Season 5 Finale This Tuesday

To prepare viewers for the Season 6 premiere, ABC is re-airing last season's finale this Tuesday, January 26, from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Eastern time.

"Lost" Video from The Onion

Check out this funny "news story" from the satirical website, The Onion.

http://www.theonion.com/content/video/final_season_of_lost_promises_to

Two Weeks!

Two weeks from tonight will be the premiere of Season 6! I recently read that some of the pressing questions will be answered in the first few episodes than in the entirety of most seasons. Well, they better since this is it!

The "Lost" Supper

In honor of the good news (see previous post), here is the lastest promo photo (click to enlarge):











This comes from eonline.com where I just discovered the site was celebrating the 12 Days of Lost-mas. Go to this link for the 12th posting with the first eleven days at the bottom of the page. BE WARNED: Spoilers abound among the snippets of info.

http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/watch_with_kristin/b160615_12th_day_of_lost-mas_awesome_new_promo.html

Lost More Important Than the State of the Union

As some of you may heard today, there was concern (very great concern!) that President Obama's State of the Union speech could air on Tuesday, February 2, preempting the premiere of Lost's final season. Well, good news: According to eonline.com:

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs has announced today that while the annual speech has not been officially scheduled, the big to-do will definitely not land on Tuesday, Feb. 2, as was previously feared.

And while the White House didn't admit that public pressure from Lost fans did the trick, there was some talk that the Dharma Initiative was involved...

The topic came up at today's White House press briefing when ABC Radio reporter Ann Compton asked about the scheduling situation. Gibbs responded, "I don't foresee a scenario in which millions people who hope to finally get some conclusion with Lost are preempted by the president," and then remarked that he was intrigued by ABC News reporters querying the White House on this topic on behalf of their corporate cousins at ABC Entertainment. At which point ABC White House correspondent and noted Twitterista Jake Tapper quipped, "How about on behalf of the Dharma Initiative?"

26 Days and Counting!

As of this posting, there is less than a month before the premiere of the sixth and final season of Lost. Last season's finale doesn't feel like it was 8 months ago! I had heard a rumor that the producers have asked ABC not to air any scenes from the new season since even the quickest glimpse would give too much away. This would explain the promos that only show footage from previous episodes. I can't wait!

Lost Season 6 Premiere Date Announced

From eonline.com:

According to ABC, Lost season six will premiere on its new night, Tuesday, February 2, 2010, at 9 p.m. Is it a coincidence that this is Groundhog Day? Will this new season, like the Bill Murray movie, have scenes repeating themselves, but now maybe with subtle changes?

ABC also confirms that Nestor Carbonell's Richard Alpert, Ken Leung's Miles, Jeff Fahey's Frank Lapidus, and Zuleikha Robinson's Ilana have all been upped to series regular status (supposedly Ilana has close personal ties to the Island); Emilie de Ravin is back full-time as Claire; and that Henry Ian Cusick's Desmond is not a season-six regular, although he'll no doubt appear as a heavily featured recurring character.

In other Lost news, the season five DVD/Blu-ray packaging has hieroglyphics hidden within the cover art that offer additional clues to the nature of season six.

For the Lost Fan on Your Christmas List

Although Season 5 will be released in the traditional DVD box set ($59.99) on December 8, the true Lost fan will want to get the Lost: Complete Fifth Season Dharma Initiation Kit ($119.99) on that same date. The five DVDs come cleverly packaged in 1970's era floppy disc covers. There are Dharma patches and even a VHS tape (who has VCRs any more?!).






Check out this video preview of the kit: http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/m2VA7EYSWJ3R8F

Poster for Season 6

Here's the recently revealed poster for the sixth and final (sob!) season of "Lost". (Thanks for the heads-up, Kelly!)

