Lost Reviews and News
Key Points from "I Do"
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Season 3, Episode 6 Episode Air Date: 11/08/06 |
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Point 1
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The "Lost" producers promised a cliffhanger for this "fall finale"
(dumbest ... name ... ever), and, if you want to be technical about
it, I suppose the concluding moments did represent a
cliffhanger.
Personally, I have a hard time thinking of the sixth episode in a 22 or 23 episode season as ever being a cliffhanger, and this episode is no different. Sure, it left us hanging in the "I wonder what's going to happen next?" sense, but let's not confuse the sixth episode with the season finale -- there's a huge difference between "I Do" and something like "Live Together, Die Alone." Now, I know I sound like a big ol' crank, but I think it's important to look past the upcoming 13-week hiatus and remember that the third season is still a season. As it stands, this episode -- as interesting as it was -- represents the sixth chapter in a 22- or 23-chapter book. We're a long, long way from the finish line. But enough with my half-assed analysis. Let's recap this bugger! As the episode opens, Kate and Sawyer are still stuck in their bear cages. Pickett and his band of Dharma drones march into the cage area and unlock Kate's cell. In a twist, Pickett tells Kate that Sawyer is getting the day off, but Kate immediately smells a rat (or maybe that's just her B.O. ... manual labor has rendered her quite ripe). She objects to Sawyer's vacation day, noting that they work as a team. For some odd reason, Pickett considers Kate's reasoning and opts to retract Sawyer's day off. Whatever plans Pickett had for Sawyer will have to wait. So Kate and Sawyer are hauled off to the rock patch to tend boulders. The sun rises and the day grows hot, but the back-breaking monotony is suddenly broken by a blaring horn and a recorded warning: "Compound Breach! ... Compound Breach!" Pickett grabs his walkie-talkie and barks questions at an unidentified Dharma associate on the other end of the walkie-talkie line. Pickett initially thinks Jack has escaped, but his conversation soon reveals that "she" has escaped. She? "How the hell did she get over here?" Pickett asks. SWISH! The question remains unanswered because a small rock zings past Pickett's head. He spins and sees ... ALEX! It's a sight to behold. A teenaged girl is darting through the worksite slinging rocks from a home-made slingshot. Dharma drones drop like mini-Goliaths as Alex works her magic. But Pickett knows how to deal with teenagers. He whips out his pistol and points it right between Alex's eyes. She stops in her tracks, a rock quivering in her outstretched slingshot. Pickett orders her to put the weapon down, but Alex is too riled up to comply. "What did you do to him, Danny?! Where is he!" She shouts, aiming the slingshot at Pickett's head. "I want to talk to Ben!" Danny softens his voice. "Sure, that sounds like a great idea," Danny says calmly while keeping the pistol trained on Alex's angst-ridden face. As Danny talks, a Dharma drone sneaks behind Alex and lunges at her arms. The drone snaps Alex up and walks off. She kicks and struggles, trying to break free, but strength isn't a hallmark of the Rousseau family so Alex remains snared in the drone's arms. But she does have one parting gift ... Alex looks at Kate. "Listen, whatever they say, don't believe them!" Alex shouts. "They're going to kill your boyfriend, just like they killed mine!" Kate watches as Alex is pulled out of sight. "Just like her mother ... crazy-ass bitch," Kate thinks (or so I like to believe). Sidenote: Alex's appearance isn't what's interesting, rather, the moments before her entrance are far more intriguing. Just as Alex is about to begin her slingshot attack, Pickett asks his unidentified walkie-talkie cohort: "How the hell did she get over here?" The key phrase is "over here." Some "Lost" fans have theorized that the DharmaWorld community we saw in "A Tale of Two Cities" isn't necessarily on the "Alcatraz" island. Pickett's offhand remark seems to support this theory. It also opens the door to a potential escape route for Jack, Kate and Sawyer. If Alex has a boat or a sub or some sort of Dharma Sea-Doo, perhaps she represents the key to a castaway prison break. Or maybe Pickett's question was a fleeting piece of dialogue that means absolutely nothing. Anyway ... Later that day, Juliet pays a visit to the rock-strewn worksite. Kate watches as Juliet and Pickett have a somewhat tense conversation. I have no idea what their conversation means, but since it's going to be months before we have another new episode, I offer it up as conversation fodder. Pickett: "I don't understand. It's supposed to be two weeks." Juliet: "Our schedule's been moved up." Pickett: "Is that an order?" Juliet: "It's coming from him." Pickett: "That's stupid." Juliet: "It's not my call. It's the way it is, Danny." (Note: I think the "two weeks" bit refers to the "unpleasant" two weeks Ben alluded to during his beachside breakfast with Kate in "A Tale of Two Cities") Juliet breaks off the conversation and calmly walks toward Kate. Kate, remembering Sawyer's comment that Juliet would have no problem planting a bullet in her head, grabs her pick-axe and tries to hold it menacingly. Juliet isn't impressed. She holds out a burlap hoodie and asks/instructs Kate to put it on. Kate is astonished; there's no way she's going to wear that burlap hoodie. Maybe if it was a fleece hoodie with a cute little ball on top, but burlap? Uh-uh. Juliet, as usual, has the upper-hand. She tells Kate that Pickett is going to kill Sawyer unless Kate helps Juliet. Kate's lip quivers and the opening bars of the "Kate-Sawyer Love Theme" swell on the soundtrack. Kate grabs the hoodie and pulls it over her head. Moments later, Juliet guides Kate through the dark, mildew-covered walls of the Hydra station. She cracks the door adjacent to Jack's aquarium cell and leads the still-blindfolded Kate into the room. Removing the hoodie with a magician's flourish ("I give you ... JACK!"), Juliet exits the room so Jack and Kate can have a heart to heart (and so Juliet can watch from the closed-circuit monitors). The sight of Kate brings a small smile to Jack's face. Both approach the Plexiglass and fumble against it like smitten pre-teens, but they soon realize there's no way they can "connect" through the plastic. Jack gets down to business. He asks Kate where she's being kept and Kate confirms that she and Sawyer are both holded up in bear cages. Worse, they're being subjected to manual labor while Jack, apparently, gets to lounge around all day in a fish tank. "Did they hurt you?" Jack asks, touching upon one of the big mysteries from "A Tale of Two Cities" (namely: What happened to Kate after her breakfast with Ben? Was she assaulted?) Kate starts to cry. "Jack, you have to do it," Kate says, ignoring Jack's question. "This thing, this operation." Jack takes a step back. He wasn't expecting that. Sensing Jack's apprehension, Kate makes her case. She tells Jack the Others are going to kill Sawyer. But if Jack goes through with the operation, Juliet has promised that they'll let Sawyer live and, as a bonus, they'll let them all go. Ah, but Kate hasn't been dealing with Juliet for the last five episodes. Jack knows better. "And you believed them," Jack says, disappointment dripping from every syllable. "I had to," Kate says, realizing she's a dumbass. "Jack, please." "We're done here," Jack snaps. The shot cuts to Ben as he watches Jack and Kate's conversation from the Hydra's observation room. His eyes grow dark as he stares at the bank of television monitors through his evil round glasses. Ben orders Juliet (who's standing behind him) to take Kate back to her cage. Juliet, the dutiful soldier, follows Ben's orders and guides Kate back to her cell. For the moment, the cage area is quiet -- Sawyer is still working in the rock field. Juliet slowly locks the door to Kate's cell. She puts on her best "I'm sorry" face and expresses disappointment and a tinge of regret at Kate's failure to convince Jack to operate on Ben's back. Seconds later, Pickett and his henchmen push Sawyer out of the woods and shove him back into his bear cage. With Sawyer's back turned, Pickett (the coward he is), cracks him across the head with the butt-end of his pistol. Sawyer drops to the floor of his cell as Pickett slams the door shut. Sawyer, his eyes narrowed into the Sawyer Stare, glares at Pickett. "You got anything you want to say to your girl, Pickett sneers, "you best say it tonight." With that, Pickett, Juliet and the cabal of anonymous Dharma drones leave the area. Sawyer rises, dusts himself off, and looks at Kate. "And how was your day, honey?" he cracks. But this time, Kate doesn't smile. Instead, she tells Sawyer about her meeting with Jack. Sawyer is astonished -- first he loses his vacation day and now Kate is staging a secret rendezvous with his rival? As Kate continues to reveal the details of her Jack encounter, she scampers up the side of her cage and executes a perfect escape through the bars in the cell's roof (we saw her pull this same maneuver in "Every Man for Himself"). Sawyer shouts at her to get back in the cell, but Kate won't hear it. She drops to the ground and runs toward Sawyer's cell. Sawyer continues to bark and plead. Kate grabs a rock and, with two weak little swings breaks the lock off Sawyer's cage (that's all it took?!). Swinging the door open, she orders Sawyer to run. Sawyer stays put. Kate tries again. "Run! Run! Why won't you run?!" she screams. Sawyer steps back and drops his voice. "I ain't runnin' because there ain't no place to go," he admits. Kate's dumbfounded. Sawyer sees her confusion and decides to spill the beans on their "location." He tells her they're on a different island -- an "Alcatraz" -- and "unless you're a mermaid or you got a boat, there ain't no point." Kate goes off on Sawyer. She's hoppin' mad that he didn't tell her this about Alcatraz business. Why would he keep it from her? Sawyer bows his head. He didn't tell her because he wanted to her to believe they still had a chance. Sawyer's admission soothes Kate. Actually, that's an understatement. It doesn't just soothe her, it turns her into a full-fledged horndog. She kisses Sawyer. Sawyer kisses back. They stop and separate for one of those "what are we about to do?" moments, then they start kissing again. And then the kissing turns to groping and the groping turns to undressing and the undressing turns into ... WHOA! Bear cage sex! And of course all this happens while the cage is wide open and Ben is watching via his porno cam. Night falls and Kate and Sawyer are still knotted up in his bear cage, enjoying their post-coital bliss while munching on Viagra-laced fish biscuits. Sawyer asks Kate about that whole "I love him" thing that transpired in "Every Man for Himself" -- he wants to know if she meant those words. Kate responds by kissing Sawyer deeply, which is supposed to fool us into thinking that she really loves him, but take note: she does not actually confirm it. Alas, Sawyer buys it. As they come up to breathe, Sawyer leans back. "I love you, too," he says with a grin. Oh Sawyer, you wouldn't be smiling if you knew Kate's romantic history ... CUE BACKSTORY SWOOSH I could be wrong, but I think we now know every important biographical detail in Kate's life. We know she killed her no-good father; we know she was responsible for the death of her childhood sweetheart; we know her Mom is dead; and we know she robbed a bank just so she could liberate a small toy airplane from a safe deposit box. As this episode opens, the only questionable bit still remaining is Kate's marital history. You'll recall that way back in "Outlaws," Kate admitted to Sawyer that she had once been married (this occurred during a torrid game of "I Never"). In this current episode's backstory segments, we meet her husband. Personally, I could give a damn about Kate's previous relationships, but thanks to some exceptional casting, I found a glimmer of entertainment in this episode's backstory. So here's what we see and learn:
The remainder of the Kate/Sawyer story is twisted into Jack's plotline, so let's move on to Key Point 2. | |
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Point 2
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To me, the single best development of season three is Jack's
metamorphosis from whiny prisoner to take-charge doctor. In this
episode, Jack's transition reaches its apex as he uses all his
cunning and skill to obtain a power position.
