Well, a week ago today, I was watching the LOST finale, projected on a large screen with theater sound, at a party near Cincinnati in a lovely hotel restaurant. Now I’m back home, still gathering my thoughts to blog about the last few hours of LOST. In the meantime, enjoy this hilarious send-up of the latest round of Old Spice commercials.
( Made for youtube by Aislynn815)
Wow…this was quite an episode. Might go down as the most talked about in the series history. So, I might as well talk about it here too. 🙂
( If you want to hear more thoughts, stop by the Lost Revisited Now podcast Episode 107 for the Initial Reaction show for ” Across the Sea”. )
Two Babies, Two Sides: Mother seemed to want to hold the BIB. Claudia only asked for “him” , first born Jacob , not “them”. “Are you ‘him’?” = Desmond’s question to who he thought was to be his “replacement”, 
John Locke. Mother looking for a “replacement”. It turned out to be Jacob. Jacob is looking for his “replacement” in the candidate. Or (as Wray suggested in “comments” last week) could the candidate be for something else entirely?
What’s in a Name?: In some traditions, like Judaism, there is a spiritual connotation to naming a child- that it would be telling of who they are , “their essence”, and would grow to be by the significance of the names chosen for them. In Hopi legend, it is several years and many names given to a child until what seems to best suit who he/she is , personality-wise, that a final name is selected. In Rome, where Claudia was most likely from, the father, not the mother, would decide the name, about eight days later after birth…and that’s if he decided the child would live or not! Where in ancient Egypt, of where we have seen a lot of reference to that culture on the show, the parents would waste not time in naming the baby after their birth, often siting a physical characteristic of the infant. But here…we have no name still for Man in Black. Is he the powerful but not forgiving 
Henry Gale’s boss “Him”, much like the pure evil figure from The PowerPuff Girls? Will a name be insufficient, at this point? At this point, I don’t mind it remaining a mystery.
Bad Twin! Baaaad! : There are so many stories of twin sagas gone wrong: Jacob and Esau of the Old Testament, Osiris and Set from Egyptian lore, Apollo and Artemis from Greek mythology, Romulus and Remus from Roman mythology ( who’s mother was a princess and father the god of war, Mars, who were raised by a she wolf and only one of them could be king, ending in Romulus killing Remus) .So, what’s one more! 😉
One set of twin from where we get the Gemini constellation, are Castor and Pollux, of Greek/Roman mythology. According to Wiki…
“In the myth the twins shared the same mother but had different fathers which meant that Pollux was immortal and Castor was mortal. When Castor died, Pollux asked Zeus to let him share his own immortality with his twin to keep them together and they were transformed into the Gemini constellation. The pair were regarded as the patrons of sailors, to whom they appeared as St. Elmo’s fire.”
(Well, there have been a few vessels that tend to drop by…or on, the Island.)
Is this what happens with Mother/Jacob, Jacob/
Richard MIB/Locke and Sayid
, exchanges…even possibly what happens, to some extent, when you become an Other, like Ben- the sharing of immortality? But the “rules” may somehow make immortality…flexible?
Oh, Grow Up!: It’s curious that MIB “saw” his birth mother ( or was it the image “Mother” wanted him to see?) when he was 13 years old. According to Jewish tradition, this is the age of Bar Mitzvah, when a boy becomes a man and becomes responsible for his own understanding of the law, tradition, as well as becoming accountable to morals and ethics. Among the Aborigines of Australia… they send them on … a Walkabout. In some Native American tradition, the rite of passage called Smudge that involves… a sweat lodge. No wonder John Locke was a “custom fit” for the MIB.
Bring Out Your Dead!: So, MIB could see “Claudia”? 
Hurley can see the deceased too. And apparently Sawyer…and 
Desmond, at least as far as mini Jacob is concerned. Is this tied into being “Special”? Mother said that Jacob couldn’t lie and that MIB could because he was “special”… or at least, inferred as such. Hurley is a horrible liar. 
Sawyer excels at it and is one of the reasons MIB wanted him on his side. So, just because Mother said Jacob couldn’t “see” Claudia” because she was dead…doesn’t mean it was true. Jacob just happened not to be there.
I Wanna Big Wheel, Mom!: We get to at least see the starting of the Donkey Wheel’s presence on the Island. Even if MIB actually got it to work, would he have been able to have left? Would it have shifted time, like it did before? And maybe this is why the Egyptian statue and hieroglyphics show up “later” in the show? MIB taking it for a test run?
Wake Up , Sleepyhead!: Mother disturbs Jacob’s slumber to tell him ” It’s time.” This is where she takes him to the cave, has him drink the wine as the initiation of becoming ” Protector” of the whatever is emanating from it. “You and I are the same now”. Will we see something very similar between Desmond and Ms. Hawking/Mrs.Widmore or even Charles, when he finally “ready” ?
Now You See Me… Now You Don’t: MIB has been looking for that cavern of light for 30 years. Mother can show her “sons” at a moment’s notice. Is it like Jack finally seeing the Lighthouse? It might be that you need to have a certain level of “faith”? And interestingly, in the same way, how was Hurley the only one to find Jacob’s Cabin, despite it moving locations… and he wasn’t looking for it at all?
Tunnel Vision: Looking at that glowing cave, I had to figure there were some kind of references to caves in literary and other “sources”. There are many. I found a fantastic compilation of them here at the studyworld.com site It was quite an interesting and enlightening read …and, for me, made the reveal more “accessible”.
See-ms Like Old Times: The way that MIB was left at the end of the river was very reminiscent of 
Boone’s vision of 
Shannon’s death by Smokey in the Season One Episode “Hearts and Minds” . In this episode, there is also a talk between Locke and Jack that is similar to Jacob and MIB in Season Five finale ” The Incident”. MIB ‘s body was entangled in the tree, like how we saw the pilot in The Pilot, after the Smoke Monster actually killed him. Also, his body was tossed aside by the black smoke but we’ve seen Brother since then, just like John Locke is now. In “Hearts and Minds” Locke said to Boone ” What did it make you see?”. Is it the Island? The Smokey Monster? The wacky paste John put on Boone’s head? We still don’t know! Is seeing here like the concept of seeing/showing that 
Charlie and now Desmond have been utilizing? And is seeing going to be what bridges the gap between what’s real, what’s an illusion and both of Lost’s “worlds?
” You Haven’t Aged a Bit!” : Now, I figure that we are just supposed to chalk up 
Jack thinking Adam and Eve were only there 40 to 50 years, instead of a couple millennium, because he’s not exactly an expert ( as I know that I talk about stuff I don’t know about all the time…so I can empathize..lol) . But what came to mind was the story of Moses and the Israelites wandering the desert for 40 years and God preserving their clothes so they never fell apart.
Hey, Locke said the Island was a place where miracles happened…so it could work?! 🙂
And lastly, I think I may have solved a major mystery. The cave that contains life, death, rebirth… Mother called ” The Heart of the Island” . The MIB , as far as we know, is a man without a name. In the southernmost part of the United States in Boerne TX, there is a National Park that features The Cave Without a Name. So, does this mean ” The stars at night are big and bright *clap clap clap clap* DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS!
Sorry… I couldn’t resist. 🙂
Now, time to set sail across the sea… to land on Episode 16.
This week, we were treated to a Jin/Sun extravaganza called “The Package.
Here are some additional thoughts that I’ve been mulling over since it aired. If you would like to hear more, you can check out ” The LOST Revisited Now”podcast, Episode #99.
If Mr. Paik was having Jin “rubbed out” by Keamy in this X time line, was he going to do the same thing in the original? Is there a “whatever happened, happened” sort of thing going on? If that is the case, what would be Paik reasoning for Jin’s execution? I’m thinking that he didn’t give the complete “message” to the guy who was the auto inspector. That was bad enough. But when Jin couldn’t “finish the job” by killing Jae Lee, the man who was sleeping with his wife, Paik may have deemed him useless, at that point, and would have ordered the hit.
Now, the watch itself. I don’t think that it was for Keamy. We know that at one point in the original time line, Martin worked for Widmore. Widmore and Paik were business associates, even playing golf together. So, I’m guessing that watch was most likely going to Charles in this time line, as well as the original.
The inscription on the original watch read ( in Korean) Congratulations…mutual cooperation…business development… Mr. Paik . That would seem to apply. I’m still wondering who got the first watch in Australia in Season One…and if there was another watch in this time line?
More symbolism with the fruit ( granted, it was from a vine, not a tree) that was offered to Sun by Jack. Jack saying ” I guess it wasn’t told it was supposed to die” with the stubborn tomato symbolizing Sun. This could be a play on ” Ye shall not surely die” said by the serpent to Eve ( even though Adam was told they would if they ate the fruit) . Also, what has been one of Sun and Jin’s biggest obstacles? Fertility issues or ” being fruitful and multiplying”. I have a feeling that their “reunion” may end up taking place in a cave. 😦
The tomato in Italian is called “pomodoro” or “golden apple”. In Greek mythology, the golden apple was known as “the apple of discord” because it was inscribed with the words” to the prettiest one”. This did not sit well with the many goddesses that considered themselves to be the one the golden apple was for. This small squabble is what eventually lead to the Trojan War. And like a wise man once said… a war is coming…and it’s already here.
This week’s mirror images was, first, Sun in the hall mirror ( almost looking like she was seeing something she couldn’t comprehend…even looking through, perhaps). The other, Jin’s, was a side by side image of him from the freezer ( thanks Anna for that one 😉 ) . He is “parallel” to it. Speaking of mirrors, Jin and Sun are standing in front of one the first time she, and the audience, find out what kind of “work” Jin is doing for Mr. Paik, as he is washing away the blood from his hands.
