"Cabin Fever" (Season 4, Episode 11)

John Locke is one of the most intriguing people on "Lost". From the first episode when he asked Walt "Do you want to know a secret?" (I can't wait to hear what that is!), this man of faith has always been my favorite character. No surprise than that last night's show which featured his flashbacks - way back! - was one of the most intriguing episodes.

Best Line

• "He wants us to move the island." Locke explaining to Ben and Hurley what has to be done. I kept waiting for the episode to reveal the weekly best line and, although there were some good ones (Locke's summation of the Dharma Initiative as the makers of ranch dressing to Hurley's dream-induced exclamation of "Mallomars!"), it wasn't until the final seconds that I got my line. "Lost" has always had great last lines right before that musical BUM! but this one was a doozy!
  

Did You Notice?

• The song Emily was listening to in her bedroom was "Everyday" by Buddy Holly. This song was released in 1957. Along with Patsy Cline and Glenn Miller, Holly is yet another musician whose songs have been used on the show and who died in a plane crash.
• Are we to believe that Emily's older boyfriend is con man Anthony Cooper (a.k.a. real Sawyer)?
• Emily being hit by a car can be added to the reoccurring theme of car accidents (Michael being hit, Locke almost being run over in a parking lot, Kate getting in a car accident while fleeing the hospital). However, the car that hit Emily was not the Mystery Car of Death involved in the other accidents. Perhaps its predecessor?
  
• Is it a coincidence that both Locke's mother and Ben's mother share the same first name? Also, Ben and Locke are the only two characters who have had flashbacks to immediately before they were born and then showing different stages of their childhood.
• Keamy not being able to kill Michael echoes Michael's own attempt to kill himself and the island preventing it. We saw this same situation earlier this season when Jack pulled the trigger on Locke and nothing happened.
• Another reoccurring theme was the close-up shot of Locke's eyeball.
• This is the fourth dream/vision that Locke has had on the island. His first involved Boone and finding the crashed small aircraft. Then, he dreamt he was Mr. Eko and found the Pearl Station. His third dream was in the sweat lodge when he saw all the survivors in an airport setting.
• Interesting that Jacob's cabin started off as a getaway for Horace and the missus.
• The repeating nature of Locke's dream is reminiscent of a time loop.
  
• Not surprising that Horace Goodspeed wishes Locke "Godspeed."
• Is it significant that Emily's mother wanted to smoke in the nursery? Did this have some long term effect on baby Locke and the smoke monster of the island?
• Island native Richard Alpert has been watching over Locke since his birth. Hmm.
• So Locke considers Hurley "special" since he could see Jacob's cabin.
  
• I like that when Locke says they're making a pit stop, the stop actually involves a pit!
• Young Locke was playing backgammon as we saw him do in Season One with Walt.
• Young Locke is told he is "special" as was Walt.
• Young Locke's drawing could definitely be construed as a child's version of the smoke monster.
• The objects Alpert shows young Locke included a baseball glove; the Book of Laws (which I felt had a biblical look to it); a vile of what appeared to be sand (from the island?); a compass, a comic book (Mystery Tales with the cover story "The Hidden Land" and an accompanying picture of a city in the clouds - Cloud City? A Star Wars reference?); and a knife. Alpert seems pleased when Locke chooses the vile of sand (he is one with the island?) and the compass (he has a sense of direction?) but not when Locke picks up the knife (he could be violent?).
  
• I believe Ben is referring to Richard Alpert when he tells Hurley it was the Others Leader's decision to kill the Dharma people.
• The mercenary who dies from wounds sustained by the smoke monster's attack is named Mayhew. The actor who played Chewbacca is Peter Mayhew. Another Star Wars reference?
• Is the sickness affecting the freighter crew the same condition that Rousseau's crew succumbed to?
• Charles Widmore would seem to be associated with the Dharma Initiative as his secondary protocol document bears the logo of the as-yet-unseen Orchid Station.
• Could the "Temple" be the one place Ben can go to escape the island being torched?
• I'm guessing Sayid is only able to get one zodiac boat-load of people (Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sun, and Aaron) off the island and to the freighter before the rest are stranded.
  
• On the inside of the door of teenage Locke's locker was a poster of the band Geronimo Jackson, first seen as an album in the Swan Station by Charlie and Hurley, then later on a t-shirt worn by undercover policeman Eddie at the commune in Locke's third season flashback.
• The summer science camp is sponsored by Mittelos, the same company that recruited Juliet. Mittelos is also an anagram of "lost time". If Locke had gone, would he then have been a man of science like Jack?
  
• Teenage Locke's statement "Don't tell me what I can't do!" is also what the wheelchair bound Locke said to the Australian walkabout travel agent in Season One.
• Lapidius found Michael's belief that Widmore re-created the crash of Oceanic 815 very amusing and bordering on conspiracy theory. What does he know that we don't?
  
• I'm wondering if the device strapped to Keamy's arm is some sort of time stabilization device so no matter where - or when - the island goes, he'll be with it. Almost like an electronic constant.
• Ben reveals that he was also once considered "special" and the "chosen one". It is obvious in this episode that Ben is reluctantly passing the mantel of authority over to Locke.
  
• Paralyzed Locke was at the Delerue Center for Rehabilitation. Georges Delerue was a renowned French film composer. He died of a heart attack and not in a plane crash.
  
• The second I heard the orderly's voice I knew it was Abaddon. What was the miracle that changed him? When he is telling Locke about his walkabout, there seems to be a guttural effect (not unlike demonic possession) to his voice when he says "Who I was." Then right before the elevator doors closed, I swear his eyes did something freaky. I re-watched the scene frame-by-frame on my DVR until I got too creeped out by his face. He just reminded me of the devil or an alien so much I couldn't watch it again.
• Now that the freighter doctor has had his throat cut and thrown overboard, does this mean the island does not exist 30 minutes in the past as Faraday's test proved, but maybe 23 hours and 30 minutes in the future?
• I wondered if it was symbolic that the satchel Lapidus threw out of the chopper landed on and collapsed what appeared to be Claire's shelter with Aaron's empty crib.
  
• Jack's dad did not have on his burial suit and trademark white sneakers that we've seen him in up until now. He appeared to have similar clothes to the island natives and a pair of work boots.
• Claire seemed very un-Claire-like to me. Could she be dead. My co-worker Geoff wondered if she wasn't killed when her house collapsed on her. Is it possible the island can only control dead bodies, ones with no will of there own, and is using her and Jack's dad to communicate with the survivors?
• In the humorous scene of Hurley and Ben waiting for Locke, I swore I heard ghostly whispering, including a "Yessss" when Hurley gave Ben a part of his (Apollo?) candy bar.
  
• As soon as Locke said they needed to move the island, my first thought was that they're going to move it in time, not geographically.
  

The Numbers - 2 3 4 5 6 8 10 15 16 23 42 108

• Emily said she was almost 6 months pregnant in the opening flashback.
• The freighter captain pointed out that there are 2 keys to the safe.
  
• The captain told Sayid and Desmond that there was a pantry big enough for 2 men and to meet him in 10 minutes behind the container.
• Desmond said he has spend 3 years on the island.
  

Previews - Next week's "There's No Place Like Home" features the homecoming of what the media apparently dub the Oceanic Six. This show will also mark the return of Jack's mother, Hurley's dad, and Sun's father as I imagine they are reunited with their children. This is considered the first hour of the three-hour finale. Also, my co-worker Ben pointed out to me the news item that the final two 16-episode seasons in 2009 and 2010 have been expanded to 17 shows each, on account of this year's season being shortened by the writers strike. You can never have too much "Lost"!

"Something Nice Back Home" (Season 4, Episode 10)

On Thanksgiving Day of 1982, I woke up with an appendicitis. Missing out on Mom's turkey dinner seemed pretty bad, but compared to what Jack went through in last night's show, maybe not so much. My operation was pretty uneventful, other than the out-of-body experience, but that's a story for another day. On to the show. Last week's show was all about action and intrigue. Tonight's was all about emotions and characters.

Best Line

• "Yeah, I getcha." Miles' response to Sawyer threatening him with a boot to his face unless he says "I getcha."
  

Did You Notice?

• The show opens as it often has with a close-up of an eye.
• Is Rose right that Jack's sudden medical emergency coincides with him trying to leave the island? His pain did seem to peak instantly after he vowed to get everyone off the island.
  
• Is it significant that Jack had a shaved chest in the future? In Season 2, when Jack came out of the Swan station's shower, he had a hairy chest. Also, Juliet had to shave him in preparation for the appendectomy. Hair today, gone tomorrow? And where was his appendectomy scar? Mine is still visible 23 years later and my operation wasn't performed in a hut on an island.
• Besides the writers love for "Star Wars", was the toy Millennium Falcon included because Han Solo claimed it made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs, which is not a measurement of time but of distance? Are they implying that what we presume is time-travel is in fact travel instead over a great distance?
  
• Based on the score of the Red Sox World Series game shown in the newspaper, it is apparently late summer 2007 when these flash forwards take place. We know it's after Kate's trial and presumably before the events of last season's finale when a distraught Jack desperately wanted to get back to the island. This time frame would make Aaron almost three years old.
  
