Oceanic World Air

LOST - The puzzle is taking shape!

2009-02-19T21:41:00.002-03:00

The last episode of LOST - '316' gets us to the point where the Oceanic 6 arrive back on the island. Season 5 of LOST has been one of the best seasons since Season 1 in my opinion. We are starting to not only get answers to questions that were asked as long ago as the Pilot episode, but the pieces of the LOST jigsaw puzzle are starting to fall into place. I have had my own ideas about what is going on in LOST and how it is going to end, and I am sure others have had the same if not similar ideas.

I thought it was a good time to lay out a few things that we now know, and how with a few assumptions and a little speculation, we may be able to figure out even more than we have been told directly.

First, let's start off with the Pilot episode and the crash of Flight 815. The show opens with a shot of Jack lying on his back in the jungle. We see a white tennis shoe hanging from a tree. Jack gets up and has to run a fair way to get to the beach and the crash site. That bothered me from the start. In my gut, I felt like Jack had not originated from the crash, but 'appeared' from somewhere (or sometime) else.

We now know a few important things:

1. That Jack put white tennis shoes on Christian when he brought his body on the plane.
2. That when Jack returns to the island on Ajira Airways flight 316, he appears in the jungle in virtually the identical way he appeared on Flight 815.
3. We know that Jack is back in the 1970's, we assume that being the time period the island is now 'fixed' in when Locke fixed the wheel.

My assumptions based on this are that in the final episode of LOST, we will see Jack wake up in the jungle and run to the Flight 815 crash - a repeat of the beginning moments of the Pilot episode. I have really always believed that this is how LOST will end (don't ask me why), and now am more convinced. The cool part about that (well - not everyone is going to think it is cool), is that it means that LOST never really ends - it is just one big circle. (Kind of like an Ouroboros.)

So what does that mean about what is going on in LOST?

Well another part of LOST that always really bothered me was Ben. I have always loved the Ben character, and still do. He was supposedly not supposed to be a major character, but TPTB have lied to us as much as Ben, so I would not really trust what they say. The thing that did not make sense to me is why did Ben go to near the Swan and get captured, tortured and then get Michael to let him go? The whole thing really did not make much sense. There are a lot of other ways Ben could have got Jack to operate on him. Ben could have played nice guy and negotiated with Jack to save him in exchange for freedom. Ben could have played evil Ben and sent his thugs to get Jack. But he didn't. Until recently I never really knew why. But now - I think I do.

What if Ben is the wild card? Remember what Eloise Hawking told Desmond about the universe - the dangers of changing things and how everything and everyone could be destroyed?

What if Ben is the one who has screwed up what was supposed to be from the start?

Ben was the main reason the Others were able to complete the purge. Ben was the reason that Locke doubted pushing the button which ended up destroying the Swan and letting the freighter find the island. Ben let the Oceanic 6 leave. Ben destroyed the Orchid's chamber and put the island into the time slips.

Ben is the one who is making changes that are not supposed to happen. We are being led to believe he is 'one of the good guys', but what if he is still giving us the 'Long Con'?

That explains a little better why he might have done what he did at the Swan.

So what has to happen to fix things?

The Oceanic 6 have to return to the island. They will join the Dharma Initiative and work on putting the universe back to it's proper course. As they live through the 1970's they will realize that they cannot be around in September 2004 when 815 will crash. LOST will be about them giving their lives in the ultimate sacrifice to save the universe and everyone in it. They were always Dharma. They were always the Others, they will realize that they are the key to restoring the order of the universe. Ultimately, Jack and Kate will die together and they will be Adam and Eve - likely in a Romeo & Juliet way, knowing that they must die. The other Oceanic 6 members will likely die saving others and working to make things right.

As for Ben - he may well become Jacob - and entrapped in his cabin by Locke so he cannot escape and cause any other changes.

Now - I could be wrong, but it does make a great story!

OK - let's get to some teasers we have been given.

1. Charlotte. We now know that she grew up on the island - likely as a contemporary of Ben in the 1970's. We know her mother was english and father was american. We know her mother left the island with Charlotte and the father stayed behind. We could guess that her mother may be Eloise Hawking as we know she is English and left the island. We can guess that Charlotte was not conceived on the island, or Eloise would have died while pregnant. That could lead us to believe that her father is an american who was off the island when Charlotte was conceived and stayed on the island later. Who is eligible for that? Richard Alpert? Actually the number of people is increased now due to the fact that the Oceanic 6 are in the 1970's. Technically it could be Locke, Sawyer or even Ben. (2004 Ben - not 1970's Ben :))

2. Babies on the island. Miles may be Candle's baby. What if Kate got pregnant by Jack just prior to leaving on Flight 316. Their baby could be born on the island and live like Aaron did. He or she would be born in the 1970's. Who could he or she be? Again the possibilities are many. Could he or she end up being some Dharma person or Other that we have seen? The fact that the O6 ended up in the 1970's opens up some really interesting ways to get new LOST connections. Watch for them.

