The Lost Blog

LOST Theory: Has Eden been found?

This week's LOST Theory was provided by CathyH.

Several weeks back, the producers of Lost said that if people wanted answers to the Lost questions, to keep reading their Bibles. After "Cabin Fever," I got to thinking about that, and it has provided more fodder for a theory I had already been developing.

Originally, I believed that the island might be Atlantis. Atlantis supposedly disappeared by sinking, but what if it actually just moved? The four toed statue started me on this theory. Jacob, Richard, possibly Abaddon and perhaps more, are original Atlanteans. They can live on for eons, like Tolkien's elves, but they can also be killed. I couldn't remember if we had ever seen Richard's feet when he was wearing crude clothing.

These people are not human, but humanoid. The first humans to set foot on the island were the survivors of the Black Rock. We know that at least one survived and escaped (hence the book purchased by Widmore).

This all seemed very logical until I thought about the Biblical implications. What if the island were even older than Atlantis? What about a place in which humans had been barred? Eden?

In Genesis, God puts an angel at the gate in order to prevent the humans from coming back in, eating from the tree of life and living forever in their fallen state. In the ensuing years, we are also told that the "sons of God went in to the daughters of men" and had children by them. Some speculate that these are fallen angels with an ability to take on a human form and actually procreate. The resulting children - the products of divine-human intercourse - were not truly human and were a very strong race of giants. These were supposed to be wiped out fully by the flood.

Since only the "full humans" were outcast, perhaps some of these folks found Eden. If they had, they would not be stopped by the guardian as they were not human. Perhaps the tree had withered by this time. However, one of the safeguards is a magnetic anomaly that allows this paradise to be moved. Either by their own technology and ingenuity or by a natural occurrence, Eden is moved, becoming the island we now know. They are determined that humans not find it and invade it.

One blogger speculated that during one of the Island's moves, the ship The Black Rock happened to be where the Island moved. This could explain why the 19th Century Ship is where it is. At any rate, with the arrival of the Black Rock, there are now human inhabitants.

The very properties of Eden - tree of life notwithstanding - enable healing and very long life - seeming immortality for these descendants of the Nephilim (the Anakim) and very long life for a human, perhaps even healing from seemingly mortal wounds.

Moves take an enormous amount of energy, so the inhabitants do not move the island again after the arrival of the Black Rock. They either kill or assimilate the survivors. However, at least one escapes and writes the ledger that Widmore now owns. The survivor's descendent is Alvar Hanso, who now knows where the island is and finds it. This is the second wave of human invasion. By the time the Dharma Initiative arrives, the remaining Anakim descendents are more human like and very weak. Indeed, there may be only a few. Jacob, the strongest of them, is physically dead, but his spirit lives on, trapped on the island.

The others are too weak to repel the invaders, although they try their best. They need the help of someone with very special abilities AND someone willing to wipe out those of his own kind (many of the others may have also had descendents from survivors of the Black Rock and are almost human now).

Richard Alpert has been watching Benjamin Linus, and feels that he may be the savior they are waiting for. Unfortunately, Ben is also fully amoral. He uses his status to control and manipulate. He also learns how to use everything that Dharma has discovered about the island for his own use, including the teleportation ability. He finds a way to have some control and force some limitations on Jacob.

Eventually, they all see their mistake. The mistake was of course, choosing Linus over John Locke. Everything is set in place for years to bring Locke to the island.

Of all the items that Richard presented to John Locke as a child, two were extremely interesting. Certainly the comic was a great touch. But it was the Book of Laws that interested me. One theorist has mistakenly identified this as The Book Of The Law by Alistar Crowley, a famed occultist. (From the appearance of the book alone, this would not hold true. Crowley's book is fairly short - and has often been issued in pamphlet form). However, it is the Book of Laws. There are three possibilities for this book (1) a Bahai holy book (2) An Arabic holy book (3) A book written by Dutch 16th century Christian apologist Hugo Grotius (also know as De Groot).

Although it can't be stated with certainty whether the "Book of Laws" was an actual book written by De Groot or a compilation of his works, he was considered "The Father of the Modern Science of International Law" One of the reasons I considered the DeGroot reference to be correct is that one of De Groot's biggest influences was Jacobus Arminus. Anyone ever hear of Arminiansm? Jacob reasoned that free will was involved in salvation and this flew in the face of reformed Calvinism of the time.

And since LOST is about connections - both the connections between the characters as well as the symbolism behind the literary and historical names the writers have given these characters, it is well worth noting that DeGroot had an influence on liberal thinker John Locke.

Grotius intended moral laws to apply to both the individual and the state equally. Although Grotius was somewhat conservative in his views, his ideas on war, conquest, and the law of nature continued to be revered and expanded by more liberal philosophers like John Locke in his Two Treatises on Civil Government (1689). Locke agrees with Grotius in using the analytical device of a state of nature that exists before civil government and in the general claim that might does not make right as well as the claim that just wars aim to preserve rights.

Going back to Benjamin Linus and John Locke.. there is a fundamental difference between them. Everything Ben did and does is about manipulation. Ben uses lies, and preys upon people's weaknesses in order to goad them into making the choice that works in Ben's favor. In the Pearl Station, Juliet asked Ben how he would convince Jack to do the surgery, and Ben confided that he would "find out what Jack is emotionally invested in, then exploit it".

Locke on the other hand, does not attempt to undermine the "free will" of others through manipulation. He has, at times, exerted his will upon others, but in doing so he has taken the decision completely out of their hands by forcing their actions. Examples that spring to mind are when he locked Eko out of the hatch, destroyed the computer to prevent Desmond from pressing the button, and forcing Hurley to help look for the cabin at gunpoint. Locke is truly sorry every time he sees that he has forced people to do things. His last words before the Hatch implosion were "I'm Sorry! I was wrong!". He apologized to Hugo after finding the map to the cabin, and made it clear that if Hugo was going to stay, it had to be his own choice. Ben, so used to manipulation, believes that Locke has actually manipulated Hugo into staying, but Locke was being sincere. A clear difference between the pair is that when Locke falters, he is sorry.

Although there are some areas where this idea breaks down and lends itself more to the Atlantean theory, many of the themes of Lost - redemption, free will, faith, spirituality - fit more perfectly with the premise of the Island being Eden. Not only Locke, or Ben, but ALL the survivors of 815 were chosen. The natural properties of the island seem to bring out either the best or worst of the humans. They're all lost, messed up souls. The island will give them a chance, of their own free will, for redemption. So, not only does the island offer redemption via free will, the island's new found redeemer works on the same principal.

by CathyH

Got a LOST Theory? : Readers can submit their own theory by sending an email to me - vacc@coolplaythings.com and include "Lost Theory" in the subject. You can also nominate any theory already posted in the comments of this blog by posting something like "This would make a good theory submission". From time to time (or until we all run out of theories), a new theory will be chosen and spotlighted here, for grading, critique, and discussion. .

Thanks again to CathyH for providing some very interesting, timely, and thought provoking ideas for us to debate.

Key Points from "Cabin Fever"

