Whitacre (Damon) lays tape... one of hundreds.

A Case Study In Lying

The Informant! — with a little jitter at the end — is a quirky movie. Its a spectacle of laughter and stress for just under two hours. When I walked out with my buddy Bryan, we both looked at each other and said, “I’m exhausted … But that was pretty good.”  Now, even hours later, it still seems like a fair assessment.

Matt Damon (and his extra 30lbs, on the ol’ tummy) came out swinging a little slower (re: different) than in his previous Ocean’s or Bourne flicks, while reuniting with his old pal Steven Soderburgh. The Informant!, along with a couple nice new faces to dramedy – the versatile Tony Hale and Joel McHale — finds a niche like an itch you can’t scratch. Never the ending spoiler, I was tossed and turned by this faux Crime Caper so frequently that I must have changed seat positions to three positions on loop: laughter, cringe, horror … Repeat.

Infiltrating the life of whistle-blower-turned-FBI-informant Mark Whitacre, The Informant! keeps it’s pace like a bad summer camp relationship — giggles, realization, anger. There was no room for sympathy. There was no room for understanding. How do you understand a pathological liar? As Bryan and I sat there through the film, we couldn’t help but slowly see ourselves get more and more angry at the pathetic and despicable display of humanity on screen. And he got me! I didn’t know he was lying! And it was so obvious the whole time! I will admit though, I do love a good foolin’.

There’s a couple scenes that make the movie worth the price of admission. Sadly, many of them were spoiled in the trailer (a curse I’ve coined “Being Fox’d”, for its similarity to 20th Century Fox and Megan Fox’s reputation for impeccable previews and horrific results), but a few remain on the screen. Matt Damon’s spot-on execution of all of the ‘bugged rooms’ scenes are brilliant to the core and his portrayal of the ghastly 1990’s ties are pastel-perfect. Props to the Costume Department … (pun). There’s a mid-level biochemist somewhere in the world right now tickled pink, guaranteed.

The most pivotal of all Whitacre’s moments onscreen was between his unflinchingly loving wife Ginger (Melanie Lynskey) and the charming, beaten down FBI Agent Shepard (Scott Bakula). Finally caught in a web of lies, Whitacre is confronted by the consequences of his actions. He is, indeed, a pathological liar, among others things … including a felon. It has that Beautiful Mind twinge to it, you know? That feeling that, the truth is out, but reality just somehow got more confusing.

The lesson to be learned for Whitacre is not ‘telling the truth’ – he’s been told, advised, coerced, arm-wreslted, pleaded with, bargained for that countless times – the lesson here, one would surmise, would be to figure out his motivations leading up to his felonious actions. A man who seemingly had it all – countless cars, land, money, a loving wife and kids – risks it all … for what?

And that’s something we never get. I still don’t get it. Fame? Variety? Spice? Sheer boredom?

Why do I like this movie?

I just do.

It’s quirky and funny and well written and sharp. All the actors are spot on and it nails the evanescent truth about lying. I can hear my father’s words now, “I can’t promise you you’ll get caught, but I can promise you one thing: you tell me the truth and you won’t get in as much trouble as you will if you lie to me about it.

Plus, Joel McHale, first major feature role? Come on…

The Creators of &Lost& Tease Us at Comic-Con, on the Web …

9 Responses to “VIDEO: New Oceanic Airlines Commercial (Comic-Con)”. Miguel No Gravatar Said: July 25th, 2009 at 5:50 pm. Does it means what it means? joshuaCG No Gravatar Said: July 25th, 2009 at 5:52 pm …

By BROOKS BARNES. “Lost,” the ABC drama about people marooned on a mysterious island after their Oceanic Airlines flight crashes, has always taken a bells-and-whistles approach to Comic-Con. …

By BROOKS BARNES. “Lost,” the ABC drama about people marooned on a mysterious island after their Oceanic Airlines flight crashes, has always taken a bells-and-whistles approach to Comic-Con. …

9 Responses to “VIDEO: New Oceanic Airlines Commercial (Comic-Con)”. Miguel No Gravatar Said: July 25th, 2009 at 5:50 pm. Does it means what it means? joshuaCG No Gravatar Said: July 25th, 2009 at 5:52 pm …

9 Responses to “VIDEO: New Oceanic Airlines Commercial (Comic-Con)”. Miguel No Gravatar Said: July 25th, 2009 at 5:50 pm. Does it means what it means? joshuaCG No Gravatar Said: July 25th, 2009 at 5:52 pm …

De week van de terugkeren. Allereerst Jin, daarna Rousseau, het smokemonster en tot slot duikt de vader van Jack maar weer eens op. Niet zo onthullend als vorige week maar weer minstens zo boeiend.

