Wednesday, February 03, 2010

LOST: Season 6 Episode 1 and Episode 2 - LA X

WELCOME BACK LOSTIES!!!!!  Whew, I don't even know where to begin.  It's been almost 9 months since we have had some new material to digest.  That was plenty of time to re-watch the show for me, plenty of time to get questions fresh in the head (if you missed it last month, check out my 23 Mysteries to Be Resolved post. We got a couple in this episode!)   I'm sure many of you had LOST viewing parties or maybe some of you wanted to watch in seclusion to have it all to yourself!   Me, I had my lovely new wife throw me a surprise LOST party for 2 (Pic 1, Pic 2, Pic 3)!  DHARMA stuff everywhere in the basement, Peanut Butter, Mangos and Hurley Hot Pockets for dinner.   What can I say?  You're all jealous!    It's a bittersweet time folks.  The final season of one of the greatest shows of all time is upon us.  But, it's going to be a thrilling ride to the finish!  This is what we have been waiting for.  We put our faith in Team Darlton (Exec Producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse) that they know what they're doing and they're going to take us to the end in a fantastical way.   Well, here we are!   We have seen 2 hours.  What do I have to say about it?   Oh, I think you guys already know by now:    "WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

I mean, what to the what?!  That was some crazy stuff.   Yes, a lot of what we have been speculating over the months is turning out to be not far from the truth (they ARE back in the present, but there is some kind of alternate timeline).   The big question is, where are they going with this?   Are the storylines going to merge at some point?   Are they really just showing us what happened if Flight 815 didn't crash?  Is this further going to emphasize how interconnected these people's lives are Island or no Island?   All I can say is, there is crazy stuff going on in the timeline we are familiar with and also with the timeline that we kinda sorta know, but don't know!    Yes, we're all confused.  The producers knew we'd be confused and have been worried that we wouldn't like where they're going with this.   NEVER doubt Team Darlton, they know how to pull at our strings of confusion while they're getting us all emotional over these characters.   So many crazy things happening, but we still are invested and still think it is awesome!   I'm going to stop this preamble now so that we can get into the EXTRA LARGE RECAP (due to the 2 hour premiere).  Don't worry guys, I took the day off from work, so I put my all into this!

Here we go:

Flight 815 - Take 2
(No Crash Zone)
When we last left off: Jack, Kate, Sayid, Hurley, Miles, Jin, Sawyer and Juliet were trapped in 1977.  Jack and rallied the troops, based on a plan by Daniel Faraday (RIP), to detonate a nuclear weapon and the future location of the SWAN HATCH in an attempt to prevent Oceanic 815 from ever crashing on the Island and changing everything we have ever learned in the past 5 seasons.  (From Jack's perspective, changing all of the bad things that have happened)   Well, in our new storytelling device of the season, it looks like we are going to see what happened if indeed that came true.   We do not know if these stories we see will turn out to be relevant or if it is really just serving a greater purpose to show how these characters are connected.   How they are destined to work together.   So, fellow LOSTIES, let's dive into the realm of Bizarro LOST!
Jack's Story
We begin the episode with Jack looking out the window of Oceanic 815.  His hair is noticeably longer than it was in the Season 1 Pilot episode, but I think we're are just expected to accept changes in hairstyles for the sake of the story!  His initial moments are eerily similar to the moments we witnessed in Season 1 with distinct differences.   We begin Jack's story:


  • Jack makes a face like he is confused what is happening.  Maybe having some sort of Deja Vu or something.  But then he is interrupted in thought by Cindy the flight attendant.  Their conversation is very similar to the pilot episode except she only hands him one vodka bottle instead of 2.  And Jack doesn't talk about breaking Federal regulations.  

  • There is turbulence and Jack braces, looking nervous.  Across the aisle is Rose!  In this reality, Rose is the one that tells Jack "It's Normal"  (it was the reverse in the pilot episode).  She talks about Bernard in the bathroom, Jack still offers to keep her company.   Charlie does not race by cutting off Jack in this scenario.  There is more turbulence and this would be when Desmond was off killing Kelvin and couldn't make it to hit the button.  The plane would split apart and land on the island.  But no, there is no crash.   Jack still bracing for impact, Rose tells him "you can let go".     Jack - "I guess we made it"  Rose - "Yeah, We sure did."  Seemed like Rose and Jack were in the know on something here of what happened in their previous lives.    
  • And Bernard comes back from the bathroom!  He told Rose he's going to hold it next time and how he almost died in the bathroom.  They get all lovey dovey and tell each other they missed each other for the 10 minutes they were apart.  I wonder if Rose has cancer in this alternate world? 
  • Jack heads to the bathroom (I thought for a second he was heading to 42F to see Ana Lucia, but we can be thankful that didn't happen!). 
  • Note that Rose is reading Outdoor Woodsman Magazine and on the back of the magazine there is a shout-out to X-files "The Truth is Out There"   Could be very relevant to this show as well, but it better not be aliens! 

  • He takes a good look in the mirror and then notices a crazy red mark on his neck.  Is he noticing this for the first time?  Could it be from the 1977 incident or is this something that happened in the alternate world?
  • Jack returns to his seat and who is sitting in his row but Desmond Hume!  Woaaaaaa weird!  Desmond is reading a book called Midnight Children by Salmon Rushdie.  A book about India's transition from British Colonialism to Independence.  It is also referred to as having "magical realism" on ol' Wikipedia.  That seems more relevant than Indian Independence but what do I know?!

  • Desmond, moved to Jack's row because the guy in his row was snoring since they took off.  The flight attendants told him no one was sitting there.   Jack looks perplexed.  He apparently recognizes Desmond.  And asks if they know each other.  Desmond does not recognize Jack.   Hmmm, I wonder if they even met at the stadium in this alternate world?  Maybe in this world, Desmond doesn't run away from things and is happily with Penny?    But the irony that should not be looked past is Desmond's signature line he said in so many episodes "See you in another life brothaaaaa"   Hmmmmm, did the writers know what they were doing all along?   Was that line in there as a clue?   Or are they just making us think that!?  (genius either way!)   Anyway, Desmond and Jack introduce themselves and that's that.  
The Island
We need to pause from Jack's story because at this moment, the camera goes out the window and down to the water below the plane.  It doesn't stop at the surface but keeps on moving!  Going under further and further until we're seeing familiar sites like Othersville/Dharmaville and a swingset and finally stopping at the 4 toed statue FOOT of Tawaret (still only the foot in 2004 and not the rest of the statue).   The Island is under water!!!  WHAAAAT?????  When did this happen?  Is it because of the bomb blowing up?  Did it blow the island under water?  It doesn't appear so if everyone is alive and well in present day on NON-bizarro LOST land!  (who are we kidding? It's all bizarre, but it's more normal that what we're seeing in these flash-somethings or whatever)     Perhaps, when the island moves it can go under water?   At the end of season 4, it did look like the Island when UNDER water as opposed to disappearing.  There was kind of a drain look to the water when it disappeared.   But if the Island is under water, could there be anyone living on it?   One would think not.   Or, in this version of reality, has the Island been underwater for a very very long time?   And if there are many versions of LOST timelines is there only one version of Jacob and the Man in Black?   Perhaps the "It always ends the same, they come, fight, corrupt, destroy" thing has to do with this alternate version of reality.   Maybe there are different versions of the Oceanic 815 storyline that "always seem to end the same".    They 815ers will still end up on the island in this reality too.  But how will they get to an underwater island?     Man, I'm confused, but I love speculation!  And based on them showing the Man in Black and Jacob saying that exact dialog in the "Previously on LOST" section of the episode, it makes me think that this IS what is happening.   Why it's happening?  You got me.   But "it only ends once, and anything that happens before that is just progress."   Seems to mean a little more thinking this way doesn't it? 


  • Note: we definitely saw the DHARMA Shark underwater again!  So this proves DHARMA still existed in this version of reality.

Jack's story (continued)
  • In bizarro land, Jack apparently has a small bladder.  We've never seen the man go to the bathroom once in seasons 1 to 5, but he's on his 2nd trip now!   He runs into Edward Mars, the air marshall waiting for Kate to get out of the bathroom.   When she does, Kate bumps into Jack (more on that later), and then they look at each other for a brief second.  
  • Later in the flight, Cindy is on the intercom looking for a doctor on board.  DESTINY people!  Jack is called into action to save someone.   Jack heads up to the front bathroom.  I think we all know it's Charlie at this point!  But the door is locked and they can't get it open.  Sayid comes up and kicks the door in.   Jack and Sayid working together to solve a problem.  Here we go!   There's Charlie, and he's not breathing.  There is something blocking his air passage.  Jack starts asking for a pen and he can't find his that was in his pocket (more on that later!).  But you may not recall, but Boone suggested to Jack that they use a pen to create an air passage for Rose.   Jack told Boone it was a good idea, but only to get him distracted with something else while the doc saved everyone himself!  Jack reaches into Charlie's mouth and further back and is able to latch on and pull out a bag of heroin.  He tried to swallow the evidence?  Dude, the toilet was a better idea!     
  • Charlie was not thankful for his rescue though as he was taken in cuffs by on air security/police.  "I was supposed to die man!"  Another ironic thing as Charlie did die and Desmond had visions of it many times and told Charlie that he's supposed to die.  

