LOST, Episode 4.5: The Constant

Maybe a great magnet pulls all souls toward truth.

kd lang, "Constant Craving"

Can't. Wrap. My. Head. Around. This.

I knew we were in for a doozy when I received emails from two of my biggest Lost fan friends with these one-word subject lines: WOW and OMG.

Last season, Desmond's "Flashes Before Your Eyes" episode was my favorite. And now this. Wow, indeed.

QUESTIONS

Were the Freighter Four chosen by Matthew Abbadon for this mission because they are Constants to some of the Flight 815 survivors?

When the helicopter landed on the freighter, no one seemed concerned at all or asked about Naomi. We know that Miles was on that mission in search of Ben, and Daniel was there for Desmond (even if he didn't realize it at first). So what are the rest of the freighter crew there for?

If exposure to electromagnetism and/or radiation caused Desmond's behavior, will it also affect Locke if he ever leaves the island? He survived the implosion of the Swan hatch too, which was the station for electromagnetism experimentation. Sayid also pointed out the high levels of radiation from beneath that hatch...so it was a double whammy of a station.

Who is the captain of the freighter? Is it Ben's man?

Was freighter crew member Brandon killed, or did he die like Minkowski? Why did he die sooner than Minkowski if they both experienced the affects of the electromagnetism?

Why weren't other crew members affected when the freighter anchored there?

Are solely modes of transportation affected by the time warp between the island and the outside world? Sayid was on the freighter, and he called Jack in real time back on the island. Same with Desmond talking to Faraday.

Back when Ben let Michael and Walt go on the boat, did he give them the same coordinates that Daniel gave Frank for the helicopter?

Were the freighter's wires sabotaged immediately after Charlie unjammed the signal down the Looking Glass station? How are these related?

Were Rousseau's husband and her crew affected in the same way? Is that why they all got 'sick?' And if so, what caused the high levels of radiation and/or electromagnetism 16 years ago, and why was Danielle immune?

Is the shot that Minkowski received on the freighter the same type of injection that the Others used on Michael, Kate, Sawyer and Jack at one point?

If it was Christmas eve on the freighter, was it Christmas day on the island?

BEN'S 'MAN ON THE BOAT'

Whoever it is, they know Desmond and Sayid. The obvious guesses would be Michael or Walt, but that seems too easy.

Is Ben's mole responsible for sabotaging the communications equipment on the boat?

DANIEL FARADAY

Has Daniel been to the island before? Desmond is his constant, he was stationed in the electromagnetic hatch, and he's been there for 3 years.

Daniel didn't appear to recognize Desmond when he first appeared to get on the helicopter. So either his short term memory really was failing him that day or he was putting on an act.

Is his short term memory problem a long-term affect from prolonged exposure to radiation while experimenting with mice at Oxford?

Was he crying in the flashback a few episodes ago (and unable to describe why) because his subconscious knew that his Constant, Desmond, was living on that island among the survivors from Flight 815?

Now that he figured out that Desmond is his Constant, will his memory and behavior change at all?

Did Daniel know Donovan, Desmond's friend in London who was a physics professor? Seems likely after tonight.

Have Daniel and Charlotte known each other since their days at Oxford? He was a professor and she earned her doctorate there.

It certainly seems like the survivors of Flight 815 have been running around that island in a maze like Eloise, Faraday's mouse...they're trapped and being experimented on as well.

DESMOND

How did Desmond know what Faraday looked like, and recognize him at Oxford?

Desmond's old Swan hatch roomie was Kelvin Inman, who interacted with Sayid in a military flashback. The fact that Sayid was with Desmond during this episode isn't coincidence...

FRANK

He memorized the manifest from Flight 815 and freaked out when he found out that Juliet was there but not one of the survivors. So why did he tell the freighter boys that Desmond was one of the survivors from Flight 815? Is he protecting him?

A few episodes ago, Frank told Daniel to hang up the phone if Minkowski answered from the freighter. How did he know that Minkowski had been compromised?

MINKOWSKI

So if radiation and electromagnetism cause the flashbacks and flash forwards, when and where was Minkowski exposed?

He was the freighter's communications officer. Sayid is the island's communications officer. Will we come to find that other freighter crew members mirror the characteristics and positions of those on the island?

Desmond was flashing back to 1996 while he was in the military. Minkowski was flashing back to a ferris wheel. Was he employed by a county fair before becoming a communications officer? It just struck me as odd.

PENNY WIDMORE

Minkowski knew that is was Penny who was trying to reach Desmond when she called the freighter repeatedly. So why didn't Penny mention that boat when Charlie asked her if she'd sent a boat with Naomi? I know they didn't have much time to speak but you'd think that she'd put two and two together.

After Desmond is dismissed from the military and Daddy Widmore tries to buy him off, he starts training for the race around the world. Penny found him at the stadium shortly before he left on that race...and there may have been other times that they communicated before he disappeared. All of that was before 2004. Did Penny ever reference Desmond's odd behavior back in 1996?

Was Penny alone in 2004 when Desmond contacted her from the freighter? Even though we didn't see anyone in her London flat, she had tons of presents under her Christmas tree. Again, just something I noticed...

DADDY WIDMORE

So he purchased a painting of and journal from the Black Rock slave ship, the same one that somehow landed in the middle of the island. The painting was sold by someone in the Hanso family. Coincidence? I think not. Will that journal come into play before Season 6? Probably.

He didn't seem surprised or angry to see Desmond show up at an auction house. It was as if he were expecting him...

DID YOU NOTICE...

After Daddy Widmore bought that painting and was leaving to chat with Desmond, the next item up for auction was something by Charles Dickens. Desmond has a Dickens book (Our Mutual Friend) with him throughout all of his adventures back and forward in time...

The name on the freighter was Kahana. Yet the media reported that the wreckage from Flight 815 was discovered by the Christianne 1 freighter. This discrepancy is in addition to the location where Jack said they were rescued and where the media said the plane was found. The mystery deepens.


The light that Faraday used on Eloise, his time-traveling mouse, was very similar in hue to the color of the sky when the hatch imploded, causing the electromagnetic anomaly.

Frank was piloting the helicopter to a coordinate of 305. Mr. Eko's 'jesus stick' was engraved with John 3:05, which Locke interpreted as a sign and direction to follow.

In Lost time, they're just about to 12/26/04 on the island, which was the date of the tragic tsunami. I would be very surprised if that featured into the Lost story at all, and I seriously doubt they'd emphasis or exploit that tragedy.

MISC.

Last year, the producers released The Orchid, a new Orientation video. It seems to relate to tonight's episode, especially given that the mouse time-traveled. Am I insane?

CRAZY THEORIES OF THE WEEK

• Back when the Swan hatch imploded, causing the sky to turn purple and radiating out with strong electromagnetic pulses...Jack, Kate and Sawyer were being taken hostage by Ben and the Others on the dock. Sayid, Sun and Jin were out on the sailboat looking for them. All 6 were far from the scene of the implosion and the beach. SO...they are the Oceanic 6, and they all live because of where they were when that incident occurred. And I don't know how or why...but there are at least 6 people still marooned on the island in the future who serve as Constants for these Oceanic 6.

• Ben is Miles' Constant, or vice versa.

• Ben and Jacob's infamous list contains the names of those who are Constants from Flight 815.

• Frank is Ben's mole on the freighter. That is why he let Desmond talk to Faraday back on the island, why he opened the door for Sayid and Desmond, why he told the crew that Desmond was one of the Flight 815 survivors, and why he told Daniel the day before to hang up if Minkowski answered the phone.

• When Flight 815 first penetrated the invisible shield covering the island (one of my long-standing theories), it experienced violent turbulence similar to the helicopter in tonight's episode. All surviving passengers traveled back in time at that very moment. OR, it caused the flashbacks we've been watching for three seasons.

• Daddy Widmore financed the freighter. That is why the crew was instructed not to answer Penny's calls, even though Minkowski did. And that is also why Penny knows about the island. She somehow found out about Daddy's mission and that it related to Desmond.

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That is about all I can muster up this evening. I realize that some of my theories aren't fleshed out enough and either don't make sense or contradict one another. Oh well. It's late.

I am off to LA tomorrow for a bit of fun, but check back later this weekend for additional thoughts and theories about "The Constant."

Happy Friday.

