Terry O'Quinn is Shopping Around a New Show with Michael Emerson

Terry O'Quinn is Shopping Around a New Show with Michael Emerson

With the right vehicle, it could be great! I love these two actors together. Now all we need is a show with Ken Leung and Jorge Garcia.

Lighthouse

I apologize for being a day later in posting than I like to be. Last night I just didn't feel good enough to actually put any thoughts to blog. But I'm better now, and here goes:

Perhaps I would have been more likely to write had I been blown away by the episode, but I wasn't. I must confess that I have a prejudice against the tried and trite typical troubled television teenager. And what else could be said about David Shephard other than that when we first met him? That may have blinded my impressions of the show and kept me from enjoying it as much as I would have normally. But I've thought about it, and I get where the episode was trying to go, and I think it mostly got there.

Jack in 2004

It wasn't surprising to hear Jack's conversation with his neurotic mother on the phone, but it was surprising when he drove to pick his son up at school. It's clear the relationship between the two is as strained as Jack's relationship with his own father, but it's not clear why. Even when David explains that his father was just too into his piano playing, it just seemed odd. But it's clear Jack cares about his son and wants to be closer. He's startled when his mother, seemingly self-centered, notes that David might be as terrified of Jack as Jack was of Christian. And so it was. Jack was also told he didn't have what it takes, and David was afraid of letting his father down. Jack saves the day, telling his son he'll love him no matter what. At last, Jack gets something right.

Did it seem to you that Jack just noticed that he has an appendectomy scar? According to his mother, he had the surgery as a boy. Or a man when marooned on an Island. Whichever. He also seemed to recognize Claire's name when his mother asked about her. And are the Others just all over the place or what? Lastly, unless the new timeline had Jack and Sarah meet at a different time, I doubt she is the mother of David. Sarah had the accident that led to her meeting Jack in approximately 2001, way too late to become the mother of a 16-year-old. Maybe Jack's meeting Sarah broke up his marriage with David's mother? And did you notice Jack turning down a drink?

Jack in 2007

Jack in 2007 was far more interesting than he was in 2004 - to me. I was actually impressed when Jack told Sayid about the infection - I presume he also told Sayid about Claire, but if so, we didn't see it.

But Jack's story this week was intertwined with Hurley's attempt to get Jack to do something. Of course Jack refused to go with Hugo, but Jacob's magic words, "You have what it takes", changed his mind.

Jack has one goal in following Hurley - to talk to Jacob. Even knowing that Jacob is dead. And why did Jack want to see Jacob? Perhaps his answer to Hurley about why he returned to the Island might shed some light on this: "I came back here because I was broken, and I was stupid enought to think this place could fix me." As bitter as he sounds, I think he's still hoping for some healing. And someone who cares enough to say, "You have what it takes", the opposite of what his father always told him, might have what it takes to either be healed or heal himself.

But Jacob is a no show - after all, Hurley and Miles are the only ones able to communicate with the dead. And in helping Hurley set the compass (or whatever) to 108 degrees, Jack sees his name at 23 degrees, and insists that they move the whatever it was to 23 degrees. And is horrified to see his childhood home. "What does he want from me?" Jack then does what Jack does best (just ask Sawyer) - he reacts, and destroys the mirror.

But Jacob's okay with that. As he and Hurley watch Jack stare out into the ocean, Jacob acknowledges that he wanted Jack to see what was in the mirror. "It was the only way for him to understand how important he is." I assume we'll see how Jack takes to that lesson later.

Hurley in 2007

Hurley was certainly my favorite part of the whole episode. At last, we got to spend time with him, and how delightful it was! Unlike all the other characters, Hurley actually asks questions, and he's become strong enough to stand up for himself, to Dogen and Jack (both with Jacob's help), and even to Jacob.

Hurley's showdown with Dogen was classic. "I'm a candidate and I can do whatever I want." He almost said it with conviction too. He clearly didn't believe Jacob, as noted when he said, "I just lied to a samarai." Then Hurley's initial attempt to get Jack to accompany him, "Be cool, man. Act natural." Oh, Hurley, you could never work for the CIA, could you?

Hurley again spoke for the audience as he and Jack surveyed the caves where they had stayed so long ago. Gazing at the skeletons, Hurley wonders, "What if these skeletons are us?" Maybe they are Hurley, maybe they are.

Otherwise, he's an unwilling witness to Jack learning a lesson. After confronting Jacob, he suddenly realized, "Did you want Jack to see what was in that mirror?" Well, yes, Hurley, because while you can be convinced during a short cab ride, Jack needs to internalize. He's slower than you are.

Claire in 2007

Wow, wacko Claire! With unpretty, dirty hair. She's got a crib with some kind of animal skin baby, and barely a shelter to call home. She clearly recognizes Jin, and takes good care of his wounds, but her eyes and her words indicate that she's far more disturbed than Danielle Rousseau ever thought of being. Convinced by her father and her friend that the Others are keeping Aaron from her, she decides to torture the surviving Other. She almost stops when Jin tells her that Kate has Aaron, but whack! the Other is killed in the most shocking scene of the night. Oh, Claire, what has happened to you these past three years?

It's a good thing that Jin changed his story about who has Aaron, because, "If Kate were raising Aaron, I'd have to kill her." Why, Claire? After all, you're the one who disappeared, leaving Aaron with Sawyer and Miles. When notLocke walks into her shelter, she tells Jin, "This isn't John, this is my friend." And that ain't good.

Dogen in 2004

It seemed like every time we turned around in The Substitute we saw someone we knew. Not so this week, which focused almost exclusively on Jack's family. Instead, the only familiar face we saw was Dogen, the father of another pianist auditioning for a spot at a conservatory. These kids are under too much pressure, right?

Dogen in 2007

We never saw Dogen's interpreter this time, even when he confronted Hurley about trying to escape. He and Jack have a leader-to-leader moment of honesty, and proves his intentions to keep Jack and Hurley at the Temple. But even he was powerless in the face of Hurley's candidacy. A Japanese threat ensued, and Dogen was seen no more.

Jacob in 2007

I must admit that I thoroughly enjoy Jacob, and I love his interactions with Hurley. I don't love how he was manipulative of Hurley, though given the way Hurley can't tell a lie well, I can understand why he did. I look forward to more Jacob in later episodes.