  • Jack returns to his seat and Desmond is gone!  What???  Rose said she and Bernard were sleeping so didn't see him get up.  Was he ever even there?  Weird.  
  • Captain Seth Norris gets on the mic (I thought Lapidus might be flying 815 in this scenario, guess not!) and says they're going to land shortly. 
  • When the plane lands, everyone gets off except Jack and Locke stay behind.  Jack grabs his bag and looks a row behind him, and Locke looks at him and they do a head nod exchange.  Very similar to when they got on flight 815 in the season finale of season 1.   It was very meaningful then because of the polar opposite relationship they developed on the Island, and it was meaningful to see it again in an alternate world where they could have a chance to have a clean slate.  But more on that later as well. 
  • So things get interesting here.  We see all the 815ers we know and love hanging out at LAX.  Jack is summoned to the customer service counter.  It turns out there was a mix-up with his father's coffin.  It didn't get on the plane.  Immediately we are thinking that in "Opposite Land" after Jack's emotional speech in the Sydney airport, that they did put the coffin on the plane because Jack didn't have the papers.  Ugh, that Chrissy! (representative of Oceanic in Sydney)  She couldn't do Jack a favor.   But that isn't what happened, Jack finds out that Oceanic cannot find the body anywhere!  They have no idea where it is.  WHAT?!?   Okay, so Christian still dies in this reality. Does that eliminate any foul-play in Sydney that led to his death?  I'm still not so sure.  I want more info there still!   But his body just vanishes?  That sounds like the work of the Island doesn't it?    So could the body perhaps have been on the plane, but then it FLASHED off of the plane like some of the crew did on Ajira 316?  But what would have happened, it flash onto the Island underwater?   So now we have OFF-Island, Alternate world Mysteries going on.   Are you keeping track of all this?  We have 16 hours left to resolve all of these issues!   But I am still loving that we're getting more puzzlers!  I have faith it will be cleared up by the end in an ambiguous sort of way!  (like that line? I made it up mysel!)
  • More on Jack's story later

Random Notes (Hurley, Sawyer, Sayid)

  • On the flight, Arzt recognizes Hurely as the owner of Mr. Cluck's chicken.  This is in line with the commercial we saw from Comic-Con over the summer with Hurley advertising the new Outback Roasters and referring to himself as the luckiest guy alive.   Arzt asks Hurley how he got to have the money to buy Mr. Cluck's.  Hurley tells him he won the lottery.   
  • Sawyer, listening in, advises Hurley to not tell people he's won the lottery or they'll take advantage of him.  This is when Hurley refers to himself as the luckiest man alive!  Obviously, we're meant to take from this that in this version of reality, Hurley is the exact opposite of what we have known for 5 seasons where he thought he was cursed (and clearly bad things happened around him but never to him!)
  • Sawyer gets in a nickname in bizarro land too.  He calls Cindy Earhart!  Hysterical!! 
  • We should note that we do see Sayid staring at pictures of Nadia that he received from the FBI.  He helped them prevent a terrorist attack in Sydney and lost a friend to suicide in the process.   Chances are he'll probably track her down.   
Kate's Story

  • When Kate gets back to her seat, she has a Lasagna waiting for her.  But of course, Ed won't let her use her silverware.  She puts her hands under the seat-back tray and looks like she's doing something suspicious. 
  • Sawyer walks by and exchanges glances with Kate.  He smiles and likes what he sees! 
  • When they get off the plane, they are going through customs where Edward declares his murderer!   So she still killed someone, but not her father Wayne.  If the comic-con videos are true, then in this reality, she blew up a building where Wayne was a respectable plumber.  But Wayne was on a date with Austen's mother and sent his apprentice Ryan Milner to work instead.  Ryan is the one that blows up in a building instead of Wayne in his house.  We may find out if this is actually true in a Kate-centric episode (I would say when that is happening, but I would hate to be minorly spoilerish!)  Instead Check out my comic-con post for the video on Kate (and Hurley if you want to watch that too)
  • Anyway, Kate requests to go to the bathroom.  Ed doesn't want to allow this but eventually caves in.  He goes into the ladies room with her and stays there while she goes into the stall.   At this point, Kate takes out a pen.  Yep, she stole it from Jack when they bumped into each other on the plane!   She takes it apart to work on getting her cuffs off, but the spring falls under and out of the stall.   Ed sees it and tries to get Kate to open the door.  Kate busts through the stall and knocks Ed unconscious.  YEAH KATE!   Some girls come into the ladies room and Kate tells them she was attacked.  She runs to the elevator which Sawyer just happens to be on.  He holds the door for her.

  • Sawyer gets all flirty with Kate right away.  He spotted the handcuffs on Kate and decided to help her out.  Some TSA folks come onto the elevator at the next stop.  They get a call in for a 341.  It was hysterical when Sawyer asked about the 341.  "What's a 341?"  "That's confidential"  "Well if it's confidential then how will I know if I see one?"   Ahh good times!  
  • We see Kate hiding out at Baggage Claim.  Sayid and Arzt are there collecting their bags.  Cops are looking for her.  She sneaks out and tries to get in a taxi cab.  But Frogurt is there to ruin things.  "Hey there's a line!"  So she ends up behind Hurley in line.  But then she sees Ed, and Ed sees her, so she darts for a cab and gets in it.   The cab driver "I already have a passenger!".  Kate pulls out a gun and tells him to go.  (I guess she got the gun from Ed, but I missed that!)   But hey, guess who else was in the cab?  CLAIRE!!!!  She's back!!!   And looking very scared.  Now, Claire was on her way to Los Angeles to give her unborn baby away for adoption.  Will things change in this reality?  As we see, it looks like Kate and Claire's paths are tied together for the foreseeable alternate future.  Which is very ironic because Kate was the one raising Aaron off of the island in the other timeline.   Crazy stuff!  I am totally digging all this wacky stuff they're throwing at us.  I just hope it all makes sense in the end!  





Jin/Sun's Story

  • We have a brief scene with Jin and Sun on the plane.  Sun is staring longingly at Rose and Bernard who seem to be so in love.   Once again, Jin and Sun are in an unhappy marriage.    Jin instructs Sun to button her sweater (just like old times)    I must note, it was very impressive that they got Jin and Sun's hair looking the way it did in season 1.   Even Hurley looks a little Season 1-ish.  Amazing what no beard will do for the guy! 
  • At customs, Jin gets questioned about the watch.  The watch he was tasked with bringing to Los Angeles, that Michael ended up getting on the Island.  (Speaking of: noticeably missing from the episode are Michael and Walt.  But, they ARE having a hard time figuring out a way to bring Walt back with his age.  Hopefully, they'll think of something! We need answers!)    
  • Anyway, because Jin doesn't speak english he cannot explain what his business is in the US.  Sun does know english but she's not leading on that she does.  They open Jin's bag and there is a boatload of cash in it.  Jin was planning (in season 1) to flee Korea to start a new life with Sun in Los Angeles.  Of course, there was that american dude at the Sydney airport that knew Korean and advised him not to do that.  Will we see him again in THIS reality?   
  • Anyway, they take Jin in for questioning.  They tell Sun that if she understands what is going on that she should clear it up.  But she continues to say she doesn't understand english.  I hope they don't drag that one out forever in this alternate land!       
Locke's Story

  • We first see Locke on Oceanic 815 reading a safety manual.   Boone is there!  He tells Locke he's wasting his time and that if the plane goes down, there is not a good chance they'll survive.  (Lots of plays on words in this discussion on what we know about the other Oceanic 815 and the 48 + 23 survivors of the fuselage and tail section).    Locke argues that they could have a safe water landing.  
  • Note: Neil Frogurt is sitting between Boone and Locke.  And there is an empty seat where Shannon would be.

  • Locke explains to Boone that he was on a Walkabout.  In this version of reality, he did get to go on the walkabout. (Or he at least lied to Boone and really didn't get to go)  But he explains all of the stuff he did about hunting for food, setting up camp, exploring, you name it.  Sounds like exactly what they all did on the Island.   Boone makes 2 comments.  One, that he never would survive doing that (ironic because he did for a little while, but then died because of Locke's crazy missions for the Island)    The 2nd comment was that if the plane does go down, he is going to stick with Locke!  Ironic again, because Boone did team up with Locke on the Island.    There is probably more than irony and jokes here though.  It just seems that these people were meant to be in each other's lives.   But, if Boone died in season 1, maybe he is not part of the Island's (or Jacob/MIB's) ultimate plan.   So it will leave Boone time to go be a vampire on Vampire Diaries again! 
  • Anyway, Boone tells Locke that he went down to Australia to save his sister Shannon from an abusive boyfriend, but it turns out she didn't want to be saved.  So in this version, he leaves Shannon there.  So maybe in this version he didn't have intimate relations with his sister! ewwwww!   This also was due to a casting issue.  The writers said they still would like to work something out with Maggie Grace, but the actress was booked at the time of filming the premiere.
  • I did begin to think that maybe Locke wasn't paralyzed in this world, but he certainly was and after his exchange with Jack, they brought in the airplane wheel chair to get Locke out.   Ironically, in season 1, they didn't have one to get him on so the crew had to carry him onto the plane. 
Another awesome Jack and Locke discussion



  • So Jack is in the lost baggage area of the airport.  He is talking to his mother on the phone saying that they can't have the funeral without the body and he doesn't know what's going on.  He says he will keep her posted. 
  • Locke is there and also lost a bag (turns out to be his knives.  Remember that creepy scene when Locke first opens the case and shows everyone the knives?)  
  • Locke gets all spiritual when Jack says they lost his father.  "How could they know where he is? They only lost a body."   Implications of an afterlife and also irony again at play because Locke has been murdered in the other land but his thoughts carry on in another form.   We're getting there! 
  • Jack asks Locke what happened to get him in the wheelchair.  (note: In all 5 seasons of LOST, Jack never found out that Locke was paralyzed before the Island.  Only Sawyer and Rose knew from the 815ers.  Unless Sawyer told people off camera, but I doubt he did)    Jack mentions that he's a spinal surgeon.  Locke says that what happened to him is irreversible.  The miracle doctor says that "nothing is irreversible."  Jack offers Locke a surgical consult on the house!  awwwww Did anyone else get a little caught up in the moment here?   Jack and Locke are interacting.  Somehow they're connected, but this time there are no life and death stakes of the island and they are almost friends towards each other.  WOW,   This show blows my mind!  
  • So the question is, did Locke still get pushed out a window (my guess is yes).  Did Jacob still revive him from an almost deceased slumber?  (again, I'm thinking yes but the underwater island thing still confuses me)  So we are left with many questions.
Many questions of how this alternate universe will play out, and how it ties into what his happening in the universe we know.  I'm digging the new storytelling device though.  Even though it is much like what some of what we guessed, there is a lot of intrigue to how this plays out and what it all means.  I keep going back to the Jacob/Man in Black discussion.  It has to be relevant to the situation.   Let's stay tuned!  (and definitely share your thoughts in the comments)   Of course, we have much more to discuss!  



