Lost Reviews and News

Damn.....

Ben Linus is a sneaky sneak...

Great recap Mac!

Quick thing here I thought about: Isn't Claire supposed to be one of the Six? Desmond once said that he saw Claire getting rescued on a helicopter if Charlie sacrificed himself, didn't he?

I'd love to know if they're gonna complete the season or if we're stuck w/ 8 eps... but so far this season has been GREAT!

Thanks for the recap mac. Wow, what an episode. My head will still be hurting tomorrow. After being called Tubby, Hurley's response "Oh, awesome. The ship sent us another Sawyer." just cracked us up.

ANTB (Any One Notice the Bracelets?) Sayid's Berlin buddy seemed to have one too. (I'll have to rewatch to make sure.) Did it refer to RG as well?

Did not Elsa have the same bracelet as Naomi, or was it just me?

This seems to imply that R.G. is the Economist - the man Ben is trying to hunt down?

Was it me or did elsa have on the same type of bracelet as naomi?

@2/Daniel Rivera "I'd love to know if they're gonna complete the season or if we're stuck w/ 8 eps"

Per Kristin...
(Source: E!Online)

Lost is back! Oh, wait, that happened two weeks ago.

What I mean is, Lost will be back-back, after the strike. And even better, we've just checked in with inside sources, and we have dates! Yes, dates! So, break out your calendars, 'cause we're hearing this is the approved plan:

The last episode of the current pod (episode seven) will air Mar. 13. Then the show will be off the air for six weeks and return Apr. 24 at 9 p.m.

(That Apr. 24 episode will be the already-completed episode eight, which was filmed prestrike, but which apparently works much better as a minipremiere than it does as a minifinale.)

Anyhoo, the following week, on Thurs., May 1, a little show called Grey's Anatomy returns to its usual 9 p.m. time slot, so Lost will move to 10 p.m., where it will stay for the rest of the season.

"Yippee" just doesn't do it justice, does it?

To find out what this all means for the season-four story, I checked in with my personal Jesus, Damon Lindelof, who explains how his writing team plans to squish the eight episodes of plot they had planned into only five more episodes.

"We are going to execute our full story plan for season four," D.L. says. "This simply requires a shift from high-octane storytelling to superhigh-octane storytelling. It requires no cramming, only a slightly heavier foot on the gas pedal...so, hold on to your hats. Those of you waiting for the long-anticipated Jin and Hurley Ping-Pong tournament, however, will be very disappointed."

sorry. delay.

It looked like Elsa was wearing a bracelet just like the one Sayid removed from the Naomi corpse.

I also felt like I was watching the "The Borne lost-imatum" several times tonight.

I was almost relieved to see ben at the end -- to know that Sayid is playing secret agent to "save his friends", not just because he is in a bad mood. (although after what Hurley did to Sayid, I don't think he is still on the friends list). By the way, I didn't think Hurley had it in him to act like that.

Is Ben also a doctor? He seems to have some medical skills when he takes care of Sayid's injury at the end of the episode.

Great recap Mac, I actually remembered those lines because I wanted to mention them as well! Yes, I also noticed the bracelet on Elsa. I feel like they wanted us to see that one, because there were two good shots of it on her wrist, one at the begining of the scene and one at the end.

This episode went by so fast! Can't wait for next week. There may be a way to calculate how far the boat is from the island based on the projected speed and distance. I am way to tired to do it now. Also, if there is a 31 minute delay, I perpose that it is compounding, so the 100 or so days, could be more way more or way less in the real world. WOW! What an episode.

So....

Jacob's cabin in itself is a manifestation of sorts, and does not physically exist (in the way normal things physically exist). Again with the sand....

Wow! What an episode! Thanks for the great review Mac.

Something I have been thinking about since last week and I didn't notice anyone mention it in last episode's comments...Is there any significance to the fact that Juliet and Ben are on separate "teams." I still have a hard time trusting Juliet and I wonder if there was part of Ben's strategy in choosing to go with Team Locke since Juliet was already with Team Jack, that way one of each of them would be with each group. Any thoughts?

Thanks Mac. GRAA. Let the brain fornication continue...

31 minute delay? Shouldn't the island be getting less weird as we go?

Hurley as the bait was very surprising. I too didn't think he had it in him. Especially after Locke told him my way or the highway.

Now that Kate is "staying behind" does Jack feel bad about encouraging her to go?

I continue to think that Naomi is not quite dead yet. Last week's flashback and this week's continuing focus on her "corpse" has me betting on a surprise recovery.

And finally, Ben's character is amazing. Michael Emerson is one lucky dude. How could we not see this coming, that Ben will controlling, manipulating and downright toying with these people's lives for their forseeable futures.

One question.

In the last scene with Ben and Sayid, Ben makes says something about Sayid needs to remember what happened last time Sayid made a decision with his heart rather than his gun (I am sure that is a pretty bad job of paraphrasing). Does anyone know what he meant by that? Was that something that has happened already--pre-island, or on-the-island (that we've seen) or something that happens in a future flash that we have not yet seen?

Thanks Mac, great review as always!

Yes, Elsa had a bracelet on very much like the one that Naomi had on. I didn't get enough of a look at it to see if it was identical, though.

I definitely got the impression that Ben is manipulating Sayid into doing his dirty work through blackmail. Ben certainly seems to dislike Sayid...he was practically spitting venom in the last scene & seemed to be taking delight in causing Sayid pain (both mental & physical). That's our Ben!

BTW, Frank the Fruity-Shirted Pilot agreed to take Sayid off the island, not to fly him to the freighter. Whether or not this becomes important or not I don't know, but Frank's choice of words stood out.

Did Desmond learn to fly in the military?

Why was Sayid so solicitous over Naomi's dead body (aside from the fact that the writers were able to bookend the episode w/him closing two sets of dead eyes)?

Sayids' first target was Mister (?) at the exclusive golf club in the Seychelles (French - mid Indian Ocean).
Should be a clue - seems the target had a minor European accent.

Question on the single "an Economist" reference. The way my minds' ear heard it, my impression was that Ben (soon to be revealed) was the Economist. (I haven't gone to the replay yet).

Excellent Episode and recap.

While this episode is starting to support my "too many unanswered questions" theory, it really was too dang good to complain. I wasn't sure if I was watching Lost at times, or "Spyid 007".

Something that may be big that wasn't covered was the fact that when Dan asked for the radio, Frank tells him to make sure that he ONLY talks to Regina, and to hang up if Mitkowski comes out of the bathroom and picks up.

That's all for now. GOULET!

Great review, Mac! Just a quick thought that radio communication is instantaneous with the freighter and physical contact is time delayed?

I like the honest(?) connection between Des and Frank when the question about the Penny/Des picture came up. I see these two as future heroes (maybe dead heroes).

I also like the BoSox reference. I thought Frank was probably shrugging off the Jack remark because the Sox have just won the world series again for the second time in three years - which Jack did not know. But if the island is really running 10 TIMES slower than the rest of the world, the Soxs have one twice in the 90+ days since 815 crashed.

It's not so much the amount of time it took the package(rocket) to get to the island, the clock on the rocket had a time shift. I'll have to watch again to see if it ahead or behind Dan's reference.

Isn't it about Christmas on the Island?? Lostpedia claims it's Dec. 24th.

For a moment at the end, as Sayid walked past the kennels, I thought, "Oh no, he's going to kill Vincent!"

Amazing episode. The pieces are slowly and steadily falling into place.

We know four of the Oceanic Six.
We know time appears to elapse more quickly on the Island.
This begs the question: how long have they REALLY been gone? If a few seconds account for a thirty-minute time difference, Oceanic Flight 815 may have crashed YEARS ago to the rest of the world (but probably no more than four years or so).
Is Sayid's working for Ben somehow tied to this lucrative settlement he mentioned?
These people Sayid is killing, they know and fear the Oceanic Six. At least, that guy on the golf course did.

When Ben said he had a man on their boat, I originally thought it might be Michael, but what if it's Sayid???

@#16 (Christine): I think Ben may be referring to Nadia.

Also, I think the Economist was the man in the first flash-forward. The end of the story was placed at the beginning of the episode. Sort of like Memento.

Oh, and Mac, the pilot's last name is Lapidus. Still, great review.

What's with Jacob's moving shack? It seems like it has only showed up in order to knock some sense into people (Hurley: forces him to tell himself it's not real, Locke: makes him stop doubting Ben and start having faith in the island/Jacob) Thoughts?

@#25 (The Other Saywer): Maybe it's an RV?

