two main things will happen tonight. First, Desmond is off to Oxford to meet a woman who Faraday mentioned (his mama). Second, Locke discovers the identity of who has been attacking the survivors.

Well, how about that? Two of our new questions from last week appear to be answered tonight! Excellent! I love answers.

If you’re like me, you’re thinking “Jughead? Huh?” Well, a quick search of the word turns up a logical Lost-like explanation: a comic book character. Forsythe Pendleton "Jughead" Jones III is a fictional character in Archie Comics…and we all know how much the Lost producers like to incorporate comics into this show. So, what could Jughead mean in this episode? A nickname? A codename? Something else?

I’m not even going to try to guess, you guys. It isn’t worth it…you know it is going to be something out of left field.

In other news, I’d like to note that tonight’s episode has our favorite villan, Charles Widmore, on the cast list…so perhaps will get a little Widmore/Island history lesson.

Looking Ahead…
Check back tomorrow morning for an exciting and intriguing recap from Charlie. (I think I speak for both of us when I say we are relieved to have only 1 hour of Lost to comprehend this week instead of 3!)

Namaste,
Maggie

Our New Favorite Readers

You may be a loyal Dharma Blog reader. You may comment often on the posts. You may even subscribe to us via some fancy RSS feed.

But until your LOST dedication reaches the level of readers Bret and Tracie, you have something to aspire to. Behold, a LOST food spread that would scare Hugo Reyes back into the Santa Rosa institute:

4 carrot sicks. 8 celery sticks. 15 chicken wings.

16 cookie halves. (Are you starting to see a pattern here?)

23 yellow chips. And 42 white chips.

This is a masterful, delectable display of LOST dedication. And notice the juxtaposition of light and dark(er) colored drinks in the photos, an obvious allusion to the duality of good and evil that's a major theme of the show.

Bret and Tracie have also chronicled the range of emotions that overtook them throughout the evening. I'm sure you'll empathize.

Preparing for the clip show.

Eagerly anticipating "Because You Left."

Shock and awe after the first tumultuous hour.

Exhaustion, relief and possible indigestion at the end of the night.

Kudos Bret and Tracie! Your attention to detail and dedication to the show are admirable, if not heroic. You win.

If you'd like to read Bret's excellent blog, just click right here.

Namaste.
Charlie

I Heart My Shih Tzu

It’s official: LOST is back. Season 5 premiered with a geeky bang, diving in head first with a time-bending, mind-altering two hours that was equal parts head scratcher and jaw dropper. There’s a lot to cover, and even more that’s still a little cloudy. I’ll try to hit the highlights and make sure we’re all on the same page, but forgive me, everything’s still a little fresh.


“TIME TRAVEL. DO YOU BELIEVE THAT?”
Believe it. Our season opener featured Dharma’s multi-aliased Orientation Leader have one of his recording sessions interrupted by an event at the Orchid Station. In a moment of foreshadowing, we see the initial discovery of the “exotic matter” beneath the Orchid that powers the “Time Machine" (which Ben used last year by turning the Frozen Donkey Wheel). And who’s there helping out? Daniel Faraday! How did he get there? That I don’t know. I’m unsure if we’re supposed to believe it was a deviation in his time travel trajectory, but I’m guessing we’ll learn more about this later. And speaking of time travel, let's take a step back.

Professor Faraday
If this whole mind-bending, time-bending, space-altering thing is unsettling or confusing to you, you’re not alone. Luckily, it appears LOST will attempt to hold our hand through the learning curve, with Professor Faraday as our guide and a bunch of castaways who are just as confused as the audience. Here’s what (I think) we know so far:

• Ben’s turning of the wheel has, as Faraday said, “Dislodged us from time.” That’s exactly that: while you and I are tethered to a linear, 24-hour-a-day, 365.25-days-a-year timeline, the Islanders are not.
• The Islanders – their physical selves, their thoughts, emotions, bases of knowledge and any material possessions they had on them when Ben turned the wheel – are sporadically jumping around a linear timeline.They all go at the same time, to the same time. So far.
  
• The presence of the things surrounding the Islanders – their camp, the Swan Station, etc. – is dependent upon the time period. If they’re in 2002, the camp doesn’t exist. Because as Faraday said, “It hasn’t been built yet.” So the people move on the timeline. The things around them stay put.
• And as far as rules go, the biggest one has to do with what you can and can't change while your flying through time. We'll get to that one in a bit.
  