Jacob's Death Aftermath (Man in Black)
When Season 5 ended, too much had happened for me to think that there would be a complete reset in store for the 815ers.  Especially the entire storyline with the Man In Black assuming the role of John Locke and those crazy "Shadow of the Statue" people marching to the 4 toed foot.  Let's not forget Ben killing Jacob!   Way too much happened there to just say "okay, forget it.  Let's reset time and never address this again!"  So here we are, in the exact moments after Jacob's death.  Finding out what happens next:

Ben and Man in Black (Locke)
I haven't decided what to call this incarnation of Locke yet, so I may change throughout this recap, but you'll know who I'm talking about! 

  • So Ben is staring at the empty flame where the Man in Blocke (hahaha, I'm so funny!) kicked Jacob.  But, there is NOTHING there.  No Jacob, no nothing.  Wha?   Fake Locke tells Ben to stop staring and that Jacob is gone. 

  • Fake Locke cut a piece of red tapestry on the floor to wipe off the knife.    
  • Ben is confused why Jacob didn't fight back.  Aren't we all?  I had suggested that perhaps Jacob has some Obi-Wan like tendencies in my previous blog.  Maybe when he dies he becomes more powerful than you could possibly imagine!  (and from the looks of it, it looks like he might be communicating through Hurley since Hurley can talk to Ghosts.  But we'll get there!)
  • MIB/Locke instructs Ben to go outside and summon Richard.   He needs to talk to him and it's none of Ben's concern.  
Outside the Statue

  • Meanwhile, everyone is still trying to cope with what has been happening outside.  Ilana and crew have revealed that John Locke is still dead!  His body is still laying on the beach.  
  • Sun asks Frank about who Ilana and crew are.  Frank says all that he knows is they knocked him out and brought them along, burned a cabin in the jungle and claim to be the good guys.  They still aren't buying it.  But, we really don't know who the good guys are do we?   It seems like Team Jacob is the good side guy right now, but it could be all an elaborate tease! (I tried to not do the Twilight reference, but it was there for the taking!)    Anyway, Frank and Sun are being cautious with these new folk.
  • Richard is trying to keep Ilana, Bram and crew from entering the statue since Jacob didn't summon anyone.  Ilana says they are there to protect Jacob.  
  • Ben comes out as his usual lying self and claims that everything is fine.  He tries to get Richard to come in to talk to Locke, but then Richard drags Ben over to see the dead Locke!  Oh boy!  
  • Richard tries to get information out of Ben on what happened in the statue.  Ben says he has to go in to find out.   Instead Bram takes control and forces Ben in with the rest of the crew (minus Ilana).  
Mutiny in the Statue

  • Faux Locke sees Ben return and asks where Richard is.  Bram comes in behind.  Flocke assumes they are Jacob's bodyguards and lets them know that he is already dead so there is nothing to protect.  That is when things get interesting.   Bram shoots FLOCKE, but they find the bullet bent and on the ground.   And he is nowhere to be found.  Oh but do you hear that noise?  It's SMOKEY!!!!  
  • Smokey comes in and whoops the living daylights out of the crew.  But Bram, has seen this before.  He gets ash out of his pocket or something and creates a circle around him.  Ahhhh the CIRCLE OF ASH around the cabin was meant to protect Jacob!?   Or the Cabin?   And they saw that the ash had been broken and that someone else was using the cabin.  All makes sense if it was smokey!  (Christian Shephard....oh no...where is Claire!!??  I'm getting ahead of myself) 
  • Anyway, Smokey is too smart to be stopped by the ash.  It forms a fist and pushes the ceiling and gets Bram out of the circle.  Bram meets a very bloody death.   In fact, all of the crew besides Ben that were in there met their demise. 









  • Flocke returns and says "I'm sorry you had to see me that way"!!!!
  • And there we go, THE ANSWERS are coming folks!  No more beating around the bush.   As many of us speculated, The Smoke Monster = The Man in Black = Christian Shephard = New John Locke (and Yemi and Alex).   All dead people whose bodies are on the Island.   Smokey/MIB has been using them all as pawns in his game, none more than John Locke who he made think it was his destiny to do something special with his life.   But, we're only seeing half of the story.  Jacob was involved somehow in Locke's life too so we have yet to see that play out.    But wow, we certainly got more information on SMOKEY!   I wonder what would have happened if he pulled Locke into that hole in the season 1 finale?  And what happened when Locke first came into contact with the monster during the "Walkabout" episode?   Ahhh good stuff.    But a hearty pat on the back for everyone that connected the dots from season 1 to 5 to figure out who the Man in Black truly was.   Of course, we still don't have a name and we still don't know how he got that way!  16 hours left folks.  16 hours. 
  • So Ben accuses Smokey/Flocke/MIB of being the monster!   He accuses the godly/devilish being to using him to kill Jacob.  Why couldn't Smokey do it himself?  Another question to be resolved? 
  • Smokey changes the subject on Ben saying "He was very confused when you killed him"  but not referring to Jacob.  He was referring to Locke.  Very creepy to watch Terry O'Quinn in the form of Locke talking to Ben about how Ben killed Locke.  But creepily awesome and more Emmy material!  Smokey referred to Locke as a very sad man.  A weak, pathetic, broken (irreparable) man.  There's that irreversible theme again in play.  The only admirable thing about him was that he was the only one of the Oceanic 815ers that didn't want to leave the Island.   The only one who realized how pitiful his life was.   So, is that the connection between the 815ers?  They all had miserable lives and came to the Island for a better one?   We have always known that all of the 815ers were on redemption paths.  So this is nothing new, but nice to hear it in dialogue on the show!  
  • But Smokey wants exactly the opposite of what John wanted.  He wants to go home!  What on earth does that mean?  How does this ageless creature just leave the island?  Can he be uncursed to not be the monster?  And if so, then what?   Where is home?  When is home?   Or does he just want to die?  Is death his home?   And what did Jacob have to do with Smokey's current status.  Perhaps he made him that way just like he made richard an ageless being?  Lots of things to speculate, but we need more info.   I'm always interested to hear comments though! 
Outside
  • The final scene with Flocke/Smokey has him coming out of the statue.   Lapidus says "I see it but I still don't believe it" (join the club)   Flocke yells at everyone "I'm very disappointed in all of you!"  
  • Ilana has the gun pointed at Flocke, but Richard advises her not to shoot. 

  • Flocke sees Richard and tells him that it was good to see him out of those chains.  Ahhhhh, did anyone else flash on the Black Rock in season 1?  All of the dead bodies chained to the walls of the ship?  Slaves?  Everyone has been assuming that Richard was a member of the Black Rock.  I have no doubt we'll be finding out exactly what happened to him.   But Richard definitely recognized who Fake Locke truly was.  The Locke imposter grabs Richard and walks away with him.   
  • So like I said before, where on earth is Claire right now?   Does Fake Locke have her hostage somewhere?  Is she still alive or are we only going to see alive Claire and Locke in alternate reality land?    Lots of questions...16 hours! 


The Incident Aftermath (Island)
Okay, so we saw what happened if Oceanic 815 never crashed (and will continue seeing) and this seems like it was Incident related.  But now we'll see what happened to our present-minded people when jughead blew.   


Everyone Wakes Up



  • We first see Kate and the audio is very muffled.  I'm sure I wasn't the only one reaching for the remote and turning it up.   She is stuck up in a tree.  She climbs down and is wearing the same clothes she was in 1977.   She runs into Miles who is still wearing the DHARMA jumpsuit.  He cannot hear anything she is saying.  Kate's ears are improving.  Kate sees the Swan Station's main door and realizes they are back and it "didn't work".  She runs over and sees the giant crater from when the hatch imploded after Desmond turned the failsafe key.  
  • They find Sawyer and Jack.  Jack is informed that the hatch is there.  "They Built it??"  Before we know it Sawyer punches Jack into the crater.  "IT DIDN'T WORK!"   He clearly is upset because he has lost Juliet (or has he?)   Jack apologizes but is still confused why it didn't work.  
  • Meanwhile, Hurley, Sayid and Jin are there with the DHARMA Van (I guess it moved in time with them).  Jin explains that he's gone through the whole hearing problem before.  He thinks they moved through time.   Hurley overhears Sawyer screaming at Jack and sends Jin to go get Sayid help.   Sayid is still bleeding from the gunshot wound he got in the Battle with DHARMA.  
  • So before we move on, this is always what I envisioned happening.  I figured they played their role in 1977 that they were always supposed to play and then they would be returned to the present day.   It seems that is what happened, but there is definitely a twist with the parallel universe thing going on.   So maybe the Incident did work for another version of them, just not them specifically.   I wonder if this really IS like the Matrix (as many have suspected).  But not like the AWESOME Matrix, but the Matrix 2 and 3 were there were many versions of THE ONE and only the version we saw was the one that succeeded.   Of course, where the Matrix 2 and 3 were awful, LOST would succeed!   But maybe there's more to it than that! 
  • We should also point out that there is no sign of Rose and Bernard.  Unless, they beamed back to 2007 on the other side of the Island.  You know, in retirement village.   There is still a chance that they could be the Adam and Eve skeletons in the cave (from season 1), but the timeline doesn't work out for it to be them.   The bodies were decaying for roughly 40 years.   And they had the black and white stones with them.    We'll definitely get that answer this season, but who knows when?    Anyway, Rose and Bernard, again are missing!  
Hurley, Sayid and Special Guest Jacob!