• Aaron's mobile of the planets may have been shown to remind us that there is more to the universe than just Earth.
• Jack is reading from "Alice in Wonderland", specifically Chapter 2 where Alice has found herself in a strange new world.
• I believe Claire's comment to Sawyer that she was seeing things refers to a scene cut from last week's episode when she saw Charlie.
• Why were Rousseau and Karl buried? So no one would find the bodies?
• Why is Sawyer suddenly so protective of Claire and baby Aaron?
  
• Jack's associate at the hospital wants him to look at an x-ray of an L4 vertebrae, which is also the same place on Ben's spine where his tumor was located.
• Dr. Stillman at Hurley's hospital bears a striking similarity to his other doctor, Dr. Brooks, who was seen in the episode "Dave", right down to the glasses and sweater.
  
• Interesting that Hurley believes that the Oceanic Six are all dead and in heaven. Is it possible that the surprise in this season's finale is that they die while escaping the island? Although the producers early on dismissed the theory of the islanders being in Purgatory, could it be possible that they were telling the truth at the time and that now Jack, Kate, Hurley, Aaron, and Sun (no longer islanders) don't survive? I purposely leave Sayid out of this theory because his interaction with Ben makes me think he, if not the others, is alive and well in the future.
• Charlie's message to Jack, "You're not supposed to raise him", mirrors the warning the psychic gave a pregnant Claire that her as-yet-unborn child should not be raised by another.
• Apparently, the smoke monster only chased off Keamy and the other freighter mercenaries last week.
• Looks like Jin won't hesitate to fall back on his enforcer ways to ensure Sun and his baby leave the island.
  
• In case you missed it, Juliet reminds Jack that Bernard is a dentist, making him a logical choice to assist in a medical procedure.
• Bernard's comment to Jack that he could be dreaming about something nice back home reflects (at least initially) the future Jack shares with Kate. Does this call into play the question of whether Jack's future is real or a figment of his imagination?
• Although the sign above the front desk indicated that Jack was back working at St. Sebastian's Hospital, the setting had much more of an upscale private practice appearance as opposed to the more traditional city hospital look it has had in past episodes.
  
• Was Jack's dad (white shoes and all) a manifestation of the smoke monster, explaining why his appearance occurred moments after the smoke detector went off?
  
• I think Kate's promise to Sawyer was that she would check on his illegitimate daughter, Clementine.
• So Sawyer chose to stay on the island. He had previously stated he had nothing to go back to. Was everyone given a choice to go or stay?
• I got the impression that when Jack pointed out to Kate that she was not even related to Aaron that there was the unspoken comment that Jack was, as if he had found out about his and Claire's family connection at some point.
• I loved that Kate seemed to have picked up Sawyer's habit of using nicknames when she called Aaron "Sweet Pea".
• Where has Claire gone with her dad (or what appears to be her dad)? Is he bringing her to Jacob?
  

The Numbers - 2 3 4 5 6 8 10 15 16 23 42 108

• Jack comments that his incision will be 2 inches lower than where Juliet is shaving him.
• Jack's appointment with his patient, Miss Berenberg, is at 5 a.m.
• Jack's associate has an x-ray of an L4 she wants him to examine.
  
• Kate mentions on the phone that Jack is not never home before 8.
• Jack points out that the nanny only works until 4 and he came home at 6.
  

Previews - Next week's "Cabin Fever" gives us a look back to John Locke's childhood as well as yet another appearance by Jack's dad, Christian Shephard; the never aging Richard Alpert; the
mysterious Matthew Abaddon; and Horace Goodspeed. If you didn't recognize him in the previews, he was the long-haired man with the ax that tells Locke he's been dead for 12 years. Horace is also the same man who brought young Ben and his father to the island and who was later killed by Ben when the village was gassed. Some people (including my co-workers Marilyn and Brian) wonder if he may be Jacob. He's got the hair for it. Plus, with a title like "Cabin Fever", you know the mystery man may show up. Also, TV Guide reports that "in a flashback scene that perhaps represents the narrative device's greatest leap in time so far on the series, we'll bear witness to a historic event that has significant repercussions on 'present-day' events on the island." Wow. This is building up to what could be one of the best episodes of the season.

"Lost" in Space?

From a recent TV Guide interview by late night host and huge "Lost" fan Jimmy Kimmel with the show's producers, Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof:

Kimmel: Is everyone on the island from planet Earth?
Cuse: [Long pause] Yes. That may be one of the best Lost questions we've ever been asked.
Lindelof: When you get asked questions like that, you have to be very careful how you answer.

A hint? A clue? So everyone on the island is from Earth, but does that necessarily mean the island is on Earth? A parallel Earth?

Today's the Day!

In less than four hours, "Lost" returns with the first of the final set of episodes for this season. While you're waiting for it to start or if you are reading this on Friday and I haven't yet posted my weekly thoughts, check out these theories from USA Today's website. Once you read one, grade it, and submit it and you will see the producers' own grades and comments. Very interesting reading. Thanks to Ben (no, not that one) for bringing this to my attention.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2008-04-23-lost_N.htm

Two More Days!

Just a little over 48 hours until the return of "Lost". Remember, it's now at 10 p.m. EST. Get ready for a body washing up on the beach, a blaze of bullets, and the mysterious Code 14-J.

"Lost" to Last a Little Longer

With 11 days until "Lost" returns, there has been some surprising news. Originally, this season was supposed to be 16 episodes, but the Writers Strike changed that to only 13. Now, however, the producers have announced there will be an extra hour added to this season, resulting in what is essentially a three-hour finale! Before you clear your calendar, here's how the shows are going to air. The first hour of that finale will air on May 15 at 10 p.m., and then we have to wait two weeks until May 29 for the last two hours. This means no "Lost" on May 22. According to tvguide.com, the producers convinced ABC that the final two hours had to air together. And with the finales of Grey's and Ugly Betty already slated for May 22 at 8 and 9 p.m. respectively, ABC really had no other choice than to schedule "Lost"'s two-hour exit for May 29. If you really want a true three-hour finale, wait until the 29th when the first hour will be replayed at 8 p.m. before the new two hours at 9 p.m. Can there ever be too much "Lost"?

"Meet Kevin Johnson" (Season 4, Episode 8)

We've had episodes with flashbacks. We've had episodes with flash forwards. We've even had flashbacks and flash forwards in one episode. But last night's "Meet Kevin Johnson" gave us a show made up almost entirely of one long flashback with events on the island bookending Michael's story. This episode continues the practice of giving actors airtime even after their characters have died. Libby, Tom, George Minkowski, and Naomi all made appearances.

Best Line

• "We kinda like knew that forever ago." Hurley response to Miles' statement that the freighter folk were here for Ben.
  

Did You Notice?

• Was "heightened cabin fever" again to blame for the freighter crew trying to steal an inflatable raft and the captain's harsh reaction?
  
• Did my fellow Star Wars fans notice a similarity between Michael in his hoodie and the Emperor? Decide for yourself.
  

• The map Ben provided to Alex had a Dharma logo where the temple was located.
• The song playing on Michael's car radio (and again in the freighter's engine room) was "It's Getting Better" by Mama Cass. Desmond was listening to Mama Cass in the hatch when he was first introduced.
• Michael waking up in the hospital featured another of the show's recurring shot of a close-up of an eye.
• Some on-line theorists believe the unconscious man in the hospital bed next to Michael was Alvar Hanso.
• It was appropriate that "Dr. Libby" be carrying blankets since she had come to get one for her and Hurley's picnic when Michael shot her in the hatch.
• The watch Michael pawned belonged to Jin.
• I know the bottle Michael picked up in the alley has to be significant. It's either the brand the monks made when Desmond was one of them or what Charles Widmore had in his office when Desmond came to ask for Penny's hand in marriage.
• Tom tells Michael that "the island won't let you" referring to killing himself. Does this mean the car accident that stopped future Jack from jumping off the bridge was the work of the island? Does this mean future Sayid would have survived the gunshot whether Ben removed the bullet or not? And was there no fear of Sun dying while giving birth?
• The game show playing on Michael's television featured the question "Who was the author of the book Slaughter House Five?" with the contestant correctly answering "Kurt Vonnegut". The host then asks if she can name the book's protagonist before the news bulletin interrupts. Slaughterhouse Five tells the story of Billy Pilgrim who has become "unstuck in time" and features time travel as a plot device. Faraday had used the term "unstuck in time" when explaining his experiments with Eloise the rat to Desmond at Oxford.
  
• Tom was staying in the Penthouse Suite of the Hotel Earle. A real place in New York, it is now called The Washington Square Hotel and was home to Bob Dylan. In the movie "Barton Fink", the fictional Hotel Earle symbolized Hell.
• Now we know why Tom had no interest in Kate in the shower in Season 3. He had told her she wasn't his type. Kate and Arturo don't seem to have much in common.
• Charles Widmore really wanted to find the island! Buying an airliner, digging up over 300 graves in Thailand. What won't this guy do? The really question is what's the reason for his obsession?
• The freighter was docked at the Port of Suva, the largest and busiest port in Fiji.
• The activation code to the explosion device was 71776. As in July 1776? Significant?
• Did you hear the ghostly whispering before Libby appeared in the engine room?
• Karl's comment "I just have a bad feeling about this" was no doubt the writers tip of the hat to the Star Wars films, in all of which a variation of this line appears.
• I think it's a good bet that Karl is dead but what about Rousseau? I don't think we've seen the last of the crazy French lady. And who is the shooter or shooters? The freighter folk? Is this why we saw them practice shooting in Michael's flashbacks? Or is it Ben's people? Or could it be the island's original, never aging inhabitants?
  