Thought it was funny how Ben was so concerned with Sun’s head injury and if she was ok when not to long ago, Sun whacked him in the noggin with an oar. Oh, how things have changed 😉
I have another lame theory about the plane. Richard said that they need to destroy it. But that is not an easy task without getting caught. And seeing MIB can loosen shackles, can he fix airplanes too. But what if you can’t fly what isn’t there? Maybe Jacob will finally give Ben an actual order, that will require a sacrifice on his part. What if he turns the donkey wheel one last time, causing them to move back in time and the plane “disappearing”. Before, Smokey was just that and wasn’t effected. But this time, he is stuck as “Locke” and has to travel back with them. And the war will take place at the “beginning” of when Widmore and that group first came to be. This would also explain Jack saying the clothes on “Adam and Eve” were about 40-50 years deteriorated. It could be “them” , as Hurley said in “Lighthouse”… and still be aged like that, in 2004. Most likely wrong…but when else can I put it out there. 🙂
Now that Smocke may or may not “need” certain people, will 
Claire kill 
Kate? Or will we see her leaving the Island in a helicopter with Aaron (like Desmond saw), quelling Claire’s anger? But how can this happen? I’m thinking there might be more than one “double locked room” on that sub ( but he’d most likely had to share it with several pylons).
Speaking of Desmond, aka The Package…why is he called that? Yes, it paralleled Jin having to deliver a package to Keamy in the flash-sideways. But it just seemed so strange to call him that. So, I decided to see if there was something about packages involving time travel, science, etc. Sure enough, there is. A physics package is the actual working parts of a nuclear or thermonuclear device. ( Interestingly, the Swan device was one of the first nuclear devices made by the US in 1956, the year Richard went to see Locke be born and the name of the Hatch where Des turned the fail safe key). Hmm… didn’t we have the core of the Jughead setting things off for time travel last season? Is this how Desmond is “uniquely and miraculously special”? Can he, in a sense, act as a “bomb”, capable of affecting time, personally and on a whole?
And last but not least… 
Frank misses bacon. 🙂
Now, onto unwrapping the gift that is this week’s new episode…#11.
ab aeterno (from the eternal) : Literally, “from the everlasting” or “from eternity”. Thus, “from time immemorial”, “since the beginning of time” or “from an infinitely remote time in the past”. In theology, often indicates something, such as the universe, that was created outside of time. *
Since this week’s title was in Latin, I thought I ‘d look up some other “abs” to discuss a few extra thoughts I had about this Ricardo-centric episode.
( If you would like to hear more, you can go to The LOST Revisited Now page and find “Ab Aeterno” , Episode 94) 🙂
ab absurdo (from the absurd): The statue being knocked over by The Black Rock and carried in so far inland… is this possible? Here is a link to an article by Popular Mechanics that let’s us know (of course, it being a “place where miracles happen!”, notwithstanding) 😉
ab antiquo (from the ancient) : It was finally confirmed that Richard was on the Island for a long time=since 1867. But thanks to the delightful Bonnie Covel over at about.com LOST blog, I have been alerted of date discrepancies. In the episode ” The Constant”, Widmore was bidding on the journal of from The Black Rock.
Here is the quote from the auctioneer about the details of the journal and its history:
“The Black Rock set sail from Portsmouth, England March 22, 1845 on a trading mission when she was tragically lost at sea. The only known artifact of this journey is the journal of the ship’s first mate, discovered among the artifacts of pirates seven years later. The contents of this journal have never been made public nor are known to anyone outside the family of the seller, Tovard Hanso. We open the bidding on lot 2342 at 150,000 pounds.”
But this week, the year of the crash on the Island was 1867, over two decades later than what is purported by the auctioneer.
So, is this a time travel issue (especially considering the episode it was featured in) ? A writing/continuity error? Was Widmore actually purchasing a fake ( yet another “con” on this show)? Love to hear what you think on the subject. 8)
ab urbe condita (a.u.c.) ( from the city having been founded) Speaking of Portsmouth, England, it was the hometown of Charles Dickens. The more I watch LOST, the more I feel like it would have been something that he would have written… or at least, very happy to read. 😉
ab epistulis (from the letters) : The portion of the Bible that Ricardo was reading while he was in prison, was Luke Chapter 4. In it, there is the account of Jesus’ temptation by the Devil. His rejection in his own hometown, saying things like “Isn’t he Joseph’s son?” as to belittle him and his ministry . Also in this chapter, Jesus says he is the fulfillment of prophetic scripture and then expels of a devil from a possess man (much to the chagrin of the Pharisees in the synagogue). And lastly, it tells of the healing of disciple Peter’s mother-in-law and the exorcism of another man who was demon possessed.
There are two things, from this chapter, that stand out to me that parallel the episode. The first is in regard to Jesus being tempted ,by Satan, 3 times with 3 different things( to which, Jesus rejects them all) . In Ab Aeterno, we witness the temptation of Richardo, by MIB, where he’s offered a reunion with his deceased wife. Like the devil did to Jesus, MIB waves the prize in front of Ricardo. Ricardo declines the offer.
But later, it is Richard that asked Jacob for 3 different things and is told what Jacob can and cannot do. Is this telling us that Jacob is good or are we just seeing a temptation in a reverse order? Either way, Ricardo agrees.
The other is how, like the citizens of Jesus’ homestead, Ben tries to lessen Richard’s importance to the Island by saying things like he knows nothing and that Ben has known Richard since he was a twelve. So, is Ben right? Is Richard not really anyone of consequence? From what we saw these past couple weeks, I think Mr. … Sorry… Dr. Linus might be wrong in his assessment.
ab utili (from utility) : On the Blast Door Map from the Swan Hatch( thank you, Lostpedia) it mentions, written as a side thought, “Known last resting place of Magnus Hanso/Black Rock”. Well done, Kelvin and Radzinski! And as we saw, it was. But not exactly “restful” when you get pulled through a wooden cheese grater of a door by a Smoke Monster. There was also a note about “Save yourself from Hell”. Very appropriate, considering all the referencing to both save/saving and Hell this week. But this raises the question : Is it literal or figurative? I’m thinking the later… but you never can be to sure with this show. 😉
ab irato (from an angry man) : As Dogen referred to him, will we see how that angry man, the MIB, will circumvent the island and break free? Will it involve our Losties? Does he need them to go “home” ? Or does he just need to keep them separated so the protector of the “cork” can never be realized?
ab incunabulis (from the cradle ie “from infancy”) : No Squirrel Baby this week… bummer!
Oh, well ! There’s always Episode 10… coming soon. 8)
*( definitions from Wikipedia).
This week, Heath will be traveling back from North Carolina at the Jay and Jack 30 Hour Podcast to benefit Autism Speaks (donations still being taken. See http://www.jayandjack.com for details) . So, we will be moving the recording of The LOST Revisited Now for LOST Season 6, Episode 9 to Friday, March 26th at 3pm EST on Talkshoe ( LRNow Episode #95).
Also, Sunday, March 28th at 9:30 EST, the Lost Revisited Now will be hosting The Bunny Awards for Act One of Season 6 ( Episodes 1-6) on Talkshoe ( Episode 96) . Scheduled to take part along with Heath and myself are…
Donald from the Donald is LOST podcast
Matt from the Keys to LOST podcast
and
Scotty Six from the Top 6 in 6 podcast
We will be discussing our choices for categories like ” Best Reveal” , ” Biggest Mystery” , ” Most Creepy Moment” and, of course, the controversial yet entertaining “Potpourri” section. 😉
You can find any LRN episodes here at The LOST Revisited Now on Talkshoe
If you have any LOST thoughts, theories, questions and/or comments, you can contact us at : (Heath) thelostrevisited@gmail.com
and/or (Me) bunnieshatch@aol.com
Also, Heath has been asking on Twitter for their favorite scene of each episode. You can find him on Twitter @heathactor. If you want to find me, mine is @bunnieslrnow.
And you can visit Heath’s blog at heathsworld.wordpress.com for other LOST and/or LRNow podcasting info.
As always, thank you for listening! 🙂
Considering the time of year, this episode acted as a sort of “valentine” for the now “retired” Hunter/Boxman , John Locke.
Stopgap: Trying to get out of his blue van ( Dharma likes their vehicles blue too) Locke decides to jump his wheelchair off the uncooperative chair lift to the ground instead of asking for help. And we get an illustration of either ” a leap of faith” or ” Pride coming before a fall “( You decide 😉 ) . Then John gets hit with the lawn sprinklers. Not quite as exhilarating as the Island rain. But LOST’s ” Charlie Brown” has got something going for him. He got his ” Little Red Haired Girl” , Helen, to fall for him…and the wedding is in October.
Backup: As John is getting cleaned up from his trip from Australia, drinking from his (mostly) black and white mug, Helen is thinking of another plan for their nuptials. Why not just elope? They can just take her parents and his dad and go to Vegas for a shotgun ( Willie?) wedding. But John says Helen deserves better and wants to go through with the big day, as scheduled.
But hold on…rewind… Locke’s dad?! Since when is Anthony Cooper welcome anywhere around them? Did John, as well as Helen, forgive him ? It appears so since Locke even has a screen-cap of the two of them hunting from “Deus Ex Machina” in his cubicle) Did Cooper have nothing to do with Locke’s paralysis and/or lack of kidney and there is no need for fence mending ? I guess we are right back to wondering how John got in that chair again…just like in the first half of the series.
Mock: Monster “Locke” POV… brilliant! We got a brief glimpse of that in ” The 23rd Psalm” a few seasons ago but not to this extent. And he/it was on a mission: It’s Recruitin’ Time!
Pinch – hitter: From the makers of Locke in a Box comes Alpert in a Bag! Yes, Alpert in a Bag. First take Richard and “marinate” him in spicy, cryptic talk about chains. “Tenderize” by chopping him directly in the Adam’s Apple . “Shake” as you carry his unconscious body over your shoulder. Then take Alpert, place him in a canvas bag, half beaten (make sure that’s only half) , and let him “stew” overnight…right in the bag! Just four easy steps and you too can have your own Island adviser! (Level of servitude results may vary)
Reserve: They had a place for Locke at the conference in Australia…but he was a no show. Randy: “We sent you to Sydney on the company’s dime” . This is similar to the travel agent telling Locke he couldn’t go on the Walkabout ( “We can send you back to Sydney on our dime”). Where did Locke go for that week? Was it to see Issac of Aluru after the travel office turned him down? Is that where he got his tan that Randy made mention of? Widmore talked about Ben having a tan too in ” Shape of Things to Come”. This was after Ben turned the donkey wheel. Was Locke in a place where he had a similar experience?