Season 4 Schedule Update

Good news, Lost fans. We will in fact see all 8 new episodes before a brief hiatus and the continuation of Season 4 (for a while, there was talk that Episode 8 was going to be held until the new batch premiered).

February 28: Episode 5
March 6: Episode 6
March 13: Episode 7
March 20: Episode 8

- and break (considering that the Writers Strike only ended recently, I can be patient for the 5 new episodes being written and produced quickly as we speak) -

April 24: Episode 9
May 1: Episode 10
May 8: Episode 11
May 15: Episode 12
May 22: Episode 13, the season finale

I'm just thrilled that they are able to give us 13 episodes at all during a Writers Strike-interrupted season.

Who's Your Baby Mama? Eggtown Theories Cont.

Today I had Lost on the brain more than usual. Perhaps it was the Oscar hangover or the excessive caffeine intake that followed. But I have now watched "Eggtown" three times, and the possibilities seem endless...

AARON

Aaron was not born yet when Flight 815 crashed; thus, he would not have been on the manifest. That is why I believe that he is not one of the Oceanic 6. The same will be true for Sun's baby should she be one of the six.

I am not sure how they are going to explain Tall Walt, but could the time discrepancy have anything to do with it? If he and Michael really did leave the island for a time, would that explain his growth? And if so, will the reverse be true for Aaron? Will/has the island stunted his development? He looked to be about 2 years old in this episode, and yet Kate's mom said that the crash was 4 years ago...

...which leads credence to the theory that THIS Aaron is actually the product and Kate and Sawyer, named in memory or homage to their long LOST friends Claire and Aaron. Kate worked hard to find out about her off-island status from Miles because she was pregnant. She knew that she'd die giving birth on the island, but wanted to see what kind of life she would be returning to. She probably figured that her criminal record would be forgiven once she was rescued (given the circumstances and trauma), and that she'd be able to have her baby without the possibility of jail time. If this Aaron is her child with Sawyer, it would explain why Jack was uncomfortable visiting him at their house. This Aaron wouldn't be his nephew. So Jack never forgave Kate for sleeping with/choosing Sawyer, even though he still loves her. And, either Sawyer died or is stuck back on the island, adding to Jack's discomfort with the whole situation. This Aaron would be a living, breathing reminder of what or who was left behind.

BEN

Did Ben earn his wealth as a secret spy, or was he financed? The obvious guess would be that Mr. Widmore provided the resources and opportunities.

KATE

When Kate made the deal at court, she left through the back entrance by herself. If you're one of the most famous faces on earth AND you're on trial, how is it that no media got wind of your release and were awaiting every possible exit? And why is it that Jack isn't tailed either? We are to believe that they are living in current time after rescue, but in today's tabloid society, a photo of Kate and Jack together in the parking garage after her trial would have been a money shot. Instead, they interacted in a wide open lot with uninterested passers-by.

In addition to her fame, she has unlimited resources due to the Oceanic payoff (see: nanny and suburban Barbie dream home). Why take a cab instead of hiring a driver? Someone we know must have been driving that taxi...

Kate returned home after being held in prison during her trial. And yet the Nanny greeted her like she'd only been out at work for the day. I just found it to be a strange reaction.

OCEANIC 6

Were they all rescued at the same time? Do any of them know how to get back to the island? We know that Jack doesn't, but I wouldn't be surprised to find out that Ben, Sayid and Kate do.

FREIGHTER FOUR

If Frank and Miles were so familiar with the Flight 815 manifest and the pasts of the passengers, why weren't they surprised to see Locke out of a wheelchair?

At what point will Frank reveal to the survivors that he was supposed to be the pilot of their fated flight?

SLIGHTLY CRAZY MONDAY THEORIES

Miles is Ben's man on the boat, his Traitor on the Freighter. His extortion amount ($3.2 million) was code, a message to Ben, similar to Naomi's ('tell my sister that I love her') code back to the freighter. Kate was standing there, so Ben played along and made fun of the number that Miles demanded. Miles did tell Kate that he's "exactly where I want to be," and the 3.2 figure could relate to coordinates (to the freighter or another key location).

Three episodes ago, we witnessed what we thought were flashbacks from the Freighter Four. However, I now believe that most were flash-forwards. I think that Frank's scene and Naomi's (when Matthew Abbadon assigned her this motley crew) were the only two actual flashbacks from "Confirmed Dead." In the future, after the Freighter Four somehow return from the island...

• Daniel Faraday is visibly upset while watching news footage of the supposed wreckage from Flight 815. He is sad but can't explain why, and it is not because he's emotionally or mentally unstable...he's not allowed to. The Freighter Four were paid off (like the Oceanic 6) to keep their mouths shut under threat of death to them or their loved ones.
  

• Charlotte is determined to find evidence of extinct Dharma experiments in Tunisia because of something she discovered in the various abandoned Dharma hatches and stations back on the island.

• Miles uses information he gathered from 815 survivors on the island to con money out of their living relatives back in the real world; Oceanic settlement money. He pretends to connect with and speak to their dead family members, but he already knows where to find what he's looking for (drugs, cash, etc.) because he kept track of stories from survivors during his time on the island.

In a flashback, however, Frank the Pilot called Oceanic to claim that the pilot's body they found among the wreckage wasn't his friend, but that drew attention from the wrong people. Did Matthew Abbadon choose him for this mission to get rid of him before he exposed the truth about Oceanic's involvement? Side note: Naomi referred to Frank as a drunk, but was he one before the crash of Flight 815 or because of it (because he was supposed to pilot that particular flight)?
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Speculation is great fun, but I'm still convinced that the Freighter Four and their helicopter are a rouse and have nothing to do with the actual rescue of the Oceanic 6. Think about it...we have 2.5 more seasons of Lost to go after this run of 7 new episodes. Why would the writers and producers give us the means of rescue now, when we have almost 40 episodes left in the entire series?

Any thoughts about this or the theories above?

Character Spotlight: Juliet

This week I'd like to spotlight Juliet, my favorite female character on LOST.

Dr. Juliet Burke is a fertility doctor. Before being recruited to work on the island by Ben and Mittelos Bioscience, she was based in Miami. Juliet was working with her ex-husband, Edmund Burke, but he was killed by a bus after she joked about it to Richard Alpert of Mittelos.

Juliet lived with her sister Rachel, who she was secretly treating with experimental drugs because she had cancer and wanted a baby. Rachel did get pregnant, and then Juliet went to work for Mittelos. They told her that the job was in Portland, but then they drugged her and took her to the island via submarine.

Although Juliet was told that the job was a three-month stint, she has been on the island for 3 years. Ben promised Juliet that Rachel's cancer would be cured, and it was. He also proved that her sister was alive and healthy by showing Juliet footage of Rachel playing with her son.

While living among the Others, Juliet was sleeping with Goodwin. He was killed by Ana Lucia after Ben dispatched him to infiltrate the tail section survivors from the crash of Flight 815, but we have not seen her reaction to that event or time. Juliet also hosted book club at her Other home.

After Ben organized the capture of Jack, Kate and Sawyer, Juliet was assigned to Jack. They developed a slow friendship and trust, and she made a video asking Jack to let Ben die during spinal surgery. Jack didn't let Ben die, because Juliet helped Kate and Sawyer escape. She also broke a cardinal Other rule by killing one of her own people (Pickett) in the process. Juliet was put on trial by the Others but spared because Jack made a deal with Ben, although she did received a mysterious branding on her lower back as punishment. Ben promised Jack and Juliet a trip off of the island but then Locke blew up the submarine. So much for that.

Juliet returned to the survivors' beach with Jack, but it was unclear who's side she was on. No one besides Jack trusted her. When Claire became very ill, Juliet saved her. And she also took Sun to an abandoned medical hatch for an ultrasound. Juliet revealed Ben's plans to kidnap women from the beach, and then she and Jack joined up with Rousseau to get dynamite for the counter-attack.

When Locke and Jack split the survivors into two groups, Juliet remained with Jack in the hopes of being rescued by the freighter crew and their helicopter.

Since Juliet was not on Flight 815, she will not be one of the Oceanic 6. However, I think she will get off that island one way or another, reunite with her sister and meet her nephew. Whether or not Jack is in her future remains to be seen as well.

LOST Scoop from EW

Entertainment Weekly's LOST expert, Jeff Jensen, has a great interview with executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse. While I don't necessarily consider the article a spoiler, they definitely answer some lingering questions and map out the rest of this season for us.