  • Hurley looks after Sayid while Jin goes to get Jack.  Sayid rambles on about what will happen when he dies.  His life is unredeemable for the things he has done.  
  • And then Jacob shows up.  He is there as a ghost that only Hurley can see.  He tells Hurley that he died an hour ago.  "That sucks dude"  Only Hurley could get a laugh out of that! 



  • Jacob tells Hurley that Jack will not be able to fix Sayid and that he must be brought to the temple.  Jacob knows that Jin had been to the temple wall before (in 1988 with Roussea's crew) and instructs Hurley to tell Jin to take him there.  
  • Jacob also introduces himself to Hurley.   At this point I thought of Hurley being able to see the cabin in season 4 and being important in Jacob's plan.  (of course, now I thought that smokey was in the cabin.  But maybe the circle of ash was intact then.  So was Christian Shephard working for Jacob?  Ugh, I'm so confused!!)   
  • Jacob instructs Hurley to bring the guitar as well.  Ahhh finally, we get to see what that's all about! 
  • Jin returns to get the DHARMA Van and bring Sayid and the Van to Jack and crew.   Hurley asks about the wall with the hole in it and the French team.   Jin knew what he was talking about.  Hurley says he's going to need to go there. 



Mission Rescue Juliet
  • Jin arrives to the Hatch site and tells Jack that Sayid still needs help. 
  • Kate is looking around and hears Juliet screaming under the rubble in the crater.  Woa, she's still alive! 
  • They can't get to her, the beams are too heavy.  They send Jin to get the van to try and pull the beam off with the chains.  
  • Sawyer tells Jack if she dies he is going to kill him.  He looks pretty serious! 
  • They do manage to get the beam off and Sawyer dives underneath to Juliet.   They have a sweet and sad discussion as she lays there helpless in his arms.  She tells him that she hit the bomb.  That she wanted him to live a life off of the island.   She realizes that they're still on the island but Sawyer tells her that they're all going to go home together now.  


  • Juliet then starts talking a little strange and says that they'll go for Coffee sometime.  And that they can go dutch.  This is more relevant in a little bit.  
  • She then requests a kiss from Sawyer and you know it will be the last.  "You got it Blondie"  everyone gets welled up.  
  • She then says she has to tell Sawyer something very very important.  But she never gets that word out.  And thus, we say goodbye to another great character on LOST.  RIP Juliet.  Maybe we will see you in another life sista!!!
  • Sawyer cries a bit then brings the body out of the rubble looking directly at Jack "You did this!!!"   
  • What did "It worked" mean?  The whole coffee thing.  Between worlds? 
The Team Splits up

  • Jack checks out Sayid and realizes that he can't save him.  Hurley chimes in and knows he can.  Before Jack can get one of his speeches out.  Hurley lectures him and says that Jacob told him how.  Jack had never heard the name Jacob before but Hurley said, "if you can't save him you have let me try!"   And new-fangled Jack lets him.
  • Sawyer says he's not going with the rest of them to the temple and that he's going to bury Juliet.  He asks Miles to stick around (even though Kate offers).   He also says he's not planning on meeting up with them later.  
  • I did like when Miles asked if they're going to play "Koombaya" when they get to the Temple, after seeing the guitar.  
  • And so the 2 teams embark on their journeys.  

Sawyer's Mourning

  • Sawyer and Miles finish burying Juliet.  But then Sawyer asks him to talk to her to find out the last thing she said.  Once again Miles says that it doesn't work that way.  Yeah, Miles we know, you feel their last thoughts.  Well it basically achieves the same goal, right?  Speaking of which, didn't Smokey know John Locke's last thoughts?   Granted, he knew all of the thoughts but is there a connection here?  
  • Anyway, Sawyer forces Miles down to the grave and makes him work his magic.   Miles does get a read on Juliet.  And 2 words never made us wonder what is going on more than the 2 that Juliet was thinking.   "IT WORKED!!!" 
  • ummm.....what?   So Juliet must have passed out or was between worlds or something when she was thinking about the coffee and splitting the bill.   Did she see her and Sawyer having coffee?    Are these 2 realities linked somehow?  Clearly Bizarro Jack recognized Desmond and seems to be a little off with everything.  Getting scared when the plane shook, etc...    What exactly is the connection?   I'm sure we'll find out.   But IT WORKED?   Consider me awesomely baffled! 
Save Sayid

  • When they get to the Temple Wall, Hurley instructs them all that they're going under the wall and not through it.   They crawl into the same hole that Flocke and Ben went into.  (we might want to note now for certain that we never saw Fake Locke and Smokey at the same time when Ben went to see the monster.  We also should note that this is why Locke knew where to go to find the monster.  Because he WAS the monster!)  
  • We see where Ben fell through the floor to Smokey's lair.  Hmm if Smokey was the security system for the temple, then why are the people inside so scared of him?  (seems like there's a story there.  But we haven't even gotten to the people inside the temple yet!) 
  • They run into the skeleton of Montaun and his missing arm!   He had a book, I didn't catch the name but I'll update this if I find it.  
  • Long story short, we start hearing whispers, Kate disappears (Cindy style) and eventually everyone including Jack gets nabbed up by THE OTHERS!  But not just any old OTHERS!  Those crazy stealthy others that I always wanted to know more about!   And now, we may just get our chance.   Because Jack and crew are taken out of the cave and to the grounds outside of the TEMPLE!  There it is!  THE TEMPLE!!!!  I figured this was a series finale type of reveal.  But there it is!
The Temple (Hurely, "Guess we found the Temple")



  • We see a Japanese man come out and appear to be a type of leader in The Others organization.  He is a well known Japanese actor that was cast, but we did not receive a name.  Hiroyuki Sanada is the actor's name.  We'll call him Japanese Guy for now!  He has a translator and it's John Hawkes who played Sol Star on Deadwood.  (Even if that show never did have an ending at least the actors found great roles on LOST!)   I was going to call him glasses but then consulted IMDB to remember that his name will turn out to be Lennon.  Makes sense since he kind of resembles John Lennon with those glasses! 


  • Japanese guy wants to know who these people are.   And there's long haired Cindy explaining they were on the FIRST PLANE with her.  Oceanic 815.    I really would love to see how Cindy became assimilated into THE OTHERS!   The Japanese man instructs them all to be shot!

  • But Hurley yells "Jacob sent us!"  and said that they are supposed to help their friend. 
  • He proves it with the guitar case.  Inside the guitar case is an extra large Ankh which we have seen in episodes last season.  Tawaret has them on the statue, Amy's husband wore won in 1974 before the Others killed him, and now this one in the guitar.  Of course, the Japanese guy just broke the thing open to reveal a letter.   

  • In a past season of LOST we may not have gotten any information on the letter but when the Others start helping out our LOSTIEs and Hurley demands to know what the letter says?  We know it's the season of answers because they gave us something right off the bat.   Lennon says that the letter says if they don't help Sayid, they're all in a lot of trouble.   Hmmm, well, maybe we still need more information! 
  • They bring Sayid inside the temple to THE FOUNTAIN.   Yes, most of us start thinking "I knew it!  The fountain of youth is on the Island!"  but come on, maybe it's just a special LOST fountain and nothing to do with the actual mythical Fountain of Youth!   Anyway, the water is red in the fountain and they are wondering why it isn't clear.  Huh?   No idea what that's about but should we assume it has something to do with Jacob dying?  
  • Lennon asks who did this to Sayid and Jack takes the blame, not for shooting but for getting him in the situation.  Lennon mentions there will be risks and Jack instructs them to do what they have to do.   Hmmmm Risks?   Well, either he lives or dies right?   Risks?  Yeah, something else is going on here, right? 
  • They remove Sayid's jumpsuit and put him in the water.  There is some crazy large hourglass and once they put Sayid in face first and submerge him, they turn the hourglass over.    Sayid begins to struggle.   The LOSTIES are yelling at them to pull him up and that he looks like he's okay.   Jack runs over and Japanese Guy levels him!   Gotta love Hurley's "Can unconscious people hold breath?" 
  • The hourglass empties and they pull Sayid out.   And eventually pronounce him dead.   Huh?  Sayid is dead too?  What?  They're killing people off left and right!  Hold on...let's talk a little more.
  • Jack refuses to believe it and goes over and starts compressions and mouth to mouth.  Very reminiscent of him saving Charlie in season 1 with Kate telling him to stop.  But this time, eventually Jack did stop.  
  • Some time passes.  Cindy calls for Zach and Emma to bring them all something to drink.  I thought we might see those kids again 3 years older!  
  • We see that the others picked up Sawyer and Miles too.  Apparently, Sawyer took 4 of them out before they finally hit him with a rock.  Whatever that letter said, they need all of these guys!  Of course, we should note that we haven't seen Jacob touch Miles prior to the Island.  Then again, Miles was born on the Island so I don't know where I'm going with this!  Moving on! 
  • Hurley is summoned to talk to Lennon and the Japanese guy.  We soon find out that the Japanese guy does speak english but he doesn't like the way it tastes on his tongue.  (that was a good time!) 
  • They wanted to know what Jacob told Hurley.  He told them that Jacob was dead but thought that they already knew.  Once they heard that....the whole Temple community went into full alert.  TO YOUR POSTS!!!  PREPARE THE ASH!!  They started pouring ash everywhere.   Did anyone else start thinking of Widmore talking to Locke  "A War is coming, and the wrong side is going to win if you don't go back."   hmmmm  All of the Oceanic Crew or just a deceased John? 
  • Lennon tells Hurley that they're not trying to keep them all in there, it's to keep HIM out! (Smokey)
  • Later on - Hurley talks to dead Sayid and says "goodbye dude."  Miles is looking very strangely at the whole encounter.  Did he sense something weird about Sayid?  
  • Sawyer wakes up and asks Kate where they are.  They get a good laugh about being captured by The Others again, but this time they seem to be helping.   Kate apologizes about Juliet.  And she tries to let him know that Jack was just trying to help.  Sawyer says he isn't going to kill Jack and said that he deserves to suffer just like all of them.  
  • Lennon returns, this time to summon Jack.  They want to speak to Jack privately.  Jack says to tell him right there or to leave him alone.  The man is clearly broken right now.  Lennon says they were asking politely but they'll take him by force.  Jack looks ready to get in another fight when Hurley screams.  JACK!!!! 
  • Everyone turns around.  Sayid is awake.  "WHAT HAPPENED?"