Jin in 2007

Jin again gets more lines in one episode than he ever did last season combined. Daniel Dae Kim did an excellent job of showing Jin's growing concern turn to outright fear as he watched the once sweet Claire murder a man for essentially nothing. With the evidence before him, he must have decided that Claire needs to go to the Temple. This makes me a little nervous - what is your endgame on this one, Jin?

Kate in 2007

Kate gets a small role this episode, nearly shooting Jack when he startles her in the jungle. For the first time ever, she doesn't follow Jack and Hurley. Heck, maybe she didn't join them because she was invited. Who knows with Kate? Instead, she's going to find Claire, because, after all, that should be easy. She's warned, however, that Claire might be changed, but she doesn't appear to take this as seriously as she perhaps should.

Miles in 2007

We saw Miles play tic-tac-toe with Hurley. It's a boring game when it always ends in a tie. That's it. I saw in another blog and I must repeat, did Ken Leung have a DUI that we don't know about? Because we're clearly not getting enough Miles-time.

Sayid in 2007

Like Miles, Sayid gets one scene, but at least he got some lines. Apparently all the Others know that Sayid is infected, and their stares are making him uncomfortable. Imagine that.

Theories

Compare and contrast Jacob's interactions with Hurley as opposed to what we learned about notLocke's interactions with Claire. Both lied to one of our heroes, both manipulate, both are mysterious. But Jacob lacks the sinister air that follows notLocke. And while Jacob's lie to Hurley helped Jack realize his importance, notLocke's lies to Claire only seemed to result in dead Others. After Lighthouse, I feel a little more clear on whether Jacob is good and whether notLocke is evil. The details of their conflict, of course, are still a mystery.

The numbers attached to our heroes returned again. I didn't discuss them much last week, partially because I found notLocke's explanation for them unsatisfying, "Jacob likes numbers" indeed. At first, I thought that the numbers were inconsistent, but no, Jack was 23 on the cavern wall and 23 on the compass thingie. I still have no idea what, if anything, they mean.

It doesn't help that I don't keep up with the numbers. I seen some rumblings on other blogs from people who do keep up with the numbers that they are different in the 2004 flash sideways. That would be interesting to explore.

Jack's issues with his father ran rampant through this episode, with Jack in one timeline confronted with his son's fear of disappointing Jack, and Jacob telling Jack that he does have what it takes. Jack's father issues have always gotten in his way, and perhaps being confronted with seeing the mirror version of his childhood home and hearing he is competent, in combination with developing a better relationship with his son than his father ever did with Jack, will help heal him enough that he can do whatever it is that Jacob needs him to do.

A lot of through the looking glass in this episode, with Jack again staring at himself in a mirror to find an unexpected wound or scar on his body. Staring at his childhood home in the mirror (or whatever) in the lighthouse. And how great that the key to David's home was under a rabbit?

I'll be curious to see what y'all think!

Theories about The Incident

Well, it's the night before another episode of Lost (I didn't need Brian to remind me this time), and I thought I'd post a few comments and thoughts.

I've read all the comments left after my post on The Substitute, and it sparked some thoughts. I ran them by Brian today (hi, Brian!), because I knew it would help my thoughts crystallize into an almost coherent idea.

First, I've been thinking of the Incident as the event when the DHARMA Initiative found the electromagnetic mess that required the buttons to be pressed every 108 minutes and Juliet caused Jughead to explode. But I think the Incident actually is a combination of events from 1977 and 2007: the explosion of Jughead and the murder of Jacob. I think that those two events make up the Incident.

I have no idea why it created the two sideways of time, but somehow it has. Or perhaps it was the touch of Jacob that changed things. And that's what I think happened in the Incident - things changed. I wondered as I drove home if our people on the Oceanic 815 have been stuck in some sort of Moebius loop - one of the loops that never ends and never begins. But something is different on this loop, either Jughead or Jacob's touch.

Something Brian said today made me wonder when Jacob started touching our people. The only two he touched as children were James and Kate. According to Lostpedia (I have to trust it - I don't have time to watch all the episodes myself to figure out these details), Jacob visited James in 1976, and Kate in the early 1980s. In other words, Jacob touched the young James while the adult LaFleur was striking fear in the hearts of DHARMA security on the Island. Did Jacob figure out a way to stop the loop? Or to save the Island?

Or, does the murder of Jacob mean that no one was touched, and no candidates were around to save the Island? So, at some point, it sank in the ocean?

I don't know. As you can tell, my thoughts are still quite nebulous, and I am perfectly aware that events in tomorrow night's episode may change all my theories. I believe in being adaptable.

Before I sign off, I want to thank everyone for not pointing out the obvious last week - John Locke is a substitute [teacher] in 2004. Hence, the title. Right?

The Substitute

You know, I was once asked in an interview, "If you were a candle, what part would you be?" I didn't get the job. I'm glad I didn't get the job.

John Locke's interview with Lynn Karnoff was amusing on several levels, but sadly, I only picked up on the obvious. But thank goodness for the internet, because I learned that Lynn Karnoff in a different timeline was hired by Hurley's father in Tricia Tanaka is Dead to convince Hurley that she can erase the curse from the numbers. Hurley figured it out and stormed out. Pretty funny, hunh?

I thought this was a fabulous episode, but then aren't all John Locke-centric episodes? Here are some thoughts:

John Locke in 2004

Rose sees John as in denial over his paralysis, but I believe that he is actually bordering between denial and anger. He is angry at anyone who might hint that he can't do what he wants to do. He refuses to park in the handicapped spot at work, even though it would give his van room to open with his wheelchair ramp. He tries to get off the broken wheelchair ramp, even though Helen was inside and could have helped.

And who wasn't surprised when Helen just popped out of the house to help John? They're engaged? The wedding is in a month? And John's father is on the invite list? Is this the same Anthony Cooper we know and hate? Or is this a foster father perhaps? If it is Cooper, did he not con his son out of a kidney and push his son out a window to paralyze him? I guess we'll learn that answer later. Hopefully.

But Helen was a welcome surprise. She had left John because of his obsession with his father. I guess if John wasn't obsessed with his con artist father, then there's no reason for Helen to dump John.