Two New Faces to Look For in Season 6

"Lost" Panel at Comic-Con 2009

This past weekend was the huge sci-fi convention, Comic-Con, in San Diego. As in past years, there was a panel discussion of "Lost" with the show's producers and members of the cast. It was both informative and very funny. Check it out with these four 10-minute segments at youtube:

Part 1 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruNjVeEBA_I

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMN89M9NmK4&feature=channel

Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQCn-xbBlb8&feature=channel

Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-srKdiqz88&feature=channel

"Mysteries of the Universe"

Hello to all of you fellow Lost and Founders still checking the blog. I haven't had anything to report on until now. A new five-part video series has begun playing on-line at www.abc.com/lostmysteries. The premise is that footage from an 80's TV series, "Mysteries of the Universe" (think of the old Leonard Nimoy-hosted "In Search Of. . .") has been discovered regarding the Dharma Initiative. The first episode premiered July 23, with new episodes on August 4, September 8, October 15, and November 16. (Notice anything familiar about those dates?) It's something to hold us over while we wait for 6 more months for the final season of "Lost".

"The Incident" (Season 5, Episode 16) Season Finale

Here it is: my last official Lost blog for 2009. Another milestone is that last night was the last Lost season finale that will end with a cliff hanger (and what a cliff hanger!). The producers promise closure with the series end next year. No Sopranos cut to black.

Jacob and the Other Man

• If you are religious in nature, you might believe that Jacob and the other man are God and Satan, both battling for the souls of mankind. Knowing that the creators of Lost are fans of the Twilight Zone TV series, my latest theory is that these two are aliens on a mission to prove if mankind is worthy of continued existence. Jacob has been tasked with proving we are worthy and does everything he can to alter lives for the better. The Other Man on the other hand (!) wants the race to fail to live up to its potential. They are brothers, perhaps princes, whose parents have put them on this island as a test. There have always been theories that ancient Egyptians could not have built the pyramids without the help of an advanced, technologically superior race. Perhaps these two are part of that and this is why there are the numerous Egyptian references.
• I liked the visual symbolism of Jacob's light clothes and the Other Man's dark clothing. It continues the black and white imagery from Season 1 that included Locke explaining backgammon to Walt and the mismatched eyes Locke had in Claire's nightmare.
  
• In each of Jacob's encounters in the past, he made physical contact with each person. With "Katie", he touched her nose; his fingers touched James's when he gave him the pen; his hand went to Sayid's shoulder after the hit and run; he also touched Locke's shoulder; with Jin and Sun, he placed his hands on their arms; he brushed fingers with Jack when handing him the candy bar, and with Hurley, he touched his shoulder before leaving the cab. Was Jacob imparting something to them or extracting something?
• Okay, so Locke isn't Jacob. In fact, Locke isn't even Locke! As least not since he showed up on the beach after the crash of Ajira 316. This would explain his noticeable change in attitude and increased level of confidence.
• So is the Other Man also the smoke monster? My co-worker Dean suggested this and that would explain why "Locke" didn't accompany Ben into the Temple for his encounter with Smokey. He couldn't be both at the same time. But does this mean then that Jacob is Christian? If so, is creepy Claire another incarnation of the Other Man?
  
• It is apparent that the Other Man could not harm Jacob so he needed to goad Ben into doing it. Although, Jacob seemed ready to sacrifice himself and readily allowed Ben's attack. Was his sacrifice for the greater good?
  

Best Lines

• "Oh, hell no." and "Son of a bitch." Rose's and Bernard's respective reactions to seeing Sawyer, Juliet, and Kate walk onto the beach.
• "I'm a Pisces." Ben's answer to Locke's query "Mind if I ask you a question?"
• "Well, it's a wonderful foot, Richard, but what does it have to do with Jacob?" Locke (or so we thought) commenting on what remained of the statue.
  

Did You Notice?

• Jacob was using a loom. In Greek mythology, the Fates determined an individual's destiny through the weaving of the Threads of Life. All the good and evil that befell someone was woven into their destiny and could not be altered. Is the tapestry Jacob was weaving the future he hoped to accomplish?
• Was the approaching ship the Black Rock? And could this be from where Richard/Ricardus originally came?
• The four-toed statue was revealed to be Taweret, the Egyptian goddess of motherhood.
• The boy with young Kate was her friend Tom, who we first saw in one of Kate's Season 1 flashbacks. He helped her get into the hospital to see her mother. It was also Tom's toy plane, which he was holding in last night's flashback, that Kate got from the security box during the bank robbery in the first season.
• As with most of Kate's flashbacks, a Patsy Cline song was playing in the store. This time it was "Three Cigarettes in an Ashtray". Interestingly, it tells the story of a woman who loses her man to another woman.
  
