Live, from the Shadow of the Statue!

With only five days left, the excitement Charlie and I have for next week’s premiere of season 6 is at an all-time high. We’re having trouble sleeping. We’re having trouble focusing at work (sad, but true). We’re coming up with some of the craziest theories to date and spend hours online, reading and reacting to other fan predictions.

In my quest for a spoiler-free understanding of the bigger picture of season 6, I ran across a series of videos that I watched back in July of 2009, but hadn’t really thought about since. What videos? Well, our esteemed producers gave us three video-clip clues at last summer’s Comic-Con (explanation for non-nerds: Comic-Con is a convention for comic book fans, complete with panels, seminars, and workshops with writers/producers/actors, previews of upcoming feature shows and films, portfolio review sessions with comic book / video game companies, etc.) Lost has participated in Comic-Con for the last several years, hosting a panel discussion with writers, producers, and actors for the thousands of Lost fans at the convention.

So. The videos. There were three of them:

(1) A commercial for Oceanic Airways that boasted a perfect safety record since 1979, the entire time they'd been flying.

(2) A commercial for Mr. Clucks starring Hurley and featuring a new item called Outback chicken.

(3) A clip of America's Most Wanted where John Walsh talked about Katherine Austen, who tried to set up the murder of her stepfather, Wayne Janssen, but actually killed his co-worker, Ryan Milne instead. She was caught, but escaped from a marshal.

If you’re like me, these three clips lead to the biggest question facing us on Tuesday…

Let’s Get Serious: What happened after the bomb went off?
The underlying assumption of this theory is that in the final scene of Season 5 (when Juliet (inside the Swan hole) pounded away at the plutonium core of the Jughead with a rock), Juliet successfully triggered the explosion.

I believe this explosion creates two conflicting realities.

Timeline One is the timeline as we know it. Everything that happened in Seasons 1 through 5 will happen again and the storyline will continue as we have seen.

Timeline Two is an alternate timeline that illustrates what Faraday and Jack hoped would happen.

In Timeline Two, the Swan hatch is destroyed, Jacob never interacted with (touched) the Oceanic-6-Except-Aaron (I have a theory on that, by the way), and Oceanic 815 did not crash on the island. I know, right? Oh. My. Goodness.

In Timeline One, I, unfortunately, believe that those within the radius of the blast are all dead. I know, I know…disagree with me. But I’m having trouble understanding how anyone can survive (IN THIS TIMELINE) such an event. The Jughead explosion is going to end the 1977 storyline from Season 5, leaving only the characters from the present alive: Desmond, Ben, Sun, Richard, Ilana and Bram, and of course, Flocke / MIB.

Desmond, who happens to be the only central character currently off the island, will absolutely be the key to connecting both of these realities/timelines. I believe his consciousness is going to be bouncing back and forth between both versions of himself, essentially as it did in (the-best-episode-ever) “The Constant.”

Once the gap has been closed on these two realities / timelines, we will realize that Lost, all along, has been a tale of good versus evil. We have been shown a visual depiction of this battle in “Locke v. Locke.” Of course one of the Lockes is Flocke, but the other is very much real Locke. John Locke needs to fulfill his destiny, even if it means crossing the boundaries of time / reality to do it.

(And deep breath.)

So what will all of this mean for some specific characters this season?
Kate:
The America’s Most Wanted video said Kate was not wanted for the murder of her stepfather; instead, she accidentally killed her father’s apprentice. Perhaps this is because Kate was not touched by Jacob when she was a young girl…an arguably small change which could have caused a “butterfly effect” causing numerous parts of her life to play out in a completely new way. Taking it a step further, this could end up being the motivation she needs if Desmond (or Faraday?) need her help to close the gap on these two realities. In Timeline One, Kate had no regrets when she killed her father. In Timeline Two, however, Kate is feeling WAY guilty because she killed an innocent man. Kate would want a chance to change things.

Hurley:
Well, if Hurley is in a Mr. Cluck’s commercial, he would need to safely return from his trip to Australia. Since Jacob’s only interaction with Hurley was to tell him to return to the island, this makes sense. Hurley’s life prior to 815 would not be affected. (Sidenote: I’m wondering if Hurley’s hallucinations of dead people will relate to this alternate reality…)

Sawyer:
All kidding aside, Sawyer has grown the most during the last five seasons. We loved to hate him in Season 1, but now, the island has miraculously transformed him. He has been reformed. He is one of the good guys. If we remove the crash of 815 and subsequent island time from his life, Sawyer stays the jerk he was during the Season 1.

Juliet:
A lot of people are wondering if Juliet died in the Season 5 finale. And I’m pretty sure she did. (Sorry.) However, the resulting alternate reality that’s been introduced due to the implosion of the Swan means that everyone will return, including Juliet.