But we'll get to that in a moment. First, we need to see how this power play comes to fruition. Jack opens the episode with guns blazing. Early on, we see him in his aquarium cell as he looks over Ben's spinal x-rays. Juliet and Ben watch him from behind the Plexiglass wall in the room adjacent to Jack's aquarium cell. Their demeanor is noticeably different than in previous episodes: Ben, in particular, is quivering like a Chihuahua in a thunderstorm. Jack seems to be in full doctor mode: He's pouring over lab tests and x-rays and asking Juliet about the status of the Dharma operating room. It appears Jack is going to perform the life-saving surgery on Ben's cancer-ridden spine. But appearances are deceiving. Jack tells Ben that the tumor's accelerated growth rate will make it inoperable within a week. Ben swallows, interpreting this comment as confirmation that Jack will perform the surgery. Ben tells him he's ready to get cracked open. And that's when Jack unleashes a zinger. See, Ben got the wrong idea: Jack isn't going to do the surgery. "I just wanted you to understand how you're gonna die," Jack sneers. Jack snaps, telling Ben and Juliet that there's no way he's going to do the surgery because there's no way he believes them. Juliet tries to argue, but Jack whips a folder at the Plexiglass and silences her. Ben blinks. "Well, Jack, I'm disappointed in your decision," he says. Jack plants himself in front of Ben. "Well, Ben, at least you won't have to be disappointed for very long." DAAAAAAAMN So, Juliet and Ben leave with their tails between their legs and Jack opts to spend the day lounging on the table in his aquarium cell, relishing his victory. As he rests, the cell's intercom starts to crackle and buzz. Jack presses the TALK button, but, as usual, it's busted. Or so it seems. A woman's voice emerges from the static (it sounds like Alex). She tells Jack to try the door. Jack pushes the heavy handle on his cell door. It creaks and the door opens. Peering into the hallway, Jack sees he's alone. Creeping along the wall, he comes upon another door and swings it open. Inside, he spots a bank of six closed-circuit televisions: He's uncovered Ben's observation room. He casually glances at the TVs, but his attention is soon diverted by a closet on the far side of the room. He opens it to find a small-arms locker outfitted with rifles and pistols. He grabs a pistol and loads it like an expert (adding further credence to the theory that Jack has military training). Jack goes back to the TV monitors and gives them a closer look. His eyes settle on Monitor 2 ... Holy ... crap ... He sees Kate and Sawyer wrapped around each other, shirtless and loverly. He blinks and drops his eyes, realizing that Sawyer, once again, has worked his voodoo on one of Jack's love interests (remember: Ana-Lucia was initially introduced as a potential romance partner for Jack, but in the end Sawyer was the only one who successfully extricated Ana from her pants). As Jack gawks at Monitor 2, a figure appears in the hallway. "If I were a betting man, I would have put the money on you," Ben says in his best Henry Gale voice. Jack spins and points his pistol at Ben's chest. "I guess this is the proverbial nail in my coffin," Ben says, calmly taking note of the gun aimed at his heart. Not so fast, Benny! The sight of Sawyer and Kate in flagrante delicto creates a seismic shift in Jack. "Tomorrow," he says, confusing the hell out of Ben (and me). Tomorrow? Wait a minute. Jack's going to do it! Jack's going to do the operation! Seeing Kate lounging across Sawyer's lap breaks Jack's will. He tells Ben that he needs to get off the island (yeah, but he doesn't know which island he's on -- BWAHAHAHA!). Jack agrees to do the operation, but he asks for Ben's word. Ben, of course, gives it. Why Ben's current "word" is different from any other "word" is beyond me, but in Jack's mind it all seems to make sense. This, dear friends, is why Jack is insane. Sidenote: Ben has to be kicking himself for not figuring this Kate thing out sooner. He didn't need to concoct an intricate plan! All he needed was to get Kate to bang someone else (easy enough) and, BLAM, Jack is his medical servant! But, now that I think about it, maybe Kate's dalliance with Sawyer was part of the plan. She got out of her cage with absolute ease ... and she and Sawyer were left to their own devices for a very long time. Hmm ... Moving on ... The next morning, Jack and Juliet prep for Ben's surgery. In the scrub room outside the Dharma OR, Jack tells Juliet he needs her to be Johnny on the spot during the operation. Juliet remains calm (of course), but she clearly bristles at Jack's condescending tone. Get used to it Jules ... Inside the operating room, Ben is shirtless and lying face-down on the table. Still conscious and alert, he asks Jack if he ever gets nervous before an operation. Jack says he used to, but not anymore, especially when he's operating on someone who has the value of a frozen cadaver. "Whatever happens, everything will be very different, won't it?" Ben says, trying to be coy and evil, but failing because he's half-naked on an operating table. "No doubt about it," Jack says. Oddly, Ben then asks Juliet if Alex "asked about" him. Juliet lies and says she didn't -- we saw Alex clearly ask to speak to Ben earlier in the episode. It's a weird exchange that suggests a connection between Alex and Ben (could Ben be Alex's adoptive father?). Moreover, it also suggests that Juliet and her revolutionary-minded Dharma friends are intentionally keeping Alex and Ben apart. The Alex exchange lingers for a moment, but Ben soon lets it pass. He puts his head down. Per jack's instructions, Ben counts backwards from 20. He hits 18 and the anaesthesia kicks in. Jack picks up a scalpel and delicately slices into Ben's back. Juliet and an anonymous Dharma drone watch Jack perform his handiwork. Upstairs, in an observation room, Zeke, Pickett and another Dharma drone look down into the OR. As Jack works, Pickett turns to his Dharma drone and instructs him to exit the room. Outside the observation area, Pickett unholsters his gun and starts down the stairs. The Dharma drone notes that Pickett's timing is a bit inappropriate: Ben just went under the knife. And this is when Pickett delivers a line of dialogue that completely stirs up the conjecture pot: "Ben just put his life in the hands of one of them," Pickett says. "Shephard wasn't even on Jacob's list." Uh, what? Who's Jacob? What list? The only "Lost"-related "Jacob" I could dig up is Jacob Vanderfield, a character in the Lost Experience game. Is this the guy Pickett is talking about? Unfortunately, Pickett isn't in the mood to offer more details. Homicidal urges are bubbling through his system, and he knows exactly how to quell those feelings of rage. The scene cuts back to Jack and Juliet in the operating room. The pair go through the medical motions, slicing and dabbing and cutting. Everything appears to be going well, so Juliet steps away for a second. With Juliet distracted, Jack picks up the scalpel. He puts his head down and PLUCKS at the hole in Ben's back. BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP Juliet and the Dharma drone look up. Beeping isn't good. (In Juliet's mind it is, but we'll get to that in Point 4). The drone swoops in to check on Ben. THWACK! Jack cracks him across the face! The drone drops to the floor! Jack orders Juliet to back away. He turns and looks up at Zeke, who's watching incredulously from the observation room above. Jack summons him to the glass. He tells Zeke that he's just cut Ben's kidney sac, and if that incision doesn't get stitched up in an hour, Ben's as dead as dust. "Now get in here, and bring that walkie-talkie," Jack barks. The scene cuts to Sawyer and Kate in Sawyer's cage. The two are dressed, but sheets of rain have drenched them both. Pickett and his henchman emerge and approach the cage menacingly. Pickett has only one goal: turn Sawyer's head into a splatter pattern. He stomps through the open cell door. Kate feebly tries to block Pickett, but he tosses her aside. With Pickett's attention momentarily diverted, Sawyer clocks Pickett across the chin and makes a grab for the gun. The two grapple against the bars. It seems like Sawyer might gain the upper hand ... But Sawyer looks toward the other end of the cage and sees that Pickett's Dharma drone has Kate pinned against the bars with the business end of his gun planted on her skull. Kate tells Sawyer to fight Pickett, but Sawyer's soft spot for Kate is enormous (as is his not-so-soft spot) and there's no way he's going to let his beloved's brain take on a bullet. He backs off. Pickett swings Sawyer out of the cage and forces him to his knees. Kate screams through the bars, working under the incorrect assumption that high-pitched screaming is going to change Pickett's murderous mind. Pickett takes a step back and points the gun at Sawyer's head. "This is for Colleen, you son of a bitch," Pickett growls. Sawyer narrows his eyes and turns his head away defiantly. Kate screams. Rain falls. The music swells. CRACKLE ZIZZZ CRACKLE "Danny, you there?" What the? Pickett looks down at the walkie-talkie barking from his belt. He grabs the radio with his non-gun hand and answers. Through the radio, Zeke orders Pickett to hand the walkie-talkie to Kate. Pickett, as you can imagine, isn't too keen on this idea, but when Zeke informs him that Jack is holding Ben and his kidney sac hostage, Pickett complies. He tosses the walkie-talkie to Kate. Inside the operating room, Zeke chucks his walkie-talkie to Jack. Jack walks to the opposite side of the OR. He snaps the radio on. "Kate, you have about an hour head start before they come after you," Jack says calmly. Kate's confused. She asks Jack where he is. Jack ignores the question. He's got scheming to do. "You remember what I told you on the beach, the day of the crash? Do you remember what story I told you when you were stitching me up?" Jack asks, harkening WAY back to the opening moments of season one. Kate doesn't answer. Jack grows angry. "DO YOU REMEMBER!" he barks. "Yes! Yes I remember!" Kate says (finally). Jack lowers his voice to a normal, non-Hulk register. "When you get safe, you radio me and you tell me that story. If I don't get a call from you in the next hour I'm going to know something went wrong and [Jack turns toward Juliet] ... HE DIES!" Kate whimpers and whines. "Jack, I can't leave without you!" "Yes you can!" Jack shouts. "Jack, I can't!" Jack taps into the deepest, darkest parts of his nature and summons forth a guttural hell-cry. "Kate, dammit, RUN!" THUMP. THE SCREEN GOES BLACK. It ends! The show ends! Now, I know some of you are wondering what this "story" is that Jack wants Kate to recount. For those of you who aren't big geeks and don't have the "Lost" DVDs at arm's reach, the following is a recap of the season one story Jack tells Kate when they first meet on the beach after the plane crash. This conversation occurs in part one of the "Pilot" episode. Kate finds Jack as he tries to stitch up a gaping wound on his back. He asks her if she's ever used a needle and she says she once made the drapes in her apartment. She apprehensively agrees to help sew up Jack's deep gash. As she digs the needle into his skin, Kate notes that Jack doesn't seem afraid. This is when Jack tells his story: "Well, fear's sort of an odd thing," he says. "When I was in residency, my first solo procedure was a spinal surgery on a 16-year-old kid; a girl. And at the end, after 13 hours, I was closing her up and I accidentally ripped her dural sac. It's right at the base of the spine where all the nerves come together; membranes as thin as tissue. So, it ripped open. Nerves just spilled out of her like angel hair pasta. Spinal fluid flowing out of her and I ... The terror was just so crazy, so real. And I knew I had to deal with it. So I just made a choice. I'd let the fear in. Let it take over. Let it do its thing. But only for five seconds, that's all I was gonna give it. So I started to count. One, two, three, four, five. And it was gone. I went back to work, sewed her up and she was fine." So there you go! That's the story! How funny would it be if Kate escapes and makes her way to safety only to tell the wrong story? "So one time, when you were little, you got beat up by some bullies and you concluded that your daddy was an alcoholic and someday you'd suspect him of sleeping with your wife and that's why the Red Sox will never win the World Series ... that's the story, right? Jack? Uh, Jack?"