So while the Islanders try to get their bearings, time keeps shifting. At first, they’re at whatever point in time it was when the Nigerian drug plane (carrying Mr. Eko’s brother Yemi) crashed. After that, they move to some point after the plane crash (as evidenced by the Swan Station’s obliterated state). And every time that bright light envelops the scene, it’s another shift in time.

Faraday seems both fulfilled and nervous about this situation. On one hand, he came to the Island to study this very phenomenon. It’s like Alexander Graham Bell finally hearing someone on the other end of the phone. On the other hand, this particular phenomenon imperils everyone on the Island, including himself. And since he’s the smartest man in the room, it’s up to him to save the day. A tall order for a nervous physics nerd. But it appears Faraday already has a plan.

When the Word "Special" is Actually a Compliment
When your mom calls you special, it’s because you eat paste. When Daniel Faraday calls you “special,” it’s because you might the missing link in quantum physics theory. Such is the case for Desmond. Faraday’s panicked meeting with a haz-mat-ready Desmond-from-the-past was outstanding. “You’re special Desmond, you’re uniquely and miraculously special,” Faraday said to Desmond. He told him that his present-day self (the Desmond that’s on the sailboat with Penny) needs to return to Oxford and speak to Daniel’s mother.

Why is Desmond special? Has he always been, or was it his three years of exposure to radiation (in the Swan Station) and/or turning of the fail-safe key that endowed him with some sort of ability to harness, withstand or control time travel? It appears that the Flashes before Desmond's eyes were not incidental, and that his ability to perceive different eras of time - and to have his conscious mind travel through those different eras - might be some sort of missing link for Faraday. Anybody who thought the Desmond/Penny storyline had ended is now officially wrong. Whether they like it or not, they're back in the picture.


Worst. First Day on the Job. Ever.
John Locke and Barack Obama should have a competition to see whose predecessor left him a bigger mess. The Others’ new leader is picking up the pieces from Ben’s wheel-turning escapades. After an encounter with the always creepy Ethan Rom, Locke is visited by Richard, who tells Locke to come find him after the next time shift, warning Locke that the Richard he visits won’t know who the heck he is. Inconveniently, Richard doesn’t explain much. But he does tell him that to save the Island, he must get the Oceanic Six back to the Island. Oh, and if that weren’t enough, Richard goes all Desmond on Locke’s ass with a grim, “You’re gonna have to die, (brutha).”


So why is Faraday telling Desmond to come back? Why is Richard telling Locke to get the Oceanic Six back? I think their rationales might be similar, and here’s my stab at it: the return of the Oceanic Six and/or Desmond would serve as an all-encompassing constant for those on the Island. It would stabilize the timeline. What happens if they don’t stabilize the timeline with a constant? Just ask George Minkowski. Oh wait, he died. Okay, ask Charlotte. Nose bleeds. Headaches. Forgetfulness. Their the first symptoms of the same Time Travelitis that befell those like Minkowski.

Faraday and Richard know that if they don’t find a constant for everyone, they’ll go from unstuck in time to unstuck from sanity. And we’ve seen where that road leads. But would the mere presence of the Oceanic Six and/or Desmond really be the calming force everyone needs? Only time (travel) will tell.


PANTS ON FIRE
See kids? This is why you tell the truth. If you lie, a bug-eyed Island demigod will haunt your existence with damning claims of the irreparable harm your lie has caused and he will manipulate you into returning to the site of your greatest downfall by threatening you with the death of your friends. So, yeah. Tell the truth.

Where We Stand
Lord knows Hurley would like to undo his deception. It really seemed, from last night’s episode, that Hurley’s dementia was a direct result of his guilt. He is haunted by what he’s done, and wants desperately to recalibrate his moral compass.

What we saw of the Oceanic Six last night was the exposition of what now seems an impossible task: getting everyone to agree to go back. Ben and Jack are on the same page, no doubt. And Kate – with the fear of God put into her by some DNA-testing lawyers – may not be far behind. Hurley also may be easy to persuade, provided he can find someone he trusts to push him in the right direction.