Click here to read at your own risk, spoiler-free friends.

Kate & Aaron Evacuate Eggtown: Episode 4.4 Continued

First things first. I lied. I promised to post a plethora of additional theories tonight, as well as photos. But I'm feeling quite tired and lazy. Perhaps tomorrow will be more inspiring. A torrential downpour is on the way, so I'll probably be back with more.

Second, a co-worker compared me to the Black Smoke Monster today. She meant it as a compliment (i.e. my ability to scan and assess people), but it's not like I hide around corners at the office, waiting to scare people and thrash them around against trees. Good times.

Anyway, back to the conspiracy theories.

In addition to the great comments which a few people left after last night's episode, a friend emailed me the following:

"Did you find it interesting that Hurley was watching Xanadu when Kate arrived to see Sawyer, and did you listen to the words to the song that were playing in the background as the two met??? I think you can chalk this one up to a pop-culture reference and also a literature reference if you read Coleridge's Kubla Khan...

Which caused me to look on Wikipedia... which reminded me that Charles Foster Kane's mansion in Citizen Kane was named Xanadu.... Ben is rather Charles Foster Kane-like and lives in his own compound like Kane in Xanadu.

Another thing that we just discussed here is why in 2004 were they watching VHS tapes??? No DVDs if they have access off the island??? Or does that have to do with Jacob's dislike for things modern?"

Glenn, thank you for pointing out the Xanadu and Citizen Kane nods!

Also, Locke gave Ben a copy of VALIS (Vast Active Living Intelligence System), a sci-fi novel by Philip K. Dick. I have not read the book, but after a little research, I can report that spirituality, religion and philosophy play a major role.

QUESTIONS

Is Future Ben still able to travel back and forth to the island? Are he and Sayid working to protect those who weren't rescued? Will Jack find out that Ben is still alive and demand to return with him?

Did Kate's mom know that Aaron wasn't her baby? Why else would Kate prevent her from seeing her grandson?

If Sun isn't rescued, does Juliet remain on the island to take care of her and the birth?

While testifying on behalf of Kate on trial, Jack said that Flight 815 crashed in the South Pacific. But the media reported that the wreckage was found near the Sunda Trench...which is in the Indian Ocean. I'm no cartographer, but those are not one and the same. So how do the Oceanic 6 explain the discrepancy upon their return? How is it that their stories don't fit what was reported in the press?

If the Oceanic 6 were all paid a very handsome price for their silence, why is Kate living in a nice house in the suburbs and Jack in an average apartment?

Jack must not know that Aaron is his nephew, because wouldn't he be more concerned about the kid's well-being? Kate made it seem like Jack hadn't seen Aaron since they were rescued.

Last week, Miles said that he wasn't really friends with his fellow Freighter Four, and last night he told Ben that he could "take care" of Charlotte if Ben agreed to the $3.2 million.

When Claire first found out that she was pregnant and then her boyfriend left her, she opted for adoption. She was on Flight 815 in route to the adoptive parents. She never intended to raise Aaron, but crashing on the island changed her perspective. Was Claire under duress or injured when she made the decision to hand over Aaron to Kate?

File Under: Random

The actor who played Kate's attorney was in the film "Frequency" with Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet), and his character's name was...Jack Shepard.

CRAZY THEORY FOR THE WEEKEND

Michael is one of the Oceanic 6. As part of the payoff and lie, none of the Oceanic 6 spill the beans about Michael's double murder (Libby and Ana Lucia) back on the island. Walt does not return with his dad; he chooses to stay on the island with Locke.

Good night, Lost friends. Keep those comments coming!

LOST, Episode 4.4: Hatching Theories About 'Eggtown'

Apologies in advance for the lack of photos. To save time and catch a few more winks, I am sticking to theories and questions tonight. MUCH more to come tomorrow…

I am not in the habit of gloating, but back on February 1, I posted this under 'Crazy Theories' of the week:

"In the future, Kate is taking care of Aaron. Either Claire was left on the island or died, and Kate became his surrogate mother (the only viable candidate among the Oceanic 6). Aaron was one of the Oceanic 6, and he is the 'him' that Kate referred to in the flash forward with Jack."

:)

TITLE OF EPISODE

This week’s title (Eggtown) was, in part, a nod to reproduction and the lack thereof from the island ladies. And Locke made Ben breakfast with the ‘last two eggs,’ an allegory about Claire and Sun; they produced the only children from Flight 815.

AARON

Even though Aaron wasn’t born yet when Flight 815 crashed, he was born on the island. So is he considered one of the Oceanic 6?

Aaron is Jack’s nephew. Does he know that yet, in this flash forward?

Does Dead Charlie visit Aaron in the future too? Can Aaron see him like Hurley was able to? I believe so, because Aaron is probably ‘special’ like Walt. Claire’s psychic must have sensed that too, which is why he was adamant that she raise him herself.

CLAIRE

We can assume that Claire was either killed or rescued. Given that the fake story is that only a few crashed and survived, and barely any time was spent together on the island before rescue…will we find out that they are they claiming she died during childbirth?

Charlie died because Desmond had a vision that Claire was rescued via helicopter. Does she get rescued, and if so, why would Kate have Aaron? Was Desmond’s vision a crock?

KATE

Kate asserted that she knew she wasn’t pregnant…right after rebuffing Sawyer’s advances for the second time in a row. Was she implying that it was that time of the month? Sorry boys. Sometimes it’s best to spell it out.

Kate isn’t from California, so why was her trial there?

Hurley and Jack both expressed a desire to return to the island in flash-forwards. Should we assume that Kate has no interest because she’s raising Aaron? Or is it because she took Aaron from Claire and doesn’t want to return him?

In Claire’s flashback a few seasons ago, her psychic said that it was imperative that she raise her child by herself. What implications will this have for Kate?

Is it significant that under the terms of Kate’s deal, she can’t leave the state?

OCEANIC 6

The company line is that 8 people survived the crash, so how did the other 2 die? Jack said that Kate saved 5 people, but could she have prevented the deaths of the other two?

We now know that Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sayid and possibly Aaron are 5 of the Oceanic 6...which would indicate that Jin and Sun aren’t rescued together, if at all. Same for Rose and Bernard. Neither married couple are rescued intact.

How much money or what kind of blackmail was involved to make Kate, Jack and Hurley stick to the game plan and tell that story? The lives of their loved ones or those still stuck on the island must be at stake.

Where is Sayid during all of these flash-forwards? We know he was traveling the world working as a spy for Ben, but how is he doing so in an open fashion when the other rescued survivors are so in the spotlight?

SUN

Both Kate and Sun referred to their children as ‘my;’ Sun was talking about her unborn child as ‘my baby’ and Kate referred to Aaron as ‘my son.’ No men involved or implied. Perhaps Sun’s child isn’t Jin’s after all, and that’s why she wants to return to Korea…to raise her child where its father lived and worked before he died, and where her family money is.

FREIGHTER FOUR

The person that hired Miles has been looking long and hard for Ben. That is a costly endeavor, and we’ve met a few wealthy folks that fit the profile. Oceanic Airlines was a successful company, and their attorney Matthew Abbadon dispatched and financed Naomi and the Freighter Four on this mission, so perhaps the mystery man in charge is Abbadon or a major stockholder (like Mr. Widmore or Mr. Paik).

What are we to gleam from the fact that Daniel Faraday is suffering from apparent memory loss? Is it short term, or does it have anything to do with his mental illness? If the island has healing powers, it certainly relegates them to specific individuals.

Regina is the one answering all phone calls on the freighter. Where the hell did Minkowski go?

MISC.

Jin was looking at a map and pointed out Albuquerque. That is where Sawyer set up an anonymously funded bank account for his daughter Clementine. I believe that Kate also robbed a bank in New Mexico.

CRAZY THEORIES OF THE WEEK

Part 1: As part of the overall lie, the outside world believes that Aaron is Kate’s biological child. They also think that very little time was spent between the crash and the rescue, so her story is that she got pregnant on the island and Sawyer is the father.