But there's still trouble in paradise. John lies to Helen (just like he does to his boss) about the walkabout. He doesn't tell her he'd been fired immediately. But he faces up to his lies, and it seems the lies are all related to his anger at his paralysis, and his lack of hope in a miracle leading to his walking again.

In this timeline, John doesn't believe in destiny or miracles. And somehow, that just seems sad. It's Helen who thinks it's destiny that John met a spinal surgery. John thinks it's just a dream. But the wedding is still on, and Helen shows how much she loves John. I think they make a good couple.

John Locke in 2007

Locke is finally buried in this episode. Sun puts aside her own desire to reunite with Jin to make sure that Locke was buried with the other fatalities after the crash of Oceanic 815. I guess this means I can stop hoping that John's eyes will pop open at any time.

notLocke in 2007

I don't tend to think of Locke and notLocke as sharing anything but a body, but it turns out that they both hate being told what they cannot do. Is there some of Locke in notLocke? Did some of John's personality transfer over? Or are they that much alike and that's the real reason Mr. Smoke Monster selected John?

We learned more about the nature of notLocke last night. It turns out that traveling as the Smoke Monster is pretty cool looking. From Ilana we learned that notLocke is now stuck in John's form. I wonder why? Ilana also believes that notLocke is recruiting, but she didn't say what for.

When asked by James what he was, his answer was most revealing:

What I am is trapped, and I've been trapped for so long that I don't even remember what it's like to be free. Maybe you can understand that. But before I was trapped, I was a man, James. Just like you...I know what it's like to feel joy...to feel pain, anger, fear...to experience betrayal. I know what it's like to lose someone you love.

Although James notes that notLocke wasn't scared, the presence of the boy whose arms were sometimes bloody clearly shook him. He is also surprised to learn that James could see the boy. Despite the fact that notLocke can travel as the Smoke Monster, he chooses to chase him on foot, resulting in a big trip. And then a warning, "You know the rules. You can't kill him." What did that mean?

Richard told James that notLocke would kill Sawyer, but a trip down Jacob's ladder (everyone's calling them that) showed that notLocke needs James alive, at least right now. I'll talk about the cave below, but the scene showed a master manipulator at work. James may be a con man, but I suspect notLocke is too.

Ben Linus in 2004

If you had asked me whether we'd see Ben in 2004, I'd have said no way! But there he is, complaining about his fellow teachers who just can't seem to remember to throw away the coffee grounds! But he seems pleased when the new substitute teacher wants the more civilized Earl Grey tea (Jean-Luc Picard's beverage of choice, by the way). So, welcome world, to Benjamin Linus, European history. This is going to be good. I've got some theories below.

Ben Linus in 2007

Honestly, I can't blame Ben for lying to Ilana about who killed Jacob. However, his lengthy pause before answering is clue enough to the observant listener that he lied. Ben will probably argue that he wouldn't have killed Jacob without notLocke's manipulation. But even Ben seems to know no one believes his lies. He's slipping.

A lot of people in the blogosphere assumed that Ben would follow notLocke wherever he went, but this episode showed otherwise. Why didn't Ben follow notLocke? Why didn't notLocke want Ben to follow him? Does notLocke need Jacob's candidates, a group to which Ben does not belong, perhaps? Instead, Ben sticks with Ilana, Sun, and Frank, and ends up helping Frank tote John's body to the cemetary.

The money shot of the whole episode was Ben's eulogy. I feel it was heartfelt. I feel bad for the pain that Ben is suffering now, and I do believe he is. How could he not? His whole world and his whole understanding of the world is now radically altered, and he has been as much a patsy as the mover of things. All that's left is the patsy, and that must leave a bitter taste in his mouth. Here's the eulogy:

Alright, I know him. John Locke was a...a believer, he was a man of faith...he was...a much better man than I will ever be. And I'm very sorry I murdered him.

James Ford in 2007

Josh Holloway continues to delight in his interpretation of James Ford. He could have been just a redneck grifter, but there's so much more to the character than that. His lack of surprise at seeing the dead John Locke. His quick understanding, despite probably being totally sauced, that this is notLocke, "Who are you? 'Cause you sure as hell ain't John Locke...'Cause Locke was scared." I'm going to assume that this quick assessment comes from his practice as a con artist.

I guess that Sawyer finds the idea of following notLocke in the jungle more appealing than drinking lots of whiskey and wearing just his underwear. He doesn't follow Richard, despite Richard's warning that notLocke will eventually kill James and everyone James cares for. The only person James cares for is now dead, so the latter isn't likely to change his mind. But James is not suicidal, as we saw in his scary trip down Jacob's ladder. How will they get out of that cave, anyway? But I was truly concerned that Richard's prediction would come true and the ladders were just notLocke's way of killing James.

Someone wrote in a blog or in a comment to someone else's blog that you can't con a con man, but they've forgotten that Ben did con Sawyer on the Hydra Island in the third season. I'm sure that notLocke is conning James, but I also believe that unlike Sawyer on the Hydra Island, James is walking in with both eyes open.

Frank Lapidus in 2007

There wasn't much from Frank tonight, except for the night's best line, "Weirdest damn funeral I've ever been to." Really, Frank?

Hugo Reyes in 2004

What a happy man Hugo is! I wonder if he is ever called Hurley in this time line?

Hugo's personality is still the same, pointing out to John that he could have parked in the handicapped spot. And his own amusement that he actually owns a company. But what a take-charge guy he is, giving John the number to his temp agency for another job "pronto". But then the kicker, "And chin up. Things are gonna work out." This guy's a real optimist.

Ilana in 2007

Unlike Ben, I think that Ilana cried because of the death of Jacob, not because of her cohorts. I could be wrong. She's hard to read, so I can't tell if she knows Ben is lying to her about who killed Jacob.

She must wonder what crazy group she's attached herself to. First, instead of retreating to the safety of the Temple, they have to bury John. And when they do bury John, no one wants to eulogize him, and the one that finally does admits he murdered the dead man.

Ilana seems to know a lot about the Island and its occupants. She knew that Sun searched for Jin, even though Sun has never confided in her. She knows about the Temple. She knows about the ashes. She knows what notLocke is up to. Now, if only the people around her would be smart enough to start asking the right questions!

Randy Nations in 2004

Hugo is right. Randy is still a huge douche.