Het blijft knap zoals de makers iedere keer weer het karakter van Benjamin Linus weten vorm te geven. Je weet inmiddels dat het een leugenachtig en manipulerend figuur is en toch denk je iedere keer dat het dit keer wel eens echt oprecht kon zijn. Om vervolgens weer grandioos met beide voeten op aarde teruggezet te worden.

Er komen echter deze week vooral weer vragen bij. Wie is Eloise Hawkings precies en hoe gaat het verder nu niet alle leden van de Oceanic Six bereid zijn om terug te keren. Welke rol speelt Jack’s en Claire’s vader precies. Charlotte en Faraday blijven me ook een raadsel en stiekem heb ik ook nog steeds het gevoel dat Locke’s dood niet zo definitief is als die lijkt.

Kortom vragen genoeg die vrijdag weer beantwoord kunnen worden.

While catching some of the Star Wars marathon on t.v. last weekend, I had thought about who Jacob and his enemy might possibly be similar to ( Yes, I know… yet another Star Wars related theory. I apologize in advance. )

What if Jacob and UnLocke/Esau/Flock/Anti-Jacob/Loophole/Guy Who Just Ate… aren’t against each other in the traditional sense? What if they are a part of the whole Dark/Light battle … but are playing on the same side? Are they more like the Sith in Star Wars? From what I recall, the Sith can only work in pairs. Because of their residence on The Dark Side, they will be tempted to fight and destroy each other if the numbers are any higher. One Sith is the Master, the other the Apprentice. This was the relationship between the Emperor Palpatine ( at the time , still a Senator) and Anakin Skywalker (who became Darth Vadar). But as soon as Anakin became Darth Vadar, he wanted to “off” Palpatine and rule with his wife, Padme’ . She would have nothing to do with it because she could tell Anakin’s intentions would continue to stem from The Dark Side. Later in the series, Darth Vadar , right in front of Palpatine , gives his son the same option. Young Skywalker also refuses. Vadar eventually kills Palpatine to save his son’s life, preserving the order of the Jedi ( The Light Side).

So, when Dark Shirt Dude asks Jacob if he knows how badly he wanted to kill him, are we looking at a mirror image of the Darth Vadar / Emperor Palpatine partnership? Is there a leader of the Light Side that we have not seen yet… or have seen them in their truest “state”?

Why I thought of this might be 1) The writers love SW and 2) It would be just like Darlton to make us think these two on the beach are the Dark vs Light …only to throw us another twist for Season Six. And with that, another layer to the story ( just like those Russian nested ,or Matryoshka, dolls in Season 3’s “Expose’”… which are also symbolic of fertility. But I’m sure that has nothing to do with LOST ) .

The other ” Probably -not-right-but -fun-to-think-about” theory is why Jacob was wearing gloves when he went to see Ilana. She might have had leprosy, so he was taking precautions. Depending if they were in a much earlier time period, it was still thought of as contagious disease. ( It was Jacob who made Richard ” ageless” ) Ilana was in what appears to be a Russian hospital, so maybe Jacob was just really cold. But rewatching that scene to make sure that Jacob was wearing gloves got me thinking about another , now defunct, ABC series , ” Pushing Daisies”.

The lead character, Ned, discovers at a tender age, that he has the ability to bring the dead back to life. But he finds out that he can only do this for a minute or some other living being will die in their place, typically another human being. But Ned also soon realizes that if he retouches them, that person will be deceased again. In the show, Ned has brought the woman he loves back to life, only to never be able to touch her again or she will die. These two love birds have found a ‘loophole” in that it is only skin on skin contact that is “fatal”, leading to many scenes of smooching through cellophane.

Back to LOST. Since Jacob touched pretty much everyone he visited, has he touched Ilana at another point we haven’t seen? And if Jacob touches Ilana again, whatever he did by doing so, will it make it “null and void” ? Perhaps, when he touched these people, he “preserves” them in another way, like protecting them from a death to come instead of , like in Ned’s case, one that has occurred? Locke may be the exception to this. It appears that “life” came back into John when Jacob touched his shoulder after he was pushed out of an eight story window. And I think that is why, in Season 4’s ” Confirmed Dead” that Locke was so excited when Charlotte looked like she came back to life after he touched her. I think Locke might have been harkening back to that day Jacob paid him a visit and thought he had some sort of “power” now too. But alas, it was a bullet proof vest that saved Ms. Lewis and not poor John.

But I’m still trying to take Jack’s advise and not give up on the self- professed ” Man of Faith” .

“The Incident (Parts 1 and 2),” the sixteenth and seventeenth episodes of ABC’s hit television show Lost, first aired on Wednesday, May 13, 2009.

Plot Synopsis

Jack’s decision to put a plan in action in order to set things right on the island is met with some strong resistance by those close to him.  Locke assigns Ben a difficult task.