3. Daniel. Daniel is interesting. If his mother is Eloise, then Charlotte could well be his sister or half-sister. Daniel taught at Oxford, yet he does not sound English. What is up with that? Did he spend more time on the island? Where did he grow up? Who is his father? Could his father be one of the Oceanic 6?

4. Christian. Is Christian Jacob? Was he from the island originally? Is he a big key to LOST. His name - Christian Shephard would make it look that way. The parallel to Christianity is obvious. He was 'resurrected' from the dead. His name is Christian Shephard. He is taking the role of the leader.

5. Locke. Locke has always been important to LOST. He is the main person who believed in the island and faith. Will he end up becoming Jacob?

There are a lot of ideas spinning in my head now, so I think I will stop for now, and post more later...

I'd love to hear some of your ideas about what you think is going on.

LOST - S5E01 & S5E02

2009-01-22T17:20:00.006-03:00

After nine long months without LOST, it returned last night with a one hour recap and two one hour episodes. The recap was one of the better recaps, with limited goofiness from Damon and Carlton, and just the right amount of information to not bore diehard fans but get people who have missed some of LOST up to speed.

Getting into the epsiodes, we find two main storylines - the story of how the Oceanic 6 need to get back to the island - Ben, (and as we find at the end of S5E02) - Mrs. Hawking, seem to be the driving forces to make this happen.

The second storyline is what happened to the people left behind when the island 'moved'. We discover that the island is slipping in time. (or the people are - it's all relative - as Einstein would say.) We find put that Daniel and the redshirts on the Zodiac survive and move with the island because as Daniel says - they were 'within the perimeter'. Neil Frogurt from S.O.S. is one of those redshirts and we are all pretty happy when he meets his predictable demise.

I like the way Season 5 is shaping up. We have only two seasons left, so it makes sense that we have shifted more into answering questions rather than posing them. LOST is a huge jigsaw puzzle and in Season 1 it was all we could do to find the edge pieces. That really did not let us see any of the big picture. By now however, we have a lot less pieces to fill in the puzzle, so we are starting to see the picture take shape. You can be sure TPTB have deliberately left a few strategic pieces of the puzzle until the very end though.

I'm willing to bet that the Event Window Determined that Mrs. Hawking discovered corresponds exactly with the point and place that one Ajira Airways Flight 316 will be with our Oceanic 6 on board.

This season promises to give us some very cool moments as we relive events both that we have already seen on LOST, and those that we are dying to see - such as the arrival of the Black Rock, Henry Gale's balloon and Danielle's story. The cool part is that our Losties will be there as these events unfold again.

The time travel aspect of LOST is confusing to some, but fascinating to me. What if our Losties all along were the ones who caused the 'incident' and were not just visitors to this past, but an integral part of it?

As I have said from the day we saw 'Adam & Eve' in the caves, and Jack pocketed the black and white stones - at the end we will understand why, when Jack and Kate end up there in the past and Jack shows us those two stones as they end up finally resting in the peace that they have struggled to find.

15 days until LOST Season 5!!!

2009-01-06T12:17:00.003-03:00

I can't believe it has been over 10 months since I posted in the OWA Blog! It has been a long, long, long hiatus, and like most of you, it seemed like January would never come, but it is here, and I am starting to get that old LOST excitement back again! Remember the good old days when every week we got so excited about a new LOST? I have a feeling this season is going to be a good one. I will promise to be more diligent in posting to the OWA Blog once LOST gets underway.

Some of my thoughts on the new Season: (Warning - some of my thoughts might be considered spoilers, based on my viewing of trailers and sneak peeks. I have not and will not read any spoilers beyond those sneak peeks.)

So, we all know that somehow Season 5 is all about the Oceanic 6 returning to the island, it would seem via Ajira Airways. It is also about what happened to the people left behind on the island, and this is where I think things get interesting.

The island moved in space-time. That means that it is no longer in 2004/5, but in some other time. Based on some things in the sneak peeks, it would seem that the island has gone back in time, and that means we may have a very interesting repeat of the showdown between the Dharma Initiative and the 'Others', although this time I have a feeling that Sawyer & Company are now part of the 'Others'.

