Lost Reviews and News
Key Points from "The Brig"
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Season 3, Episode 19 Episode Air Date: 05/02/07 |
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Point 1
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Boy, am I confused.
Is Locke the Obi-Locke shaman we think he is? Or, is he a marionette in Ben's evil puppet show? Did the events of this episode set him free? Will he overthrow Ben and take his rightful place as a benevolent Other King (count those toes!)? Or, will he while away his island days hunting boar and dabbling in an ill-advised affair with Rousseau? Sorry. Unfortunate visual on that last one. Alas, I have no answers ... or theories ... or postulations or paradigm shifts. But I do have a recap to share. On to the review! With "The Brig," the "Lost" crew uses an established technique -- the flashback -- to fill in some key gaps from Locke's recent island experiences. During these sequences, we go inside Locke's brief time with the Others. You'll recall that Locke has been MIA since "Left Behind." Last time we saw him, he paid a brief, mysterious visit to Kate just before the Others donned gas masks and scurried off to an unknown location. Well, now we know where the Others went ... sorta. The Others went camping in an island valley pocked with ancient ruins (at least I think they're ancient). Why they went camping, why they chose this particular valley, and what their ultimate destination will be remain in doubt. But, in an interesting twist, Locke is invited to accompany the nomadic Others. Initially he thinks he's poised for an adventure, but as usual, the brochure doesn't live up to the experience. Once the tents are pitched and New Bennsylvania is settled, Locke is invited to a private meeting with Ben. Approaching his tent, Locke can see that Ben has a small black tape recorder perched by his ear. Juliet's voice is audible and it's clear he's listening to the recording Juliet made at the end of "D.O.C." Noticing Locke, Ben snaps off the recorder and motions toward a walking stick leaning against his cot. Locke hands it over and Ben gingerly rises. Ben is feeling frisky because, ever since Locke broke into Bennsylvania, Ben's wrecked spine has been on the mend. His improving health puts him in a chatty mood, and he tells Locke that the Others plan to storm the castaways' camp to gather up all the pregnant women. Locke's taken aback. He didn't see that coming. Ben assures him they've done this sort of thing before and they have no intention of hurting anyone ... unless they get in the way, or breathe or talk or make fun of Ben's eyelash condition. Ben's on a roll. He tells Locke he's looking forward to showing him the island's secrets. Unfortunately, there's just one small thing Locke needs to do before Ben's Magic Box is cracked open: He has to kill his father to prove his loyalty to the Others and "free himself" from Cooper's grasp. Or some such nonsense. Ben's just tired of lugging Cooper from campsite to campsite. To expedite the process, the Others have tied Cooper to a nearby pillar (the pillar's construction seems to put it into the same historical period as the four-toed statue seen in "Live Together, Die Alone." Or maybe I'm just making that up.) Let's pause a moment to consider this Cooper business. The evil conman/World's Worst Daddy mysteriously appeared at the end of "The Man from Tallahassee," and as this episode opened I figured we'd soon discover how and why Cooper arrived on the island. How stupid of me. We don't find out and now, given certain "events" (Key Point 2), we may never know. But here's the kicker: The Others claim to not know the how and why of Cooper's arrival, either. Seriously. What's going on? What possible explanation could there be? Moving on ... Night falls and New Bennsylvania is quiet. Ben limps over to Locke and nudges him with his walking stick (a la Yoda on Dagobah). "It's time," Ben says. Ben leads Locke over to Cooper (who's still tied to the pillar) and gives him the ol' "rah rah kill your father" speech. He hands Locke a long knife and suggests that "faster is better." Locke pauses, which is a mistake because it gives Cooper (who's been ungagged for some strange reason) an opportunity to dig into Locke's daddy issues. "The hesitation he's feeling is because he's spineless!" Cooper spits. Locke looks out and sees a crowd is forming. He resists the urge to sing. Turning back toward Cooper, Locke digs the pointy tip of the knife into Cooper's flabby gullet. One good sneeze. That's all he needs. Just one deep, angry sneeze. But then Locke thinks back to the good times spent with dear old dad; the days before the kidney theft and the attempted murder. Overcome with emotion, he drops his hand and steps back. Cooper laughs. THWACK! Ben smacks Cooper over the head with his Yoda stick. Cooper blacks out. Ben purses his lips and turns toward the group. "I'm sorry," Ben announces. "He's not who we thought he was. Please return to your tents and avoid pregnancy. Thank you." Locke walks down from the pillar and makes his way through the disappointed Others. Look close and you'll see the varsity jocks snickering while a tear forms at the eye of a kind-hearted cheerleader. The next day, Locke sits alone on a hill overlooking New Bennsylvania. Richard Alpert and his eyeliner arrive. Alpert tells Locke that Ben went out of his way to embarrass and discredit him because he sees Locke as a threat. Locke's confused. Alpert's magic eyeliner senses it, so he elaborates. Word of Locke's miraculous healing spread like wildfire through the Others. "People began to get very excited because that could only happen to someone who was extremely special," Alpert says, doing his best Morpheus impression. "Ben doesn't want anyone to think you're special, John." Oh Dick. You sure know how to push Locke's buttons. Whipping out that "special" thing is slick. It's the same technique Locke's mother used to hook Locke up with Cooper. It's his kryptonite. Alpert tells Locke that Ben has been distracting the Others with "fertility problems," but the truth is, they're looking for someone -- someone special -- who can reignite their faith in the island. This all sounds lovely to Locke, but as always, there's a hitch. Alpert says that for Locke to become the Other Ayatollah, he has to dispose of his father. "And since you're not going to do it," Alpert says, pulling a red folder from a bag, "I'm going to suggest someone else." Locke opens the folder. It's chock full of Sawyer details. You see where this is going, right? Soon thereafter, Locke wakes one morning to find the Others pulling up stakes and preparing to move camp (what are they, a MASH unit?). Locke asks Ben where they're going. Ben makes it abundantly clear that they are moving but Locke is staying behind with that blowhard Cooper. Locke morphs into Whiny Johnny. We've seen this before. His eyes get real big and his shoulders hunch over and he looks like a 50-year-old boy. "You can't leave me," he says, picking his nose with one hand and clutching a drippy ice cream cone in the other. "Don't tell me what I can't do, John," Ben says. Daaaaaamn. Those Others don't play. Ben tells Locke he can only rejoin them if he returns with his dead father's body slung over his back. With that, the Others pack up and move out. And that brings us up to the present day.
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Point 2
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Confident in what he has to do and how he has to do it, Locke sneaks back to the beach camp. It's late at night, but he conveniently finds his target -- Sawyer -- peeing on Ethan's unmarked grave (it doubles as a men's room).
Sawyer is shocked to see Locke (and embarrassed because lil' James is dangling free). Locke's been planning for this moment, so he disregards pleasantries (and lil' James) and launches into his sales pitch/lie. Locke says he's "infiltrated" the Others and kidnapped Ben. He's returned because he wants Sawyer to kill their bug-eyed nemesis. Sawyer rightfully asks why Locke can't dispatch Ben himself. Locke says he's not a murderer. Sawyer offers the same excuse, but Locke knows better -- he's seen the file; he knows about the man Sawyer killed in Sydney. (Again, how could the Others possibly know about this?) Sawyer feigns ignorance and Locke uses his patented "oh, my mistake" mind trick. As Locke goes to leave, Sawyer pulls up his pants and follows him into the jungle. The sun rises as Locke and Sawyer make their way toward Locke's secret "Ben Hiding Place." Sawyer is barefoot, but he endures the pain because the future of Nakatomi Plaza rests in his hands ... wait, wrong story. The long hike allows Locke to dredge up the greatest hits from Sawyer's file, including the murder-suicide of his parents. He says the Others' folder doesn't explain why his father killed his mother and then turned the gun on himself. Locke fills his eyes with faux sincerity. "That must have been hard for you." Bad memories swirl around Sawyer. Locke's got him where he wants him. Locke lets the topic drop and continues on, but Sawyer isn't having it. He charges Locke and pistol whips him. The boys fall to the ground and Sawyer expertly slides Locke's knife from its sheath and slaps it against Locke's throat. Snarling, Sawyer says Ben has conned him before (the bunny/heart thing back in "Every Man for Himself"), and Sawyer isn't going to let it happen again. He figures Locke is in on a scam, so he demands to know where they're going and why they're going there. Locke continues the ruse. Struggling against the knife blade, he says the goal is to kill Ben. He can't do it himself. He knows Sawyer is the only one who can make it happen. Sawyer backs off. Locke dusts himself off. Sawyer is temporarily pacified, but he tells Locke he's not killing Ben. "You'll change your mind when you hear what he has to say," Locke says confidently. Their journey soon concludes at a location we haven't seen since season one: The Black Rock. This is Sawyer's first visit to the old ship, and he does a fine job exhibiting the proper level of shock and awe. Locke guides Sawyer into the dark interior and points out key landmarks: the chains that once held slaves, the slaves themselves, femurs branded with Dharma insignias, the boxes of unstable dynamite -- all the highlights. But the Black Rock is also hosting a new exhibit ... Locke leads Sawyer to the ship's brig. A muffled voice sounds from behind a heavy wooden door. Locke swings the door open. Inside, a hooded prisoner strains against chains and shackles. Sawyer steps into the room. WHAM! Locke slams the door and bolts it from the outside. Sawyer pounds and demands Locke open it, but Locke doesn't respond. He simply sits and waits. The prisoner stirs. Sawyer turns and pulls the hood off Ben's head. But that's not Ben. It's Cooper. And this is when the "Lost" producers take full advantage of the Safe Harbor liberties a 10 p.m. broadcast allows. Sawyer doesn't immediately recognize Cooper, but he will. Locke knows it; he patiently whittles outside the brig door. As he works (and listens to Sawyer and Cooper), Locke sees a figure emerge from the darkness. It's Rousseau! The two engage in a bizarre exchange. Rousseau says she's stopped by to stock up on dynamite. Locke doesn't have a problem with this. Her attention is momentarily diverted by the muffled shouting from within the brig and she looks at Locke. Locke responds by shining his flashlight toward the dynamite and cautioning her about its instability. She grabs a box and scurries off. That's it. That's the whole scene. Sidenote: What is Rousseau doing with the dynamite? Has she been tracking Alex and the Others? Did anyone actually see Alex during the camping scenes? And, doesn't Rousseau already know the dynamite is unstable? Didn't she use it to