Initial Reaction

This was a great ending to a fantastic season of my favorite show ever.  A lot of very intriguing concepts were introduced, the biggest one being the cosmic game of “time chess” being played between Jacob and his mysterious enemy.  I feel this episode contains a strong thesis for exactly what the essence of Lost is, and what the end game will be.

In-Depth Discussion

The episode begins with what I truly feel is the single most important scene that has ever been aired on the show, if you are trying to decipher exactly what the point of the show is and why everything is happening.  We see Jacob weaving a tapestry out of handmade threads in painstaking detail in a room underneath the infamous “Four-Toed Statue.”  He goes outside to cook his meal and have a chat with an unnamed man as they watch a huge ship, presumably the Black Rock, arrive at The Island.  Their conversation essentially flat out tells the audience all they need to know about the “why” of Lost, in my opinion.  It becomes apparent that Jacob is actually responsible for bringing the crew of the Black Rock to the Island, and this is not the first or last time he would do this.  The unnamed man seems to hold a pessimistic view of humanity, and says they will always come, corrupt, fight, and destroy.  Jacob seems to be trying to prove this man’s viewpoint wrong by bringing groups of people to the Island over and over.  The unnamed man vows to “find a loophole” and one day kill Jacob.

In the other flashbacks in the episode, we see Jacob at work, actively visiting our main characters at crucial moments in their lives throughout time and making physical contact with them.  In some way, I believe he is manipulating their fate, causing them to be drawn to the Island to become another iteration of Jacob’s attempts to prove the unnamed man wrong.  With some characters, he simply gives them a small pep talk or words of encouragement.  The notable exceptions are Locke, who he presumably brought back to life after his father threw him out of the window, and Hurley, who he directly addressed and told to go back to the Island. Jacob was noticeably absent during Juliette’s flashback, which gives me huge doubts as to whether or not she will survive the aftermath of the explosion.

In the past, Jack and Sawyer have a massive brawl over whether or not to set the bomb off.  I loved this fight, but I really disliked the way the whole decision whether or not to blow up the bomb boiled down to relationship issues rather than Jack just sticking to his guns and deciding to attempt to save all the peoples’ lives that were lost during the course of the show (Shannon, Boone, Libby, Anna Lucia, Arzt, Scott, Steve, etc).  I suppose it’s not the worst thing in the world, but I was just a little disappointed.  In the end, we got an amazing action sequence at the Swan site, with guns, magnetic craziness, tearful deaths, and of course Phil getting some metal rods shoved through his chest.  Jack throws the bomb down the well, but it doesn’t go off.  Juliette gets sucked down there and decides to go out with a bang, manually setting off the bomb in the most high tech of ways… by hitting it with a rock.  Just awesome.

In the present, Locke and crew are making their way toward Jacob, and Locke drops a bombshell on Ben.  Locke actually wants Ben to do his dirty work and kill Jacob, and he convinces him to do so by reminding him of his loyal service all these years, only to be cast aside and have his daughter killed.  Meanwhile, Ilana and crew make their way across the Island, stopping by Jacob’s cabin to burn it down.  They eventually make it to the statue to join up with Richard Alpert’s crew, and reveal that they’ve been carrying around the dead body of John Locke.  By this time, Fake John and Ben are already inside, and Ben kills Jacob with a knife, while Fake Locke (who speaks as if he were actually the unnamed man from the opening scene) pushes Jacob into the fire pit.  Before Jacob dies, he says two words, “They’re coming.”

Now, my bet is on the “They’re coming” declaration being a reference to the Losties in the past.  Somehow, The Incident created by the nuclear bomb explosion will re-align them in time, and they will appear in the present day.  I still refuse to believe they have changed anything at all by their actions in the past.  We’ve seen time and time again that their activities in the past actually CAUSED the situations they were trying to prevent.  In short, whatever happened, happened.  They had always existed in the 70’s and blew that bomb up.  Fantastic episode, I will say.  I can’t wait until January or February when the show returns for its final season.

Casual Observations

• Some people have made the joke that Jacob’s meal in the first scene was literally a Red Herring.  I don’t know enough about the zoology of fish to confirm this, but it would be quite hilarious if it were true.
• Kate was totally trying to steal a New Kids On The Block lunchbox.  She’s got the right stuff, baby.
• What is in Hurley’s guitar case?  I’m guessing it is actually Charlie’s guitar for some reason.  Is it a coincidence that Sun also found Charlie’s ring in this episode?  Probably not.  By the way, I’m so glad they addressed that.  It has been bothering me for a long time that Charlie left the ring there and no one ever found it.
• I was very shocked by the reversal of colors in the ending “thud” screen from black to white.  It was like a huge exclamation point at the end of a shocking sentence.