• Richard confirmed that Eloise is pregnant, presumably with Daniel.
• Richard also revealed that it was Jacob that made him ageless.
• Seeing Ilana and her crew on the outrigger makes me believe it was them shooting at Sawyer, Juliet, and the rest on their outrigger during the rainstorm time jump earlier this season.
  
• When Baum wondered whether Lapidus would make a good candidate, to what was he referring? Immortality like the ageless Richard?
• Richard said he had left the island three times. We know that once was at Locke's birth and then to test him at his foster home. What was the third time?
• Was Jacob's delaying of Sayid crossing the street his way of saving Sayid or insuring Nadia's death?
• I do not remember if it was established before, but Richard referred to Eloise as the definite leader of the Others.
• Once again, Hurley and his Dharma VW came to the rescue.
• How good to finally see Rose and Bernard and Vincent the dog again. After theorizing that it might be Jack and Kate or Desmond and Penny, I now strongly believe that the Adam and Eve skeletons discovered in Season 1 belong to none other than Rose and Bernard after happily living out their lives together in the jungle.
• The language being spoken in Ilana's hospital ward was Russian.
• Had Jacob been imprisoned in his cabin? Is this why he asked Locke to save him? Or was this actually Jacob? Could it have been the Other Man and the circle of ash kept him captive. If so, who broke the circle to allow him to be released?
  
• What caused the destruction to Jacob's cabin? And what is the significance of the painting of the large dog?
  
• The book Jacob was reading prior to Locke's fall was "Everything That Rises Must Converge" by Flannery O'Connor. It is a collection of nine short stories. The flawed characters of each story are fully revealed in apocalyptic moments of conflict and violence that are presented with comic detachment. The title story is a powerful depiction of a troubled mother-son relationship using the author's ability to expose human weakness and explore important moral questions through everyday situations. The story’s title refers to an underlying religious message that is central to the author's work: she aims to expose the sinful nature of humanity that often goes unrecognized in the modern, secular world.
• The DS ring that Sun found was Charlie's Drive Shaft ring that he gave to Claire.
• The operation in Jack's flashback was the same one he related to Kate in the pilot episode.
• The candy Jack tried to get from the vending machine is an Apollo Bar, the same type seen in the food pantry of the Swan station.
• In Juliet's flashback, the book on her parents' coffee table was "Mysteries of Ancient America".
  
• Of all of this episode's flashbacks, Juliet's was the only one not to include Jacob. Jack, Kate, and Sawyer who were all touched by Jacob were at the Swan station for the incident. Presumably, Juliet was the only one not to survive. Coincidence?
• Dr. Chang's left arm was injured during the incident, confirming why it was immobile during the orientation film seen in Season 1.
• Richard's answer to Ilana's question "What lies in the shadow of the statue" was in Latin and translated to "He who will protect/save us all."
• To whom was Jacob referring with his dying words "They're coming"? It obviously didn't please Locke/Other Man.
  

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

• Jack thought the hydrogen bomb weighed 10 tons.
• Sayid said it would take 2 hours to take the bomb to the Swan station.
• Radzinsky had been working on the Swan project for 6 years.
• "Locke" told his followers to take 5.
• "Locke" commented that Richard had been staring at him for 10 minutes.
• Richard stated that he had been off the island 3 times.
• Rose pointed out that the barracks were 5 miles away.
• As they approached the Swan station, Hurley told Jack they were 5 minutes away.
• Sawyer asked Jack for 5 minutes of his time.
• During the operation, Christian told Jack to count to 5.
• Sawyer was 8 years old when his parents died.
• Hurley told Jacob he killed 3 people.
  