blow up her underground lair? Back inside the brig, Sawyer takes the gag out of Cooper's mouth (why do people keep doing this?). He points his gun -- which he's been carrying the whole time -- at the brig door and tells Locke he's going to pop a clip of bullets into his shiny bald head if Locke doesn't open the door immediately. Locke whittles and lets out an exasperated sigh. Oh, James. "If there were any bullets in that gun, why would you hold a knife to my throat?" Locke asks, referring to their recent jungle scuffle. Sawyer drops his arm. Cooper laughs. "I didn't raise no dummy," he says. And it's this one little comment that opens the door to a big ol' revelation. Sawyer begins to question Cooper and he soon discovers that Cooper is Locke's father. He's also the same guy who stole Locke's kidney and pushed him out an eighth-floor window. Nice guy. Sawyer asks the most obvious question: How did Cooper get to the island? Cooper scoffs. He doesn't believe they're on an island. He says his arrival in this "place" suddenly happened after someone rammed his car on a Tallahassee highway. Last he remembers, a paramedic smiled at him as an IV was slid into his vein. When he woke up, he was bound and gagged in a dirty room, staring into the incredulous eyes of his son. "Little hot for heaven, isn't it?" Cooper says with a smirk (the writers must love lines like this). Sawyer changes the topic and asks Cooper why he chucked Locke out a window. Cooper says Locke became a nuisance. He conned him out of one little kidney and Locke never got over it. Con? Con, you say? Sawyer rises. He asks Cooper his name. Cooper still doesn't realize where this is going. He rattles off his aliases: Alan Seward, Anthony Cooper, Ted McClaren, Tom Sawyer, Louis Jackson ... "Well how about that?" Sawyer growls. "Sawyer's my name, too." Sawyer launches a full interrogation and Cooper, for some weird reason, confirms that he spent time in Sawyer's hometown (Jasper, Ala.). He confirms he knew Sawyer's mother (Mary). He confirms he stole $38,000 from her. It's him! Cooper is Sawyer! Cooper is the con man who swindled Sawyer's mom! Sawyer reaches into his back pocket and pulls out "the letter" (now that's being prepared). He orders Cooper to read it. Cooper has nothing better to do, so he complies. "Dear Mr. Sawyer. You don't know who I am, but I know who you are. And I know what you done. You had sex with my mother and then you stole my dad's money all away, so he got angry and he killed my mother, and then he killed himself. Blah ... blah ... blah ... blah ... " Cooper stops. There isn't an ounce of remorse in his body. He says it isn't his fault Sawyer's dad overreacted. "FINISH IT!" Sawyer demands. Cooper looks down and tears the letter in two. Ohhhh, bad idea. Sawyer lunges and wraps a chain around Cooper's neck. "You wanna go to hell?!" Sawyer shouts, pulling the chain tight. Cooper kicks and struggles, but Sawyer's clamped on him like Leia on Jabba. Cooper sputters. Death spittle sprays across the brig. Sawyer spins Cooper's lifeless body to the floor. Locke opens the brig door. ("Hellooo? I thought I heard a noise ...") Locke looks at Sawyer and nods. "Thank you," he says quietly. Moments later, Sawyer runs from the brig and darts outside to vomit. Locke follows. As Sawyer dabs the last remnant of vengeance from his lips, Locke tells him to go back to the castaways. Tell them Juliet is a mole, Locke says, spilling the secret Ben revealed days before. Sawyer says they won't believe him. He's issued warnings about Juliet since she arrived, but they fall on deaf ears. Locke hands Sawyer Ben's tape recorder. Yup, that'll help. Locke moves to leave, but Sawyer has one last question: Is it true he was crippled? Locke pauses. "Not anymore," he says. With that, Locke moves to a nearby clearing and grabs his pack. Cooper's corpse is wrapped in an old blanket. Locke slings the body over his shoulder and walks off. |
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Point 3
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The "campers" -- Desmond, Hurley, Jin and Charlie -- manage to sneak back into camp with their new friend, Tree Girl. Desmond has convinced his fellow campers to keep Tree Girl's existence a secret from Jack because Jack may have been compromised during his Other tenure. Charlie initially expresses reticence, but Jack's continued infatuation with Juliet certainly suggests that something happened to him during those 10 days of incarceration.
The boys decide to loop Sayid into their cabal because he's generally trustworthy and he's handy with electronics (more on that in a moment). Sayid sneaks into the beach tent where Tree Girl is being kept and calmly questions her. That's when we learn the following:
Sayid doesn't buy her story. He asks Desmond if he actually saw the helicopter and Desmond says he didn't. Sayid also finds it interesting that Naomi now has absolutely no way of contacting the freighter. And this is when Naomi earned my respect. "What was your name?" she asks. "Sayid?" Sayid nods. Naomi pulls out a satellite phone. "Remind me not to rescue you, Sayid," she snaps. After recovering from Naomi's bitch slap, Sayid goes outside to repair the phone. He gets it working, but as he fiddles with the buttons it becomes clear that something on the island is blocking communication. He begins to discuss this revelation with Hurley, but as he talks Kate suddenly appears and sees Sayid clutching the phone. Sayid has no choice but to let Kate in on the Naomi secret, but he asks that she not tell anyone (especially Jack). Exactly five minutes later, Kate finds Jack sitting with Juliet on the beach. She asks to speak with him alone, but Jack puffs out his chest and declares that Juliet can be privy to anything Kate has to say. "Ooookay," Kate huffs."When we kissed I had a cold sore and now you've got herpes. Have a good one!" Unfortunately, it doesn't play out this way. Rather, Kate intentionally defies Sayid and tells Jack that a woman parachuted onto the island and a freighter is parked 80 miles away. Jack asks why he wasn't informed about this earlier. Kate glares at Juliet then glares at Jack. "They don't trust you," Kate says. Jack pauses, then chooses to ignore the trust thing. He asks how the parachutist is supposed to contact her ship. Kate says she has a "phone radio thing" (Kate = tech geek). And this is when something very odd occurs. "We should tell her," Juliet says, looking at Jack. But Jack disagrees. "Not yet," he responds. And with that, Jack gets up to go tend to this Naomi business. Juliet stares at Kate. Kate stares at Juliet. And that's that.
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Point 4
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A few closing questions and observations:
That's all I've got! Be sure to drop by the "Lost" Forum for stimulating conversation and conjecture. |
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Next Episode:
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| "The Man Behind the Curtain" -- Ben spills the beans about the Others and Jacob and why he has no eyelashes. Airs Wednesday, May 9, 2007 at 10 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 May 3, 2007 11:58 AM | Email This
this show blew my mind, locke is back!
disappointed he couldn't kill his evil
father that pushed him out window though
unreal,,, mw9 rules!
Love your reviews Mac
GO RED SOX
First or Second?
→ 4. Posted by: bemh at May 3, 2007 12:02 PMMac, you're the best!
Red Neck Man- I have a great question for this week- "What is it that Juliet indicated she and Jack should tell Kate?"
→ 6. Posted by: sarah c at May 3, 2007 12:02 PMLove your reviews Mac
GO RED SOX
First? Cool!
Loved the Nakatomi reference. Nice one.
→ 8. Posted by: oj at May 3, 2007 12:08 PMDid anybody else get that 'Empire Strikes Back' feeling. You know when Yoda sends Luke in to the dark to face his fears, his father. Only Obi-Locke is Yoda and Sawyer is Luke.
It would be awesome to see Sawyer training with Locke in his backpack.
Anyways - great episode, this season has been awesome - Obi-Locke is back and finally rescue is back on the agenda.
Still what's up with Jack and Juliet's little click?
Mac, sweet little reference to "Carrie" there, and on the mark, too. To answer your question, Mrs. DC didn't see the merger of the Locke/Sawyer storylines coming. I imagine a lot more casual viewers didn't than did. Gotta log off the 'net and breathe the air more ;-)
I was intrigued by the use of the ancient ruins as set pieces. It matched up with Benry's cryptic statement that the Others were actually headed to an *old* place. Stay tuned for "Indiana Benry and the Temple of Doom".
→ 10. Posted by: Deep Cover at May 3, 2007 12:18 PM
Marvelous recap, mac, as always.
This ep will really get the bloggers going crazy today, I'm sure! And if I don’t have to get sidetracked dealing with “bigotsâ€, this is going to be a fun exchange with all the mac-ees and mac-ettes. Ok, we got some BIG answers and Big questions, but after (deservedly) pissin’ and moanin’ about the writers in the first six episodes, I must admit, they’re coming back with a vengeance as we near the end of the season! As usual, I set down after the show and punched out my “instant reactionâ€:
WHAT I SAW TONIGHT (11:20 EST - 5/02/07)
Mostly a night of surprises and non-surprises.
Biggest non-surprise was Locke/Sawyer’s dilemma. With all the conjecture this past week, YOU KNEW it was going to be Locke’s Daddy that John wanted Sawyer to kill. That was a GREAT sequence of events in regard to the emotional roller-coaster that BOTH men demonstrated. It was gratifying to see that both do have a MORAL COMPASS, in spite of their past experiences. And boy, did Daddy deserve to Die!!!! If there was any indecision about this guy’s character, it was certainly dispelled tonight. That was really a riveting story.
Non-surprise #2 - Ben is truly one of the world’s great NASTY GUYS!!!!!
Non-surprise #3 - Naomi is there for Desmond on behest of Penny. Aaaaah Love. It does conquer all.
Non-surprise #4: OF COURSE there’s a boat out there out of reach!
AND the telephone line is out . . . Isn’t that Horror/Mystery Movie cliché #274 . . . ? . .
My “A†list of surprises and/or questions that come immediately to mind are:
•Why did Daddy keep laughing about “What Island?!?â€
•Flight 815 is in a ocean trough with all bodies aboard!?! This IS a somewhat troubling and confusing plot scenario.
•OUT OF THE BLUE, Rousseau walks into the middle of a scene - asks Locke where the dynamite is - and then doesn’t just take a few sticks, she takes a whole honking crate of it. What the heck is she planning to blow up? Rhode Island?
•All this dilemma over the satellite phone. Isn’t there still a transmitter somewhere on the island with CFW’s S.O.S. call being repeated for the 84gillioneth time? Why haven’t we EVER tried to find that?
•If the Others are SO RICHLY FUNDED, as they obviously are, why do they have to travel across the savanna like Moses and the Israelites? Why don’t they have Hummers and Airflow Trailers?
•So now John Locke’s future hinges on carrying Daddy’s corpse across the island? Are we heading for the “Ancient Home of the Ancestor-Others?†Ahhh. Destiny Awaits! (My best guess for last scene of the season - John Locke peering down a hole in the leg of the giant four-toed statue at Morlocks and Hominids . . . or not.)
•And for goodness sakes, what is this great SECRET that Jack and Juliet SHARE? I’ll bet the whole finale is hinged on this clandestine morsel.
And finally, with the tape recorder and the news of Juliet’s intrigue coming back to camp with Sawyer - “Luuucy, you got sum’plainin to do!â€
DRH
I don't think I've ever experienced 'schadenfreude' with as much clarity as I did when watching Sawyer kill the old grifter. Who knew watching someone get strangled with a chain could be so uplifting?