I am especially excited that we may get to live through some island events from the past such as the arrival of the Black Rock and the Beechcraft plane. Think of the possibilities if our 815 passengers are already there and considered 'Others'.

Danielle's story and what really happened to her scientific team will be told. The Swan station will still be there and will no longer be destroyed.

Some people may have issues with the time-travel / sci-fi focus of this Season, but I am pretty pumped about the possibilities.

You can't say that LOST is boring, and with a shift in focus each Season, it keeps fresh and new.

I can't wait....

Namaste,
Vincent D. Madison

LOST Answers & more from LOST Producers

2008-02-26T16:32:00.003-03:00

Check out the latest official ABC LOST Audio & Video podcasts for insider information that answers the question about whether Aaron is Claire's Aaron and more.(He is.)

Click the player above this post to view the video podcast.

Also, if you want more insider information that clarifies that the bracelet that Naomi was wearing is not the same as the one Ilsa had on, and that sometimes we over-analyze LOST, read this great article from EW.com:

Vincent Madison on BlogTalkRadio

2008-02-21T17:40:00.004-03:00

I was a guest on BlogTalkRadio this week. You can listen to the show here:

**WARNING - There are spoilers toward the end of the broadcast.**

S4E03 - The Economist

2008-02-15T01:01:00.016-03:00

Well this week's LOST episode - The Economist was a treat! It amazes me how LOST can continue to deliver a punch like this episode after three seasons, with fans that dissect every minute detail. They keep surprising us and deliver action, comedy and mystery.

Kudos to writers Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz for this episode. I loved the comedic parts and the new characters are awesome. Miles cracks me up with his "What, these guys have day care?" comment, as well as his sarcasm. Daniel is so believable as the quirky nerdy science geek, with details like bumping into a low hanging branch and his nervous demeanour. Kitsis & Horowitz also gave us "Born to Run" from Season 1 and "Everybody Hates Hugo", "Fire + Water", "Dave" and "Three Minutes" from Season 2 as well as "Every Man for Himself", "Tricia Tanaka is Dead", "Expose", "D.O.C." and "Greatest Hits" from Season 3, so they are seasoned LOST writers.

Sayid still strikes me as the only Lostie that does not so far have that huge gap in character behavior that the others have shown. He is pretty consistent, always asks the right direct questions, and answers questions well -ex: Miles asking whether Sayid believes that the Freighter people are here to save them or kill them, Sayid responds by saying "I'll let you know when I decide."

We are being introduced this season to a whole new layer of intrigue, one that is based on a cover-up and conspiracy and apparently a power struggle between two groups - the one that Ben is in, and the one that Ilsa's boss is in.

The question is who are they and what do they want? Which group involves Widmore? Which one is Abaddon working for? Which one arranged for the Oceanic 6 to be paid off for their silence? Is Ben in that group, or is that the group he is getting Sayid to eliminate? Will he then try to eliminate the Oceanic 6?

The new information we get this episode makes one's head spin just thinking about the possibilities.

Sayid is one of the Oceanic 6. We learn that he does not need to work due to a large settlement - supposedly from Oceanic, but I am guessing the check came from somewhere else. The shocker we get is that Ben is off the island and seems to be the mastermind of the group that has Sayid working as an assassin. We also find out that Ben has a secret room in his Barracks home with currency and passports with aliases from many countries - the implication being that he travels off the island with ease lots of times.
We see Sayid take a bracelet from Naomi with an inscription that reads: To N, we will always be together, R.G. Is Ben R.G.?

The same or a similiar bracelet is seen on Ilsa in Berlin. Sayid uses Ilsa to get to her boss - the 'Economist', but it appears that Ilsa and her Boss are trying to find Sayid's boss Ben. Ilsa shoots Sayid in the shoulder, but Sayid kills her.

Is the bracelet from someone we know? Is it the same bracelet? Is it a kind of organization i.d.?

Sayid goes to a veterinary clinic to get medical attention and that is when we get the shocker that Ben is apparently a Vet and Sayid's new boss.

Here is a really 'off-the-wall' idea, but would make an amazing LOST moment: What if Ben is Elsa's boss as well as Sayid's Boss? He is the master liar and manipulator. Who does he not end up using for his own purposes?

A few of the things in this episode that I think are very important:

1. Daniel's experiment that has Regina fire a small rocket from the freighter that arrives 31 minutes after it should.

This seems to confirm the theories that island time moves more slowly than the outside world. Remember how 815 looked like it came apart in slow motion when seen from the Barracks?