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Point 3
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I'm happy to report that last week's dispatch of Eko was not forgotten in this episode. "I Do" contains a short plotline that deals with the aftermath of Eko's death.
The story picks up where it left off in "The Cost of Living." Locke, Sayid, Desmond and Nikki/Paulo stand over Eko's body as Locke drapes a sheet over the fallen warlord. Nikki asks what happened to Eko and Locke, lying through his teeth, suggests it might have been the polar bear. Locke decides to bury Eko near the Pearl hatch. He feels the other castaways have attended too many recent funerals, and seeing Eko in his hematomic state won't help morale. He grabs his pack and says he's going to sneak back to the beach camp to grab shovels. Sayid offers to go, but Locke tells him it's not necessary. Sayid then insists on going. Locke realizes Sayid isn't asking. He's telling. So Locke and Sayid head off and once they're out of range of Desmond and Nikki/Paulo, Sayid asks Locke what really killed Eko. Locke stops. He doesn't bother lying. "Folks back at the beach call it the 'monster'," Locke says. "I don't really have a name for it." Sayid asks Locke what he thinks "it" is and Locke says it might be the thing that brought the castaways to the island. Sayid catches wind of Locke's undercurrent of fate, and he asks Locke if he believes the monster decided Eko should die. "I believe Eko died for a reason," Locke says. "I just don't know what it is yet." With that, Locke heads into the woods and Sayid follows. Later in the episode, Locke and Sayid return to the Pearl hatch and Locke leads a brief funeral service. Locke and Sayid made a slight detour on their way back to the beach camp to pick up Eko's Jesus Stick (remember, Locke was hit by the stick at the beginning of "Further Instructions"). As Locke earnestly talks about Eko dying for a reason, he kneels and hammers the Jesus Stick into the ground. As he does, he spots an inscription on the handle of the stick. "Lift up your eyes and look North," it reads. A twinkle sparks to life in Locke's eyes. It's a clue! The inscription is a clue! And that's when this small storyline concludes. |
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Point 4
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We'll close with a few observations and questions:
That's it for now. Be sure to drop by our "Lost" Forum for stimulating conversation and conjecture. |
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Next Episode:
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"Not in Portland" -- Details are sketchy, but rumors suggest the next
"Lost" episode will be Juliet-centric. Airs Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2007 at
9 p.m. on ABC. |
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Review by Mac Slocum. All photos and episode descriptions © ABC Inc. |
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Posted by Mac on November 9, 2006 12:50 PM | Email This
Thanks Mac!!
So psyched to read it!
Kinda weak ending for the show before 13 weeks.
Who is Jacob???
probably Goodwin
→ 4. Posted by: maestr06 at November 9, 2006 1:02 PM"WHOA! Bear cage sex! And of course all this happens while the cage is wide open and Ben is watching via his porno cam."
ROFLMAO, nice one mac.
→ 5. Posted by: Jack at November 9, 2006 1:07 PMGood recap, but the pregnancy test Kate took clearly said that she wasn't pregnant.
→ 6. Posted by: Carly at November 9, 2006 1:07 PMI just found your blog. Excellent summary and commentating. Keep it up!
→ 7. Posted by: sonya67 at November 9, 2006 1:10 PM@Carly: You're right about the pregnancy thing! The correction has been made. Thanks for the catch! -- mac
→ 8. Posted by: mac at November 9, 2006 1:16 PMFirst, great job yet again MAC!
Various thoughts:
1) I think that Jacob is a new character - some high-ranking Dharma/island-cult member. It is a good theory that it is the person from the Lost Experience. To be honest, I never got involved with that thinking that it was kind of like the extended universe in Star Wars -- I just stick to the 6-movie canon.
2) I thought that Kate was pregnant too. I'll have to go back and confirm.
3) Even if Jack knew that they were on the same island, it is still a terrible plan. He knows that he is going to need help to actually get off the island and return home, so it was a bit disappointing.
4) I was expecting a big season-ending-type "finale", but was let down. I was thinking that we were going to get something like we had at the end of season one with Zeke taking Walt. So, this is just another Lost episode to me with some cliffhanger, but nothing big. Anyway, I'm all ready for 2/7 and the 16 straight weeks with "No Repeats... Not One".
Marty.
→ 9. Posted by: Marty at November 9, 2006 1:23 PMRE: pregnancy test -
I took her saying 'I almost had a baby' as meaning that they had been trying, so she was on that path, and sort of snapped herself out of it. Like, 'OMG! I almost did that!'
Figured she had the test to make sure she wasn't preggers before she left the darling new hubby, and that she was disappointed when fate didn't give her the out that she desperately wanted to stop running. A baby would have (maybe for her) meant that she didn't have to choose whether to keep running or not - that she HAD to stay. Not being pregnant meant that she had to choose...and her nature meant that she had to choose to keep running.
Just my .02 about what might turn out to be a completely unimportant part of the plot. :)
→ 10. Posted by: Helen at November 9, 2006 1:23 PMtoo much build up and too long a break to leave us hanging like that. i hope daybreak tanks and they bring it back early. that show looks like its going to suck anyway. groundhog day anyone? tae diggs is no bill murry.
JAC
→ 11. Posted by: JAC at November 9, 2006 1:25 PMI was hoping to be first....almost, but no cigar. Once again, brilliant review Mac! My only observation that I want to add is when Kate and Sun were using the pregnancy test Kate jokingly said, "Who brings a pregnancy kit on an aireplane?" I think we now know the answer is Kate.
→ 12. Posted by: Sam at November 9, 2006 1:28 PM"...But, now that I think about it, maybe Kate's dalliance with Sawyer was part of the plan. She got out of her cage with absolute ease ... and she and Sawyer were left to their own devices for a very long time. Hmm ... "
Have to agree with you on that one, Mac. I absolutely thought it was a setup. I think maybe the voice telling Jack to check the door was Juliet's, and that she knew Jack would see Kate & Sawyer in post-coidal snuggle mode, and that would flip the Jack-switch to operate.
Also, maybe this is reading too much into it, but I was sorta struck by the way Kate left the necklace in hubby's unconscious hand and how simialar it was to the way Sun's necklace was dangling from Swan Dive guy's hand.
→ 13. Posted by: ransomjackson at November 9, 2006 1:28 PMDamn, misspelled simialr...simmu...alike.
→ 14. Posted by: ransomjackson at November 9, 2006 1:29 PMGood one again Mac.
If I saw correctly, I think Kate's pregnancy test said "not pregnant" though. I think this upset her because she was going to use her pregnancy excuse not to fly (to Costa Rica) instead of Kevin hubby finding out that she has no passport (at least as Monica). Now she has to fly the coop.
→ 15. Posted by: chappy at November 9, 2006 1:30 PMWas I the only one hoping Sawyer would throw his shoe and hit the button as they went at it so we'd have the music going in the background. REWARD REWARD a little mood music if you will.
Good Q about where the
Dharma subdivision is located. If you were brilliant (& crazy) scientists messing with nature, would you do it in your own backyard? Would you live on an island where you created Smokey and Dharma brand animals (come see the Anna Lucia Polar Bear, more fur than AL but just as angry)
I have to think there is a Dharma commuter rail...perhaps the Dharma chunnel.
Great recap
Phoebe, Rachel, and, now, Monica. Was Kate a Friends fanatic?
→ 18. Posted by: Genepools at November 9, 2006 1:36 PMI'm pretty sure Kate's pregnancy test showed the negative symbol. Then she tells Kevin "I almost had a baby". Am I wrong? I thought she was crying b/c she'd let her guard down to the point of having a pregnancy scare when she should have been more careful. Are we to think she had a positive test and then aborted the baby? I'm confused
→ 19. Posted by: novfraggle at November 9, 2006 1:36 PMsorry-guess I should refresh my browser before posting. I see now that this has been addressed
→ 20. Posted by: nova at November 9, 2006 1:38 PMHey Mac, good review. First off, Kate realized that she'd have to get a passport to go to Costa Rica, which she wouldn't be able to do under an assumed name, not to metion, she is wanted by the law. Also, Kate's pregnancy test revealed that she was NOT pregnant, just a close call. That's all. Thanks.