Makeshift : Since there has recently been an “adjustment” in the Richard/Jacob working relationship, Smocke decided to let Mr. Alpert know that there is a spot open in his organization. “But why do you look like Locke?” Richard inquires. Smocke said it was because Locke would give him access to Jacob. But we saw them talking to each other in ” The Incident”. Access= loophole? Richard refuses his offer. Richard didn’t know about what a candidate was. Jacob never mentioned it. Richard also couldn’t see the blond boy with the bloody arms, standing in the jungle ( Jacob? Aaron? Someone else?). Is it because of the time shift? The shift of power?
Changeling: Ben lies to Ilana about his role in the murder of Jacob. Jacob’s body is now white ash that Ilana is collecting. Will this contain Smocke again or will this be to “heal” the water at The Temple? If it was Jacob’s ash that was protecting them all this time… how many times has this “man” died? Smocke said he used to be a man. Did Jacob “used to be” a man too?
Second When Smocke finally pays Sawyer a visit, we hear the song ” Search and Destroy” by Iggy and the Stooges playing again. We heard it the first time when Smocke was scoping out Dharmaville. (The first time he went to “Search” out James… was the second time meant to be “Destroy”?).
The same song was repeating. Was Sawyer just playing it over and over?
A couple posts ago, I talked about his original ” Dear Mr. Sawyer” letter. In it, he repeats the same paragraph multiple times. Is this a loop? Purely obsession, even at an early age?
This scene in the house reminded me of the miniseries “The Stand” ( haven’t read the book ) when Randall Flagg goes “recruiting” and finds Lloyd Hendreid, a thief/murder who was abandoned in a jail cell after the plague took the lives of its inhabitants. Lloyd was suicidal and vulnerable. Flagg released him from his confinement ( Richard/chains?) and Lloyd became his right hand man, despite figuring out who Flagg really was (just like Sawyer knowing that this wasn’t Locke anymore and went with him anyway, even with Richard’s fearful warning later on).
Ghost-writer Sawyer doesn’t care if Smocke’s “dead or time travelin’ or the Ghost of Christmas Past”! (referring to Charles Dickens ” A Christmas Carol” ) So, Smocke is The Ghost of Christmas Past and Sawyer called himself The Ghost of Christmas Future last season. Now, we just got to wait and see who The Ghost of Christmas Present is (Desmond, perhaps?) .
Speaking of Desmond and Charles Dickens, I got an email from Hooray4Hawking that mentioned about the 140 years earlier that Jacob and MIB were talking in The Incident (according to the pop up version of LOST). Smocke said that ” Of Mice and Men” was “after his time”. But that beach talk would make it around the time that Dickens had written “Our Mutual Friend”. ( Thanks Hooray4Hawking 8) )
Temp Hugo not only owns the box company that Locke works for…worked for…but he also owns an employment agency. John didn’t want to answer the “What kind of animal ” Dharma Initiative recruiting type questions asked by the fortune teller from ” Tricia Tanaka is Dead”. Locke wants to see the supervisor who is…. Rose Nadler! John insists on having that manly construction job ( Reminded me of the ” I like boxing and sports!” speech he gave to his adviser of why he wasn’t going to go to Mittlelos Science Camp). But Rose thinks that you’ve got to deal with where you’re at and keep living…and that John should make a living doing something else.
Understudy: And that something else is teaching children about “Human Reproduction” from Chapter 4 in the textbook ( Locke’s number). Going to take a break in the Teacher’s Lounge, John runs into the fastidious Keeper of the Coffee Pot, Benjamin Linus: European History (nice scene segue since Ben’s main concern was with the fertility issues on the Island)!
Let’s see. We knew Hurley owned the box company in Tustin. But now, he owns a temp agency there too. Ben is in the Tustin area (born in Portland). Rose is in the Tustin area ( from the Bronx). Ethan is nearby. In this timeline, it appears that they are all merging in or around this town. This got me thinking about what is so special about Tustin, CA?
In Tustin, there is a place called The Bae Institute Advanced Space and Energy Technologies. They have invented a workable photon laser thruster. They are also working on things like Photon Tether Formation Flight and satellite technology the size of ping pong balls. A lot of concepts that were comic book fodder since the 1950’s, they are attempting, and even succeeding in some areas.
The Bae Institute of Immune Inhancement is where they are working on alternative healing techniques.
Tustin has also been a place with quite a few UFO sightings as well ( which was one of the alluded to topics that were discussed on the “Mysteries of the Universe” ARG this hiatus).
To me, it sounds very similar to what the Dharma Initiative were studying. Coincidence? Maybe…but then again… 🙂
Symbolic The young blonde boy with his bloody arms/hands. Was this to represent MIB murdering Jacob ? Is that Jacob we saw? Aaron? Someone we have yet to meet? “You know the rules. You can’t kill him!” Who? Richard? Sawyer? Jacob? Locke ( in a crackpot sort of way 😉 ? Why could James see the boy but not Richard. With them both Sawyer and Alpert wearing essentially the same dark blue button down shirt, is James now going to become an “advisor” like Richard? Both Jack in Locke’s vision in ” Further Instructions ” and Desmond wore dark blue button down shirts. Is this a sign of rank or a type of uniform?
Imitation: According to Ilana, MIB can’t change his face and that he is stuck being Locke. Is this why he is starting to pick up mannerisms, phrases, etc. that once belonged to John? Is he going to continue to be more like Locke, not just on the outside?
Supplanter : This was what the name Jacob meant in the Bible. It also meant one who grasps, trips up, or deceives. MIB said that that is what Jacob was doing, coming to people when they were vulnerable ( you mean like when he went to a drunk , grieving Sawyer 😉 ). Smocke accused Jacob of pushing people to come to the Island ( Jacob to Jack: ‘Guess it just needed a little push” ). This was all to find a candidate to take over protecting the Island. But why did Jacob go to so much trouble if it was as meaningless as Smocke said?
Additional : We got to see The Numbers in what we are told is Jacob’s cave. Dozens and dozens of names written and mostly, crossed out. Were these only crossed out because of death? Being claimed? But 6 names read clearly …
4: Locke
8: Reyes (Did Hurley and Lenny emphasize “EIGHT!” when saying The Numbers because it was Hugo’s # ?)
15: Ford
16: Jarrah
23: Shephard ( presumed Jack but MIB doesn’t answer)
42: Kwon ( “not sure if it’s Jin or Sun…why not both?”)
If these “numbers” are put together (108) will they be the combination to bring this to its potential outcome in the “War”?
Austen wasn’t there. Kate is either completely irrelevant, vitally significant… or just written somewhere in the back.
Question about Locke’s number. If this is Jacob’s cave, he knew that Locke was dead. Ilana and the rest were there to carry Locke in the box. So why didn’t Jacob cross his name off?
Other: Here’s a few more quick points of interest …
Locke loved those checkered shirts ( more “boxes”)
” Sullivan” was one of the names on the wall … the hypochondriac with the rash that liked golf
Mirror image of Ben and Sawyer talking about answers ( two islands) and Of Mice and Men in ” Every Man for Himself” ( Season Three)
There was a stringed instrument in the cave ( Charlie’ s guitar, French teams violin)
The word “Dream” was on two posters at Hugo’s temp agency and ” Live for the present” on a banner in the teacher’s lounge.
Ilana said that The Temple was the “safest” place on the Island ( safe again)
Sawyer to MIB : You’ve got about 20 seconds and then I’m outta here! ” 20 was a number that showed up a lot in Season Five. Look like its back.
Helen ” I’m sick” …of all the wedding preparations, Locke : I’m sick”… about thinking about life outside of this chair. Jack : ” I’m sick” …of lying! ( TTLG, Season 3) I AM SICK on the mural of the Hatch. The Sickness…any connections? We’ll see.
And finally, Ben’s graveside confession mingled with Frank’s reaction… instant classic! 8)
There’s more that I could talk about from this episode… but I’ll stop here. Next stop… Episode 5.
Solely: The first image we see in this episode is of an Other with bare feet, running through a curved hallway in The Temple. It appears that this group of Others do not wear shoes on their feet. Are these the same ones that don’t leave tracks when they roam the jungle?
Doing a little looking around, I found out that there is a Japanese mythological figure , used often in Manga ,( Yuki Onna) that is purported to never leave tracks in the snow and becomes a cloud of mist when threatened. Any connection ? We shall see.
And speaking of threaten, Dogen ( most likely named after 13th Century Buddhist monk Dogen Zenji) grabs the silver cylindrical piece hanging from his necklace whenever things get tense. Does he look at it as a symbol of protection? Since we have/will see more alluding to things that happened in Season One, it would be fun to see Dogen blow into it to call something, like Locke called 
Vincent with the whistle he made in ” Tabula Rasa” ( maybe to call the very same creature) . 🙂
Vacated: When Sayid “left this earth”, he said that he didn’t see anything. And his most recent memory was of getting shot. This is similar to little Ben after he was taken to The Temple. Ben knew he was hurt but not the circumstances around it, just as Richard said. So, like Ben, will Sayid always be an Other? Or, considering the change in the water, has become something else entirely?
Special: ” As you can see, Hugo here has assumed the leadership position. So… that’s pretty great!” 
Miles Straume. 🙂
Travelin’ Light : ( Goofy non-theory) Arzt was holding a bug pamphlet on the plane in LA X. Was he in Australia, not to go on an international blind date, like in the mobisode, but to study new species of bugs? He did this on the Island, finding several creatures, including the infamous Medusa Spider ( Expose’, Season 3). Last time, he blew himself up, eliminating the world from knowing about these undiscovered animals and his eventual fame and fortune. This time, Kate had the cab run over Leslie’s luggage, did he have samples of them in those bags? I guess you could say Arzt got to experience his own ” Butterfly Effect”. 😉
Every Man For Himself : Ford ( as called by The Others) isn’t going to hang around The Temple. He’s got better ( or sadder) things to do. He can handle himself. But The Others don’t think so. Kate decides she can track him and convince James to come back. “It’s very important that he comes back safely.” says Lennon. More about that word later.
I-solated : At the chop shop where she got her handcuffs taken off by someone who could have been Tom Friendly’s brother (right down their interaction in Season 3’s “Tale of Two Cities”), Kate is going through Claire’s bag that she took to change clothes had a picture of a pregnant Miss Littleton ( who still is…for now) . She is standing, by herself, pointing down to her protruding belly with pride. Behind her head, on a tapestry or quilt wall hanging, is the letter “I” but the rest is obscured. Could it read ” Am Sick” , like from the painting inside the hatch? And that stuffed Killer whale… it was driving me crazy where I saw that before in the show. Reading E’s Long Live Locke blog reminded me… Aaron had it in Season 4’s ” Something Nice Back Home” . Now, there’s a brain twister ( Thank you, Erica! See, just another wonderful aspect about the LOST fandom. If you forget, there’s always someone whose gonna remember…lol) !