2. The emphasis that Frank MUST follow a specific heading "no matter what". 325 degrees I would guess.

3. The way the groups are changing and don't yet seem to match the Oceanic 6. I have a weird gut instinct that things are not how they appear to us, and we will be in for another shocker or two about who is really aligned with who. Don't be surprised to find out that Ben and Locke are partners in crime. You read it here first. (well maybe second :) )

I am betting that this Season will be focused a lot on the conspiracy surrounding the 815 disappearance and the Oceanic 6, which is complex enough that it will keep us guessing like a good Agatha Christie mystery.

It was great to see Desmond again, and yes I am also going on record to say that poor Desmond is going to be disappointed to learn that his love Penelope Widmore is a true Widmore and that Daniel and Frank probably have heard of her.

My favorite part of this episode that gave me goosebumps was the chopper leaving the island with Sayid and Desmond. Yup - that ranked up there with the opening scenes of the wreckage in the S1 Pilot.

I give this episode a 10 out of 10.

LOST Returns January 31st 2008

2007-12-20T14:22:00.001-03:00

Well fellow LOST fans, we are getting closer and closer to Season 4 of LOST. If you have not already seen the new LOST trailer, head on over to OWA and watch it. We will wait for you...

OK - back? If that does not get you hyped, then you are not a real LOST fan!

So, it does seem like I was wrong in my assumption that Jack & Kate's Flash Forward was not real - we now know that it is very real.

I am looking forward to this season, and it will be very different with potential island time, flash backs and flash forwards and us not necessarily knowing who is where and when.

Based on what we know, and what we can speculate on from seeing the recent trailer, here is my guess as to what we are going to see in the first few episodes:

The freighter people are clearly not there to rescue the Losties, in fact they are there for something or someone else. The Losties will split into two groups - Jack's Group, consisting of himself, Kate, Jin & Sun, Hurley and Sayid. The second group will be Locke's group consisting of Locke, Bernard & Rose, Claire & Aaron and Sawyer.

This will be an even split of 6 losties on each team. Locke will lobby his group to stay behind and will likely strike an alliance with some of the others like Danielle and Alex.

Jack will cut a deal with the freighter people to rescue his team in exchange for giving them what they want - the remains of the Dharma/Others.

The rescue will not be so simple - there will be serious complications which in the end will result in Jack and his team being rescued, but not without a fight.

Sawyer's decision to stay is seen in the trailer when he tells Kate that he is just doing what he always does - surviving.

Some of the others will be captured by the freighter people as a result of Jack's 'deal', including Juliet.

The wild card in the whole deal will be Desmond, who I predict will also get off the island, but will find out that Penny is not who he thinks and his story will not end well.

We will find out a lot more about the influence and connection of characters who may no longer with us, particularly Libby and Christian Shephard.

Although we will only get 8 of the 16 Season 4 episodes for now due to the writer's strike, they are only going to get us more pumped for the last 8 episodes which hopefully will not be too far off....

And for you people who looked at the trailer very closely - what do you see here? Did Naomi survive Locke's knife wound? It sure looks like it to me.

What do you all think? Feel free to post your comments or ideas.

LOST Encounters

2007-10-12T14:54:00.000-03:00

I found a new LOST Blog this week that has the latest news on LOST. It's called LOST Encounters and you can find their main page here, and their blog here.

They have an interesting post about LOST continuity errors like the wrong date in the newspaper and the obituary from the finale. It brings up some interesting ideas that I think might have some truth. Check it out here.

At least it is giving me another LOST fix until February!!!

I am LOST

2007-08-21T23:53:00.000-03:00

Now that September is around the corner and the networks are starting to air commercials for the new fall shows, I am starting to get antsy about waiting so long for LOST to return. It is still 168 days away. That's a long time :(

I hope the long wait does not turn people off. What if people start to get hooked on new shows on other networks that run against LOST? I am thinking it would have been better for viewers to have the show increase the episodes per season and finish up a year earlier. I have tried re-watching old LOST episodes, which helps, but it is going to be a long 168 days.

My only solace is new Doctor Who episodes :) How are the rest of you LOSTIES coping?

ETA: If you have a LOST Blog and you want to exchange Blog links with us, click on the Contact Us link and let us know about your blog!

What is this?

2007-07-05T11:38:00.000-03:00

I received this anonymously in email this morning. I'm not sure what it is, but thought I would post it for you.

I tried to trace where the email came from, but all I could get was that it appeared to come from an Internet Service Provider (ISP) in the Tallahassee, Florida area. Tallahassee - that's funny - as in the Man from Tallahassee right? Wasn't there a few LOST references to Tallahassee? What goes on there I wonder? Is it a Hanso regional office?