Estou começando a ficar louco assistindo lost… seriado do capeta… até a 4 temporada eles não explicavam como acontecia as coisas, agora explicam 1 mas te deixam na tensão de saber as outras 6 coisas… isso é um vicio é pior que fumar maconha… agora estou gravando em dvd para ir assistir no fim de semana, pq eu não consigo parar de assistir e com esse frio não tem coisa melhor que assistir uma telinha comendo pipoca e namorando um pouquinho…

Para quem nunca viu ai vai um gostinho do trailer da 5 temporada

O esquema agora é viagem no tempo, os caras vem e vão e alguns se perdem no tempo/espaço e morrem ou pelo menos é o que parece.. pq quem entra na ilha morto ressucita… tipo vira Jesus.

Os outros não são do mal apenas estão defendendo a ilha e agora até ajudam os caras a se virar.

Depois deles ficarem viajando pirando o cabeção vai acabar esta temporada em uma cena estranha que soh vamos descobrir na metada da 6 temporada.

Mas eu tiro meu chapeu para os produtores pois é um seriado que não cansa de assistir, as 3 primeiras temporadas eu assisti em 1 fim de semana. E agora está na 5 e eu ainda não cansei diferente de Prison Break que eu assisti a 1 temporada e parei na metada da segunda pois os caras só iam ficar fugindo e a empresa matando todo mundo.

Mas uma coisa q eles seguiram é que ” O que aconteceu, aconteceu não se muda”… isso é muito importante.

mas vou indo terminar de assistir toda a temporada. fui….

Hey there everyone!  Not sure about the rest of you, but I’m still riding the buzz of the season finale from over a week ago.  It still feels like there is much to be interpreted, and of course, we have no idea where the show is going to go after the shocking turn of events in the finale.

But as you all know, next season is the last season of LOST, and I’m going to do everything I can to keep things fresh for all of you during the hiatus.  My goal is to come up with at least one intriguing post every month during the show’s break, and hopefully more.  We’ll talk about interesting events, where some of the characters have come from and where they may go, and I’m even hoping to try to go to Comic Con this year, and give you a first-hand report of the LOST event.  And if you’ve got anything you want me to break down in detail before the last 16 or 17 hours of LOST airs, don’t hesitate to leave a comment!  I’d be happy to give you my unique take on things.

In any event, I’ve got something a little different for you in this post.  About a month ago, I gave you my top 10 list of unanswered questions.  Some of those have actually been answered in some way since the finale aired.  But in this post, I want to do something just a slight bit different.  I don’t want to ask questions about some of the larger plot threads, like what happened when the bomb went off, or what’s going to happen now that Jacob got stabbed.  No, this post is going to be about some of the smaller dangling threads that the writers haven’t yet answered.  You know, some of the things that you may have forgotten about with all of the chaos of the finale.  And maybe, just maybe, if we pull on them and unearth the answers, they may just tell us something about the larger plot overall.  So let’s get to it!

10. Why can’t Ben and Widmore kill each other?

As I asked in my finale recap, did you actually miss Widmore in the finale?  Would you have even imagined that the finale wouldn’t include him, and that you wouldn’t have even noticed?  But really, he’s been much too prevelant to the storyline both as an Other in the past, and as Ben’s adversary in the present, to be completely absent from the sixth and final season.

But what is he up to?  Is he destined not to ever return to the island?  And more importantly, what’s the deal with he and Ben not being able to kill each other directly?  Is it the island protecting them both?  Or is there more to it than that?  By any chance is their relationship tied into the relationship of Jacob and Man #2?  I’m not going to venture any guesses like I did in the top 10 questions column, but I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing some of your theories in the comments section below.  Regardless, I don’t think this thread will be dropped, so keep it in mind as Season 6 unfolds.

9. How did the statue turn into a lone 4-toed remnant?

The statue became a great focus of Season 5, and amazingly, in the finale we discovered that the base of it is actually Jacob’s home.  Most of the questions surrounding it now are about what it may or may not be, and what that means with respect to the overall mythology of the show.  But what is just as intriguing to me is how it was reduced to a single 4-toed foot.  Did it happen when the h-bomb went off?  Did the Black Rock fire upon it?  (They had lots of TNT, right?)  Or is there some other explanation?  Regardless of what the answer is, I’m suggesting that you don’t lose track of that point while discussing how much sense it makes for it to be Tawaret.

8. Walt’s dream/vision of Locke

So, how many of you remember this?  In the episode, “The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham”, Locke visits each of his island friends back on the mainland.  One of his earlier visits takes him to Walt, who warns him of some impending danger: “I’ve been having dreams about you.  You were on the island, wearing a suit, and there are people all around you.  They wanted to hurt you, John.”