Season 4, Episode 11 Episode Air Date: 05/08/08
Point 1
	It would appear that Jacob's cabin isn't the only seemingly stationary object that can roam at will ... the island itself can move. The last few seconds of this episode -- when Locke emerges from the cabin with Jacob's decree: "He wants us to move the island" -- must have sent "Lost" theorists into a tizzy because a movable land mass (assuming this isn't an elaborate continental drift joke) opens the door to bigger and broader explanations. Sure, we've dabbled in smoke monsters and time leaps, but now the one immutable element -- that the island is, you know, an island -- has been called into doubt. And this isn't even the finale ... This moving island business was this episode's kicker, but plenty of other juicy stuff transpired. So let's get to it. CUE BACKSTORY SWOOSH! Remember in season three when Locke lost his faith in the island and we, collectively, felt real depressed because Obi-Locke is infinitely more interesting than despondent/angry Locke? Well, we -- and he -- never should have worried. Locke's relationship with the island goes way, way past the Oceanic crash. In fact, it reaches into the early months of his existence. In the backstory, we see that the island crossed paths with Locke at four points in his past: The first was mere weeks after he entered the world as a severely premature baby (his mother, Emily, was six months pregnant when she gave birth in an emergency procedure). Wee Locke defied the odds, surviving infections and set-backs and '50s era smoking habits. At the pivotal moment when Wee Locke was well enough to finally be held by his mother, Emily scampered out of the hospital and out of Locke's life (for a few decades, at least). As Emily zipped away, a pair of familiar, mascara-laden eyes peered into Locke's room: sweet fancy moses, it's Richard Alpert! Locke's backstory picks up a few years later, when he's a young boy living in a foster home (spending his days drawing smoke monsters and practicing backgammon). Richard Alpert appears again, but this time he claims to be a representative of a school for "special" children, and he's come to see if Little John Locke is an apt pupil. Alpert sets out a series of objects -- a comic book, a knife, a vial of sand (or grain?), a compass, a baseball glove, and a "Book of Laws" (I think ... let me know if I missed/misidentified any). He asks Locke to choose the object that already belongs to him. Locke selects the knife, which apparently is incorrect (or maybe it's too correct) because Alpert snatches the knife and huffs out of the house. Little John Locke blinks and wonders why that ageless man with the eyeliner ran away. Next, we see a high-school-aged John Locke deal with puberty and storytelling cliches (Stuffing him in a locker? Really?). Locke's geeky science teacher tells Locke that a Portland-based company, Mittelos Laboratories, has expressed interest in Locke attending the labs' summer science camp. Locke scoffs at the notion -- he's not a science geek! The science teacher tries to convince Locke that he can't be the prom king or the quarterback, for he belongs amidst the beakers and the nerds. "Don't tell me what I can't do!" Puberty Locke growls. In the final segment, we see the post-plummet & paralyzed adult Locke suffering through physical therapy. After one particularly grueling session, he's wheeled back to his room by an orderly ... a very tall, slender, somewhat intimidating orderly who bears a striking resemblance to Matthew Abbadon, the tall/slender/intimidating dude who showed up in Hurley's future flash and in Naomi's brief backstory. Abbadon, it turns out, is a key player in Locke's eventual presence on Oceanic 815. Abbadon is the one who told Locke he should go on a walkabout in the Australian Outback. Abbadon's final words -- "When you and me run into each other again, you'll owe me one" -- also portend a future reunion. So let's parse all this backstory stuff: I'm far too simpleminded to wrap my head around the time-travel permutations, but I do wonder if the Alpert and Abbadon visits always happened. Was Alpert actually at Locke's birth, or did he use the island's time travel pod (or door or sled or whatever it might be) to zip back to Locke's birth after Locke crashed on the island? The Abbadon segment seems to refute this idea because Locke probably wouldn't have ended up on the island if Abbadon hadn't wooed him with walkabout tales. Or, maybe Locke's destiny made his eventual presence on the island a certainty, but there were multiple ways he could have arrived, and Oceanic 815 was just one of them. Blerg. I confused myself. Regardless, Locke's connection to the island is strengthened through the backstory segments and fully realized in this episode's on-island scenes. Speaking of which ... When we last saw Locke on the island, he was trekking through the jungle with Hurley and Ben in search of Jacob's frisky cabin. The journey continues through much of this episode, but along the way we see/learn/encounter the following: During a dream sequence, Locke meets former Dharma dude Horace Goodspeed. Horace, you'll recall, was present at Ben's birth and later facilitated Ben's arrival on the island. He died during Death Fest '92, but he's been resurrected in Locke's dream state to provide directions to Jacob's cabin. Using his dreamy Horace encounter as a navigation device, Locke guides his cohorts to Ben's favorite island locale -- the Dharma Death Pit. It's here Hurley learns about Ben's gassy past. While Hurley gets a rudimentary education in island genocide, Locke finds the rotted corpse of Horace Goodspeed and plucks a set of cabin blueprints from his weathered Dharma jumpsuit. Treasure! The Locke-Ben dynamic continues to grow more interesting. Mere days ago, Ben shot Locke and left him for dead in the Dharma Pit, yet the newly reinvigorated Locke thinks nothing of returning to the same location and allowing Ben to hold a rifle while Locke digs through Dharma bodies. Ben's tumor and Alex's death have fundamentally changed Ben (or so we're led to believe), and, as this episode plays out, the Torch of the Chosen One officially passes to Locke. But here's what I'm interested in seeing: How does Ben go from the shattered man in this episode to the time-traveling ass kicker in "The Shape of Things to Come"? Is ass-kicker Ben taking orders from Locke? Or, does Ben stage a coup and regain control of the island? Hurley finds the cabin in the final moments of the episode, but Locke goes in alone ... and it just so happens the cabin has been rented out for a Shephard family reunion. Inside, Locke finds Dr. Christian Shephard and ... Claire. Dr. Daddy is pleased to see Locke. He also makes it clear that he isn't Jacob, but he's been granted permission to speak for Jacob in Lockian matters. But Claire .... Claire is the wild card here. She's all sorts of chilled out -- in fact, she's more relaxed than we've ever seen her, which is weird because mere hours ago she left her diapered child alone in the woods. Apparently, the dulcet tones of Dr. Daddy and the luxurious living of Jacob's shack have soothed her weary soul. Or ... she's dead and the "Claire" we're seeing is some sort of ghost/apparition/smokey thing. Or ... she found a stash of high-grade Dharma weed and got baked out of her gourd. Locke is reasonably confused and concerned, but Dr. Daddy uses his powers of persuasion to focus Locke's thoughts. "Ask the one question that does matter," Shephard says. Locke straightens his once-paralyzed spine and focuses his gaze on Dr. Daddy ... the music swells ... Ghost Claire bubbles her bong ... Locke speaks: "How do I save the island?" Now, we don't actually see the ensuing conversation between Dr. Daddy and Locke, but the final exchange between Locke, Hurley and Ben suggests that Dr. Daddy is a man of clear intent and instruction. "He wants us to move the island," Obi-Locke announces to Hurley and Ben. And with that, a South Pacific moving company celebrates its biggest contract .. and the episode concludes.

Point 2
	The freighter folk have seen better days. Problems arise when Keamy, Lapidus and the Widmore mercenaries return to the freighter after their botched Ben expedition (and subsequent beat-down, courtesy smokey). Keamy, in particular, is sliding into homicidal fury (he's a mustache away from Michael Biehn in "The Abyss"). Upon arriving, Keamy manhandles Capt. Gault and tries to murder Michael (who, after being unmasked as a traitor, is now chained to a pipe in his quarters). The island jams Keamy's gun, so Michael lives -- for now. But it gets worse ... and more interesting. Keamy reveals a "secondary" protocol/mission that's presumably to be used if a quick-and-easy extraction of Ben goes awry (I'm pretty sure the protocol folder Keamy leafs through has a Dharma logo on it). This secondary protocol is news to Capt. Gault, which is intriguing since Gault was previously portrayed as Action Jackson. Gault sees that Keamy is on the warpath, which doesn't bode well for anyone associated with the island. He secretly hooks Sayid and Desmond up with a Zodiac raft and hastens their getaway, but Desmond refuses to return to the island -- and for good reason. He tells Sayid he was stuck on that godforsaken moving rock for three years and he's not about to go back (especially with Penny now on high alert). So Sayid escapes and enjoys a leisurely evening ride back to the island. Unfortunately, Capt. Gault would have been better served joining Sayid. Gault has a showdown with Keamy on the freighter deck when he sees Keamy and his mercenaries prepping for a return to the island (a return marked by lots and lots of guns and a very odd GPS-looking device strapped to Keamy's arm). Gault's attention is momentarily diverted by Keamy's armpit gadget, and Keamy uses the flash of hesitation to blow a hole in Gault's abdomen. But the bloodshed doesn't end there. Remember two episodes ago when the throat-slashed body of the freighter doctor washed up on the island? That wasn't a doctor doppleganger or a freighter trick -- it's the actual doctor. Keamy slashes the guy's throat and tosses him overboard after Lapidus refuses to pilot the helicopter back to the island. Keamy's action gets the desired result -- Lapidus changes his tune. The Doc Murder is also intriguing because, moments before his jugular was unzippered, a Widmore mercenary told the living doctor he'd received a Morse code transmission over the satellite phone announcing the island arrival of the dead doctor. So, Dr. Ray was kinda-sorta warned of his impending doom. In the closing minutes of the episode, the beach castaways watch the helicopter fly over their camp. As it zips inland, a bag containing an active satellite phone drops onto the beach. Jack (who's feeling much better after last week's surgery) retrieves the phone and believes the chopper crew wants the castaways to follow them across the island. Jack = Dumbass. And so that's that with the freighter corps.