The Numbers - 2 3 4 5 6 8 10 15 16 23 42 108

• Locke tells the neighborhood watch meeting that Miles and 3 of his people came to the island.
• The freighter captain reminds the crew to remember what happened to the last 2 men who took off.
  
• Sawyer questions Locke about his failure to mention Miles' $3 million offer to Ben.
• Michael's mother (no, that wasn't Martin Lawrence in "Big Momma's House 3") wanted to know where he was for the last 2 months.
• The pawn broker offers Michael $3 hundred for the watch.
• Tom mentions that Walt is 10 years old when confronting Michael in the alley.
• On the phone, Tom suggests that Michael wait a day or 2 before opening the "care package".
• We see the demolition countdown clock with 10 seconds remaining, then again when it counts down from 4 to 3 to 2.
• Rousseau allows Alex and Karl to stop for 2 minutes on their journey to the temple.
• Rousseau tells Alex to run on the count of 3.
  

Previews - Any doubt as to who makes up the Oceanic Six was removed as Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sayid, Sun, and yes, baby Aaron were shown to be the ones in last night's previews. Good news is it looks like things come to a head between the islanders and the freighter folk on the next episode. The bad news is that show is four weeks away. After the mini-hiatus, "Lost" returns on Thursday, April 24, but in a new time slot at 10:00 p.m. EST.

While you're waiting for the return, check out a fan's amazing website theorizing about how time travel is at the heart of "Lost". It has the show's events in chronological order and a very well thought-out theory of where in time the island exists. I found it incredible. See for yourself at http://www.timelooptheory.com/

"The Other Woman" (Season 4, Episode 6)

First off, a few follow-up notes to last week's "The Constant". From the 8 p.m. enhanced version, the purple light from Faraday's device which bathed over Eloise was meant to parallel the purple sky from the Season 2 finale when the hatch imploded. Also, the Black Rock was captained by Magnus Hanso, a relative of both the journal's owner and the founder of the Dharma Initiative. After re-watching the obvious love between Desmond and Penny, I now believe the "Adam and Eve" skeletons from season 1 will turn out to be them. Somehow they will travel into the island's past to escape her father's manipulations where they will live happily ever after until Jack stumbles upon their bones in the cave.

Tonight's episode's title "The Other Woman" makes you wonder to whom it refers. Juliet in regards to Goodwin and Harper? Harper herself? Juliet in regards to Jack and Kate? Juliet as the woman from the Others? Ben's past love?

Best Lines

• "She's my wife." Goodwin responding to Juliet's assessment that Harper is a mean and spiteful person.
• "This didn't have a number on it, did it?" Ben to Locke when served a cooked rabbit, referring to his Number 8 bunny from last season.
  

Did You Notice?

• My initial reaction to therapist Harper Stanhope was that she is one of the island's long-lived natives like Dr. Richard Alpert. In other words, Harper's bizarre. This feeling was even stronger when she appeared out of the blue right after the ghostly whispers and introduced herself to Jack as an "old" friend of Juliet's. I believe Ben used Harper to get to know more about Juliet.
• Add Tom to the list of characters with daddy issues.
• Coincidence that it started raining as the foursome began searching for Faraday and Charlotte?
  
• Okay, I just tried listening to the ghostly whispering audio from a website that had it as it aired and in reverse. I couldn't hear anything distinct and only managed to scare myself!
  
• The new Dharma electrical station, The Tempest, shares the same name as a play by Shakespeare, which features a group of characters stranded on an island. The logo for the station is a stylized tidal wave, possibly foreshadowing the tsunami?
• Henrietta is mentioned as the latest pregnant woman to be lost.
• Faraday's map features three areas marked "Unknown".
• Who is it that Juliet looks like that has Ben "You're Mine!" Linus so obsessed? I don't believe it's his mother since we saw her last season in his flashback. I think it's a long lost love and the same woman featured in the portrait in Ben's house. Seen last season and again last night when Ben opened the door for Juliet, the woman bears a striking resemblance to her, is seated in a wicker chair, and is holding a small furry animal in her lap (a bunny?).
• As Locked walked Ben down the hallway, there is a collage picture frame of photos of what looks like parents and children.
• Is the video tape of the taped-over Boston Red Sox the same one Ben showed to Jack in the Hydra Station to prove the Others had contact with the outside world? If so, then the incident with Charles Widmore occurred after the crash of Flight 815. Who was the videographer - Ben? Widmore's knowledge of the island no doubt comes from his purchase of the Black Rock's journal in 1996.
• Ben and Juliet discussed the two tail section children, Zack and Emma. Ben comments that were on the list, apparently referring to Jacob's list.
• The Tempest computer monitor that Faraday was looking at had the message "CROSS FEED ASS 16 OVERPRESSURE ALERT". Ass? Overpressure? Well, it did have to do with gas.
• Were the writers thinking of the old saying "close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades" by showing Hurley and Sawyer playing the game while Miles, we assume, remains with his explosive mouthful nearby?
  

The Numbers - 2 3 4 5 6 8 10 15 16 23 42 108

• Ben points out to Juliet that her new living arrangements include 2 bedrooms and 2 baths.
• Juliet believes she will only be on the island for 6 months.
• The Tempest Dharma station brings the count to 8.
• The pregnancy problems occur in the 2nd trimester.
• Juliet tells Goodwin she has an appointment with his wife in 10 minutes.
• The combination to Ben's wall safe is 36-15-28.
• Ben mentions that the Virgin Mary mold story happened 3 months ago and that 5 thousand people came to see it.
• Juliet comments that Goodwin has been undercover with the Tailies for 3 weeks.
• The Tempest computer announces that contamination will occur in 10 seconds.
• The countdown is 5, 4, 3, and 2 before it stops.
  

Previews - Next week's "Ji Yeon" features a number of scenes with Sun and Jin, a note that reads "DON'T TRUST THE CAPTAIN", a woman (Regina?) wrapped in chains thrown off the freighter, and promises the revelation of the last of the Oceanic 6. Now if you doubt that baby Aaron is one of them, then this leaves the door open for two people. Will it be Sun and/or Jin and/or their baby? Will it be Michael? Or could it be an adult Walt? Is this why Ben told Locke he might want to sit down before revealing his man on the boat this week?

How Season 4 Will Play Out

The latest schedule is as follows:

Episode 6: March 6
Episode 7: March 13
Episode 8: March 20
(4-week break)
Episode 9: April 24
Episode 10: May 1
Episode 11: May 8
Episode 12: May 15
Episode 13: May 22 (season finale)

"The Constant" (Season 4, Episode 5)

Two things before we get into last night's time trippy episode. First, this blog has received over 5,000 hits since its inception. Nowhere near the most visited web page in the history of the Internet, but I appreciate everyone's interest in my ramblings and crazy theories. Second, if you are not watching the enhanced version of the previous week's episode (every Thursday at 8:00 p.m. EST) which precedes the new one, I would highly recommend it. I watched "Eggtown" last night, thoroughly enjoying the informational captions. It's like watching the show and reading my blog at the same time. I personally appreciated the confirmation of some of my observations. New things I learned:

• The basement where Ben is being kept by Locke is the same room where Ben had held Locke's father captive. (Sorry for doubting you, Joel!)
• The location where the L.A. courtroom scenes were filmed was a YWCA in Hawaii.
• Shawn Doyle, the actor who played Kate's lawyer, also appeared with the actress who plays Juliet in the 2000 film "Frequency". This was the movie where Jim Caviezel played a man who connects with his dead father (Dennis Quaid) across time via a radio. The name of the character Shawn played in that movie? Jack Shepard! Bizarre.
  

On to last night's new episode. Perception. Displacement. Side effects. Progression is exponential. Time travel makes my head hurt. This is not your father's "Back to the Future". Closer to "Quantum Leap". A number of co-workers I talked to today felt "The Constant" was one of the show's best episodes. After viewing it a second time, it's definitely up there. Getting confirmation that time is definitely a factor in the overall storyline is satisfying. From a production standpoint, the editing of scenes as Desmond jumped between 1996 and 2004 was seamless. And that final moment between Desmond and Penny makes you forget about any other love triangles or quadrangles on the show.

Best Line

• "Do I get one?" A concerned Desmond to Faraday as the physicist dons a lead apron for protection from radiation.
  

Did You Notice?

• The helicopter's cheat sheet show the freighter at 40 miles N@305" and 7 K east.
• The cockpit's dial showed a heading of 31 - the same number of minutes off the island is. Minutes are also used in navigation along with degrees and seconds. Could Faraday's payload test from the earlier episode be about the island's navigational location more than time?
• The freighter's name is Kahana, a Hawaiian boy's name meaning priest.
• Those freighter folks (Keamy from Las Vegas, Omar from Florida, and Dr. Ray) are not the friendliest bunch. Maybe Ben was right way back when he said he and the Others were the good guys.
• George Minkowski was the voice on the satellite phone first heard in last season's finale. He was played by Fisher Stevens, who was a regular on TV's "Early Edition", the 1996 series about a man who receives a newspaper from 24 hours in the future.
• Interesting that Dr. Ray examines Desmond's eyes since the close-up of an eye is a common theme on the show.
• Dr. Ray hits the button labeled "Emergency System Activation" which sounds an alarm not unlike the one in the hatch when the countdown clock ticked down too low.
• Why was the freighter crew not allowed to receive Penny's calls? Was her father, Charles Widmore, behind this order?
• Was the person who sabotaged the communication equipment the same one who unlocked the sickbay door? Was this Ben's man on the ship? Was it Michael?
• The Black Rock is of course the same ship that ran aground on the island and contained the dynamite. Did Charles Widmore want the ledger to try and locate the ship or to suppress its discovery? The journal belonged to Tovard Hanso - a relative to Alvar Hanso who created the Dharma Initiative? The back story of the freighter that discovered the "wreck" of Oceanic 815 was that it was searching for the Black Rock. Coincidence? Not on this show.
• Why did Charles Widmore leave the water running with the drain shut in the restroom?
• Penny's neighborhood of Cheyne Walk in Chelsea has been home to the Rolling Stones Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.
  