→ 12. Posted by: Deep Cover at May 3, 2007 12:21 PMI wasn't surprised at all by the connection. I kept hoping it would turn out not to be Cooper as the "real Sawyer" just because it would throw me a loop. (Another good line: "I was young and Huck Finn was taken.")
Also, when Charlie went to get Sayid, he was digging in the ground, and it clearly sounded like he had hit something right when Charlie arrived. Any speculations on what it could be? He obviously knew right where to dig.
Sounds to me like Jack and Juliette's big "should we tell her?" secret is the same thing Ben told Locke: that there would be a raid on the island and all the pregnant women would be taken.
→ 13. Posted by: Trinity at May 3, 2007 12:23 PMMac, thanks, great review as always! Loved the "magic eyeliner" line...& speaking of which, perhaps Richard Alpert somehow got Ben's share of eyelashes. ; >
→ 14. Posted by: Alaïs_Longthought at May 3, 2007 12:23 PMAbout the plane wreckage and bodies...
First, Cooper also confirmed during his diarrheal interogation that the plane wreckage and bodies had been found.
But... did anyone catch exactly what Cooper and/or Naomi said about the bodies? I think Naomi said something about underwater robots, but did they just see *general* bodies, or specific identifiable bodies? Or did they actually *recover* bodies?
→ 15. Posted by: Buck41 at May 3, 2007 12:28 PMA couple of points:
1. Naomi said that CAMERAS confirmed the people on 815 were dead. Probably pretty easy for The Hanso Foundation to FAKE that footage, don'ya think? (Or maybe she's lying, just like everybody else.)
2. Is it Christmas on Lost Isle? "3 days ago" Juliet said it's been 90 days since 815 crashed.
9/22/04 + 90 days = 12/21/04
12/21/04 + 3 days + 1 night = 12/25/04
12/26/04 = tsunami??
The scene with Cooper on the pillar and Locke needing to kill him seems to reek of the whole Moriah Vinyard/ Bible link where God asked (someone) to kill their son as an act of faith. That was an interesting tie-in. Next week should kick butt too.
→ 17. Posted by: Sanderson at May 3, 2007 12:29 PMPlease tell me that someone else has remembered that dead people may or may not stay dead! Is Cooper going to bite Locke's ear thru the sack when the island revives him? Have we concluded a pattern to "seemingly dead" vs "dead dead" people- ie One Eye Russian brain explosion but now alive? Paulo and Nikki spider bite burial - still dead? How can we be sure Cooper is dead?
Thanks Mac ...
Great review Mac. It's nice to see that Sawyer is not a killer at heart. A killer would not vomit the way he did after doing the evil deed.
I imagine the Others sweep and snatch of all pregnant women will include more that just Sun. Kate?
Juliet's ass is toast when Sawyer plays that tape. Jack will have to dig deep to come up with an excuse for this one.
Can't wait until next week!!
→ 19. Posted by: Glen at May 3, 2007 12:33 PMi'm guessing the "should we tell her?" has to do with the "purple sky incident" and communications out of the island being disabled.
→ 20. Posted by: jay at May 3, 2007 12:35 PM"Richard Alpert and his eyeliner arrive." I loved it....the Herpes line was pretty darn good too.
But how about that odd scene with Locke and Rousseau...how strange was that? I'm not sure what it meant, or why I liked it so much, but I got a big kick out of that scene.
→ 21. Posted by: petew at May 3, 2007 12:35 PMAnother great line: "If you need me, I'll be here all week John!"
→ 22. Posted by: The Duf at May 3, 2007 12:36 PMYeah, I worry about the whole "Is he REALLY dead?" thing, too. The writers are really copping out on that point, you know? I mean, how absurd is it that neither Kate, nor Sayid, nor John, nor Danielle, took a pulse?!? Come on!
And was John really carrying Cooper, or was he carrying explosives, or both, or something/someone else in that bag??
The scene with Locke and Alpert saying that Ben is jealous of Locke being special suggested that Alpert was one of the "Others" that Juliet said wanted to have Ben dead.
Also why do they want Locke to lead them, as they have Him/Jacob?
→ 24. Posted by: Sky at May 3, 2007 12:38 PMI don't think there would be any way to recover bodies from that deep. I sure it will turn out to be doctered video. The plane just happend to sink in the deepest trench in the pacific. How convenient for the Others that there will be know way to retreive the bodies, or the black boxes.
→ 25. Posted by: Glen at May 3, 2007 12:39 PMGRAA Mac,
"Don't tell me what I can or can't do…" Locke used to say that a lot if I'm not mistaken. Ben gave Locke a little knowing look after he said it.
So we are to believe that Sawyer kept his letter in his back pocket for lo these many years? All his travels and all his cons and all the times he dropped trou to jump into the sack with some lovely dupe and he still has his letter? Right. Could be worse I s'pose…it could've been Bruce Willis' watch from Pulp Fiction.
And Sayid, the genius ex-Republican Guardsman, tries out the ultra-secret sat phone while hiding behind a bush thirty feet from camp and is discovered by…Kate?
Ben is stealing this show hands down. He is the only character who consistently behaves in a logical albeit bizarre manner. Okay, maybe Rousseau too…what's she need the dynamite for? The Others got an-Other sub? Any more pesky hatches or comm stations need 'sploding? She gonna ride on inta town, pull a number seven, bust Mongo out of the calaboose, and then go to the number seven dance?
Anybody know a good water ski and shark repellant store? I got a bad feeling about this...
Yoda stick....that's funny.
→ 26. Posted by: ransomjackson at May 3, 2007 12:39 PMBest Line of the Review:
"... Please return to your tents and avoid pregnancy. Thank you."
Anybody else get the sense that Sawyer's the one that's gonna cast off his burden's and Locke's still gonna be a tortured soul that's just replaced his Cooper Daddy with a Bug-Eye Daddy ? At some point Locke's gonna have to kill daddy.
→ 27. Posted by: trexl at May 3, 2007 12:41 PMI think Locke is really carrying Cooper, and that Cooper is really dead. One of the scenes from next week is Locke dumping that burlap-wrapped body at Ben's feet.
Speaking of next week, I'm surprised nobody has commented on the scene-flash of the "NAMASTE" sign!
→ 28. Posted by: Buck41 at May 3, 2007 12:42 PMOh and Mac, this is by far one of your funniest re-caps. Go figure, one of the greatest episodes=Great Recap. Still you had me rolling on each paragraph.
The Kate Herpes comment was awesome!!!
Locke's confused, Alpert's magic eyeliner senses it, so he elaborates.
You the man Mac!!!
I'm confused as to why Locke couldn't kill Cooper. By getting Sawyer to do it, isn't he just as responsible? Maybe it has something to do with the island and his recovery from paralysis?
I also thought that what Juliet wanted to tell Kate had to do with the impending raid. Juliet said she was going to get a “sample†from Kate. Maybe it was to see if she is pregnant. If so, then Kate will be taken along with Sun.
Mac – you are the man. ("Hellooo? I thought I heard a noise…†– just one of many laugh-out-loud moments.)
Just wanted to add that Ben tells Locke, "Don't tell me what I can't do." which is one of the lines Locke has said many times in the past (on the walkabout, in the box company, etc.)
→ 31. Posted by: Kates at May 3, 2007 12:43 PMWhen Kate told JackJewels that there was a outsider who could rescue them, Jack was not at all excited or believed it to be true . . . because Juliet and Jack know a “secret†about the island (which presumably discounts the chance of rescue).
Two outsiders, Naomi and Cooper, told the survivors that they are dead or the island is Hell. No motivation to lie. Cooper’s story of being rear ended and killed in a high speed traffic accident makes sense. It also falls into a pattern of other traffic accident victims in flashbacks. If the survivors did not know they were dead, then they would have hope that they would be rescued (which leads to possible manipulation); telling them they are dead puts them into a hopeless situation and less likely to be manipulated by Ben. That might be the Big Secret.
The Others devotion to Healers, such as Locke, is almost cult like. Richard’s inference that some of the Others thought Ben was wasting his time on fertility experiments ( a form of healing or generating new life) when there are those who self-heal (Locke, Ben) would be important to their final goal. The Others have this worship of Healing Powers which equates to Life. Life, or maybe the possibility of having a Second Life (reincarnation, rebirth) is the driving force behind Ben’s group. How else could one leave Hell?
I believe Jack and Juliet have a plan against Ben's invasion. But, Ben not trusting anyone has countered this plan by setting up Juliet by getting her tape to the losties camp. Spy or ally...
→ 33. Posted by: John at May 3, 2007 12:46 PMSomething to chew on...
When Sawyer thinks to listen to the tape on the way back to camp, and hears Juliet's musings about Austin being pregnant, especially given the Island's effect on Male Potency, and Sawyer realizing he is the delivery agent.
Also, the Mindfloods saw the Sawyer / Cooper relationship long ago when the Cooper-Locke backstory revealed Cooper as a con-man. Ultimately there will be another relationship revealed as there is only one other Lostie who has a background running cons.
Notice the tie-ins with the backgrounds and backstories of the individuals.
Jack-Juliet => Medical Risk takers
Cooper-Sawyer-Kate (Nikki/Paulo excluded) => Cons
Desmond-Penny-Widmore-Dharma-Hanso => Probably season 5 material.
There has to be more tie-ins that I just haven't thought of yet.
→ 34. Posted by: Neal Mindflood at May 3, 2007 12:50 PMJack, should we tell Kate that...
1. She is preggers and she will die
2. Sawyer has painted naked cave drawings of her in one of the stations' bathrooms.
3. Ben posted her cage sex video on the internet.
4. In real life she dates a hobbit
Regarding Jack and Jules and the 'we should tell them', 'not yet' thingy:
This will end up being the total set-up for the finale. Sawyer spills the beans next week and everyone is super surprised 'cause the original RNM (much props bro!) has audio proof (tape recorder) that Jules is in fact a mole....and she's 'under Jack's protection', so he'll be grilled by the beach camp as to what the 'hell' (sorry, had to) is going on!
I anticipate Jack and Jules will willingly tell the camp that Sawyer is correct. They'll try to spin it towards 'we were only trying to protect all you who are preggers'. They will in turn attempt to re-gain the trust of the camp by creating a defense strategy (Jack's army idea?) so nobody is stolen away.
I believe that this defense strategy will be flawed so it favors Jack, Jules, and of course the Others. How easy would it be to set up the camp to fail? Anyone think Ben will be listening to another tape recording next week with Jules saying 'Sayid, Sun, and Charlie will be here....Des, Jin and Hurley will be there...Kate will pro'ly be washing her neck w/ possible urine over there'.
We all believe that the core purpose driving Jack and Jules is to get off the island. Some believe that Jules may have fibbed a bit by telling Sun she got preggers ON the island, therefore tricking Ben into believing Jules has solved the preggers issue when Sun delivers a healthy-bald-Rex-specs-wearing-baby boy w/ a mean sky-hook, thus letting her go home.