Point 3
	A few closing questions and observations: Best Line: "Destiny, John, is a fickle bitch." -- Ben, taking full advantage of "Lost's" 10 p.m. time slot. Second Best Line: "Digging through dead bodies takes it out of you." -- Surgeon General Hugo Reyes. If you've got a grasp on the discrepancy between the time on the freighter and the time on the island, I'd love to read your thoughts. At this point, I'm not sure if the island is consistently in the future (which would allow for Dr. Ray's body to appear before he's killed on the freighter) or if the position of the freighter -- or the island, for that matter -- can cause fluctuations in time. I suppose it's possible that the freighter could be ahead of island time while in one position, then it could drift elsewhere and fall into the past. In Season 1, a high tide washed away the Oceanic beach wreckage. Could that tide -- which seemed abnormally high -- have been caused by the island moving? Dr. Shephard wasn't dressed in his customary dark suit and white sneakers in this episode. Could the different wardrobe signal a "different" Dr. Shephard? That's all I've got! Be sure to drop by the "Lost" Forum for stimulating conversation and conjecture.
Next Episode:
"There's No Place Like Home" -- The first part of the three-hour finale begins with a showdown between the castaways and the freighter folk. Airs Thursday, May 15, 2008 at 10 p.m. on ABC.
Review by Mac Slocum. All photos and episode descriptions © ABC Inc.

Lost Theory : Vincent is the Smoke Monster

This week's LOST Theory was provided by ilovebenjaminlinusxx.

Let me start by saying that we really need a Vincent flashback. We know very little about him. We have no idea what he does when he leaves the Losties and goes into the jungle. I want to know!

As I've stated over the course of several postings - I believe that Vincent is Smokey. Although I'm not the only one to ever suggest this, in my LOST Theory, I actually have something to back it up -- so sit tight.

Some points and speculation about Smokey, as well as some of the questions which lead to my theory.

He/She has some sort of "mind" - whether it has a mind of it's own or it's controlled by something/someone else. And it also has the ability to "get into peoples minds".

Locke referred to it as the "eye" of the island, after he encountered it face to face.

Rousseau called it the Island's "security system". When Jack asked her what it does, she told him, "Its purpose is that of any security system: to protect something." When asked what it protects, Rousseau replied, "The Island."

It is not just smoke.. Somehow it grabs people... and has the potential to kill them. (i.e. Eko; dragging Locke, the Freighter Attackers)

It appears to take the form of others that are in people's conscious
He is not always visible to the Losties, but where does he go? Does he hide? Does he have a home? Is he trapped?

If he is unable to breach the sonic fence, how did he get inside the fence to haunt Ben in "Man Behind the Curtain"?

Now, if Smokey is the "eye", or Island's security system, it makes sense that he's probably keeping his "eye" on the Losties in order to protect the island. And his assumed ability to take the form of people/animals/things that are able to be touched (important since people tend to pet dogs) gives him the perfect chance to be our very own, Vincent.

But why Vincent? (instead of Bernard or any other 815er)? We've seen that Vincent is able to come and go all the time, often disappearing or reappearing from the jungle. This would likely raise a great deal of suspicion on the part of the survivors if it were any other of the 815ers, but a dog wandering off would never be questioned. There's also the possibility that during one of the times Vincent was away from the beach, he wandered into the jungle and was attacked by Smokey - giving Smokey the perfect opportunity to portray Vincent with the Losties. However it may have happened, the basis of my theory is that Smokey - supposedly the island's "security system" - has taken the form of Vincent as his ticket into spying on the Losties.

Notable Smokey Appearances

Pilot, Part. 1 - Heard in the jungle. Killed the Pilot the next day.
Walkabout - Locke encounters it while hunting boar, and referred to it as "looking into the eye of the island"
Arzt & Crafts (mobisode) - Arzt changes his mind about moving into the caves after he and the survivors hear Smokey "roar".
Hearts and Minds - Appeared in Boone's hallucination. In his dream, Smokey chases after Boone and Shannon, catches and kills Shannon. According to Lostpedia, the Monster's actions in Boone's dream were consistent with its behavior outside of this dream, even though Boone had never encountered the Monster before.
Exodus, Part 1 - On the way to the Black Rock, Rosseau, Jack, Locke, Hurley, Kate, and Arzt were chased by Smokey in "the Dark Territory".
Exodus, Part 2 - While carrying the dynamite back from the Black Rock, the group was chased again. This time Smokey was actually seen. When Locke decided to stick around and stare at Smokey, he was attacked.
The 23rd Psalm - Eko encountered Smokey and stood his ground. As the Monster hovered before him, several images from his past flashed within it almost like lighting.
The Cost of Living - Manifested itself as Yemi, then turned back into smoke to attacks and kill Eko.
Exposé - According to Lostpedia, when Nikki throws a spider on Paulo, the chitter noises that can be heard as a large group of spiders appear and bite Nikki were confirmed to have been the work of the Monster in the Official Lost Podcast of March 21, 2008.
Left Behind - After Kate hurts Juliet in their handcuffed jungle fight, Smokey approaches them. Juliet "pretends" to not know anything about it. When it later appears as three small clouds of smoke, we learn the fence keeps it out.
The Shape of Things to Come - Ben apparently summons the monster through a secret room in his cabin to attack Keamy and his mercenaries after they kill Alex.

Notable Vincent Appearances

Pilot, Part. 1 - second character seen in entire series, after Jack.
Man of Science, Man of Faith - As Shannon was searching for Vincent, she had a vision of Walt. (Perhaps Vincent left so he could be a vision of Walt.)
The Long Con - Vincent was present before Charlie attacked Sun, however he did not bark or defend her. (Assuming he's Smokey, perhaps he wanted Charlie to attack Sun)
Three Minutes - While Charlie struggles to build the church, Vincent appears and drops a heroin packed Virgin Mary statue at Charlie's feet. Charlie takes the statue and follows Vincent to Sawyer's tent, where Charlie discovers the other Virgin Mary statues and takes them all. (Another example of trying to "get into someone's head" - in this case playing upon Charlie's addiction to heroin.)
Exposé - Vincent pulls the blanket from Paulo and Nikki's paralyzed bodies when they were presumed dead by the other survivors and awaiting burial. (It seems highly likely that Vincent knew they were still alive - the Podcast reveal of the monster's role in the spider attack means this could be more than just "canine instinct")
Confirmed Dead - Vincent was heading towards the Barracks with Locke's group, but when they found Charlotte, they sent him back with her tracking device. (This let him avoid going anywhere near the sonic fence, which would prevent his coming and going from the barracks. Did anyone else detect the way Vincent was smiling when team Jack found him.)
Special - Walt was looking for Vincent when he got attacked by the polar bear. (Perhaps Smokey changed from Vincent into a Polar Bear and then attacked his fake best friend, Walt. That may be a reach, however, quite a few events have happened in the jungle as a result of looking for Vincent)
Tricia Tanaka Is Dead - Vincent emerges from the jungle with a human arm bone in his mouth, and leads Hurley and Charley to the Dharma Van. (Another case where Vincent's appearance sets off a series of events)

Lending additional support to my theory is that Vincent is never present in scenes where Smokey appears. Even though he was on the beach with Bernard in TSoTtC when "double Doc" washed up on the shore, as the Smoke Monster, he could have easily returned to the barracks in time for the attack. While this may just be coincidence, it definitely leaves the door wide open for my theory of Vincent being Smokey.

That's it for my theory - which I've thought about since the beginning (of the end?) - or at least since about the 4th episode of season 2. Hope you enjoyed... Hope I'm right!!

ilovebenjaminlinusxx

Thanks again to ilovebenjaminlinusxx for providing some new fuel for debate.