But Sun wants to murder Ben. Sayid might, too, after declaring that Ben has what I like to call “The George Costanza Complex”: whatever the man says is right, do the opposite. Clearly, this is going to take some heavy convincing. Good thing Ben’s always got a plan. Right?

Wrong. I think.
A visibly rattled, oddly submissive Ben last night seemed genuinely frustrated. We learned that he’s not working alone. He’s got a network of operatives who have an enormously important vested interest in the Oceanic Six’s return to the Island. There’s the butcher, who frightens me.

And then there was the return of Ms. Hawking, Desmond’s time travel sherpa from Season 3’s “Flashes Before Your Eyes.” It was from Hawking that we learned about the concept of “course correction,” the idea that fate has a roadmap, and while you can alter the streets you take toward the final destination, fate will ensure that you hit certain landmarks along the way and that, ultimately, you’ll arrive at the final destination. Nothing you do can change those roadmaps. Nothing you do can help you avoid them. You can take a side street. But all roads lead to your destiny. And your car is on auto-pilot. Have I driven this analogy into the ground enough? Good. Because it's important. It's precisely the aforementioned "rule" that Faraday laid out for Sawyer, and I have a feeling it's going to be a guiding force from here on out.

How about that creepy science experiment Ms. Hawking was doing? That made Faraday's Mouse in the Maze look like my 5th grade Science Fair project, titled, "How I purchased 10 different-sized styrofoam balls from Hobby Lobby, painted them and called it the solar system." Her experiment seemed to be trying to approximate a location, with her computer screen tracking that gigantic pendulum and triangulating different locations in space (and time?). Obviously, she's looking to locate the Island, and working with Ben to get the Oceanic Six back there.

But more importantly, it seemed Ms. Hawking really threw Ben off his game, much like she did to Desmond once. In that ominous church setting, she gave Ben a 70-hour deadline. When he expressed his doubt about meeting it, she showed zero sympathy. And for the first time in his character arc, Ben wilted. Hawking’s job is to figure out how to find and get back to the Island. If her mad scientist experiments from last night are any indication, she’s going to deliver. But Ben is 1 for 6 on his mission. He’s got work to do.

The Bigger Picture
Let’s remember this: in Flashes Before Your Eyes, the head monk (I’m sure there’s a correct name for that, but it’s 1 am) has a picture of himself with Hawking. Last night gave momentum to the theory that people in the “real world” who are working to guide Desmond, the Oceanic 815 passengers and others toward their destiny.

Ben referred to this return plot as “everything that we’re working for” as if it were some sort of grand conspiracy or at least something with grave consequences. For some reason, I didn’t see this coming. I genuinely thought Ben was working to get the Oceanic Six back to the Island in order to preserve it. But after that sinister, smoky-back-room-meeting with Hawking last night, I’m not so sure. “What happens if I can’t get them all back?” Ben asked. “Then God help us all,” replied Hawking.

There’s something bigger afoot here. I think it goes beyond “winning the war” with Widmore and it goes beyond any personal motivations. Whatever Hawking, Linus, Widmore and others are fighting for is global, historical, permanent and gravely important. And if the beginning of Season 5 is about the Oceanic Six getting back to the Island, the rest of the season might be about why.


Andddddddd Deep Breath
This is a lot to swallow. Time travel, quantum physics, life-or-death decisions, global conspiracies. Season 5 won’t be short on plot development, that’s for sure. While some say LOST risks skewing too far to the “Sci-Fi” side, I say bring it on. Not because I love sci-fi (I don’t really), but because I think these concepts provide a brilliant backdrop for LOST’s true core: the characters. Fate. Free will. Predestination. Redemption. All the show’s best character development devices are going to be put under the microscope. And that makes for a great story.

Namaste.
Charlie

Preview: Destiny Calls, Because You Left, & The Lie

Ever since Oceanic 815 crashed into our lives on September 22, 2004, Charlie and I have asked many questions: Where/What/When is this island? How did so many people survive such a traumatic plane crash? Are there really polar bears on this island? For the love of God, what do the numbers mean? Why do some survivors see dead people on the island? What was the Dharma Initiative and why did they have so many hatches? Can we pleeeease be extras on the show? Pretty please? Were all of the Others part of the Dharma Initiative? What is the significance of Hanso and his Foundation? Why do pregnant women on the island die? What is the deal with the purple sky? Is the island just a “6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon” experiment? Why is there a four-toed statue? Who is Charles Widmore and why does he want to find the island? Has Widmore been there before? Who/What is Jacob?