Your guess is as good as mine!

LOST Episode S3E22 & 23 - "Through the Looking Glass"

2007-05-24T00:43:00.000-03:00

Wow - quite the finale! I'll start off by stating that I don't think that Jack's Flash Forward was real. I am putting my money on it being him thinking about what his life might be like if he was rescued. Right now, that has to be weighing heavily on his mind, and Ben really drove the point home when he told Jack he had nothing to go back to. I also think that if it was real it would kind of ruin the ending for us, and I don't believe for a moment that the producers are going to do that. I think a clue may be in the episode title - "Through the Looking Glass". I'm not sure that Alice's trip through the Looking Glass was real.

The Flash Forward was all from Jack's perspective and really showed how he would go downhill to the point of suicide. Who might have died that he would be so upset about? I initially thought Juliet probably, although he said neither family or friend, so could be Locke, but looking at the clipping - it looks like a man - first name starting with Ja.. or Jo.. and last name ending ..antham.

Charlie's death seemed kind of unnecessary to me, as he could probably have left the door open or at least opened it after the explosion, but then I realized he only did what he did to fulfill Desmond's vision - for the love of Claire, which made it at least understandable.

So, is Mikhail dead yet? Maybe not. He seems pretty indestructable. I think he has a big S on his undershirt.

I felt so bad for Hurley until he 'saved everyone' by driving the Dharma microbus across the beach flattening Ryan. You go Hurley. Should have had the 8-Track playing Shambala!

Sorry to see Tom go. He was not a bad guy, but you don't want to cross Sawyer when he is having a bad day.

Poor old Ben. I did rather enjoy the beating Jack gave him, but then we all thought that Sayid, Bernard & Jin had been killed. Oh well - you shouldn't lie and deceive people - then they won't believe you when you DO tell the truth -like that Naomi is not who you think she is.

So who is Naomi if Penny did not send her? Well two choices there. 1. Penny did send her but for some reason Naomi is using a fake name. 2. Penny did not send her.

If Penny did not send her, who else would both have the opportunity to copy a picture of Penny & Desmond, and know Desmond was missing and have the resources to find him? The obvious answer is Charles Widmore - Penny's father. But then again, LOST is not known for obvious answers!

I loved when Ben told Alex - "This is your mother."

Ben has pretty much lost his credibility with most of his people now.

That is going to leave Locke & Richard more or less in charge I think.

Speaking of Locke, where exactly did he disappear to? He either went into the radio tower or behind it. My bet is that he may be trying to do something to block the signal so that it will be harder for Naomi's ship to pinpoint their position.

I really thought he was going to kill Jack, or at least try to shoot the phone out of his hand.

So where does this put us for next season? Well Desmond needs to get out of the Looking Glass and hopefully not get attacked by Mikhail, and then try to warn them that it is not Penny's boat. I figure John is not done trying to thwart their plans and I see at least two sides starting to form of people who are on board with the 'rescue' and those that are not - and likely a combination of Losties and Others.

Will Desmond's flash of the helicopter rescuing Claire and Aaron come true? Will it really be rescue, or will something bad happen?

Did Charlie die in vain?

Is Mikhail dead yet?

What is Locke doing?

What will Danielle do now? Stay with the Losties or the Others or expect Alex to join her in her hermit life? I think Danielle is getting more accustomed to the Losties so will stick around.

Will Jack still work to rescue the people who want to leave but stay behind?

Who will Kate choose? Or will she keep both Jack and Sawyer for herself?

What will happen to Ben?

Will Richard take over or will Locke?

What does Jacob think about all of this?

Will the Dharma Beer finally run out or poison Sawyer?

Well folks - we have eight months to think about these questions and more...

So what do you think the Flash Forward was? Real or not? Post your comments.

Namaste
Vincent

LOST Episode S3E21 - "Greatest Hits"

2007-05-16T23:23:00.000-03:00

This episode was a pretty obvious build up episode to the 2 hour Season Finale next week. I thought we were going to see the start of the confrontation with the "Others" as well as find out if Charlie died, but they pretty much strung us along with anticipation of what will happen next week.

A few points worth noting - we finally found the underwater hatch - called the Looking Glass hatch, where we have always been saying it was - at the end of the underwater cable.

We find out that not only is it NOT flooded, but is staffed with at least a couple of people. What does that mean? Does it mean that Juliet is lying, because she was the one who said that there had been an incident and it was flooded? I am still very suspicious of Juliet.