Daniel Faraday:
I’m pretty confident that like Juliet, Faraday is coming back in Season 6. Hopefully this means we will find out why his Mom (Eloise Hawking) sent him to the island TO DIE. I think we can agree that Eloise seems to have a fairly good understanding of both the past and future. Could it be that she sent him to die because she knew he would live again if he detonated the bomb…and that this sacrifice was necessary to change history for the better? Pretty powerful stuff.

Charlie, Boone, and others who have died:
This alternate reality theory allows any characters that have died a chance to return. The actor who plays Charlie made a surprise appearance at Comic-Con…pretty sure his return is in the bag. I think there is a chance Boone is coming back too…and, much to our chagrin, Shannon, too. What about Libby? Well, it looks like she is coming back, too. And how about this for a twist: what if the scene of her in the mental hospital with Hurley is actually from the alternate reality? OR, perhaps it exists in both timelines, but will be explained in this new one???

FIVE DAYS!
This whole theory could, in fact, be discounted in only 5 days!! You don’t have to wait long!

Programming note: I will dive into much more detail about my alternate reality theories in my preview on Tuesday morning. And I promise to discuss the major characters I left out of this post and how they will fit into this season: Jack, Ben, and Jacob.

Namaste,
Maggie

6 Days. 6 Links.

It's less than a week, folks. "LA X Parts 1 and 2" are coming up fast. (By the way, there'll also be a one-hour catch-you-up special before the 2-hour premiere next Tuesday.)

In preparation, I thought I'd share with you some of the videos, articles and miscellany that Maggie and I have been enjoying. People always ask us what we read, in regards to LOST, so I thought it'd be nice to share some of our favorites from this long, cold off-season.

So here are six links of interest. Think of it like I'm Richard Alpert, laying these items out on a table in front of you, the young John Locke. Now which of these links belong to you?

1. The plane crash, in real-time (and in the style of Fox's 24, for some reason). This is a great look at everything that was happening when Oceanic 815 crashed - and how it happened.


2. A diabolically awesome theory about John Locke, claiming he is a reincarnation of The Man in Black.

3. Pictures and analysis of The LOST Supper - a set of promotional photos depicting our cast as players in Da Vinci's famous painting. From the New York Times.

4. LOST: A Shot at Redemption. One of the finest articles from our favorite LOST writer, Entertainment Weekly's Jeff Jensen. He analyzes the addiction and recovery motif of LOST. Brilliant stuff.

5. [MINOR SPOILER IN LINK] Season Six first 9 episode titles. Most people know that the first episode is called LA X. This site (look over on the right-hand side) gives you the first 9 titles. Episode titles are the one and only spoiler I'll allow myself to read, because they're so cryptic that I don't fear they'll give anything away.

6. And just for fun, "Damon, Carlton and a Polar Bear." A collective art project done with comedian Paul Scheer where graphic designers created LOST-themed prints. These are awesome, and unfortunately, all sold out.


Enjoy! We'll have another article or two before next week.

Here Comes the Man in Black

I See Dead People

Maggie and I sat down the other night, to discuss the upcoming final season of LOST (our mutual friend) and its resultant blogging assignments. I made an observation: Maggie and I watch LOST in very different ways. Maggie latches onto more relatable characters – like Jack, Kate, Claire, Sun and Jin – and their more relatable plot elements – love stories and familial struggles. But I gravitate toward the more obscure, fringe characters – your Lockes, Bens, Desmonds, et al. – and their more outlandish storylines – healing powers, Island communion and ESP.

To that end, I recently finished an epic re-watch of the entire series – all five seasons. Needless to say, it was incredible. Especially the last two seasons, and especially season 5. If you’ve got the time, I recommend watching all of Season 5 again before the Season 6 premiere. Watching the elements of time travel and dead-body inhabitation occur in rapid succession made them much easier to comprehend.

Because my mind is geared more to the otherworldly elements of LOST, I got a distinct “Sixth Sense” vibe throughout the experience. If you’ve ever re-watched that movie, the feeling that nags you the second time through is, “How did I not know [giant plot twist at the end] the whole time?” All the clues are there, right in front of you. How did you miss that?

That’s how I felt about LOST upon my re-watching. I believe I’ve seen every episode at least 5 times at this point (I know, I know), and now, watching Season 5, one of last year’s biggest reveals seems all-too-obvious upon further inspection: how did I not know that it was the Man-in-Black who was inhabiting the body of John Locke after Ajira 316 crashed?