→ 21. Posted by: Eric at November 9, 2006 1:38 PMLooks like it's time for a new abbreviation: TTWN
The Test Was Negative ;)
→ 22. Posted by: mac at November 9, 2006 1:41 PMHas Jack figured out that if the others had the ability to get off the island then Henry would have left for medical treatment or had DHARMA drop in a doctor with the scheduled grocery delivery.
I can not wait to see see the Bald headed bear again. shades of the Great Outdoors.
→ 23. Posted by: Mike at November 9, 2006 1:43 PMMac, excellent as always!
Yes, I thought Kate's pregnancy test said "not pregnant" and then in her dialogue afterwards she said, "I almost had a child."
I also agree with your comments re: 6th episode of a 23-episode season. I would suggest people not try to buy the hype, which is all about advertising and ratings. I've already read comments like "not a very good Fall Finale" ... The commercials build it up to be something it isn't. I became a LOST fan by watching the DVDs. I have never watched LOST "live", week-to-week. This is my first time. If I had Season Three on DVD, I would be very excited to put in the next disc and see what happens ... knowing that I had twenty-or-so episodes to go to the end.
So ... what I'm saying is that, for episode six, before the big hiatus, last night's show was just right.
Also, I feel last night's show FINALLY got the mojo of the series back on track. I was a little worried during 1 through 5 ... the story was taking its time and the writers didn't seem to be doing a good job of juggling all the story lines (the beach?? Desmond??? the Arctic base???)
I was on the edge of my seat last night and rooting for Jack all the way.
Then I thought about it: Oops, he's done all this to save Kate but he doesn't know they're on a different island. Damn!!
Well ... last night was just awesome.
But who's Jacob? Oh my, do you think the Beach group has an OTHER amongst them????
Thanks, Mac!
- Matt
→ 24. Posted by: Matt at November 9, 2006 1:46 PMI was disappinted with the lack of a "wow" cliffhanger. Yet, Mac is right that it is really the middle of the season. Can't wait until February.
I have a few things on my mind:
Most importantly, who is Jacob? When they said they took Alex "home" did they mean to the other island? Wasn't Kate concerned that they were being watched during their little tryst? Why did Kate even bother getting married if she knew it wouldn't last, I mean a cop?? Let's get serious.
→ 25. Posted by: meg at November 9, 2006 1:47 PMWe see in the previews for the next episode that Sawyer and Kate are running, so at least we know they make it out of the bear cage scene alive.
What's the connection between Ben and Alex? Could Ben actually be one of Rousseau's scientist partners? Could that explain why he doesn't seem like he's "one of them," but "with them (the Others)?" Could that also explain why he was caught in Rousseau's net? ie. she was helping him, she knows him, and he is protecting her daughter when she knows that she can't... Hmm, interesting development there.
I was disappointed that Desmond had little to no role in this episode. Two episodes ago, they showed us that Desmond has a power. We haven't seen anything since.
→ 26. Posted by: Dudelost at November 9, 2006 1:48 PMDo we yet know how & why Kate got to Australia in order to even be on the flight back to LA? That's the only piece of her backstory I can't place.
→ 27. Posted by: Buck41 at November 9, 2006 1:48 PM@mac
>Or maybe Pickett's question was a fleeting piece of dialogue that means absolutely nothing.
If Lost has taught us anything, it's that NOTHING is by accident, EVERYTHING is significant.
→ 28. Posted by: Cecil Rose at November 9, 2006 1:50 PM@ Buck41
that was adressed in tabula rasa 3rd or 4th episode of S1 a ranch farmer she was working 4 ratted her out for a $20,000 reward.
→ 29. Posted by: maestr06 at November 9, 2006 1:51 PMHow are they able to get information from the outside world but not a doctor? i am sure that will get ansered eventually but just a note. I thought Jack's plan was awesome. But that might have been b/c I had spent the previous 10 minutes going what is he doing - why is he operating on him! Jack has resurfaced as my favorite character! He has some power where Sawyer and Kate have none. Plus they can come back and get him. Really he didn't have too many options in that situation. I acutally thought it was a great episode starting from my new favoite line "well you wont be disappointed for long!"
→ 30. Posted by: Melissa at November 9, 2006 1:51 PMOne thing I don't get: Why is Pickett so mad at Sawyer for Colleen's death? It seems unreasonable. But then I suppose he's not in a real reasonable mind set, what with his honey dead.
→ 31. Posted by: EEK at November 9, 2006 1:52 PMOh, and re: Jacob. It's that Ben guy. He screwed all of this up by being selfish. He captured Shepard to save his own butt. The "Others," and Jacob in particular, aren't very happy about that, I'm sure. What does this mean for Ben, and his "followers?" Don't know. I think we're going to see a massive split amongst the "Others" once the season picks back up in February.
→ 32. Posted by: Dudelost at November 9, 2006 1:52 PMI am still not entirely convinced that they are on a different island.
→ 33. Posted by: Melissa at November 9, 2006 1:55 PMFirst, let me begin by saying, "Captain Tightpants we missed ye and Serenity!" Love Nathan Fillion and glad to see him on LOST!
I post the rest of this before I've even read Mac's recap...
What exactly did Ben promise Jack? If he promised him off the island - does he mean the island they are on now? He'll take him off the island and just put him on the original island?
Now that Sawyer and Kate did the nasty - does this mean Kate is going to die? Or will it be Sawyer (since he had sex twice with Ana Lucia and Kate - it'd be like a double negative).
I guess the island comes with a Dharma no-heat waxing kit because Kate's armpits were looking mighty smooth. Maybe they can find a Dharma razor for Sawyer...
Do you like chocloate milk?
→ 35. Posted by: Omar Adams at November 9, 2006 1:58 PMAmazing recap-
laughed out loud at "Bear cage sex".
A thought: Did anyone else notice how one of the flashbacks last night had Kate walking down the aisle toward the man she "loved" with a veil covering her face...and then SWOOSH to present...Kate's walking down the Dharma corridor towards the man she "loves" with the hoodie covering her face. Metafor?
→ 36. Posted by: Sillygirl0630 at November 9, 2006 1:59 PMGreat recap Mac. Lots of great lines, you are DA MAN.
I completely agree about Jack seeing Kate and Sawyer being a set-up. They knew that that would push him over the edge, but here's the thing: they didn't count on Jack figuring out it was a setup, he only played along so that he could get Ben on the slab and put himself in a position to help Kate and Sawyer.
"And now for an update on the 1st Annual "Island Hook-Up Championship" The score is Sawyer 2, Jack 0, Hurley was in the running but is now permanently stuck in 3rd. In other news the judges have ruled Jin disqualified, sleeping with your wife is not considered a "hook-up".
LOL
→ 37. Posted by: Mr. Grimm at November 9, 2006 2:02 PMAnother one of Juliette's lies exposed: Jack asks (in front of Ben) if the operating room is in order and they have all working equipment...to which she repsonds "yes" but we all know that the defib isn't working....why doesn't Ben catch on to this? He was watching when Colleen died, wasn't he?
Someone asked why Pickett has it out for Sawyer when it was Sun that shot Colleen? I think it's just an "eye for an eye" plan...the survivors took the one he loves, so, seeing that Kate "loves" Sawyer (which I don't really buy either...I think the bear cage nookie is somehow part of the Jack plan...or has something to do with what Kate was told between her beach scene with Ben and winding up in the cage...I also found that her "I can't leave without you" line to Jack was more heartfelt then he bear skin/bare skin lovin with Sawyer...), Pickett's only option is to take away the love interest of one of the survivors to avenge Colleen's death...
BTW...Who is Alex's boyfriend? Was it Carl?
TTWN!
→ 38. Posted by: Vikki at November 9, 2006 2:03 PMDont forget about Sayid 1
→ 39. Posted by: Melissa at November 9, 2006 2:04 PMNot too hard for the others to take Sawyer to the end of the original Island and point to an Island in the distance and tell him he used to be on that Island. He just assumes they are not lying to him. The others have been so truthful so far.
The three amigos were drugged while in transit to there new quarters so he has no idea what happened while he was out
→ 40. Posted by: Mike at November 9, 2006 2:05 PMAbsolutely the single worse episode of LOST ever. Actually it was 40 minutes of ads (especially for that Groundhog Day wannabe-Daybreak) and 20 minutes of actual show. What was the point of the Kate flashback? What clues did it provide? You could have skipped all but the last 5 minutes and still have come away with the important information. The whole Kate/Sawyer "wild monkey sex" thing? Please! I guess they are not camara shy. What's next Dharma porn? Sorry, but I will stick to reading Mac's summaries. They are much more informative and do not have any commercial breaks!
→ 41. Posted by: gables79 at November 9, 2006 2:06 PM1) I totally agree with mac and ransomjackson that the Kate - Sawyer love-fest was carefully orchestrated for Jack's benefit. Explains why so much effort was taken to show Jack's obsession with his ex over the divorce - so we'd buy into how he would react to that.
2) I believe that "Jacob" is the eyepatch hatch guy.. Since every season opener starts out showing someone's eye, I suspect there could be a tie-in to the one-eyed bandit. Perhaps "LOST" even refers to the missing eyeball? Who knows? Instead of an eyeball to kick off the Winter Season opener, we may be treated to a patch, or even a socket..
3) Is it just me, or have the producers "LOST" their way with some of the backstories? Except for being treated to my Firefly Pal Captain Mal, how much did Kate's backstory really matter either to us - or to the storyline? With the exception of the Eko backstory last week, and Desmond's last season, I'm really starting to miss what used to be one of the most compelling aspects of LOST - the way each character backstory was woven into the plot of each episode (My personal favorite is the Hurley-centric "Numbers")
4) Great recap mac! Much appreciated as always
→ 42. Posted by: vacc at November 9, 2006 2:06 PM@Mellissa:
Yes - Thanks - I completely forgot about Sayid.