Richard Alpert in 2007

I've never seen Richard so shaken and scared as he has been since realizing notLocke's identity. It's nice that he stopped and tries to rescue James from notLocke, but he runs like a scared rabbit at notLocke's approach.

I'm sure notLocke wasn't the only one disappointed that Jacob never shared his plans or thoughts with Richard. And Richard seemed okay with not knowing why Jacob wanted certain things done. With knowing nothing. What's wrong with the people on this Island?

Rose Nadler in 2004

One question answered - Rose still has terminal cancer. But pretty cool that she works for Hugo. And I bet she's really good at her job. Just watching the way she handles John's unrealistic expectation of becoming a construction supervisor was great. Her level gaze and this, "But eventually I got past the denial part and I got back to living whatever life I've got left."

If I have terminal cancer, I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be working. I'm just saying.

Theories

The Boy

Who is this boy? Why didn't Richard see him? Can only Jacob's candidates see him? Or notLocke's recruits? And why does he scare notLocke so? I've seen some theories that the boy might be an older Aaron or a younger Jacob or John Locke.

The Rules

What are these rules anyway? Are the rules between Ben and Widmore the same as the rules between Jacob and the Man in Black? What does "You can't kill him" mean, anyway? He's impossible to kill or it's wrong to kill him? And is "him" Jacob?

The Cave

Why would Jacob write down the names of his candidates on the roof of that isolated cavern? And why attach numbers to the names? According to notLocke, a not necessarily reliable source, the names were of people that Jacob has touched. Some names are scribbled out. And what are the candidates, anyway? What are they candidates of? Remember that Ilana said that Frank might be a candidate. Several things to note: Austen was never shown. A lot of people are convinced that this is significant. Ryan McGee from Zap2it saw Littleton scribbled out. Is that Aaron or Claire? The names notLocke pointed out to James are (in no particular order):

• 23 Shephard
• 8 Reyes
• 16 Jarrah
• 42 Kwon (but unknown which - maybe it's both?)
• 4 Locke (scribbled out by notLocke)
• 15 Ford

As notLocke pointed the names out, we were taken back to The Incident, where we saw Jacob touching each of the named persons. notLocke tells James that by Jacob's touch, Jacob was taking away all free will from the touched, causing them to act in ways that would lead them straight to the Island. And what is the successful candidate supposed to do? Well, according to notLocke, three things:

1. Do nothing, die, and get your name scribbled off.
2. Protect the Island, essentially from nothing.
3. Leave, with notLocke.

No surprise that Sawyer picked the latter. I'm curious to see how this turns out.

Others Elementary School

The last person I was expecting to see in the teachers' lounge was Benjamin Linus, who, frankly, seems quite pedantic in this timeline. Some bloggers believe they also saw Harper, Goodwin's wife, in the lounge as well, but I didn't spot her. If we see other Others....

But Ben's presence at the school brings a lot of questions. How did he get there? How much did Jughead change? A lot of us just assumed that the only thing Jughead would change for the Oceanic 815ers is that the plane would not crash. This is clearly not true. We saw the Island submerged, and I assumed that the Island sank as a result of Jughead. If so, then Ben would have sunk with it, since he was with the Others/Hostiles during the Incident (surely if Ben had been "found" and put into the submarine something would have been said). So, at what point did the Island sink? Was Ben ever on the Island? Had this Ben been shot by Sayid and treated at the Temple?

Hopefully more answers will be forthcoming. I didn't sense any glance of recognition between Ben and John similar to the recognition we saw between Kate and Jack and Jack and Desmond earlier. Other bloggers did see it however. I'll be curious to see what y'all think about that.

What Kate Does was all about relationships. This episode was too, but with a heaping helping of mythology and leads to potential answers too. There's so much to think about, that I feel like I left something major out. Let me know what it is. I hate forgetting things. In the meantime, I look forward to seeing your comments!

Jimmy Fallon Gets 'Lost' in 'Late'

I'm going to take a guess that Jimmy Fallon likes Lost. This is really funny.

Jimmy Fallon Gets 'Lost' in 'Late'

Tomorrow Night - The Substitute

I always think it's a little dangerous to pay a lot of attention to the titles of Lost episodes, but I do enjoy contemplating what they might mean.

Who's the substitute of tomorrow night's episode? Well, I think it is most likely notLocke taking Locke's place. The previews for tomorrow night showed notLocke interacting with James "Sawyer" Ford (Locke called Sawyer "James" and I just assume his doppelganger will as well). Perhaps Sawyer is a substitute for Ben?

Depending on what it means when someone is "claimed", you could argue that Claire has been substituted by something or someone, and that something or someone is about to substitute for Sayid. This will be interesting to observe.

Of course, Kate has acted as a substitute mother to Aaron. When will Claire (or whomever) discover that?

Just a few odd notes. I've not refered to the promo shots that were released by Lost earlier. Since I've switched to a Mac, I've not been able to figure out how to steal - I mean download! - pictures for your viewing pleasure. So I'll just have to give you a link to look at: http://www.bscreview.com/wp-content/gallery/lost-last-supper-3/lost-last-supper-poster-3.jpg. Oddly enough I couldn't find the picture on the ABC website. Whatever.

The picture is of our Lost characters placed in a "Last Supper" pose. Although I love Renaissance art, I've never studied this work enough to know who is whom. But it turns out I don't need to study it - all the other Lost fans can fill me in on this! The only two posers I'll comment on tonight are Locke/notLocke and Sayid (soon to be notSayid?). Locke, of course, is in Jesus's spot (I actually didn't need to be told that - I'm not that ignorant!). But what I didn't know is that Sayid is in Judas's spot. When I first read this, before learning that Sayid was "claimed", I didn't quite understand his placement. But now it makes me ponder. Does Sayid have to become notSayid (perhaps Jacob?) to defeat notLocke? Is that why Jacob looked so hard at Sayid in the first episode of the season?

Last thought. Last week I stared at the flirty mechanic who freed Kate from her handcuffs for a small fee. The man was absolutely familiar to me, but his name wasn't in the credits. I thought perhaps I was losing my mind. But I read today that the mechanic was played by an uncredited Jeff Kober. Kober is most famous to me for playing not one but two roles on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. My favorite role he played was Rack, a magic dealer. And by magic dealer, I mean like a drug dealer. And if you watch Lost you really can't make fun of Buffy storylines. I'm just saying.