Post-Ajira Locke was not shy with clues as to his nature. When Ben asked if John was having an “out-of-body experience” while watching Richard talk to a time traveling version of himself, Locke said, “something like that.” When Sun asked how he came to be alive and what he was doing, Locke said, “I can assure you, I’m the same man I’ve always been.” (That one, by the way, gives credence to some who believe that since birth, Locke has merely been a reincarnated version of the Man in Black. Eerie. And awesome).

So with each little nod, wink or nudge-nudge from Fake Locke, I started thinking more about the Man in Black, and what we may already know about him. Here’s an idea that, if proven true, will save me that “How did I not already know?” feeling this time next year.

The Man in Black is the Smoke Monster

During our only glimpse of the Man in Black in his own human form, he tells his white-clad counterpart Jacob, “They come. They fight. They destroy. They corrupt. It always ends the same,” in reference to a group of outsiders who are about to arrive on the Island via the Black Rock ship. Based on that small amount of information, we are to assume that Jacob (who replies, “It only ends once. Anything that happens before that is just progress.”) and the Man in Black are locked in some centuries-old argument over the basic nature of mankind. Jacob believes they’re good (or at least, progressing), while the Man in Black believes they are inherently flawed.

The idea of fatal characters flaws has been present in LOST since day 1. Everybody’s got their “issue,” and many have opined that the Island is their last-chance opportunity to confront that issue.

Throughout the series, we have seen the smoke monster act as “judge.” Hell, Ben even called him the judge at one point. But think back to the episode where Eko dies. The smoke monster descends over Eko, replaying flashes of his life as Eko desperately searches for his brother Yemi (more on that later). A few scenes later, Eko refuses to repent for the things the smoke monster showed him, and shortly thereafter, Smokey reappears to kill Eko. So think about that. Man in Black believes man is flawed, or evil. When Eko proves himself unrepentant for his flaws, he is killed by Smokey.

In addition, the Man in Black is clad in, well, black – the same color as Smokey. And when Jacob asks him if he’d like some fish, he replies “I just ate.” Just ate what? Methinks an unrepentant, flawed human being.

Multiple times, Smokey has been referred to as the Island’s “security system.” Is that because his judgment of men is essential to ensuring the Island is only inhabited and controlled by people who are worthy of its mystique? Is he “securing” the Island from bad people? I think so. And I also think that…

The Man in Black is All the Ghosts We’ve Seen.

This one may be less of a leap, because we’ve already seen the Man in Black inhabit one dead body. But I think John Locke is not his first human host. We’ve seen plenty of “ghosts” appear on the Island, most notably Christian Shepherd. I believe that all the Man in Black needs is a body. And if you look back at the function our ghosts have served, they are all about directing people on a certain path and making them face and overcome their own flaws and shortcomings. Very Man in Black.

Don’t forget that moment in Season 5, where the Dharma Initiative’s Amy told Sawyer and Co. that they had to bury the bodies, as per the truce with the Island’s indigenous inhabitants. Why? So the Man in Black couldn’t take over their bodies.

Maggie’s got an awesome little tip-in to this theory. Richard said he didn’t age because Jacob “made him that way.” Could it be Jacob needed a human vessel he could trust? Did he make Richard immortal and ageless so that the Man in Black could never take over his body, and Jacob would always have a trustworthy human around? If this were a Facebook status, I would click “Like.”

The Man in Black is Versatile as Hell

Here’s the rub. These two theories (MIB is Smokey and MIB is Ghosts) are not mutually exclusive. Put another way: The Man in Black can take the form of the Smoke Monster and of any dead body that is on the Island. In fact, he has to, in order to really communicate and convince the people he’s judging.

Two moments, I believe, prove this.

The first is the aforementioned Eko death march. For an entire episode, Eko chased visions of his dead brother Yemi (whose corpse, you’ll remember, was on the Island in that Nigerian drug smuggling plane) through the jungle. When he would lose sight of Yemi, Smokey would appear to judge him and show him visions of his past. When Smokey would leave, Yemi would reappear. We never see Yemi and Smokey at the same time, but they’re basically after the same thing: Eko’s repentance. And this all culminates with this exchange:

EKO: Yemi! You say you want to hear my confession! Why? Why now, eh? Show yourself! Where are you! Where!

[Yemi appears across from Eko in a field of waist-high plants with red flowers. Eko walks over to him.]

YEMI: Are you ready, Eko?

EKO: Yes. I am ready, Yemi.

[Eko pulls out the cross and raises it. Yemi reaches out to caress it but does not take it.]

EKO: I ask for no forgiveness, Father. For I have not sinned. I have only done what I needed to do to survive. A small boy once asked me if I was a bad man. If I could answer him now, I would tell him that... when I was a young boy, I killed a man to save my brother's life. I am not sorry for this. I am proud of this! I did not ask for the life that I was given. But it was given, nonetheless. And with it... I did my best.