Seriously, though, we haven't seen Jacob's Love Shack since Hurley made it disappear. Maybe it's Hurley's fault.

@19/The Other Other "...if Mitkowski comes out of the bathroom and picks up."

This proves that Mitkowski is Paulo reincarnated!

Great review as always, Mac!

Exciting episode.....ohhhhh, I can hardly wait until next week!!!

OK, I have to say it -- SAYID LOOKED SO FIIIOOONNNEEE! So freakin' handsome. I need a screen shot...or two...goodness!

Good show and good review.

The bracelet will be a big deal. I think.

So, at least seven people get off the island. I think that means that the Freighter Tots chopper isn't the way off, unless it makes more than one trip.

Ben's control over Sayid makes me wonder if Ben isn't still in complete control and allowing everything to happen.

How does Kate not go to prison? I guess we'll find out soon enough.

I haven't even started to read any of the content of this thread. I just got off of work, and as soon as I got home I watched Lost on the DVR. (i'm "not quite in Portland", so I'm 3 hours behind most of you).

Mac: I've never commmented on your work directly, although I have always been impressed.
But seriously, how the hell could you have processed the most WTF? episode so quickly and have written a coherent, well thought out review. Kudos to you.

I just needed to get that out. That was the best....episode...ever.

I don't remember the exact line, but the beeper that the "Economist" uses to contact Else is "old technology" according to Sayid. I think Else replied that bosses are generally old fogies. Could this suggest that the Economist is Penny's father (Charles Widmore?)? I think he's the only still-presumed-living old-fogey that we know of.

Best line of the episode (and a fantastic philosphy for all of us in an unfortunate and unpredictable world):

Kate : How long, Sawyer, how long can do you think we can play house?

Sawyer: Why don't we find out?

Once again, best....episode....ever.

Let's see if I can relate this.

Assume: clocks sync on launch(radio is near real time, they can talk to each other). Equip. sync's also.

At rocket land: rocket=3:16:22
island=2:45:04

Rocket time for 80miles(128km)=64s

The rocket (traveling at 2km/s) should have arrived.

Some time later(31:19) it did arrive.

The rocket traveled in real time. else it would have run out of fuel.

Time on the island runs 30x slow
the 90 days has actually been 7.397 yrs
(is this related to Vincent and dog years?)

Re: my own #33
No... I reconsider. It's a time shift, or they couldn't talk on the sat. phone! One of em would've sounded like fly's buzzing.

About the 31 minute delay...

it doesn't have to mean that time moves slower on the island or that time is shifted. It could be that the island is farther from the ship than they think.

Based on the sat phone conversation, the rocket took about 21 seconds to go 40 km-- thats about 1.9 km/ sec (or about 6 times the speed of sound). At that speed it could have traveled an additional 3500 km (2100 miles) in the 31 minutes after it lost contact with the freighter.

The sat phone communication has no delay, which would be true no matter where they were on Earth.

Related questions:
- Would the rocket have enough propulsion / fuel to make the extra distance?
- Would it need it?
- Did the helocopter experience the time delay? Maybe the rocket did not follow the magic heading, which is a short cut?

As an aside, I'm no expert or anything, but I would think a rocket that size traveling that fast would leave a bit of a crater when it landed.

Another clue from the Red Sox conversation could be that the pilot made a big deal out of being from Brooklyn. Possibly related to the obituary/coffin?

Truly a WTF episode! I got up early this morning to read Mac's clever and observant review and to see what everyone else thought. This group makes the LOST experience so much more intense and fun. Thanks for always thinking outside "Ben's magic box".

I would bring up the bracelets, but...:)

I kind of got the idea that Ben and Sayid have been in cahoots together for a long time. Maybe even that Sayid had been in with the Others since the beginning. It would kind of go along with that whole "I've got someone on their boat" thing. Maybe he was a sleeper? Maybe he's just that great of an actor. It will be interesting to see it play out.

I am enjoying these episodes, but I am getting left with an empty feeling inside.

More later...I figured out how to get around the block here at work..:)

wow.wow.wow.

Great observations from Mac and everyone.

I wondered about the bracelets, too, and about the closing of the eyes. Sayid was also sort of meditating before he went over and closed Naomi's eyes. Have we seen him be mystical before??

Where the heck are the rest of the Others - Richard Alpert and the gang? Are they just camped out in some kind of island limbo somewhere?

I wasn't really clear about the purpose of getting Desmond to go in the chopper. Were they just investigating the Penny connection? Frank seems to be fairly clueless about a lot of things.

Why no follow up on Frank's revelation last week about Juliet not being on the plane?

I'm wondering if Kate is officially part of the Oceanic Six. Perhaps she got off the island in another way, surreptitiously, to evade arrest, and is living in hiding somewhere. Only Hurley and Sayid have actually stated that they are part of this group. Although I assume Jack is, too, since he has had quite a bit of publicity in the front stories.

Once again, more questions than answers. I was so happy to have a new episode devoted to my favorite character! Great writing! The writers deserved whatever they got, and I can't wait to see more of their work!

Speaking of Ben's magic box - if people can be teleported through it (Locke's dad) if the island wants it - is that how Ben could travel so much and so fast off the island doing the island's bidding?

Or was Ben actually on the island and an image travelled (like the island used Charlie to talk to Hurley and could be seen by other people)?

Also how come it was so easy for the Dharma folks to repeatedly arrive in a boat?

The others are very well trained militarily (even Juliet who arrived after the Dharma purge). Are they under attack that often or do they go "on assignment in Canada" to kill people/defend the island like Sayid?

Lastly, the time element may give some explanation for the lack of birthdays for the original inhabitants.

Another thing...

the replay of last week's episodes had those cool captions, which confirmed a lot of observations, like the one about Charlotte (CS) Lewis. It said that the Boat Guy Minkowski shares a name with a German mathemetician - the Economist??

I don't think Sayid has been in cahoots with Ben all along. I think something happens where Ben is threatening to kill his friends if Sayid doesn't do his bidding. Ironic that after renouncing his life of torturing, he is forced back into that kind of life to help the Losties...

@ #38-
I don't think Kate's in hiding. I believe it was in the scenes from next week's episode that it was revealed that she has become one of the most recognizable figures in America...or something to that effect. She becomes famous somehow.

I also wondered about that guy's warning to the pilot (sorry, I am terrible with names). He told him to make sure he came in on exactly the same settings he used before, no matter what. So, the island is hard to reach, and you can only get there one way it seems. Didn't someone work out something with the numbers before, and perhaps these are the exact long and lat settings needed to enter a "hole in the rift", so to speak.

Is anyone else finding themselves disturbingly attracted to Ben?? Bug eyes and funny nose and all, he's got it!

@#29: If they're all declared legally dead, would she still have to go to prison?

Good review, except Sayid is talking to Frank Lipidis, not Frank Faraday!!!!

I have a feeling R.G Is the economist too, could it be Richard Gere???

@James: Thanks for the catch on the Lapidus thing!

@markthefish: Thanks for your kind words. I read a lot of mythology as a kid and I've always been a sucker for intricate and entwining storylines, so I guess I'm predisposed toward them (that's probably why I guilty enjoy soap operas too ...).

Couple of notes:

-- I added a bit about ANTB. I should have seen that one coming.

-- I also added a note about Jacob's disappearing love shack (JDLS?)

And finally ...

I just want to express my appreciation and admiration of all you guys. Many of the old-timers keep coming back and the conversation is always top notch. You add so much to my "Lost" experience -- it's really a joy to write these reviews and converse with all of you.

-- mac

what about the guy that sayid shot on the golf course.

he looked nervous.

also if we remember the other 'recruiter' that visited hurley in his flash foward talks about helping his friends.

is one set of friends with ben and one against? (ie dharma versus those that lead the purge).

i think with reference to the time delay u do get into some sort of worm hold based on a heading. Remember when Michael and Walt left - ben gave a heading and faraday told the pilot to stay on heading - no change.

more thoughts later

c

Was Sayid's first mark, the man on the golf course, also wearing one of those "RG" bracelets? And, is it important that Ben appears to be a vet of some sort (or, he's making Sayid visit him in a kennel) when he fixes the gunshot wound?

-Maybe Ben doesn't leave the island but his 'panic room' also has a tunnel to get to some means of transport other than the sub. We don't actually know where Sayid goes to meet with Ben at the end.

-Dan makes a very big deal of telling the pilot to keep the same bearing they came in on, no matter what.