BOOM LOST!!!!!

Wow!!!  What???  Okay, so is that even Sayid?  What was up with the red water? Why was Jacob so determined to get him to the Temple?  What really was on that letter?   Why did they ask Hurley for more information on what Jacob told him?  Here's the question - Smokey has assumed the role of Locke.  Would Jacob want Sayid's body?   Does that make any sense?   And would we be terribly sad if Sayid was dead for real?  I sure would be.  The producers always say Dead is Dead.  And he definitely died.  Oh boy.   Oh and I guess they probably put young Ben in that same fountain when he was shot by Sayid.  (ahhh karma....dharma...neato!)     Anyway, the good news is that we still will see more of John Locke and Sayid Jarrah as their actual selves in this alternate reality.   So they're not totally out of our lives.   I am very intrigued with how this season has started and I'm excited to start reading what everyone else thinks!   So with that I will leave it to the comments.  Hope you enjoyed my ramblings and see you next week folks! It's good to be back! 

ENDING CREDITS





Check out this awesome LOST Merchandise at Cafe Press that I have just been introduced to.  There are clothes and other exciting things.  Some designed by fans, and some can even be designed by you if you want.   Check out the site and stay tuned because we may have some exciting free give-away contests on this site!

Be sure to sign up for Twitter and Follow me for updates:@LOSTAddictsBlog

Click Links to Support!: I took on a night job to pay some extra bills writing at Gather.  If you get a chance, check out my articles and also if you like what you read here, please click on this link to at least register a "Page View" at Gather for me!  Thanks for your support! 

And of course check out my other blogs!
Flash Forward (returning in March):http://www.flashforwardaddicts.com

Special Thanks to Dark UFO, The ODI and LOST.cubit.net for the excellent Screen Captures!  

Sunday, January 10, 2010

23 Days Until the Final Season of ABC's LOST Premieres! 23 Mysteries to Ponder.



Hello LOSTIES!   Yes, in 23 days time, as of this posting, we will be transported BACK to the magical island of mysteries.  WHEN and HOW in the Island timeline are still very big questions and I'm sure the immediate answers will not be very clear either!  But, we do know one thing.  After 18 more hours of LOST, it will be over and we will have QUESTIONS answered.  All of them?  Well, let's be honest, Team Darlton (Executive Producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse) cannot possibly and do not intend to answer everything.  But they will bring FINALITY to a show that has had an amazing run.  And they will resolve questions we have been asking about our favorite characters and their favorite resort away from home that we have been asking since September 22, 2004.  So I am counting the days until I dive back into the blogging world to recap these sacred 18 remaining hours of one of the best, if not the best, TV shows to ever grace the small screen.   I figured, since there are 23 days remaining until the premiere, I would make a list of 23 mysteries that still perplex me about the island.  Surely, not all of them will be answered, and I know this.  But, they are things that I want to know!  This list will be far from complete, and I encourage everyone to continue the list in the comments.  Maybe we could get to 42, 108, and dare I dream: 316?   Here goes nothing...23 Mysteries in no particular order or priority:


  1. What's up with Walt? - Okay, they better have plans for the boy with special powers in the final season!  Yes, they had to work around the kid aging so they wrote a kidnapping story and eventually got him off of the island.  But before his departure, we saw Walt had some strange ability to make things happen by looking at objects or visualizing them (The polar bear in Hurley's comic book, the dice in backgammon, Locke teaching him how to throw the knife, the dead bird hitting the window in Australia after him reading it in the book, etc...).  Then there was that crazy moment where Locke touched his arm at the end of season 1 and Walt got a weird feeling and said "Don't Open it!" (referring to the hatch)    And of course, let's not forget him appearing drenched in the jungle in front of Shannon and talking all backwards and stuff.  And then Ben (Henry Gale at the time) told Michael that "they got more than they bargained for with Walt) before he sent them back to the real world.   If that wasn't enough, then the writers/producers decided to address Walt's aging in season 3 when they had him appear to Locke and save him from killing himself...telling John "you have work to do" (a common theme in LOST).  We could have passed it off as the actor getting older if John and Sawyer didn't discuss it and call him "Taller Ghost Walt".  Yes, we see him 3 years later off of the Island and he's clearly older.  And he's having crazy dreams about Locke surrounded by people with guns.   So then I asked in the blog...as time was passing off of the island, was Walt possibly having dreams about Locke and unintentionally making appearances ON the Island to save his life (a la in season 3)?   Sounds far fetched, but this IS LOST we are talking about right?    So, this sounds like a lot of stuff about a character that needs resolution, right?  And yes, the icing on the cake would be to have some kind of resolution between Michael and Walt after they left things unsettled in season 4.  Will Walt return to the island and get a chance to talk to Ghost Dad and be reunited with Vincent?  For this story to be complete, I'm going to required some of this to happen! 
  2. Desmond's Incomplete Story - Henry Ian Cusick (actor portraying Desmond) did something amazing when joining the LOST squad.  He found a way to become one of the most interesting and one of my favorite characters on the show (even though he didn't appear until season  2).  But he did earn a character-centric finale (season 2) where many details of his pre-island history were dished out to us.  One of the biggest things that seems unresolved from Desmond's past is his Military background.  Yes, we see 1996 Military Desmond time jumping to 2004 and needing his Constant and everything, but we have yet to see WHY he was dishonorably discharged from the Scottish Guard.  Are we to assume that it is because he was a coward and ran away from everything he had ever done?  Are we to assume the introduced that tidbit in season 2, as a possible lead for a future character-centric story if they didn't get to define their Season 6 end date?  Or, is this some vital piece of information from Desmond's history that will be revealed in his final character-centric episode of season 6?  (Cusick is no longer a full-time castmember on LOST but he will get his on Centric story).   In addition to this, Eloise Hawking told Desmond that the Island is not done with him.  And of course, we know that Desmond somehow defies the Time Travel logic and rules as Daniel told him the "rules do not apply to you.  you are unique and special" or something like that.  Will that play a role in all of this Reboot craziness?  So will Desmond return to the Island in present day?  Will Penny and little Charlie come with them?  I'm sure some of this will be answered.  But as for the military story?  That one I see going either way.   
  3. Eloise Hawking's Knowledge of the Future - Okay, this one I pretty much have figured out.  When first meeting Mrs. Hawking in Desmond's first time travel episode (Season 3's "Flashes Before Your Eyes", she clearly had knowledge of what Desmond was supposed to do.  It made no sense to us.  How did she know what was going to happen?  Had she already experienced it?  Was she time traveling?   It appears like she was not.   It was her son, Daniel Faraday that was time traveling.  Young Eloise Hawking ended up killing Future Daniel and taking his journal.  By reading this journal, she would be able to learn about Desmond (since Daniel wrote about Desmond being his constant) and be able to know the future until 2007.  So when Desmond and Eloise talk in I guess 2001, it makes sense that she says "you don't take the ring.  You go to the island and push the button to save the world. And this is the only good thing you will do your entire life"   Or something like that.   It all makes sense right?   Okay, then riddle me this:  how on earth did she know the man with the red shoes was going to die?  Was that in the journal too?  Seems like a pretty random event to be captured in the journal.   Yes, it was meant to be a Wizard of Oz reference, but is there more to Eloise's knowledge of future events?  Something tells me we might not get this answer.  But it has bugged me since we saw "The Variable" in season 5.  It's questions like this that we'll probably have to draw our own conclusions to after the show is over!
     