Abandoned: Realizing that Claire was pregnant, Kate goes back to give her her stuff and find out if she needs a ride. Turns out she does, since the adoptive couple of her baby “forgot” to show up at the airport. ” They didnt abandon me”. Claire has “abandonment/daddy issues”, according to Thomas, the father of Aaron from Season One’s ” Raised By Another”. But then it turns out she was abandoned by the newly maritally abandoned Lindsey Baskum. She’s a new name/face to LOST but will we see her again or her husband. Will he be someone important that we will see or already know? His last name doesn’t have to be Baskum. I’m still trying to figure out the whole Widmore/Hawking/Faraday
thing… 😀
Solitary : Very reminiscent of the Season One Sayid-centric episode where we first meet 
Danielle Rousseau. She has him tied/chained down on a rusty cot, electrocutes him, drugs him as she interrogates him about her missing daughter, Alex. Was what Danielle was doing to Sayid akin to the “test” that Dogen was giving him to see if he was “infected” then? Sayid “failed” this test. And he needs to take this little green pill to stop the spread of it. But it turns out to be poison. So, was it to cure him or to kill him? Whatever it was, it wasn’t for the “uninfected” Jack.
Stag: Kate uses the alias ” Joan Hart” again. We first heard it in Season One’s ” Born To Run”. Joan Hart was also the name of the reporter who was the only one who figured out who Damien Thorn really was ( i. e. The Antichrist) in the movie ” The Omen II ( Thanks, Lostpedia! 🙂 ) Is this some bad foreshadowing or is Goober on the up and up?
Empty : Kate follows James to a once vibrant Dharmaville. He lifts up some floorboards to recover a little black bag…with an engagement ring for 
Juliet. But that’s all over now. ” Some people are just meant to be alone”. But is he?
James tosses the modest diamond into the water, just like Desmond did in “Flashes Before Your Eyes” ( Season 3)
Des got to be with his Penny. However before that, he was told by Eloise that if he didn’t go to the Island and push that button ” Every single on of US is DEAD!”. And it looks like, in the parallel time line, that is exactly what happened. The one day that Des didn’t push the button, the plane crashed, which through subsequent events, led to the Jughead being hit with a rock and the “Island” sinking to the bottom of the ocean shortly afterward, causing the apparent death of the Hostiles (which Ellie is a part of) and any left over Dharma people.
I guess we’ll have to wait and see on that Dutch coffee date to find out how that turns out.
Single: Well, it looks like Claire is going to raise Aaron after all, once he’s finally delivered by our good friend, Dr. Ethan Goodspeed ( Not Rom. Did he leave in the evacuation of Dharma? Was he born on the Island in the first place? Will he turn out to be Sarah Shephard’s “Other Man” this go around?) . And Claire is not to worry. Those drugs that he gave her/the baby are “safe” ( There’s that word again) .
She names him Aaron, this time before he is born. Both times, Claire wasn’t sure why she picked that name, as she expressed to Kate here, and to 
Mr. Eko in Season Two. Guess it’s another one of the “supposed to’s “.
Separate: (Nod to an email from Wray 8) ) ” He walks among us, but is not one of us” . Jack and Dogen have a little chat about leadership, much like he and Locke had in Season One’s ” White Rabbit”. Dogen speaks a different language than his people most of the time because it is easier when he has to give orders that they may not like. He must remain separate, like Jack needs to, if he is going to be leader once again.
Dogen also talks about them all being brought to the Island, just like Locke did “We were brought here…all of us. Each one of us was brought here…for a purpose, for a reason.” (Exodus, Season One)
During this time, there is talk of baseball, trust and Sayid being “claimed” (another term that is given for something that has no word, just like Ben said about “what you call ‘The Monster’ “.) You know…just like Jack’s SISTER!!! ( or is she?)
The word “safe” comes up ,at least once , in just about every episode of LOST. I have been wondering a long time as to why this is. So, with this revelation that “Claimed” means infected. So, does not being infected mean that you are ” Safe ” ? Were the drugs that Claire was being given by Ethan and the ones in the hatch, for keeping people “safe” as well?
Now, just have to figure out what being “marked” means. And with Jacob being dead now, is what happened with his touch ( possible “mark”) risk the Losties “safety”?
Individual: Jin’s along for the trip to find Sawyer. But he’s really trying to forge his own path towards the Ajira plane to find 
Sun.
Eliminated : Hey! We got to see Aldo again. Turns out he’s The Others “Frogurt”. Gets shot with a gun instead of a flaming arrow. But why shoot Justin?! He was nice and had answers! He knew about Rousseau and Ajira. At the rate he was going, we probably could have found out who Adam and Eve were and where Claire hairbrush went off to!
Hermit : Oh well. It looks like that “hairbrush” mystery has yet to be solved from the condition (or lack there of) of Claire’s coif. Danielle Rousseau : Gone but not forgotten. Her memory ( or is that, memories) are living on through Miss Littleton. And of all people to stumble upon in the jungle , it’s Jin (now, in a bear trap) just like in 1988.
Now, I’m going to try to sequester myself from any spoilers until I can reach for the remote to enjoy Episode 4 on Tuesday and prep for the LRNow with Mr. Heath Solo. 🙂
Turn Three: The Island/ The Foot
Sun and Frank : Whatever “bill of goods” they’re being sold … they ain’t buyin’ .
Locke: Still dead. Although, there’s were an awful lot of close ups of him, being dead. So, he may be dead but will he stay dead? Stay tuned!
Ben: Got a “front row seat” to the contents of that big, silver box, thanks to an irate Mr. Alpert. Was told by who he thought was Locke ” Sorry you had to see me like that” ( another call back to Stephen King’s “The Stand) . And in one swift move, he went from being the mastermind manipulator to mild-mannered minion to…
Smocke : That’s right! From all indications… MIB = Smokey. And he ( not it…no need for insults) is not happy. He doesn’t like Bram and the gang shooting at him… and bends the bullets for emphasis. He doesn’t like the ash either ( so did the ash around the cabin keep him in or keep him out?) . But before the chaos started in the foot, he told Jacob’s former bodyguards that they were “free” ( Hmmm… think there’s more to that proclamation) . He also claimed that John Locke’s last words were ” I don’t understand” ( Wonder if that’s the same thing Miles can do?) . But he admired that, despite the pathetic life Locke led, John was right about one thing : Being the only one not wanting to leave the Island ( What about Rose? She didn’t want to go with Locke but I don’t think she wanted to leave with Jack either. Maybe she was someone that wouldn’t allow herself to be “used” by him ? ). But it seems to be just the opposite desire for himself. He just wants to go home ( Where is home? The Temple? The Mother ship? Where the Heart is? ) He is disappointed in the beach dwellers ( Where they originally his people? Did he want them to fight Ilana and the rest?) But who he saved his greatest scolding for was…
Richard: Was under a cloud of suspicion, confusion, and puzzling Latin inspired riddles. Apparently, he was in chains a while back ( Black Rock or in more of a metaphorical sense?) . Whatever it was… it got him clocked on the noggin and strewn around Smocke’s neck like a prize winning boar.
Happy “landing”, LOST! Next up : Episode 6/2. 8)
Ben Linus meets Strong Bad from homestarrunner.com. (IMO) Only good can come from this. 🙂
( Made for youtube by NepEnut)
With just a little less than a month to go, here’s another LOST parody. Remember, in Season 3, when Richard and Ben would get together to play ” Good Cop/Bad Cop” with John Locke and all he had to do was kill his dad. Ah yes… times were simpler then. 😉
( Note: Richard Alpert being from The Black Rock is merely a theory…for now. I mean, he could be from 4 toed statue times, from Roman mythology or from a failed, Depression era attempt at opening a “Medieval Times” – style restaurant chain. And also, it fit the lyrics best. 😉 )
(If you would like to listen to more LOST parodies, click here). 🙂
RICHARD ALPERT/BENJAMIN LINUS
We’re so sorry, Richard Alpert
We’re so sorry you’ve forgotten your birthday
We’re so sorry, Richard Alpert
But you kinda freak us out ’cause we believe you haven’t aged
We’re so sorry but we haven’t used the bus all day
We’re so sorry, Richard Alpert
But if we run someone over, we’ll be sure to give a ring
We’re so sorry, Richard Alpert
But we haven’t staged a Dharma purge all day
We’re so sorry, Richard Alpert
But the tension’s on the boil
Looks like it should be any day
( Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah Ooh, Ooh)
Sailed across the water ( Black Rock)
Liner ‘cross his eyes
Sailed across the water ( Black Rock)
Liner ‘cross his eyes
Benjamin Linus notified me
I had to get The Man From Tallahassee
I had to trick Locke into killing Anthony
So I brought the file ( Brought the file)
John Locke wouldn’t do it so I showed him Sawyer’s file
Sailed across the water ( Black Rock)
Liner ‘cross his eyes
Sailed across the water ( Black Rock)
Liner ‘cross his eyes
Drink a little, take a sip, it calms you down ( calms you down)
Trip might bump you off the ground
In a sub we get around
Drink a little, take a sip, it calms you down ( calms you down)
Trip might bump you off the ground
In a sub we get around
Sailed across the water ( Black Rock)
Liner ‘cross his eyes
Sailed across the water ( Black Rock)
Liner ‘cross his eyes
( Ooh, Ooh, Ooh……)
(Parody of the song “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey” Written by Paul and Linda McCartney, 1971, Album: Ram, Parlophone . New lyrics by Wendy Lincoln, 2007)
I was listening to Alex’s LOST Hiatus podcast and he was briefly mentioning his theory about the Smoke Monster. That Smokey at one point was a living being, possibly even a spiritual entity of some sort (Cerebus?) But then perhaps something happened that made it necessary to “harness” it and it is now partially mechanical ( Very interesting theory, by the way Alex 🙂 ) .