Key Points from "Something Nice Back Home"

Season 4, Episode 10 Episode Air Date: 05/01/08
Point 1
	Note: The late hour and early morning commitments conspired to make this a short review. Apologies in advance for the brevity. Ever since the phrase "Oceanic Six" entered the "Lost" lexicon, we've all been wondering how the chosen few would get off the island. The exact rescue apparatus is still unknown, but this episode certainly moved everyone into position. For example: The Jack-Kate dynamic grows very strong in the closing moments of the island scenes, so by the time "rescue" arrives, these two will (probably) be emotionally entwined, thereby justifying their dual departure. In an odd exchange between Charlotte and Jin we learn that, 1. Charlotte knows Korean, and 2. Jin will do anything to make sure Sun gets off the island. This "anything" includes breaking Danny Faraday's fingers one by one by one. Jin's advocacy and threatened violence presumably lead to Sun's rescue. Aaron was always the trickiest member of the Oceanic Six because his separation from Claire presumably meant Claire was dead. But, again, the "Losties" prove there's more than one way to separate a newborn from its mother. Namely, make the mother follow her dead father into the jungle and leave her child nestled near a tree stump. Sawyer safely recovers Aaron in the final moments of the episode, but Claire is no where to be seen. The upside is that Claire may live on past this season. The downside is that Aaron spent half a night crying in a sinister jungle while his dumb mother went off with a fatherly apparition. (Sidenote: Why did Claire call the ghostly Dr. Shephard "Dad"? She spent approximately 15 minutes with this guy in her backstories, yet when he shows up mysteriously on the island she's all "oh hi, Daddy!"? What am I missing here?) The positioning of the final two Sixers -- Hurley and Sayid -- is TBD. Hurley is currently searching for Jacob's cabin with Ben and Locke, so maybe he'll use Ben's Subterranean Shortcut to hightail it back to the beach. Sayid will use that Republican Guard training to commandeer the freighter ... or engage in some grand gesture involving machinery and subterfuge. I mention all this because this episode -- despite shower scenes and hallway sex and a marriage proposal -- had the feel of a set-up for the coming finale. But time is tight, so let's put the Oceanic Six on the back burner and instead turn our attention to this episode's other developments. We begin with Jack and Kate ... in the future. Jack gets a second dose of future-flash treatment, and in this edition we see how Beardless Jack begins the ugly descent into Bearded Jack. Oddly, the episode begins with Jack flying high. His medical career is in full swing (we know this because he's got a wood-paneled office with high ceilings and dramatic recessed lighting) and he's got a pretty freckled girl and her adopted son waiting for him back home. Yes, Jaters, Jack and Kate get together ... for a little while at least. The events in this episode take place sometime after Kate's trial. Future Jack has pulled a 180 from when we last saw him; now, not only does he want to see little Aaron (his nephew, which he seems to know about), but he now wants to marry Kate and raise Aaron as his own. It's quite the emotional leap. So, Jack and Kate enter into a torrid relationship that involves showers and nakedness and wayward Millennium Falcons on the kitchen floor. And after approximately two weeks of intense dating and mating, Jack pops the question and Kate accepts. But the island has different plans for Jack. Before popping the question to Kate, Jack visits Hurley at the mental hospital. Hurley delivers an Island Gram from Ghost Charlie: "You're not supposed to raise him, Jack." Given his burgeoning relationship with Aaron, this message momentarily gets Jack's attention. But Jack's blood alcohol level is still within legal limits at this point, so he chalks the message up to typical Hurley craziness and goes on his way. The island doesn't like it when you ignore its messages, so it ups the ante by dispatching Jack's Kryptonite: Dr. Christian Shephard. The "dead" doctor materializes one late night in the lobby of Jack's swank office. He's wearing his cabana gear -- dark suit and white sneakers -- and when Jack spots him, his heroic exterior puddles on the floor. Within two days of this Dr. Daddy sighting, Jack is popping pills, drinking to excess, growing out his beard (seriously) and worst of all, destroying his relationship with Kate and Aaron. As downward spirals go, this one is quite efficient. As the episode concludes, we've got a clear path toward the bearded husk we saw in the season three finale.

Point 2
	On-island events touched on three core topics/developments: Jack's appendicitis could be more than just bad luck. Rose and Bernard have a brief but telling conversation about this very topic, with Rose noting that the island is supposed to heal, not hurt (that's her conclusion, anyway). The attention given to this scene appears to show a connection between a character's health and his/her "communion" with the island. The obvious examples are Ben's tumor, Locke's miraculous bullet recovery, and Jack's appendicitis, but don't forget that Sawyer has shown a remarkable ability to recover from near-death experiences. This episode makes it quite clear that Jack's heart is with Kate, so that whole Jack-Juliet tonguefest from "The Other Woman" could be the kiss of death for Jules. I'll go on record right now: If Juliet dies, she better go out in a blaze of ninja-doctor glory. Miles "sees" Claire go off with Dr. Christian Shephard -- or so we're led to believe. Miles eyeballs Claire and/or Aaron throughout the episode, and, given his ghost whispering abilities, it would seem that something ethereal is afoot. So, what gives? Did Smokey take the form of Dr. Shephard and woo Claire into the jungle? Is Miles in on it (doubtful ... but you never know)?

Point 3
	A few closing questions and observations: Best Line: "Just watch your tongue, Red." -- Rose to Charlotte. Second Best Line: "A-rod." -- Jack, rightfully disgusted at a Sox-Yankees newspaper story. It would appear that Future Sawyer exists. During his farewell fight with Kate, Jack says Sawyer chose to stay behind on the island. This suggests that the Widmore mercenaries fail to wipe out the entire island population. It also leaves the door open to a future Sun-Jin reunion (presuming Sawyer and Jin are kicking back with Dharma beer and English lessons). Rousseau and Karl and both quite dead (rotting corpses tend to bring flies and clarity). But here's a question: Who buried their bodies? I'm assuming it was the Widmore mercenaries, but if that's the case, they did a piss-poor job covering their tracks because there are noses and arms and appendages popping out all over. I often read "Lost" spoilers (yeah ... shame, shame), so I'm somewhat familiar with the odd sensation of seeing a development play out that I already knew about. But this season's future flash component has introduced a unique variation on that same feeling -- it's sort of an "officially recognized spoiler." For example, we know Jack and Kate's relationship goes sour, so watching these two major characters get engaged summons that familiar spoiler response; yet we're supposed to have this feeling. That's all I've got! Be sure to drop by the "Lost" Forum for stimulating conversation and conjecture.
Next Episode:
"Cabin Fever" -- Locke finds Jacob's love shack. Airs Thursday, May 8, 2008 at 10 p.m. on ABC.
Review by Mac Slocum. All photos and episode descriptions © ABC Inc.

Lost Theory: The Rule That Changed

Welcome to LOST Theories

Hi. This is vacc - I'm the one who's been putting up the Lost Photo Captions since Season 3 ended. As many of you may already know, I was fortunate enough to have one of my LOST Theories published in a recent USA Today article where 10 reader-submitted LOST Theories were critiqued and graded by the LOST brain trust - Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse. My own theory - that the smoke monster is a Jinn - was a summary of something I've posted on this very blog during season three.. Perhaps over time, I'll be proven wrong.. at least "Darlton" was kind in their grading of my theory - they gave me a B and B+ respectively.

In the time since I've been reading and posting to this blog, I've come across many really awesome, detailed, and insightful theories - from frequent as well as first time posters. Sometimes these tend to get LOST among the hundreds of comments that follow mac's awesome reviews, and the opportunity to really hash out and discuss these theories in detail may be missed.

For that reason, mac and I have created this Lost Theories topic. Here's how it works : Readers can submit their own theory, or nominate a theory already posted in the comments of this blog, by sending an email to me - vacc@coolplaythings.com and include "Lost Theory" in the subject. From time to time (or until we all run out of theories), a new theory will be chosen and spotlighted here, for grading, critique, and discussion.

Theories should be fairly original. But it's also well within the rules to adapt a theory found elsewhere - as long as you are able to add something unique, or introduce new evidence to support (or debunk) key points. Once a theory has been posted here, feel free to comment, critique, and even grade the theory.