Well, fellow Lost and Founders, we have reached the end of another season. Now, like expectant parents, we must wait nine months for the (sob!) final season. Does the reverse logo (black letters on a white background) in the previews indicate what the future holds - everything as we know it will be turned around? Check back in January 2010! Namaste.

Wednesday's Main Event!

Thanks to my co-worker Fabi for sending me this.

"Follow the Leader" (Season 5, Episode 15)

My favorite scene in last night's show and in my top 10 of Lost moments was the new and improved Locke explaining to Richard what he had to do and say to the "man" who was about to come out of the jungle at the drug plane crash site. Of course, we as the viewers knew this was the previously seen moment when Richard seemingly by magic appears when Locke needs medical care and instruction. Now knowing that it was Locke himself that coordinated it all (and watched it happen!) just blew my mind. Sort of like Ben, who seemed in equal parts awe and confusion of this uber-confident Locke.

Best Line

• "Why do you think I tried to kill him?" Ben to Richard after he admitted Locke might be trouble.
  

Did You Notice?

• Widmore with gun and on horseback charging through the jungle reminded me of the scene in "Planet of the Apes" when the gorillas captured Charlton Heston.
  
• Was the ship in the bottle that Richard was constructing a model of the Black Rock?
• Locke's appearance with the wild boar on his shoulders was reminiscent of a scene from Season 1.
  
• A little insight into Richard Albert when Ben tells Sun that he is an "advisor" and has had the job for a very, very long time.
• Did Richard actually see Jack and the others die or did they fake their deaths to maintain some timeline continuity?
  
• Jack should change his name to Jerk after his brutal comment to Kate that enough of their time together was misery. It's no surprise she chooses not to go along with him.
• Phil punching Juliet had to be the low point of this at times violent and bloody episode.
• The scene of Chang quizzing Hurley (When were you born? Who is the president?) was much needed comic relief. Hurley had previously commented to Sawyer when he first arrived in the 70's that being in the past might be an issue if he was ever questioned.
• As Eloise is about to leave camp, Charles questioned her decision to go "in her condition" and placed his hand on her stomach, apparently indicating she was pregnant with Daniel. And what makes their love complicated, as Richard commented to Jack?
  
• During the last commercial break, there was a glimpse of the new fall series "Flash Forward". The ad had a black screen with random flashes of various scenes (including a kangaroo!) with the question "What Did You See?" This new show details what happens when the entire world blacks out for two minutes and seventeen seconds and gets to see six months into the future. Could this be this fall's Lost?
  
• Kate joining Sawyer and Kate on the sub can be found in the dictionary under both "awkward" and "third wheel".
• I loved the scene of the sub leaving the island. (Although the previews for next week would indicate that somehow Sawyer, Juliet, and Kate end up back on the island.)
  
• The scene of Locke leading everyone off the beach hearkens back to the mass exodus where Jack and the Oceanic 815 survivors left their camp mid-series.
• If Locke is Jacob as I have previously speculated, is Locke's statement that he is going to kill Jacob more figurative than literal? Perhaps Locke and Jacob will merge or once Locke reveals Jacob's true identity than Jacob ceases to exist?
  

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

• Faraday gave Richard 3 seconds to tell him where the bomb is.
• Richard noted that he hadn't seen Locke for 3 years.
  
• Eloise said she shot Daniel 10 minutes earlier.
• Chang questioned whether Hurley was really 46 years old.
• Locke told Richard he had 3 minutes to get everything right prior to Richard's encounter with Locke at the drug plane.
  
• "Nemo" announced that the sub would be shoving off in 2 minutes.
  

Previews - Next week is it - the season finale. "The Incident" will air from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern Time after a recap show at 8 p.m. Rumor has it among the things we will learn are how Hurley got the guitar case and learned of the Ajira Airways flight, what the four-toed statue looks like from the front, and flashbacks into Sawyer's, Kate's, and Juliet's childhoods. And perhaps a more revealing appearance by Jacob?