Part 2: Sawyer is one of the Oceanic 6 (if not the last), and has made a life with Kate off-island. Even though she does not mention a husband or boyfriend and we don’t know if anyone else lives in that giant house of hers, Sawyer is happy to play house with Kate and pretend to be the baby daddy as well. Sawyer is the ‘he’ that Kate has to get back to when she meets up with Drunk Bearded Jack down the line. Aaron wasn’t the one who was worried about his mommy running an errand at night; he was at home, sleeping while daddy Sawyer or the nanny was there. Sawyer was the one that Kate was worried about; he certainly wasn’t aware that she was on a rendezvous to meet up with Jack. Sawyer is also the reason that Jack hasn’t gone to her house to visit; it isn’t because of Aaron or the circumstances by which Kate became his mother, it is because of Sawyer.

OR

Kate did have Sawyer’s child, and she named him Aaron as homage to the real mother and child who weren’t rescued. The reason that Kate wants to be rescued so badly is that she knows that women and children die during childbirth on the island. Timeline-wise, I have no idea if this is plausible (Kate’s mom revealed that it had been four years since the crash, and I couldn’t tell how old Aaron was in this flash-forward).

OR

Kate took Aaron with Claire’s blessing, because she asked her to. Perhaps Claire becomes mortally wounded, or due to weight constraints, no more adults were allowed on the helicopter.

Moving on...

Mr. Widmore is the man searching for Ben. He was either involved with or financed Dharma, and/or found out about Ben’s purge. He was familiar with the stations and hatches on the island, as well as their functions. He also discovered that his daughter Penny was looking for Desmond via an electromagnetic anomaly, put two and two together, and set up Naomi and the Freighter Four on the mission.

Ben didn’t leave the island when he found out about his tumor because at that point in time, his undercover off-island spy identity had been discovered and someone was out to kill him. He knew that no one would find him on the island, and waited for the opportune moment to manipulate Jack into operating on him after the crash. That is why he didn’t mind when Locke blew up the communications station and the submarine; he didn’t want to leave the island anymore either.

Last season, Claire attached an SOS message to a bird in hopes of rescue. That message will be discovered a few years after the Oceanic 6 were paid off and living their miserable lives back in the real world, and it will cause serious ramifications for the survivors and the folks responsible for their lies. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Season 6.

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I have to say…it is eerie how much that child looks like Emilie de Ravin (Claire). Totally blows holes in many of theories, but great casting.

Oh, and at least in Locke Land, the answer to the age-old question is...the egg came first, and then the chicken.

Good night!

Before We Move On: Further Musings About 'The Economist'

I am just an hour away from episode 4, but I after watching "The Economist" again, I posted some new thoughts below.

In the first scene on the golf course, Sayid is wearing one white glove and Mr. Avellino is wearing one black glove. Symbolism on Lost is subtle and usually significant. From white bunnies branded with black numbers to the Black Rock slave ship to games people play (backgammon & chess), black and white themes permeate the entire series. My initial thought upon noticing the gloves on the golf course, however, was that we were to believe that Sayid was the 'good guy' and Avellino was the 'bad guy' (perhaps I have seen too many Disney films with obvious visual clues). Sayid was working for Ben after rescue, and Ben always insisted that he was one of the good guys...

Ben's secret spy life in the real world must have included some medical training. Back on the island in Other Village, Ethan was the designated surgeon and Juliet was the fertility specialist. And yet in Sayid's flash forward, Ben was stitching him up like a pro. Why would he hide his medical expertise from his people? For example, he could have saved Colleen after Sun shot her, but he left the baby doc try and fail instead. Very intriguing.

Sawyer told Kate that he didn't want to get rescued, that he has nothing to return to. What about Clementine, the daughter he had with Cassidy? It is interesting that he now wants to set up house with Kate on the island, knowing that there is a strong possibility that she's pregnant...

See you in a few hours.

Now Hear This: LOST Podcasts

Bored at work? Need an additional LOST fix before Thursday night?

Go download the following Lost podcasts! They're usually very insightful and quite entertaining at times. Both are free and available on iTunes and their respective sites.

1. The Official LOST Podcast
2. The Lost Podcast with Jay and Jack

The first podcast is hosted by ABC, and features perspective from LOST executive producers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof (see photo above; they're not dating, it just looks that way). The second podcast is hosted by two very dedicated fans who have thousands of listeners and great theories, not to mention occasional phone calls from Hurley himself, Jorge Garcia.

Daniel Faraday's Mystery Woman

This is just one of my new and somewhat implausible theories, but it would be quite interesting if it were true...

In the Freighter Four flashbacks, we see a woman who is living with or taking care of Daniel Faraday. They did not show us her face for a reason.

I think it's Libby.

We've met Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs Libby (in Hurley's institution) and Widowed Philanthropist Elizabeth (who gave Desmond her deceased husband's sailboat).

I know, I know...Libby would have been on Flight 815 and then on the island during Daniel's flashback. Or not.

Look, we don't know for sure when the Freighter Four flashbacks occurred in LOST time, and it's possible that Libby had a twin. Off-island, both flashbacks featured brunette versions of her.

Just a thought.

Previously on Lost....Singing Episode Recaps

There are some serious LOST fans out there who put me to shame with regard to dedication, time and effort.

Go check out Previously on Lost. They are a Brooklyn-based band who write and post weekly songs about new episodes of the show. Hysterical.

Sayid Jarrah, International Man of Mystery: More Thoughts About "The Economist"

economist

1. an expert in the science of economics
2. a thrifty or frugal person

The Economist
A political and literary magazine written by anonymous sources who speak with a collective voice

BEN

Where does Alex fit into Ben's secret life as an off-island spy? Did his secret life have anything to do with how he 'obtained' her from Danielle Rousseau at birth? How could his 'daughter' not notice his frequent disappearances from the island?

It still isn't clear whether or not Ben is one of the 'good' guys off-island. Is he truly working with Sayid to protect the Oceanic 6 or those still on the island? And if so, why? Why start now?

We all know that Uncle Benny loves bunnies. And now we see that his facade is a vet's office. I wonder what the hell kind of experiments he was running on those dogs in cages. Does he have Vincent??

Is Mittelos Bioscience one of the 'fronts' that Ben uses for his off-island business? If so, Richard Alpert plays a larger role than we originally thought. What about Widmore Corporation or Paik Heavy Industries?

We recently found out (from Juliet) that Kate and Sawyer were hauling rocks back on Other Island last season because the Others were building a runway. Was this Ben's backup plan because Locke (supposedly) blew up the submarine? Was he arranging for the construction of Other Airport to accommodate his side hobby as Bond, Benjamin Bond?

BEN'S SECRET SPY ROOM

On the passport that we glimpse in Ben's secret room, his alias is Dean Moriarty. Dean Moriarty is the name of a character in Jack Kerouac's On the Road, and Moriarty is a character in Sherlock Holmes.

Sayid came across a copy of the Holy Quran, an Islamic religious text, in Ben's bookshelf. Was this an indication that Ben had a premeditated plan to educate himself in order to recruit Sayid to the dark side?

Among the stacks of international currency in Ben's desk, there was a Bank of England note with a picture of famous physicist Michael Faraday...not to be confused with nut-job physicist Daniel Faraday from the Freighter Four. But obviously a visual clue and nod in that direction.

CHARLOTTE

When she is reunited with Frank and Daniel, why didn't she immediately tell them that Ben claimed to have a man on their freighter? Are the Freighter Four already aware of the infiltration?

When asked whether or not she wanted to return to the freighter, Charlotte uttered the same statement that Walt had said to Locke, that she "has work to do."

DESMOND

Desmond knows that the freighter isn't Penny's boat, and you'd think he would be suspicious of outside visitors to the island, from his many years of experience in the hatch, etc. More than anything, he is probably curious to find out if the freighter is also traveling in circles and can't leave the proximity, like his sailboat.

Why is it that the Freighter Four freaked out when they found out that Juliet wasn't on the plane, but don't seem to notice or care that Desmond wasn't either?

We have yet to find out whether or not Desmond is still experiencing Future Flashes. Does he know more about the Freighter Four and their mission than we think? Does he know, at this very moment on the island, who the Oceanic 6 will be?

THE ECONOMIST

Some people might assume that Ben was the Economist. Other candidates include Matthew Abbadon (the menacing Oceanic lawyer who commissioned Naomi and the Freighter Four to find Ben/the guy who visited Hurley at the institution), Penny's father (Daddy Widmore), and Sun's dad (Mr. Paik).


ELSA

Who did she work for? Was she also working for Ben, not realizing the connection to Sayid? Is that why he paged her a half hour too late?