What Kate Does

Last night's episode was a lot slower than last week's, but it still had a lot of emotional resonance for me. There were several scenes last night that reminded me of how much I love the characters of this show, faults and all.

My goal is to not do a recap. I promise! So, tonight, I'm going to do something a little different. I'm going to go character by character, and then to a few thoughts and theories. Because it was Kate's story, and we saw Claire in both time lines, I'll start with them. Afterward, I think alphabetical should be adequate.

Kate in 2004

After how Kate essentially manhandled Claire and the taxi driver, I was happy that the compassion that has marked Kate since we've known her is still there. Looking in Claire's bag made her realize what she did to the woman, so she does what she always does - a very stupid thing. Oh, it was a kind thing, but also stupid. If you are a woman on the run from the law, you don't go back to the victims of your crime and taxi them around the city. The two women quickly bonded, a bond like the one they had on the Island. So Kate was there when Claire found out the adoptive parents didn't want her baby and when the baby tried to come four weeks early. The two even held hands when it seemed that Aaron's heart had stopped. When the police came by to ask Claire about "Joan Hart", Claire claimed she didn't know where Kate had gone.

There wasn't much else that marked Kate's time in 2004 except these;
- Kate's lingering gaze at Jack as she seemed to recognize...something. They did bump into each other on the plane, but I doubt she was paying much attention to his face while stealing his pen. So Jack isn't the only one who feels something in 2004.
- Kate looked as surprised as I did when Claire yelled in the hospital, "Is Aaron okay?" If Kate recognized Jack, she certainly responded to the name of the little boy that she raised as her son for three years.

Kate in 2007

Kate remained characteristic in 2007 too. Of course she was going to follow Sawyer, even after he asked her not to, and of course, she didn't have a clear plan of action for after finding him. I know I don't like Kate all the time, but I've never blamed Evangeline Lily, and I found her performance last night to be remarkable. With Kate, it's always the expression in her eyes. She follows Sawyer to LaFleur's house, and, seeing his heavy emotion, she tries to leave. At the dock, her face falls completely as she hears how much Sawyer loved Juliet, and when he leaves, she starts crying.

Have we ever seen Kate cry like that? She has faced rejection and anger from both Sawyer and Jack before, but I don't think I've ever seen her cry in response. Why did she cry? Because she realized how much Sawyer loved Juliet? Because she realized that she gave up Aaron not just to find Claire but also to find Sawyer? And she realized that the latter might not be interested in being found by her? Because she realized there was nothing she could do to ease Sawyer's pain? Or did Sawyer's statement that "Some of us were meant to be alone" hit home?

For some reason, it is Kate's tears that made the biggest impression on me when looking at her story (I had other impressions, just not about Kate). I noticed that a number of reviewers didn't even mention it in their recaps or comments, but I think it is significant. Perhaps Kate will finally understand that there are consequences to everything, and some things just can't be swept away. We'll see.

Claire in 2004

Well, she was quite pregnant, wasn't she? And quite brave to get back in a car with a woman who had held her at gunpoint. But, regardless of how unrealistic it was, I'm glad she did it. I think she realized that something was up with the adoptive parents when they didn't show up to pick her up, which, of course, was confirmed after a visit with a teary-eyed would-be mother. Kate was right - she should have called. I hope she pays for Claire's transportation and medical costs.

Watching Claire cope with the fact that the adoption fell through, I thought back to Season 1, when Richard Malkin arranged the adoption. We don't know if in this 2004 Richard Malkin even exists for Claire, but if he does, did he know the Bascombs would fall through? Does Aaron still need to be raised by Claire?

Claire was as surprised as we were when she yelled out, "Is Aaron okay?" Yet another connection to the pre-Jughead reality we know and love.

Claire in 2007

My mouth nearly fell open when Dogen told Jack his sister has been consumed by the darkness that will soon take over Sayid. I keep thinking back to her last scenes in Season Four. Her home exploded. She appeared alive and well, and accompanied Sawyer and Miles into the jungle. I don't remember this, but other bloggers do - Miles kept looking at Claire in that way of his (like he did with Sayid last week and last night). Was he watching the darkness inhabit her body? Claire wakes up by the fireside to see her father holding Aaron. She then disappears, without Aaron, to be seen by Locke in Jacob's cabin with Christian. She was very odd, and very cryptic.

So what, if anything, infected her? The explosion? Christian? Jacob? The Man in Black? Is Christian infected?

Three years later, she is the Rousseau of the Island, apparently doing what she can to rid the Island of the Others. (And who didn't cheer when Aldo bit it?). Why she shot just the two Others and not Jin doesn't really make sense to me, since she didn't seem to recognize him until afterward. Perhaps she only shoots people who aren't in her traps.

Do the Others think she has the darkness because she tries to hurt them? Or does she try to hurt the Others because she has the darkness?

And I also thought of my friend Brian (hi Brian!) when looking at Claire in 2007. She's the first of many who did not have dirty, pretty hair. I'm just saying.

Dogen

At last, we get a name, and yet another reason why he refuses to speak English to people who only understand English. I wonder, is he still like Pat Morita in The Karate Kid?

Dogen seems to fit right in with the Others, doing horrible things (like torturing Sayid) in the belief that what he is doing is too important to not do. He seemed to recognize that Jack (not Hurley as Miles claims) was the true leader, and seemed to respect him as such, eventually giving Jack more answers in less than five minutes than Jack has gotten in over three years.

But before he "respected" Jack, he tried to manipulate him, using Jack's obvious weaknesses to convince Jack to give Sayid a poison pill. Maybe Dogen gave Jack respect because Jack fall for it. Of course, it also appears that Dogen knows more about Jack than Jack knows about himself (of course, most people know more about Jack than Jack does, but that's a different story). But Dogen was upfront with Jack, giving Jack his understanding of what is happening to Sayid.

Dogen was brought to the Island just like Jack was. Did he come on the Black Rock with Richard?