"The Variable" (Season 5, Episode 14)

Love him or hate him, you've got to appreciate that President Obama made sure his "First 100 Days" news conference didn't run long and delay the 100th episode of Lost. And with Mother's Day just around the corner, what an appropriate show to appreciate that - hopefully - your own mother isn't as manipulative as Eloise Hawking and wouldn't (knowingly?) shoot you if you time traveled to see her.

Best Line

• "Good Lord, no." Eloise's response to Penny mistakenly believing she is the mother of Benjamin Linus.
  

Did You Notice?

• I couldn't identify it but I feel that the show playing on the hospital waiting room's wall-mounted television was an Easter Egg. Maybe an episode of "Expose".
  
• The song both young and older Faraday were playing on the piano was "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows", a melancholy song about elusive dreams.
• Was Eloise crying when she walked in on young Daniel because she knew that she would shoot him on the island? When asked by Penny if Desmond was going to die, Eloise told her that for the first time in a long time, she didn't know what was going to happen next. So perhaps up until then, Eloise did know events in advance.
• Another perfect casting choice with the actress who played the middle-aged Eloise.
• On second viewing, the conversation between young Daniel and his mother ("I could make time." "If only you could.") is very significant.
• The scene in the underground mine with Dr. Chang and the foreman is the same from this season's first episode but from Daniel's point of view.
  
• The catastrophic accident that Faraday speaks of to Dr. Chang is no doubt the "incident" that the doctor later mentioned in the Season 2 orientation film.
• Theresa the lab assistant who Eloise so bluntly dismissed is the woman hospitalized at home that Desmond visited earlier this season.
• Eloise told Daniel in the restaurant that the women (plural) in his life will be terribly hurt. Does she know Charlotte's destiny at this point?
• Again, re-watching this episode adds impact to Eloise's inscription in Daniel's journal: "No matter what, remember, I will always love you."
  
• The woman with Faraday when he is watching the news report on Oceanic 815 was Caroline, his caregiver.
• The magazine that Widmore moves was the 2003 issue of Wired — ''The Super-Powers Issue'' — featuring articles on the plausible science behind far-fetched stuff like invisibility, X-ray vision, and time travel. The cover headline read: ''The Impossible Gets Real!''
• Did you see the look Juliet gave Sawyer when he once again called Kate by her nickname "Freckles"?
  
• Young Charlotte's comment that she wasn't allowed to have chocolate before dinner was also one of the last things adult Charlotte said before she died.
• Faraday's comments about people's choices changing their destiny reminded me of something I had said in one of my early e-mails (pre-blog) when the series first started. I had written that the characters had ended up in their current lives because of choices they had made and Locke was helping each one of them resolve their issues (Jack's conflict with his father, Sawyer's vengeful anger, Boone's love for his step sister).
• Could the hydrogen bomb be what lies in the shadow of the statue?
  
• Charles Widmore is Faraday's father! Add this to the long list of daddy issues seemingly every character on the show has. So this makes Daniel and Penny half-brother and -sister, unless Eloise is Penny's mother, too! And was Daniel conceived on the island? Is this why he is special?
  
• Richard Alpert apparently doesn't recognize Faraday from when he visited him in the 1950's. Crazy theory #1: There is more than one Richard Alpert. Crazy theory #2: Each time Richard is about to die, he goes into the temple and is reborn but has no memory (like when young Ben was healed of his gunshot wound).
• Is Faraday's one of the deaths predicted for this season? He is a well-liked "major-ish" character as the on-line comments referred.
  

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

• Penny told Eloise that Charlie is 2 years old.
  
• Young Faraday stated that there were 864 metronome beats.
• Jack asked Sawyer what he was busy with at 6 o'clock in the morning.
• Faraday told Miles he will be back in 10 minutes.
• Faraday explained to Chang that the Swan site would have an accident in 6 hours.
  
• Sawyer said they only have 2 options now that they were exposed.
  
• Sawyer noted that there were 2 votes for going back to Square One.
• Faraday had received a 1.5 million pound research grant.
  
• Faraday warned Jack that there will be an accident at the Swan Station in 4 hours.
  