-I thought the watches were showing time-of-day, not elapsed time, making the 31 minute difference more likely attributable to some odd physics issue rather than the boat being 31 minutes farther away than they thought it should be.

Mac - awesome recap as always. Your following has grown since I've been reading your blaog the past 2 years - Congrats man.

About the last night's ep. - Un-Freakin-Beleivable ! ! ! You hit the nail on the head. The Ben-Sayid revelation was truly out of left field and unexpected. But I think that the biggest reveal (maybe clue is a better description) had to do with Danny's experiment and the payload. A couple of seasons ago I had posted here a theory that I had found that claimed that the Island was somehow a nexus in the space/time continuum. The theory stated that the island sits at a pivotal point and can access the past, present, and future simultaneously. Danny's experiment demonstrated this time lapse. Where was the rocket for those 31 minutes and 20 seconds? Answer that and you'll have solved one of the biggest puzzles - what is the island.

Next week's ep appears to be a Kate-centric one - I'm dying to see how they have Kate living free and clear of her fugitive status.

Mac - keep up the great work.

Sorry - i meant "blog"

Hello everyone. First post!! I'm from the Dominican Republic, and my brother and me have been reading Mac´s reviews and most of the comments since season 2. I think this is a great blog!!!
Anyway... awesome episode!! I also noticed the bracelet thing and wondered if it was just me!! Good to know it wasn't.
To "DB" and the others that have made similar comments: That theory about the time difference between the island and the "real world" could have something to do with the fact that Charlotte's name refers to CS Lewis, because that is something that happens in Narnia and the "real world" too.
Can't wait for the next episode!!

im intrigued by the bracelet, sayid took it from naomi and im presuming kept it, i noted the inscription on it, is it possible he gave it to elsa in the future flash? if not then naomi and elsa probably know the same person
RG. i was blown away by seeing ben in the end. he must have something incredible over sayid to get him to be his assasin.

@Lynne the Shrink:

Frank actually says to Jack: "Don't go there , my dad's from the Bronx, I bleed Yankee blue".

@Lynne the Shrink:

Frank actually says to Jack: "Don't go there , my dad's from the Bronx, I bleed Yankee blue".

I was wondering about the initials on the bracelet & whether they're a bit of a misdirection (misdirection? on LOST? nahhh... ; > ). The inscription starts out w/just "N," which seems pretty obvious—N for Naomi. Why would the inscription end w/both "R" & "G," then? Not that I've given that many inscribed pieces of jewelry, but wouldn't a love gift like the bracelet appears to be just have the giver's first initial at the end? So perhaps "R.G." doesn't stand for a person's first & last name, but a first & middle name, or an affectionate nickname. Off the top of my head, the only three characters who have names that begin w/R are Roger Linus, Richard Alpert, & Regina.

OH! I just remembered - in the beginning of the captioned "Confirmed Dead" episode, it said that the woman talking to Daniel when he was crying and watching the found plane footage on TV was his CAREGIVER not his wife. Is our Mr. Faraday insane??? or is he somehow crippled like Locke was?

I was so freaked out at the end ("I think that's ben's voice!" "That IS BEn's voice!" OMG - how can that be Ben?" etc.) that I totally missed the dialogue b/n Ben and Sayid. I was stunned. My brain was frozen and unreceptive to all other incoming data.

So...I need to rewatch tonight after I get home from work. Oh my, I love this show!

Maybe someone mentioned this last week, (and please let me know if they did), could the CS Lewis reference have anything to do with the fact that when you enter one area, time keeps going (inside the wardrobe) and when you come back out, no time has changed at all (leaving the wardrobe)?

I enjoyed the Sayid flashforwards this time quite a bit. His first scene on the golf course was fantastic. So out of character, yet he pulled it off...he does need to work on that swing a little though. The follow through was awful!

I was glad to see the physics experiment too. Now we know we now for sure what we've all suspected over the years...there is a time/location "issue" related to the island.

However, unlike most, I have to say, I was a bit disappointed to see Ben in the last scene. When his buggy little face popped up I thought..."C'mon Lost. You've got enough hooks and mysteries weaved into this story, don't get hokey with us." For me, it just seems like they went a little overboard with that twist, and I was almost insulted.

That said, as others have postulated, I guess Ben is undoubtedly blackmailing Sayid either with the threat of killing the Oceanic 6, those left at the island, or possibly telling Sayid that when he's done with his work, he can go back to the island which seems to be the theme for the Oceanic 6 that we've seen so far.

Oh yeah...the disappearing cabin. Didn't we see this when Hurley first saw it? Wasn't he turning around seeing the cabin in different places?

"Ben's Panic Room"

Very good Mac...very good!

As always, thanks!

@Leila - That's exactly what I am thinking, and the time suspension could have to do with the watches, the equipment being outdated, etc. It all seems to fit in my cloudy mind, and if it doesn't, please poke holes in it people.

It seemed as if Sayid was somehow drawn to Naomi. What race is she? black? middle eastern? I can't figure it out, but maybe it has something to do with it.

Maybe Ben isn't bad after all, and that's why Sayid finally joins with him??

@Leila: We have the same theory (#51) : )

Could the man on the boat be Ben himself? Obviously Ben wouldn't physically be on the boat, but perhaps he gives orders to someone, like Minkowski. This would explain how Ben knows all the boaties; he recruited them himself. This would also explain Abbadan/Smokie working for him. Ben brought the boaties to the island for a reason and is pretending he knows nothing, saying they are bad. It's obvious now Ben wants some people off the island like Sayid and the boat is a logical explanation. It's all orchestrated by Ben from the beginning. I wouldn't even doubt if Sayid was his puppet from day one.

Also, in the last scene, did Ben not souund and act like Christian Shepherd before we discovered it was him?

-great review mac.

-last nights episode was intense, one of the best by far and i hope they keep getting better and better.

-as mac stated above and to paraphrase, it is going to be sooooo much fun finding out how all of the future flashes come together; especially sayid's.

- post#28 yes sayid was extra "FIONE" and sexy last night. is it getting warm in here? :)

- i think the bracelets will become even more significant as the seasons go on.

- i wouldnt be surprised if charles widmore is the "economist" but how is he linked to ben and why do they have so much contempt for each other??

- who exactly is the guy the sayid shot on the golf course and why did he need to be killed? did he work for the economist?? why the fear when the name "oceanic" is mentioned??

-regarding last weeks episode, the captions on the bottom of the screened mentioned that daniel had a "caretaker". i dont know about anyone else but i assumed that the lady asking him what was wrong with him when he began crying was his wife. why would he need a caretaker?? was he institutionalized at some point in his life and why??

anyway, peace & love to all :)

This may be waaay out there, but didn't Elsa kind of look like Shannon in that last scene with her and Sayid? I also wondered if maybe he gave the bracelet to Elsa but she would have wondered about the inscription. The first thing I thought when I saw the inscription: "N" for Nadia!

All of you folks talking about the rocket experiment are ignoring a pretty important bis of dialogue. When Farraday notes the time differential on the watches he also notes that it’s ‘getting worse’ and says ‘that ain’t good’. This implies both that Farraday has been to the island before and done this experiment (or he’s got access to the data from someone else who has), and that something has changed which makes the time shift worse, in turn, strongly implying that some unexplained danger factor about the island has ramped up.

I’m inclined to think that there is a connection between the worsening of the time shift and the hatch incident. That would explain why they’re as interested in Desmond as they are in Ben. They know something’s gone wrong to destabilize the island, and they’re seeking answers from the two people in the best position to know what and why.

Stellar recap, Mac. You played off the energy of the ep nicely with some serious edge of your own.

An interesting quote from an interview with Evalgeline Lilly (Kate): Another burning Kate question:

Who is the "he" referred to by onetime commitment-phobe Kate when she implied to Jack that someone was waiting for her at home? "Kate's kind of got her s--- together," Lilly says, "and the reason she's coping quite well is that person."

Hmmm. Who could that person be? Anyone else think it could be Ben? Sawyer? Her former cop hubby? A male child, perhaps? Guess we'll find out next week!

@ Deep Cover -

Good catch on that bit of dialogue from Faraday. I heard it but hadn't made the connection the way you had - I actually thought he had said - "oh no, no, no - this isn't good" - referring to the difference in times on the clock.

was it me or did it sound like Ben had 2 different voices at the end of the show. His voice was distorted.

I think that we have to consider the notion that when Ben tells Sayid that he’s protecting his ‘friends’, the people being referred to are not the Oceanic 6, but the three dozen or so folks left behind on the island. They are the one’s whose lives Ben is in a position to jeopardize.