Was her bracelet engraved like Naomi's, and if so, was it from R.G. as well?

Her name may be homage to either Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Elsa tricked Indy; she was a traitor) or Casablanca (leading man must choose between Ilsa and doing the right thing).

ISLAND v. REAL TIME

If there is a discrepancy between time and space on the island and the outside world, why and how is Daniel able to communicate with the freighter in real time? Are the airwaves not affected?

Would any of this time/space continuum speculation explain why Richard Alpert doesn't age?

{My friend Brian is shy and didn't leave the below theory as a Comment, so I am posting it on his behalf and giving him credit}...

"If Elsa is employed by Jacob, perhaps the phone call came from the island (or Jacob himself).

The English translation of Elsa's conversation in German with her employer was: 'You were supposed to call me at 10:30, not at 10:00.' In the subtitles, the 'not at 10:00' was removed. Which means that the call was early, not late.

Daniel's clock said it was 2:45pm and the clock from the drop off had it at 31 minutes later. Perhaps the island is 31 minutes ahead of 'real' time. Maybe Daniel's clock was based on the position of the sun or some other kind of natural source of time not affected by the island.

In the scene after the comparison of Daniel's 2 clocks, when Sayid & co. enter Ben's house, there is a clock by the door that shows the time as a few minutes after the 3:15pm time on the drop off clock - which to me would mean that 3:15pm is closer to island time (or reversed; Ben was keeping track of real time at his house, but that would get confusing to visitors that didn't know the truth).

So if someone called from the island at 10:30, based on the island time, it would be a phone call 30 minutes too early in Germany - which is why Elsa got the call early."

KATE & SAWYER

A day or two ago (in Lost/island time), Sawyer told Kate that he hoped she wasn't pregnant. The next day, he wanted to settle down in Other Village with her and play house. Sawyer didn't want to be rescued and attempt domestic bliss back in the real world because he knew that his rumbles in the jungle with Kate would not continue off-island. The sullen stud has lost his way since offing the real Sawyer (Anthony Cooper).

The scene when Kate was hiding behind the bed in Ben's house and Sawyer walked in was very reminiscent of Sawyer's first flashback...as a kid, he was hiding under the bed as his parents fought and then died in a murder-suicide.


SAYID

He goes from reformed torturer to praying negotiator on the island, and returns to ruthless assassin upon re-entry into society. Whatever Ben is holding over him, it's working. Whether that is Nadia or the lives of the other Oceanic 5, it remains to be seen.

The Oceanic 6 were supposedly celebrities after rescue, but either their fame wore off quickly or it lasted only in the paparazzi-heavy U.S. The Italian man on the golf course didn't recognize him right away, and Sayid travels openly around the globe, using his real name, without so much as a side glance from anyone. Let's face it, of the Oceanic 6 we've met thus far, Sayid would be the most memorable. Is there a chance that he's only claiming to be one of the Oceanic 6, when in fact he wasn't? Did Ben arrange for his rescue after the real Oceanic 6? Was Sayid able to pass himself off as one of them in international cities because his name was on the Flight 815 manifest?

The dude gets shot a lot. He shot himself to make it look like his fellow officer shot him when Nadia escaped. Mikhail shot him in the arm on the island. Elsa shot him in the shoulder off the island.

LINGERING QUESTIONS

Why does the freighter have a missile launcher?

Why hasn't anyone asked Frank the Pilot how he was injured? He didn't crash the helicopter or parachute in, so how did he sustain that gash to the head? Perhaps a secret encounter with Smokey, a boar or a polar bear?

SLEEP-DEPRIVED THEORIES OF THE WEEK

One of the Freighter Four is in the infamous coffin. This person was neither friend nor family to Jack, and yet he was emotionally distraught because their passing represented the island and his guilt about being rescued while some of his friends were left behind.

We know that Ben has a secret room, but he is also concealing the hiding place of Flight Attendant Cindy, the Tail Section Kids and other miscellaneous Others and Hostiles/Natives. I have always maintained that there is an underground facility/village beneath the island, and something tells me that we will find out soon enough whether or not that is true.
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Frankly, I'm exhausted. So this entry was shorter than I'd anticipated. I'm sure that more mysteries will swirl around my brain this weekend, and I will share them with you as they unfold.

I will end this week's blog with a confession that illustrates my level of...dedication to the show. I pre-purchased the brand new Lost: Via Domus video game for the PC. Go check out the trailer for it; you don't have to be a gamer or geek to appreciate the realistic detail and understand the allure! It debuts and arrives in a few weeks, and will be the first video game I've purchased in ten years (the last being an interactive X-Files one).

Have a great holiday weekend!

LOST, Epsiode 4.3 - "The Economist"

It is almost 2am, so my initial thoughts and theories are a rambling mess. I arrived home late tonight and stayed up to watch the new episode on TiVO so I could share first impressions with you. Tomorrow night I will elaborate and expand upon the insanity below, with photos…after sleep, work and caffeine.

BEN

If he wasn’t on Flight 815, does he count as one of the Oceanic 6? Absolutely not, in my opinion. I'm not even sure that the real world knows about his existence, or that the Oceanic 6 are aware that he made it off the island.

How did he slip away from the island so frequently without his people noticing (especially Juliet)? Had he not left during the 3 years he held her there? How often did he leave? The number of passports and disguises makes me think that the island is much closer to the ‘real world’ than we are being led to believe, not to mention the pace at which a submarine travels.

Who employed Ben? He went from a shy kid with an alcoholic dad to mini-Hitler, but it seemed that up until that point he was acting on his own. So who is his boss? Who assigned him the missions that would take him off of the island and into various countries under different identities? How does Jacob fit into this?

Why the hell was he wasting his time with fertility issues when he obviously had grander plans? Was that a rouse, a red herring to distract his people from his real mission? Why kill off one group in order to mislead another?

He had to have known about his spinal tumor before Juliet took his x-rays. He was probably diagnosed back in the real world, but he knew that he would be fixed on the island (either because he believed in the island’s healing powers or because he knew a spinal surgeon would fall out of the sky…as planned).

Ben didn’t seem too surprised that Jacob’s cabin had relocated, and Hurley saw it for himself a few episodes ago. If Locke communicated with Jacob, why can’t he find him again?

So Ben’s affinity for the island and all of its magical powers was insincere? He came and went as he pleased, while telling everyone emphatically that he was born there and would never leave. The only other person we know of who came and went with any frequency was Richard Alpert. Was he aware of Ben’s secret spy life, or a part of?

DANIEL FARADAY

What is the significance of the discrepancy between the time when his rocket was launched and it landed on the island? He is obviously aware of the electromagnetic forces on the island, and the anomalies.

ELSA

Sayid sure has a type. She and Shannon had very similar physical appearances, and both also died by gunshot wounds shortly after a roll in the sheets with Sayid.

FRANK THE PILOT

Why would he tell Daniel to hang up the phone if Minkowski answered? Last week they were desperately trying to get in touch with him. If they knew the freighter had been compromised, they wouldn’t voluntarily return to it via helicopter.

THE FREIGHTER FOUR

Why would Oceanic Airlines be interested in Ben? Were the Freighter Four employed by Matthew Abbadon to find Ben on the island because of something Ben had done off-island, or because of his Dharma purge? And if so, what the hell does that have to do with Oceanic? Miles has a photo of Ben in normal clothes, in a normal setting, so they are at least aware of his activities in the real world. It's looking more and more like Ben was in cahoots with Oceanic at one point, perhaps even involved with the crash, and then he ventured out on his own...resulting in their search for him.

MILES

Where did Locke stash him, and how did he subdue the armed, angry little ghostbuster?

Is Miles looking for Ben because he knows about Jacob? We don’t really know for sure whether Jacob is real or some sort of apparition, and that seems to be just up Miles’ alley. It will be very interesting should Miles encounter the Black Smoke Monster. Although he may already be aware of it and actually know what it is.

NAOMI

Was Naomi’s bracelet, the same kind found on Elsa, the symbol of an evil Oceanic coalition?

What do the initials RG stand for? There is a Regina on the freighter, and we haven’t met her yet. She also seems to have an accent. It could be her sister, but Naomi’s last name is Dorrit. I think that Regina is/was Naomi's girlfriend, she will find out about her death and go after Locke. Get in line.