While I won’t go as far as to say that Walt’s dream will inevitably come to fruition, I will say that you John Locke fans have a little bit more evidence to point to that the Locke we’ve always known will be back somehow in Season 6.  Beyond that, maybe we’ll get to see Walt return to the island in Season 6?  Just thought I’d remind you of that so you can have it in the back of your mind as things unfold next year.

7. Richard Alpert’s 3rd pre-1977 trip off-island

In the finale, Richard says, “I’ve gone off the island three times, two to visit him.”  The interesting thing to note about that statement is that it comes in 1977.  Since we can rule out his trip to Mittelos Bioscience to recruit Juliet, we know that we’ve seen both of those trips: once when Locke was still a baby in the hospital, and the other when Alpert gave Locke the Dalai Lama test.  While I can’t think of anything that would be of any significance to the overall LOST mythology, it’ll still be interesting to see if we’re shown that third off-island trip, and anything else about Richard’s background.

6. Hurley’s / Jacob’s guitar case

Alright, here’s one I have no clue about whatsoever.  Actually, scratch that.  I have *almost* no clue about it.  What I do know is this: we’ve seen it enough, and Hurley has gone out of his way to keep it with him, that it will absolutely come into play in some fashion in Season 6.  Maybe he’ll see Charlie and get to give it to him.  Maybe there’s something in it that will help Jacob out.  But whatever it is, look out for it next year…I’m sure it’ll play an integral part in a scene somewhere.

5. Why didn’t Sun go back to 1977?

I raised this question as soon as it happened, and have to admit that I almost forgot about it myself.  Just in case you’re not sure what I’m talking about, let me give you a quick reminder: when Ajira Flight 316 came into the vicinity of the island, Jack, Kate, Hurley, and Sayid were all flashed off the plane and sent back to 1977.  The question is, why not Sun?  She was part of the Oceanic 6, she was part of the group that were touched by Jacob…why did she stay in the present?  I’m not sure if this will ever get answered, or even if it does, if it will mean anything in the overall mythology.  But I’m definitely curious, and it’s something that I’ll be looking out for in Season 6.

4. Jacob’s touches and visits to the LOSTies pasts

OK, here’s where things start to bridge the gap between simple dangling threads and items that more deeply impact the overall mythology of LOST.  On top of that, I’m sure this isn’t something that has left your mind since the finale aired.  But at the same time, it’s a great specific question to ask, even if we don’t have the answer.

And while we don’t have the answer, I will tell you two things that I definitely think it’s *not*.  First, I don’t think it has anything to do with the LOSTies getting on Flight 815.  While Jacob did touch many of the LOSTies prior to the flight, he also touched both Sayid and Hurley *afterwards*.  So it’s not about targeting them for the flight.  Additionally, it’s not about them being targeted for return to 2007 from 1977.  Remember, Sun was also touched, and she’s already there.  I’m sure there’s something more to it, but I have no clue what it is.  If you have any guesses, please leave a comment below!

3. Gunfight on the canoes

Not sure if you all remember this, but earlier in Season 5, when Sawyer & gang were flashing through time, they found a campsite with an Ajira water bottle.  They needed transportation to the Orchid, so they took one of the canoes instead of trekking across the island directly.  They were then immediately followed by an unknown group, apparently in an attempt to get their canoe back.  However, knowing what we now know from the finale, there certainly may be more to it than that.  And remember, Sawyer was able to shoot one of them…

There’s no doubt in my mind that we’ll see this scene again, this time from the opposite perspective.  I can’t wait to see how it plays out with some more information about what went on…

2. Ben’s trip to the Temple / the Temple in general

Despite all of the answers we got throughout Season 5, the most we got about Ben as a youngster was that he was taken to the Temple by Richard.  And in fact, we still haven’t seen the actual Temple itself yet.  So, the question is, what *did* happen to Ben during that trip?  And what the heck goes on at that place anyway?  We’re pretty sure it’s tied to “The Sickness” somehow, but rest assured, when we do get to see the Temple, and what goes on in there, it will be a big reveal indeed.

1. What’s up with Claire?

So…have any of you actually forgotten about Aaron’s mom with all of the excitement from this season?  While I don’t think any of you would, I certainly couldn’t blame you if you did.  She’s flat out disappeared this past season, with only a couple of references regarding her whereabouts.

Remember, back in Season 4, Keamy from the freighter appeared to blow up the house she was living in at The Barracks…while she was in it.  Next thing we know, she’s abandoning little baby Aaron, on going off with apparition Christian to Jacob’s cabin (which may or may not actually have been inhabited by Jacob), and pretty much acting about as strange as could be.  Since then, she’s been gone, with no physical appearance at all in Season 5.

But two things that happened this season lead me to believe that we’re going to see her in some form in Season 6.  First, she’s the whole reason why Kate returned.  Kate’s story doesn’t reach its conclusion unless she finds Claire, and I expect that she will.  Also, Sun managed to discover Charlie’s DriveShaft ring in the finale, and that story also doesn’t come to its conclusion unless she’s able to pass it along to someone that matters…namely, Claire.