Today, The Dharma Blog join hands with Lost fans across this great nation in anticipation of this evening’s premiere (which is certain to add a few more questions to our list). Ladies and gentlemen, we are less than 9 hours away from Season 5 of Lost!!! Congratulations for surviving this long eight month hiatus! The Dharma Blog encourages you to celebrate throughout today. I, for one, will be having Valentino’s pizza for lunch…and I might even have a breadstick, too. Charlie is spending the day at a Turf Grass Convention in Des Moines for work and….wait….hold on a second. That isn’t a fun way to celebrate, Charlie! Come baaaaaaaaaaaack [to Lincoln]!

As we look ahead to tonight’s episodes (there are three: Destiny Calls (review show of the last four season), Because You Left, and The Lie), we must be honest with you, the readers: (1) [contrary to popular belief] we do not write for Lost; (2) [even though we think we should be,] we are not accredited members of the media and, therefore, have not been able to prescreen tonight’s episodes; and (3) [yes,] Charlie does, in fact, sleep on rubber sheets (watch our video blog below this comment doesn’t make sense to you). While it might be fun to share some really juicy scoop to share with you about tonight’s episode, Charlie and I have been practicing a near radio-silence during our preparation. We don’t know what is going to happen (we never do, believe it or not).

Tabula Rasa, my friends. Tabula Rasa.

However, we have a few ideas to plant in your head…three theories we’ve bought into recently…as you mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally prepare for tonight.

Theory Number 1: One Coffin and One Plane
Right before he died, Christian Shepherd's behavior in Australia was very reminiscent of Jack's behavior after he left the island. So...what if Christian was on the island before the crash of 815 and manage to leave somehow (Frozen Donkey Wheel...or some other way). When he returned to the mainland, he wanted to go back to the island (just like Jack, for unknown reasons)...but he couldn't (maybe that's why he went to Australia in the first place)....

He started to have a drinking problem (just like Jack, post-rescue)....

And the final consequence/result of this situation was Christian returning to the island in a coffin...
...just as it appears Locke will return (under the watchful eye of Ben)...
...and now Christian seems to be working for/with Jacob...
...what if Locke is headed on the same trajectory...

Theory Number 2: Three Ways to Explain the Island?
On behalf of Charles Widmore, Matthew Abbadon selected the science team onboard the Kahana, in part, for the purpose of disabling the Tempest and prevent an Island-wide counterattack by the Others. (We have yet to find out what is their entire mission.) The career paths of these three unique people (Charlotte, Miles, and Daniel) enable them to interpret what is exactly happening on this island very differently from one another:

1. Charlotte Lewis: A cultural anthropologist
2. Miles Straume: A spiritualist with psychic communication skills
3. Daniel Faraday: A physicist

Now, think about the island and what has happened through each lens. Scientific. Natural. Supernatural. Interesting, huh? Each member of the team, theoretically, could explain (parts of) the island-happenings through their own area of study. Cultural anthropology? Check out the ruins of the Black Rock and its descendents…and the society that has been created. Spiritualist? How about all those ghosts that wander everywhere? Physicist? That whole shifting time thing might be something to look into.

So, as these three individuals continue their island quest, they might be worth a little attention. Who knows what clues they might lead us too.

Footnote: Let the record show that Charlie and I still hate Charlotte. She is super annoying.

Theory Number 3: With enough money…
Penny Widmore once said, "With enough money and determination, you can find anyone." This quote couldn’t ring more true than now, at the start of Season 5. I might even amend the quote to include ‘anything’ as well as ‘anyone’. As Ben said to Widmore in the infamous Bedroom Scene last season, ‘the hunt is on’ for both of them. Will it end up that the one with the most money, wins? (And what the heck are they winning again? The island? The powers of the island?)

Our Charlie believes that Charles Widmore has not only been to the island before, but that the island was literally/figuratively taken from him by Ben. He also believes that there is a chance that Mr. Paik (Sun’s Dad) knows about the island and may or may not have been there before, too. I am not sure if I can take that leap…but it is definitely possible because of their deep pockets.