To help kick start this new topic, I humbly offer up my own latest theory :

	In the latest episode, The Shape of Things to Come, Ben, after witnessing the execution of his daughter Alex, remarks "He changed the rules". What rules have been changed? Here's my theory: I believe that the rules that were changed were much more that a simple set of wartime guidelines, or a gentleman's agreement on who was fair game in Ben and Widmore's battle for control of the Island. What if the rules that changed were part of the fundamental laws of the universe - perhaps quantum or temporal physics?
	A few people in earlier postings expressed surprise that Ben "miscalculated" in his handling of the Alex situation. Personally, I find that extremely difficult to accept. It was made very clear to us that Ben knew exactly the type of man he was dealing with in Keamy. This was certainly not the type of person who would hold a gun to someone's head knowing full well he would never carry out the threat simply because there were pre-existing "rules of gamesmanship" - especially after what we can only imagine must've transpired in Uganda.
	While watching, then re-watching that exchange, something just seemed out of place to me. While it's natural to expect that Ben would feel extreme grief over losing Alex, his intensely shocked reaction to the reality of Alex's death seemed to go far beyond what I would expect to see from such an intelligent and calculating person as Ben Linus. WHY? My theory tries to explain this.
	We've learned in several instances that minor details of the future can be tweaked, however the larger outcomes will always prevail - because the universe has a natural tendency for "course correction". Charlie's eventual death was an outcome of such a course correction, which became necessary when Desmond kept intervening in a futile attempt to save him. We also know that the idea of time travel is a key to the overall story - even if it is restricted to the idea of one's consciousness becoming "unstuck in time". It isn't a reach to think that Ben Linus has experienced this effect for himself - perhaps he has even developed an ability to control this effect.
	Now consider this possible scenario: At some point in his travels along the time line, Ben has already encountered a future in which Alex survived the attack from the freighter people. Since his knowledge of this future is retained, this influences his present-day actions - for arguments sake, I'm using the Alex hostage standoff as present-day. Anyway, armed with the foreknowledge of Alex's survival, Ben calmly tells Alex that things are "under control". Ben's disavowment of Alex and his calling out Keamy on his threat to kill his daughter were based on his unflinching belief that Keamy would NOT be successful.
	This makes the first exchange in New York between Michael and Tom even more relevant. Tom knew Michael's attempt at suicide would not succeed. Why? Because it was already known that Michael is tied to future events, he obviously did not kill himself. I believe that once Ben witnessed the execution of his daughter (adopted or otherwise), he realized that the future outcomes he believed to be carved in stone were no longer a certainty - and that is the "rule" that changed. If this is the case, then Ben's exchange with Widmore becomes even more interesting.
	That's it for theory - any ideas I have of how the rules got changed are purely conjecture. Perhaps we'll eventually learn that Widmore was correct in asserting that it was Ben who changed the rules. Perhaps something Ben has already done caused this - like engineering the circumstances where the button would not be pressed. Or it may even be something Ben has yet to do - a future event which informs the past. I can't wait to see how it all plays out!

Key Points from "The Shape of Things to Come"

Season 4, Episode 9 Episode Air Date: 04/24/08
Point 1
	Those "Lost" writers were pent up! "The Shape of Things to Come" is the most high octane action episode in series history, featuring flying bullets, dead time-shifted freighter doctors, exploding Other condos, dead adopted daughters, castaway-on-castaway gunplay, and just for flavor, a coordinated smokey attack. And interestingly enough -- and perhaps a testament to just how good this show really is -- the ample action paled next to the One Big Plot Development at the close of the show: namely, we learn that the history between Benjamin Linus and Charles Widmore goes back much, much further than we've been led to believe ... and the future certainly won't be marked by Sunday barbecues on the Widmore estate. So let's dip into this Ben-Widmore stuff, which comes to use via Ben's first solo future flash. Ben, it would seem, has a Nightcrawler-esque ability to teleport or time weave or worm hole or ... something. In the early going, Ben suddenly "appears" in the Sahara desert wearing a Dharma parka. When confronted by two gun-toting men on horeseback, he uses his Other superpowers -- and that telescoping stick thing he brandished on Sawyer back in the bear cages -- to lay the smack down on both dudes with ease. From there, he heads off to his favorite Tunisian hotel, where he checks in as "preferred guest" Dean Moriarty. (Sidenote: Ben gets a curious look from the hotel's desk attendant when he asks her to confirm that the date is Oct. 24, 2005 ... more on this in Key Point 4). Ben's Tunisian escapade is cut short when he discovers -- by way of a TV news report -- that Sayid has lost his lady-love, Nadia. This Sayid business is insanely tragic. We learn that shortly after he rejoined society as an Oceanic Sixer, he married Nadia in Los Angeles. But their epic love story gets prematurely snipped when Nadia is murdered (we think) in a hit-and-run orchestrated by one of Widmore's henchmen (again, we think). Anywho, Ben drops in on Nadia's funeral in Iraq, where he's "discovered" by Sayid. And this is where we see how Ben recruits Sayid to be his assassin. But here's the kicker: Ben's manipulation is so precise -- so profound -- he actually makes it seem like Sayid is the one who volunteers to do Ben's dirty work. Ben plays Sayid like a grief-stricken marionette, and by the end of the episode -- when Sayid kills Nadia's murderer -- Ben has Sayid tucked firmly in his Member's Only Dharma parka. Now for the good stuff. In the final moments, a dapper Ben sneaks in to Charles Widmore's London penthouse and pays his nemesis a midnight visit. Their conversation is full of contextual cues and wee bits of information that will undoubtedly come into focus in later episodes. The following are the few clues I was able to note (if I missed any, please chime in through the comments): Ben, sneering with buggy hate, says that both he and Widmore know Ben can't just haul off and kill Charles, even though he blames Widmore for Alex's murder (yup, she's dead ... more on this in Key Point 2). Direct retribution isn't an option (we don't know why ... yet), but Ben can exact a little daughter-for-daughter revenge. His primary motivation for his late-night visit is to tell Chuckie that his beloved daughter, Penelope (Desmond's One True Love), is on Ben's hit list. After watching Des and Penelope brilliantly reconnect in "The Constant," I hope Ben fails in this mission. (I'm an unabashed softie for the Des-Penny story.) Widmore says Ben will never find Penny. Uh, does that mean she's already dead? Or, is she holed up with Des on another geographically ambiguous tropical island? Widmore says "I know who you are ... what you are. I know that everything you have you took from me." I have no idea what's going on with this bit of dialogue. "What," exactly, is Ben? Is he somehow supernatural (those eyes certainly don't come from the mortal plane)? And what did Ben actually take from Widmore? Ben taunts Widmore by saying he'll never find the island. Widmore claims that the island is, and always will be, his. My initial reaction is to assume Widmore's island claim is associated with Dharma and Hanso, but could both of those be fronts for something more sinister and far reaching? Widmore doesn't appear to be a humanitarian (or an islandtarian, for that matter), so I doubt he's targeting the island for his long-desired tropical polar bear sanctuary -- so what is, and was, his angle? Moving on ...

Point 2
	Team Locke has a rough week. A squadron of freighter mercenaries -- led by Keamy, the big dude seen in previous episodes -- infiltrates the barracks and riddles the compound with bullets and explosions. Remarkably, the only castaway victims are background players (in one unintentionally hilarious span, three separate "socks" are picked off). Unfortunately for Ben and the growing Legion of Young Rousseau admirers (you know who you are -- cradle robbers!), Alex is executed by Keamy when Ben refuses to quietly surrender himself. It's a shocking moment. More importantly, it's a critical moment in Ben's character arc. The distant, coldly calculating manipulator has now added revenge to his list of motivations. Ben's vengeance is our gain, because in the moments after Alex is killed, Ben scampers into his condo panic room and cracks open an old stone door. Seconds after he returns, the ground shakes and we hear the familiar mechanical sound of Ol Smokey whirring to life. Ben summons Smokey (or turns it on ... I'm not sure which). The angry dust cloud clubs and bludgeons and "Ekoizes" the mercenaries, which provides an opening for Locke, Sawyer, Claire, Aaron, Hurley and Miles to escape into the jungle. Ben stays behind to weep over Alex's body, which is notable because it's one of the few times we've seen an honest emotion from Ben (the only other one I can recall is when he briefly snipes at Juliet after showing her Godwin's corpse -- but that was a far different type of emotion). Later, Ben rejoins the battle-weary Team Locke, but the reunion is short lived. Ben and Locke start talking about Jacob and his cabin, and this is when Sawyer officially checks out. He's okay with Dharma wine and leisurely afternoons playing Risk, but this Jacob mumbo-jumbo is too much for a down-home meat-and-potatoes con man to take. He forms the Team Sawyer splinter group and announces his intention to bring Claire, Hurley and anyone else back to the beach camp. But there's just one little problem. Locke and Ben need Hurley to help them find the cabin because he's the last person who actually saw it. Locke draws his gun. Sawyer draws his. Both puff their chests and look mean, but Hurley puts an end to the alpha-dog chest fest by volunteering to go with Locke and Ben to Jacob's love shack. So, Sawyer, Claire, Aaron and Miles begin the trek back to the beach while The Jacobins set out for the cabin. And that's that.