Ethan Goodspeed

One of the problems with digital television and DVRs is that the show descriptions sometimes gives away a Lost "surprise". In this case, they identified William Mapother as "Ethan Goodspeed". But how delightful to see him again! A number of bloggers found him to be creepy in 2004, but I didn't. He just seemed like a good and caring OB/GYN. You know, one who cares for Claire off the Island just like he did on it. Only, without kidnapping her.

His presence in 2004 brought up some questions for me that we don't yet have the answers to. Did the Island sink when Juliet exploded Jughead in 1977? If so, then we know that Ethan and his mother must have been on the sub with the other women and children, including Miles and Charlotte. Instead of returning to the Island and joining forces with Ben, he must have been raised off the Island, without a father, and eventually becoming a doctor. If the Island did sink, does this mean that Ben, Horace, Chang, Eloise, Charles Widmore, and Richard Alpert are dead in this 2004? Were Penny and Daniel never born?

Hurley in 2007

Hurley had a more limited role this episode, mostly limited to comic relief. His two best lines:

"It's the Others, dude. They caught us. Again."

"Are you a zombie?"

Jack in 2007

We did see Jack in 2004, but it was only that recognition glance with Kate. Otherwise, all we saw of him was in 2007.

And the old Jack is back. Or perhaps not. Perhaps he is a new and improved Jack, who actually knows to ask the right questions and knows when he's being manipulated. He certainly confronted Dogen after finding out Sayid had been tortured. And I was impressed with Jack's conversation with Sayid, in which he told Sayid the Others wanted Sayid to take the green pill. The old Jack might have just tricked Sayid into taking it.

But the Jack that took the poison pill was especially new. What a way to call Dogen's game. Jack must be too important for Dogen to let die. I wonder why.

I was a little curious as to why Jack felt the need to kiss Kate when he did. If he wasn't intending to kiss her, he sure fooled me. What is it about her that keeps him so connected to her? She didn't seem ready to kiss him back, though. Maybe his attraction was part of the game he gets involved in when she seems to favor Sawyer? I don't know.

Jin in 2007

Jin continues to take a more active role this season than last season. He agreed to follow Kate, and when she dropped him and their minders like a hot potato, he took the opportunity to find Sun. I am not sure why Aldo was so insistent that Jin's questions not be answered (and I was quite happy that he died, let me tell you), but now Jin knows Sun's flight did land on or near the Island. Sadly for him, the Others found him. But Claire took care of them. Now what?

Miles in 2007

Like Hurley, Miles' role this episode seems to be mostly limited to comic relief. Who didn't laugh when he told Jack that he and Hurley could be found in the food court?

In my husband's family, they have a term that I never quite understood, "the hairy eyeball". They would joke that someone gave them a "hairy eyeball". But I think I now know exactly what that look is - the look Miles gave Sayid this week. I wonder if Miles himself has connected what he senses in Sayid to what he sensed in Claire. Time will tell.

Sawyer in 2007

Was I the only one who thought that Sawyer was completely reverting to Season 1 last night? The bad boy was definitely in force, as he held a gun on the Others and left the Temple to run away.

But his interaction with Kate told us otherwise. One of the two best scenes of the night was on the dock (the other was the conversation between Sayid and Jack). First, the sly line to Kate after she apologized for following him, "Which time?" Good one, Sawyer. But it was the new and mature Sawyer recognizing that he blames himself for Juliet's death, because he prevented her from leaving the Island in 1974. He didn't want to be left alone (I guess Miles, Jin, and Daniel didn't count for much!), but now he feels that maybe he was meant to be left alone (there's that fate vs. free will again). Then he kills me, "I was going to ask her to marry me." He had hidden the ring in the floorboards so Juliet wouldn't find it. And she never did.

I mourned Juliet's death in May, 2009. Last night, my heart broke for Sawyer's grief. Great job, Josh Holloway. You had me in tears.

Sayid in 2007

First, the darkness. Should I capitalize this term? Anyway, Sayid seemed to pretty much be Sayid, grateful to Jack for saving his life and all, so perhaps he hasn't been taken over by Jacob. But this infection scares me. Granted, Sayid is a pretty dark guy already (just ask Sawyer), but he has a strong sense of right and wrong - will that be gone? Who will he be? Who claimed him? More on that later.

Watching Sayid be tortured was hard, even knowing that he has tortured so many others, including Sawyer. But Sayid is not a helpless man, and here he cried in helplessness, because he knew he had nothing to tell them. And they never asked him a question. Why else torture someone if not for information? Neither Sayid nor Dogen's interpreter were fooled by Dogen's lie that Sayid passed any test.

One of my favorite scenes of the night was between Jack and Sayid. Sayid literally puts his trust in Jack's hands, "I only care about who I trust." If Jack says to take the pill, Sayid will.

I'm still not happy the Others tried to poison Sayid. In LA X, they told Hurley that things would be bad if Sayid were to die. Now they are trying to kill him. Does that mean that what Sayid could be is even worse than if he died?

Questions

I've already discussed one question I had above under "Ethan Goodspeed", whomever he might be. But Sayid's new quandary has intrigued me, and left me with more questions than answers. What is claiming Sayid? What claimed Claire? Did this same infection claim Christian and the French? Is this the sickness that Danielle mentioned in Season 1? Did Ben receive that same darkness when he was healed in 1977? Did Jacob know Sayid would be infected when he looked at the dying Sayid?

Is it possible that Jacob is the darkness? Or a manifestation of the Man in Black? Who is good and who is evil, anyway?

Next Week

Next week's episode is titled The Substitute. I am intrigued by the pairing of notLocke and Sawyer. Something tells me, it's going to be good.

Tomorrow Night!

I've really got to get used to Lost being aired on Tuesdays instead of Wednesdays. It didn't hit me that the next episode is tomorrow until Brian (hi, Brian!) asked if I was going to post a "pre-game" analysis or something like that. He's got a point.

Tomorrow night's episode is titled, What Kate Does. You might remember that in Season 2, there was an episode called What Kate Did, apparently named so that we could find finally find out why Kate became a refugee from the law in the first place. I told Brian today that I hoped that What Kate Does is more interesting than What Kate Did, but I'm not sure it's fair. That's when we learned that Kate killed the man she had thought was her abusive stepfather because she learned he was actually her father. The thought of any part of her containing any part of him was too much for her to handle. She also struggled with her feelings on the Island with Sawyer, who was recovering from an infection after a gunshot wound. She had feelings for Sawyer, but he reminded her of the man she killed. And in his delirium, it sometimes appeared that Wayne's ghost inhabited Sawyer. This is also the episode where Kate saw a black horse on the Island.