Finally, don’t forget that Desmond had a vision of the future that included Claire getting on a helicopter and leaving the island.  While the thought was that the helicopter he was referring to was the one Lapidus came to the island on, that certainly doesn’t have to have been the case.  There’s still a chance for his vision to come true, and I expect it will prior to the end of the series.

So that’s my list!  I’d love for you guys to comment on any part of it, or to come up with some other topic for me to write about next.  Either way, thanks for stopping by, and I’ll see you all again soon!

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? ” )

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. )

Well it was always going to happen, I shouldn’t be surprised. After my last ‘discussion’ I was willing to admit I MIGHT have been a little over the top about it. I’d followed the series since day one and realised I shouldn’t give up on LOST so easily so I went back, humility cap in hand, sat down to continue to watch the current series and it hit me – “It felt wrong.”

I was always a firm watcher of LOST. Every ‘LOST’ I would sit down when it was on and watch avidly at the escapades of the survivors, moaning at the constant breaks interrupting my viewing and the, way too loud, crescendo of violins at the end of every episode. But, as the weeks went on I began to record LOST and watch it at a later time. As the serious continued the time I got around to watching the recording began to get later and later until I was watching it at least a week later.

It dawned on me then how apathetic I had become towards the series, its plotlines, its idiosyncrasies, and in some cases I was beginning to hate the characters – Kate and her Madonna worshiping, steroid induced muscles; Jack and his annoyingly one dimensional presence whenever he is on screen; Juliette and her lack of ANY CHARACTER WHATSOEVER (don’t believe me? Watch any major moment in the current series; she never loses her ‘moronic plank’ expression).

I can’t say its all bad – although in some cases the writing most definitely is – Ben and Locke are always a good bet for an above-mediocre episode and I always seem to have a good chuckle whenever Jeff Fahey is onscreen, although I could put that down the “The Lawnmower Man” effect, but I’ve just LOST the love and I’ve moved on. Like a husband who realises his marriage is getting boring and has looked to pastures new for some excitement (”Oh Dexter, how I love you.”) I’ve asked for a divorce. I can’t take the vapid characters, the over the top fantasy, the relentless “We are going to try and fuck with your head so many times you won’t know which era you live in just for the fun of it”, I just can’t.

Believe me, I tried to give it all the love I possible could but I no longer can. Every time I watch it now I pray the Island teleports off, makes a slight miscalculation with its trajectory and ends up smack bang in the middle of a black hole. I would gladly pay a lot of money to see the sight of Jack whining his head off as his spine gets sucked through his arsehole into another dimension.

I’ll upset people with this, I know I will, but I can’t help it I’ve tried to stay interested, I really have. I’ve tried to get into the whole Miles being the son of Pierre Chang thing; I’ve tried to stop my sides from splitting at the flashbacks of Ben when he’s twenty-something and with a parting; heck, I even had a smile on my face when Hurley was writing the Star Wars script, but ultimately it’s all just me trying to paper over some ever widening cracks.

So it’s with a heavy duty machine gun in my hands, a nuclear missile pointed straight at the centre of the Island, and, with a paid assassin on the look-out for Alan Dale that I wipe a tear from my eye and bid a fond farewell to my love affair with LOST. It was fun while it lasted.

Arron.

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So much to absorb in this season’s compelling two part finale. Speaking of “absorbing”…

WOW. If you haven’t seen it, Spoilers follow…

Certainly an episode that I need to watch again in order to have lots more stuff to say…. but… HOLY SHIT.

The bomb went off!!! Probably, I mean, that’s what the ending implied, and I suspect that is what happened there. Very VERY difficult to see what’s gonna happen in the last and final season of Lost which will grace us with its presence in 2010 It’s a pretty long wait.

So, Juliet’s dead…. and well, everyone else in the 70’s too??? I really have no idea.

My reaction to finding out what was in the box – Locke – was “Fuuuuuuck”. What does that mean!! How is that dude from the beginning in Locke’s body!?

Speaking of that dude, who was that!? Why does he want to kill Jacob?

Following on from that. Jacob! He’s seen a lot of the Oceanic folk…. though I wonder why Juliet’s flashback was shown and there wasn’t any Jacob there… it’s a little weird.

There was a couple reminders of Charlie in that episode — the Drive Shaft ring and his guitar which Jacob somehow had. Nice that he’s still remembered.

There’s already a teaser trailer for the next season, but it definitely lives up to the title of teaser. It’s just a reminder of how long you have to wait until the next episode at the moment.

A finale without Desmond… It feels kinda weird, to be honest, but I had been thinking that it didn’t seem as though there would be any reason to have him in it and, well, I guess that’s what the writers thought too. Sadface.