Point 3
	The beach camp experiences four significant events in this episode: Dr. Ray, the freighter medical guy, washes up dead on the beach. The cause of death appears to be the deep slit gashed across Doc Ray's jugular. Floating face-down in a tropical ocean probably didn't help, either. But the Mysterious Case of Dr. Ray takes an even more mysterious turn late in the episode when the freighter crew confirms (we think) that their version of Dr. Ray is still alive and well and presumably tending to the continued outbreaks of extreme cabin fever overrunning Capt. Gault's freighter crew. Uhhhh ... Jack is getting sick. He claims it's a stomach bug, but his pale skin and bulging eyes reveal the tell-tale signs of Benjimitus. Next week's preview suggests Jack takes a turn for the worse, so it'll be interesting to see how the castaways function when their leader goes down (I'm guessing they'll achieve island utopia within three hours). Bernard knows Morse code. He uses this ability to unmask Danny Faraday as a lying liar who mumbles his lying lies. And finally ... Jack chokes the truth out of Danny. He confirms -- between gasps of air -- that the freighter folk have no intention of rescuing the castaways. Awkward!

Point 4
	A few closing questions and observations: Best Line: "Don't stand there looking at me with those horrible eyes of yours." -- Charles Widmore to Ben, speaking for us all. Second Best Line: "Australia's the key to the whole game!" -- Hurley, playing Risk with Sawyer and Locke. After Alex is murdered, a shell-shocked Ben declares, "He changed the rules." He, I'm assuming, is Charles Widmore. But what are the rules? Who came up with them? How long have they been in place? Is there an actual rule book, or does a Board of Governors meet tri-annually to discuss rule grievances and suggested alterations? There were two key time-rift developments in this episode: First, Ray the doctor washes up dead on the beach, but a Morse code message from the freighter folk suggests that Doc Ray is alive and well in freighter time. Doc Ray = Hiro Nakamura. Second, during Ben's future flash he confirms that the date is Oct. 24, 2005. The fact that he needed to confirm the date suggests Ben jumped along the timeline (or he's got horrible short-term memory). But what's the importance of 10/24/05? In the "Lost" universe, this is approximately 13 months after the crash of Oceanic 815, but is there any other significance? Alex's shocking death doesn't bode well for a Rousseau resurrection. The Widmore mercenaries were firing real bullets from real guns, and if the "Lost" writers were okay executing Ben's daughter, I can't see why they'd have any qualms offing Crazy Danielle Rousseau. In a move sure to please Dwight Shrute, Ben keeps a loaded shotgun in his piano bench. It's the perfect solution for Widmore mercenary disputes and violence-minded therapists gunning for the island's homewrecker fertility specialist. I rarely quibble over realism -- especially when smoke monsters are involved -- but I find it amazing that Sawyer managed to dodge a hail of bullets and Claire survived the exploding condo. Somewhere, Dr. Arzt is scoffing at the continued preferential treatment enjoyed by the popular kids. That's all I've got! Be sure to drop by the "Lost" Forum for stimulating conversation and conjecture.
Next Episode:
"Something Nice Back Home" -- Juliet and Kate must put aside their petty differences to tend to Jack's declining health. Airs Thursday, May 1, 2008 at 10 p.m. on ABC.
Review by Mac Slocum. All photos and episode descriptions © ABC Inc.

Lost Caption: Jack and Locke Butt Heads

Jack Shephard... John Locke... One is a man of science - the other a man of faith. One desperately wants to leave the Island... The other will do whatever it takes to remain. While both are looked upon as leaders by the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815, they are constantly at odds - often polar opposites in their belief about what is in the best interest of their fellow castaways.

In the Season One finale "Exodus", the pair of Island heroes actually agree on one thing - that the hatch must be opened - even if their motives are not quite the same. Locke believes the hatch holds the answers he so desperately seeks to all the secrets of the Island. Jack is simply trying to provide a place for the survivors to hide in anticipation of an attack by the Island's inhabitants - the Others.

In this climactic scene, Locke is being dragged into the ground by the Island monster, and Jack quickly springs to his rescue. Of course, even here they can't agree - Locke doesn't wish to be saved, steadfast in his belief that his faith in the Island will keep him safe. Jack has a different idea - and, taking a page right out of the bestselling book "What Would Locke Do?", he throws some explosives at the problem... "Fire in the hole!"... "BOOM"...

Enter your captions, or other LOST ramblings in the comments area below. And smile.. because the wait is nearly over... Season Four of LOST comes roaring back with all new episodes beginning this Thursday, April 24 - at it's new time: 10PM.

On behalf of the DeGroots, Alvar Hanso, and all of us here at the Lost Blog - thank you, Namasté, and good luck!

Lost Caption: Dead.. But Also Here

In Season Four's kickoff episode "The Beginning Of The End", Hurley begins to question his own sanity when the deceased Charlie begins to stalk him.

But it is more than fear that drives the big man back to the familiar sanctuary of a mental institution. This time, Hurley is wracked with guilt. You see, not only did he leave behind his fellow castaways and lie to the entire world.. He just purchased Drive Shaft's comeback CD featuring bassist Harley Chase from London's premiere Drive Shaft tribute band. No wonder the first thing Charlie does is slap Hurley in the face.

Was it really Charlie or just a figment of Hurley's imagination? Sure, someone else also saw Charlie, but that could have been Hurley's newest imaginary friend.

Submit your captions or other LOST ramblings in the comments area below. Namaste and good luck!

Lost Finale: I'm Going to Need Help

Hi everyone. According to Michael Ausiello at TV Guide, the "Lost" season finale will be a two-hour affair on Thurs. May 29.

Actually, the finale will stretch over three hours on two different weeks ... with a week in between. Yeah, weird.

Ausiello says the schedule looks like this:

May 15
10 pm: Lost (part 1 finale)

May 22
No episode

May 29
8 pm: Lost encore (part 1 finale)
9-11 pm: Two-hour Lost finale

The good news is that we get an extra hour of "Lost" this season (bringing the fourth season to a total of 14 hours). The bad news -- and this hurts me -- is that I'll be traveling on 5/29 and there's little chance I'll be able to post after the finale. In fact, I might not be able to post until the next week.

So, I'm putting out an early call for help. What I'll do is prep a post to the best of my ability before the 5/29 finale, but then I'll need someone to step in and write up their own "special guest star" edition of key points.

So, any takers? Drop me a line directly at mac@filmfodder.com.

Lost Random Topic Thread: Spring '08 Edition

Got something to say that isn't "Lost" related? Post it below (just be nice ... the normal rules still apply).

Lost Photo Caption: Killer K.O.'s Karl

The promotions for the most recent installment - "Meet Kevin Johnson" - promised us that another character would die. And this time they delivered a double dose of death with the executions of Alex's estranged mother and her bunny eating boyfriend Karl. The hole in Karl's chest suggests that his future is limited to flashbacks and ghost appearances, although I guess there is always the possibility that Danielle survived the attack.

Side note : If Rousseau is really dead, this kills one of my theories - that someone in the outside world will eventually roll either a five or eight and bring her back from Jumanji.

R.I.P. Karl. God loves you, as he loved Jacob. You're the subject of this edition of the LOST Photo Caption.

Enter your captions, or other LOST ramblings in the comments area below. On behalf of the DeGroots, Alvar Hanso, and all of us here at the Lost Blog - thank you, Namaste and good luck!

Still Lost: Observations and Questions to Keep Us Busy

Guest contributor Travis Pullen reveals the "Lost" questions swirling through his brain.

I don't know about you, but I don't have that much left on my DVR, thanks to the writer's strike. And now, just when Lost was kicking into high gear, we have to wait again. But that doesn't mean we have to sit here silently. So until we can have another one of Mac's mad recaps, here are some questions, observations, and wild guesses to keep the speculation flowing.

Question 1: What is up with Ben and his lists?

He sees an airplane break into two, and the first thing he does is ask for lists. He hears there's a boat offshore, so he sends Michael to get him a list. Is Jacob just the real Santa Claus, who can tell Ben who is naughty and nice? If Ben heard Juliet was involved in a ten-person (censored), the first thing he would do is ask for a list!