• Is it significant to know that this episode took place on December 24, 2004? In the real world, two days later, the deadly tsunami will occur caused by an undersea earthquake in the Indian Ocean. Will the show experience the effects of this disaster?
• Did you get the impression that the message in Faraday's journal "If anything goes wrong, Desmond Hume will be my constant" was something he had not seen before?
  

The Numbers - 2 3 4 5 6 8 10 15 16 23 42 108

• Lapidus says the helicopter is 2 miles from the freighter.
• Desmond has 2 days leave from the army.
• Desmond believes it is 1996 when it is actually 2004, a 8 year difference.
• 2.342 is what Faraday tells Desmond the device should be set at, a combination of two of the numbers, 23 and 42.
• Desmond tells Faraday he believed he was in the future for 5 minutes.
• George says the communication was sabotaged 2 days ago.
• The Black Rock's journal at auction is lot number 2342.
  
• Penny's address is 423 Cheyne Walk.
  
• Penny tells Desmond she's being searching for him for 3 years.
  

Previews - Next week's "The Other Woman" included scenes of Faraday and Charlotte in white bio hazard suits being threatened by Juliet. This episode is expected to feature flashbacks of her, all on the island yet Penny's dad, Charles Widmore, makes a reappearance. That should be interesting.

"Eggtown" (Season 4, Episode 4)

The ending to last night's episode, "Eggtown", was either what you expected or you obviously have never read my blog before this or don't work with me and listen to my daily theories on the show and were thus surprised. Allow me a moment of self-congratulation on suspecting the "him" in future Kate's life in last season's finale was not a boyfriend or husband, but a baby. And Claire's baby Aaron at that! I can't wait to see the circumstances that led to this. Is whatever happened so bad that this is why Jack cannot bear to see him? Or does it have something to do with Jack learning that Aaron is his half-nephew? (Remember, he and Claire have the same dad. They just don't know it - yet.) My co-worker Shannon is late getting on the "Lost" bandwagon so she is furiously watching the first three seasons. Yesterday, she mentioned that she had just watched the Season 1 episode "Raised by Another" where Claire visits the psychic. In it, the man first warns Claire that her unborn baby should not be raised by another (an Other), then insists that she give her baby to a couple in Los Angeles, going so far as to buy her airline ticket. Could this man and woman actually have been a vision of Jack and Kate in the future?

Best Line

• "You just totally Scooby Doo-ed me, didn't you?" Hurley to Kate after she tricks him into revealing where Miles is being kept.
  

Did You Notice?

• If anyone has a theory as to why last night's episode was titled "Eggtown", I would love to hear it. Sure, Locke served Ben eggs and eggs play a part in pregnancy, but Eggtown?
  
• Another trademark "Lost" eye close-up. This time of Locke as he awoke in Ben's hospital bed.
• On the refrigerator door was a can of Dharma Initiative spiced pork (better known as Spam).
  
• The book Locke provided to Ben was science fiction author Philip K. Dick's "VALIS". This is an acronym for Vast Active Living Intelligence System. (Is this what the smoke monster is?) The plot summary from the author's website describes the book: "A coterie of religious seekers forms to explore the revelatory visions of one Horselover Fat; a semi-autobiographical dialogue of the author. The groups hermeneutical research leads to a rock musician's estate where they confront the Messiah: a two-year old named Sophia. She confirms their suspicions that an ancient, mechanical intelligence orbiting the earth has been guiding their discoveries." (Light reading, then.) Locke's suggestion to Ben to re-read it as he might catch something he missed the second time around sounds like the show's writers inside joke to all the obsessed viewers (who, me?).
  
• I liked the almost deja vu aspect of Ben locked up and Locke as his captor going back to the similar situation in Season 2 in the hatch. Even the ability of Ben's words to drive Locke to a show of frustration and anger.
• It appears Sawyer may be living in Juliet's house. In which case, the clothes he offered her would have been Juliet's.
  
• The bearded man in the crowd outside the courthouse sounded like he shouted "We're gonna get you back!" Was he referring to the island? And was it me or did he look like Rupert from "Survivor: Pearl Islands"? Another inside joke? An island survivor like Kate?
• The judge's last name was Galzethron. I could find no significance to this but wanted to note it.
• We learned the answer to the eternal question of which came first - the chicken or the egg? At least in regards to Locke and his culinary skills: Eggs for Ben's breakfast and chicken for dinner. Was this a subtle reference to circularity or paradoxes?
• I'm not certain but this may have been the first time we've seen a clean-shaven Jack. (At least since "Party of Five". No, come to think of it, he had perpetual five o'clock shadow even then.)
• Since Jack swore to tell the truth and proceeded to do everything but that, I'd say he was guilty of perjury. Why did Jack say only eight passengers survived the crash of Flight 815 and Kate was the reason for their survival? How did Kate try to save the other two? The story that has been concocted by Oceanic Airlines (Dharma?) will be an interesting revelation.
• Another sitcom spin-off possibility: "The (Really) Odd Couple" starring Felix Sawyer and Oscar Hurley.
• Sawyer was reading "The Invention of Morel" by Aldofo Bioy Casares. Amazon.com summarizes it as "a masterpiece of plotting, comparable to The Turn of The Screw and Journey to the Center of the Earth. Set on a mysterious island, Bioy's novella is a story of suspense and exploration, as well as a wonderfully unlikely romance, in which every detail is at once crystal clear and deeply mysterious." That last line could easily sum up "Lost"!
• Hurley offers the video tape viewing choice of "Xanadu", the 80's movie starring Olivia Newton John (whose husband in real life went missing) as a Greek muse who takes human form to inspire an artist or "Satan's Doom", which may be the heavy metal band of the same name.
• Add Red Wine in a Box to the list of Dharma Initiative food stuffs.
• Locke playing backgammon with Sawyer harkens back to the pilot episode where he played with Walt (and asked him the question "Do you want to know a secret?" of which we still haven't learned what that secret was).
• Who is the "he" Miles obviously needs to report. Scary Mr. Abaddon?
• The exchange between Miles and Ben regarding the money seemed to me like it was a code, much like Naomi's dying words, "Tell my sister I love her", were a code. Another co-worker of mine, Scott, pointed out that the dollar amounts discussed, 3.2, 3.3, and 3.4, could all be versions or variations of a plan and Ben was confirming it to Miles. Could Ben's comment that it was black mail ("extortion" Miles corrects him) be code for Mr. Abaddon? Black mail/black male? And did the two days being changed to a week have a hidden meaning?
  
• Kate was once again listening to a song by Patsy Cline (who died in a plane crash) as she has in a number of her other episodes. This time it was "I've Got Your Picture" with the lyrics "I've got your picture, she's got you." Appropriate if Kate thinks she's lost Jack to Juliet.
• In case you missed it, the sound we heard when Kate and Sawyer were in the bedroom before he referred to Montezuma was the toilet flushing as Hurley used the nearby bathroom.
• Why was Charlotte testing Faraday with the playing cards? Checking his level of ESP?
  
• Since the chopper has not yet shown up at the freighter, could this confirm my suspicion that the island is more than just 31 minutes in the past?
• I loved the reversal of traditional roles with Sawyer and Kate the morning after. She's done what she needed and is dressing to leave as he begs her to stay.
• Was Kate's mom named Diane Jansen as a tip of the hat to TV actor David Jansen who played "The Fugitive", not unlike her daughter's previous life on the run? (For you young kids, this was the series on which the Harrison Ford movie was based.)
• Why was Kate more than willing to not leave California for 10 years while on probation?
  
• And now we have the fifth member of the Oceanic 6: Aaron. I hear by the seventh episode, we will learn the identity of the remaining one. Will it be Ben using an alias? Could it be Michael?
  

The Numbers - 2 3 4 5 6 8 10 15 16 23 42 108

• Locke gave Ben the last 2 eggs.
• Locke told Kate dinner was at 6.
• Kate was likely to get a 15 year sentence.
• Jack said there were 8 passengers who survived the crash of Flight 815.
• Miles asked for $3.2 million from Ben and 2 days to deliver it.
• Kate's mother had been told she had 6 months to live for the last 4 years.
• Faraday guesses of the 3 playing cards included the 6 of clubs and a red 10. The card he got wrong was a 3 of spades.
  
• Kate was offered 4 years jail time, then time served with 10 years of probation.
• Her lawyer pointed out that she had saved 5 people.
  

Previews - Next week's "The Constant" reveals the circumstances surrounding the chopper's attempt to return to the freighter. Desmond will be featured in flashbacks, although with him you never know where (or when) he might end up. In the one scene, a short-haired, clean-shaven Desmond demands of a long-haired Faraday: "Am I gonna die?!"