We also see what looks like the exact scene in London when Charlie was playing in the street and the rain starts, but in this version it seems like there is no Desmond. What does that mean? Which version is real, or are both versions real? In this scene, after Charlie leaves he saves Nadia (Sayid's girlfriend) from a mugger and she calls him a hero - which ends up as Charlie's #2 on his 'Greatest Hits' memories.

We are now also set up with a few regular characters who are most at risk next week - the shooters - Sayid, Bernard and Jin. I would hate to see Sayid go especially.

Nice to see Rose and Bernard again. I really missed Rose. Bernard, not so much.

Alex was hot again - even all bloody carving up a "white rabbit"! Another excuse for an Alex screencap or two!
I loved the part where Karl blurted out about Juliet being a spy and Juliet says "they know Karl, but thanks for that."

Jack is over the top - he is still irritating me. Loved how Sayid told him to start acting like the leader.

I'm not the biggest Charlie fan, but thought the Charlie flashbacks and Claire interactions were great. I do get the feeling he may die this time, mostly based on him leaving the ring behind and the Charlie / Claire meeting flashback, but I could be wrong.

I also loved the Butlin's flashback. All you Brits out there my age or older will surely remember Butlin's Holiday Camps!

Nice to see Danielle helping out. I thought of Artz when they were handling the dynamite.

What was that about needing 3 guns and having to use Karl's? What happened to all the guns they had?

The logo on the Looking Glass station looks like a rabbit to me. The White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. Not just a white rabbit, but a white rabbit with a 'Black Hole' in its neck. Is the Looking Glass a portal to the real world or some other world?

Next week, we find out what really lies "Through the Looking Glass."

I can't wait!

Namaste
Vincent

Charlie's "Greatest Hits"

LOST Episode S3E20 - "The Man Behind the Curtain"

2007-05-10T00:24:00.000-03:00

Wow! Another edge of the seat, intense episode with a lot of answers and a real old fashioned scare to boot!

If you did not catch the image of Jacob sitting in the chair - go back and take another look. It was the most chilling moment of LOST for me so far. As we are starting to think that Ben is really crazy, and has a make-believe invisible friend named Jacob, Locke hears Jacob say "Help Me!" and then, as all hell breaks loose in Jacob's cabin, we actually see a fleeting image of Jacob sitting on the chair, and to me - he looks just like someone we know - Randall Flagg from Stephen King's The Stand and Dark Tower series, although a lot of people see a resemblance to Locke! Coincidence? I doubt it.

This episode also showed us a lot of the back story of the Dharma Initiative, how Ben was NOT born on the island (once a liar, always a liar I guess), in fact he was born - well... "Not In Portland" ...32 miles from Portland to be exact.
That seems like it may not be a coincidence either. Remember Mittelos Bioscience was located just outside of Portland.

We find out that Roger Work Man is really Roger Linus, and he is Ben's father. We also learn that Ben is responsible for Roger turning into Skeletor and the VW Bus ending up at the bottom of the valley.

One of the biggest revelations is that Ben and his father Roger were part of the Dharma Initiative, but Ben defected to the "Hostiles" who seemed to be led by an amazingly ageless (can you say life extension boys and girls?) Richard Alpert.

I want to know why Richard was the apparent leader of the Hostiles and now Ben seems to have taken that role. Does it have anything to do with Jacob?

And who is Jacob exactly? And why does he ask John to help him?
And what was that painting in Jacob's cabin? It looks like a dog, reminds me of another Stephen King connection - Cujo. What do you think?

I think the answer may lie in the strange line of ash or whatever material encircled Jacob's cabin. It seems to me that maybe Ben was responsible for imprisoning Jacob and that the line is some kind of boundary that Jacob cannot cross.

It seems a kind of parallel to the LOST Experience where Alvar Hanso was imprisoned by Thomas Mittlewerk who took over control of Hanso.

The other thing that I noticed was that Richard appeared before Ben in the jungle right after the whispers and that is usually Smokey's M.O.

Is Richard Smokey? Maybe the lack of aging is a clue. I have a feeling we will find out more about Richard. We know he was in Miami, so he is not just an island illusion. He also worked for Mittelos Bioscience, which we know anagrams to "Lost Time." All clues I believe.

Is Locke dead? Not yet. From the location of the injury and the air sucking noise I heard, I would say his lung was pierced, not his heart. We know Naomi has recovered pretty quickly from a similiar injury and we know that the island seems to favor John when it comes to healing. Perhaps ironically, Jacob WILL help John to recover. That scene was quite the shocker though!