I can just see Sawyer (again forced to be leader) and Co. standing on the beach after the raid w/ his D in his hand saying - 'Now that's how you run a con!'
I think that Ben is Satan and the only way you can really die on the island is when you have atoned for your sins. Because only certain people have come back from the dead like eye patch guy.
→ 37. Posted by: Gay at May 3, 2007 1:01 PMI had the feeling that the Juliette/Jack secret has something to do with communications of the island. I think Jack wants to see this "radio-phone thingy" for himself, and then he'll let the group down gently, that there is no outgoing communication possible on the island, because of the jamming signal, i.e. the cable running out to the ocean - just my hypothesis. I guess we'll just have to see.
***********SPOILER ALERT**************
I've heard that 5 people are going to die by the end of the season. I'm guessing that Locke's daddy is #1. Any speculation on who the other 4 are? Another spoiler I heard was one of our 4 favorite characters is going to bite it by the end of the season. Kate . . . Jack . . . Sawyer . . . Locke. Who could it be?
I think what Juliet knows is what exactly is hiding the island, and why transmissions are being blocked, and she has told Jack.
Or maybe it was just a coincidence that she said this right after Kate said something about the satphone.
I think the Others kidnapped Cooper from Tallahassee the minute they realized he was Locke's kryptonite and could be used to manipulate him into doing/believing exactly what they want him to. (To what endgame I have no idea, but it's coming!) Examples to support: Ben and Juliet's conversation in the Pearl; Juliet needing to be drugged to get to the island; someone running Cooper off the road and the paramedic "smiling" when he put in the IV, and Richard Alpert in Miami taking orders from Ben on the Island.)
Or, less "realistically," Smokey is impersonating Cooper. (Cerebrus, Vincent, dog bite!)
Shrug.
→ 40. Posted by: AB at May 3, 2007 1:04 PMHas anyone thought about the fact that Juliette mentions that Austin is pregnant on the tape and now Saywer has it in his posession. Will he listen and find out that he's gonna be a daddy? Maybe the secret that Jack and Juliette share is about Kates pregnancy.
Also, ABSOLUTELY no surprise about Cooper being Sawyer.
I think Jack is brainwashed, like Cindy(the flight attendant who was kidnapped) seems to be. Did Ben really want Locke to slaughter his father in front of the children(think of the children) no wonder there are no birhts on this island, these people are sick
************SPOILER***********
#2 will be Charlie most likely.
They interviewed him and he said he is not coming back for next season.
Locke: what a devious MoFo Having Sawyer do his dirty work for him! chicken!!!
Could they really be in Hell?
I don’t think it’s Hell, but I have some other theories like that. Cause if it IS hell why are people dying?? Do they go to a different hell? Was Juliette killed with that sedative in the OJ???? Why would a pregnant chick be in hell, if she didn’t really do anything that bad? I don’t know, t looks way too farfetched that the island is hell, it might be Limbo and then the people that die are really going to hell, or forgiven and sent to heaven through death in Limbo(?!?!?) I think that it’s more of the Dharma Initiative sort of thing going on...
Wreckage found at the bottom of the Pacific off of Fiji? Scurry!!!
I loved when Locke's father called Benry "Bug Eyes".
Rather than hell, it's more like the movie "The Village" where Benry and the others are using money to do anything they want, and intentionally keep themselves hidden/isolated from the rest of the world. They probs caused the car accident and kidnapped Cooper, just like they made Juliet's ex-husband get hit by a bus, and staged a plane wreck at the bottom of the ocean.
I read that the latest piece of land ever found by man was discovered in the mid 70's a new uncharted piece of land of the coast of Madagascar. Uninhabited by man. Then satellite imaging came to life and we can see everything, so a possibility is that the dharma money is keeping everything quiet, including having an uncharted piece of land for their experiments.
We are sure that dharma still exists, because they keep food parachuting to the island, THEY know someone is on the island and are sending food to them.
I think Benry is part of a major scheme and only plays a minor role being the "leader" of the others, and I also think that they not only had a sub, but that they come and go as they please. The major Other players. Like Dr. Alpert or that funky dude that’s always with him
There are still too many variables out there to know what the writers really have in mind so I know that there IS another season and a LOT of stuff needs to be resolved, like for example:
the islands power, who is Jacob, what is the monster, why is the island uncharted, why was Benry born on the island, Is this a huge experiment that a crazy government is running, who invented the question mark and why???
Lots of stuff
And some of the good guys have to die as well yes? maybe useless bernard? charlie? dunno
I am thinking
#2 Charlie
#3 and 4 others
#5 Jack
i gotta be honest, i love the show and usually pretty good at seeing major story mergers coming but i never connected sawyer/cooper and im a little angry at myself for that.
even though it was mentioned in the review does anyone else find the incredible lack of remorse and seeming desire to piss off sawyer odd given his tenuous, at best, predicament in the brig?
→ 45. Posted by: mdc at May 3, 2007 1:18 PMProbably my favorite episode of all LOST time -- whatever that may be?!? Great job writers and actors (particularly Josh Holloway) and good job Mac, as always!!!
→ 46. Posted by: BELost at May 3, 2007 1:18 PMCooper described his coming to the island basically as this: his car was rearended, a medic smiled as he applied an IV, then blackness, then he woke up in the room. The thought immediately popped into my head that that was a perfect description of how the others might kidnap someone they wanted on the island. And Cooper figures he's dead because Locke walks in, and Cooper knows that Locke died in the plane crash. So naturally he figures he's in hell.
The whole episode made me think of the string theory/alternate timelines thing: Desmond neglects to push the button, a blast of electromagnetics hits the plane, and the timeline (and the plane and occupants) is split. In our timeline, the plane goes down in the ocean and everybody dies. In the island timeline, the plane plotzes down and they survive. So the island is in a different dimension/timeline. And Naomi talked about how there was nothing there then suddenly she saw the island and her helicopter went down. Like the island periodically pokes into our timeline. So they could all be right-- the plane wrecked with everyone dead/the plane landed somewhat safely on the island with everyone more or less alive.
Also, did anyone catch the conversation between Locke and Sawyer when they first go in the Black Rock? Sawyer sees the skeletons and says something like "Friends of yours?", to which Locke tells him they were slave, probably brought to mine the island (which also explains the dynamite). Mine what? What is on the island someone wants to mine?
Great review!
→ 47. Posted by: Rob at May 3, 2007 1:19 PMIf Locke's dad were so sure they were all dead, then why was he so scared??!!
Re "Namaste" in next week's preview, it's a Sanskrit word meaning, "I bow to the divine within you," and is used in Buddhism as a greeting or goodbye or whatever. Buddhists are never bowing to the Buddha, as an icon, but to themselves, as it's believed that the divine is within, vs. an external god. Anyway, I was trying to ignore this "Dharma" initiative as a non-Buddhist thing but with the Namaste being so prominent, there must be something to this.
Also, re Locke killing his daddy... There are several Buddhist tales of "killing" the things that you get obsessed on, but they don't mean literally KILLING someone or something. So, perhaps these Others are some radical religious extremists/terrorists.
→ 48. Posted by: JanVon at May 3, 2007 1:23 PMAm I losing it. Wasn't the Black Rock Rousseau's ship that crashed 16 years ago?
Why would their be slaves on it. Please help am I missing something?
WWSD-What Was Sayid Digging?
→ 50. Posted by: PiecesofArzt at May 3, 2007 1:24 PM@49 Sheila - Rousseau crashed in a plane, not the Black Rock.
→ 51. Posted by: Guv at May 3, 2007 1:34 PMIf I remember correctly, Rousseau and her science expedition were shipwrecked. The Black Rock predates Rousseau's boat by at least a century.
→ 52. Posted by: mac at May 3, 2007 1:35 PMOh, my bad. I must be getting yellow Eko-brother plane confused with Rousseau's crash. Anyhow...
→ 53. Posted by: Guv at May 3, 2007 1:37 PMForgot to mention...did anyone else pick up on the symbolism at the end of Locke throwing his dead Pop over his shoulder just like Jesus carrying his cross?
Also forgot to say "Thanks Mac"
→ 54. Posted by: petew at May 3, 2007 1:38 PMOK, my bad. I must be getting the idea of a plane from the yellow Eko-brother plane, and confusing it with Rousseau's crash. I had associated the boat crash strictly with Desmond. Anyhow...
→ 55. Posted by: Guv at May 3, 2007 1:38 PM@49 and @51.
I thought that Rousseau came to the island with a bunch of scientists, on a boat, and that they were shipwrecked there. Understood. Now, Black Rock is way too old (Pirates of the Carribean old) to have been her ship.
Strange that scientists were coming to the island and they all died except for her.
Brings up the whole idea that she WAS an Other, but was outcast, much like Juliet had her branding and was determined to be an outcast.
→ 56. Posted by: ANTP? at May 3, 2007 1:41 PMI think the secret Jack and Juliet hold is either that Kate is pregnant, or that Juliet and Jack are cooperating with Ben to once again be given a chance to get off the island. hence Jack is not surprised to here that there is a boat 80miles off the coast because Ben promised to get them both out there is they did his bidding.
→ 57. Posted by: Chris at May 3, 2007 1:41 PMTwo things.
1. I've only watched this season, but we're getting some serious clues lately that ask us to decide whether the Island is really just an island or not. First, Naomi's claim that they found all the bodies and the island doesn't exist on any maps. Second, Cooper's suggestion the Island is really hell. The realistic suggestion is somebody fabricated the plane/bodies hoax and Cooper was intentionally rear-ended and taken by phony ambulance drivers to the island (which seems possible given that they may also have hit Julia's husband with a bus). The less realistic answer is that they really are dead and the island is hell, limbo, an alternate universe, etc. If it's the former, the others have some serious resources at their disposal and I wonder why they don't get better tents. If it's the latter, how do people keep arriving on the island, unless they are also passing through whatever divides the Island world from the world of the living? These might be old questions, but it seems the writers are giving us serious hints that we should lean one way or the other.
→ 58. Posted by: Andy at May 3, 2007 1:42 PMAnyone have a link to previews to next week? I accidentally deleted off my DVR.
→ 59. Posted by: Jon is FOUND at May 3, 2007 1:42 PM@ANTP? and others: Check IMDB for cast listings and then find the one that's missing! :(
→ 60. Posted by: PiecesofArzt at May 3, 2007 1:42 PMHi all-
Sorry if someone already mentioned this, but here's my thoughts:
1. Jack/Juliet/Kate: I think the thing they were discussing is whether or not to tell Kate she may be pregnant and therefore kidnapped. I don't know why, maybe because he's just the biggest jerk, but Jack doesn't think they should tell Kate. I don't know if Jack knows about the kidnapping part, but he definitely knows she's at risk for pregnancy and I bet he knows that all men on the island have super sperm, as Juliet told Sun while she did the ultrasound.