Interview with "Lost" Producers

There is a great interview with the producers of "Lost" on Entertainment Weekly's website.

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20179125,00.html

In the discussion, the comment is made that Ben could be a member of the Oceanic 6 if "he doctored some records and adopted the identity of someone on the plane - someone with no friends or family who would know otherwise." No friends or family like the comment Jack made about the man in the coffin at the funeral home? Hmm.

"The Economist" (Season 4, Episode 3)

How can an episode with such a mundane title as "The Economist" have such a jaw-dropping ending? Only on "Lost". Three years and over 70 episodes later and I am still able to be surprised and shocked by twists and turns in the story. Sayid is working for Ben? And he's killing people? Perhaps current members of the Dharma Initiative? In the past, Richard Alpert had Ben gas everyone in Othersville. Could this be the current phase of the native island people's plan? To wipe out the puppet masters who are off the island? And if so, why? Does Dharma do something bad in the future, either intentionally or not, that the island people are trying to prevent?

The Man Behind the Coffin

• With the revelation that Ben makes it off the island (and based on his extensive wardrobe, various passports, luggage, and diverse currencies, he does this a lot!), I now believe it is Ben who is in the coffin in last season's finale. I originally thought it was Michael, partly because of the inner city locale of the funeral home, the fact that he was neither "friend nor family" to Jack, and that no one else showed up. However, the last two could also apply to Ben and the neighborhood might have ended up being the West Coast location of Dr. Ben's chain of veterinary clinics (Berlin and L.A.?).
• Ben's ability to come and go from the island could also be why Jack was pushed to suicide with his death. Ben was Jack's last chance to get back and now that was gone.
• The unrecognized name in the obituary (seen in Jack's hand in last season's finale) could simply be another of Ben's aliases, such as Henry Gale or Dean Moriarty (more on this name below).
  

Best Line

• "Oh, awesome. The ship sent us another Sawyer." Hurley's observation of Miles when he uses the less-than-flattering nickname of Tubby.
  

Did You Notice?

• The opening scene is Sayid praying in the Islamic tradition.
  
• The inscription on Naomi's bracelet reads "N, I'll always be with you. R.C." Is it a lover? Could the "R" stand for Regina, the so-far-unseen woman on the freighter? Or Juliet's sister, Rachel Carlson?
  
• Sayid the "golfer" is at a course in the Seychelles, an island nation in the Indian Ocean. Near the "crash site" of Oceanic Flight 815, I wonder?
• The man Sayid kills on the golf course is named Avellino, which is the name of the patron saint against sudden death, ironically enough. It is also the name of a city in Italy and, on "The Sopranos", the crime family traced their origins to here.
• Sayid the "tourist" is trying to find Potsdamer Platz, once one of the busiest crossings in Europe and currently a tourist attraction in Berlin.
• The circle of volcanic (?) ash would indicate that was where Jacob's cabin once was, but where did it go?
• We clearly see the beginning of Hurley's regret of choosing to follow Locke over Jack.
• According to one website, a deleted scene prior to Sayid, Kate, and Miles entering Othersville showed the trio encountering the sonic fence. Miles the Ghostbuster seems to listen to something that no else hears (ghostly whispering?). Kate believes she can deactivate the fence having seen Juliet do it, but Miles simply walks through it with no repercussions.
• Hurley appears to have been tied up in Juliet's house.
• Jack's question of the Red Sox winning the World Series ties back to Season 3 when Ben held him captive in the Hydra Station and used this sporting news event to make a point.
• Faraday's island beacon clock read 2:45:03 whereas the payload timer read 3:16:22. The island exists 31 minutes in the past. That is if we assume it's the same day. Or the same week. Or the same month. Or even the same year.
• Very symbolic that Ben's decorating choices include many masks.
• The book Sayid notices on the trick bookcase is "The Holy Quron", the holy book of Muslims.
• One of the packs of currency in Ben's hidden room is from the Bank of England.
• The passport Sayid opens lists Ben's name as Dean Moriarty, the same name as a character from Jack Kerouac's novel, "On the Road". Moriarty is also Sherlock Holmes' nemesis.
• Kate watching under the bed as Sawyer enters the bedroom is reminiscent of his point of view when he hid under the bed as his father killed himself.
• Based on his desire to stay on the island, I can bet Sawyer will not willingly become one of the Oceanic 6.
• The Hotel Adlon where Elsa first agrees to meet with her boss is an actual hotel in Berlin, located across from the Brandenburg Gate.
• Is it me or is Sayid not meant to have a long love affair? He rescues Nadia from imminent execution only to have her disappear out of his life. He professes his love to Shannon only minutes before she is shot dead by Ana Lucia. And he has to kill his latest love after she shoots him.
• So whose else is on the list of Sayid's targets besides the Economist? Alvar Hanson? Or are they one and the same?
• Another symbolic moment when Sayid shatters Elsa's mirror (looking glass), essentially destroying his perceived image of her.
• Elsa seemed to be wearing a silver bracelet similar to Naomi's. A trademark of all Dharma operatives?
• Lapidus and Faraday didn't look like they were being completely upfront about whether or not they were familiar with Penelope Widmore.
• What did Charlotte mean when she said "I've got work to do"?
• I imagine the "same, exact bearing" that Faraday insisted the chopper take was probably the same one used previously by the sub and the boat on which Michael and Walt left the island.
• Why does Sayid need to kill Ben's targets to protect his friends?
  

The Numbers - 2 3 4 5 6 8 10 15 16 23 42 108

• The chopper can carry 3 passengers in addition to Lapidus.
  
• Mr. Avellino suggests Sayid use a 5 iron on the golf course.
• Sayid is to meet Elsa at 8 for dinner.
• Sayid, Kate, and Miles plan on leaving for Othersville in 10 minutes.
• Regina counts down the final approach of the payload to the beacon at 15, 10, and 5 kilometers.
  

Previews - Next week's "Eggstown" focuses on Kate, apparently the next member of the Oceanic 6 as indicated by the mob of journalists swarming around her - no doubt because of her criminal record. It also looks like she and Sawyer rekindle their love in Othersville.

What About the Rest of the Season? - Now that the writers are back to work, it has been announced that an additional five episodes will air this season. Episode 7 will air on March 13 and then there will be a month break. The eighth episode (originally planned as a mini-finale) will herald the show's return on April 17 in its usual time slot of 9 p.m. EST and then the remaining five new episodes will air over the following weeks but an hour later at 10 p.m.

The Future of This Season

Thanks to Greg for this from CNN:

Damon Lindelof is eager for some answers. An executive producer of ABC's mystery serial "Lost," he should learn this week what his show's future holds as it closes out its fourth season.

"Lost" has been back on the air just two weeks. But the strike meant a planned 16-episode shooting schedule was halted after just eight episodes were shot. Fans braced themselves for no more this season.

"But we very much want to come back and do as many episodes as possible," said Lindelof, who then listed a few issues that first need to be settled.

"How many episodes can best serve our story? And what are the production realities?" He noted that the shooting facility in Hawaii, 2,500 miles from his Los Angeles office, had been shuttered since Thanksgiving. The crew has dispersed, the huge cast has scattered.

The first new post-strike episode of "Lost" could possibly be ready for broadcast the week after episode eight appears, he said. There likely would be three or four more after that.

Could there be even more?

"I'd be surprised if the network wanted to air episodes deep into the summer," he said. But if all the pieces fell into place, "Lost" fans would be blessed: "I don't see why we couldn't deliver all eight remaining episodes."

That kind of zeal should warm viewers' hearts. Lindelof and the rest of TV's creative community seem delighted to be back.

"Confirmed Dead" (Season 4, Episode 2)

This episode should have been titled "The Fantastic Four" because of its introduction of the four new characters and the fact that it was so fantastic! This was what I was expecting last week. A show that gave us so much new information that only resulted in a new set of questions. Who are these new people? Why is there a plane that looks like Oceanic 815 at the bottom of the Indian Ocean? And what the heck is the skeleton of a Dharma Hydra Station polar bear doing in a desert in Africa? That eerie opening sequence of the drones searching the ocean floor set the mood. This was also the first time the show departed from some established patterns. Instead of focusing on one character's flashbacks (or flash-forwards for that matter), we had four. Five, if you count Naomi's with the increasingly creepy Matthew Abaddon. And that was the first time a dead character has had a flashback. (Nikki and Paulo were merely unconscious when we saw their's.) This show also featured on-screen location names in each of the flashback's establishing shots (Essex, Massachusetts; Inglewood, California; Medenine, Tunisia; and Eleuthera, Bahamas). In the past, a landmark or spoken line revealed the locale. It was obviously important that we realized these four people came from all over the world.

The Fantastic Four - Now this is how you introduce new characters successfully. (Nikki and Paulo from last season being the unsuccessful way.)

• Daniel Faraday - What a great, frenetic character. Why was he so visibly upset over the discovery of the apparent crash of Flight 815? Was it significant we didn't see the face of his wife? In the world of science, Michael Faraday was a physicist who contributed to the field of electromagnetism - something the island has exhibited - and lends his name to the Faraday Cage, which is an enclosure that blocks out electrical fields.
  