@meg #60...I an with you on the Sayid connection to Naomi. I don't think the shots of him staring at her, closing her eyes, sitting with her in the chopper would be insignificant. It's almost as though he knows her from off the island. I am interested to see how this plays out.

@gator gal #66...The first thing I thought of when I saw Ben was "I wonder if he is the 'he' Kate refers to..." I think there is more to the story here too...Or the same "he" in charge of the beeper...

I am thinking that maybe Ben and Sayid's mission back "home" is to eradicate any trace of Dharma that still exists. If the existance of the island was revealed when the anaomaly happened with the hatch, whatever was left of Dharma found the island again and now has a vengeance to find Ben for wiping out Dharma on the island (hence why the boaties are looking for him...). Upon learning this, Ben knows he needs to "get rid" of Dharma completely, on the island and off. He did tell Sayid that "these people don't deserve our sympathies"...That seems like a kind of obvious theory though, right? Thoughts anyone?

okay.. here is another way way out there.

maybe ben becomes the new richard alpert, and lock becomes the new ben?

C

Anyone else catch this summary of tidbits/insights on the Boaties from an interview with the producers that ran yesterday in USA Today:

SOMEWHAAT SPOILERISH+++++++++++++

Producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse reveal:

(1) Miles isn't here to make friends. He's here for something else. And it ain't what he told us at the end of Episode 2. (That they had come for Ben.)

(2) Physics can be fun. They can also be incredibly dangerous. Watch Faraday demonstrate both.

(3) Lapidus is like a lot of fans of Lost - he never takes anything at face value. A true conspiracy nut, he has probably seen every episode of The X-Files, and that's going to pay off for him.

Source: USA Today

Ok, I have been discussing this with my hubbie but here is my non-PHD assessment: There is some break in the space-time contingency that the island created...so when they are rescued they go back to before all the reasons they were origianlly on the plane for...Kate killing her dad, Sawyer shooting whoever he shot, Jack's Daddy issues, etc. But they know what was supposed to happen and that torments them..Cue the Huey Lewis music...I know this creates some sort of Paradigm, can you go back in time to change one bad thing that happened to you and still get to the place you left from? Wow, that hurts my head. I think that is why Ben looks exactly the same in the photo Miles was carrying,sans the groovy 70's sweater vest..So if Claire gets off the Island with Aaron, will she be pregnant, can Aaron exists in the past (future)? Thanks for letting me ramble

Does anyone else think Regina's voice sounds remarkably like Naomi's?

Also, perhaps the Oceanic 6 are the only ones that decide to leave the island when given the choice. The "6" are sworn to silence, claiming the are the only survivors.
Perhaps Sayid has been employed to "help" protect that secret.

Hey Mac - I'm probably one of the most obsessed fans of the show - I could talk about the show and it's themes for hours on end - I own over a dozen books on the show and I've always thought you should do one. There's a series from Nikki Stafford that resembles your recaps - but yours are way better and she makes alot of mistakes in her recaps, as well as misses a boatload of connections between characters.

Anywho - you should consider taking all your recaps and putting them together in a book format along with some of the better insights from "posters" to your blog.

I smell "best seller list"

the original post asked why Ben could not be transported off the island when he had his tumor... Jack actually asked this question to Tom (dude with fake beard) who says something like: "We would have but ever since the sky turned purple..." and then Tom is interrupted - He was inadvertently referencing Dez's turning of the fail safe key... the absense of the electromagnetic field has something to do with getting off the island.

WHOA!!! HOLD EVERYTHING!!!
This was one of the best episodes yet!!!
I have a theory that Sayid and Ben are in cahoots from the time they talk in Bensylvania prison. And going back to last episode that Ben mentions he has a Man on their boat. Sayid could be that man, the time difference between the island and the boat could mean Ben already has the 411 on the boat from Sayid even before he gets on the boat or knows he's gonna be working for Ben. I know, I know its crazy, but bear with me on this. Ben can travel back and forth, so he already knows what's gonna happen 31 minutes ahead of time. So according to LOST chronology, last episode was something like 15 minutes before this one. AHA!!!! This theory of mine could almost be confirmed at the end of last nights episode when Benry tells Sayid if he wants to help "shis frioends" he has to stop thinking with his heart. Cause Ben already knows whats happening on the island 31 minutes before it happens. He even tells Jack in last season, that Jack WILL be operating on him.
I loved the way Elsa played Sayid even when he was being so "rico suave".
Two questions to my fellow bloggers out there and also to Mac.
1.What was the NAME OF THE "DUDE" THAT SAYID SHOT ON THE GOLF COURSE? This could be a super important clue.
2.Why is Sayid's hair on the island so curly and shinny and in Berlin all straight and well kept. OTHER shampoo has secret island ingredient to make it look like that product soul glo? Has Sayid given up on his search for a shampoo with such a magical ingredient in Berlin?
Seriously what was the name of the guy Sayid shot? And so far we know 4 of the Oceanic 6 survivors: Jack, Kate, Hurley and Sayid. Ben doesn't count cause he is not a survivor, but he definetely, gets off the island. Did the rest of the OTHERS vote him off?

@Mister_Grimm: I've thought about maybe doing an ebook or something like that, but I'm so squeezed for time I just don't know how I would fit it in. I *really* like the idea of mixing reviews with great comments -- that's a phenomenal suggestion.

How many questions will continue to be unanswered even since the pilot?

What the heck is the monster? Why has he stopped terrorizing people?

Another thing, I think there are just too many characters and questions and issues that need to be handled. Is that possible in 45 more episodes? I think not.

Also by the way Jack talks I'm starting to think he's been in the medical profession before coming to the island, whatya think?

I love the show, I just think the writers are in over their heads. We now have 4 more characters to develop too. Too many tangents to explain, I mean how could Jack's dad be alive if the producers say when they die they stay dead?

I'd love to hear everybody's input on these matters.

Yes!! I think the idea about the book is great!!
Has anyone read "Lost and Philosophy: The Island Has Its Reasons" (The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series)by Sharon M. Kaye? ç
I'm thinking of buying it.

I thought the best line was:

Sawyer:

Let's point the gun at his big toe and watch piggy go to market!

lol... had me bawling!

So, it seems like "keeping the hatch running" was more about preserving the unusual effects of the local island environment than anything. Once the Purple Sky Event (PSE) occurred, who can say what the true implications were, as it relates to the island?

And now that we have a physicist on the island who can do whacky experiments (a *true* professor would involve coconuts as well), expect it to get deep quick, science students! The reviews are as great as ever Mac, thanks for all your efforts!!

Lost presents your world travels tip for today, people:

Hooking up someone who doesn't like to talk about their past + a city with a past like Berlin = Not good.

Perhaps Jacob's Love Shack is Baba Yaga's Hut? (Yes, I'm an old D&D player) It gets up on its chicken legs and moves around. Hurley and Locke didn't agree on its location and in fact Hurley ran into it twice in different locations.

ANTB? I think the bracelet is how Sayid determined that Elsa was the person to chat up at the cafe. It was identical in design to Naomi's bracelet.

Perhaps the magnetic fluctuation which Desmond theoretically set off when he destroyed the Hatch is causing the difference in light perception (remember the purple sky?) and throwing off the rocket's tragectory. I am not a physicist so I can't say for certain. The Northern Lights are a magnetic phenomenon and I believe missles can be thrown off with a great deal of magnetism.

"Perhaps Kate gets back, accused of her crime (killing her step-father) she gives them the story that he was abusing her and that's why she ran. As a 'big' celebrity, no one contradicts her story and she gets off. She rolls her new found fame into another semi-celebrity marriage. So when Jack comes stumbling into her life she has no desire to return to the island.

→ 162. Posted by: PiecesofArzt at February 9, 2008 09:28 AM"
Yay! It looks like one of my predictions comes true with Kate as celebrity.

@mapache #77

you wrote:
2.Why is Sayid's hair on the island so curly and shinny and in Berlin all straight and well kept. OTHER shampoo has secret island ingredient to make it look like that product soul glo? Has Sayid given up on his search for a shampoo with such a magical ingredient in Berlin?

Speaking as a person with similar hair to Sayid's...off the island he can probably use products such as gel to straighten it out and give it that "organized" look; yet, while on the island there doesn't appear to be any hair brushes (don't quote me on this though). The curliness would increase with the humidity, and that ocean water.

You would think that he would simply borrow one of those scarfs from Cindy though, in order to contain those curls!