I love Alex. Not only is she hot, but tough too! Love that - 'Dad - Happy Birthday' line as she walked away after giving Locke the gun.

That was pretty telling when Locke beat Mikhail pretty much back to where he was after the fence fried him, and Richard and the other hostiles just watched.

Ben has to have something that has wielded his power until now, but there is definite dissension in the ranks, and they seem to see Locke as someone with the confidence and ability to stand up to Ben. I would not count Locke out just yet.

I noticed a small continuity error - the VW bus that Roger was driving was dented in one scene and it was not in the next scene.

Great how we found out about the beer run to the Pearl.

I was expecting the purge to be more of a war, but it was pretty chilling to see the bodies lying there - shades of Jamestown. Ben is kind of chilling too. He did not even try to save Annie and did not hesitate to kill his Dad or shoot John. I can understand him hating his Dad, but Annie seemed to be his only friend.

Jack & Juliet still bug me, as does Kate. I'm not real sure things are going to play out the way we think they are over in the Losties Camp. I still think there is going to be a catch that will surprise us over there. Someone is not telling the whole truth.

So who is "The Man Behind the Curtain" - the "Wizard of Oz"? Is it Ben or Jacob?

Or is it someone else?

Stay tuned... I have a feeling the next couple of weeks will not disappoint!

Let me know what you think. Post your comments here.

Namaste
Vincent

LOST Episode S3E19 - "The Brig"

2007-05-02T23:01:00.000-03:00

Welcome to the new OWA/LOST Blog. I have just finished watching "The Brig". I have to say that LOST is continuing to keep delivering great episodes as we gather momentum to the season finale!

My feeling is that if they keep up this caliber of episodes and avoid a long hiatus next season, their ratings will go way up.

This episode picks up where we left off in "Man from Tallahassee" when Locke's Dad - Anthony Cooper "appeared" out of a "magic box".

This episode was unique in that it did not have any "off island" flashbacks, only short flashbacks to days before on the island. I have to say it works well. It is a nice change to not have flashbacks and this episode proves that you don't need them to have a great show.

A few interesting points in this episode:

Cooper: "Don't you know where we really are?"

This gets us thinking about all the weird things we may think the island is, but later on we find out that Cooper thinks he is dead and in hell, mostly based on how he got from Tallahassee to the island. Apparently his car was rear-ended on the freeway and the paramedics that picked him up gave him an IV, then poof - he woke up in the room on the island. That, coupled with the fact that we find out from both Naomi (the parachutist) and Cooper that Flight 815 was found and all the passengers were dead, means that the real world believes that all the passengers perished.

Naomi relays that she is working for Penelope Widmore, looking for Desmond. She says that Flight 815 was found intact 4 miles down in an oceanic trench near Bali and that robotic cameras showed all bodies.

This story lends a lot of credence to the "Fake Crash" scenario, as it would be easier for Hanso/Dharma to fake if the plane was 4 miles down. It would be possible to fake video from Hanso "Robotic Cameras" likely from a Paik Industries ship!

Knowing LOST however, I would not discount the possibility of other scenarios being possible - such as the time / alternate reality idea. Like a good Agatha Christie novel, they like to keep feeding us ideas so we keep changing our minds about what is happening. That way when we find out, hopefully it is a surprise.

Another interesting quote: Ben: "A new place. Well...an old place really."

The "Others" camp in a field that has the remnants of what looks like an ancient temple or building. They tie Cooper to an old pillar there. This is another way of letting us know that the history of the island is ancient, like we were shown with the 4-toed statue.

My pick for best quote of the episode is a great Sawyer quote to Locke:

"Now that you got back from your blowing up everything that could get us off the island tour..."

Sawyer was great in this episode. You could really see his feelings from when he was a kid coming through and could empathize with him. I felt sorry for him. I love his character!

The whole point of this episode was, as a lot of people predicted, we find out that Cooper is the "real" Sawyer. Tom Sawyer to be exact. ("Huckleberry Finn was taken" - Cooper)

The climax of the episode is when Sawyer (James Ford) faces the real Sawyer in the "brig" of the Black Rock.

Locke cannot kill his father, and Richard Alpert (our Mittelos friend who brought Juliet to the island) provides Locke with the file that tells him that his father is the real Sawyer.
A very interesting part of the dialog between Alpert and Locke has Alpert saying telling Locke that Ben is wasting time with fertility issues when "we're here for more important reasons."
So the fertility issue is NOT the main issue with the "Others". What are those other "important reasons"?