Observation 1

Jack and Locke have been going up against each other in a fact vs. faith kind of way, but notice how Sayid marches to the beat of his own drummer? It's not like he's going to lead another faction off into a different section of the jungle or anything, because his methods tend to be focused in an individual fashion, but he always seems to choose a third way. Notice that Jack's way and Sayid's way got them off the island, at least.

Wild Guess 1

Sayid becomes Ben's assassin as penance for Michael.

We know that Ben always seems to have a personal assassin whenever he needs one, whether it's Mikhail, Juliet or Michael. We know from the flash-forward that Sayid becomes the assassin. Why? Because he blew Michael's cover on the boat. Soon, he will learn this was a mistake, and in order to protect the others that remain on the island, he will have to take Michael's place. What does that mean happened to Michael?

Question 2: Was Libby "real?"

She appeared to Michael twice, once as a nurse, and once to warn him. The island has shown us a dead but real Doctor Christian Shephard (in a webisode), and a dead but real Charlie visiting Hugo at the funny farm. Was this the island at work here? Or just Michael's guilty conscience?

Observation 2

Charles Widmore is a hypochondriac, or already has some kind of condition. Notice how he used a towel to turn on the sink in the public restroom, then didn't bother to even turn it off? Maybe he's looking for the island because he needs a cure for something.

Wild Guess 2

Either Ana Lucia or Libby is haunting Michael. As soon as he stepped on board, Miles mentions that Kevin is not Michael's real name. We know that Miles seems to be able to communicate with restless spirits who have not moved on. At least one of the girls was probably stalking right behind Michael, still spouting off about how mad they were that he killed her. Meh, Miles is used to that kind of thing by now anyway.

Question 3: What in the world was the purpose of Libby's warning not to activate the bomb?

The bomb was a fake! It can't be the island trying to protect something, because there was nothing to protect in that case. Shouldn't a representative sent by the island know the bomb is a dud? What good was this warning? Okay, that was technically more than one question.

Observation 3

Ghost Teen Walt and Jacob may not necessarily be on the same page. Jacob didn't help Locke avoid getting shot, that we know of, but Walt appeared to get his paralytic butt moving. So did Locke mistakenly assume that Walt and Jacob had some sort of connection? For all we know, Naomi was on the "good person" side of the list that Michael got for Ben. What happens to you when you kill a good person?

Wild Guess 3

Notice how Jacob's cabin "moved" on Locke after he killed Naomi? At first, Jacob tried to get help from Locke because Ben, let's face it, is still five years old, although admittedly a genius five-year old master manipulator. Then, when Locke throws a knife in Naomi's back, he can't find the cabin anymore. Has Jacob "moved on" to Hurley, in a desperate attempt to find one freaking person who will do the right thing?

Question 4: When are we going to get a Lost comic book?

I mean, come ON!

Observation 4

Everyone and their dog is smarter than the Losties. It doesn't matter if it's Hurley getting Scooby-Dooed by Kate, Jack falling for Naomi's false blood trail, or Ben and miles manipulating everyone until they are both exactly where they want to be, these castaways couldn't buy a vowel if Vanna White took them to it by the hand. No matter what choice each one makes, each seems to end up more Lost than ever before. Maybe Vincent can help them out.

Wild Guess 4

Good people die. Bernard only one of the tail section not to die. yet. Bernard made a comment to Jin while fishing, "guess that means we're the good guys." Yeah, but Mr. Eko turned over a new leaf too, and maybe the smoke monster spared him the first time, but just when we were sure the guy had definitely become a good guy, poof! Which means Jin and Claire will die, too, because they are the two people who have most made the effort to change who they are. Well, those two and Charlie. I rest my case.

Question 5: Is Danielle Rousseau really dead?

I mean, Karl wasn't the biggest draw, so him I can stand, but Rousseau was just awesome. I want to see her appear later and yell, "It's just a flesh wound!"

Observation 5

Ben should know from reading all of the files that Jack and Claire are related. When is he going to drop the bomb? It better be soon. Frank Lapidus just took a bunch of armed men to the island! (Why do you think the helicopter was missing?)

Wild Guess 5

Vincent is throwing his voice to pretend to be Jacob, playing a little funny on Locke. Ghost Teen Walt is just like Charlie, dead but brought back by the island, and when the smoke monster isn't killing people, he and Miles are watching dead Shannon and Boone commit ghost incest in the Black Rock. All pregnant women lose their babies so that Richard Alpert and the others can continue to be immortal. Daniel Faraday develops a man-crush on Desmond and promises to call him eight years from now. Penny moves in to take over the Dharma project.

The series finale will have Christian Shepard riding the stallion that Kate saw in the forest, with guest appearances by Kelvin (who trained Sayid to be an investigator, and later worked with Desmond in the Swan station) and Mrs. Hawking (Desmond's guide during his first time travels, whose picture was on the desk of the head monk), who can finally come out and play now that the electromagnetic force has been dissipated. We never find out why Libby was in the funny farm near Hurley, nor why Mikhail, who just kidnapped Alex, is better than Jason and Freddy combined at coming back from death. Oh, and Sarah Shepard's new husband? It's Ben.

Any questions? Oh, sorry, we're out of time!

Second Annual Filmfodder/Lost Folks Photo

It's time for the second annual Filmfodder Folks Photo (that's "photo," as in picture -- not "Fo' toe" as in "Fo' toe statue.") Here's last year's photo:

In order to make it more personal this year, here's how we are going to do it ...

Everyone who wants to be in the picture needs to go to the South Park website (see instructions below), create a South Park avatar that best represents who they are, and email it to me. I will then put it all together and post it.

Here are more detailed instructions:

Go to www.southparkstudios.com

Log in. Find the "Log In | Register" option area in the upper left hand corner and click "Log In" if you are already a member or "Register" to become a member if you are not already. You cannot save the avatar if you don't log into the site. So, to avoid the frustration of extending creative juices only to lose the finished product, you must log in.

Start the Avatar Creator. Click on the "Avatar Creator" banner (mid-to-lower right on page)
-OR-
On the Menu bar, click on: Fans > Create Avatar
Create a character. Click on "New Character."
From all of the available options, chose the ones that best fit who you are. The avatar does not necessarily have to look like you but rather should embody the pure essence of what makes you, you. Don't forget the color swatches below the options. They can be used to change the color of clothes, hair, etc.
A few practical requests:
Keep the background white so that it will be easier to put all of the pictures together.
Don't use the sign accessory as it may block those around you.
Please keep everything appropriate as there may be young eyes roving.
Save it:
Click on "Finish"
Click on "JPG" above the avatar's head
Click on "Wallpaper"
Save it to your hard drive somewhere (Remember this "somewhere." You'll need it later.)
Attach the picture that you saved to "somewhere" on your hard drive and email it to:

Don't forget to include your Filmfodder name in the email so we know who you are.

I will only be able to fit so many in the picture so don't delay. If you have questions, post them in the comments section below. Chances are that there are others with the same questions.

Have fun - and as always, be creative. -- bcre8ve

Key Points from "Meet Kevin Johnson"