Disclaimer: I fully admit, the following theory is pretty “out there” and I’m not even sure where it’s going entirely…. but I decided to put it up anyway. 🙂
This got me thinking about the mixing of these two elements (organic and metallic) and of LOST writers admiration of ( yes, I know, again) “Star Wars”… and this scene came to mind ( I have a feeling that 
Hurley probably wouldn’t have stayed conscious watching this 😉 ) .
( ” Darth Vader in the Making” from ” Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith” Posted by melv4 on youtube)
In LOST, Season One, there is a Lockecentric episode titled ” Deus Ex Machina” which means ” God from the machine”. This is a term used for writers/playwrights who write themselves into a corner and can’t find a plausible way to end their story. So, they would tack on “God/an angel swoops down and saves the day! The End.” In this episode, Anthony Cooper told Locke that he must be “God” if he was his father, since he was “immaculately conceived”, according to Emily. We find out though that it was really Cooper that thought of the conception story for the con to steal John’s kidney.
But what if what Cooper/Emily were saying was actually true? And what if “Deus Ex Machina” is in the literal sense in LOST’s story line ? That there is an immortal being that resides within a machine. That this title might be a clue as to what Smokey is.
Maybe the first time we actually see Locke meet his dad wasn’t in a ” Deus Ex Machina” flashback but on Island in ” Walkabout”?
( Posted by LightSmokeMonster on youtube)
And is this the reason for John’s choice of subject for his drawing at a very young age?
( “Richard Alpert Visits John Locke “, Posted by gt2007tv on youtube)
With all the talk of Destiny and the uniqueness of his paternity, will we see a similar scene involving 
“Colonel ” Locke ? 😉
( “Darth Vader: The Musical” : A Parody of Star Wars/Phantom of the Opera, Posted by oniontaker for youtube)
One more Locke connection : Watching this video reminded me that Luke Skywalker… was a farmer. 🙂
The other day, spending some time at the library, I played a few games of chess. It’s been a long time since I’ve played chess. A very loooong time. And to show how far back it has been since I’ve played, my considerably younger opponent needed to reminded me that ” A king can’t take out another king”. Also according to the rules, a King can not be captured or removed from the board like other pieces. Which got me thinking about LOST, of course… and this scene…
( Ben Confronts Widmore, LOST Season 4, The Shape of Things to Come, Posted by edshrinker on youtube)
And maybe because of this rule, a “King” of a certain game cannot truly be banished or “taken off the board”. Maybe that’s why Ben was able to make it back. Maybe that’s why Widmore believes the Island ( the board”) is his. In their game… they are the “leaders”. But it appears, a much larger competition is being played out.
Which brought me to this scene…
( Jacob and ? on the beach, Season 5’s “The Incident”, Posted by CTUBauerUK on youtube)
And then , my thoughts went to 
Richard telling , who he thought was Locke, that two leaders (Kings?) cannot go into the Temple with Jacob ( another King?) But Ben had been stripped of …or voluntarily stepped down, from his position as leader ( King) once he thought that John was raised from the dead. So, technically, Ben became just another piece in the game. In this case, a King wasn’t attacked by another King ( Ben killing Jacob) … hence the loophole.
Another thought has come to mind since Season Five has ended. Jacob visited 
Sun and 
Jin at their wedding. A blond ‘American ” man who speaks perfect Korean, offering a blessing upon their marriage. But in Season One, another blond “American” man who speaks perfect Korean, shows up in the bathroom of the airport in Sydney. He tells Jin that he works for Sun’s father and that they can’t escape to America or he will lose his wife. This man is wearing a black Hawaiian shirt with large white flowers. Could this be … the MIB? (possibly representing his darkness surrounding their relationship, since their love is symbolized with a white flower)
* ComicCon spoiler. Don’t read any further if you don’t want to know* 🙂
Damon said at ComicCon that Jacob has never appeared as anyone but himself. But we know that his nemesis has at least once (as Locke) . So… was this man Jacob’s enemy? Unlike Jacob giving a “blessing” , this man was, in a sense, was giving a “curse” over their marriage. That The Kwons would be separated permanently.
And we never did find out why 
Charlotte spoke fluent Korean. Did Jin teach her in The Seventies when she was little so she could tell him what was going on in the future? Did she learn it as part of her studies because she was told she was “supposed” to? Hurley also spoke Korean in a dream in ” Everybody Hates Hugo”. Will we ever find out the significance of all of this? Probably not…lol. But then again, it may prove more relevant in Season Six. Somehow, I don’t think they showed us the Paik/Widmore connection for nothing. 😉
Very well made vid , documenting Mr. Alpert’s youthful appearance(s), scored to one of my favorite instrumental songs of all time.
( Made for youtube by thelostgirl101, Song : Sleepwalk by Santo and Johnny)
My mind is still twirling from ” The Incident”. In the fine LOST tradition, I’m assuming that this title holds more than one meaning. I’m sure that throughout this hiatus, I’ll be chipping away at what we’ve witnessed this season and how it relates to the previous four… and the last, arriving some time early next year. In the meantime, I’m going to touch on some of the highlights.
The Incident Part One
The very thing I thought would be stalled until the last few minutes of the show ( and maybe even the series) is delivered with the first few minutes… the reveal of Jacob. Again, writers…you win! 🙂
Jacob has white shirt.. but black pants ( Is this signifying a duel nature?)
Jacob’s enemy dark shirt…but light gray pants. He called Jacob “my friend” ( a common phrase of Ilana, Bram and Caesar. But was also used by 
Daniel and 
Miles. )
Clothes very similar to Richard’s outfit when he met little 
Benjamin Linus. Are these two just dressing the part so they will “blend in” with the shipmates that are on the horizon?
The red fish Jacob is cooking is not appear to be a herring… but do they want us to think what we are watching is?
Jacob enemy is being referred to as ” Esau” , as in Jacob and Esau, twin brothers of the Bible’s account in Genesis. But I think there is another interesting biblical reference that may apply that I’ll discuss later in Part Two. 🙂
IMO…This scene was even more magnetic than the Swan Hatch.
What are the many things that Richard has seen but can’t explain? Can’t wait to find out.
Frank a candidate? Candidate for what? Locke was described in his psych profile as a “candidate for coercion ( Further Instructions, Season 3) . Is this all part of how ” Jacob’s Enemy” tricked Locke… and how Jacob’s followers will “recruit” Frank. Or will Mr. Lapidus’ roll be more ” voluntary” ?
Tween Kate, Tom Brennan stealing the lunchbox/time capsule. This held all of Kate and Tom’s memories… including the toy airplane that led to capture… and to the Island. The clerk to Jacob : ” Well ,as long as somebody pays for it, I guess there’s no harm done. ” Jacob “paying” for someone else’s wrongdoing… Yeah, this might be important later. 😉
Young Sawyer given a pen by Jacob for revenge letter…the letter that was his true “ticket” to the Island. Look alike pens from when 
Claire was going to sign the adoption papers for Aaron and when 
Christian talked 
Jack into initially signing a letter to back up elder Shephard’s testimony in a malpractice suit. I read this on a board. Was the other man who talked to James about ” What’s done is done” is he the uncle that got the brain tumor he told Jack about prior to his eye test ( Season One) ?
“See you on the other side”- what was said after the sedatives were handed out on the submarine. Another loaded, repeated phrase throughout the series.
Juliet, Sawyer and Kate commander the sub and “persuade” the captain to let them off at the Island.
Richard didn’t think Locke was “particularly special” from what he had witnessed , at this point. Jack tells him ” I wouldn’t give up on him.” I think there’s more behind this statement, despite the finale’s outcome.
Locke physically stops Ben, looking incredulously at him when Ben tells him where/when “Alex ” showed up : Below the temple when he got judged. Locke seems off guard. Like he had no idea that that happened. And it was then that he realized Ben would do whatever he said without question. So, I could be wrong but Smokey and “Locke” may not be the same “being”. Perhaps “Locke” showed up as Alex and Ben assumed it was the Smoke Monster, throwing off suspicion of who it really was. And Locke” seemed awfully happy and relieved about this “enlightenment” he just stumbled upon.
Sayid was touched on shoulder by Jacob right after Nadia was hit by the car. Was he just preventing Sayid’s death or facilitating Mr. Jarrah’s ultimate “mission”? Jacob touched Kate’s nose and Sawyer’s hand, giving him the pen. Transference? Blessing? “Marking” them?
Ellie is the leader. She is pregnant. And Richard hits her in the head to protect her. ( About an out cold Eloise) ” I’m taking her out the way we came in ” . Richard said the same thing about moving Jughead below the Temple.
Backpack Jack… taking on the responsibility of carrying the explosives… whether anyone else likes it or not…reminiscent of Season One finale.
Sayid is wearing Horace’s jumpsuit? Where is Horace during all this anyway?
Roger Linus shoots Sayid just like Sayid shot Ben. I wonder if little Ben ever finds that out?
Hero Hurley and his microbus saving the day once again, rescuing Jack and a wounded Sayid, with Jin and Miles along for the ride. Jack told Jin he thinks he can get him back to his wife. “Locke” told Sun he can get her back to her husband. Will either/both be right?
Sawyer, Juliet and Kate got off the sub and happen upon a wagging , happy 
Vincent. In turn, disrupting a slightly perturbed Rose and Bernard. The Nadlers are “retired” from it all. Rose and Bernard don’t mind dying as long as they are together ( Another possibility for “Adam and Eve”) Juliet looks at James…James looks at Kate…Ouch. Bernard asks Juliet if she wants to stay for tea..as if he knew something was going to happen
Ilana met with Jacob. She had been waiting for him. He was told of her “condition” but he wanted to see her anyway. With all the bandages and a warning by the nurse of Ilana’s ailment, could she have had leprosy? Did Jacob heal her too, seating her loyalty?
Someone other than Jacob had been using the cabin. They get this indication, partially anyways, because of a portion of a tapestry with the image of an Egyptian god ( Sobek?) stuck to the wall with a knife ( very “piratey” …Black Rock nod?) So they burn it. I wonder for how long someone else was occupying the cabin. And I thought you had to be “special” to see it? Maybe not. Maybe they’re all “special” Or maybe because of this “intruder” that requirement became null and void? Ben tells “Locke” in the finale that he was faking that he could communicate with Jacob when they were at the cabin in ” The Man from Tallahassee”. But the stuff flying around and “Helllllp Meeeeee !” was whoever was in there with them. Jacob? His ememy? Someone else?