So, what does Kate do? And when does she do it? In 2004, she had again managed to escape from US Marshall Mars' clutches, taking a taxi holding Claire by hostage so she could make good her escape. In 2007, she is in the Temple gawking at a newly resurrected Sayid (or Jacob reincarnated?). Perhaps it is what Kate does in both time lines that is important. I guess that time will tell.

I don't tend to enjoy Kate-centric episodes, and I'm not alone in that respect. But last season's Whatever Happened, Happened was one of the most compelling of Kate stories, and I sincerely hope that tomorrow night continues the trend. I am still sorry that I wasn't able to watch all the Kate-centric episodes like I had promised before the season start (what can I say - I'm a procrastinator!), but I am going to keep my mind open.

Sayid's Corpse

As I was driving to work this morning, I was hit with a thought that furthers the theory that Sayid may have arisen as someone other than Sayid.

Miles and Sawyer were not present in the Temple when Sayid was declared dead by the Others and Jack. His body lay where it had been placed by the Others after the failed treatment. Hurley approached Sayid to say goodbye, offering to talk with Sayid whenever he wanted to talk. He looked up to find Miles staring at Sayid's corpse.

The expression on Miles' face said it all. His eyes were wide-eyed and almost scared. What was he hearing from Sayid's body? Because it's Sayid, I just assumed that somehow Miles noticed that Sayid is dead but not dead. Denial is a very strong coping mechanism, my friends.

But now it seems more likely that Miles heard something else he's probably never heard before - something he couldn't put into words. And perhaps that is Jacob taking ownership of Sayid's body.

I presume we'll figure that out quickly enough. I'm crossing my fingers.

LA X

Season 6 started with a bang, albeit with a bang from last season. I'm sure I wasn't the only confused viewer when we saw it all twice, and ended up in two different realities. At first, I thought, Why is Jack on the plane but Kate and Miles aren't? But then, Jack was with Kate too! And Kate was with Jack! Amazingly, my nose bled not once last night.

So, we saw what happened if the clock were reset and the plane didn't crash and we saw the 1977ers transported 3o years to 2007, the same time line as Sun and Frank. The producers are allegedly calling this "flash sideways".

But the 2004 version of reality is altered. Shannon was left in Australia. Hurley has been the beneficiary of extraordinary good luck. Jack has a mysterious wound on his neck. Desmond is on the plane, which is better for him than being on the Island, since the Island is underwater. Charlie tried to commit suicide on a bag of smack (why didn't he just empty the contents?) and was arrested in LA. And wasn't Sawyer all perky and happy? There were also people we didn't see, especially Michael and Walt, though Libby, Ana Lucia, and Mr. Eko were also absent.

Some things seemed the same: Locke still cannot walk. Neil "Frogurt" and Leslie Arzt are still annoying. Kate is still in handcuffs. And who didn't catch the gleam of a potential con in Sawyer's eyes when he heard Hurley won the lottery? Also present was Greg Grunberg's voice as Seth Norris announcing the safe arrival of Oceanic 815 to LAX.

To me, Jack seemed the only one to be disoriented by his presence on the plane. He seemed startled each time he saw someone who had survived the now-erased plane crash. In the old time line, Jack and Desmond met before Desmond set sail to prove to Widmore his worthiness of Penny's love, but we've no guarantee that they met in the reset time. And Desmond seemed to just pop in and out, didn't he?

It was fun seeing these strangers reacting to each other in much the same way they did after the crash. Boone and Locke connected, even if Locke lied through his teeth about the walkabout. Sawyer saw Hurley as someone to manipulate (they didn't become friends until later). Kate stole a pen from Jack. Sawyer seemed to size up Kate's situation well and helped her get past some TSA. Sayid was helpful in rescuing Charlie. Charlie resented Jack for saving his life.

But the 2004 money shot was the final scene between Jack and Locke. It turns out that Christian Shephard's body was either never loaded onto Oceanic 815 (which is what most people on the blog0sphere seem to think) or disappeared mid flight (which is what I thought while watching). Jack has a memorial service without a body, and the airline can't tell him where Christian is. How frustrating is that? John overhears Jack's conversation with his mother, and inquires. He then notes, "They didn't lose your father. They lost his body." Jack absorbed this, and it was just obvious that this is what he needed to hear.

Jack then does what Jack does best, as a spinal surgeon, asking how Locke came to be the way he is. Sadly, to John, the damage is irreversible. But Dr. Fix-It-All hands John his card, saying, "Nothing's irreversible." And it is clear that this is what John needed to hear too.

So, in our reset 2004, we get to see the man of science and the man of faith interact. Only time will tell if they divide over their fundamental life view differences. But this is the relationship that I think could possibly change what happens in the other timeline - 2007.

The problem with the time flash to 2007 is that Juliet ended up where she had been, at the bottom of a shaft, but this time with tons of metal on top of her. Somehow, she ended up being in worse shape than Sayid. Sawyer rumbles and roars and is going to kill Jack if Juliet dies, and glowers often at Jack. Can I just say that this was the only time I rolled my eyes? Mainly because it wasn't just Jack's idea - Juliet bought into it too. If she hadn't, then Jack may have had more obstacles than he could have overcome. But I get it. Sawyer feels guilty, has to blame someone, and the producers probably think it's better if there is conflict between the two men. Whatever.

Some people have compared Juliet's death to Charlotte's in how her brain wandered in getting coffee and going dutch. Her dying before she could tell Sawyer something she had to tell him was frustrating. Lucky for Sawyer, there's Miles! Who seems unusually unwilling to talk with Juliet. And no wonder, her message made no sense to a grieving Sawyer, "It worked."

Was it just me or did Miles seem disappointed that Sawyer asked Miles not because of how helpful Miles is but because he can talk to the dead? I think Miles really valued his relationship with "boss".

Naveen Andrews has had the misfortune to play unconscious in the last season's premiere and this one. At least this time, they found a stretcher for the man. Both times, Sayid was essentially saved by Hurley, who had ghostly assistance both times. But Hurley is much braver this time around than he was last time, asking real questions and demanding to be taken seriously. Hurley once promised to not help Sayid, but fortunately he has not kept that promise yet. All I can say is "Go Hurley!"