Best Quote EVER:
“Hurley: Have you seen a blad guy in a bathrobe running with a coconut? and....
Charlie: No, but i saw a polar bear on rollerblade with a mango.”
-Charlie Pace

I think the name of the man Sayid shot on the golf course was Mr. Avelino...

@mapache #77 & meg:
Also, if Sayid uses a hair dryer it would give his hair that look. It's what I do too :)

@ 85. Thanks meg, and i totally agree with you. a scarf from cindy would've helped immensly.
Anyone catch the name of the guy Sayid kills on the golf course?? He had sort of a Spanish maybe Italian accent. Why did was he so worried when he finds out who Sayid really is????

@42/meg "Is anyone else finding themselves disturbingly attracted to Ben?? Bug eyes and funny nose and all, he's got it!"

OOMBDA
(Oh, oh, meg's been drinking again)

Is Sayid left-handed? I thought he hit the golf ball lefty.

The man he shot is Mr. Avellino. Lostpedia says that he is credited as "The Italian Man".

I await my royalty check for contributing to your book!

@87.Thanks vikki.
Mr. Avelino's worried ass, when he learns who Sayid is, tells us that he knew what was coming to him. There is something definitely sketchy there. He knew he was on Sayid's infamous list and that he was going to get whacked. This could all be related to him being one of the people that, we dont know why, but are trying to snatch Ben from OTHER island..... hmmm interesting. THAT could be "the list" and Benry's using Sayid to get back at them. AHA!!!!

My head is still hurting after watching this EP, man was it good, as was (is always) Mac’s review. Hurley’s little con was just great.

I do have one big concern. I remember another show that had a three or four season run and was starting to get so lost and broken and then did a 180 with its story line and re-energized the show but then laid a great big giant egg at the end of its run. I hope this show has not started down the same path. Oh the show I am referring to was Alias.

I hope they don’t try and rap this up to quickly and leave a lot of loose ends or lame answers. Sorry to be a downer, but I had Alias flashbacks after the EP was over. I love this show and watch and re-watch it and will to the end.

@Eggo:

So many questions have been answered since season 1 - far too many to list here, but what you have to remember is that the answers are usually subtle, the writers don't bash us over the head with them as if to say "HEY - HEY YOU VIEWER - HERE'S AN ANSWER ! ! !"
They handle the answers in a smooth way that flows with the rest of the writing on the show. Here are some questions that have already been answered:

Q: Polar Bears on a tropical island?
A: DHARMA conducted zoological experiments

Q: What made the plane crash?
A: Desmond failing to return in time to enter the numbers and causing the System Failure. (confirmed by Damon and Carlton)

Q: What happened to the DHARMA Initiative?
A: Ben happened

Etc, etc, etc. The list is very long for what's been answered. But there is also an equally long list of questions that are as yet unanswered and eventually those will be answered as well. Just don't expect to get hammered over the head with the answer.

Regarding the "dead means dead" quote - what the creators of the show said was that when you die on the island you are dead. They never touched on what would happen if you brought an already dead person to the island - ala Christian Shephard. If you followed the "mobi-sodes" - episodes viewed via cell phones and other mobile devices that were about a minute in length, they filled in some gaps from seasons 1 and 2. The final "mobisode" showed Chrstian Shephard walking up to Vincent the dog and saying, "My son is just over there, go wake him up. He has work to do." Vincent then rushes off through the bamboo trees and we see the opening scene of S1E1.

@87 - the man on the golf course was named Avellino. That's also the name of a city in Italy, though I have no idea if that has any relevance.

@MassielZ:

I have "Lost and Philosophy: The Island Has Its Reasons" - pretty good so far - it's a colloection of papers with a philosophical view of themes on the show. I haven't finished it yet but it seems to be a decent read so far.

I think the Oceanic Six are rich and famous because they have somehow saved the world. That old space-time continuum thing again? In the first future flash - the one where Jack almost jumped off the bridge - he was referred to as 'one of the heroes.' Why hero, rather than survivor? Their notoriety seems way beyond what the average airplane-crash-victim-who-survived might get.

@96 and 92...My family's from Avelino in Italy...maybe I am related to that guy on the golf course...I hope Sayid doesn't come after me...hee hee :)

LOL @ Mac

Nice Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo reference w/ Sayid "turbo" Jarrah.

Great comments everyone!

It is good to be back and see all the familiar faces (alias' to be precise) from oh so long ago. Also kinda sad to think that there is only 5 more eps to go, a break, then just a few more (yet to be filmed) to come....

This show is like crack! We need more!!!!!

@74 It certainly seems like the Oceanic Six have not been honest about their experiences on the island.

Everyone keeps speculating that Ben is controlling/manipulating Sayid, but I can't help but wonder - Could Ben really actually be the good guy that he has always claimed to be? Perhaps future Sayid is aware of the "bigger picture", and he now willingly has sided himself to the cause Ben serves?

@77 As mentioned @76, ever since the hatch blew, Ben seemingly lost communication and transport to the outside world. Seeing Ben in the future seems to imply he has regained this ability.

Other thoughts:

- in this case, quite literally an "other thought"... Where the heck are the others? Underground? Secret hideout?

- island time shift relation to Desmond's prophetic abilities? When Dez would have a vision, how far in the future were they? Is it possible - 31 minutes? Correct me if I'm wrong, but they were all Charlie related? Now that Charlie is gone, no more visions?

ben had to have the surgery on the island, bc the island's curative were the only thing keeping him alive. if he left, he'd die.

"Also, in the last scene, did Ben not souund and act like Christian Shepherd before we discovered it was him?"

Yes, I totally thought it sounded like the elder Dr. Shephard! I thought it might be Ben, but his voice was different, like it had been altered or something. It only sounded like him again after they showed his face.

I think Sayid closing dead people's eyes was just to show that he still has some humanity left in him, despite what he did/does for a living.

So many WTF's last night. The show just keeps getting more and more complicated...but, Oh, so good! And I agree about future Sayid.....rrrrowl!

"Wow!" = understatement of the series.

Three things:

1. Mac: I don’t know how you do it. It’s truly amazing that you can take an episode like this (i.e., so incredibly nuance-filled) and resist tossing more than 2,000 words at it a’ la episode re-caps of years past. Your ability to edit yourself to only the most pertinent facts, whilst throwing in enough whimsy, pop-culture reference, and creativity to stay true to your voice is remarkable and admirable. I could never do it. Translation: I’m apologizing in advance for a too-long post here. In fact, I’ll split it into three posts, egocentrically hoping that someone might actually read all thee points. My head is spinning. Not just about the perfect-ness of this episode, but all the episodes and seasons that have come before it. How are the writers going to tie all this together? The Island Monster, polar bear(s), Dharma Initiative, hatches, button pushing, Ben’s rise to Great Island Poo Bah, the “electromagnetic anomaly,” the “reproductive anomaly,” what happened to Walt and Michael, Jacob and his phantasmagorical cabin. Now we have the Oceanic 815 Cover Up, the race between Penny and the Boat People to find this fantasy island, the splintering of the castaways into the Lock v Doc camps. Not to mention how who all gets off the island and what that means to the fractions that remain (not just our favorite castaways, but the rest of Ben’s folk too . . . remember them?). Holy Jesus on Toast that leaves a lot of loose ends. If the writers keep throwing in new conundrums they’ll need to go over their 5-season limit to properly address it all. Right?

@62/BEMH "Also, in the last scene, did Ben not souund and act like Christian Shepherd before we discovered it was him?"

@68/DRALI
"was it me or did it sound like Ben had 2 different voices at the end of the show. His voice was distorted."

I noticed the same thing. At first I thought it was Christian Shepherd and then I thought it was Christian Shepherd with Ben's accent. The producers did a good job of disguising his voice. As you listen to it, the speach pattern is obviously Ben's but much deeper. As the monlogue continues, the voice slowly morphs into Ben's normal voice. Pretty cool.