Jacob is reading Flannery O’Connor’s . Everything That Rises Must Converge when Locke lands behind him, just falling 8 stories. Touches Locke’s shoulder. He wakes up. Did Jacob just revive Locke …or resurrect him? Jacob is sorry what happened to him ( now or in general) Didn’t Ben make the similar apology to him in Season 4’s finale about making Locke’s life so miserable? ( In O’Connor’s short story ETRMC, there is a mention of Saint Sebastian who was run through with arrows: Ben shot with an arrow (Season 2) , flaming arrows this season and St. Sebastian is the name of the hospital both Christian and Jack Shephard worked at. )
Locke on the beach with Ben. Locke knows that the quarantine door… the place where they first met. How did ” Locke” know this? Is he retaining John’s memories? Was he watching Ben and Locke from the Pearl Station?
Ben tells ” Locke” that he’s a Pieces. But he was born December 19th…. again, lying. 🙂
Sun finds the DriveShaft ring…*tear*. 
Sun and Jin promise to never be apart at their wedding, just like Rose and Bernard. Another Adam and Eve candidate. I noticed that Sun and Jin are not wearing the same clothing that they were in Season One. Memphis did as well and wrote a very interesting theory about it on their wonderful blog, Memphish is LOST ( Title: So What Happened During The Incident? ” ) 8)
Jacob knew Korean very well ( I wonder if he taught Charlotte ? ) Dressed in black, Same suit as Sawyer’s parents’ funeral. Another blond man that knew Korean was the one warning Jin not to try and stay in the US. Wonder what he was about? Was he just a man working for Mr. Paik… or Jacob’s Enemy?
Charlie’s Angels style standoff by Kate, Sawyer and Juliet in front of Hurley’s rescue van.
Four toed statue… turns out to be Jacob’s house.
Jack is asked to have a five minute talk by Sawyer.
(End of Part One. Part Two to soon follow. 🙂 )
Jack: You like to play games, John?
Locke: Absolutely!
Exodus, Season One
Rules to Follow the Leader …
“First a leader or “head of the line” is chosen, then the children all line up behind the leader. The leader then moves around and all the children have to mimic the leader’s actions. Any players who mess up or do not do what the leader does are out of the game. The last person standing other than the leader is now the new leader.” ( Wikipedia)
Ben and Richard seem very leery of their new “Leader” , Mr. John Locke. Something is “different” about him…as in maybe not quite “right”. Locke enters the camp with a boar around his neck, just like in Season One’s Walkabout (Originally, the boar was to be around Locke’s neck like this time but it looked fake. So, they had TOQ drag it into the scene. 🙂 ) The last time Locke came into a camp in this manner… soon afterward , he tells Jack ” I looked into the eye of the Island…and what I saw…was beautiful”. Did he see it again… or was his possible re-encounter more “internalized”? Sun is focused on getting back to “Team Jin” and Locke will use that if it keeps her ” in the line”… the one that leads to Jacob.
These “teams” have been not only separated by time and space but by their ideology and loyalties. Kate and Jack can’t agree on whether the crash was actually a blessing in disguise … or a tragic error. Miles just wants to survive but Hurley wants to go back to his friends… who eventually sell them out so they can start over again in ” The Real World”. Eloise believes what is Daniel’s notebook in 1977, but changes her mind in the future. What is the deciding factor in her turnaround?
It’s not a pat on the head but the stomach . Charles appears concerned about Eloise’s tunnel swim underneath Team Dharma’s village to retrieve Jughead and saying out of earshot ” Not in your condition” . Was it little Daniel in there? Did she know it was him because she wanted to name her baby Daniel or did she decide to after she shot him? Would he be younger than Charlotte? Could this be Penelope and they were separated like Luke and Leia for their protection (or just a “parting of the ways”) : Charles raising Penny, Eloise raising Dan?
Miles, Jin and Hurley do there best at “hide” but Pierre Chang (wearing a snazzy Dharma jacket) is doing the “seeking” and finds out that Miles is his son *tear* and that they are in major danger on this Island. And Sayid has come out of “hiding” with a shot… to save the day for Kate. But he finds out his shooting of little Ben… didn’t save anything.
It looks like “the race is on” in who will get the information out of LeFleur and his girl. Horace? Nope, his engine is stalled. Radzinsky was blowing through some “green lights” until he saw red when James said ” I want my lawyer”. It looks like Phil “took the lead” by giving Juliet a hearty slap. But I have a feeling , like Tom in TTLG ( Season 3 finale) somehow Sawyer’s going to be waiting for Phil at this season’s “finish line”.
I have an odd theory. Daniel was able to know within hours, maybe less, of when things were going to occur… some of which that happened AFTER his own death. So how could he do that? Well, maybe he had some things that were already written by his mother in what was the past but would become his future. (?)
But down to the hours, maybe minutes? Then I was thinking about the metronome in ” The Variable”. He was able to tell his mother exactly how many beats had occurred instantaneously when she inquired. He said that he could “make time”. What if he could calculate, from the information and time periods of events, the near exact moments when they would take place? Like he was following beats and measures in music? As he “listened to the drumbeat”, he was able to find his “destiny”?
It seems like Richard is getting progressively more confused and the answers are more out of reach with each encounter with the Losties. And this season , he’s wearing glasses. Is this a sign of his time coming to an end? Or is it just natural progression of things from all the squinting from incredulity and model ship building lo these many years ( how many is anyone’s guess) ? 🙂
How appropriate that Sawyer’s hands were so visibly red last week. The Island is “slapping” the Losties pretty quickly since the arrival of their long absent friends. Well, he is stinging back with a “Good riddance” and plans for him and his lady love, Juliet, to rake it in off Island with a 78′ Cowboys win and futures in Microsoft. But it looks like ” Destiny” is getting the last slap as Kate is now along for the ride. Ouch!
Or is it ” Ellie Says” …swim behind Richard through the underwater tunnels, Jack. This will take you to where the Jughead has been “laying low” since 1954, beneath the newly constructed Dharmaville. How will they get that out of there. The same way they got it down there… and it wasn’t by swimming with it though the tunnels, according to Richard. So…how did they get it there? Smokey?
Kate and Jack “break the chain” and go their separate ways. Kate can’t be with people who think shooting kids and blowing up bombs is ok ( How about shooting accomplices and blowing up dads? 😉 ) So, what does this mean for her quest to find Aaron’s mom, Claire? And if she is on that sub, how does Richard “watch her (and the others in the “Nama..wha” picture) die”, like he told Sun? Prediction: That sub ain’t goin’ nowhere! 🙂
As the moms are taking their children off Island for their safety, Miles watches his father sternly tell his mother to get out of here… because it was the only way to save the wife and son he loves. And we see little Charlotte and her mom getting ready to leave. But who didn’t we see? Amy and Ethan… hmmm.
( IMO) One of the funniest scenes this season…and possibly in the history of the show… Hurley try to “step lightly” on the hot topic of NOT being from the future without getting “burned” by Pierre Chang’s line of questioning. ” Who’s the president of the United States?” 🙂
Ben is now the “one in the middle” with the Island and Locke keeping it way over his head. How did John know when to send Richard out to take the bullet out of his leg and the exchange of the compass? Ben says that he has decided to do what Locke says and walk along with him where ever John is going. And I suspect that it is much easier to eventually knock whatever is being “kept away” out of Locke’s hands, if you’re standing next to him. 😉
Has “Jacob” been “hiding in plain sight” all along? Is Locke “Jacob” and has to “kill” himself to be “set free” , much like Luke Skywalker “killing” Darth Vader during his training in ” The Empire Strikes Back” , only to reveal under the mask was the face of himself. To “kill” that dark side of himself… and later on finds out DV is …*(Star Wars spoiler)* his father. And as we know , patricide was a “necessity” for Locke. ( I know, more SW references…but it just “fit”)
I spy… Jughead … I spy… groups that need to be united…I spy… danger at the Swan Hatch site…I spy… the beginnings of a war… I spy … Season Five finale goodness… just a few short days away. 8)
First poetry now prose..ish, for these thoughts on the episode ” The Variable”.
Daniel is now the half brother of Penny Widmore… or was… or is…We’ll find out soon enough if he’s Temple bound.
Where did Hurley and Jin go when things started going downhill when Radzinsky and the boys showed up? My best guess… to go find Miles … to go find his dad, Pierre Chang. He’s the only one who might listen to them, if Miles tells him the truth.
Wow, Ms. Hawking! Such offense at the idea of Ben Linus being your son. He pretty much had The Island running like clockwork until the Freighter Folks showed up. There gratitude for ya! 😉
Penny and 
Des… sounds like their might be a cave in there future.
No Jughead in the Swan… but there will be , if Jack , Kate , and maybe Ricard , finish what Daniel started.
Was it just me or when Sawyer and Juliet held hands, his looked very red? Is he working on a project “behind the scenes” , much like Juliet’s former (or is that later) “boyfriend”, Goodwin? Lefleur , is …or was, in the ” Circle of Trust” , after all.
Was Ms. Hawking adamant against Daniel having any romantic relationships not just because they were distractions to his ” destiny” but that the women he chose were… related to each other (another reason they may get “hurt”)? Charlotte was the oldest of three sisters. Possible sisters for Charlotte: Teresa and Abigail Spencer . Or was her mother, who was in the Dharma Initiative, the ” Outsider” that Charles Widmore was visiting? This would make Charlotte the half sister of Penelope Widmore. But who could the other sister be? My guess : Libby.
Daniel said his mother is wrong. She said that Daniel was wrong? Now what?! 🙂
Jack has been laying low these past few episodes. But as soon as Daniel proposed the idea of The Variable(s) , he was all for it. Right now, Jack might be thinking something along the lines of …
” Destiny…what a joke! I KNEW it! ”
I just wonder what Jack’s going to be thinking when he eventually sees John Locke again?
So, it’s confirmed now. Charles is the one who set up the fake crash. But his true motivation behind it… I think we’re going to have to wait on that ( unless they reveal that ahead of time in a clip show too 😉 )
Piano players in LOST : Daniel , Jack, Ben, Sun, Charlie… ( Not my theory but IAB’s LOST caricaturist, Scott’s… what if the “musician” who programmed the Looking Glass code was Daniel? 🙂 )
Music and mathematics are intertwined and actually enhance each other. So, Ms. Hawking may have been in error for keeping Daniel from playing an instrument to concentrate on his “gift”. I wonder if this is a nod by the writers to illustrate science and faith…if used together, can be more beneficial that being to “exclusive” in one area or another?