A few things to think about tonight: who is financing Ben and his Carmen-Sandiego-like worldwide chase? Is Ben financing Ben? Do you think Mr. Paik is financially backing Widmore and his chase? How will the Oceanic 6 settlement money fit into Ben’s plan…do you think Ben will convince some of the O6 to let him use their money?

Folks, it is real simple: Season 5 will have a heavy emphasis on the hunt underway by Ben and Widmore…and with enough money, they will be able to find anyone (anything?).

Extra Special BONUS Theory 4: An Ode to Emily
I’m sure my older sister, Emily, has decided I have officially lost it at this point. Sorry, Emily, this isn’t a theory about you. This is a theory about the show’s Emilys…with much of the brainstorming and theorizing courtesy of our Charlie.

In attempt to understand Ben’s place in the island leadership and Locke’s apparent ascent to (and fall from) leadership…think about this:

Ben Linus and John Locke were born three months premature to mothers named Emily. Ben's mother (Emily Linus) died when Ben was born. What if pregnant women started dying on the island only after Ben arrived there….a manifestation of his mother dying in childbirth? (Pregnant mothers die on the island at around three months before the due date.)

John's mother (Emily Locke) did not die when he was born. What if Claire and Sun were able to survive pregnancy because John had arrived on the island…a manifestation of his mother NOT dying in childbirth?

Okay, so what if people on the island were on the lookout, for some reason (to fulfill some prophecy), for a boy born to a woman named Emily three months early? Horace and Olivia Goodspeed were on the abandoned country road in the middle of Oregon (32 miles outside of Portland, to be exact), when Emily Linus went into premature labor and gave birth to Ben. Coincidence? Absolutely not. Ageless Richard was at the small county hospital the day teen Emily Locke was in a car accident on her way to visit her “twice my age boyfriend” (hello, Anthony Cooper), which triggered premature labor, which resulted in the birth of John. Coincidence? Absolutely not.

Horace managed to bring Ben to the island (through a job offer to Ben’s father, Roger, and claiming they will develop Ben’s ‘innate talents’) and things started going wrong. This was because they chose the wrong premature child whose mother's name was Emily.

Then, somehow John found his way to the island (not through coincidence, but over time through the hard work of people like Matthew Abaddon and others) and things changed. Why? Because Locke was the correct child born premature to a woman named Emily.

Okay…wanna know how far you can take this Emily theory? In The Wizard of Oz, “Aunt Em” is really Emily Gale. And the actress who plays Claire Littleton, mother of Aaron, is named Emilie de Ravin! And the actress who plays Emily Linus is actually Michael Emerson's (who plays Ben) real-life wife?

I hate this show.

Celllllll-e-brate good times, come on!
Charlie and I want to see how you celebrated the return of Lost! Send us photos of your Lost celebrations/parties (our readers stretch from Texas to Omaha, and from DC to Los Angeles) and we’ll post them on the blog. Joe Cwik, we know you are having a pretty wild Lost celebration down in Uruguay (no lie)…send us some photos already!

For those of you in the Lincoln area who want to come to the official Dharma Blog Season 5 Premiere Ball (okay, it’s not a ball, but I want to use the word), shoot either of us an email and we’ll get you the details.

Also, want a great, Dharma Blog-endorsed, way to get ready for tonight? Watch our VLOG (Video Blog) below! Charlie and I think it is worth 15 minutes of your time!

We’re baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack! We’re baaaaaaaaaaaaack! We’re baaaaaaaaaaaaaack!

Namaste, and we’ll be your constant,
Maggie and Charlie

Here's What We Look and Sound Like: The Season 5 Preview Vlog

Hey Dharma Blog readers! Hate reading? Who doesn't!? With that in mind, sit back, plug in the headphones and enjoy our first ever Video Post. Let us know what you think! (But please, don't bother critiquing my video-editing skills. I have none, and this is my first attempt at it.)


Dharma Blog - LOST Season 5 Preview from Charlie Stephan on Vimeo.

Where Have We Been?

With the excitement building toward LOST's Season 5 premiere next Wednesday (January 21st, 7pm), you may be wondering where the hell Maggie and I have been.

Stay tuned. On Wednesday, we've got a special treat for you. We'll see you then.