    (don't worry, some of these mysteries will be less wordy!)
  4. Who are Adam and Eve? - Season 1, Jack finds the cave.  He brings Charlie, Locke and Kate back with him.  They find two bodies lying next to each other carrying black and white stones.  Jack estimates from the decomposition that the bodies had been there for 40-50 years.  Damon and Carlton have said on countless occasions that they put the Adam and Eve skeletons in season 1 so that we could look back on it when the show was over and say "they knew what they have been doing since the beginning!"  That makes me think that the identity of these 2 people is very significant.  The popular theory since season 5 has been that these 2 people are Rose and Bernard.  Do we think whatever happens to the rest of our LOSTIES after "The Incident" that Rose and Bernard would somehow stay behind in 1977?  And, correct my math if it's wrong but 2004-1977 = 27 right?  And who is to say that Rose and Bernard were going to die right away?  So this doesn't get us to 40-50 years.  Should be interesting how this one pans out.  But our likelihood of getting an answer to this one? 100%
  5. The Tale of Henry Gale - Yes, we know the FAKE tale of Henry Gale.  The man that pretended to be him turned out to be one of the most awesome villains of all time - Ben Linus (remember when we all refused to call him Ben because we were so used to Henry?  So we called him Benry?  Ahhh those were the days.  But Michael Emerson certainly made us all believers in BENJAMIN LINUS!)  But Sayid, Ana Lucia and Charlie DID find a body buried underneath a smiley-faced hot air balloon and the driver's license did belong to a Henry Gale of Minnesota.  We have been told several times that we would get his story, but we never have.  Will we in season 6?  Is it important? 
  6. Libby's Stay at the Mental Institution - Again, we were promised this many times.  They even brought back the actress Cynthia Watros in season 4 but didn't get a chance to tell this story.  The actress has decided not to reprise her role in season 6.  And Damon and Carlton have gone on record saying that this is not a priority for them to address.  But the people demand answers!  It was a huge cliffhanger in the "DAVE" episode of season 2.  She knew Hurley. Hurley recognized her.  She is a clinical psychologist but also had a stint at the mental institution as an in-patient and clearly stalking Hugo Reyes!   Add onto that that her deceased husband's name was David (we learn that in the season 2 finale when she gives Desmond her boat), and you have a pretty juicy story, right?   Well, Damon and Carlton have agreed to address the issue in the final season.  Someone will have to bring it up in passing since we will not have Libby back to tell the story. (1/12 update - Executive producers confirmed at the TCA Press Tour that Libby will return for a stint in the final season! WOO HOO!)
  7. The Whole Richard Not Aging Thing - Yeah, I know "Jacob made him that way", but what does that mean?  Why does Jacob not age either?  And Richard looks so clean cut all of the time from 1954-2007.  Why was there a period in the 70's when he grew his hair out and went all native on us?   And of course, where did Richard come from?  This brings me to my next question.
  8. Where is our Black Rock backstory?! - The Black Rock seems to be a pretty essential story in the LOST Mythology.  So important, that they have saved it for the final season to reveal it to us.  Will it come as part of Richard's back story?  Was he aboard the Black Rock vessel?  We know that Magnus Hanso was aboard the ship who is a descendant of the DHARMA Initiative's financial backer: Alvar Hanso.   But here's a big question I'd like the answer to:  How did that darn ship end up in the middle of the jungle on the island?   After season 4, I just assumed that the Island moved and appeared right underneath the ship (crazy I know), but in the finale of season 5, we see the Black Rock sailing towards the Island as Jacob and the Man in Black talk.  So, I ask, WHAT IS UP WITH THAT?
  9. How did the 4-toed Statue (Taweret) get destroyed only to leave the one foot (Jacob's home)? - Many look to the volcano (mentioned in season 3's "The Man Behind the Curtain") erupting for answers.  Could it have been in a battle between the Black Rock people and The Others?  The Man in Black mentions to Jacob "They come, they fight, they destroythey corrupt".  Could DESTROY have anything to do with the statue?   And while we are on the subject, where is this volcano on the island??
  10. What IS the Smoke Monster? - Obviously, we need answers here.  They reveal something special about this monster every time it appears.  We know that it is a security system, according to Rousseau.  We know that it can infect people's minds (as we saw what it did to Rousseau's crew).  We know that it can look into people's memories and that it can take the form of dead people from these memories.  (Definitely Eko's brother Yemi and Alex.  But possibly Locke and Christian Shephard?)   We know that it judges people and has a pretty bad temper with people that will not repent!  We know it sounds like the monster is on tracks when it moves.  It can be summoned by Benjamen Linus (well at least the one time) by pulling a drain out of a muddy toilet.   But WHAT IS THIS THING?   I wonder just how much they're going to tell us about the monster.   If they get into explaining what the composition of the monster is, it could get very much like explaining that midi-chlorians are what make up the FORCE in star wars.  (aka - As Damon Lindelof explains "something no one really wanted the answer to").  Some things you just assume are part of that universe and it should be accepted.  Maybe that's a cop-out, but I don't think any answer to the monster would really be satisfactory to me!  Except maybe that it is somehow related to the Man in Black. What say you peanut gallery?!
  11. The Interconnected Lives of our Island Dwellers - Why are everyone's pre-island lives so interconnected?  Were they all MEANT to be on flight 815?  Was there some purpose for them being on the flight?  Was Jacob behind recruiting all of these people for the island?   Is there some higher power than even Jacob?   What exactly IS the end game of LOST?  And why are these people so important for it? 
  12. The eternal Love Triangle (Jack/Kate/Sawyer). How will it End? - There are times when Jack and Kate seem perfect for each other.  There are times when Sawyer and Kate do as well.  Is there any really happy way for this to all end?  Is a happy ending even in store for any of our LOSTIES?  I keep thinking that the only way to end this love triangle is for one of the leading men to die.  And how will they die?  In some huge sacrifice for everyone AND specifically for Kate and other said man.   Now, come on, Jack wanted to blow up the island for another chance with Kate!  Call me a sucker, but I always root for the Leading Man to get with the girl!  But, I am also conflicted.  I feel like Jack isn't going to survive the final episode of the show.  But, we have also seen how selfless Sawyer can be at times.  I could see him making an ultimate sacrifice.  Or, would Option 3 be a possibility?   Kate dies and Jack and Sawyer survive?  Crazier things have happened.   Any way this one ends up, there are sure to be some portion of fans upset by the result!
  13. Desmond's Vision of Claire and "baby" getting into a Helicopter - So, did they completely forget this storyline?  Desmond tells Charlie that he saw Claire and "The Baby" getting into a helicopter and leaving the island.  This is why Charlie gave his life in one of the most gripping moments of prime time television EVER!   Aaron is now 3 years old and really can't pass as a baby!  So even if he did come back to the island Desmond wouldn't see Claire taking him as a baby back on the chopper.  Of course, it could be in an alternate timeline that Desmond saw this happen.  Perhaps in a rebooted history?  Why did dead Christian Shephard (or Man In Black possibly) find it so important that Claire had to stay with him while the island moved?  Did he know that Claire was SUPPOSED to get on that helicopter?  Oh, that brings me to another question - is Claire even alive?  Miles was certainly getting a weird vibe from her after Dharmaville was attacked by the freighter crew and the house blew up on top of her.  She wakes up talking about Charlie, and then Miles can't stop staring at her.  Did I mention Miles has a thing for Dead people?   Oh boy, can this show get any crazier?  We will see Claire in the final season, so maybe we can clean up this mess! 
  14. The Ghosts, The Dreams and the Crazy Animals  - Before Hurley Talked to them and Miles was "feeling" Dead people's last thoughts and experiences, there were still ghosts on the island.  Jack saw his dad 4 or 5 episodes into season 1.  Now we think Christian is some kind of smoke monster apparition, or Man in Black or both.   How are these ghosts following our survivors OFF of the island?  Jack saw Christian in the hospital right after the "smoke" alarm went off (hmmm smoke?).  Hurley played chess with Mr. Eko, hung out with Charlie, talked to Ana Lucia.  You name it!    And what about all of the crazy dreams people have on the island?  Eko talked to Ana Lucia, Charlie had those awful baptism dreams, Locke saw his mother pointing to the Nigerian plane crashing, Hurley dreamed of Jin speaking english in a chicken suit, Ben said he used to have dreams, etc...  Locke had lots of crazy dreams even the one with Boone taking him through the airport, and the other one with Horace building the cabin.  What is it all about?   And yes what about all of those animals in season 1 and 2?   Kate seeing the black horse on and off of the island (not to mention Sawyer talking as if he was Kate's father asking why she killed him)?  Sawyer with the crazy Boar? (I don't expect answers to these animal ones but I wanted to bring them up while I was thinking about them!)    Crazy crazy show....can they answer ANY of this?
  15. Is Ben really a villain or truly a good guy who has done bad things to get the job done? - And will we ever be able to know if he's telling the truth about something?  
  16. Christian Shephard - How exactly DID he die in Australia?  We never saw it happen.  We just heard it was heart failure.  Had he been to the island before?  Did it lead to his alcoholism off of the island?  How important is the Shephard family to the Island?  What was up with Jack's grandfather trying to run away from the nursing home with Christian's shoes?  Was there more to that story than meets the eye?   Will Jack and Christian finally reconcile on the Island?  
  17. The Psychic Malkin in Australia - This is another one that I always thought there was more to the story.  Malkin tells Claire that she HAS to get on Flight 815.  It seemed as if he KNEW that plane would go to the Island and that SHE would raise the baby.  He also interacted with Eko and told him that he was a fraud.  But then why was he so insistent on Claire getting on that plane?  Was Malkin involved with anyone else getting to the island?  Was he in cahoots with Jacob, Man in Black, Christian, Widmore, anyone???  I want more answers!   Malkin also was very concerned about Claire raising Aaron.  And we saw Kate raising him in season 4.  The theme was brought back in season 5 when Ben tells Kate Aaron is not her son.  And Hurley hears from Charlie and tells Jack "You are not supposed to raise him" in season 4.  Of course, that could have been about John Locke for all we know!   There just seems to be more to this story of the psychic and Claire.  And of course, how important is Aaron to this Island?
  18. What's in the Guitar Case? - Jacob brought Hurley a guitar case, and he was convinced he had to bring it on the plane.  Yes, it was probably, in part, to recreate the events as best as possibly on Ajira Flight 316 to Oceanic Flight 815, but there has to be more, right?
  19. Who are the Shadow of the Statue people?  - We have met Ilana and Bram and they have exposed Locke as "NOT Locke".  They appear to be allies with Richard and therefore Jacob.  They tried to recruit Miles for THEIR TEAM instead of Widmore's team.  We see a flashback of Ilana where Jacob comes to see her.  She is wrapped in bandages in some Russian medical facility.  He asks her to do something for her.  It probably had to do with coming to the island.  Maybe even bringing Sayid with her.  But what else?  Have these people been to the island before?  What were they doing OFF of the island?   Are they part of the whole conspiracy to bring the 815ers, Desmond, and others to the Island in the first place?
  20. Who or What is/was Jacob? - An ageless being, who seemed to have brought Locke back from the dead after he was pushed out the window from his father.  He seemed to have healing powers but he still managed to leave Locke paralyzed until he came to the island.  He clearly has been involved with some of the 815ers since early on in their lives.  He went out of his way to touch them.  Did this make them special?  Make them able to survive the crash of Flight 815?  Some of them were visited by Jacob after their initial stay at the Island (Sayid, Hurley).  So what did this signify?  Is Jacob the almighty FORCE of GOOD on the Island while the Man in Black is Evil?  Or could it be reversed?   The themes of Black and White have been on the show since the very beginning.  Light/Dark.....Jacob was wearing white when he talked to the man in "black".  There were the backgammon pieces, the black and white stones with Adam and Eve.  Is the end-game of LOST truly a battle of good vs. evil?  What will it accomplish in the end?  Is Jacob truly dead or did Ben killing him make him more powerful than we can possibly imagine? (a la Ben Kenobi?)   Stay tuned for season 6!