Previews - I had read that next week's penultimate episode, "Follow the Leader", will feature flashbacks for Richard Alpert. Then on May 13, the two-hour finale, "The Incident", the Muppet Babies theme will continue with a young Kate, a young Juliet, and a young Sawyer and a mysterious individual observing each of them.

See You Here Next Week

With nothing new to report from last night's clip show, stop back next Thursday for a recap of the explosive 100th episode, "The Variable".

"Some Like It Hoth" (Season 5, Episode 13)

Lost and Star Wars. Two of my favorite things. I have a blog dedicated to one and a room in my house dedicated to the other. I know, I'm a geek. But who's more of a geek: the guy who writes a blog based on a TV show or the people who read it? Then again, there is that Star Wars room, so I guess I take the prize. On to last night's episode. . .

Best Line (Star Wars-related, of course)

• "And let's face it, Ewoks suck, dude." Hurley to Miles after a Star Wars analogy on the importance of father and son relationships.
  

Did You Notice?

• We can add little Miles to our growing cast of characters with younger selves (Ben, Ethan, Sayid). Maybe the producers should go the Muppet Babies route and create a Saturday morning show with these children? Dharma Street? (Smokey Monster says today's show is brought to you by the letter L and the numbers 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, and 42.) The Electro-Magnetism Company? (HEY, YOU OTHERS!) Mr. Albert's Neighborhood? (It's a beautiful day in the underground temple.)
  
• The extra key to apartment 4 is hidden under a white rabbit statue. "Alice in Wonderland" reference?
• So the Orchid Station was built in territory belonging to the Hostiles.
• What events led to the breakdown of the Chang family?
  
• The songs heard in the Dharma van are "It Never Rains in Southern California" by Albert Hammond (released in 1972) and "Love Will Keep Us Together" by Captain and Tennille (released as a cover in 1975).
• Hurley's question about how to spell "bounty hunter" is obviously a reference to Boba Fett from "The Empire Strikes Back".
• Abbott and Costello. Ren and Stimpy. Miles and Hurley. Great comedic pairings.
• Alvarez's filling being pulled through his head was apparently the result of the electro-magnetism.
  
• As previously suspected, Miles is the son of Dr. Chang.
  
• Yet another alias for Pierre Chang/Marvin Candle/Mark Wickmund/Edgar Hallifax: Douche, as in "That douche is my dad."
• Miles' reading of dead Felix leads us to believe that Widmore did fake the crash site of Oceanic Flight 815 as previously explained to Michael by Tom, supported by the photos of empty graves and a purchase order for a plane.
• Miles was hired by Widmore through Naomi to read the final thoughts of the Dharma dead killed by Ben in the Purge.
  
• Lots of notes on Ancient, Old, Middle, and Late Egyptian on the school room blackboard that Jack is (symbolically?) erasing.
• Miles' look when he finds out his father likes country music is priceless.
  
• Bram in the van of men that snatch Miles is one of the three men we previously saw helping Ilana on the beach with the guns. Once again, the code (?) phrase of "What lies in the shadow of the statue" is spoken.
• The $3.2 million (double what Naomi offered him) that Miles asks for from Bram answers why this was the amount he demanded of Ben when Miles first encountered him on the island in order to tell Widmore that Ben was dead.
• Bram's comment to Miles about being on the "wrong team" goes back to Widmore's statement to Locke about the upcoming war and being on the right side. So they are not working for Widmore based on Bram's comments. Are they Ben's people or maybe even Ms. Hawking's?
• I presume one of the "couple of improvements" Hurley was making to "The Empire Strikes Back" was that Chewbacca fired on and successfully destroyed the probe droid as opposed to how it actually happened, which was that Han Solo was responsible while Chewie looked on. (I told you I was a geek.)
  
• The book Chang was reading to baby Miles was titled "Me and My Polar Bear".
  
• So did Faraday leave on the sub in 1974 when the others stayed and is just coming back in 1977, three years later? Has he been at the Ann Arbor, Michigan, headquarters this whole time?
  