→ 43. Posted by: Mr. Grimm at November 9, 2006 2:07 PMJack is THE MAN !! Too bad he doesn't know they are on another island. But he still holds all the cards. He can probably keep Benry on the operating table for quite some time I figure. Stitch him up , recut him. What are they gonna do about it ? Jack kicks ass! His acting is on par with Mel Gibson.
Who is Jacob ? Is this the "Great Man" Benry mentioned when held captive by the Losties ? Kate just continues to make bad decisions. The 20 seconds of "Dancing with the Stars" I had to endure was excruciating ! I will NOT watch Daybreak or whatever it's called with Taye Diggs. Even though he was great in "Malibu's Most Wanted"
"we're gonna need a bigger boat"
→ 44. Posted by: thinng at November 9, 2006 2:11 PMDo we know if Ben was part of Rousseau's group that landed on the island? Was Rousseau preggers before or after landing on the island? Is Ben Alex's biological dad?
→ 45. Posted by: Connie at November 9, 2006 2:12 PMPerhaps Kate cashed in the two tickets to Costa Rica for a ticket to Australia?
→ 46. Posted by: Kimberly at November 9, 2006 2:13 PMI too am disappointed in the "cliffhanger". Two weeks ago, the previews promised (in big bold announcer speak) "THE NEXT TWO WEEKS WILL CHANGE *EVERYTHING*".
Well, the last two weeks picked up the pace a little, but I think that the last two minutes of S2 or the first 3 minutes of S3 were more along the lines of "Changing Everything". They're still just trying to get away from the Others, that's not different at all.
→ 47. Posted by: Mehdron at November 9, 2006 2:15 PMDid anyone notice what, if anything, happened to the pistol Jack took?
As a woman who's had children, the two week comment jumped out at me all the more in the episode... Now us girls out there, we all know about the 2 week wait, between trying to conceive and waiting to find out... With this, I raise a possibility.
Did the "two weeks of hell" comment by Ben mean more than just smashing and hauling rocks. Was it done so that Sawyer and Kate would be alone, and eventually consumate their 'feelings' for one another, as she's donned in a pretty little sun dress? Juliet is a self-proclaimed fertility doctor, the Others have a thing for taking children, Claire was one of their obsessions when she was pregnant. Is Kate being set up to have sex and procreate?
I'll admit that I don't know how this fits into the conversation Juliet had with Pickett, and how the 'two weeks' time frame had changed. And maybe none of this makes any sense at all, but hey - I thought I'd throw it out there. Especially in light of them showing Kate taking a pregnancy test in the past. It all seemed to fit together in a neat little package, delicately tied with a pretty Dharma bow.
→ 49. Posted by: hookedonlost at November 9, 2006 2:17 PMEveryone keeps commenting on the fact that Kate's backstory last night didn't reveal anything new about her character or it wasn't relevant to the events of last night's episode.
I couldn't disagree more.
C'mon folks. I've seen posts on this blog dissect the tiniest of details but no-one has bothered to acknowledge the point that last night's island events and Kate's backstory showed someone who had come full circle, or had at the least changed her nature.
In her flashback she had found a man to love, gotten married and wanted to settle down. But her past was going to catch up with her. She did what she always did and ran.
In last night's island events she decides that she's had anough of running, whether it be Jack or Sawyer, she's decided that she has found something that she will not run from, at least not alone. She is done with fleeing and being afraid to form a lasting attachment.
Now this might be due to the fact that both Jack and Sawyer now about her past and therefore there is nothing for her to hide from them, but the fact that she doesn't fall back to her old habit of running away and looking out for Numero Uno is a huge character shift. Kate hasn't (to the best of my recollection) ever displayed one iota of self-sacrifice.
I could be worng - but that was the duality I saw in last night's episode.
→ 50. Posted by: Mr. Grimm at November 9, 2006 2:17 PMGreat recap Mac! I think you are right when you said that Alex may help in the escape...but not with a Dharma Sea-Doo!LOL
→ 51. Posted by: MrEko237 at November 9, 2006 2:18 PMMaybe Jacob is the Man in the Yellow Patch? Some all seeing Other overlord or something. Oh yeah..I mean black patch.
→ 52. Posted by: MikeDee at November 9, 2006 2:20 PMYo Mac,
GAFRAM! YATKOALER! TTWN!
(for the record once more...Great and funny review again Mac! You are the king of all lost episode reviewers!) Love TTWN...I was one of the schlepps who would've swore it was positive.
I'm bothered by the fact that Jack did not directly address Julievilet's private message at some point this week. But maybe the whole point was to let J know that he doesn't trust her anymore that he trusts Benry, and isn't going to help her either.
Kate should've quickly shouted to Jack in the walkie that they're not on the real island. Would've made him shut up his shouting of RUN! and made him use his leverage more effectively to get them off the island(s).
So where did Jack go after agreeing to do the surgery in the morning? Did he give Benry the gun and saunter back to his fish tank? Why didn't Benry seem surprised that Jack got out? Sounds like it really was a setup, though they made it sound like Alex in the intercom, not Julievilet.
I'm really tired of this split time between Other-Land and the beachcombers. I'm hoping part II of this season gets the focus back to the main group on the island so we can see more regular cast members in action at once.
Thanks for the summary of the story Jack wants Kate to tell him 'once she's safe'. Of course I couldn't remember it, but knew I could count on you!
If you think about it, the cliffhanger was a moment of pure, mind-bending irony: after spending her life on the run and refusing to settle down even for a husband, Kate finally manages to latch herself onto Sawyer and stay grounded...only to be told, almost immediately, by JACK of all people, to start running again! Hail to the Lost creators for that bit of almost Shakespearean story twist.
And I couldn't help but laughing at the "Day Break" promos they posted during the commercial breaks..."Every question will have an answer!!!" "At the end, the mystery will be solved!!!" All the subtlety of a nuclear bomb...they should have just come out with it and said "Bleh, we're not like that "Lost" show!!"
I don't know what I'm gonna do for 3 months. Mac, I don't suppose you'd be willing to write a new "Key Points" for every 30-second "Lost Nugget" they trot out over the break, would ya? =)
→ 54. Posted by: Brandon at November 9, 2006 2:21 PMMy first thought was kate panicked because she could not get a passport for Costa Rico but she ending up finding a way to get out of the country and enter Australia. She was pretty adept at running and assuming new identities.
My problem is the call to the guy chasing you. It appeared like this was a regular occurance like "Catch me if you can"
→ 55. Posted by: Mike at November 9, 2006 2:24 PMI appreciate the laid back long-view thing, Mac, but you're giving them too much slack. If it is going to be flogged by the marketing dept. like the finale to a short season, it needs to deliver like one. Rationalization is a poor substitute for realization.
Not only did this episode fail to deliver a serious punch, it fell back on some seriously lame TV cliches. Sawyer and Kate making the beast with two backs was the worst. Can any grown adult females in the room seriously contend that they'd have been in the mood to count the ceiling bars in the bear cage at that time and in that place? I know some guys who will claim (almost certainly falsely) that they once dated a woman who'd do it anytime and anywhere. But in an animal cage, after days of backbreaking labor, in the aftermath of your jailer's death threats and upon the revelation that your circumstance is now, officially, hopeless? How many of you guys out there have a lady friend who'd think that was the perfect time to get it on?
Painfully stupid. Worst. Twist. Ever.
Shifting gears from critism to critique . . .
Since the idea that Jack's character repeatedly displays traits consistent with a military background was one of my hobby horses the first couple of seasons, I appreciate you dropping in that little parenthetical, Mac. I would add: didn't you find that little 'I think you'll find I'm very good at taking orders' comment in the scrub room more than a little odd? The whole exchange is ambiguous, of course, and she could be implying any number of things. On the list of potential implications, though, is the possibility that she is alluding to his (hypothetical) military background. Which she would know about, because it was in her Big Book of Jack.
Since this was apparently the episode for revealing plot points via ambiguous conversations, why not?
But truth be told, I'm now far more interested in Benry's story, than I am in any of the Losties. The origins of his megalomania and psychotic mood swings have to be far more interesting than the last sordid details of Kate's life. I'm waiting for him to lift his head off that operating table and say to Jack, "Most people are so ungrateful to be alive, but not you, not any more..."
→ 56. Posted by: Deep Cover at November 9, 2006 2:28 PMOoooh, hookedonlost .... I really responded to what you wrote. The whole Kate sun dress/pregnancy thing ... You may be on to something. I thought the producers just wanted Kate to show off some skin for the young male viewers. But, as usualy, not all is as it seems on LOST.
One last comment about people being disappointed: Oy, if you start listening to the advertisers you're going to drive yourself crazy. The LOST people have *nothing* to do with the promos. That's ABC. That's about money, ratings, and luring viewers. I watch the promos, but realize that they are trying to manipulate me, so I take them as a grain of salt. Remember, the LOST writers don't *advertise* the show. They only write each episode. From the official podcasts I've heard, they even seem somewhat annoyed with ABC and their hyped-up promos.
→ 57. Posted by: Matt at November 9, 2006 2:33 PMMac
When did Kate's mother die? I do not recall that
Great job once again mac.
just a few comments:
+ "quivering like a Chihuahua in a thunderstorm." - great line.
+ i'm of the opinion that Jack's "let him die" attitude is a power play to by time without actually causing more harm to Ben.
+ although it is possible that he could have cut the kidneys, he didn't reach too far (i know it's just a show, but) it is also possible that he simply sliced the sac spoken of during the Kate-Jack story - to be revealed when Kate calls back via WalkieTalkie.
+ if Jules does want Ben to die, I wander what plan she'll have in place to intercept Kate B4 see calls back - or will she simply speed up the process by send her Mr. Friendly henchman and once he's out of the room cut Ben off by herself.
+ i do not think that Jack is a killer.
+ i think that Ben and Jules are bitter siblings - not sure that i trust her.
→ 59. Posted by: 4ever_Lost at November 9, 2006 2:40 PM"Jacobs" is ethan's last name. Just like "Pickett" is danny's last name.
They're the jocks of the others.
→ 60. Posted by: wolf at November 9, 2006 2:42 PMDid anyone notice, was Alex just shooting rocks or was it more? I could have sworn I saw a dart (or something like) hit one of the Dharma drones. It would certainly explain them dropping better. A stone from a slingshot would hurt, but would you really expect to go against people with GUNS with a few rocks?