(desertrat’s second point)

2. Sayid: Ahhh, finally a long-overdue character-centric episode for our favorite Iraqi, and he gets a bit more nookie too. Priceless. BTW, did it escape anyone the perfect-ness of the timing for this Valentine’s Day episode for all of us Sayid fans? Thank you writers. But, Ben = Jason Bourne? Nah, Sayid is Jason, Ben is the mastermind behind the creation of our international hit man. But it’s more than just that. Sayid is really a pirate. He joins the Republican Guard, but really ends up on the fringes as his torture-skills develop. Then he’s “recruited” by the Americans to extract info from his erstwhile commander in exchange for “freedom.” Later he throws in with the CIA for some international terrorist infiltration duty, ostensibly to break up a bomb plot in exchange for info on Nadia the long lost love of his childhood (Remember her? Sayid does, the bracelet he removes from Naomi says, “N. I’ll always be with you. R.G.” We are going to find out in a future episode that Nadia’s pet name for Sayid can be abbreviated R.G.). Once on the island Sayid alternately throws in with Jack, Lock, Hurley, Kate and even Sawyer whenever it fits into his current personal goals. Now if that isn’t behavior worthy of a Captain Jack Sparrow award, then I don’t know what is. And I truly believe that this is what the writers want us to think. There were two POTC references incorporating dialog that was practically verbatim from Curse of the Black Pearl. (1) When Sayid returns to the helipad with Charlotte but sans Miles AND Kate and he brushes by Jack who says, “Where’s Kate?” Without even looking him in the eye, Sayid dismisses him with, “She stayed behind.” Remember when Will Turner returned to the Black Pearl without Jack after the first confrontation with Barbosa on Isla de Muerta and Gibbs questions, “Where’s Jack?” Will gives Gibbs a similar Sayid-style brush off with “He fell behind.” And, as if we needed a bop on the head with a 2x4, five paces later when Sayid presents the Jimmy Buffett-esque helicopter pilot with Charlotte, proudly proclaiming to have traded her for Miles, what does the pilot say? Another Will Turner line, “You cheated!” (Remember, in the blacksmith shop when Jack pulls out a pistol in the middle of a swordfight?) I swear. If you watch Sayid at ¼ speed during this exchange you can see him mouthing the word, “Pirate.” But really, the self-satisfied sneer says it all. And isn’t it just like Sayid to bring a pistol to a sword fight, not to use it mind you, simply to intimidate. In fact, doesn’t he remind Jack that tho he may have the bigger gun, he doesn’t wield it willy-nilly like the good old Doc would; a revolver to the face of Lock last episode being a case in point. Folks, our favorite Iraqi has turned pirate. He’s at world’s end . . . even after getting off the island he remains “lost.” Think about it.

(desertrat’s third point)

3. The Oceanic Six: I’m with you #38. I don’t believe that Kate is one of the Oceanic Six. Yes, she gets off the island, but not to the fanfare, parades, settlement offers, and Oceanic Platinum Passes bestowed on the famed Six. She (and maybe Sawyer) get off via some sort of long con involving either the Boat People or Ben. Perhaps some sort of friendship triangle is struck between Sayid, Sawyer and Kate which Ben manipulates causing Sayid to “think with his heart instead of his gun” thus landing him in servitude to Ben, selling his soul to Davy Jones, so to speak. As evidence for this claim I give you the following: (1) Sawyer’s comment to Kate as he keeps her captive in Ben’s condo, reminding her that she was being hunted by the FBI at the time of the crash. There’s nothing waiting for her back home but handcuffs and prison. (I’m sure there’s another POTC reference here, but it eludes me.) Sawyer too admits that there’s nothing “back home” calling to him either. What’s so bad about the island? There’s a roof over their heads, hot water showers. “I’m not saying I’d build a summer home here, but the trees are actually quite nice. Besides, we know the secretes of the Fire Swamp. We can live there quite happily for some time.” Or I thought I heard him say something like this. On second thought, maybe Westley doesn’t get off the island with Buttercup. Maybe next episode she cons him as they tryst in Ben’s boudoir. (Yeech.) Also, (2) I do not believe for a second that our savvy LOST writers are going to just lay down all six of their Oceanic Survivor cards, one-by-one for us, in orderly fashion, as the season progresses. When has anything about this show been orderly and forthcoming? Besides, in the season three finale future flash, the whole clandestine meeting between Kate and Jack at the end of the runway at midnight had that “don’t blow my cover, buddy” undertone.

If you’re still with me, these are my two-cents. What a bargain, eh?

@#16 & 24 - I thought Ben meant when Sayid trusted Hurley saying Locke left him behind. If Sayid hadn't been friends with Hurley, he would have been more careful. Hence Ben's comment about knowing which friends to trust. I also didn't expect that from Hurley, but that just proves Ben's point.

Also, James/24 - excellent suggestion about the guy at the golf course. I had thought it was just one more name on the list. But this makes sense - after killing Elsa, the economist would know who was after him.

@amelia/28 - I almost agree - Sayid is almost totally hot. But I got a new TV, and I hafta tell ya, those long, dirty fingernails are vicious in HD.

When I saw Elsa's bracelet, I wondered if Sayid had given her Naomi's, but then I realized the inscription would have made her kill him right then.

@meg/60 - Sayid was also drawn to Shannon and Elsa. Have you not figured out he falls in love with every woman he meets? LOL

@Mister_Grimm/75 & Mac - I second that, I'd buy it. And not just the raw comments, but a synopsis of what we speculated and how it turned out. Maybe by the time the series ends, you'll have time. I'd like a hard copy too, though.

Also:
Sayid & Ben are the only ones so far not to have a conversation about returning to the island. Do Jack, Kate & Hurley know what Sayid & Ben are doing? Do they need to return in order to prevent S&B from leaving (and then killing the remaining Dharma-ites, or whoever they are)?

Des's FFs came true, but we haven't seen Claire leave the island yet. Maybe we'll find out next week, but I just don't think it's her & Aaron. So why would his FF have been wrong on that? Or did Des lie to Charlie? I don't remember if we actually saw that FF or he just told Charlie about it. I think all the FFs we saw were about Charlie dying, weren't they? So I think he lied about Claire.

If Kate is indeed a member of the Oceanic 6 (and until she says as much we can't assume she is), it'll be heartbreaking to see who else joins the group. Would it be Claire and Aaron? Or Sun & Jin? It sounds like either pair could remain on the island. For Sun, it could be a death sentence. And I also wonder, were the Oceanic 6 volunteers or were they chosen by Ben? Or do they simply survive unknown future events?

Charles Widmore = Red Herring?

As for Sayid's hair, I agree it looked great in Berlin. Now we know what his answer would be if asked the question, "If you were stranded on a desert island, what luxury item would you bring with you?" Answer: A hair dryer!

Sayid sold his soul.

Remember earlier in the epi when Sayid says that he the day that he trusts Ben is the day that he sells his soul? Well, apparently he did sell his soul. It will be interesting to watch the transition that he goes through and to see what he learns that is important enough to change him.

@63/tiffani & 56/equeyaya "why would he need a caretaker?? was he institutionalized at some point in his life and why??"

Michael "Monk" faraday

New thought about Sun's pregnancy - is she the first woman to become pregnant since the hatch blew up? Maybe she's safe now, but they don't know it.

How funny would that be if R.G. stood for "Republican Guard?" That would certainly explain why Sayid took the bracelet!

@ 105 Expanding desertrat’s second point slightly...

This is where the brain fornication really takes hold. We've all wondered from the beginning whether it is fate, randomness or just plain manipulation that brings these people together on this island. Sayid's story points to manipulation. He becomes a "torturer", is recruited by a CIA operative who happens to later in life get hired by the Dharma Initiative. This CIA operative is killed trying to leave the island while in the very next instant, Sayid and the rest of Oceanic 815's passengers are crashing onto the same friggin' island.

Penny, take me away!

@110/me

Oops, make that Daniel "Monk" Faraday

Now that Miles is with Team Locke, it could be really interesting if he (as a ghost whisperer) meets up with Jacob.

Also, Harold Perrineau ("Michael") was listed on the opening credits last night, although he didn't appear on the show. Did we hear his voice somewhere?I think he is Ben's spy on the boat.

@114/115

That isn't a double post, it's an experiment in stereophonic posting.

I don't think Ben is the 6th person.

The ones we know for sure, cuz we've seen them post-island.......Kate, Jack, Hurley, and Sayid

We're assuming that Desmond is the 5th and Ben the 6th?

But, for some reason I don't think Ben is the 6th. I think Ben comes and goes to the island when he wants to. How, I'm not sure. I think the 'sub' was the vehicle to get the people there, and by doing so, that's how the people on the island think that's the only way to get off. The sub is way too slow for Ben. He's a mover and a shaker and does his thing in fast mode. So, he's got some other way to leave the island. I think he leaves after the 6 get off.

The shack has only been seen in the dark, correct? Maybe it's too early to be seen.

Mac - - - Someone asked how did you do that so quick. Maybe you have a 31 minute head start?????

@74/Marge "Does anyone else think Regina's voice sounds remarkably like Naomi's?"