  21. What is the Temple? - First heard of in season 3, Ben instructs Richard to bring their people to the Temple.  Ever since then, a group of others (including Cindy and the kids) have stayed there.  (If I had more questions than 23, I'd ask about Cindy and the kids!!)   Richard brought Ben to the temple to HEAL him but also take away his innocence. (There is no way to say that without taking it the wrong way!).  We have seen the outside WALL around the temple in season 5.   We know the Smoke Monster lives there.  But we have yet to see the Temple and what its purpose is.  It is guaranteed to be a part of the final season of LOST!   Do we think this is where Richard and some people can go to come and go from the island as freely as they do?  (Tom left the island to give Michael his mission, Richard somehow get Locke's father to the island after causing a crazy car accident a magically transporting him to the Island.  Richard also left many times to check on Locke's birth, and different stages of his life)   Is the temple the MAGIC BOX that Ben speaks to Locke about in season 3?   We shall see!  
  22. Is Locke really dead? -  We are told on LOST that Dead is Dead.  So, by default, Locke must be dead.  But, even after his return to the island, Fake Locke had memories of his former self and seemed to be able to communicate with Sun and Ben as he always had before.  It didn't seem like a DIFFERENT person, just Locke with more confidence and with a purpose.  Yes, in the 4 toed statue, that looked like a different person.  Both Christian Shephard and John Locke died off island and were brought back to the island and seem to be walking again.  But Shephard was staying in the cabin and told Locke he could speak for Jacob.  We found out that Jacob hasn't been in the cabin for a very long time.  Hmmmm  It would seem that the Man in Black has been assuming the role of both of these people.  But it just cannot be that clear cut.  The character of John Locke needs closure and I'm sure we're going to get it.   But unless we are rebooting the clock, I just cannot figure out how they're going to do it!
  23. What is the Island? - Ahh this open-ended question will allow me to ramble on a little longer!  A magical moving island (through space and time) that has the power to heal and kill all at the same time.   The Island is over a pocket of electromagnetic energy which is inevitably responsible for the crash of flight 815. A plane that when it crashed, 48 people (plus 23 of the tail section) survived with superficial wounds.   How did they survive that plane crash?   Was it due to Jacob making them special?  How did Locke regain his ability to walk?   Why/how does the Island move through time?   Where did the island come from?  What is up with all of the Egyptian artifacts on the Island?  How old is the Island?   Is it the Garden of Eden, the lost island of Atlantis, is it Purgatory? (ahhh always worth a laugh!)

    Sadly, I do not think there is a single sentence answer to this question that would satisfy all of the viewers whose imaginations have been allowed to run wild for 6 years.  And, this might be one of those questions that the producers decide to leave pretty ambiguous in the end going with the whole "midichlorian" analogy again.  "It just exists, accept it and now let's deal with the characters who were put into this world."   Is there really a way that they can explain it to us?   I have confidence that Damon, Carlton and the writers will strike the right balance when they decide to answer vs. leave open ended.  I believe they will give us a satisfying conclusion! 
If I was going to go on to 42 these would be a few topics that I still didn't get to!: 
  • DHARMA Food Drops - How were they able to do it? Where did they come from? 
  • Kelvin's recruitment into DHARMA and his involvement with training Sayid to be a torturer
  • THE NUMBERS! (How could I forget the crazy numbers!?)
  • How/Why did the Island prevent people from dying before their work was done?   Michael couldn't kill himself, when Jack tried to jump off a bridge there was a car crash and something for him to fix, in 1974 one of the others that killed Amy's husband Paul shot Sawyer but the bullet whizzed right past, etc...
  • Who built the Lamp Post station?  Was it Daniel Faraday?  Eloise talked about a man so brilliant that created it.  
  • Nikki and Paulo - Are they really dead? (just kidding)
  • Will we learn more about Annie?  (Ben's best friend during DHARMA Times)  And will there be anything made of my crazy theory where Ben told Jack that Juliet looks just like Sarah (Jack's ex-wife) and Goodwynn's wife told Juliet that she looks just like someone Ben knew?   My theory was that Annie was Sarah.  I know, completely ridiculous but I never let it go!    Chances are more that Juliet looked like Ben's Mother which is why he grew an attachment with her.   But what do I know? 
  • Why did some people on Flight 316 go to 1977 when the others went to 2007?  Convenience for the writers or is there a reason? 
  • I could go on and on and on....
I encourage everyone to chime in with their favorite mysteries, conundrums and even theories as we await the exciting concluding season that begins in 23 days!  As always, I will be there with my wordy recapping and look forward to the great discussions we always have.  One...LAST...TIME!   See you then LOSTIES and NAMASTE!  


Ending Credits:

Be sure to sign up for Twitter and Follow me for updates: @LOSTAddictsBlog

Click Links to Support!: I took on a night job to pay some extra bills writing at Gather.  If you get a chance, check out my articles and also if you like what you read here, please click on this link to at least register a "Page View" at Gather for me!  Thanks for your support! 

And of course check out my other blogs!
American Idol (kicking off Tuesday): http://aiaddicts208.blogspot.com
Flash Forward (returning in March): http://www.flashforwardaddicts.com

Thursday, November 19, 2009

LOST: Final Season Premiere Date Set!!!

Well my fellow LOSTIES, we've seen Wednesday as the home for LOST for much of the show's run.  During the strike-ridden season, we moved to Thursdays in a cushy slot after Grey's Anatomy.  And now?  LOST will travel to the most competitive day in the Winter/Spring months.  Yes, it's Ellen and Simon vs. Jacob and Jack!   LOST moves to Tuesdays!   The 3 hour premiere event will take place on Tuesday February 2nd, 2009.  (8:00 Eastern Time - 1st hour a recap show followed by the 2 hour premiere entitled "LA X" at 9:00pm Eastern Time).  The regular time slot will be at 9:00pm as well. On paper?  Awesome!  Pair up the 2 Sci-Fi shows of V and LOST and give the geeks their day!   But for bloggers like me?  This is going to be the apocalypse!   Clearly, LOST is my top concern when it comes to blogging, but I do have a soft spot for Idol and feel the need to bash the upcoming season with their newly crowned celebrity judge.   Since this news is just breaking now, I don't have it all figured out.  But I will!   If Idol has to suffer shorter blogs this season, then so be it!   This is a time for celebration, the show that has defied all formulas and defined a new generation of TV is entering its final season.  And we now we know when "The Beginning of the End" will occur!

How does everyone else feel about LOST on Tuesdays?  Are we ready for it?!

Updated Videos:

Trailer in Movie Theaters (no new footage, and someone filmed with a camera, but still moving!!)





Promo Trailer #2 (also no new footage)





Wednesday, November 04, 2009

LOST 1st Teaser Promo, Other Recent News and "V" Thoughts

Hey LOSTIES, it's been awhile since I posted something new so I thought I'd get in touch with everyone like me still trying to get through this hiatus.  I thought I would share some tidbits in case you haven't been keeping track. I also watched V last night and wanted to share some quick thoughts on the Pilot.  Enjoy!    


LOST Stuff

Nothing new really to share, I've been tweeting and retweeting (follow me!) anything that I've found over the past couple of months.  I wanted to share a consolidated listing of news items and rumors that have been circling around.   Here goes:

Teaser Promo
If anyone has been watching FlashForward, they probably saw the premiere of the LOST Final Season Teaser Promo last week.  The producers have announced that they will not reveal any new footage in the previews for season 6. (any scene from the new season would be THAT revealing!)   My soapbox on this, I like it!  Sure, I'd love nothing more than to see a 2 minute preview with all new footage to get me psyched for the new season.  But let's be honest, we're all psyched anyway and don't want to be spoiled with clips.   I'd be happy with a 2 minute montage of seasons 1 through 5 with some interspersed text getting us all emotional in the process for the final season!   Sure, there are fan videos out there like that, but I want something from the ABC marketing department.  Well in the meantime, feast your eyes on the 15 SECOND montage:




Still got a little teary eyed right?  So not much to do in analysis, just enough to get us amped up for January.  Hopefully, we'll get some other promos before then.   So, with that, I just wanted to get into traditional bullet form and go over some of the things I've heard about the final season.  I'll note SPOILER where I think it is necessary!

Non Spoilerish to Semi-Spoilerish Stuff
  • Season Premiere date is looking like January 20th.  Due to the success of the 1-2 punch of Modern Family and Cougar Town, the timeslot is pending.   Since LOST will not be growing many new viewers for the final season, I along with many critcs and analysts are guessing it will get the Wednesday 10:00pm slot.   Of course, on January 20th, it would be safe to say we'd have a 9-11pm premiere!
  • Check out this interview with Damon Lindelof on USA Today's Pop Candy. Damon always is an intriguing interview.  And if you're familiar with the podcasts he and Carlton do, then you should know that they stay away from ruining the show for us with major spoilers.  They just bring things up that challenge us to think or explain what they will or won't possibly cover in the show.   
  • Don't forget Season 5 Blu-Ray/DVD comes out December 8th.  You'll need the Blu-Ray to attend your Lost University Classes.   And if you're planning to do that, you should enroll now!
  • Have you been watching the DHARMA "Mysteries of the Universe" series?  It's a good time.  This, we're told, will be where the show will explore most of DHARMA now since the show will be moving on to other things.  (Still want the food drop explained on the show though!!)
More Spoilerish Stuff 
  • Here's a great interview with Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet) and Executive Producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse.    SPOILER WARNING: Very revealing information is revealed about Juliet, so don't say I didn't warn you!
  • Episode titles - I like seeing them ahead of time.  I think it just makes us think about things rather than giving much away.   So without further adieu, here are the first 7 titles of season 6:

    1, 2 - LA X  -  The space is intentional.  This is a 2 hour premiere, so it counts as 2 episodes

    3 - What Kate Does - Kate centric episode and a play on words from Season 2's episode "What Kate Did" when we found out why she was on the run from the law.  Is this a hint towards a reset?  One would think so, but it seems too easy doesn't it?