I also agree, the little snippet questions, i.e. "How did she get here?" or "Our schedule's been moved up." were very interesting. Just the fact that there IS a schedule reveals something.
"Bear cage sex!". Best line this season Mac! :)
→ 61. Posted by: TheDuf at November 9, 2006 2:42 PMHere's another question - whatever happened to Kate during her time w/ Benry - what was that a week in Lost time? - and then sex w/ Sawyer... Is it possible they impregnated Kate? She'll be preggers and and think it's Sawyers but it turns out to be alien baby from V (God, that was a great show)?
But as I'm writing this, they probably would make her do all the heavy construction work if they wanted to impregnate her and keep her preggers...
→ 62. Posted by: Connie at November 9, 2006 2:44 PMone other thing.
could "Jacob" be our "Other" Ethan.
i do not remember any of the "Others" adressing Ethan and "Ethan" - or any (other) name for that matter.
please post if one can correct me.
→ 63. Posted by: 4ever_Lost at November 9, 2006 2:48 PM@Mr. Grimm : I almost have too much respect for your cumulative contributions here to debate your take on the Kate backstory.
I agree about her coming full circle and changing her nature. (although, if it had been Jack in the other bear cage???)
But even you pointed out that in her story "she did what she always did - run"
I was just a little let down in that the Kate (Monica) we were shown in the backstory was pretty consistent with the Kate we've always seen - she skirts on the borderline of someone who tries and really seems to want to be that person - but ultimately is who she is..
Her story almost served to "remind us" of what we already knew - or to re-introduce her to newer viewers the way the Paulliki character was used as a similar vehicle.
The change in her nature was relevant to her past but I think most of us would've seen that without the new info.
I guess that over the long haul they plan to tell a "complete story" on each of the mainstays, and this was their time for the next chapter.
I'm starting to view Kate as Bill Bixby's David Banner and the Marshall as that reporter guy McGhee in the old Hulk series. (I can almost hear that teary piano music as she hitchhikes her way down the highway at the end of each segment... )
→ 64. Posted by: vacc at November 9, 2006 2:52 PMThinking a little about what we’ve seen:
1. Why do the others have nothing better to do with their prisoners than have them working on very low-tech manual labor projects with no apparent point, and which didn’t seem very big to me despite Kate’s “It’s big.†declaration to Jack?
2. What is the nature of Smoky, given the writers’ nixing of the ‘nanobot cloud’ theory?
A little reasoning leads me to believe that:
1. The Others have no control over Smoky, because if they did, he could clear a field of rocks a lot faster than semi-starved manual laborers.
2. Or else, the chain gang serves no other purpose than to punish and/or condition the captives for reasons not readily apparent, in which case Smoky may still be under the Others’ control.
Side issues:
1. Who are the *other* laborers? (Other than Sawyer and Kate)
o Renegade Others? (May lend some credence to the punishment theory.)
o Previous plane crash/boat wreck survivors?
o Rival hatch groups that lost the power struggle with the ‘one true hatch’ after Dharma collapsed?
I’d like to suggest at least a partial explanation for some of the intriguing questions. The Alvar Hanso film that was the final product of the Lost Experience suggests that the island was set up in extreme secrecy for six separate groups to study “how to change one or more of the core values of the Valenzetti equation.†And thus save humanity from extinction. Hanso says the location of the island was known only to Hanso, the deGroots, and a few high ranking executives of the Hanso foundation. A radio tower was set up to broadcast, in code, the six Valenzetti equation coefficients until one of the Dharma research groups succeeded. In the meantime, Hanso would supply food, medicine, and equipment in perpetuity. When a breakthrough had been made, then and only then were the scientists to signal (by means unspecified in the film) that the project has succeeded.
Everything about this suggests that communication with the island was supposed to be one-way, information and supplies flowing into the island but nothing coming out, until the success signal was sent. Hanso appeared at that point to have disappeared. We have no information about the deGroots. At least one high ranking associate of the Hanso foundation, Dr. Thomas Mittelwerk seems to have staged a coup and taken over the foundation.
The internal evidence at in the series seems to be that the Dharma Initiative failed long ago, and that remainders of the scientists, or perhaps their children, are using the decaying facilities for their own purposes.
Maybe no one outside the island KNOWS this (other, perhaps, than Mittelwerk, who for purposes of his own, is not telling), and therefore data and supplies continue to flow in to the island, but on a fixed schedule, and no communication in the opposite direction does (or can) take place. Thus the Others cannot request a surgeon, or a replacement for the defibrillator. They are technically without the means to ask (or to depart the island themselves). All this due to the secrecy Hanso felt necessary to set up in the first place.
Maybe the key to getting off the island is to find out how that “success†signal was supposed to be sent, and send it. We know it can’t be a simple interruption of the sending of the numbers, because, if I remember correctly, Rousseau has already done that, substituting her own transmission, with the Losties already intercepted.
→ 65. Posted by: Cecil Rose at November 9, 2006 2:52 PMBen(ry) calls Ethan "Ethan" in the first 5 minutes of season 3.
→ 66. Posted by: wolf at November 9, 2006 2:53 PMHmmm, if Kate was worrying about using her passport to gt to Costa Rica, how did she get to Australia without any problems? I guess you could say that the Marshall found out about her going there and that's why he was there but I doubt it. I'm pretty sure that you need a passport to fly to Australia too...
→ 67. Posted by: BeLO at November 9, 2006 2:54 PMMac, great review.
One significant thing, though:
The passage not only said "Lift up your eyes and look North" ... it also included the biblical passage ... from "JOHN"
In essence, to Lock it appeared as:
"Lift up your eyes and look north John"
... and being that his name *is* john ... I think it re-affirms his belief in predestination.
Some have commented on not being sure that the Other's village is on the Big Island. This is shown quite clearly at the end of the opening sequence from the first show of season three. The shot pulls back from the village to show most of the island with the two halves of airplane freshly "de-skied".
→ 69. Posted by: JP coltrane at November 9, 2006 2:55 PM@Bob: Technically, we don't see Kate's mom die, but in "Born to Run" she sneaks into the hospital to see her gravely ill mother.
Here's the review:
http://tinyurl.com/y6cto8
-- mac
→ 70. Posted by: mac at November 9, 2006 2:55 PMSomeone asked what promise Ben made to Jack (like won't he just dump him on the other island after the operation). I think what Ben said was that he could send Jack "home." I assumed he meant back to the U.S. and his real home. Not the other island.
But, he could pull the old switcheroo.
I still think Juliet should not be trusted. She's E-vil.
→ 71. Posted by: Amanda S. at November 9, 2006 2:56 PMNot knowing Nathan Fillion the actor, when Kate opened the door I swore I was looking at Ethan Rom! Strong resemblance in my opinion.
I think 'Monica's' husband Kevin the cop is looking for her and will surface again at some future point...
Didn't anyone at the wedding think it was strange that Monica had NO family or friends of her own at the ceremony?
Best line in season three:
Jack- Well, Ben, at least you won't have to be disappointed for very long
Does anyone know how many episodes that have already shot for this season? Have they shot the entire season yet or are they up to a certain episode?
→ 74. Posted by: Jon is FOUND at November 9, 2006 3:02 PMDid anybody else throw-up in their mouth when Sawyer and Kate were getting hot and heavy? I'd rather watch old people fuck than those two.
→ 75. Posted by: stevo at November 9, 2006 3:04 PM@ Cecil Rose
regarding communitation - i thought the Hanso video stated that the communitation tower signal (setup to repeat the "numbers sequence") was to be revised to reveal that one or more core values were found to be altered - where scientist from another (off)site will know what data the Dharma group(s) have determined possible.
→ 76. Posted by: 4ever_Lost at November 9, 2006 3:05 PMgreat review mac, as always.
i totally agree with you about nathan fillion. extremely underrated as an actor and i totally loved firefly and the movie serenity even more. i hope he gets more work and soon.
it was good to see jack back but i must say i like kate&sawyer together much better than kate&jack. kate/sawyer have a chemistry that really works for their characters and i think the writers should consider that and continue to pursue it.
i loved last night episode and cant wait til feb. hopefully half of our questions will get answered before the season finale.
i to have a problem with pickett taking his frustrations out on sawyer for colleens death. shoulnt he be going after sun? it's not like they dont know where to look for her. hmmm...... how about the other island. :) his tyrads are actually getting old and unnecessary, if you ask me.
anyway, that's my 5 cents and i'm sticking with it.
→ 77. Posted by: tiffani at November 9, 2006 3:05 PM@ Mr. Grimm
>"And now for an update on the 1st Annual "Island Hook-Up Championship" The score is Sawyer 2, Jack 0, Hurley was in the running but is now permanently stuck in 3rd. In other news the judges have ruled Jin disqualified, sleeping with your wife is not considered a "hook-up".
Mr. Grimm, Mr. Grimm, Mr. Grimm - are you looking at this only from the tally points of the male gender? Do not Ana Lucia and Kate get a point (even though the former has no chance of scoring again)?
Did Sayid score a point - I don't rememebr.
→ 78. Posted by: ButchM at November 9, 2006 3:08 PM@ButchM - Remember Sayid hooked up with Shannon (the night she saw Walt)?
→ 79. Posted by: Linda at November 9, 2006 3:10 PMShannon - Sayid
I thought I was going to hate Sawyer/Kate together (mostly because I hate to see Sawyer with anyone but ME) but I like them now. Jack and Kate do not have the right dynamics any more. I really liek the idea of Jack and Juliet.
I think that "Jacob" is Goodwin as he created the lists, and Jack wasn't at his camp so Goodwin never put him on, and also didn't Tom say Ethan never made a list?
→ 81. Posted by: maestr06 at November 9, 2006 3:15 PMIf you're going to count a tally, you have to include Locke. He mentally worked Charlie pretty good for awhile there.
→ 82. Posted by: Dudelost at November 9, 2006 3:16 PM@ButchM:
Sorry I didn't mean to be sexist, LOL, I just assumed that the ladies don't keep count of their conquests. Or maybe the younger generation does, hhmmmmm maybe I'm age-ist as well.
And yes - I forgot to Include Sayid in the "Island Hook-Up Championship". Charlie was also excluded when he failed to pass the substance screening process.