Why did Naomi have the photo of Penelope and Desmond if Abbadon assigned her to work with the Freighter Four to find Ben? She had an inkling that she’d encounter survivors from Flight 815, but how could she have known that Desmond was on the island as well? Penny didn’t know who Naomi was, so Daddy Widmore must have commissioned Naomi to find Desmond as a separate secret side mission.

SAYID

“The day I trust him is the day I sell my soul.” That’s what Sayid said about Ben to Locke back on the island. Consider him sold. But at what price? What on earth would Ben have that would convince Sayid to work for him? Nadia.

Did he make a deal with Ben back on the island before rescue?

If Sayid is indeed protecting his friends in the future (as Ben said), is he referring to the rescued ones or those still back on the island?

What incident was Ben referring to when Sayid “thought with his heart instead of his gun” last time? Does it have anything to do with the unknown event that Juliet referred to in Basra?

Kate, Jack and Hurley have all expressed remorse and guilt since being rescued, as illustrated in flash-forwards. Not Sayid. Unless you believe that his tears weren't really for Elsa...

In all other flash-forwards, Jack has visited with other members of the Oceanic 6. If Sayid is off working for Ben, don’t Jack or Kate or Hurley wonder where he is or try to keep in touch with him?

QUESTIONS

Is the list that Sayid referred to one and same as Jacob’s, or was it Ben’s list of people he was to assassinate?

Are Ben and Sayid slowly finding and killing off those responsible for the crash of Flight 815? Is Matthew Abbadon one of them?

What was Mr. Avellino’s (the man that Sayid killed on the golf course) role in the crash and/or rescue? He certainly became quite pale when Sayid told him who he was.

Did Kate, Jack and Hurley also receive large settlements after they were rescued, or was Sayid referring to the paycheck he was now receiving from/with Ben? Were they all paid large sums for their silence?

Was Sayid or Ben responsible for the death of whoever is in that damn coffin from Jack’s flash-forward?

Charlotte’s full name (Charlotte Staples Lewis) is a nod to CS Lewis, who wrote The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. Is Ben’s secret spy room with passports and disguises the wardrobe through which he transports to a different place and time?

BEN’S MAN ON THE BOAT

The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced that it’s Michael. Ben gave him specific coordinates to follow to direct his boat ‘home,’ but I think that those led him to the freighter. I think that Ben blackmailed Michael; he told him that he had contact with the outside world, and after Michael and Walt returned home, Ben would let the world know what Michael had done (killing Ana Lucia and Libby). So he convinced Michael to do him one last favor before true rescue… someone infiltrate the freighter and relay information back to Ben on the island about the crew.

CRAZY THEORIES FOR THE CRAZY HOUR

Elsa was employed by Jacob, who is now working against Ben off-island. Last season Ben pointed out that Jacob has a strong dislike for current technology, and Elsa was using an antiquated pager instead of a cell phone.

Sayid isn’t the only one working for Ben after rescue. Kate was very hesitant to reconnect with Jack and was not interested in returning to the island. Remember, Kate and Ben had a very difficult conversation in Season 2 on the beach after she was captured, and the details of that chat have yet to be revealed. Ben was certainly aware of her criminal past and tendencies. Perhaps he somehow arranged for her record to be expunged upon rescue in exchange for her services afterward. Also, when Sawyer asked why she would want to leave the island and return to her life as a fugitive, she didn’t respond.

And I'm spent. See you tomorrow.

On the Move Again: LOST's New Timeslot

I love that LOST was relocated to Thursday nights, and I was enjoying the fact that the show was on at 9pm again. It was temporary, and too good to be true.

Rumor has it that LOST will move back to 10pm after this first run of 7 episodes. The remaining 5 episodes of Season 4, which are being written (with joy and permission) as we speak, will air after new episodes of Grey's Anatomy beginning in April.

And you didn't misread that sentence above; I said 7. Because there is also speculation that Episode 8 won't air now until April as well, as a lead-in to the new batch of episodes.

Oh well. Sleep is overrated.

Episode 3 Blog - Friday Night

Long before I found out that LOST was returning to the air on Thursday nights, we had theatre tickets for Valentine's Day. So, I will be watching tomorrow night's episode on Friday and then posting theories and thoughts later that night after work. So don't forget to come back and visit me here over the weekend!

I appreciate your patience.

By the way, look at that photo of Juliet and Jack from last season's finale. Notice the body language. Yes, she surprised him with a smooch, but if Kate were in that proximity, his hands would have been on her face or in her hair at this point.

But I'm sure that most would agree that there are worse places to be than dead center of a love triangle between Kate and Juliet. Lucky Doc.

Happy Commercial Heart Holiday.

Character Spotlight: Sayid

Every week or so, I am going to highlight a character on LOST, to review their history on the show and revisit relevant facts that may or may not be significant to their future on or off the island.

I will begin with Sayid Jarrah, my favorite male character on the show.

Flashbacks: 5 (so far)

Sayid was born in Iraq and went to Cairo University. Then he was a Communications Officer in the Iraqi Republican Guard for five years. When Sayid's base was overtaken by U.S. forces during Desert Storm, he was forced to torture his former commanding officer to obtain details about the whereabouts of an American soldier. After that, Sayid returned to the Guard and was promoted to Intelligence, where he was made to put his torture skills to work.

Juliet made reference to an incident in Basra, but no details have emerged since, either in conversation or flashback/flash-forward.

Nadia was Sayid's childhood sweetheart and long lost love. He encountered her after many years when was forced to interrogate her for a crime, and then he killed a fellow officer to allow for her escape. They haven't seen each other since.

At some point between his time in the Guard and crashing on the island, Sayid changed his name, moved to Paris and worked as a chef. He was beaten up by a man whose wife accused him of torturing her a long time ago. Sayid admitted to the crime, the woman forgave him and convinced her husband to let him go.

Several years later, Sayid was arrested in London and brought before the CIA. They offered to tell him Nadia's current location in exchange for his help infiltrating a terrorist group in Sydney, of which his former college roommate was a member. Sayid was successful but his friend killed himself. He was informed that Nadia was living in Orange County, CA. Sayid was scheduled to leave Sydney and fly to LA to find her, but stayed an extra day for his friend's funeral and left on fated Flight 815 the next day.

Character Crossovers: While in the service of the Guard, Sayid encountered both Kate's father (Sergeant Major Sam Austen) and Desmond's future hatch-mate on the island (Kelvin Inman). In one of Locke's flashbacks, Nadia appears when Locke inspects her home, and in a Charlie flashback, he saves her from getting mugged in an alley in London. In a Kate flashback, we briefly see an image of Sayid on TV when she's visiting her father at a military recruitment center.

Random Facts:

Sayid was the first survivor to...

1. Encounter crazy French Lady Danielle Rousseau
2. Meet Ben, who had been captured in one of Rousseau's nets and was calling himself Henry Gale at the time
   
3. Discover the cord on the beach that lead into the ocean and down to the Looking Glass station
4. Spot the four-toed statue
   

Besides his military training and communications/technology expertise, Sayid seems quite familiar with cartography (always reading maps) and electromagnetism (revealed while under original hatch w/Jack, referring to Chernobyl).

Sayid had a brief romance with Shannon before she was accidentally shot and killed by Ana Lucia. He was shot in the arm by Mikhail. And he killed an Other with his feet while his legs were bound.

Sayid is a badass, and I can't wait to see what's next for his character. I have a feeling that he is one of the Oceanic 6, and if so, I hope that his flash-forwards include Nadia.

The Fate & Future of Season 4

Judging from the various quotes today from Executive Producer/Writer Damon Lindelof, it looks like we will be treated to at least 5-6 new episodes of Lost this season, should the writers strike end this week.

(E! online):

"Indeed, it would appear that we are in the endgame of the strike. Personally, I couldn't be more psyched to be part of this union. Like any negotiation, some parts suck and some parts surpassed my wildest expectations for what we could accomplish, but most of all I'm left with a feeling of pride.

As for Lost (pending the actual lifting of the strike, which we vote for on Tuesday), a game plan should begin to manifest by the end of the week. All I can say is that Carlton and I and the rest of the writers have every intention of making sure you guys get more episodes this season beyond the eight already completed. How many and how they will be aired is a conversation we'll be having with our bosses, but as soon as we've got a plan, we'll tell the fans first."