2. Locke/Alpert/Ben: Honestly, I think Ben embarrassing Locke in front of the crowd and Alpert conveniently telling Locke everything that would make him take action against his dad was just a ploy by The Others to get Locke to kill his dad just like they wanted him to. I don't trust Alpert (why should we, he hasn't done anything other than Ben's orders since the beginning, at least as far as we've seen) and I would NEVER trust Ben. As Alex said, his specialty is manipulation and making you think his ideas are your own. So I think it was all a set up. Tell everyone Locke's not special, have Alpert give him a pep talk, and then tell Locke the only way to learn more about what the island can do is to bring back a dead father. Notice Ben didn't say that Locke had to kill his dad during their last exchange, only that he should return with his dead dad across his back. This fits in exactly with Alpert telling Locke to get Sawyer to kill dad. If the whole kill your dad thing really was about Locke getting rid of his ties to his past, then wouldn't Ben stress that Locke needs to kill his own father? Having someone else do it is a cop out. For whatever reason they need Locke's dad dead and they knew Locke could never do it or have it done unless he was desperate. Kicking him out of the group and telling him he's not special was the catalyst to get Locke's dad dead. I think because Locke conjured up his dad, he is the only person who can devise Dad's death, therefore Ben and the Others needed Locke to be in charge and part of the execution. Or it's possible they wanted Locke to do it because they don't want the blood on their hands.
Whoops, I guess that was only one thing.
→ 62. Posted by: andy at May 3, 2007 1:44 PMAll the people who say they are the first to post a comment and actually aren't first, are complete losers. It is kind of sad and pathetic.
Moving On
Cooper being the original Sawyer was even more obvious than Jack and Claire being half-brother and sister. It was something that anyone who has watched a few key episodes picked up on. I agree with your hypothesis that Juliet told Jack that she is a mole. Great theory, I just wish I had thought of it
Read this and you'll see the writers lied about the "island" not being Purgatory.
http://tinyurl.com/2p9r7m
In one part of the above article it states "Purgatory was pictured as a place within space and time."
I believe Jules and Jack were deciding if they should tell Kate she was dead and that the only one that can be rescued is Desmond.
Another Bible reference - Sawyer's mother's name was Mary.
Ever notice that when one of the Other's die, they set them out to sea and burn them. To release their spirit from their bodies?
I think the Dharma Initiative is studying Pugatory and helping people make peace with their lives so they can pass to heaven or hell.
Two things about Locke this epi: 1) his father bit his hand - looked like when Jesus had nails through his hands when nailed to the cross. Hand healed by the next day (I think next day). 2) At the end when Locke picked up his dead father and pulled him across his back I immdiately pictured Jesus carrying the cross. Locke is now carrying his cross.
My favorite line from this epi: Sawyer to Locke when he first sees him "so now that you're back from your 'blow up everything that can get us off the island' tour." LOL.
mac - GRAA and my favorite line you wrote was regarding Locke and him taking up camp with the others "Initially he thinks he's poised for an adventure, but as usual, the brochure doesn't live up to the experience." LOL lots of times during your review.
Final summary - Everyone on the plane is dead and in Purgatory. Period.
Does Sayid know that Patchy is 'back from the dead'? I don't think he was with Des, Jin, Hurley and Charlie when Patchy re-emerged. Our friends ARE starting to talk to each other more, so maybe they informed Sayid at the same time they told him about Naomi.
If so........Is it possible that he was digging up one of the grave sites of someone who has passed away? Maybe he's putting 2 and 2 together and was digging to see if 'said-dead' was actually still burried, or not!!
→ 65. Posted by: Red...Neck...Man at May 3, 2007 1:50 PMNot sure if someone else mentioned this but...
>>"Don't tell me what I can do, John," Ben says.
it was CAN'T - John's big line.
→ 66. Posted by: HyperJen at May 3, 2007 1:52 PM"Sawyer is barefoot, but he endures the pain because the future of Nakatomi Plaza rests in his hands ... wait, wrong story."
Best Line ever!
It's possible that Dadcon1 was kidnapped by Tricksy Dick Alpert. He seemed to have an issue with how Ben was handleing things on the island, and having Obi-Locke get rid of his father, may actually bring him around to dethrown the mayor of Bennsylvania.
Not sure if the timeline is right, but Tricksy was away taking webcam coverage is Juliette's sis, right?
Just a thought.
→ 67. Posted by: The Other Other at May 3, 2007 1:55 PM@HyperJen: Nice catch! That certainly changes the line! Fix has been made on that one. Whoops!
→ 68. Posted by: mac at May 3, 2007 1:56 PMConsider this: did the great Bendini sell out Jules by manipulating Locke into swiping his dictaphone by 'accidentally' allowing Locke to overhear its contents?
→ 69. Posted by: Deep Cover at May 3, 2007 1:58 PMI might be really technical about something, but this is a blog and I see others do it too.
IF Locke is able to heal fast (Legs, the bite from this week) how come the whole episode he had the black eye? Or redish eye? You would think that would heal fast too.
Just a observation.
Oh read post #59
→ 70. Posted by: Jon is FOUND at May 3, 2007 1:59 PM@64... Purgatory makes soooo much sense. I tried your link but couldn't get there. Interesting. The writers would have to lie if that was the case, wouldn't they??
Where does Mac fall on this theory?
→ 71. Posted by: R at May 3, 2007 1:59 PMThanks for clearing up the Black Rock/Rousseau's ship confusion I was having. I was momentarily lost(ha-ha)
→ 72. Posted by: Sheila at May 3, 2007 1:59 PMOne other thing:
I saw the Sawyer/Cooper connection coming a million miles away. I've been waiting for their reunion for a long time. I thought it was pretty obvious, along the lines of Clair/Jack having the same dad.
→ 73. Posted by: SuperMe at May 3, 2007 2:00 PM@16-
First time poster, long time reader.
Dan, I think you nailed it on the head with the real time events. I seem to remember an interview with one of the producers that hinted that the real world was going to make a big impact on the Losties toward the end of season 3. Can't find the interview but its out there somewhere. The interviewer pointed out to the producer that the timeframe of the show is still in 2004 and that this was still important. Producer concurred.
Seems to me that the Tsunami is a major cliffhanger waiting to happen which will be a game changer. If not for the actual Island itself, but for everything around it in that part of the world.
Just curious what you all might think of this scenario - Just before the attack on the pregnant ladies, Tsunami hits. Rescue feighter that is anchored offshore gets blown to the Island.
Season 4 - What to do with the Feighter? Criminals Kate and Sawyer and healed Losties Locke and Ruth as well as Ben need/want to stay. Many more want to go. The division on the Island then shuffles to be those that want escape and those that want to stay.
→ 74. Posted by: rinz at May 3, 2007 2:00 PMGosh, I would REALLY hate if this theory had anything to actually do with the show, but the very mention of hell last night makes me think...
What if the "healing properties" of the island is indication of who is on the "good list" and the "bad list"? Because it seems that some people have been healed and have regenerated and others have not...What if those who have healed (Rose, Locke, Naomi, Mikhail, Jin...) have been judged as "good" and gained redemption/entrance into HEAVEN, and those who have not - at least yet (Eko, AL, Libby, Paolikki...) have been judged as "bad" and have been damned to HELL...On the other hand, I can see why Cooper would think he was in hell if he had no recollection between blacking out at the car crash and waking up on the island. After all, the Others/Dharma orchestrated Juliet's ex-husband's death too...
On a different note...why does Ben have to travel with all of his books? Why didn't other Others get to take belongings too?
What is so special about Locke's healing that isn't as special about Rose's? Or Jin's? Or Naomi's? Are they playing Locke? The way they did Juliet? Seems like eyeliner guy has a way of smooth talking just about everyone. Again, on the other hand, maybe there is something more special about Locke if the Others/Dharma did manage to get Cooper on the island...I am sure that was not easy to do
**POSSIBLE SPOILER**
Also, in the flashes of next week's preview...if you can watch it in slow motion, you see what appears to some sort of female apparition...I think it was Juliet or maybe a vision of Locke's Helen...you also see a quick flash of the doctor from the Dharma videos (his name escapes me right now) as other people in the background appear to be setting up Losteria Lane...there is also a weird negative-style flash of Juliet in the gas mask...
WWSD???
*****SPOILER ALERT*******
Kylie Sanchez aka the female half of Pulikki is listed in the cast for the May 16 episode
→ 76. Posted by: Sheila at May 3, 2007 2:03 PM@ #16 Dan - I'm so glad you brought up the tsunami. I mentioned that early last season and wondered when that would play into things. Now that we're officially one day away from it, here is my prediction: The rescue ship 80 miles away will fall victim to the never-before seen wrath of the 2004 tsunami and will either shipwreck entirely or will wash ashore on our favorite mystery island. The writers have been so careful to keep us in the loop as to WHEN things are happening, that they simply can't ignore one of the most devestating days ever on record. Especially when it happened in the PACIFIC (and Indian) OCEANS!!
#45 @ mcd - I think Cooper's total lack of remorse is because in his mind, it was WAY too late for that. He truly believed he was in hell and he was officially SOL.
and #50 What was Sayid digging?
************ POSSIBLE SPOILER **************
Kiele Sanchez is on the list of characters on imdb in 2 weeks. She hasn't been since her demise. Sure, it may be a flashback, but?????
ANOTHER POSSIBLE SPOILER **********
Next week's episode (again from imdb.com) has a character named "young Ben". Is it a Ben flashback episode? How friggin cool would that be? And was he really born on the island? OOOOHHHHH - I can't wait!
→ 77. Posted by: hookedonlost at May 3, 2007 2:06 PM@71 - Sorry the link didn't work for you. I tried it and it works fine. Here is the whole link not using tinyurl. Hopefully mac will make an exception and let it be posted.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purgatory#Heaven_and_Hell
The entire article is really good.
→ 78. Posted by: BunnyLover at May 3, 2007 2:08 PM@#78 see #75.
I'm with you on this.
→ 79. Posted by: Rinz at May 3, 2007 2:14 PMIs it just me or was that Echo's jesus stick that Ben asked Locke to hand him in his tent? If so, why didn't Locke recognize it and where did Ben get it? Can someone with Tivo look at this?
The tape recorder of Juliette playing just as Locke goes to Ben's tent and Mr. Eyeliner giving Locke the pep talk were all too convenient for me. Locke is way too emotionally vulnerable and is being completely manipulated by ben. Sawyer killing Locke's dad was part of Ben's plan from the beginning.
And why would Ben leave Locke and move his tent team away when Locke's presence healed his back? Isn't Ben afraid that if Locke was left behind he would stop healing or get worse?