Big clue : Daniel runs into a man at the Orchid Station who tells him he has to wear a hardhat down there. This man… is Jason ( Ariston Green) one of Ben’s Others that stormed the beach to get the pregnant women in the Season Three finale ” Through the Looking Glass” . He is most famous for getting his neck broken by Sayid’s ankles. So, he’s alive… it’s 27 years earlier… and he looks the same. I think I’m going to need to wear a hardhat too to try and figure this out…lol. Any takers?
SEE a Collections Supervisor of a Box Company raised from the DEAD!!!
SEE Brutal Mutant Hostile Man/Boy push his beautiful daughter on a SWING!!!
SEE Berserk Control Freak Blasted with a shotgun meant for ZOMBIES!!!
SEE it ALL in Ectoplasmic COLOR in IllustrO 720 HDTV!!! (1080p on Blu Ray, Dec 8 2009)
DON’T Walk….RUN … to SEE THE THRILLS…. SEE THE SHOCKS… SEE THE HAIRSTYLES…of
DEAD IS DEAD!!!
And now after that implausible anticipatory build -up … some thought about this week’s fabulous episode. ( * Some people really, really enjoyed it…. 🙂 )
Middle aged Charles on horseback is Russell Crowe’s stand-in… but in a good way. 🙂
” The Island chooses who the Island chooses. You know that. ” Richard Alpert to Charles Widmore. What exactly is the criteria in that process?
The Hostiles/Others don’t have a name for it… you (Losties) call it ” The Monster”. Do they not name it out of reverence to it? Is this much like not speaking Jeremy Bentham’s name in Season 4 finale. Come to think of it, Kate tried to keep people from saying Aaron’s name as well on several occasions. Plot devise or clue?
Big silver box that Illana and her crew are fiddling around with. Putting polls on the side to carry it. Ark of the Covenant ? Mini Jughead bomb? Dead body? I hope it the rest of Locke’s 400 knives. 😉
Caesar assuring a “concerned” Ben he “Got your back” about their potential ” Locke Problem” ? And Ben “got his front” with the sawed off shot gun that Caesar took from the Hydra Station. Sometimes… I just think Ben lies purely for the love of it.
Younger Ben and little Ethan… reminded me of River Phoenix (Indy) and his scout friend in the beginning of ” Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”. But instead of a gold cross… they took a baby. Ben even had the emo bangs and the neckerchief.
Indiana Ben telling young 
Rousseau if she looks for him and Alex, he will kill her. “Every time you hear whispers, you run the other way!” Are the whispers the Others? What brought Ben “back”? Are they they near the “wormhole” that might be a way of help/escape? Time will tell (no pun intended)
Ben finds Photo-shopped picture of him and Alex at the The Others Company picnic (seeing that Locke seems to see Mr. Linus’s leadership style as a bit on the “corporate” side). Ben then informs an apology-seeking Locke that he didn’t want John to die until he got some vital information from him. The two points of interest that came up in that info : Jin Kwon is alive and Eloise Hawking is 
Daniel Faraday’s mother and that’s who was to help Locke. I assume that the former was to give validity to his plan for getting Sun on the plane. But did Ben not know who he was talking to this whole time in LA? Was it because she is Daniel’s mother and this has much bigger significance?
John making Ben take him to his ” judgment” by Smokey is much like Locke making Ben take him to Jacob’s cabin. At the cabin, Locke was able to see and hear things Ben thought John was “too limited” for. I wonder what new knowledge Locke will acquired on this field trip? Is Locke’s insistence on going actually part of Ben’s “plan”… or has finally thrown away his playbook after his Smoke Encounters of the Weird Kind, underneath the Temple wall?
First Widmore wants to kill young Ben…then new mother Rousseau…then baby Alex. From Charles perspective, I’m curious as to who else exactly would be the “wrong” side of winning in the war?
Ben and Locke at the old New Otherton. Risk on the table… last thing they were doing before The Keam Team showed up. Light in Alex’s old room… is from Sun. Frank Lapidus is there too. Waiting for a dead Locke to appear, by orders of a dead (?) Christian Shepard. How did Frank know who Locke was if they never met? For one thing, I’m sure that word got back to him that Locke was the man who killed Naomi. Also, Frank does a pretty bang up job at memorizing manifests, with I’m sure he recalled a John Locke (Deceased) on the list.
John’s “got some ideas” how Sun can see Jin again even though he’s in 1977… Just like Ben told Jack before they left on Ajira 316. Are those “ideas” coming from the same “source”?
Just for a second, when Sun was told that Ben had to do something first before she was going to see her husband again, I thought he was going to kill her too. 🙂
Ben pushing Alex on the swing in a now New Otherton. When was this? Most likely, post purge, 1992 and beyond
Alex born : 1988
The Purge: December 19 , 1992 ( Ben’s thirtieth birthday)
The Crash : September 22, 2004
The Return : 2007
Charles said he was leader for over 30 years. ( The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham)
Charles said he has been trying to get back to The Island for almost 20 years
So, Charles was exiled after the purge. 2007-1992 = 15 years.
Originally from dialog, I thought…
Jughead : 1954 -1984 thirty years as leader.
Exiled in 1984, still trying to get to Island in 2007
2007-1984 = 23 years
But then again….
Maybe Richard came back in 1961, five years after Locke’s birth when he gave John “the test” and in frustration , made Charles permanent leader. So…
1961-1992 Leader of Others
1992- Exiled
2007- Searched for 15 years…kind of a stretch for “almost 20”
Probably making a “thing” out of this but ” Time is the Essence” . So, should I chalk this up to writer error or something else like what happened in Daniel’s rocket experiment when 31 minutes went “missing”? Please, any theories…love to hear them. 🙂
And speaking of Widmore exile who is the “Outsider” that Charles had a child with… and who is that child? And was it inevitable that Alex was going to die, whether by Charles orders or some other means (Course correction)? And if that is the case, recruit Juliet and tell her ” You’re mine!!” if she appears to be an “Outsider”? The only recruitment we have seen so far by The Others are of John and Juliet…both who are on The Island in the past…which means they were already here…? So, technically, they aren’t “Outsiders” but might just have been rounding up a couple of their own people? (Miles….help me out here! 😉 ) Or is it one of those “beyond science” issues, that
Daniel spoke about? Hmmm..
” I assure you Sun, I’m the same man I’ve always been.” says John Locke. Yeah but….To quote Hurley “Who is this guy?!” Or should we start saying ” What is this guy?!” John mysteriously wanders off after Ben pulls the plug to call Smokey. Red herring or another clue? Too soon to be sure.
Ben saved Locke’s phone that Widmore gave him. He dials up #23 and gets Charles on the phone. ” I’m going to kill you daughter” Ben tells him. And while he’s there, he shoots a grocery toting Desmond for good measure .”Our Mutual Friend” was almost the last thing Des did ever read… on the back of their boat. But instead, Des gives Ben the beating of his life ( and that’s sayin’ somethin’) and dumped in the ocean. 316 Mystery solved!
( Got to love LOST. Even when characters are hunting down the answers to time travel or their ultimate destinies… they still need to stop at the store.)
Locke, Sun and Ben going to the Temple… Well, the wall around the Temple. The real thing 1/2 a miles inward. Ben says that this was where he was healed. Thought he wouldn’t remember. Maybe someone told him… or maybe the forgetting part didn’t “take”?
Frank is back with the Ajira passengers, as any good pilot would. Ilana and her friends and more interested in knowing ” What lies in the shadow of the statue”. Sorry, Frank. No shadow…no snowman…no mercy. Ilana says ” Tell the others its time” . Question is ” Who are the others…and what is it time for”? Think maybe Walt dream of Locke in his suit about to get hurt is a part of it.
Ben and Locke under the wall. Room full of hieroglyphs. Some images…
Upside down ankh
A snake
An eye
A river
A staircase
Egyptian god Anubis, kneeling
A creature with a lighting body and dragon like face
Anubis looks subservient to the creature. The stairs are taken to get to Smokey. The eye (possibly the “eye of the island) is next to the “river” which are under the creature and Anubis. Perhaps these two are watching over the Island?
After his ” This if Your Life” experience. Ben “repented” and lived. 
Eko didn’t and died ( Seasons Three’s “The Cost of Living” ). But until we know what Smokey is… not sure who actually did the wise thing. ” Alex” caught Ben wanting to kill Locke again. But if he does anything other than follow, listen and do whatever Locke says…. ” Alex” will destroy Ben. ” She” , in the end, let Ben live. And this might be the thing that changes Ben permanently. Now, if it’s for the better, is yet to be seen.
And…
Biggest mystery of the episode : Why is one of the red shirts still wearing a lei ?
* Donald from Donald is Lost Podcast 🙂
K nocked out Jin wakes up to find little Ben with a gunshot wound on his right side? Mirror image or issue of character’s perception of events?
A aron just waking up, arriving at Cassidy’s house. Snoozing again, later on at hotel. Writers seem to make a point of Aaron’s sleeping habits in just about every episode he’s in. Why?
T une playing on Kate’s car stereo ” She’s Got You” by Patsy Cline. Her music has a propensity of popping up in Katecentric episodes. Perhaps because not only Ms. Kline died in a plane crash but she was also the wife of an abusive alcoholic. Will this be Kate’s fate as well… or at least, thinks it is?
( Lost Alums : ” Sweet Dreams” : (1985) Biopic about Patsy Cline, Starring Jessica Lange and Ed Harris…. also features a Mr. Carlton Cuse in the role of ” Sargent” . 8) )
H urley and Miles ” Time Travel Tussle” was mindbogglingly hilarious. Was like a sci fi version of Abbott and Costello’s ” Who’s On First”. And I love the fact that despite his initial frustration with Hugo’s POV, Miles still wanted to continue the discussion after Juliet kicked them out. “Hey, ask me some more questions about time travel!”