Season 4, Episode 8 Episode Air Date: 03/20/08
Point 1
	I'm nominating Michael for the "Lost's Most Tortured Soul" award. This is one screwed up dude. We see the depths of Michael's torment in this episode's super-long backstory (or was it a future flash? ... just kidding). The backstory begins in the early moments when Sayid and Desmond confront Michael on the freighter (he reappeared last week). Here's what we learn: Michael and Walt escaped to New York, but at some point during the trip Michael made the mistake of telling Walt that he shot two of the tailies and conspired with Ben, all in an effort to save Walt from the delicious ham dinners and air-conditioned condos of Bennsylvania. Michael's revelation cuts a Grand Canyon-sized rift between father and son, and so, when we check in on Michael during this episode's backstory, Walt is living with his grandmother (Michael's mom) and he has no desire to see or talk to his murderous father. Sidenote: We catch a brief glimpse of Walt in the window of his grandmother's house. From what I can tell, the "Lost" crew did some CG voodoo to superimpose footage of a 10-year-old Walt into this scene. He looks like the same little kid who left the island, not Tall Ghost Walt. The combination of Walt's shunning and Michael's overflowing guilt drives Mikey past the brink. I say "past" because Michael tries to commit suicide multiple times. He initially opts for the dramatic route by pinning a suicide note to his jacket and ramming his car into a cargo container on the docks (have we seen that car before?). But he survives the crash, so his next attempt is a more straightforward gun-bullet-boom affair. But this is where things get VERY INTERESTING. As Michael crouches in a dark, dingy alley and prepares to pull the trigger, an old foe/friend appears from the New York mist. It's TOM! Michael is stunned to see the man who kidnapped Walt standing in front of him ... in New York City ... wearing a stylish overcoat and sporting a fresh splash of Grecian. We soon learn that Tom's News York itinerary has three key items: 1. Live large in a pricey penthouse and get jiggy with Arturo, an escort from the Others After Dark agency ("serving discreet islanders and New York governors since 1977"). 2. Get Michael to infiltrate the freighter crew and thwart Charles Widmore's evil island plan (or something like that ... this Widmore vs. Ben thing is full of misinformation). 3. Inform Michael that his suicide attempts will continue to be thwarted by the island. Personally, I thought this was way more important that Michael's undercover brother act. If Tom is telling the truth -- and based on what we see in this episode, it appears he is -- then the island has the ability to control people and events. Michael puts the island's mojo to the test by attempting to shoot himself -- TWICE -- with a fully loaded gun. The gun doesn't fire on the first attempt, and Michael's second go is interrupted by breaking news of Oceanic 815's (fake) discovery at the bottom of the Indian Ocean. Bottom line: The island can jam guns and file news reports and send messages from dead rockers whenever it damn well pleases. Tom uses guilt and documentation to woo Michael into Ben's service. The guilt is the easy part -- Tom says Mikey can redeem his past misdeed by "saving" Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Claire etc. from Charles Widmore and his evil Freighter Folk. The documentation, however, now that's the interesting bit ... Tom shows Michael a folder that supposedly ties Charles Widmore to the Oceanic 815 hoax. The folder contains a picture of dug-up graves in Thailand (this is where Widmore got the 324 bodies), a purchase order for a 777, and a ship log from the freighter that dumped the faux-Oceanic 815 in a deep ocean trench. Michael seems kinda-sorta convinced by the documentation, but, as usual, his rampant narcissism is more keyed in to the "how can this help me" bit. Redemption sounds pretty good -- especially since the island locked the door to his death suite -- so he joins Team Ben. Ben uses his connections to get Michael a job on the freighter as a deck-hand. The job has a variety of perks: a new identity (Kevin Johnson), fancy new credentials, a stylish hoodie, and a bomb to blow up the freighter. Or so Michael thinks. Toward the end of the flashback, Michael summons all his moxie and hauls a briefcase bomb down to the freighter's engine room. He activates the bugger and fends off guilt and hallucinations (he sees "Libby" two times in this episode ... apparently Ana doesn't bother with messages from the Great Beyond), and then he presses the bomb's big red EXECUTE button and waits for sweet explosive relief. But it never comes. Turns out, the bomb is a dud/test/message from Ben (it's a high-tech version of a Looney Tunes gun, complete with a snarky "Not Yet" paper message). Just as Michael's guilt and confusion reach the breaking point, he receives a call from "Walt" over the radio. But it's not Walt. It's Ben, posing as Walt (he gets eviler and eviler every week). Ben tells Michael that unlike Charles Widmore, Ben would never, ever kill innocent people. When Michael asks how Libby and Ana factor into that conclusion, Ben digs a dagger deep into Michael's guilt hole: "You killed them Michael ... no one asked you to." Daaaaaamnnnn. So, to conclude, Ben tells Michael that his mission -- his real mission -- is to gather all sorts of intel on the freighter crew and then destroy the ship's radio and engine and, presumably, save all his island friends in the process. And that's when the backstory ends. The timeline shifts back to the present (or what we perceive to be the present ... you can never be sure with this show), and we see Sayid's reaction to Michael's story. Sayid -- the guy who will eventually become Ben's hitman -- hauls Michael into Capt. Gault's quarters and spills the beans. He reveals Michael's association with Oceanic 815, he reveals Michael's real name, and he says Michael is the sneaky saboteur. So, that's that on the Michael front. (Did anyone else think Capt. Gault was about to look at Michael, look back at Sayid, then say "I know"?).

Point 2
	Let us all bow our heads and scratch at head lice as we honor the memory of Crazy Danielle Rousseau (and Karl). Yes, my friends, Rousseau is gone (I think ... unless she pulls a Locke and recovers from a mortal bullet wound because of an earlier organ theft). She died valiantly, attempting to leading Alex and Karl to the safety of the island's Temple. She also died stupidly ... for some ridiculous reason, Rousseau follows Ben's recommendation (and directions!) to seek safety with the other Others in the as-yet-unseen Temple. As the trio reaches uncharted island territory, mysterious gunmen with mysterious bullets take down Karl and Rousseau and leave Alex all by her lonesome. In the final moments, Alex flails her arms and reveals her identity as Ben's daughter, presumably believing that her familial standing can be used by the invisible gunners as a bargaining chip in a future Ben Linus apprehension. Rest in Peace, Crazy Danielle Rousseau. You spoke French and stole babies and blew crap up with the best of them.

Point 3
	The preview for the next episode spilled the beans on the Oceanic Six (I think). As Booming Announcer Man said the phrase "the Oceanic 6...", we clearly see Aaron. Granted, it's not straight from the producers' mouths, but it's the closest thing to confirmation we've had yet. So, until further review, I'm working under the assumption that the Oceanic Six are: Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sayid, Sun and Aaron.

Point 4
	A few closing questions and observations: Best Line: "Uh, we kinda like knew that forever ago." -- Hurley, responding to Miles' revelation that the freighter folk are targeting Ben. Second Best Line: "Can you imagine what would happen if we found some of those people alive?" -- Frank Lapidus, reveling in the "X-file" goodness of the Oceanic hoax. I think Tom's New York visit takes place around episode 16 or 17 of season 3. We saw Tom in "The Man from Tallahassee (season 3, episode 13) and he pops up again -- and dies -- in "Through the Looking Glass" (season 3, episode 22). In "Meet Kevin Johnson," we see a brief freighter scene where Naomi argues with Frank about who will be the first to fly to the island (Naomi wins and she soon crashes in "Catch-22"). Based on all this, I'm guessing that Tom's weekend of New York debauchery takes place around the time of "One of Us." Of course, that assumes island time and off-island time are synchronized, which seems doubtful. So it's possible all this occurs in 1988. Speaking of Tom ... he reveals that "some" of the Others have off-island privileges. The list includes (or included): Ben, Tom, Ethan, Richard Alpert, and the dude who gets the snot kicked out of him by Charles Widmore. Anyone else? Administrative note: We won't have another episode of "Lost" until April 24. The good news is that we've got five more episodes. The bad news is the show will return in a later time slot, 10 p.m. on Thursdays. Boo! Too late! Hisssss! That's all I've got! Be sure to drop by the "Lost" Forum for stimulating conversation and conjecture.
Next Episode:
"The Shape of Things to Come" -- Looks like Sayid gets another dose of future-flash (note: episode title and description are not confirmed). Airs Thursday, April 24, 2008 at 10 p.m. on ABC.
Review by Mac Slocum. All photos and episode descriptions © ABC Inc.

Lost Caption: Michael, you got some 'splainin' to do.

Last week, Sayid and Desmond learned that all is not well for Captain Gault. Cabin fever is driving his crew to the depths of insanity, the kitchen's closed, and a saboteur is wreaking havoc aboard his freighter and passing disparaging notes about him to his Lima bean eating "guests". They later discover that the fly in his ointment is a deck swabber named Kevin Johnson - Ben's man on the boat - who also bears a striking resemblance to... Harold Perrineau! That's right! Michael Dawson is back! The 2004 Father of the Year Candidate is now serving as an extra pair of bug-eyes aboard the freighter for the very man who sent him and Walt to bearing "325" in Season Two's finale "Live Together, Die Alone"

For this edition of the LOST Photo Caption, we go back to the Pala Ferry pier on the day Michael and Walt sailed away into the purple sunset.. to rescue? to the past? the future?

As soon as Kevin Johnson finishes scrubbing brains from the wall, there's an Iraqi torturer who wants answers to his questions. Michael, you got some 'splainin' to do!

Post your captions, or other LOST ramblings in the comments area below. Namaste!