• Miles Straume - Ghostbuster with a Dustbuster. Sarcastic and perfect foil to Daniel. Why is someone who can commune with the dead needed for this mission?
• Charlotte Staples Lewis - Award-winning anthropologist. Did she buy her way into the closed dig site because she knew what she would find there? Is it a coincidence her name is C.S. Lewis, the same as the author of "The Chronicles of Narnia"? Is Ben's box that brings people to the island really a magical wardrobe? Ben claimed to be Henry Gale; could this be an alias for her? Will it turn out she is actually Ben's childhood friend from the Dharma village he grew up in? Is she actually Ben's "man on the boat"?
• Frank Lapidus - He was supposed to be the pilot on doomed Flight 815? Can't wait to see why that didn't work out. I'm thinking some drinking may have been involved. Lapidus is also the name of a kind of granite.
  

Best Lines

• "It was Walt. Only . . . taller." Locke explaining his encounter with Michael's son, who obviously experienced a growth spurt since his last appearance on the show.
• "Karl. Now if you're gonna sleep with my daughter, I insist you call me Ben." Ben chiding Alex's boyfriend after he called him Mr. Linus.
  

Did You Notice?

• The opening sequence of the underwater discovery of the supposedly sunk Flight 815 plane by the ship Christiane I carries over from the on-line interactive experience from the www.flyoceanicair.com website that started earlier this year. The ship had actually been looking for the wreckage of sunken trading ships, specifically the Black Rock.
  
• As the chopper is spinning out of control, Charlotte can be heard asking for her "vest", referring to a bulletproof one. Miles ends up giving her his. Good thing no one shot at him!
  
• Locke seems to be one again with the rain, enjoying its cleansing properties and being able to know when it will stop.
• The look on Hurley's face when he realized he shouldn't know about the cabin was priceless.
• Sawyer referred to Locke as Colonel Kurtz, which was Marlon Brandon's allegedly insane character from "Apocalypse Now".
• Why does the chopper team feel there may be a need for gas masks? Do they know of Ben's past gas antics?
• So if Locke had not donated his kidney to his no-good con artist father back in Season 1, then Ben's bullet would have killed him? Coincidence?
• I loved gun-toting Sayid and Juliet's surprise appearance.
• The photo of Oceanic Air pilot Seth Norris was the same man we saw in the very first episode who got killed by the smoke monster except with a moustache.
• Could the clay-colored cow that Lapidus saw have belonged to Eye Patch? He did have cows outside his abode before Locke blew it up. Or did the Island just feel that Lapidus needed a boost of energy so it sent him a Red Bull?
• Abaddon was pretty adamant that "there were no survivors". I'm guessing he won't be too happy when the Oceanic 6 show up.
• Locke asks the question we've all had since the pilot: "What is the monster?" Too bad Ben didn't know. Or does he?
• Could Ben's "man on the boat" be the same someone who left the island and who we know is returning to the show after an absence and likes to yell "Walt!" a lot?
  

The Numbers - 2 3 4 5 6 8 10 15 16 23 42 108

• The remote operating drones were 5,000 meters beneath the surface.
• The Christiane I had been scouring the surrounding waters for 2 months.
• There were 2 remote operating vehicles.
• There were 4 people on the chopper.
• Miles wanted $200 to "clean" the grandson's room.
• A football poster in the grandson's room has the number 15 in it.
  
• The phone number for families of the Oceanic 815 passengers was made up of several of The Numbers: 1-888-548-0034. Try calling the phone number. It's real!
• The chopper's tail had N842M on it.
  

Previews - Next week's "The Economist" promises to reveal another member of the Oceanic 6. I'm thinking it will be Sayid as he is featured in a number of the upcoming scenes.

Ho! Ho! Ho?

Thanks to Rene for finding this on the web and bringing it to my attention:

Hurley said he saw Charlie in the convenience store by the Ho Hos. When Jack and Hurley are playing Horse, Jack misses his two shots, getting to "H" and "O". H is the 8th letter of the alphabet and O is the 15th (as in Flight 815 or two of The Numbers). I must be out of practice to have missed this!

Two More Days Too Long to Wait?

Anxious to see this Thursday's episode, "Confirmed Dead"? Check out three short video clips from this week's show at E!'s website: http://www.eonline.com/gossip/kristin/index.jsp?sid=nav-gossip

"The Beginning of the End" (Season 4, Episode 1)

I believe it was Voltaire who said "Sometimes the appetite is more satisfying than the meal." Or was it Dick Van Patten? Whatever, I think I may have been too keyed up for last night's premiere. Don't get me wrong. I liked it. I just wasn't blown away by it. Maybe having watched the replay of the two-hour finale the night before with all its explosions and explosive revelations and quirky commentary (and no, I didn't write the captions as some have asked), this sixty minutes (42 minus the commercials) had a lot to live up to. Also, this episode was obviously laying the groundwork for what's to come in this abbreviated season.

Best Lines

• "Better call the boat. Tell them she's getting a really big bundle of firewood." Ben suggesting to Jack how to adjust his excuse for the missing Naomi.
  

Did You Notice?

• This series knows how to do an opening scene. That pile of mangoes (?) against a blue sky took the viewer right to the island before erupting in a pulpy mess as a car chase exploded across our screen. I thought maybe we were seeing the filming of a scene from Niki's stripper/private investigator series "Expose". Razzle dazzle!
• Hurley's red Camero was the same one featured in the episode with Hurley and his father (played by Cheech Marin).
• The Mystery Car of Death is back! Hurley's car chase ended abruptly when he smashed into the same car that hit Michael, almost backed over Locke, smashed into Kate as she escaped the hospital, and was last seen driving past the flower shop where Anthony Cooper was in the midst of his last scam. Old Mystie gets around.
• There were various styles of mirrors for sale in the parking lost where Hurley's car crashed. Alice in Wonderland reference: looking glasses? Symbolic of mirror universes? None appeared broken so no bad luck. Hmm.
• Who are the Oceanic 6? Six people who made it off the island? We know Jack and Kate did from the finale. We can add Hurley. Who are the remaining three? Could one be the "him" that Kate needed to get back to in the final scene of the finale? And instead of a boyfriend or husband (sorry, Sawyer), could he be a baby? As in baby Aaron? If so, what happened to Claire and how did Kate end up with Aaron?
• Why did Hurley claim he never knew Ana Lucia to Detective Mike?
• In Hurley's vision of Charlie in the interrogation room mirror, written on Charlie's palm is not the phrase "Not Penny's Boat" but "They Need You" as he later tells Hurley on the grounds of the mental hospital.
• I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing Rousseau elbow slam Ben in the face.
• The chalkboard in the mental hospital's rec room featured drawings of a sailboat, a palm tree on an island, and a shark. Had Hurley drawn these? We later see him sketching an Eskimo and an igloo, but no polar bear to be seen.
• Creepy Oceanic Airlines "attorney" Matthew Abaddon's last name is also the name of the chief of the demons in demonology. This should be no surprise if you noticed his hasty exit which looked suspiciously like the smoke monster darkening the door as it fled. And does his question "Are they still alive?" imply that the other survivors are still on the island?
• Did you hear the ghostly whispering as Hurley approached Jacob's cabin? Nothing specific in the close captioning. I'll keep surfing the net to see if some techo wiz transcribes it.
  
• Let's talk about the cabin in the jungle that Hurley came upon. I think it's safe to presume it's the same one that Ben took Locke to when Jacob made his first appearance. The painting of the large dog was in both. There was the wooden table with a lantern and a seemingly empty chair. When Jacob (if that is in fact who Hurley glimpsed) was visible, we saw a long-haired man in a dark suit and - did you notice? - white tennis shoes. The only other person we've seen in this same mismatched wardrobe combination was Jack's father when he first appeared to him on the beach way back in Season One. Go back and check it out. When I first saw Christian Shephard in that episode, I remember thinking why would someone be buried in his best suit but with tennis shoes? I wondered if it was an oversight in the production (who's going to notice what's he wearing on his feet?) or if it was intentional. I predict that before this series is over, we will see Jack's dad at the Australian morgue where his body ended up and someone swiping his expensive shoes and leaving him with these. Also, John Terry who plays Christian was listing in the opening credits as a guest star so I have no doubt it was him. So does this mean Jacob is really Jack's dad? Or is Locke (whose eye I believe surprised Hurley) just hanging out in the jungle with a dead guy? Further evidence is the web episode "So It Begins", which can be found at www.abc.com in the Lost: Missing Pieces section. In this two-minute prequel to the very first episode of the series, Vincent the dog is sniffing his way through the jungle and comes upon the sneaker-clad Christian Shephard. Jack's dad tells Vincent to go find his son and after the dog trots off, Christian states "he has a lot of work ahead of him". The scene cuts to the opening of the pilot episode: a close-up of Jack's eye as he awakens after the plane crash and Vincent coming up to him.
• We assume Charlie is real at first since another mental hospital patient sees him, but Hurley has been known to have imaginary friends (Dave). And how is Charlie both "dead and also here"? Parallel universes?
• Apparently, Jack was not kidding when he said if they found Locke, he would kill him. Good thing for Locke that the gun wasn't loaded.
  
• Team Locke consists of Hurley, Claire, Aaron, Rousseau, Ben, Alex and Karl, and Sawyer among others. Team Jack has Kate, Rose and Bernard, Sayid, Juliet, Sun and Jin, and Desmond.
• Locke seemed very surprised by the sudden downpour. In past episodes, he has relished the rain and, once with Boone, even predicted it. This sudden storm seemed to catch him by surprise. Was the Island upset (crying, if you will) by his choice to break up the survivors?
• Why does Hurley never miss a basket when shooting hoops? And why can't Jack make one?
  