E verybody’s favorite island lullaby ” Catch a Falling Star ” is being sung by Kate as she walks up to Cassidy’s door for the first time. Christian sang it to Claire when she was little. Claire wanted the adoptive parents to sing it to her then unborn child. It was on the mobile at the Medical Station (The Staff) when Ethan took Claire there, after he kidnapped her. Now Kate is singing it. Claire wasn’t supposed to let Aaron be “Raised by AnOther ” until that nice couple from LA “showed up”. What if Claire isn’t “found” by Kate. Is Ms. Austen still part of that “nice couple” … or will Desmond’s vision come true? The only thing is… getting Aaron on the Island for that to happen…. unless he’s on the rescue chopper back?
R oger , Jack and Willie are the only janitors that had keys that could have let Sayid out. Maybe it’s Willie Nelson and the song in the season opener was recorded at Dharma Studios ? 🙂
I ngenious LeFleur makes it look so easy. Acted like he just met Kate and solved “The Case of the Missing Keys” in a minute’s time!
N oticed a ” No Soliciting” sign on Cassidy’s house. Not going to fall for any more “Salesmen”. Not sure about the whole “Sawyer jumped cuz’ he’s a coward” rant by Cassidy. Still think he did more for his friends than for himself… but might have played a small role in it. Another Lostie branded with the “Coward” label. Hmmm…
E xperience of how it all “turns out” hasn’t happened yet … but everything else has, past and future.
C an Jack save little Ben? Maybe…but he’s not going to. I guess Jack now knows that he believes in destiny. ( Question : Why is Dharma’s only known surgeon at the Looking Glass Station for the next couple days and why can’t they bring them back? )
A ppointed to the wrong jobs were Roger Linus and Kate Austen. Why Kate is now a “grease monkey” is for her protection… and Juliet can keep an eye on her. But I wonder if Roger really was meant for a more “prestigious” position, as he claims?
R oger seems to have “taken a shine” to Kate. Here’s a weird theory: Kate thinks she can never be “good” ( ” What Kate Did, Season 2) but still wants a family. What if she takes up with Mr. Linus, a man much like her dad and becomes… Ben’s “mom”? Aaron is “Sweet and kind and GOOD” , Kate tells his grandmother. But Ben, who is not… she might be able to work with him. Hey, it’s LOST. Ya never know! 🙂
O ld Jack apparently wasn’t much liked by Kate either. Ouch!
L ost Aaron at the grocery store, in search of a much needed milk… no wait…juice box. He’s found by Claire lookalike. Reality sets in for Kate. Or is that destiny?
E ventually , despite her best efforts, Juliet is resolved that little Ben will die. That is …unless they take him to The Others.
A ny of us can die” says Miles (according to time travel “rules” ) Season 5 Foreshadow alert?
N o , you’re all free to leave when ever you want. I’ll just shoot you in the leg”. Miles is on a roll in this episode! 🙂
D renched Jack in ethical battle with irate Juliet. Why did Jack come back to the Island? He doesn’t know..but he was supposed to.
C lementine details from Kate making Sawyer flustered… in a happy kinda way. 🙂
L ooks like Sawyer is letting ” Freckles” know that he is trying to save Ben for “her” . Presumptively for Juliet… but maybe a little for his own child, Clementine, too.
A aron , as we discover, is with Carole Littleton, so Kate can go back to the Island to find his mother. Excellent…Kudos to the writers!
I nto Hostile territory go Kate, Sawyer and a nearly dead Benjamin Linus. It’s not too long before they “meet their acquaintance “.
R ichard Alpert steps in and says that he can “help” Ben … but he won’t remember what happened to him, he will “lose his innocence” and will never be the same, permanently making him an Other. And it looked like Richard couldn’t wait to get started and is Temple bound. Mr. Alpert = Creeptastic! However, Ellie and Charles most likely won’t approve of this. But Richard says he doesn’t answer to them. So, who does he answer to, then? Have a pretty good idea who. Ellie, being most likely Eloise Hawking, is supposedly Daniel’s mother (but she never fesses up to it) . If this is the case, does that mean Daniel is an Islander and will a younger version of him show up soon? And if is true, why no nosebleeds? Is it because of Desmond, his constant? Is it because he “built an immunity” at Oxford, doing all those experiments without a helmet on? And could his being there, as both a child and an adult… help usher in ” The Incident” ? And knowing this, is this why Daniel made himself “gone” or did something/someone else?
E nds with a now conscious Ben facing a now alive Locke. Umm…Bygones?
After all that, now I need a juice box too. Grape, if you got it. 🙂
,
Flourishing thoughts about last night’s (IMO) sweetly fragrant episode.
The 4 toes statue appears to be … Anubis , half man/ half jackel Egyptian god of the underworld/afterlife and mummification . Perhaps that is why I thought Montand’s arm looked mummified, lying next to the Temple after one of the flashes in ” This Place is Death”. Horus, the falcon god (Horace?) is his possible brother.( Hurley bird?) Horus was known for his four sons. Will this birth of this son with Amy be another of many “special” children? * Desmond had to take care of his three brother when his father…. we don’t know….lol. Wonder if there is any connection… and if it has anything to do with Widmore’s animosity towards Des?
* There is also a strong possibility that it could also be Tawaret . According to mythology, was an Egyptian hippopotamus(?) goddess of fertility and protected mothers and children. ( Thanks, Donald! 🙂 ) And on this Island… there is clearly a birthing problem.
So, what happened to the statue? I think it either has something to do with the volcano, “The Incident” or could be one in the same.
Horace and Olivia Goodspeed… um… what happened to them? Another theory : Two men were killed by James and Juliet. Paul’s body was representing only one death. Did the other come from more “justice” that needed to be done? Is this what happened to Olivia and Charlotte? I mentioned this a few weeks ago on the podcast. I put up the idea that Horace and Olivia were Charlotte’s parents. Horace had Olivia and Charlotte leave the Island as part of the “truce” that were concocted by Richard and him. Charlotte was very young, Maybe the “scary man” that Charlotte saw that night that told her that if she came back she would die, wasn’t Daniel after all , especially because he was mumbling that he won’t tell her . That she crossed a memory of waving to Dan on the bench with the memory of the man who actually told her this news soon afterwards… Richard Alpert.
Paul, Amy’s first husband, had an ankh, which is the Egyptian hieroglyphic symbol for “eternal life”. And maybe why Horace was so broken up and angry about finding, asking whether 3 years was enough to get over someone, wasn’t just about Amy and Paul. It might have been about his guilt over he and Olivia ( and Charlotte too) . Eh, could be wrong…fun to think about anyways. 🙂
There was a red headed woman named Heather’s home that Sawyer and the gang were hiding out when Richard showed up. Maybe she’s Charlotte’s mom? Ya never know…
Jack had a reel to reel tape recorder/player in his apartment, just like the security station in New Otherton ( 316). Curious as to why…
Seems like the name James/Jim for Sawyer is here to stay…for now 🙂
Speaking of names, the nicknames were coming fast and furious last night : Plato, Boss, Hoss, Enos, Bonzai
Jim Le Fleur using the same “our boat crashed/ Tahiti story similar to the one Danielle Rousseau told… Black Rock talk too…excellent!
Sonic fence clearly not on full power (as Horace told them later to make sure it was after the Alpert ” negotiations” . No foaming/bleeding like good ol’ 
Mikhail.
Rosie (repeat name) and Jerry groovin’ in security station. Song is another one that I can’t find reference to (The other one Jin was playing in van in “316”) Is this the music of Geronimo Jackson? ( Any help on this, as well as the logo on Rosie’s shirt, would be much appreciated 🙂 * Update: T-shirt logo is for Geronimo Jackson. KC/Lost Tidbit and Thomas Clancy found out that the song was ” Candida” (1971) by Tony Orlando and Dawn. Thank you both! 8) ) Jerry and Phil’s patches with five point star , as were Miles’ , Jin’s and Jim La Fleur : Head of Security’s patches. ” New sheriff in town, boys!” Jin had red five point star on his shirt collar in ” TPID” …. foreshadowing? Who knows….lol
Juliet apparently knows the inner workings of both the human body… and a Dharma van. Jules= grease monkey 8)
Juliet helping pregnant woman deliver healthy baby… *tear*
Grid 133 didn’t work , trying Grid 134 next… 1+3+4= 8
Jin and now Sawyer in ” the waiting room” for Aaron’s birth as well as Horace and Amy’s son’s arrival. Significance? ( The only one missing was Charlie 😦
Horace with Arrow patch – the “war room” hatch, so to speak. His title : Mathematician. Also in the running as the “smart man” that Ms. Hawking could be speaking of who built the pendulum that helped find the Island.
” That fence might keep other things out, but not us. ” Richard to Horace. To quote 
Michael Dawson from LTDA, ” Who ARE you people?!”
“Your buddy out there with the eyeliner. ” Sawyer’s description of Mr. Alpert. Classic!
Loved the scene with Juliet and Sawyer at the submarine. Got me to thinking, Juliet wasn’t the only who decided to not go back. James could have gotten to his parents two years prior to the affair/murder/suicide that devastated his life… and didn’t. Hmmm….
” Wherever we are now …whenever we are now…we’re here for good” a distraught Daniel Faraday *hug*
The gang is almost back together again… and a love rhombus is on the horizon.
And lastly…
How DO you get to be “Dharma material”?
In 1954, Richard is wearing his dark blue , button down shirt and dark pants.
In 1956, Richard is decked out in dapper suit to witness Locke’s birth.
In 1961, Richard is in a similar apparel, dark business suit, when testing 5 year old John.
In late 70’s/early 80’s, Richard is wearing rather antiquated, even “piratey” type wardrobe
In 1992 ( approx) Richard stayed in handmade garments during The Purge
IN 2004-5, back to the dark blue, button down shirt and dress pants… but changed back to the to when Locke was to become “leader” of The Others at the end of Season 4 finale.
The the Island moves…
Post flash…Richard is back , helping Locke remove the bullet from his leg, in his dark blue button shirt again.
Why does this matter? Where/when did these styles of clothing originate? Did he get the more modern apparel in the future? In the 1950’s when the army landed on the Island? Did he go shopping during some “down time” doing one of Ben’s “errands” ?
I know, it may seem silly and inconsequential…but maybe not. Maybe it’s just telling us that when given the opportunity, Mr. Alpert likes to be a real snappy dresser? 🙂 Or maybe it is the key to telling us how long Richard’s been there… and how old he really is?
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