(AP):

"We very much want to come back and do as many episodes as possible. How many episodes can best serve our story? And what are the production realities? I don't see why we couldn't deliver all eight remaining episodes."

(LA Times):

"I think the big task ahead of us is to basically come up with the best plan both creatively and logistically for Lost moving forward. If they go along with what we kind of want to do, my guess is it will be fairly aggressive. So every day counts.

We have to look at all the notes that were taken right before we left in terms of what we're going to do creatively for the remainder of the season and refresh our memory a little."

After only two new episodes, I am hooked back in entirely, if not more. So this is news to my eyes and ears.

Referral Contest: Win LOST on DVD (updated)

Here's the deal. I love LOST, and so do you and most of your friends; everyone knows someone who watches the show. And as you know, I am always seeking new readers and taking referrals. So I decided that it's time to reward the dedicated.



This contest is simple. The first person to refer 20 LOST fans to me will win a DVD box set of LOST, the season of their choice ($40 retail value; Blu-Ray not included).

Here are three options, should you want to participate:

• Forward me a list of names and email addresses. Your referrals must come from interested parties who have given you permission to provide their names and emails to me. You don't have to gather them all at once; send them a few at a time if you want. If one of your referrals unsubscribes, they are discounted from your total.

• Your friends/referrals can send an email to mailto://jo@jopinionated.com with the word LOST in the subject line and your name in the body of the email (so you get credit for them).

• If you link to this contest on your own blog or website, you will receive 5 credits toward the 20.
  

What will I do with these names and emails? I will add them to my LOST distribution list, and they will receive 1-2 emails from me per week with LOST theories and news. After this new run of episodes from Season 4 ends, the updates will become less frequent.



The contest will be retroactive, as a few of you have generously pimped me out to the masses recently, and will be open until April 24.

Some might call this bribery, but I prefer to think of it as motivation and incentive.

I like to speculate and share, and you seem to enjoy it. So let's increase the number of people who bookmark this site and want to poke holes in my theories. Let the games begin. Bring it on.

The Freighter Four, Furthermore...

I don't know about you, but I have trouble sleeping and focusing the day after a new episode of Lost airs. My mind is constantly processing the possibilities. So I thank you for coming here, and letting me entertain you with my wacky theories and probing questions every week!

Here are additional thoughts about episode 4.2, "Confirmed Dead."

This was the first episode to feature flashbacks that occurred AFTER the crash of Flight 815. It was also the first time that flashback locations were provided on screen (i.e. Inglewood, CA).

The news reported that all of the passengers from Flight 815 were "confirmed dead," presumably by Oceanic and the nefarious Matthew Abbadon. They had to have the fake wreckage and plan for all of this in place long before that flight took off from Sydney. I am now convinced that every single passenger on that flight was hand-picked and that the crash was elaborately orchestrated by Oceanic. The question remains...was all of it necessary just to get to Ben?

BEN

Why announce that you have a man on the freighter in front of one of the crew? At that point, Charlotte still had her phone. Was he aware that his mole was overtaking the ship at that moment, that it wouldn't matter if she'd called to warn them? Yes, because as we hear later, Minkowski can't come to the phone when Daniel calls him on the freighter.

If the two groups (Team Jack Rescue and Team Locke Safety) intertwine again, will Ben attempt to manipulate Sun and become obsessed with her future child? Will he confront Rose about her island cancer cure?

BEN'S MYSTERY MOLE

So if Ben's mole knows that the Freighter Four are after him, at what point does this guy do something about it? If he works for Ben, shouldn't he take care of this mess?

JULIET

I just loved the look on Juliet's face when she, Kate and Jack walked up the hill and saw the helicopter for the first time (see photo above). It's her "holy sh*t, I AM going to see my sister again" smile, one that we're very rarely graced with.

LOCKE

Locke's dad, Anthony Cooper, actually wound up saving his life. Had he not stolen his son's kidney, Locke would have died from Ben's gunshot. Oh, the irony of it all.

NAOMI

I don't count her among the Freighter Four, because I'm not entirely convinced that her primary objective is to find Ben. FYI.

WALT

Locke specifically mentioned seeing and talking to Walt, and his growth spurt. Why on earth do those people follow him without question? No one seemed particularly surprised to hear this declaration, and yet they all know he left with Michael on a boat a while ago.

THE OCEANIC 6

If Desmond, Juliet, Ben, Alex, Karl and Rousseau get rescued, are they the Supplementary 6? None of them were on Flight 815, so is their true story told?

Are we being (mis)led to believe that Sayid and Juliet are part of the Oceanic 6 because they find the helicopter with Kate and Jack? I tend to think that Sayid might be, but not Juliet.

STAR WARS REFERENCES

Many of Lost's writers and producers are major Star Wars geeks. There were a few nods in that direction in this episode....Sawyer referred to Ben as Yoda. Charlotte's find was in Tunisia, which is where Lucas filmed scenes for Tatooine. Wow, now I sound like a giant nerd.

THE FREIGHTER FOUR

How long after the disappearance and actual crash of Flight 815 was the fake wreckage discovered? At what point was this team assembled, and why did the timing of the mission to find Ben coincide with the crash?

Naomi told a few of the survivors that she was there for Desmond, which is why she had his photo. But the rest of her crew said their mission was to find Ben. SO...was Naomi taking care of some side business for Daddy Widmore simultaneously while on mission for Matthew Abbadon and Oceanic?

The four choices for this mission are interesting. I understand the necessity for a pilot (Frank), a ghostbuster (Miles) and a physicist (Daniel). But an anthropologist (Charlotte)? She was probably sent there to explore what's left of the Dharma stations and hatches after Ben's purge.

DANIEL FARADAY

I did some research, because as Ving13 (one of my astute readers) pointed out, Michael Faraday was a famous physicist and an expert in electromagnetism. Daniel talked about the light on the island, and the real Faraday established that magnetism could affect rays of light. Let's not forget about the huge magnetic force that was beneath the original hatch, and that when Desmond didn't punch in the numbers one day in that hatch, Flight 815 was broken apart and pulled down from the sky above.

Will we find out in a future flashback that Daniel was also a patient at the same mental institution that Hurley, Libby and Locke's mom were at one point?

FRANK THE PILOT

Um...if he safely landed the helicopter, where did he sustain those injuries?

Will Jack and co. ever reveal how his friend Seth (the Flight 815 pilot) really died, via Black Smoke Monster?

MILES

The neighborhood in Los Angeles where Miles went to exorcise Mrs. Gardner's grandson looked similar to the one that Jack visited when he went to the funeral home in last season's flash forward (and please don't interpret this statement as racist; I grew up in Southern CA and am very familiar with cities like Inglewood). Should we add Miles to the list of people who might be in that damn coffin? He certainly isn't family or friend to Jack...

Miles told Mrs. Gardner that he found out about her grandson's murder from a 'buddy at the police station.' That has to be Mike Walton, Ana Lucia's former partner, the one who interrogated Hurley in his flash forward last week. [aside: note his name...interesting that Ana Lucia was killed by Michael, who had a son named Walt]

If Miles has the ability to communicate with the dead, what will he make of Locke, who should have been dead several times over? Or Mikhail, should he surface again? Or Richard Alpert, who seems immortal?

EVEN CRAZIER THEORIES FOR THE WEEK

We all just assumed that Ben literally had a man on the freighter working on his behalf. But I think it's a woman, and it's his childhood girlfriend Annie. We haven't seen her since before the purge, and I have a feeling he arranged for her to return home via sub before he killed the rest of the Dharma folks. They've stayed in touch through the years, and he somehow manipulated her into working undercover for him on the ship.

Claire and Aaron were not rescued, and were not part of the Oceanic 6. If they had been, Hurley would have taken care of both of them for Charlie. If not financially (because his family blew through his millions after assuming he'd died), then emotionally. If Claire and Aaron had also been rescued, Hurley probably wouldn't have returned to a state of mental instability. No matter what the Oceanic 6 lied about, Hurley's guilt probably stems from the fact that he got off the island but those two were left behind. Charlie returned from the dead to remind Hurley that "they" need him. Claire and Aaron.