The Numbers - 2 3 4 5 6 8 10 15 16 23 42 108
(Only one number reference last week but lots this week!)

• The time on the microwave in the apartment Miles' mother rents is 3:16 (same as the Ajira flight number).
• The landlord wants 2 months of rent up front.
• Young Miles goes into Apartment 4.
• Sawyer asks Miles to erase the tape from security camera 4.
• Horace tells Miles to go to grid 334.
• Juliet tells Roger she was only gone from Ben's side for 10 minutes.
• Naomi offers Miles 1.6 million dollars to go to the island.
• Chang says his son is 3 months old.
• The serial number of the Hatch is (naturally) 4 8 15 16 23 42.
• Hurley says he was 10 when his dad left.
  

Previews - Next week will be a recap of the fifth season so far. "Lost: The Story of the Oceanic 6" will review the lives of the characters since Ben turned the frozen donkey wheel. Then in two weeks, we have the 100th episode, "The Variable" which is being compared to "The Constant". Makes sense.

"Dead is Dead" (Season 5, Episode 12)

It was all about Ben last night. Ben, the boy. Ben, the unexpected father. Ben, the leader. Ben, the killer. Ben, the manipulator. Ben, the repented. And how great to see the various stages of Ben and Charles Widmore's relationship from first meeting to confrontations to expulsion from the island. Although this wonderfully insightful episode focused on Ben, I have to say that death has done wonders for Locke. He is a new man with a twinkle in his eye, a smirk on his face, and a renewed confidence, going so far as to finally being able to put Ben in his place.

Best Line

• "Consider that my apology." Ben to Locke after shooting Caesar in the chest.
  

Did You Notice?

• It was perfect casting of the forty-something (?) Widmore in the the opening scene. I knew right who this was supposed to be. Something with the eyes.
• Are we to presume that the scene with Hitler-haired Ben and young Ethan took place prior to the Purge? The Others are still living in tents and not Dharmaville. If so, what happened to his parents?
• So Ben knows about the whispers since he warned young Rousseau to run the other way when she hears them.
  
• Ben's shooting of Caesar was such a shock, more so than Sayid's shooting of young Ben a couple of weeks ago. The question is whether Caesar is really dead.
• Why did Locke remove his shoes prior to the boat trip? Did he not want them to get wet or was there some other significance since these actually belong to Christian?
• At this point, we've seen Ethan born on the island as well as baby Alex. When did women stop being able to give birth there? And what caused it?
• Why was Charles Widmore so adamant that baby Alex should be killed?
  
• The board game Risk that Hurley was playing last season was on the table in Ben's house.
• We once again saw the portrait of the blond woman in Ben's house. Is it possible this is Juliet as he remembered her from the 1970's?
• I'm not sure I understand (or want to know) why Ben unclogging his closet's drain summons the smoke monster. Was the drain clogged with the hair from all the bad wigs on this episode?
• I loved Ben's line to Penny that what's about to come out of the jungle is something he can't control only to have Locke appear. Foreshadowing!
  
• Desmond and Penny's boat, "Our Mutual Friend", has the same name as the book by Charles Dickens in which Desmond stored his love letter from Penny while in jail.
• So the vine covered walls are not the Temple itself but a protective wall around it. Could the Temple itself be a pyramid in keeping with the Egyptian theme?
• Hard to miss the significance of little Charlie appearing just in time to give Ben second thoughts about shooting Penny.
  
• We now know that Ben shot Desmond, but the question becomes what happened to Desmond after he tossed Ben into the water? Did he survive? He seemed pretty aggressive for someone who was apparently shot in the chest. Or did his bag of groceries contain some bullet-blocking item? Spam? Ben seemed to think Desmond was okay based on his comment to Sun about apologizing for him should she see Desmond again.
• The shot of the blood-belching Ben underwater was both artistic and horrific at the same time.
  