How is Juliette going to get a sample from kate — put a palm leaf under her the next time she has to go? Or will this secret Jules and Jack have make Kate comply willingly?
Why, why, why — after Kate has been such a bad(butt) the whole season— did she run right over to Jack and spill the beans about Tree Girl. What a wuss! Now the "campers" will be mad at her and never trust her again and Jack isn't going to unglue himself from Jules anytime soon so Kate might as well just go room with Rousseu.
→ 80. Posted by: LuvLost at May 3, 2007 2:15 PMI couldn't help grinning when Tree Girl mentioned that all of a sudden the island appeared--out of the mist--just like Brigadoon! (which I mentioned in last week's posts).
@47 may be on to a similar theory, but then Heroes and Lost would have suprisingly similar themes with string theory/alternate timelines etc. I don't think that is it.
@48--I guess you are new, Namaste and eastern religions have been covered ad naseum on these posts. Please feel free to review many of the posts from the first 2 seasons regarding.
Black Rock was a much older ship than the science vessel that Rousseau's team was on. Funny she would need so much dynamite though. Wonder what she is up to?
→ 81. Posted by: boharpe at May 3, 2007 2:16 PMQuestions for anybody:
A little confused...was that ACTUALLY Locke's Dad, or was that Smokey taking on his form?
Are we really supposed to believe that somehow Dharma (or the others, or whoever) was able to cover up a plane crashing onto an island...how can Naomi and Cooper really believe that there were no survivors? How can something so gigantic be "spun" on the news like that?
One more teeny thought: What's the deal with Cindy and those kids? It's like a cult! No wonder John wants in...remember his cult days? His longing for acceptance?
Hey Jiggy-
→ 82. Posted by: Sillygirl0630 at May 3, 2007 2:17 PM@ mac: Is it possible to set **potential spoiler** standards? In specifics, can we request people avoid posting actual imdb character listings for upcoming episodes? That is a blatant spoiler that most people would not like to read..in my opinion. It would be ok to say 'see imdb listing for next eps character listing for answers'. Then people can go at their leisure to find out.
Most of the time I have no problem reading the **potential spoilers** since the majority are based on speculation (theories) or production notes/facts (webcast of producers or whatever). These tend to meld with the overall tone of the blog...again, speculation.
Just a thought. Maybe some will agree with the difference between the two.
So....since I already saw it (#78), I'd assume there's a young 'main-evil character' in next weeks ep. After all, in the preview we saw a young Alpert w/ long hair..or was that Aragon?
→ 83. Posted by: Red...Neck...Man at May 3, 2007 2:18 PM"Funny she would need so much dynamite though. Wonder what she is up to?"
Just installing the same security system in her new digs as she had in the old.
→ 84. Posted by: Deep Cover at May 3, 2007 2:19 PMDid anyone point out yet that they didn't find the PLANE. The saw PICTURES of the plane.
Big difference, and WAY easier to fake.
→ 85. Posted by: HyperJen at May 3, 2007 2:22 PMSorry..meant to refer to #77 in my post
***********SPOILER***********
Not really a spoiler but commenting about a spoiler in post #77.
Will they call him Mini-Ben? HA!!
→ 87. Posted by: Jon is FOUND at May 3, 2007 2:28 PMHas anyone been able to slow down the preview for next week's show?? Looks like there are some real hints in the extremely fast preview we saw last night.
Mac-- as always, great review....best part of my week is your review, I always go back and rewatch after reading your review. JH, you are the man.....emmy...emmy....emmy.
I'm pretty sure Rousseau will use the dynamite to blow up Carl for trying to F her daughter!
→ 89. Posted by: Red...Neck...Man at May 3, 2007 2:32 PMI haven't read through all the comments today, but has anyone else noticed that once the Losties spend any amount of time with the Others they become masters of manipulation and mind games? It's like it just rubs right on to them at contact!
→ 90. Posted by: Bada Bing at May 3, 2007 2:34 PMMac, great review! "gives him the ol' "rah rah kill your father" speech."
Priceless!
@56, Russeau told the Losties that the rest of her research team got sick on the island, and she killed them all to save herself/put them out of their misery (this was back in the Quarantine hatch days, when we thought the Losties might all die in a few episodes if not vaccinated. Boy were we wrong!)
Okay, so I understand that if the producers answer all the questions, there is no more show. But COME ON! They sure did go out of their way this week to build up the idea that the show is set in Hell/Purgatory/Limbo what have you, despite saying repeatedly in interviews that the Losties are not dead. Granted, if all the world saw was video footage of the wereckage deep at the bottom of the ocean, that's a lot easier to fake than an actual plane with bodies would be.
Juliet and Kate, BFF?
Go SOX!
→ 91. Posted by: FenwayBen at May 3, 2007 2:34 PM@Dan/16 The Tsunami was in the Indian Ocean, not the Pacific, so they would have to have been WAY off course for that to come up as a plot line. But yes, we should be due for a Very Losties Christmas!
The Sawyer/Locke exhange in the jungle was full of great lines. I especially liked "you're back from your blow-up-everything-that-could-get-us-off-the-Island tour!"
→ 92. Posted by: FenwayBen at May 3, 2007 2:38 PM@81. yes, just found out about this site in October 06 so haven't seen the posts. Also, I don't record the shows or remember that much. HA! Thanks--will look up some of this stuff in previous seasons. I was thinking of the warped Eastern religion views of the Alias characters, too.
→ 93. Posted by: JanVon at May 3, 2007 2:40 PM@BunnyLuv... Found it, thanks! We'll have to wait and see. Purgatory makes sense to me. My brother thinks it's like "The Game" movie with Sean Penn. I'm sure that idea has has been floated before...
→ 94. Posted by: R at May 3, 2007 2:42 PMA few observations...
There has been several comments by characters regarding the Sat phone being advanced technology. While the Losties are living in Dec 2004, it is probable that Naomi and the rest of the world are living at a little later time (2007?) It will be interesting to see if/how the phone figures into this.
I enjoyed watching Josh Holloway get a chance to stretch his acting a bit and show some depth of character.
***** Here be Spoilers *****
We still haven't seen the Other Others or "Hostiles" - ye of little faith that doubt their existance or believe they are the Others, ye shall be proven wrong : ) Is Rousseau connected with them some how? We've been told that there is a war coming. How will Rousseau figure into this? Is she helping to arm them or is she simply defending herself? Is she a wildcard that will show up at the last minute right when things look hopeless for our Beachies?
***** Here be the End of Spoilers *****
Last night's epi was a good example of why viwers need to be patient with the show. We need to keep in mind that the characters are individuals and have not all been exposed to facts that we have. We see things through each character's eyes. Each character sees tings only from their point of view. We see the larger puzzle pieces and how they might fit. They see only their tiny piece.
It is interesting to watch as characters discover secrets that we, the audience, have been privey to for a while now. James Ford has been changed forever now that he has found Sawyer. He is also begining to discover the healing powers of the island since he now knows about Locke. How will this affect his relationship with Kate, Jack, Locke, Ben ect.?
Last observation... Are the Others now living in "Tentsillvania", "Tentsil Town" or ______ ? Question of the week?
→ 95. Posted by: bcre8ve at May 3, 2007 2:43 PMIt seems most likely that Cooper was nabbed by the others, simply because he states the last thing he remembers is the smile and the i.v., and then the next, a big important next, thing he sees is the face of his dead son. Not that he was interrogated by the others, or gave them any information, yet, just before we find him on the island, Ben asks Tom to get "the man from Tallahassee". How did they know where he came from? They knew because they went to get him, and no "magic box" did that. I suspect the previous posters are correct in assuming eyeliner alpert did the dirty work, again.
→ 96. Posted by: Neal at May 3, 2007 2:43 PMI for one think that Ben is playing Locke and Juliet. He's too smart for his own good and doesn't make dumb mistakes.
A. He let Locke 'overhear' the tape recorder knowing that it would make it's way into camp
B. Jules would have the Losties turn on her
C. Alpert (btw I love Tricky Dick line) is also in on playing Locke.
D. If Sayid was digging up a grave then my money's on Ethan. It didn't look like Paulikki's grave. What would be REALLY gross is if it were Shannon's grave. Yuck.
peace out.
@96 Neal - If Locke's father was in a car crash at 70 mph and was being hauled off in an ambulance, it would stand to reason that - if he wasn't dead and in "hell/purgatory/whatever" - he would be seriously injured from the accident. He showed no signs of injury other than the beating(s) he received.
Oh, I just used the word "reason." What the heck was I thinking - this is LOST !
→ 98. Posted by: BunnyLover at May 3, 2007 2:54 PMGreat episode and great recap (as usual) Mac! A few of my thoughts:
1. I thought it was silly of Kate to go tell Jack-ass about Naomi, knowing he was the one person that Sayid absolutely didn't want her to tell. Sadly, I think she just wanted some attention. She should have walked away after he refused to speak w/o Juliette present. Then after Jack-ass proceeded to press her for info, he had the nerve to refuse to tell her whatever his and Juliette's secret was! Hypocrite ... I hope Jack redeems himself soon.
2. I also wonder just what in the world Sayid was digging for in the woods ... I know whatever he was doing, I'm sure that it was important. He's a smart guy.
3. My favorite line was Sawyer: "So now that you’re back from your blow up everything that could get us off the damn island tour ..." ROFLMAO. I also LOLed @ Cooper calling Ben "Bug Eye". Esp. since that's what I'm thinking every time I see Ben.
4. I think that whatever interference is messing with the satellite phone is the same thing that caused problems with the flame and caused the sky to turn purple … some consequence of the hatch exploding. I also have another theory that may be a little crazy. When Sayid saw the phone, he said he had never seen equipment so sophisticated. While that is completely believable, I was thinking that Sayid appeared to be somewhat a communications expert, and that he probably would have at least heard of that type of phone, even if he had no experience with one. That being said, going along the lines of the theories that there's a wormhole or something and that time passes more slowly on the island than in the outside world, what if the present world Naomi came from is actually some years from when the plane crashed? (As fast as technology changes, it could even be just a couple years). Did we hear Naomi discuss how long ago she heard of the plane crash, or any of the Losties mention to her how long they'd been on the island? If not, this may be the beginning of us finding out if there is truly a time discrepancy with the outside world, and if so, what the difference in time is.
5. I was SO happy that Locke told Sawyer what Ben was planning, and Juliette's role. Not only that, but he gave him proof! Locke's certainly redeeming himself to me, and isn't looking quite as crazy as he had been.
6. Locke's father got exactly what he deserved. That man showed no remorse and had no soul. Good riddance. I hope it brings Sawyer some peace.
7. I'm starting to get the impression that the only Others that really believe in Ben are the newcomers, like Cindy. And maybe Pickett when he was alive. I remember Juliette did say a lot of them wanted change. I actually believed Alpert when he was talking to John.