    4 - The Substitute - Rumor this is a Locke-centric episode.  Which makes sense considering Locke wasn't as he seemed in the Season 5 finale.  And "the substitute" sounds like something we might like to know more about! 

    5 - The Lighthouse - Rumored to be a Jack-centric episode, and it would seem to be following the centric order of episodes from season 1!   Lighthouse sounds similar to the DHARMA Lamp Post station, coincidence?  hmmm

    6 - Sundown - Rumored to be a Sun-centric and still following season 1's centric episodes formula.  Got me on the significance of the title besides having Sun's name in it.   Hopefully not spoiling that she dies in the episode.  Seems too literal!

    7 - Dr. Linus -  Ahhhh, should have been a Charlie centric episode right?  If we were following season 1.  But we know he's not a series regular.  He is most definitely returning for the final season but we still don't know in what form.   But this sounds very BEN-centric.  The doctor part?  got me.  He did remove a bullet from Sayid and sew him up.  But a doctor?   eh who knows.

    Exciting stuff!
  • There have been some interesting castings over the past months.  More Deadwood Alumni, And some legendary Japanese actor will be playing recurring roles.   You can read through the comments on the last relevant LOST Blog posting to catch up if you like!
  • Returning CAST:  Well from Damon's interview, it's sounding like we're not going to get Libby to return in person.  The actress Cynthia Wattros (sp) has a conflict or something.  But Damon is confident, due to fan outcry, that they will be able to explain why she was in the institution at the end of the season 2 episode DAVE without her being there.     Sounds like they wanted to get the actress back that played the older version of Rousseau, but she is booked on something else overseas.  That is not cool!  But I'm confident they can find a way around it.   As for everyone else that has died on the show?   We have some confirmations of appearances: Ian Somerhalder (Boone), Maggie Grace (Shannon), Dominic Monaghan (Charlie) to name a few.   My guess is that we'll be getting appearances from a majority of past cast members as they try to complete this story and close some loose ends.   So I would think we would see Michael and Walt, maybe Eko (who wants to come back supposedly), Charlotte? (maybe), Daniel Faraday, Seth Norris (the pilot and Matt Parkman on Heroes), etc...    Why Walt isn't in the season 6 "FINAL SEASON" poster?  Damon says everything on that poster is intentional, so that will be interesting.  But they also said they need to explain Walt's "special powers"   I would think he needs to come back.     Any thoughts out there on this?


My Unofficial LOST Rewatch:
So, I have been rewatching LOST since July.  I'm on a slightly slower pace than the OFFICIAL LOST REWATCH going on.  But I've been having a really good time with it.  Right now I'm in the middle of season 3 and am planning to be done with season 4 by December 8th (DVD/Blu-Ray release of Season 5).   Here's some things that I have been thinking or noticed lately:
  • Just watched "THE MAN FROM TALLAHASSEE" Episode again.  And I have gone back and fixed every single blog posting where I said that Ben asked TOM to get the Man from Tallahassee.  Someone even corrected me on a blog and told me it was Richard and I refused to back down!   Well, I am finally saying I definitely messed it up!   It was Richard.  Does this change anything for me?  Maybe.   Maybe Richard has the ability to come and go from the Island that quickly.   But Tom also has said that some of them can come and go freely.   But here's the thing that makes it interesting that it was Richard.  A BUS out of nowhere killed Juliet's ex-husband and Richard was around for that.   Anthony Cooper was suddenly in a crazy car accident and all of a sudden was on the island (or something like that).   Seems to be more of Richard's style.  Interesting right?
  • I've been watching these episodes with the mindset of trying to link the Smoke monster to the Man in Black or Jacob.   And it is very interesting when you do this.  Especially with the Christian Shephard appearances and the Yemi appearances.  When the smoke monster kils Eko and Eko tells Locke "You're Next"  even though he interprets it as "We're Next".  Brings a whole new meaning! 
  • I don't think I ever put 2 and 2 together that Kate convinced Cassidy to call the police and put Sawyer in prison to serve time for his LONG CON.  Maybe I thought it at the time, but never wrote it in the blog.  Nothing too crazy theory-wise but a nice detail!
  • Last and definitely not least, I am realizing how much I originally enjoyed season 3 and how underappreciated the season was to most critics and even some casual fans who abandoned the show after those first 6 episodes in the cages.  On rewatchability, it seems more like season 2 suffers because that shows more of the holding pattern that LOST was in until a finite ending date was decided.   Still a top notch season, but 3 is up there as some of the finest TV that has ever aired. And no one argues that the S3 Finale THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS is one of the best season finales in memory.   And still battles in my mind with The Constant for best LOST episode ever.
Okay, enough LOST talk for now.  If I get any more news on the season premiere and a longer preview, I'll be sure to post it.  But let's switch gears now and talk about last night's V!

V Reaction
(obviously SPOILER WARNING if you didn't watch the pilot episode!)


We know LOST is ending after this season, and I've been searching for my blogging replacement.  There were 2 likely candidates between FlashForward and V.  FlashForward lends itself to an overarching mystery/mythology and could potentially lead to some similar obsessive analysis and need for a full-fledged blog.   V is looking like a potential smash hit show but with less mystery involved and more of a Rebellion vs. the Empire feel to it.  At this point, I just seem to be lacking in time to be providing full-fledged recaps for "V".   With Idol and LOST starting up in January and my current pick-up of FlashForward, it's just not feasible!  Depending on how this season pans out though, I may have to re-assess my priorities!   But I wanted to let you know that I am watching the show and am very excited it premiered to some strong ratings last night! (A little under 14 million!)   It's good to know that LOST may be leaving a legacy of quality TV behind when it leaves the airwaves.  (though we all know, nothing will be able to replace it.)

I was 5 years old when the original V Mini-series aired on NBC.  But I do remember watching parts of it, probably more V: The Final Battle than the original mini-series.   I remembered aliens lizards disguised as humans, eating rats,  eating humans and I remembered that I loved it!   While they didn't show us if they still like consuming US yet they didn't let me down on showing us their reptilian side.   They didn't even need to sign on Elizabeth Mitchell to make me want to watch this show, but it certainly didn't hurt!

Good things about the episode?

  • Production Quality.   It was pretty top notch on the original but obviously dated.   Both the V and FlashForward pilots had some great special effects and CGI to make their stories very epic.   We were able to see these Spaceships hovering the major metropolises of the globe and make the threat seem very real thanks to today's technology.   And I'm glad there was at least ONE Independence Day reference.  Good times. 
  • The Acting - One thing FlashForward gets knocked in is having a great premise with some lousy on-screen chemistry and dialogue.  I'm not really seeing it just yet.  But V clearly has some top notch acting in it and it will be one of its strong points going forward.  It doesn't get any better as Elizabeth Mitchell being the protagonist of the story.  Strong female lead and a whiny teenage son.  I'm sure they will not be seeing eye to eye about the VISITORS any time soon.   And did I sense some chemistry between the Priest Jack (11/9 Thanks MJ for reminding me he was in The 4400)  and Erin (Mitchell)?    Perhaps he will abandon his faith due to the Visitors?   Eh, probably not but we'll see.    And of course, always good to see another Party of 5 member back on TV!  Scott Wolf as the Reporter that is being used by the V's to spread their message of "GOOD". Kind of reminds me of the role Gaius played on Battlestar Galactica with the Cylons.  (Don't spoil me though, I'm only wrapping up season 1!  I know...way behind on that one).    There's more but I'm just touching on it briefly!
  • The Premise - by the end of the episode we learned that the V's have been on the planet for quite some time but the "FINAL PHASE" has just begun with announcing their arrival.  Most of the planet is under their spell of coming in peace but there has been an underground rebellion for years preparing for this day.  They recruit new members in Erin and Jack.   Erin even finds out her sort-of FBI partner Dale is one of the Visitors.  I guess I should say was since she managed to kill him.   News flash though, these crazy V's CLONE human skin so it's looking like we'll see the actor Alan Tudyk (Firefly/Serenity (thanks  again MJ), Death at a Funeral, Knocked Up, and of course Pirate Steve from Dodgeball) again!     Oh right, then we have the group of V's that are GOOD GUYS!   Like Ryan Nichols who is in love with a human Valerie Holt and was going to propose to her.  But now that he knows he has to fight the good fight, he does not want to endanger her.  And of course, she doesn't know he's a V!   Did I mention Erica's son is in love with one of the V's?   Definitely some nice subplots already set up. 
Anyway, I don't want to ramble on too much on a LOST posting about V, but I did want you to know I will be keeping track of this show and really enjoyed the pilot episode!  Hopefully, one day I will have enough bandwidth to honor it with its own official recap.  Well, let's just hope it will DESERVE to get its own recap.  The show has a lot of potential.  But with only 3 more episodes in the can right now, there is a question to what direction they're going to take it.   We will see 3 more this November and then the show will be on hiatus until next year some time.  I believe we'll only have a 13 episode first season but that might be better!  It could lead to a more condensed action-packed story like LOST has been the past couple seasons.    Anyone else out there watch V?  Feel free to share your thoughts on the episode and if you would like me to continue to share my thoughts on the show.  (Probably would be via the LOST blog for now)

And that's all I have for now.  Anyone else doing a LOST rewatch out there?  How far in are you?  Any discoveries you'd like to share?   How have you been spending your hiatus time?    Feel free to comment below.

Like I said above, I will definitely post again whenever we get some definitive LOST information.  And be sure to check back on the comments as I, and other commenters sometimes add useful links to LOST goodies!  See you in the near future and NAMASTE!



Follow me on Twitter for blog updates and additional findings:@LOSTAddictsBlog

Check out my other Blogs too:
Flash Forward AddictsAmerican Idol Addicts