I had the same thought. Surely the writers wouldn't try to pull the old twins stunt on us? If this were any other show...

@David: You're on to me! ;)

For those whe thing Sayid was always in with Ben. Remember he went to a lot of trouble proving he lied about "Henry Gale"

Scary: Sayid is right handed on the island and left handed when he gets back. very big clue. Mirror Universe anyone?

Finally: Sayid uses the cell phone and throws it away. Seems the economist has a lot of power to monitor cell phones?

Great review Mac !!

Regarding the foks who think Regina sounds like Naomi: The part of Regina (I think) is being played by Zoe Bell, one of the stars of Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof (part of Grind House). She played the blonde stunt-woman in the second half of the film (the one who gets stuck on the car hood during the chase scene). Zoe Bell, by profession, is a Stunt Woman. Apparently, she's getting into acting as well. I saw her name in the credits last week, but never saw her in the episode... when Dan Faraday called the boat and spoke to Regina more at length in this episode, I recognized the voice as being Bell's. She is Australian (or possibly a Kiwi, I'm not sure), so that would explain the similarity of her accent to Naomi, who was Brittish. If we actually get to meet Regina in an episode, I bet we'll see some cool fighting sequences, or something exciting so she can show off her stunt skills.

i'm not sure on how to analyse the time delay because of the dialogue during the experiment itself.

The girl counts down the delay to contact and Dan says something like it's not here.

So, when it finally arrives, if the times on the "clocks" represent time of day, then the Island is 31 minutes slower.

If it's elapsed time, then I'm not to sure what to make of it.

If anybody rewatches, could you tell me if the time line in the epi fits more with 31 minutes or nearly 3 hours before the launch and the reception.

Thanks

Mirror Universe? Interesting.
Does anyone know back when they were playing golf on the island if Sayid first played? Second if he swung the club righty or lefty?

Sayid was a lefty

OK - So I'm not thinking it's sand where the cabin was, but ash. Brimstone, maybe?

@125

Sand, ash, brimstone.... who knows...

Heck - could be a Heroin Circle that Charlie never managed to sniff out!

We're lead to believe it has something to do with Jacob and his cabin, but who knows, it could be something completely unrelated and different, and the writers are messing with us.

When Hurley found the cabin, did anyone notice if this substance was around?

Jacob's ash is from an old hibachi. It gets disturbed when he takes the cabin on the road. ;)

Two things - Not key features with all that went on this episode, but worth noting and keeping in mind for future reference.

1. The moment Sayid mentioned he was one of the Oceanic Six, the dude on the golf course became noticeably nervous and passed on collecting his wager.

2. After the rocket landed and Farrady learned of the time "issue" on the island, he made a point of telling Lapidus that he had to fly out on the exact bearings that he flew in on -- not to deviate even slightly. I imagine we'll learn more about this in a later episode.

WOW! I loved this episode.

1) What's the deal with the dogs? Vincent can see/understand dead people, there's the dog painting in Jacob's cabin and suddenly Ben is a vet? A beagle wins Westminster???

2) Sayid's left handed swing SUCKED and no way he could have gotten the ball that close. His talents lie (literally) elsewhere. Sleeping with the enemy indeed.

3) If Sayid had given the bracelet to Nadia, wouldn't it be in Arabic?

4) No way Naomi is down for the count. She should be smelling kind of ripe by now.

Love this show!

Response to post 97 by jazzswimmer.
You asked why Jack was refered to as a hero in the pharmacy. The flash forward episode where he nearly jumps off the bridge. He's derailed from jumping because an auto wreck occurs on the bridge and he pulls people from the burning vehicles. This is why he is called a HERO...not because he saved the world. If that were the case i think he'd be doing more then signing autographs occasionaly.

@26/shikotee "When Hurley found the cabin, did anyone notice if this substance was around?"

I heard an interview with Jorge (Hurley) in which he said there was a scene that was cut in which he noticed the ash.

***** Possible Spoiler *****

He also a referenced a scene in which he was sitting in Jacob's chair. He did not know why they filmed it and was surprised when he saw the person that was in the chair when the show aired. I wonder if they will use the footage later?

***** End Possible Spoiler *****

(Note the non-screen tipping, symmetrical asterisks)

The cabin was probably there, but invisible to everyone because of all the people that were with Locke.

Anyone find it sad that Locke fell for Ben's mind f*** AGAIN? It was the same tactic he used against in the hatch. Locke still has a chip on his shoulder about being a 'hunter'.

By the way - will we ever find out why smokey beat the daylights out of Eko? I miss him.

Alright Mac (and all), here's what I've got.

--equeyaya, I'm with you on the status of where the heck the rest of the others are. And does anyone know how many of them there are? Eyeliner Alpert has been on the island a long damn time, too long to just sit tight and wait for Ben to come back. It will be intersting to see what the writers do with this loose end.

--Jacob's Love Shack. The "sand" surrounding it. To me, it looks like gunpowder. Just sayin. Has Locke actually considered just following that trail of weird gray sand and seing where it leads?

--The whole time-warp thing is way interesting. But in last week's episode, when we saw the "pilot" (or whoever he really was), he still had skin and a uniform etc. If hed been there for years and years, wouldnt he be just a lil more rotten? Again, just sayin'.

--And speaking of loose ends, and I can't believe nobody else has thought of this, or bothered to post it (There's no way Im this smart...): Naomi is totally still alive. One of those crazy spiders from the "Expose" episode with Nikki and Paolo must have gotten her. Right? Why else would Sayid The Pimp bring her along on the helicopter, unless he knew something was up? Didnt he close Nikki's eyes the same way in "Expose"?? So, Naomi is just wicked paralyzed. Shes got to be. Why else would the writers devote an entire episode to two bimbos like Nikki and Paolo unless it was to clue us in to yet another wacky island feature. That whole episode (Expose) is one long loose end: Why should we care about the diamonds? Vincent the Wonder Dog knew they were still alive, bcs he pulled the blanket off of them. And At the very end of the episode, we see from Nikki's POV when she opens her eyes as they're shoveling dirt on her. The writers definitely used the episode to introduce us to those spiders, and I think they'll make a comeback at some point, if they havent already with Naomi's "death." The only problem with my theory, and I admit its a good one, is Ghost Whisperer Miles. He supposedly communicated with dead Naomi (BTW- I loved that he was interested in her on the boat because "She had a hot body and I dug her accent." Awesomely sleazy...), so if she wasnt really dead, we have to assume he'd know it. Unless he's a fraud, or keeping something from everyone, both of which are entirely possible...

Anyways, thats what I've got. Mac, keep it up man. I'm totally hooked to the blog and the posts now. Thanks??

-chopkins

@bcre8ve - OOMBDA lol, good one. It's like you know me!!

seriously though, ladies, back me up on this one. (Ben = sexy, but in a sick way)

I don't think Ben "got off" the island. I think he goes back and forth without any effort somehow.

Has anyone ever considered that Sayid's flash forward with Ben may indeed be a flashback?? The pretty girl mentioned the crash, yet which crash?? Just thinking outside the box.

JLS (Jacob's love shack) didn't show up because as Ben pointed out to L’Oreal spokesmodel Richard Alpert, you don't go to see Jacob, he summons you. Well did he tell Locke "pick up your friends and a six-pack and stop by Friday night on your why to Otherton, BA." Which is why Ben had that s-eating grin at Locke - Ben's thinking, Locke still doesn't get it, but I do, I’m still Jacob's favorite.

→ 134. Posted by: chopkins at February 15, 2008 12:48 PM

I thought the same thing, that Naomi was alive. Sayid knows it, and that's why he insisted she was on the helicopter going back to the boat. It makes sense as well because of the flashback, when the guy tells Naomi that she has to make sure the others come back alive, and that she's the one with the "training", so to speak.

Does anyone think that Miles resembles the dude in all of the Dharma videos?

@106/desertrat - THANK YOU! You articulated so much better than I did what I'm feeling in my gut about Kate. I guess we'll know better if we're on the right track if next week's episode is about her.

@114/bcre8ve - Are you implying a Faraday-Desmond connection with the Monk reference? Do Monks need caregivers? Or am I being obtuse???

I don't think Ben is 6 either. He wasn't on the Oceanic. Neither was Juliet or Des...

Thanks to everybody for helping me get my Friday post-Lost fix.

ANTB... "RG" - Republican Guard? (If anyone else has suggested this possibility, I apologize for not refreshing prior to posting."