8. I can't wait to see why Rousseau wanted the dynamite.
9. What's up with the Other's feeling John needed to sacrifice his father, and them gathering around to watch the murder? What kind of people are these, and exactly what do they think they are doing? Looks like we may get some answers to this next week.
10. Damn, Locke has to lug his father's body through the woods, across the jungle, and into the valleys, while tracking his pal Ben and the Others? Now ain't that a bitch? His father was on the hefty side, maybe he should've just killed him before they left LOL.
11. I have fully believe since last week that the plane wreckage was staged by Dharma and/or the Others. I'd assumed they just found pieces of a plane and no bodies. I'm now under the impression that the reason fake wreckage worked is that they only had robots to survey the wreckage, and they don't know who the people in the plane are (or if they are real). My thing is, is it supposed to be believable that the plane would have sunk to the bottom of the ocean intact to begin with? Does anyone know if a plane falling from the sky would break apart upon impact w/ the water?
12."An ill-advised affair with Rousseau"???? ROFL. I love you Mac!
That's it, I'm done running my mouth. I don't know what I'm going to do once the season is over. I'll be going through Lost withdrawal. To quote Hurley Lost is "only like the best show ever"!
Then again, if it was really purgatory would they be leading us in that direction? Doubt it. I think the writers are reading Macs blog and toying with us!
→ 100. Posted by: R at May 3, 2007 2:56 PMI know what Rousseau will use the explosives for > > Everything else Locke didn't blow up!
WWRBU - What Will Rousseau Blow Up
→ 101. Posted by: BunnyLover at May 3, 2007 2:59 PMI was wondering if there is some connection between the writters or producers of lost and Deadwood. Seems like 3 of the leading ladies from deadwood have all played parts on lost, Cassidy (Sawyers long con), Rachel (Juliets sister), and Colleen Picket (Shot by Sun). I guess this has nothing to do with this weeks episode, but it has been eating at me.
→ 102. Posted by: MikeC1976 at May 3, 2007 3:01 PMIt's very doubtful they're in hell or whatever. Alpert has gone back and forth from the island and as far we know Juliet, for example, didn't "die" unless when they drugged her. I can't explain the plane crash, though a setup seems plausible but kidnapping Cooper and making him think he's dead seems easily done. As othes have noted that line "the paramedic smiled at me" I think, reveals the deal. What do you guys think?
→ 103. Posted by: JR at May 3, 2007 3:03 PMIm sorry if someone said this, but the whole nomadic game the others are playing is because of Locke. When Locke confronted Ben he told him he was cheating, that he doesn't know the island, and thats why he was still sick. So they packed up and left Otherville to return to there roots. Now what do you know Ben is recovering. I still have to believe there is more to this. I'm still not sold on the purgatory thing either. I would have to think they kidnapped Cooper and what did they do with Juliet? kill her to bring her to the island, how did Richard (assuming) and Ethan travel between the island and the rest of the world or even communicate?
→ 104. Posted by: J at May 3, 2007 3:04 PM@Jon/59 go to spoilerslost*blogspot*com
(replace the * with .) to see the trailer, it's the first thing on the page, so you don't have to see the other spoilers if you don't want.
My theory, the very alst scene of the series will find Hurley waking up on the plane, still at the gate in Sydney. He starts screaming about how the plane is gonna crash, gets into a fist fight with Sawyer, and they get escorted off the flight (with several others following spooked by his crash rants). John Denver's "Rocky Mountain High" plays in the airport, and as they continue to argue the plane explodes on take off...oh wait...
I thought maybe Richard was trying to feed rebellion against Ben, but it's more likely they were playing "good cop/bad cop" with Locke. For as insightful as he is at times, Locke is still as gullible as ever!
PS On a side note, the site ref'd above pointed out that the file on Sawyer Locke was given, it's in French. Huh?
→ 105. Posted by: FenwayBen at May 3, 2007 3:05 PMSomething we may have missed here.
The relationship of the Losties and their parents and how the writers have taken great care to weave their status into the backstories.
Locke - Parent now dead. Birth Mom unknown.
Jack - Paternal parent dead. Mom presumed living.
Kate - Step-Paternal parent dead. Mom living.
Sawyer - Both parents dead.
Jin - True parents somewhat unknown. Maternal = Ho, Paternal unknown.
Sun - Paternal = Gangsta.
Charlie - unknown.
Sayid - unknown.
Hurley - Maternal parent presumed living. Uncle dead.
Juliet - Parental status unknown, presumed dead. Sister presumed alive.
Ben - Born on the Island? Wheres the parents?
----------Spoiler---------------------
Rousseau is left over from the Dharma initiative, hence the boat of Scientists, and has been an ally to the Others, but doesn't like to be manipulated by Ben, much like Juliet.
She set up Ben's infiltration into the Losties Camp with the whole caught in the net thing, in return for assistance in finding her daughter. Ben didn't expect the arrow through the shoulder though. Rousseau has now discovered that Alex is living with the Others, and she has been played by Ben. PO'd Rousseau + Dynamite = Bad times ahead for Ben, no matter where the campsite is. This is why the Others now have to move around a bit. Ben knows Rousseau is planning some serious damage for his band of Others. Boom! Who lives? Who dies? Seasons end.
@102 MikeC1976 said:
>I was wondering if there is some connection between the writters or producers of lost and Deadwood. ... I guess this has nothing to do with this weeks episode, but it has been eating at me.
I think the only connection is that the abrupt end of "Deadwood" released a bevy of talented actors and actresses back into the free pool, where various productions snapped them up - See for instance Powers Booth's current gig on "24".
→ 107. Posted by: Cecil Rose at May 3, 2007 3:08 PMThis is a bit of an aside, but it is worth commenting on. Naomi claimed that she was on a search mission, for Desmond. Why in the world would she be looking for anything in the middle of the ocean in the middle of the night? How did the island "appear" to her in the pitch black of mid-ocean?
→ 108. Posted by: Mehdron at May 3, 2007 3:09 PMMAC - Awesome Recap to an AWESOME episode.
Last night's ep was so good it started a fight between my girlfriend and me. She kept going on and on and on about how they where all dead and the island was purgatory. I tried to reason with her that it wasn't purgatory. She tried using Cooper's statements as the answers. I explained (and I hope you all agree) that Cooper assumed he was dead because a) the last thing he remembered was a bad car accident b) he saw his son who was confirmed being on flight 815 which crashed with no survivors. Cooper thought he was in hell. @Mac: that would explain why he was so talky with Sawyer. He figured that if he's already dead that confirming the facts can't hurt. He thinks he's already dead and that they can't kill him for what he's done. Woo boy - wrong on both counts there Cooper con man.
IMHO last nights ep was the best this season, or at least in the top 5. Locke is proving to be as shrewd and manipulative as Ben, just without the evil streak.
I'm a huge fan of the show and I've followed it since season one. I saw the connection between Cooper, Sawyer, and Locke coming but I couldn't imagine how they were going to have the characters become aware of their connection. Just goes to show how badass the writers and creators of the show are. It should also provide proof that they've been working from a 'Long Term' outline for the show. Hell, these three character's connections have been brewing since season one.
I'm curious as hell about what secret Jack and Juliet arre sharing. It probably won't come out til the season finale.
Apologies if I rehashed any topics already covered by previous posts - just haven't had the time to read all 96 at the time of this writing.
When Flight 815 left Sydney, it would be bearing NE. The pilot said the problem occurred near Fiji, mid-Pacific Ocean, which is consistent with the flight plan.
Naomi says the 815 wreckage was found near Bali.
If true, then flight 815 left Sydney heading NW, in the wrong direction.
The geographic reference points for the crash sites are off by thousands of miles.
Locke does Ben a favor by blowing up the sub, and within a day or so Locke is rewarded by having Cooper transported from Florida to mid-Pacific Ocean? Ben says he doesn't know how Cooper got to the island other than Locke brought him there.
The transportation element can only be viewed as supernatural/teleportation.
What about the preview of Roger Workman?
Sawyer showed Kate his letter and he seemed to have pulled it out of his pocket before so maybe he just always keeps it with him. It would be embarrassing to explain if it was found on your pile of porn.
Ben is playing Locke hard. He sent Paolo, Jr. to give him the file with a 'we don't like Ben' sob story. (Were they carrying all the files around with them?) Then he lets Locke see him put the recorder in the top drawer. (Who was carrying a chest of drawers through the jungle?) Then tells him to kill Cooper and carry his body back to where ever. Locke is a follower and always will be. He thinks he is tricking Ben but he is doing exactly what Ben wants.
Ben even lets his plans to invade the beach 'slip' in order for Locke to steal the recorder. I think this is so that he can discredit Juliet because he doesn't trust her to stay on his side.
Could Cooper have been rearended by a Miami Metro bus? It worked for Juliet!
And how come when someone finally asks a question (Sayid questions Naomi's story) she gets all scrunchy? Maybe that's why no one asks any questions!
→ 111. Posted by: PiecesofArzt at May 3, 2007 3:27 PMJust to clear up some things - I'm not saying everyone on the island is "dead," just the 815 plane crash losties. Ben's group/Dharma, etc., somehone found this extraordinary place/time and simply had to do research there. Then they find out about the power of the island and have to keep it a secret from the outside world.
Okay, this brings up another question. Can purgatory be multiple places because not everyone that has died on this planet winds up on the island?
So, I've just negated my own therory that the island = purgatory.
I am totally losing my mind...
God I love this show...
My apologies about the spoilers I posted. I certainly never intended to offend. I was just excited and wanted to share with my Lost buddies. :)
→ 113. Posted by: hookedonlost at May 3, 2007 3:34 PMSo, if this is 'sposed to be purgatory and/or hell, etc....
How is it that Ben was *born* there? That sort of falls outside of the normal understanding of either of those places. And even if, as was suggested, that Ben is himself satan/the devil, it still wouldn't allow for his *birth* into either of those places. (And yea, why would he be lugging around all those books?)
Another line that caught my attention was the interchange between Sawyer and Locke... that was something like "So, were you really crippled?" to which Locke replies "Not anymore..."
Could this be some allusion toward a past-tense/future-tense time-pendulum idea that has been theorized about, especially after Desmond's back-to-the-future flashes? Maybe Sawyer's rmeoval of Cooper from the picture will ensure Locke's opportunity to live with both kidneys, and without free-fall in the future.
I think the "secret" between Jack and Juliet it probably pretty simple: they know you can't get off the island. The sub was the only way; the sub is gone; the "tree girl" is only giving them false hope.
My two cents...
→ 115. Posted by: Phil at May 3, 2007 3:39 PMSo, if this is s'posed to be purgatory and/or hell, etc....
How is it that Ben was *born* there? That sort of falls outside of the normal understanding of either of those places. And even if, as was suggested, that Ben is himself satan/the devil, it still wouldn't allow for his *birth* into either of those places. (And yea, why would he be lugging around all those books?)