Locke brings Cooper to the Black Rock and convinces Sawyer that he has kidnapped Ben and tells Sawyer to kill him.

Once Sawyer gets there, Locke locks him in the brig with Cooper, and Sawyer finds out the truth.

Sawyer makes Cooper read the letter that he wrote when he was a boy, but Cooper rips it up after reading part of it, sending Sawyer into a predictable rage where he ends up killing him. What an intense scene! You can feel the rage that Sawyer has had for so many years.

As always - a great Sayid line:

"You haven't told Jack?" - "Good." I love Sayid. When he questions Naomi, he asks specific detailed questions - the exact questions that we are asking - AND he makes sure he waits for the answers. Yup - Sayid ROCKS!

Hurley seeks out Sayid when they need to find someone trustworthy and they don't trust Jack.

Although this episode is mostly revealing, there is one interesting tidbit that we get that gives us a new mystery to think about:

Juliet: "We should tell her." to Jack when Kate comes to tell him about Naomi.

What is it that Jack and Juliet are doing or planning that Juliet wants to tell Kate? Is it that they are plotting against the "Others" or are they in cahoots with them?

I am not sure, but I lean towards them plotting against the "Others". Let's hope so.

I wanted to slug Kate when she went running to Jack. When is she going to smarten up?

Another interesting find - Sayid does get the satellite radio working, but it cannot locate a signal due to interference. It is pretty obvious that the interference is caused by something around the island - a jamming signal or shield of some kind. That, along with a now working satellite radio makes me think that Sayid's next mission will be to find the source of the interference and try to eliminate it - that is if Jack does not screw things up.

Interesting that Locke tells Sawyer that he has not infiltrated the "Others", but is "on his own journey". Even though Locke lied a lot in this episode to get Sawyer to come with him and to kill Cooper, I think that this is true. I also think Locke was telling Sawyer the truth about the "Others" planning to come to get the pregnant women, and giving him the tape recorder. With any luck Kate will be pregnant by then and they will take her!
I loved this episode as it gave great insight into the characters of Locke and Sawyer especially and I also liked the fact that they did not have old flashbacks. I don't think they should be used every show, just when they are really needed, not just for the sake of having a flashback.

I am looking forward to seeing where Locke's "journey" takes him. I still think he may be planning something to help the Losties. I also think Jack will redeem himself just as we all start to hate him. That is the LOST formula after all.

Let me know what you liked or did not like about tonights episode, or what you think is going on by posting a comment.

Namaste,
Vincent

ETA: Almost forgot one of my other favorite moments from this episode. Danielle shows up at the Black Rock when Locke has Sawyer and Cooper locked in the Brig. Locke asks what she is doing there, and she replies "looking for dynamite." (wonder what she plans to do with that!)
She then asks Locke what he is doing there. Locke pauses for a moment, then puts on that Locke smile and points to the dynamite, saying "the crates are over there." (All the time from the brig you hear Sawyer yelling.)

You gotta love it!

VM

OWA / LOST Podcasts

2007-05-02T12:36:00.000-03:00

I have been doing OWA/LOST Podcasts for over a year now, and although I enjoy doing them, the time it takes to put one together and the effort to maintain a quality podcast is difficult, especially when it is not your full time job!

I know Ryan & Jen from the Transmission made the switch from Podcast to Blog, and I am doing the same.

There are a bunch of reasons why I think it is a good idea, and I hope my faithful listeners will agree.

First off, like I said - the time and effort to produce a podcast is immense. I have a lot of respect for the people that do podcasts weekly, like Jason and Anna from Delta Park gets LOST, and Cliff & Stephanie Ravenscraft from Generally Speaking as well as many other fine LOST Podcasts.

I have not been able to keep up with a weekly podcast, nor the quality I want to put into it.

Secondly, there are a LOT of LOST Podcasts out there, and I'm not sure that people have the time to listen to them all.

Thirdly, I think I write better than I talk. At least it is much easier for me to quickly put my thoughts into a blog than a podcast. I want to keep providing my thoughts to you on a weekly basis about LOST and the blog seems to be the best way to get the information out there quickly, but hopefully still maintain the quality I want. I know the old OWA newsletters were well received, so in a way, I am getting back to an old tradition.

Lastly, I do not have funding for live talk shows or phone in lines, so the blog will allow you to be able to provide instant feedback about the blog, or ask questions. I think that will be a great benefit.

Thanks to all of you that listened to the OWA/LOST Podcasts over the last year, and I hope to hear from you on the OWA Blog!

First OWA Blog will be tonight after the LOST Episode - "The Brig".

Namaste
Vincent D. Madison