An episode with far, far more questions than answers… But that, in a way is what makes Lost. Even with around 16 episodes left they’re still throwing questions at us. Clearly some will be left unanswered but oh well.

Rose & Bernard. Nice to see them, but it also felt a little unnecessary. And I hope it wasn’t just me who thought on sight of Bernard “He’s gone Cast-Away”. [a la Tom Hanks].

That phrase that Richard responded to “What lies in the shadow of the statue?” has been translated to this: “He who will protect/save us all.” Good to know.

There’s a fairly good chance that after I’ve watched this episode again I’ll edit this with anything else I think of or make another post.

Other than that though, these posts will surely resume at that unannounced date, early next year. Farewell, Lost.

/

“Dude, What happened to your face!?”

I liked the bit where Miles pointed out that they may end up being the cause of the incident. It’s amusing that none of them considered that.

Heath and I will be discussing this year’s Jacobcentric (!) finale” The Incident Part 1 and 2″ , Episodes 16 and 17 of Season 5 of LOST on Monday,May 18th, 2009 at 8EST/ 5PST on Talkshoe . On the podcast, we’ll be chatting about the episode: Thoughts, theories, finds, Lost Alums, etc. You can stop by Live or listen soon after, either on Talkshoe or The LOST Podcasting Network.

If you want to email us : Heath’s is thelostrevisited@gmail.com or me ( Ms. Wendy) at bunnieshatch@aol.com.

Again, thank you to everyone who stopped by the last show.

In the bedroom…

There’s something in the air in Madrid.

How to stress less.

WTF happened on the Lost finale!?

Clean those makeup brushes.

I’ll buy whatever Freida Pinto is sellin’.

De intrede en dood van Jacob in één aflevering, Locke die een dubbelganger heeft, Juliet die sterft en het eiland dat ontploft. Het was me de seizoensfinale wel.

Allereerst Jacob maar eens. Lang moeten wachten totdat deze baas van het eiland eindelijk te aanschouwen was. Maar hij maakte de verwachtingen meer dan waar. Allereerst de scéne met zijn tegenstander(Esau?), zijn rondgang langs de lost personages voordat ze stranden op het eiland en natuurlijk de confrontatie met de nep-locke (Esau?) waarin hij naar mijn idee volkomen vooropgezet sterft. Wie deze Locke nu eigenlijk is, blijft samen met de gevolgen van de grote explosie de grootste vraag voor volgend seizoen.

Verder natuurlijk de dood van Juliet. Een erg emotionele en mooie scéne waarin op een waardige manier afscheid werd genomen van één van de best gelukte latere Lost personages.

Het was al met al wederom een bijzonder bevredigend seizoen dat me hoe graag ik het ook zou willen nog weinig aanknopingspunten geeft voor het geven van antwoorden over het volgende en laatste seizoen Lost seizoen. Het enige gerucht waar ik wat mee kan en dat sense maakt is dat de figuur Jacob en zijn vijand gezocht moeten worden in het bijbelverhaal van Jacob en Esau.

Daar zullen we het mee moeten doen tot januarie volgend jaar en hier in Nederland waarschijnlijk nog flink wat maandjes langer.

Eloise Hawkings schiet haar eigen zoon dood, John Locke ziet zichzelf en geeft zichzelf instructies en kondigt ten slotte nog aan Jacob te gaan doden. De seizoensfinale van volgende week belooft spektakel.

Moet zeggen dat vooral die laatste onthulling me flink verraste. Mijn theorie over Lost dat Jacob en het eiland één en dezelfde ‘persoon’ zijn sluimerde namelijk al lange tijd door mijn hoofd maar wordt er nu niet logischer op.

Opvallend is echter wel de metamorfose bij Locke. Hij heeft totale controle over alles om hem heen en straalt meer dan ooit leiderschap, zelfvertrouwe en zelfs een gezonde vorm van arrogantie uit. Benjamin Linus verbleekt volledig langs deze grote leider en volgens mij zit hem dat niet lekker.

Tot slot dan nog de definitieve breuk tussen Jack en Kate. Jack zei het nog net niet letterlijk maar alle hoop voor een hernieuwde romance tussen de twee lijkt na de afleveringen van deze week verleden tijd.

Volgende week wacht dus de seizoensfinale. Gaat Locke, Jacob vermoorden? Laat Jack the others hun gang gaan terwijl ze het kamp waarin hij denkt dat zijn vrienden nog steeds bivakeren bombarderen? En wat gaat Benjamin Linus nog uit de hoge hoed toveren om zijn verloren positie te herwinnen. Ik kan in ieder geval nauwelijks wachten.