Another line that caught my attention was the interchange between Sawyer and Locke... that was something like "So, were you really crippled?" to which Locke replies "Not anymore..."
Could this be some allusion toward a past-tense/future-tense time-pendulum idea that has been theorized about, especially after Desmond's back-to-the-future flashes? Maybe Sawyer's rmeoval of Cooper from the picture will ensure Locke's opportunity to live with both kidneys, and without free-fall in the future.
Also - if this is hell/purgatory, the producers have done a good job introducing characters to the island. Everyone we've seen come to the island might have died to get there: the plane crash; Rousseau's shipwreck; Desmond's shipwreck; Juliet was "drugged". Am I missing anyone (other than the Others, of course)?
→ 117. Posted by: Phil at May 3, 2007 3:44 PMhas anyone considered the possibility that Kate might be pregnant? when Julliet was recording her message to Ben on the black tap recorder, she mentioned that "i'll have information on Austin soon"
→ 118. Posted by: Mz at May 3, 2007 3:58 PMdon't know if this has been said, in the quick flashes of next week there is also a sign that says "Roger: Work Man"
Any thoughts on what that means??
→ 119. Posted by: Brian at May 3, 2007 3:59 PMNew poster here... Mac, I have enjoyed your blog since the beginning.
I loved the scene when Rousseau nonchalantly walks in on Locke to fetch some dynamite. Locke’s response is equally nonchalant. Very few things rankle these two characters.
My favorite literary technique is called Chekhov's gun. According to Anton Chekhov "If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired. Otherwise don't put it there." In other words we will surely see a big ol’ explosion before the end of the season…
"Roger Work Man" was embroidered on someone's shirt...someone refresh our memories, please! Mac?
→ 121. Posted by: JoePike at May 3, 2007 4:05 PMFrom my last week's post:
Pregnant women who die can come to term in hell; women in hell cannot come to term because you cannot "new" life in that realm. Ben's fixation on fertilization where it does not occur naturally is a means of creating Life so he and his true followers can leave Hell (for other evil purposes).
If Ben needed women to experiment on, he could kidnap any number in the real world and bring them to the island. So there has to be a problem with that easy solution: you need to die to be rematerialized on the island. If you are dead, no one would be looking for you. You come to the island in a physicial form so you can feel pain, suffering, memories, loss, ect. The island also gets a "copy" of one's memories as a program towards penance, redemption, or possibly leaving the island (why would anyone know Sawyer killed a man a day before he left Australia? he was not arrested or suspected in the crime; it was only in his memory.)
When someone dies on the island, they leave hell for another portion of the afterlife. My theory is that Ben is seeking a way to create new life to invade the Real World.
Okay, power was out last night, had to d/l from a torrent site to watch it. interesting that the wreckage was found off of Bali. That certainly is NW of Sydney and is east of Java. While the tsunami did not have any major effects on Bali, I am sure it was at least noticed there. Is the island near Bali? if so, then the tsunami could play a role in the story line. If they are in the Pacific, not so much. Did the EMP the Portuguese guys found show on a map? If so, any chance we can see where in the world it was? That's all for now. GRAA, mac.
→ 123. Posted by: onelostdude at May 3, 2007 4:09 PMRoger Work Man was the dude in the VW bus Hurley found.
Hey, did anyone notice that Claire is pregnant? I mean, are you kidding me w/ some of these dated posts?
→ 124. Posted by: Red...Neck...Man at May 3, 2007 4:10 PMI like the tsunami theory - timeline seems correct. I will be disappointed, however, if the freighter lands on the island as a result - the safest place to be in the event of a tsunami is out at sea, on a ship, where the wave just passes underneath. Tsunamis only do damage in shallow water near the beach. So if the island is in the path, it might get hit. Indian vs. pacific ocean issue -- they are close, and we don't really know where the island is.
→ 125. Posted by: JT at May 3, 2007 4:13 PM@117 Phil - How about Tree Girl. She may have died during the jump from the helo. Oh, and how about Eko's brother and their plane crash. We saw him "alive" again too.
Another point - all the people that have died on the island resolved (or conceded to) their conflicts before they died. Whether they were "good" or "bad" people. Eko = was sorry for all the people he killed, but did not except the blame so BOOM - squashed by Smokey. Boone = Got over Shannon? (Can't quite remember that one) so BOOM - squashed by plane. Shannon = falls in love - BOOM shot by Ana. Ana = fessed up to killing - BOOM shot by Michael. Libby = can't remember - BOOM shot by Michael. Ethan = doesn't count - he's an Other. Bad Daddy Locke = doesn't care - BOOM killed by Sawyer/Locke. I know this is not complete, but just thought I'd point it out. Thanks... and BOOM!
→ 126. Posted by: BunnyLover at May 3, 2007 4:13 PMAnyone notice the "Roger Workman" name tag in the preview for next week. Maybe we'll finally see who Roger was and how he ended up in a car in the middle of the forest.
I agree with it being easier to fake the plane wreckage with it being located in a deep trench. It would be easy to paint a plane with the same markings and sink it conveniently where no one can retrieve anything. Fill it with bodies and they won't be able to tell from a robot camera if they're the real passengers of 815 or not. More and more I'm starting to believe in the coverup theory.
→ 127. Posted by: Crispy Seaplanes at May 3, 2007 4:17 PMLocke's test is to see if he will report the impending raid. That is why he was left behind. They want to know if he can be trusted.
→ 128. Posted by: rich at May 3, 2007 4:24 PMNope, not purgatory or hell. Seriously, we know that's not what's going on here.
NOBODY who was really dead has actually come back to life. Patchy was not killed by anyone, and nobody (that we saw) bothered to really make sure he was dead. He went into the sonic fence knowing it wasn't strong enough to kill him, and he faked it. He did not really die- and that's the key folks- he was never dead so didn't come back to life.
Everyone else who has truly died (Dr. Shepard Sr., Ethan, Libby, Ann Lucia, Shannon, Boone, Nikki, Paulo, Artz (the gay character...so obvious!), Eko, Goodwin) are truly dead and will remain so. They will only be seen again in flashbacks. Again, no one walking around on the island is dead, and those who really did die will remain so. Cooper will not be coming back to life and biting John's shoulder anytime soon...
As others have posted, Cooper thinks he's in hell based on the car crash and seeing what he believes is his dead son.
The Others knew Coop thought the place was hell, and wanted him to continue to think that so he would be remorseless when talking to John (and/or Sawyer). That's why they shut him up when he asked John if he knew where they were. They wouldn't let him finish and slammed the closet door.
As much as I don't want it to be true, I'm in the camp that thinks Locke is being played by Ben and Alpert...manipulated to do exactly what they wanted. Ben wouldn't have been playing Juliet's tape knowing Locke was coming and was going to hear it (and see where it was kept). Ben is trying to create trouble for Juliet in the camp- he knew that Locke would swipe it and get it back to the beach.
So now the fun will be hearing Jack and Juliet try to weasel their way out of the trouble Juliet's tape is going to cause when Sawyer plays it for everyone.
One big reason I'm looking forward to next week's ep is I LOVE it when the full cast interacts with each other. Looks like most of the Lostie's will be seen and heard from.
And Sayid was not digging up someone's grave. Can't wait to see what he was about to find at some point in the future.
→ 130. Posted by: JoePike at May 3, 2007 4:26 PMBTW, Great review Mac. You had some excellent lines in there as usual. YATKOALER!
Eko's bro wasn't really walking around...he didn't come back to life. I think we all have agreed that he was Smokey.
And Smokey was NOT Cooper in this ep.
→ 131. Posted by: JoePike at May 3, 2007 4:32 PM@Zeppo #39 I was thinking the same thing: Kate mentions communicating off the island with the Satphone and then Jules wants to share the secret. The secret MUST have something to do with the nature of their isolation on the island. I don't think it's about the possibility of Kate being pregnant - not big enough.
@Bunnylover #64 Why do you think Desmond could still be rescued? If it is true that the 815 survivors are really dead and can't be rescued, wouldn't it also be true that Desmond came to the island by dying in the storm during his sailboat rescue?
NOT that I necessarily believe they're all dead. Not sure what is going on...
→ 132. Posted by: Kristine at May 3, 2007 4:34 PMMy second-to-last note on Sayid digging is....did anyone notice a completely mis-placed looking blade-o-grass (looked more like a reddish twizzler) right where he was digging? It looked so out of place that I starting thinking it may be a breathing tube of sorts...coming from the grave!!!!!
My last note on Sayid is that I hope his digging will be mischevious, but he pro'ly had to take a mean plantain-induced dump!
→ 133. Posted by: Red...Neck...Man at May 3, 2007 4:39 PMAnyone else thinking that Sawyer will now drop that name and go by "James"?
And how long will it be before Naomi bellies up to a bowl of Dharma Flakes and muses "Hmmm... that's the same outfit that attempted the Oceanic 815 salvage".
@100:R - I agree that since the writers are leading us in the direction of Purgatory, there will likely be another explanation. But damn... a lot of it seems to fit....
→ 134. Posted by: Buck41 at May 3, 2007 4:39 PMFenwayBen- Thanks for the link to the preview for next week. Even though you are a Red Sox fan. Go Yanks!
→ 135. Posted by: Jon is FOUND at May 3, 2007 4:39 PMWhen Sayid was trying out the satphone the display showed the signal originating in California. You can see concentric circles with the center right over CA.
Anyone else see this?
Hello! It's been a while. Thanks once again for an engaging and hilarious recap, Mac. My favorite part of the epi was when Sawyer said to Cooper, "Well how 'bout that, my name's Sawyer too." The actor did a fab job...as though his whole wind was just knocked out of him. As to your question, Mac, I did see it coming, and I did put it together long ago that Cooper was the original Sawyer. I don't have as good a memory as you, and I sure don't watch and re-watch (perhaps I should!), so I don't remember what part/s indicated such, but I know it was something he said, perhaps to Locke at one time. I'm really disappointed in Jack. I'd always had a soft spot for him, no matter what a weenie he could be, but his arrogance is wearing thin. Does anyone think it's weird that the Paulikki scenario just...ended? Poor Kate; she doesn't know where she belongs anymore, does she. Although, once she, and everyone, discovers she's pregnant with Sawyer's love child, it will be interesting to see Jack's reaction to her.... Hasta la vista.
→ 137. Posted by: silkyway at May 3, 2007 4:52 PM@132 Kristine - I think because Desmond's been in previous contact with Penny (is caught in some sort of time loop) and that's how she knew to look for the "anomaly" to pinpoint a search area.
Quite frankly, I don't know anymore - the more I think about t
Confused...that's for sure...my brain hurts! Thanks for the recap, mac.
→ 1. Posted by: JT at May 3, 2007 12:01 PM