→ 83. Posted by: Mr. Grimm at November 9, 2006 3:22 PMGreat & funny review, as always, Mac.
Here's something I noticed that I haven't seen posted yet... MoniKate's husband worked for Miami Dade police. He was working on a fugitive case. Wasn't Sawyer in a Florida prison before he got let go for ratting on a fellow inmate? Wasn't the money from that episode in a car/jeep off of a Florida turnpike? Point I'm trying to make: MoniKate's husband may have been the one that arrested/jailed Sawyer. Perhaps that's why this seemingly unnecessary backstory was written. To finally tie in Kate and Sawyer from the past. Hummm?
→ 84. Posted by: BunnyLover at November 9, 2006 3:23 PMThe "anonymous Dharma drone" with Pickett is named Jason (see Every Man for Himself).
→ 85. Posted by: fan at November 9, 2006 3:25 PMI propose a point for Mr. Eko as well. If he didn't get effed, I don't know who did.
→ 86. Posted by: ransomjackson at November 9, 2006 3:26 PM@Stevo: Please watch the language. A number of teenagers follow this site.
→ 87. Posted by: Hey Yo It's Me at November 9, 2006 3:34 PM@ Mr. Grimm - Re: Island hookups... I expect Rose & Bernard are WAY ahead of Sawyer and everybody else. They've got to be doing something to kill time - not like we've seen them at all lately!
→ 88. Posted by: Lee at November 9, 2006 3:37 PMI am so sick of seeing Kate ruin every opportunity by becoming a hostage. That is like the 3rd or 4th time we saw this.
Didn't we see in some flashback that she could fight. She could've taken that guy.
Even if it was a setup and Jack knew it, for the first time ever, I felt kind of bad for the guy. He has been kept all alone in this cell for a week or more. Now he sees Kate and Sawyer in the same cage doing the nasty. If I was him, my first thought would be...
"here I am all by myself trying to figure out a plan and they have been together doing it this whole time?!" He wouldn't know that it was their first time. I would be a little pissed/hurt.
Also, I don't get Sawyer. Who gives a shit if they are on a different island. Any escape is better than randon beatings from Pickett. Or is he scared to be away from the security of the fish biscuits?
→ 89. Posted by: Charlie Salinger at November 9, 2006 3:40 PMSome have suggested that Jacob is Ethan, and I think maestr06 was the first to suggest he was Goodwin.
I've played Clue before, so here's my guess : It was Eyepatch Guy in the Arrow Station with the Jesus Stick!
But if he had to be either of the first two, I remember that Zeke once jumped over Ethen because he was found out before he got to make a list so I'd say that rules out Ethan.
Picketts grumblings suggested that Benry's taking someone not on the list was in defiance of someone higher than Benry. And judging from the way Benry barked out orders to Ethan & Goodwin, I'd say the pecking order of the others that we know of is (from top to bottom)
1)Jacob
2)Benry
3)Juliet, Zeke, and Bea (ms. Klugh).
4)Goodwin, Ethan, Pickett.. (the movie star.. the professor and MaryAnn)
No way they're done filming for the season. They probably won't get done until March or April.
→ 91. Posted by: Connie at November 9, 2006 3:44 PM@ransonjackson:
LMAO - you're right - he sure did. DAMN.
@Lee:
The guidelines for the "Island Hook-up Championship", as written by the International Olympic Committee, does not allow for married couples to participate.
I hope they are "Knockin' boots" though, damn - I just showed my age.
→ 92. Posted by: Mr. Grimm at November 9, 2006 3:51 PMI, for one, really liked seeing Kate and Sawyer hooking up. I thought it was genuine, sexy and quite believable. What woman in her right mind wouldn't jump his bones if they had the chance? Hello?!
One small quibble though. Kate's armpits were smooth as a baby's bottom. Is Zeke/Tom slipping her a Lady Schick along with the clothes? Come on!
→ 93. Posted by: Amanda S. at November 9, 2006 3:52 PM@ ransomjackson
>I propose a point for Mr. Eko as well. If he didn't get effed, I don't know who did.
Keen observation - I second the motion that Eko gets a point. Whadda ya think Mr. Tallyman Grimm? Oh, and add Shannon to the list (thanks Linda).
I propose a new acronym - WTLTMG? - what's the latest tally, Mr. Grimm. Whadda ya think, mac? Mr. Grimm will have to do all the work - we can kick back and relax, and ask the score at any time.
@ Stevo:
In 3 seasons, that's the first time someone actually said the "f" word. Not that we are a bunch of prudes here, but I think we are better off without it. Other posters use all sorts of imaginative words in lieu of it - effen friggin, etc. My 10 yearold grandson reads the blog sometimes and I'd not want him to see that. TIAFYC (thanks in advance for your cooperation)
→ 94. Posted by: ButchM at November 9, 2006 3:55 PMNot only was "lift your eyes and look north" writen on the stick but the scripture reference below was from John. Just thougth that was cool too.
→ 95. Posted by: Aaron at November 9, 2006 4:02 PMHey all, Hookedonlost posted a great link under last week's "Cost of Living" -- http://www.tvguide.com/News-Views/Columnists/Ask-Ausiello/default.aspx
Its an interview with the creators that talks about the story arc, and what to expect after the break. A must read. (Thanks, hookedonlost!)
Where's Saminator when we need him? I'm curiuos what he has to say about this ep!
→ 97. Posted by: Lee at November 9, 2006 4:16 PMCan someone refresh my memory of why Ben was going through the jungle on the island when he was caught? Could he have been going to see "Jacob" and Jacob be among the other Losties?
→ 98. Posted by: Dan at November 9, 2006 4:16 PM@Amanda - Hah -see my above comments about Kate's pits.
→ 99. Posted by: Connie at November 9, 2006 4:32 PMIf Kate was starting to make out with Sawyer and she raised her arms to take her shirt off and revealed that she had harry pits, I would have puked. I don't care how "real" it is that she doesn't have hair under her arms. That's the way it should be, cleanly shaved. I'm sorry, there's only so much I'm willing to give up for the sake of reality. :)
→ 100. Posted by: Dudelost at November 9, 2006 4:40 PMI think Jacob is "Him". Sort of like Voldemort.
Too bad Nathan Filion couldn't be used for more than one episode unless he is in some flashback where he is persuing Kate and helps get her out of the country. He did get to use one of his biggest acting skills which is falling down unconscious whihc I believe he did in every other episode of "Firefly", usually from getting punched out. :)
As long as we get to propose new names and aconyms, I propose Pikkaulo for the two new redshirts. Just like the airy lightweight instrument, which is what they have brought to the show. Unless Ian Anderson shows up, I don't think there will be any argument on that one.
Since the Others who are clearing the area don't seem to have any interest in talking to Kate and Sawyer, I am going to assume that they are real Others. I think it's obvious they are preparing a landing site for something. A helicopter visit from Jacob/Him? Desmond's girlfriend? Alvar Hanso? A new area for a food drop since the Beachgoers have taken the first one?
Perhaps Rousseau, Benry and the Others are much older than we thought. Has the island or some other experiment stopped their aging process? That would explain why they are anxious to acquire children: to see the process which allows them to grow and age and why it stops. It would also explain their I Love the 60s soundtrack, it was the music they grew up with. It does not explain the Pulp Fiction reference though.
→ 101. Posted by: PiecesofArzt at November 9, 2006 4:42 PMAfter watching this episode, I think I’ve finally nailed (unintentional pun) down why I haven’t enjoyed these first episodes more. Personally, I am not into ‘torture’ scenarios be it via physical or mental means, and these episodes have been the epitome of the word extreme.
One definition of torture is: the deliberate, systematic, or wanton infliction of physical or mental suffering by one or more persons in an attempt to force another person to yield information or to make a confession or for any other reason.
Sawyer and Kate have absolutely given in to the situation; sure Sawyer had the snuff scared out of him. But with the kind of life he (professional con man) and Kate (professional fugitive) lived you would think they would have more gumption.
Since captivity Kate has lost all will to fight, how many times in these six episodes has she been man-handled because she couldn’t make a fist or run when the opportunity presented itself. It’s odd but Kate goes from being “I am woman hear me roar†To someone scared of ALL the others. What happened to the master manipulator fugitive? Not that she could take Juliet, because Juliet looks like she has a little muscle going for her. But why wouldn’t she TRY a little smack down, even Sawyer gave into his base urge and pop Benry one.
Several years ago I heard a radio DJ ask the stations male audience the following question: Who would you like to be trapped on an island with? 99% of the men said Angelina Jolie. After hours of listening, one lone guy called and said ‘Serena Williams’ everyone at the station mocked him about his choice.
His answer was a common man perception on life. He wanted someone who could be a life partner. Someone who could help him cut down a tree and make a home out of the extreme environment, not someone standing around looking pretty and useless, while he did the manual labor. Kate has gone from being an aggressive helper to passive decoration.
While Sawyer makes tentative forays into the fight arena, they are best half-hearted. So he got played by Benry, I really didn’t expected him to stop scheming and plotting some sort of revenge. To take the passive route of forced labor, random beating, mental torture, just because Benry got the upper hand in the game is just plain weird. I personally think anywhere on the island they are currently trapped on is better that his current accommodations. Just the random beatings alone Sawyer is taking are quite visually brutal, and for a professional conman, his and Kate’s inability to make common perceived observations is ridiculous.
Hence the scenes where Benry beats the snuff Sawyer, after he plays the foot in the water game with him and Jack looking and speaking to the camera over Kate’s shoulder.
Jack seems to be coming out of the prison camp mentally, yeah for him. He’s exhibiting sighs of a backbone, and some level of self preservation. With the level of mind games going on, it’s hard to fathom the number of mentally challenged oceanic passengers awaiting rescue. It’s been roughly been 3-4 months since the plane crashed. How many people have died from non plane related actions? Upon rescue will the castaways take a vow of silence?
Enough rambling, these are just my thoughts.
Next week’s article title: Don’t these people ever talk to each other?
Okay... I've gone too far ;-)
Upon hearing the name Jacob, my first thought (I'm a complete Atheist BTW) was of the Biblical connection: Benjamin was the youngest son of Jacob.