De confrontatie tussen het smoke monster en Ben. Het was waarschijnlijk het beste wat Lost tot nu toe te bieden had en het doet het verwachtingen voor de komende weken alleen maar toenemen. De versnelling richting einde van het seizoen lijkt namelijk definitief ingezet.

Het enige moment tot nu toe in bijna vijf volledige seizoen Lost waarin Benjamin Linus oprecht ontdaan leek was toen hij Alex zag sterven. Het was dan ook wachten totdat dit moment weer eens zou opduiken en in aflevering twaalf was het dan zover. Naast deze prachtige confrontatie/beoordeling tussen Ben en Smokey was het deze week echter vooral de week van Miles. Het schijnbaar toevallig op het eiland belandde lid van de missie om Benjamin Linus te vermoorden. Met de nadruk op schijnbaar want in Lost is natuurlijk niets toevallig. Dat Dr. Chang echter de vader van Miles was had ik totaal niet zien aankomen. Ook zijn vermogens om te communiceren met te doden had ik nog niet eerder opgemerkt.

Gelukkig ook deze week weer enkele scénes waarin Miles opduikt samen met Hurley. De twee zijn een prachtig komisch duo en ook deze week komt tot weer uitstekend tot uiting. Met als hoogtepunt Hurley die bezig is het script van de Empire Strikes Back te schrijven. (met natuurlijk enkele verbeteringen)

Tot slot lijken de traditionele leden van de cast ook weer langzamerhand bij elkaar te gaan komen. Sawyer, Kate, Juliet, Hurley, Miles en Jack lijken door hun poging tot het redden van de jonge Ben in de problemen te komen wat er waarschijnlijk wel zal toe leiden dat ze weer volledig op elkaar aangewezen zullen zijn. Een zeer positieve ontwikkeling wat mij betreft.

Dat blijft toch wel het mooie aan Lost. Nog maar net uitgezeurd over het gebrek aan antwoorden in de afgelopen drie afleveringen en e voila je wordt op je wenken bedient de week erna.

Veel antwoorden dus. Vooral de redenen tot terugkeer van Sayid en Kate werden wel eens tijd. Het afscheid tussen Kate en Aaron was trouwens hartverscheurend en een stukje hoogwaardig drama. Maar niet alleen voldoende antwoorden ook de onderlingen verhoudingen komen weer wat meer op scherp te staan. De vierhoeksverhouding tussen Kate, Sawyer, Jack en Juliet krijgt weer wat meer spanning en in Miles en Hurley hebben ze een gouden duo gevonden. Laat die twee volgende week anderhalf uur over tijdreizen discussieren en je hebt twee hilarische afleveringen.

De meest interessante verhouding wordt echter steeds meer die tussen Sayid en Benjamin Linus. Het lijkt alsof die twee tegen hun eigen wil in bijzonder nauw verbonden zijn. Ook weten we inmiddels hoe Benjamin bij The Others beland is. Daarbij vallen in datzelfde fragment ook de namen van Charles en Ellie. Zou dit betekenen dat Eloise Hawkings (Ellie) ook op het eiland rondloopt ofdat Richard contact met haar heeft? We zullen het ongetwijfeld horen de komende weken.

Op naar komende vrijdag en eens kijken wat Locke met zijn moordenaar gaat doen.

Het wordt er allemaal niet makkelijker op. Eindelijk zijn de Oceanic Six terug op het eiland stranden ze in 1977. Als ik me niet vergis geldt dat echter niet voor Locke, Ben en Sun die wel terug op het eiland zijn maar nog maar in 1977 moeten zien te belanden. Geen makkelijke opgave als het mij vraagt maar de makers van Lost zullen er ongetwijfeld weer wat op verzinnen.

Moet ook zeggen dat ik niet echt kapot ben van deze nieuwe verhaallijn. De verhoudingen binnen de groep liggen ineens compleet anders en de personages  spelen op het moment  eigenlijk in meer of mindere mate elkaars rol. Helaas werkt dat niet altijd even goed. Sawyer is leuk als de irritante, niets of niemand ontziende betweter met zijn cynische oneliners maar werkt beduidend minder als de verantwoordelijk en huiselijke leider Mr LaFleur. Bij Jack is het precies is anderom. Hij heeft de uitstraling en flair van een echte leider maar is beduidend minder op dreef als een dertien in een dozijn personage. Het wordt kortom hopen dat de oude verhoudingen weer snel in ere worden hersteld.

Ook mis ik op het moment een beetje een rode lijn in de serie. De verhaallijnen schieten alle kanten op maar het wat en waarom van de terugkeer van Jack en co en de functie van het eiland worden er de laatste weken nauwelijks duidelijker op.

Het is dan ook vooral hopen dat de afgelopen afleveringen een kort intermezzo zijn op weg naar een grootste finale die zich vooral iets meer op antwoorden gaat focussen.