Hurley recognized Jacob immediately and did demand answers from him, but basically got nothing but more cryptic instructions. I now realize the value of Hurley to Jacob - he must have known he'd be killed, and Hurley is the only one who can talk to the dead without requiring a body present. The only way to save Sayid is to take him to the Temple, a place where fortunately, Jin knows where to go.

While glowering Sawyer and helpful Miles bury Juliet, Hurley, Jack, Kate, and Jin carry Sayid to the Temple, where they are caught by yet more Others. With the exception of Cindy and the two children, we've never seen these Others. I guess they are the ones that Ben has referred to as being safe in the Temple. Is Goodwin's wife Harper there? I didn't like her.

The guitar case holds not Charlie's guitar as theorized but a huge ankh, which is immediately broken for it's message. Is it yet another list of Jacob's? When Hurley asks what's on the list, all he's told is, "If you're friend there dies, we're all in a lot of trouble." And it looks like he might just die, since the waters in the Temple are dirty, and don't heal the cut of the Japenese Other. The waters seem to heal Sayid at first - his gut wound would not have allowed all that thrashing around. But the cure has to last so long, and when that time comes, it is clear that Sayid is dead. He was too far gone. Did they just kill Sayid? Could I be more devastated?

Meanwhile, under the shadow of the statute, Ben faces the enormity of his actions when faced with the corpse of the real John Locke. Bram is still extremely annoying, and handles the situation poorly, so I have to say I wasn't sorry he was then killed by the smoke monster. Bye bye Bram.

But his death told us something that we've probably already guessed: the Man in Black, Esau, notLocke is the Smoke Monster. Who doesn't like being called a monster. Is he also Christian, Yemi, Walt, and all the other ghosts who've shown up on the Island? Ben tried his best to hide from the monster, but apparently he was safe. notLocke tells Ben, "I'm sorry you had to see me like that." I suspect Ben is too.

In my opinion, the money shot of the 2007 scenes (besides the final reveal which may have more to do with my love of Sayid than anything else) was the conversation between Ben and notLocke, as Ben demands to know who notLocke is. We already knew from Jacob that notLocke is "an old friend who tired of my company." notLocke instead talked about the actual John Locke, and emphasized how pitiful John was in life and in death. My heart was breaking as I listened. But John, unlike the other survivors, was smart enough to know that life on the Island was far better than his pitiful life off. But he then adds, "I want the one thing John Locke didn't. I want to go home."

The final scenes were quick. Richard recognizes notLocke from his days in chains, but is knocked unconscious before he can explain more. The Others in the Temple take battle positions on hearing of Jacob's death, not to keep the survivors in, but to keep "him" out. As the Others try to interrogate Jack, Sayid comes to life.

Theories:

Why two different time lines? Well, I believe the explosion of Jughead led to both realities occurring. And what happens in one reality (my theory again - the 2004 reset version) will affect the 2007 reality. Time will tell how wrong I am!

I don't know that this is my theory, but I'll share it anyway. On the blogosphere, some have expressed the belief that Sayid did die, and that Jacob or maybe even notLocke have taken over his body. It could explain why Jacob looked at Sayid for so long. I'm hoping that is not true, as I want Naveen Andrews to play Sayid just as much as I want Terry O'Quinn to play John Locke. Also, why is Sayid so important? He never has been before.

It seemed to me that notLocke spent a lot of time talking about John Locke's weaknesses. I'm hoping it's one of those "he doth protest too much" and it means that we'll see John Locke in 2007. Or the John Locke in 2004 will do something that proves he's not the pathetic loser he seemed.

Another parallel: Sayid shot Ben, who was taken to the Temple to be cured. Apparently the waters must have been clean. Think what we were told about this cure - Ben would never be the same and won't remember things. Ben's father shot Sayid, who was taken to the Temple to be cured. Unfortunately, for reasons unknown (maybe the death of Jacob?) the waters were muddy. Assuming Sayid is not Jacob or someone else, is he otherwise permanently altered? Will he be as changed as Ben was? What will happen to his memory? Will the muddiness of the water alter the cure?

Questions:

Where is "home" for notLocke? Is it the Temple? Off the Island? Why was Jacob keeping him on the Island? It doesn't seem very nice to keep someone somewhere against their will.

Why didn't the Others find Rose and Bernard when they found Sawyer and Miles? The actors were in the 2004 reality, so they could easily have been in the 2007. Unless for some reason they weren't flashed to 2007. Maybe they are still in 1977 and will turn into Adam and Eve. That would be cool.

When will we find out Richard's back story? What was he doing in chains? When I was told the Black Rock was a slave ship, I was thinking of African slaves. Richard doesn't look African. Was this an Amistad situation where the slavers were enslaved in a slave revolt?

Thoughts:

I wasn't as upset by Juliet's death last night, as I grieved for her last season already. I only have so much grief in me.

I love the two time lines going on at the same time. Whether my theories are right or wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Jin got to say more lines last night than he did in the whole of Season 5. Maybe he's been forgiven?

Where is Christian?

Well, I apologize for the lengthy post - my goal is to recap less and analyze more, but this episode was two hours long, and so much happened! I'm just saying!

I really hope to hear what y'all have to say. What an episode!

The End Begins

It is with mixed feelings that I await tonight's episode of Lost. I am delighted that the season starts tonight and am on the edge of my seat, curious as to what happened after Jughead exploded. But I'm also sad, because I know that this is the final season, and that for better or for worse, there will be no more Lost after the season ends. When the various Star Treks ended and Buffy and Angel ended, there was a hole in my life. These characters have become real to me. If I even see a picture of one of these characters - Buffy, Spock, Sun, my heart jumps. They are old friends. And my Lost friends are about to, well, get lost.

But I'm going to try to spend the next couple of months enjoying each episode, analyzing them, and pondering what is the meaning of it all. I know that not all questions will be answered. I know that the only character guaranteed survival at the very end is Vincent. And I know that I'm not going to like everything the producers do. But I also know that whatever they do, it will be thrilling and thought-provoking.

And I'm really looking forward to the conversations we have on this blog and in person. It's going to be awesome!