So, I thought, let's Google "Jacob Linus" and see if anything interesting turns up. It didn't, but one of the searches turned up a list of names, with Jacob also spelt Jakob. Well, I Googled "Jakob Linus", and the first entry was http://www.alabamaears.org/successbefore2006.html
Jakob Linus is a bunny! And Ben keeps bunnies. True, Jakob doesn't look much like Bunny #8, but look at Peppermint just below Jakob in the link... spooky isn't it!
Seriously though, can I suggest that Jacob is Ben's twin. In S03E01, in the opening at Walden II, Ben is not actually addressed by name. 'Ben' orders Ethan and Goodwin to go and get the lists - if Ben were actually Jacob, then they would be Jacobs lists. Also, if Juliet had had a thing with Ben, and not invited him to the book club, wouldn't his twin also feel excluded?
This would also solve another point - in Walden II, we don't see any of the other Others who we have seen at Hydratraz. If there are two main Other encampments (WII and H), surely they would need two leaders to keep control. And, what better than twins, who can think and act in harmony?
In fact, let me make a prediction - Ben will die on the operating table. And, in a big dramatic episode sometime in 2007, Jacob will appear like a resurrection, and threaten the cleanliness of Jack's trousers ;-)
-------------------
Good Luck and Namaste = Locke's a Goddamn Tuna
→ 103. Posted by: Danny at November 9, 2006 4:51 PMI thought last night's was a great episode--I was glad to see Jack finally become a man again and take charge of the situation. And any excuse to see Sawyer take his shirt off is fine with me! I also noticed Kate's clean-shaven pits, which while more aesthetically pleasing, did seem out of place with their dirty clothes, dirty skin and general stankiness.
I think that somehow Locke and Sayid will help to rescue Sawyer and Kate. It will be a long three months.
WGNATVS (we're gonna need another TV show--at least for 3 months)
Danny, I really, really like the Ben / Jakob twin theory. That, would be awesome!
→ 105. Posted by: Dudelost at November 9, 2006 5:00 PM@Dana: Do you think that perhaps Kate has become more passive because of whatever happened to her after her breakfast on the beach with Benry? Just a thought...
→ 106. Posted by: Kathy at November 9, 2006 5:00 PM@ ButchM
A 10 yearold!
watching lost?
and GRANDson?
i imagined you younger...
If you guys will recall from the frist episode of season 3 zeke told kate to have a shower which she did so maybe this explains the reason why she has cleanly shaven pits. If the others were nice enough to give her a shower with soap and shampoo and a clean dress why not a razor as well.
Any thoughts??
@Kathy
You could be right. But for viewing pleasure, these episodes have been down right brutal as far as human nature goes. Maybe it’s because the 3 characters have been beaten down at the same time, it just comes off as extreme.
I thought it was kinda funny that Nathan "Mal Reynolds" Fillion once again gets married to a woman who gives him a fake name and a fake history, then drugs him! I have to assume that was intentional casting!
(apologies to those of you who aren't familiar with "Firefly," as the above comment will make no sense).
@Amanda S, I thought the same thing about Kate's smooth-as-silk pits!
→ 110. Posted by: bunnyfiend at November 9, 2006 5:22 PM@ Kaseygirl
I was on the island with the Losties and escaped. I am 114 years old because of the island's de-aging
process.
@ Danny
>In fact, let me make a prediction - Ben will die on the operating table. And, in a big dramatic episode sometime in 2007, Jacob will appear like a resurrection, and threaten the cleanliness of Jack's trousers ;-)
Buy me a beer if you're wrong?
Actually, it makes a heckuva lot of sense and could easily go that way.
→ 112. Posted by: ButchM at November 9, 2006 5:32 PMWho's Jacob? Maybe he's Ben's boss, he mentioned there was someone he was taking orders from back when he was imprisoned on the hatch. The list they are talking to may very well be the list of people Michael was supposed to bring to the Others. Which would mean that Ben added Jack there for his own personal gain, but Jacob's list only had Kate and Sawyer there (I'm not counting Hurley since his only task was to deliver news about the kidnapping). So, why would this Jacob guy want to kidnap Kate and Sawyer?
→ 113. Posted by: sage at November 9, 2006 5:37 PMMac, thanks for your funniest review yet. Your "but Sawyer's soft spot for Kate is enormous (as is his not-so-soft spot..)" is hilarious. Jack is back, Sawyer has become a wimp, and Kate is still a mess. On a side note I wonder how Dominic Monaghan felt watching his future wife make-out with not one - but two actors -in this episode.
→ 114. Posted by: PAG at November 9, 2006 6:00 PM@Cecil Rose : regarding Smokey the Monster - I had planned to wait until I had more to go on before posting my thoughts. But as we now have 12 weeks to survive with no new episodes (or mac’s awesome recaps), here’s my take on Smokey:
Smokey the Island Monster is a JINN (a.k.a. Djinn, jinni, genie) whose existence on the island predates Dharma, Hanso, Valenzetti, the deGroots, and even the four-toed statue (Which was possibly constructed to worship the Jinn?).
For those who do not know what a JINN is, the Wikipedia entry covers many of the basics.
Some of the characteristics of a Jinn do lend support to the idea that a Jinn (or Jinns) is a force on the Island.
- Jinn are beings much like humans, possessing free-will the ability to be good and bad. (free will is mentioned a lot this season)
- A Jinn's natural form is composed of fire or smoke although Jinn can appear in this world in the shape of any being.
- The JINN are NOT fallen angels. They were created from a smokeless flame of fire.
- In Islamic mythology, the JINN are said to be controllable by binding them to objects, known as a talisman - think Genie and a lamp. (Perhaps Smokey was bound by the electromagnetic properties of the Swan station? Or under control of the others?)
- Some say jinns live with other supernatural beings in the Kaf, mystical emerald mountains surrounding the earth. (The Island?)
- A person dying in a state of great sin may be changed into a jinni in the period of a separation.
- They often take on human and animal shapes to influence men to do good or evil. (A horse, Imaginary friend? Boone?)
- The JINN have led many people astray by appearing in the forms of righteous people who are dead. (Yemi?)
- They are quick to punish those who do not follow their many rules. (Eko?)
A couple of other recent developments that led me to the JINN idea :
- Submitting the name "Benjamin Linus" to the anagram server revealed that the word JINN appeared with the most frequency (by a longshot) of any word in all potential anagrams.
- I recently learned that the Patch guy in the hatch was played by Andrew Divoff of WishMaster (someone please confirm that) Never saw the movie from start to finish, but read somewhere that Wishmaster was a djinn.
Has anyone posted a similar take on Smokey? or has this already been debunked by the creators?
→ 115. Posted by: vacc at November 9, 2006 6:02 PMSurprised no one has mentioned this yet but have you looked at the screen underneath the one with Sawyer and Kate? Looks to me like a SUBMARINE! Maybe Jack can use that to get back to the other island.
→ 116. Posted by: MarcusG at November 9, 2006 6:02 PMLet's not forget about the book _Bad Twin_...
Could the other laborers be the real "others"? The dirty feets? The HBO's? Perhaps....we should look back and see the condition of their feet as they work...
IPKCPT (I Prefer Kate's Clean Pits Too)
WGNABB!
→ 117. Posted by: Vikki at November 9, 2006 6:02 PMSurprised no one has mentioned this yet but have you looked at the screen underneath the one with Sawyer and Kate? Looks to me like a SUBMARINE! Maybe Jack can use that to get back to the other island.
→ 118. Posted by: MarcusG at November 9, 2006 6:03 PMFor your enjoyment, here’s a short “tongue-in-cheek†look at the back story/flashback of Smokey:
Many moons ago on an island far, far away, a man named “Jacob†“Dharma†built a small camp fire using paper from the comics section (it was Charlie “Ben,†who was playing football with “Linus.â€). He added some magic magnetic dust from an experiment gone awry and POOF, a small wisp of smoke was born. It’s name was Smokey. It took to the woods like slop to a pig, and loved to wend its way swiftly thru the bushes and trees, especially when the wind produced a great “gale†or even just a “goodwin.â€
Eventually it grew into a “hugo†mass but its brain did not develop with its size. It didn’t know “jack†about a “thinng,†did not even have a “klugh.†And it was lazy, preferring to drink “jin†and bask in the “sun†on “claire†days. It loved to smell the “roses,†which were on the other side of the river that it had to “ford.†Only one time did the river freeze over, but Smokey “kated†right across with little effort. Smokey loved to eat. His favorite was the “degroots†from the “yusef†tree, which he thought were very “yemi†He loved them “ethan†more than the “tom†berry bushes, which were full of “picketts.â€
“Widmore†food, Smokey grew to an enormous size. For vacations (“vaccs,†as he called them), he often flew to “Nikki†Paulo,†Brazil (or was it Pikkaulo?), where he enjoyed the “PiecesofArzt†at the local museum.
Smokey was hanging around some bushes one day when a polar bear named “Vincent†mysteriously appeared and began to take a leak on him. Smokey looked up and said to himself, “Urine trouble now!†The polar bear had its own issues - for one thing it thought that it was European. Smokey quickly zipped thru the island and took refuge next to a “candle†in the “bernard†of a local “shephard.†Things looked mighty “grimm†for Smokey and he considered himself to be just a “silly girl†by the name of “Penelope†(he was a gay wisp). But there was no “locke†on the door of the barn and a mean Irish couple by the names of “Danny†and “Colleen,†blogged him unmercifully, thus Smokey’s screams “ekoed†throughout the island. The Irish folks’ daughter, “Shannon†and her husband, “mac,†(it was love at first sight - like Romeo and “Julietâ€) “zeked†thru the tiny hole of the barn. When Shannon “sawyered†what her parents did to Smokey, she told mac and he “sayid†it too.
Prior to releasing Smokey, Shannon said, “Hey Yo†as she gave him her St. “Michael’s†necklace for good luck. Then mac ran away so fast that he got a “charlie†horse. Shannon yelled, “mac, won’t you please “walt†for me!†Smokey ruled over the island but never knew where he really was. Everywhere he went, whether thru the woods or down the “JoePike,†was deja vu, as if he had “boone†there before. He was merely a “dudelost†as whizzed around the island “humeâ€ing to himself, “When I’m alone and life is making me lonely, I can always kill, Eko.â
Thanks! ;-)
→ 1. Posted by: Chris Meisenzahl at November 9, 2006 12:52 PM