[Yemi stares down into Eko's eyes. He looks angry.]

YEMI: [Almost in disgust] You speak to me as if I were your brother.

[Eko cringes back from him, scared and angry.]

EKO: Who are you?

See? Eko’s refusal to confess his sins to Yemi angers Yemi enough to almost reveal his true nature as Smokey/The Man in Black. Moments later, Yemi disappears and Eko chases into the jungle. Then Smokey appears and kills Eko.

Still don’t believe me.? How about a more recent example…

When Ben Linus and John Locke go trudging to the Temple in Season 5, so that Ben may be “judged” (his word, not mine) by the smoke monster for allowing Alex to die, we get a front-row seat for the Man in Black of Many Disguises.

When Ben goes to summon Smokey initially, Locke (who at this point, remember, is The Man in Black) disappears into the jungle because there’s “something he needs to do.” He then comes back and tells Ben that Smokey’s not coming, that they have to go find him in the Temple. So they walk through the Temple. Ben falls through the floor into a lower chamber. Fake Locke disappears to go “get a rope” to pull Ben up. Conveniently, the Smoke Monster then fills the lower chamber, where Ben is. Then the smoke clears to reveal a vision of Alex, Ben’s dead daughter (another corpse that was on the Island, and not buried properly). Alex tells Ben:

ALEX: “Listen to me, you bastard! I know that you're already planning to kill John again, and I want you to know that if you so much as touch him, I will hunt you down and destroy you. You will listen to every word John Locke says, and you will follow his every order. Do you understand?”

Why would Dead Alex be so supportive and defensive of Dead John? Because Dead Alex is the Man in Black is Dead John. And that entire entity needs Alive Ben to trust it, in order to carry out its ultimate mission: killing Jacob. Oh, and as soon as Alex disappears, guess who shows up with that handy rope? Yep. Dead John Locke.

What’s This Mean?

I don’t know. Damn, you don’t expect me to wrap this ridiculous post up in a neat little package do ya?

Look, the effects of this theory on the many forms of the Man in Black are contingent on the purpose of the Man in Black. People have debated whether he’s evil and Jacob’s good (too obvious) or he’s good and Jacob’s evil (too easy). In truth, I think the Man in Black and Jacob will be as morally ambiguous as the rest of our characters. I do think they’re engaged in an old, old argument over the true nature of man. I think that Jacob uses personal contact (literally and figuratively) to direct people where he wants them to go, and that the Man-in-Black uses a darker, more deceptive method.

But despite their differing philosophies and methodologies, Jacob and the Man in Black are out to prove something. And the more I watch, I’m not sure they’re out to prove it to each other. As we’ve been reminded throughout the series, “Everyone answers to someone.” And there’s a nagging part of me that says these two opposing forces have a boss of their own. I’m sure if/when we find out who it is, I’ll wonder how I didn’t see it coming the whole time.

Namaste.
Charlie

PREVLOG

Preview + Video + Blog = PREVLOG. It's science.

Welcome back! In our 2nd annual video installment, Maggie and I discuss our off-season hibernation, Season 5 DVD Nerd Kit and some preliminary thoughts on Season 6. Sorry for the grainy quality, we were filming in the proximity of some of the Island's exotic matter.

You'll see appearances from Kate Austen and Mr. Linus. Yeah, we were able to get them. We're huge in Hawaii.

Anyway, enjoy! We'll see you next week with a few preview posts and some theory articles as we ramp up to 2-2-2010. It's gonna be a good one.

Dharma Blog Season 6 Preview from Charlie Stephan on Vimeo.

Namaste.
Charlie

It's About That Time

Negative double digit wind chills.

The end of college football.

And me sleeping next to a bottle of McCutcheon's Scotch, ala Charles Widmore, to fend off the nightmares.

Oh, and yet another redesign for The Dharma Blog. (Sorry, we were having troubles with our old template. High-level nerd stuff). Just to make sure you know your way around, to comment you just click on the number of comments under the post heading.

It can all mean only one thing: L O S T. Is. Back.

Stay tuned to the blog in coming weeks. You'll see all kinds of great preview articles from Maggie and I, and we might just make another video appearance. For our moms, ya know. They love us.


One more thing. If you've heard rumor of President Obama's State of the Union speech preempting the LOST Season 6 premiere (2/2/2010), worry not. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs has confirmed that the State of the Union will not preempt the premiere of LOST The Final Season on 2/2. See you in 25 days. (http://www.facebook.com/charliestephan?ref=profile#/LOST?ref=ts)


We'll see ya soon, brutha :)

Charlie