CLear link between Naomi's bracelet and Elsa's-they both work for the same spy or army outfit and have the same boss

Ben's group is enemies of this other faction

two companies/outfits vying for control of the island

Did it appear to anyone else that as Sayid approached the dead Naomi her eyes were closed, but when he stood above her they were open (he then closed her eyes)?

Sorry for double post....were the two timers used by Miles set for hours-minutes-seconds or minutes-seconds-mili-seconds? If the rocket was launched from the freighter, just offshore, why would it take 2 - 3 hours to reach the island? Makes more sense for minutes - seconds-mili-seconds, based on the countdown of kliks by the operator on the boat. Anyone have any other ideas?

@SamFin/120 - yes, and he washed his hand with snow after tossing it, as if he needed to wipe the phone print off his fingers, rather than the other way around.

@-jalex RE: post 130-

I think it is evident that Jack and the others are considered heroes for whatever they did to get off that island. Jack tells Hurley he still signs a few autographs before he ever rescued that woman in the car crash. Also, the Chief of Medicine said that Jack was a heroe twice over after that car accident.

Wow! I've just picked my jaw up off the floor after that episode.

Good work, as always Mac.

Just thought I'd throw this one out there for everyone as it has been bugging me for a while and this episode highlighted it for me even more.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I seem to remember from a season 2 or 3 podcast that Ben wasn't supposed to be a permanent character and that his role was altered due to a well received audience reaction.

Now, I was under the impression that the main plot is known by JJ and Carlton and has been pretty much mapped, and that they are not making this up as they go along, but if my memory is correct, how much has extending Ben's role affected the original storyline? Surely Ben and Sayid's alliance was not part of the original story?!

Hopefully I've gotten my point across properly there. Am curious to know what thoughts anyone may have on this.

The whole time shift thing has me stumped. If time works out much slower on the island, then how is it that Ben showed up on the island when he was a kid (1970's, I think?) and has aged to 30's or 40's? On the other hand, Alpert doesn't seem to have aged much since kid-Ben bumped into him outside of the force-field.

Okay, I am guilty of not reading all comments before posting, but I just had too. I got to #38 before bailing.

I too think the payload and the time delay are very important. This brings up an observation from the pilot episode in season one. Locke's really cool scar across his eye. It reminded me of the comic book character, Grimjack. Grimjack lives at the nexus of several trans-dimensional portals. I am beginning to think the writers have read this as well. The similarities are getting stronger. I have no idea what is going on and it hurts my brain to think about this.

GRAA, mac
biggest revelation of the year....mac is hooked on soaps.....omg

@onelostdude: It's true! Back in the day it was "General Hospital." In the last few years it's been "Days" (which explains my occasional Sami Brady references ...)

Been reading the blog since S2, but don't post much. I'm another lurker in the background. But when I saw meg's plea for backup, I had to say something. meg, I don't know. I usually agree with just about everything you say, but Ben - sexy....hmmm...not so much. Now Sayid, or even Sawyer, another story entirely. Sorry I can't give you support on that one.

Absolutely fantastic episode and Mac, as usual, phenomenal recap. I'm also enjoying your occasional comment into the postings. I was cracking up at the hibachi comment.

@LostnConfused - #146:

You're right about Ben being a short term character for the show when he was first brought on, and because of fan feedback his character was extended and given a more pivotal role. But the creators could still do that even if they had the whole series mapped out. Damon and Carlton have said all along that they've had a vision for the show and how it would end, regardless of the destination, there can be multiple routes. They decided to take a slight detour and add the Ben character. They might have had another character in mind for the leader of the Others and when the character of Ben was a hit with fans they probably said, "hey this guy's already in place, the fans love him, and he's got the acting chops to pull this off. You know what - let's make him the leader of the Others. (Buzzzzz) Suzie, call Lorenzo Llamas and tell him we won't need him." I'm sure the conversation went exactly like that.

The Autobiography of Ben Linus:

Introduction

You may not know it but I am one of the richest and most powerful men in the world. I am responsible for some well known, but also less well known technologies---some for military use. I believe I am one of the “good guys,” but I am also a liar, thief, and murderer. I have most importantly dedicated my life to saving the last of an ancient and special race of people. It was all worth it, and I am determined to continue to fight those who want to destroy my true family.

It started when my father got a job on a beautiful island in the pacific. But at first it was not beautiful to me. My father taunted me--- not only blaming me for the death of my mother while she gave me birth, but also simply that he hated me (and himself) his entire life. I ended that life. It never occurred to me that I could be so powerful, but on the island anything can happen. I once left our protected cottages at a young age. . . and I actually saw my dead mother. She appeared to me and spoke to me. Was it a spirit, a ghost? Or was it an energy left by her in my body that manifested itself in front of me. Was I just crazy? These questions would soon no longer concern me as I would have a new purpose in life. When my mother appeared is when I realized the island was special, and that gradually, I learned that perhaps I was special too. I had found beauty.

I was soon befriended by an ancient race of miraculous people that have been on the island for thousands of years. They were quite interested that someone new to the island could feel its special affects. They adopted me and became my real family. They even accepted me with all of my faults. Believe it or not, some of those ancient people did not seem to age. But I did. The Ancients, as I call them, would never suffer from disease, and if they did get hurt their wounds would heal tremendously fast. I later would find that I would not be the only newcomer to the island with special gifts or what I would call that “special connection” to the island. One man was a paraplegic and the instant he hit (literally hit) the island, he could walk. One could see the future. There was a boy who could be in more than one place at a time. So many fantastic stories.

I will explain in future chapters how I took part in a movement that killed hundreds of the members of the DHARMA initiative, a subsidiary of a multi-national anti-moral economic machine that continues to be my sworn enemy. There was a reason I kill and still kill. DHARMA’s evil scientists studied these strange natives with these great powers like RATS. When there was some resistance, DHARMA conspired to murder all of them because of their own paranoid fears. I would not let that happen. I will further explain how I used what I basically stole to become the billionaire I am today. I used and continue to use the influence of wealth to not only protect what I have, but also my true family on the island. Oh, I have my problems, and all families have problems. I am selfish and really like to get my way. I’m greedy, but I don’t want others to see it. I do seek things sexual, but only on my private trips to Thailand. And I really hate it when strangers get in the way.

Is it technology governing the islands or the spirits—God--faith? Is it natural forces governing the islands or the spirits—God--faith? Were these “effects” created by DHARMA themselves? My belief, and it’s just a belief, is that the nature of the island gave man a way to use parts of his mind he never thought possible. Shoot, maybe the island itself is alive? In any case it is quite amazing because even the mind or spirit or energy of the dead can be alive on that island. Am I the crazy one? No. I have known many natives with amazing and intensely diverse powers. A bit of it was given to me and I am truly thankful. Whether it was really my mother or not did not matter because she gave me something my father never could, to feel loved by a new family.

DHARMA studied these phenomena, but I took it away from them--- I took their technology, what they discovered and thus, my money stems from them. I made it so no one but myself or my friends could come and go from the island. I tried to make it so the Ancients would never be bothered again. I tried to create a utopian society working on saving mankind. I wanted to help the infertile have children, so many things I’ve done and tried to do, but alas, there seems to be another mystery with the island. It not only can hide, but in can GRAB things. Boats, helicopters, planes--- once caught up in these strange forces, they crash here. Some live through it.

I am determined to keep the ancients alive, to keep DHARMA away from the island. I am willing to die for it--- and kill for it. I am one of the good guys, after all.

Chapter One . . .

NOTE from the real author:

I have my own pilot script for a new TV series (that no agent at this point is even interested in reading) and of course, outlines of 22 episodes. I do dream of being a creator and executive producer / millionaire. It is about a private special education school in the Midwest that contracts the most severely behaviorally disordered youth in the area. It is called THE FOUR LOVES and it carries the themes of the C. S. Lewis book of the same name. If any agents are interested my e-mail is v628762 at the ya hoo place. I lived that job teaching (and retraining) some of the most violent youth outside of the jail system. The story has flashbacks and the characters are as rich as those in the show Lost (with maybe some flash-forwards in future episodes). These youth are part of our society that has been ignored, but there are both great and bad things that happen to these kids. Some are very low funtioning, but also street-wise sociopaths. Still—kids who deserve an education even if they get into fights everyday. In the news there are occasional deaths from physical restraints, but there are also thousand of kids who do learn and grow because of great teachers and staff. God bless them. Just wait until Autistic water boy Jason McElway‘s (the 3-pointers in basketball) movie comes out--- then you’ll see that special kids will be the next big thing in TV.