• Obviously, these flash forwards take place before Jack and Kate's in the finale. Jack seems to have his act together and the thought of going back to the island is not even a remote possibility to him.
• If you watched "Eli Stone", the show which followed "Lost", then you may have seen the commercial for Oceanic Airlines. The ad was electronically hijacked by a former employee's transmission stating he found Oceanic Flight 815 and we see the flash of a split screen picture from what appeared to be an automated camera of the crashed airliner apparently in an underwater trench just as Naomi had previously stated last season. (Off topic: If you like "Pushing Daisies", then I highly recommend "Eli Stone". These two shows should air back-to-back because they both have a fanciful, life-affirming theme to them even as they deal with death. Any show where a scene of a child's building blocks spelling out George Michael can give you chills should not be missed.)
  

The Numbers - 2 3 4 5 6 8 10 15 16 23 42 108

• Hurley's chase was covered by Action 8 News.
• Hurley was on the number 10 freeway.
• Detective Mike said it was 5 minutes before Hurley let 10 cruisers chase him down.
• Jack told Kate that 6 hours from now they would be sitting on the boat.
• Hurley was playing Connect 4.
  

Previews - Next week, it looks like we'll see another of the boat people and hopefully learn of their agenda. And will Naomi's sister be on the freighter? Only time will tell. Until then . . .

The Long Wait is Finally Over!

Eight months are behind us and, as I write this, only 2 1/2 hours stand between us and the premiere of Season 4. If the show is half as good as all the buzz I have heard then we are in for a treat. Check back Friday night for my recap of "The Beginning of the End". Right now I need to rest or my heart may not be able to handle the excitement.

Counting the Hours

According to Kristin at E!: "You absolutely have to watch Lost this Thursday at 9 p.m., because it is without a doubt the best damn thing you'll have seen in a very long time." Well, yeah.

Early Start for Your "Lost" Viewing

According to www.tvguide.com:

On Wednesday at 9 pm/ET, 24 hours before Lost (at long last) launches its Season 4, ABC will present an enhanced rebroadcast of the trippy Season 3 finale.

This special presentation of the "Through the Looking Glass" episode will feature text on the lower third of the screen, offering up backstory, clues and other assorted on-screen facts.

Sounds good to me!

And if you still can't wait, check out these six short video clips from the premiere at E! Online:

http://www.eonline.com/gossip/kristin/index.jsp?sid=nav-gossip

One More Week!

Woo hoo! That's all.

Got 8 Minutes and 15 Seconds . . .

. . . And want to refresh yourself as to what happened in the first three seasons of "Lost"? Check out this condensed recap with a dry humorous narration: http://abc.go.com/primetime/lost/index?pn=index

10 days to go!

14 Days and Counting

In two weeks, "Lost" will be back! On Thursday, January 31, at 8:00 p.m. EST, there will be "Lost: Past, Present & Future", a clip show recapping the first three seasons. Then, at 9:00 p.m., is the one-hour season premiere, "The Beginning of the End".

New Interactive Website

Is three weeks still too long for you to wait for the return of "Lost"? Then check out ABC's official new website http://www.flyoceanicair.com/ What looks like the airline's official site is soon interrupted by the video of a former employee who is on a quest to find his fiance also an employee who was on board Flight 815 and presumably lost. Once his video ends, you're taken to a new site where you can explore his findings, watch videos, solve puzzles. Very cool.

News from Dr. Jack

The latest issue of "Entertainment Weekly" features an interview with Matthew Fox (Jack).

Click here to read the whole article: http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20169281,00.html

He talks about the flash-forward finale including why Jack thought his dad was still alive. He also refers to those who made it off the island and the bond they have due to "an agreement they all reached". (Could this be the "Oceanic Six" that other websites have recently mentioned?) There is also discussion of the new season's supernatural elements and time travel.

I'm telling you we're dealing with parallel universes here, people. One Ocean Flight 815 crashed on the island; another one is full of bodies crashed in a gorge. Jacob is a different version of Locke and his plea of "help me" is more along the lines of "I need your assistance". And the male and female skeletons in the cave from Season 1? I think they're Jack and Kate, who by series end in 2010 will sacrifice themselves by staying on the island to allow all the other survivors to live. The ones who in this new season's storyline will be killed when Jack and Kate (and maybe four others) escape. That's my latest theory. The wheels are turning as the premiere approaches. Bring it on!

4 Weeks and Counting!

Just one month from tonight, Season 4 will premiere. The last 8 months just flew by! Let's hope these 8 new episodes satisfy our appetite. Or that the writers strike is resolved soon so we can get the second half of the new season.

It's Official . . . And I Can't Wait!

Mark your calendars. Thursday, January 31, at 9:00 p.m. EST. Yes, that's right. The new season is on a new day at an earlier time. If you're like me and can't wait 6 weeks, 2 days, and 2 hours, then check out this new promo for Season 4. I got goosebumps!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=0ou7cWOTXJs

Latest News on Season 4

Read all about it here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071215/ap_en_tv/tv_lost

Also, TV Guide reports that Michael's return will occur in the eight (and final?) episode of the possibly shortened season. He will be facing a gun-toting character we thought was dead and still may be. And the encounter does not take place on the island but far from it. Hmmm.

Season 4 Trailer

Currently playing in movie theaters along with the coming attractions is this first peek at what's in store for the new season: http://spoilerslost.blogspot.com/2007/12/lost-trailer-high-quality.html
Enjoy!

Get Your Weekly Fix . . . It May Be a While

This week's web episode, "Operation Sleeper", is here: http://abc.go.com/primetime/lost/missingpieces/index?pn=index

Also, the Season 3 DVD box set is out. (As a side note, I ordered mine on-line through www.fye.com where it was $15 cheaper than in their stores, where they wouldn't match their own website's price!)

I tell you this because the latest buzz on the web is that "Lost" may not be on Wednesday's at 10 p.m. EST as it was last year (no definite schedule announced as of this entry), but that, due to the writers strike, it may not air until April! From 8 weeks to 4 months? The Numbers are cursed!

I'll keep you posted as I know more.

"The Deal" and the DVD

Check out the always enigmatic Juliet in the weekly web episode, "The Deal". http://abc.go.com/primetime/lost/missingpieces/index?pn=index

Next Tuesday, December 11, is when the Season 3 boxed set is released.

Nine more weeks until Season 4 premieres!

"King of the Castle"

Have you seen this week's web episode? A lot of foreshadowing, knowing what we now know.
http://abc.go.com/primetime/lost/missingpieces/index?pn=index
And just a couple more months until we can all watch a full length episode.

Weekly "Missing Pieces" Episode On-Line

This week's web episode, "Hurley and Frogurt", is now on-line at http://abc.go.com/primetime/lost/missingpieces/index?pn=index
Happy Thanksgiving!

Need Something to Hold You Over?

Just can't wait until February for a new episode of "Lost"? Then try this: Lost: Missing Pieces. These are 13 two- to three-minute stories of compelling, new, never-before-seen moments from the hit television show LOST. These newly-created scenes (not deleted scenes from previous episodes) reveal answers and new details about your favorite characters. For each story, it's left up to the fans to figure out where these pieces fit into the overall mythology. The new stories are from the same creative team responsible for the series and feature the show's main actors in stories that have all the compelling values that make LOST one of the most popular dramas on television around the world. These "Lost Lite" shows will debut each Monday for the next three months leading up to the season premiere.

Here's the first, featuring Jack and his dad, titled "The Watch": http://abc.go.com/primetime/lost/missingpieces/index?pn=index

Good News / Bad News

Well, it looks like the writers strike will impact "Lost" after all. Although the new season will premiere in February as originally planned, only eight episodes will air as opposed to the promised sixteen.
Read more about it in the Watch with Kristin section under Gossip at http://www.eonline.com

Will Writers Strike Impact "Lost"?

According to www.eonline.com: "Lost" may have the best advantage of all series, given that it has been stockpiling new scripts since June and not a single episode has aired. At this point, 14 of 16 episodes have been written. And if the strike does last long enough to seriously impact other series, "Lost" could very well be the only quality scripted drama on television in February.

Five New Faces for Season Four

Although their characters are still being kept hush-hush, the following five actors have been confirmed as joining the cast of "Lost".

Jeff Fahey ("Grindhouse", "The Lawnmower Man"), Jeremy Davies ("Saving Private Ryan"), Ken Leung ("The Sopranos", "X-Men: The Last Stand"), Rebecca Mader ("Justice", "The Devil Wears Prada"), and Lance Reddick ("The Wire", "Oz").