• I once again ask are we really supposed to believe that Desmond and Penny sailed their boat from England to California? Possible, I suppose, but if he desperately wanted to reach Ms. Hawking, why would he take the time?
• Was Ilana's query "What lies in the shadow of the statue" a recognition code phrase or an actual question? Could she be on Widmore's payroll? Are the three men helping Ilana in his employ as well?
  
• The Temple hieroglyphic featured a devil-headed smoke monster face-to-face with a kneeling Anubis, the Egyptian god of the dead who lead them to the afterlife. For a closer look, here you go:

• The stone grate had 49 holes, of which the smoke monster only came out of certain ones.
• Ben's encounter with Smokey was reminiscent of Eko's encounter with it as scenes of the past played out before him. Of course, Ben's outcome was more successful. Also, Alex appearing to Ben was like Yemi appearing to his brother, Mister Eko. It's now obvious the smoke monster can manifest itself into people.
  

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

• One of the Flight 316 survivors informed Lapidus that Ilana and 3 others found guns.
  

Previews - Next week's "Some Like it Hoth" will feature the adult Miles on a road trip with Hurley and flashbacks to a young Miles. There is also a scene of Jack in front of a chalkboard with references to the Egyptians on it. In two weeks, there will not be a new episode but a recap special of the first 13 episodes, then a return in three weeks to new episodes leading up to the two-hour finale, "The Incident", on May 13.

"Whatever Happened, Happened" (Season 5, Episode 11)

For me, this episode definitely goes in the hit column. When you get right down to it, it was essentially a series of emotional duets. Juliet and Jack. Kate and Sawyer. Kate and Cassidy. Kate and Roger Linus? (I can see it now. Roger: Ben, meet your new mom.) There was humor: Hurley and Miles attempting to explain time travel to each other? Classic. There was heartbreak: Even if you're not a parent, Kate's parting line to Aaron "Bye-bye, baby" was wrenching. There was foreboding: Locke and Ben in a role reversal with Locke in the position of power giving Ben a clever line ("Welcome back to the land of the living.") followed by a knowing smirk before the final thump.

Best Lines

• "No, you're all free to leave whenever you want. But I'll have to shoot you in the leg." Miles in response to Jack's question of whether they were under house arrest.
• "You're an idiot." Miles's opinion of Hurley after his Back to the Future time travel comments.
  

Did You Notice?

• Patsy Cline's "She's Got You" was playing in Kate's car. The singer, who died in a plane crash, has had her songs featured throughout the past seasons of the show.
• Kate was singing "Catch a Falling Star" to baby Aaron, which is the song Claire told the prospective adoptive parents in Season 1 that her father sang to her and she would like them to sing to her baby. It was also the melody of the plane mobile in the Dharma nursery in Season 2.
• We got the answer as to what Sawyer whispered to Kate in the helicopter: Take care of his daughter Clementine.
• I loved that even the show's characters (Hurley and Miles) cannot figure out the convoluted nature of time travel.
  
• Since Jack refused to operate on young Ben, Kate was then forced to take matters into her own hands, resulting in Ben being given to Richard Alpert and the Others. Was this the island fixing itself? If Jack had saved Ben, then would Ben never have turned out the way he did? Would his innocence not have been gone?
  
• Our second answer of the night was what happened to Aaron: Claire's mum is taking care of him.
• Thank you to my co-worker Carl for pointing out the obvious (but not to me) that "Ellie and Charles" mentioned by the Other to Richard was a reference to young Ms. Hawking and Charles Widmore. Sometimes I'm so intent on the details, I miss the easy ones!
  

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

• The grocery store stock boy told Kate the juice boxes were in aisle 5.
• Claire's mum was in motel room K10 and Kate checked into a room 2 doors down.
  

Previews - Next week's "Dead is Dead" looks like Indiana Linus and the Temple of Smoke. Plus, it appears we'll see who Ben may have shot at the marina. Inside sources say it isn't Penny. Well, Desmond, the island may finally be through with you after all. And in two weeks, "Some Like It Hoth" (yes, as in the snow planet from "The Empire Strikes Back") will feature a young Miles and perhaps answer the question of whether he is the son of Pierre Chang/Marvin Candle/Mark Wickmund.