"Lost" News

Hello, fellow Lost and Founders! Those of you who are still checking out the blog during this long drought of no new "Lost" episodes, that is. Two months down, seven months to go. In the meantime, I thought I would update everyone on the latest news (some spoilers!) from the show's producers who appeared this week at Comic-Con, the huge comic book/sci-fi convention in California:

• The Season 3 DVD will be out on December 11. At this time, there are no plans for ABC to rerun any past episodes.
• Michael, last seen driving away on Ben's boat with son Walt in tow at the end of Season 2, will return next season. No word on Walt.
• Flashbacks will lessen in the new season; flashforwards will increase.
• The flashforward with Jack and Kate was not the end of the show.
• Jack and Claire will learn they are related.
• More of Libby's back story should be addressed in the new season.
• At the convention, the producers played a new Dharma Initiative orientation film, hosted by Marvin Candle under an alias. The footage begins with him getting his makeup done and smoothing down his Dharma lab coat. Bunnies! It's about bunnies! Bunny #15, to be specific. Marvin, who calls himself Dr. Edgar Halifax in this film, identifies it as station six, the Orchid. He says the viewer has probably realized by now that he or she is not working at a mere botanical research unit. He apologizes for making him or her lie to friends and family members about the nature of the work. He mentions something that sounds like "Casimir effect" and mentions the "unique properties of the Island." Then there's one of Jacob's subliminal messages. It may have been some variation on "as Jacob loves you." Then there's a bunny riot. One of the station's alarms blares, Dr. Halifax/Marvin panics. There's an intercut clip of someone riding a bicycle. The clip is inserted upside-down, and the rider appears to be in the village green of Otherville...And then, amid the chaos (perhaps this is the Incident?), the filmstrip slides off the reel. Here is the link to a convention goer's camera phone(?) version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZlkVW5XiqU

"Through the Looking Glass" (Season 3, Episode 22)

After starting the week with some underwhelming season finales (24 - ugh, Heroes - eh), I was thrilled with the Season 3 finale of "Lost". It was the most jam-packed two hours of action, excitement, emotion, and anticipation. A fitting end to an incredible year. And if the final scene is any indication of what next year has in store for us (flash-forwards instead of flashbacks for all the characters?), I can't wait. The show that re-invented the one-hour drama has re-invented itself.

Best Lines

• "I am a dentist. I am not Rambo." At Rose's request, Bernard keeping things in perspective.
• "It's Charlie. Tell him I said hi!" An upbeat captive Charlie shouting to Bonnie on the phone with Ben.
• "If you say 'Live together, die alone' to me, I'm gonna punch you in your face." Rose to Jack in anticipation of him repeating his oft-spoken mantra.

Did You Notice?

• So whose death in the future upset Jack so much? What do we know? It was never revealed whether it was a man or a woman. Jack considered himself neither a friend or family to the deceased. Kate was surprised Jack thought she would go to the funeral. My initial thought was that it was Ben and that Jack felt he was his last, best hope of getting him back to the island. Or perhaps it was Juliet? Or could it have been Locke? Only time will tell.
• Yet another car accident to add to the list.
• Jack's ex-wife Sarah was pregnant.
• Ben told Richard to take his people to "the temple".
• Dr. Hamill, the new chief of surgery, referred to Jack as "a hero twice over." Our first hint that this may be Jack after the island.
• I was quite surprised at Juliet kissing Jack.
• What was up with all of Ben's talk about everything he did, he "did for the island"? And that the island was "under assault by forces stronger than it's had to deal with in many, many years"?
• I loved Sawyer and Juliet's conversation of alien runways and who's screwing Jack.
• Ben's map had an area marked "Pascal Flats". Pascal was a French mathematician, physicist, and religious philosopher.
• What a surprise to see Walt (or at least an incarnation of him).
• So Jack loves Kate. And still does even after the rescue.
• Another subtle hint as to the scene's final twist can be found in the name of the funeral home that Jack visits. Hoffs/Drawlar is an anagram for "flash forward".
• According to Ben, Naomi is not who she claims and works for the bad guys. And Penny doesn't know who they are either. Yet, it would seem they do end up rescuing the survivors. Unless next season holds some surprises as to what eventually happens between the rescue and their return to the real world.
• It was great to see Hurley drive to the rescue. And in Ben's dad's VW bus no less!
• Penelope's appearances (when not in flashback) seem to be limited to brief moments in the season finales.
• Is there any significance to the fact that a musician programmed the code for the jamming equipment?
• I loved the moment when Rousseau finally met her daughter Alex. I also loved when she elbowed Ben in the face.
• Rousseau's message translates from French as "It is outside and Brennan took the keys. Please help us. I will try to go to the Black Rock. It killed them. It killed them all. They died. They are all dead. Help us."
• What did Locke mean when he told Jack "You're not supposed to do this"? Did he have some vision of the future where Jack reacted differently?
• So who is the "he" in future Kate's life? Could it be Sawyer?

The Numbers - 2 3 4 5 6 8 15 16 23 42 (108)

• Future Kate's phone number was 310-555-0148.
• The survivors expected 3 explosions but there were only 2.
• Jack was driving around at 2 in the morning.
• Only 3 people (Ben, Bonnie, and Greta) knew the jamming equipment code.
• The Others caught 3 of the survivors (Sayid, Jin, and Bernard).
• The mother from the car accident had surgery scheduled for 6 a.m.
• The accident victim's son was 8 years old.
• The accident was covered by Action 8 News on the hospital television.
• The accident occurred on the 6th Street Bridge.
• Ben wanted 5 minutes of Jack's time.
• Kate saw only 2 sets of tracks (Ben's and Alex's).
• The jamming equipment code was 545877554376113.
• After the attack on the beach, the Others were left with 3 guys and 4 guns.
• Dr. Hamill left 3 messages on Jack's voice mail.
• When Dr. Hamill was talking with Jack, the accident victim had woke up 2 hours ago in recovery.
• Rousseau had recorded the S.O.S. message 3 days before Alex was born.

Death Toll

• Seven Others (including Diane and Ivan) in the beach attack
• Greta, one of the lovely ladies of Looking Glass station
• Bonnie, the other lovely lady of Looking Glass station
• Sayid, Jin, and Bern- oh, wait, they're still alive!
• Ryan the Other thanks to Hurley's driving
• The unnamed Other whose neck Sayid broke with his legs of death.
• Tom aka Mr. Friendly who paid for his first season kidnapping of Walt
• Naomi stabbed in the back - literally - by Locke
• Charlie - famous then failed musician, recovering drug addict, a hero in the end

And now begins the long, numbers-free, colors-less, nine-month wait. See you back here in February 2008 (or maybe before as information on the new season becomes available). Until then, have a good summer, a nice autumn, a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, and a good Ground Hog's Day. Namaste!

"Greatest Hits" (Season 3, Episode 21)

Well, Season 3 is almost over. As unsteady as the first six episodes seemed, "Lost" has redeemed itself again and again through the remaining two-thirds of shows. In my opinion, this may have been the best season yet with one exceptional episode after another.

Best Line - "They know, Karl, but thanks." A sarcastic Juliet to Karl after he tries to expose her.

Did You Notice?

• Is there some significance to the fact that the slave ship where the dynamite was found is "The Black Rock" and the tents are being marked with white rocks? If you remember back to Season 1, when the survivors find the cave with the male and female skeletons in it, there is also a sack with black and white rocks. And Claire's nightmare from that year featured Locke with one black eye and one white eye. Hmm.
• We finally learn of the existence of the long-rumored underwater location: the Looking Glass station. The Dharma logo features a white rabbit as seen on Sayid's blueprints (where did he gets these?) and atop the station itself. Appropriate since the name is a reference to Lewis Carroll's stories "Alice in Wonderland" and "Alice through the Looking Glass".
• It was nice to see Rose and Bernard finally. I hope they both survive the coming attack. Was it me or did Rose have something else in mind when she said to Bernard "Let's get you into somethin' dark" before going into battle?
• Was Alex butchering Ben's pet bunny? And did this have something to do with the fact that she is questioning whether Ben is really her father?
• Ironic that Liam thought Charlie would be the one married with a family and he would be dead by thirty when in fact it may end up being the other way around.
• You might think the flashback of Charlie singing Oasis' "Wonderwall" ("You're gonna be the one to save me") was the same moment from a few shows ago when Desmond ran into him. However, Charlie had a different shirt on and there was no hand-written sign. Alternate time line?
• Did you recognize the mugging victim that Charlie saved? It was Nadia, Sayid's lost love, last seen getting a house inspection from Locke. Was it important that she be the one to tell Charlie he was a hero?
• Who are the two women at the Looking Glass station? More of the locals? Dharma Initiative initiates? And does Ben really believe the station is flooded or was this just another one of his lies?

The Numbers - 2 3 4 5 6 8 15 16 23 42 (108)

• Charlie claims he can hold his breath for 4 minutes.
• Ben returns to his camp 6 hours earlier from the episode's current time.
• Juliet marks 3 tents.
• Liam asks Charlie if the girls in his bed are the "birds from row 2".
• Charlie was 8 years old the last time he was in a fight.
• Nadia said 3 people walked by the alley and did nothing as she was being mugged.
• There were 3 shooters needed in anticipation of the ambush.
• Charlie listed his 5 best moments.

Red & Blue & Green

• Shirts worn by Hurley and Charlie (in his Covent Garden flashback).
• Shirts worn by Jack, Desmond, Claire, Sun, and Richard Albert.
• Van used by Drive Shaft.
• Shirts worn by Sawyer, Bernard, and Ben.
• Swim trunks worn by young Charlie.
• Bottle of liquor that Charlie picks up in his hotel room.

Previews - This is it. "Through the Looking Glass" is the two-hour finale and it looks explosive - literally. But the trap against the Others must not go smoothly as one scene showed Bernard, Sayid, and Jin bound and at gunpoint. Also, Charlie's new friends in the underwater station have him tied up and Desmond trying to rescue him. There's also the declaration that this is the finale where "Everything Will Change!" Then when it does, we'll have nine months to contemplate it.