The Freighter Four were ALL supposed to be on Flight 815. We know for sure that Frank was scheduled to pilot that flight but Seth Norris did instead. That is also why Daniel was crying, and why Charlotte seemingly refused to believe the news about the wreckage in any language. But I can't figure out why Miles was supposed to be on that flight.
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Phew. I am not done, but I need to go start the weekend. I will probably post even more theories in the next few days. Thank you so much for all of your comments and referrals! I absolutely love blogging about Lost and appreciate your readership.

Have a great weekend!

- Jo

Lost, Episode 4.2 - "Confirmed Dead"

Here are my initial thoughts and theories about episode 2 of Season 4. I have SO much more, but I have to work in the morning and need to go to sleep. I will post additional thoughts tomorrow night!

• First of all, were those flash forwards or flashbacks? I believe they were flashbacks, that the fake wreckage and bodies (which were organized and placed there by Oceanic, led by Matthew Abbadon) were discovered mere days after the real crash. And somehow, throughout this season, we will learn how the Freighter Four gathered for this mission.

• Second of all, we now know that the island was not the only Dharma outpost. They had facilities in more than one remote locale, with hatches and stations like the Hydra (which housed polar bears…on a tropical island and in the Sahara desert). Naturally.

• Tunisia is an interesting choice for the Dharma discovery. Carthage is an ancient city and civilization, the most popular destination in Tunisia. This has to be related to the 4-toed statue and column that Locke’s dad was tied to on the island. Ben also referred to a temple last season.

BEN

Ben knows everything about the survivors and their lives before they crashed. So when will he reveal to Claire and/or Jack that they are half-siblings? Is he waiting for the opportune moment to play that card?

Does Ben truly not know what the Black Smoke Monster is? If Jacob is controlling it or involved somehow, he’d have to.

Ben seemed quite surprised to hear that Hurley knew where Jacob’s cabin was. Can only a special few actually see it? Is he now realizing that Hurley has an ability too? We know from last week’s episode that he can see and talk to dead people, but Ben doesn't...yet.

If the sonar and computers on the island have been down for a while, how has Ben’s mole on the freighter been communicating with him?

Did he have a man on the boat from the get-go of their mission, or did someone join up with the Freighter Four later somehow? Is one of the Freighter Four his mole??

Other possibilities for Ben’s man on the freighter:

Somewhat likely: Richard Alpert. We haven’t seen him in a while and he wasn’t with the Others who died on the beach. Not sure how he’d just join up with the crew aboard, but you never know.

Unlikely: Mikhail. He never dies, and he’s a communications expert.

Longshot: Michael. Yes, he was given a boat to leave for home with Walt. But perhaps Ben knew about the freighter, gave Michael the coordinates to that boat and convinced him to do some intel in exchange for saving the lives of his friends back on the island.

Whoever he was, he was probably overtaking the remaining crew at that moment in time, because when Daniel called the ship, they were adamant that Minkowski was unavailable to come to the phone. Something was off.

CHRISTIAN SHEPHARD

The freighter is called Christiane I. Come ON!

KATE

The Freighter Four studied the manifest from Flight 815. When Miles said, “You’re Kate,” I think he recognized her as a danger, because he was aware that she was a fugitive.

NAOMI

At what point after the crash of Flight 815 did she meet with Matthew Abbadon? And why would she even think there was a possibility that she would encounter survivors from that plane? She must have known that Oceanic/Matthew Abbadon had something to do with the wreckage that was found…

SETH NORRIS (FLIGHT 815 PILOT)

Why was he the pilot on that fated flight instead of Frank Lapidus?

We know that the body found in the wreckage wasn’t Seth, so who the hell was it? Where did the team behind this elaborate scheme get that many corpses?

We’ve seen the Black Smoke Monster be selective about who he/it kills, and didn’t like what he saw in Seth. Perhaps the pilot was more implicit in the crash of Flight 815 than we thought…

FIND815.COM

So I was wrong. I was quite surprised to see the integration of clues from the Find815 site in tonight’s episode (the name of the freighter - Christiane I, the Tunisian newspaper).

THE FREIGHTER FOUR

• They came prepared with gas masks, ready to purge the natives like Ben had years earlier. Yes, they were after Ben. But it seems that they too would have sacrificed the island’s inhabitants just to get to him. Remember, Ben orchestrated the mass murder just to get to his father.

• If Ben has been on the island since he was a young boy, how and why do the Freighter Four have a photo of him as a grown man in an office setting? The obvious answer is that Ben lied about never leaving the island. So why didn’t he leave on the sub when he found out about his tumor? Why wait? Did he know that Flight 815 would crash there, that his spinal surgeon would fall out of the sky? Seems more and more likely…

• So, finding Ben was a bigger priority than rescuing a large group of men, women and children who were supposedly deceased? The crew must be getting paid a hefty sum to ignore that kind of opportunity. But if rescuing the survivors wasn’t their primary mission, why were they studying the manifest?

• Who is funding the freighter and their mission? Oceanic/Abbadon? Something tells me that Daddy Widmore (Penny’s father) Mr. Paik (Sun’s dad) had something to do with the financing, or they are major stockholders in the company.

DANIEL FARADAY

They specifically did NOT show us who his girlfriend/wife was. You just know we’ve met her before.

He mentioned the light reflecting strangely on the island. Could it be that the invisible shield/barrier I insist upon every week actually exists, and there is some sort of mirror in place? They did reference electromagnetic anomalies a few times tonight, and Farady is a Physicist…

Naomi referred to him as a ‘mental case.’ Sounds like Hurley might soon have company.

FRANK LAPIDUS

Why didn’t he pilot Flight 815? We heard that he was a drunk, so that might have something to do with it. Then again, it seems that every single passenger and crew member was chosen by Oceanic for the fated flight…

After he didn’t pilot Flight 815 and it crashed, did he retire and move to the Bahamas?

CHARLOTTE LEWIS

Charlotte Staples Lewis...as in CS Lewis (Clive Staples Lewis), the author of The Chronicles of Narnia. [thanks to Eliza for correcting my original post; Lewis Carroll wrote Alice in Wonderland, not CS Lewis.]

Among her first questions for the survivors - asking Claire if she had Aaron on the island. A dead giveaway that she knows about women dying during childbirth.

MILES STRAUME

Look at that name and say it quickly. Sounds like maelstrom (which is defined as either a powerful whirlpool or tumultuous state of affairs).

He communicates with the dead. That is a VERY handy characteristic to have on that particular island. Hurley can see dead people, and so can Locke. I also believe that Jack can. And there are plenty of graves for Miles to visit if he wants the truth about that place.

Locke is a man of faith and Miles is a man of spirit(s). They would make an interesting team. Let’s hope they interact in the future.

Was Miles a corrupt Ghostbuster? Did he only exorcise the ghosts of people that he somehow knew had money (hidden or otherwise) and take advantage of their surviving family members?

QUESTIONS

• Where the hell was Desmond? Jin and Sun? Rose and Bernard?

• If the Freighter Four knew about Ben, why didn’t they know about his recruits, like Juliet? Are they aware of Rousseau or Desmond?

• Does the helicopter somehow make it up and out of the island’s invisible barrier with one group of survivors, only to find out after that it can’t penetrate the shield again? Is that why there is only the Oceanic 6? Pilot Frank did mention that he only had enough gas to get them to the freighter, a one-way ticket…

CRAZY THEORIES OF THE WEEK

• They made a point to tell us about the weight limit on the helicopter. So how do you explain Hurley’s inclusion and rescue? Easy. The helicopter and freighter are a rouse; they have nothing to do with how the survivors actually find rescue. Look, it’s only Season 4. They’re not going to spend the next 2.5 seasons on flash forwards for only 6 people and return to flashbacks for the remaining group.

• None of the Freighter Four survive. Last week at the mental institution, Matthew Abbadon asked Hurley if “they” were still alive. He was asking about his crew, the ones he hired to find Ben on that island.

• There HAS to be a correlation/connection between Mrs. Gardner’s recently murdered grandson (who Miles visited) and Eko. Not only did the photo of the boy look like Eko, he was a drug dealer...shadows of future Eko.

Come visit tomorrow night for more!

New Episode Tomorrow: "Confirmed Dead"

Tomorrow night is the second episode of Season 4, "Confirmed Dead." We can speculate about what that title refers to, but the obvious guess would be...the passengers from Flight 815 that were (according the Naomi) found along with the wreckage. Riiight.

It would be great if we were then treated to another set of flash-forwards, watching one of the rescued Oceanic 6 react to that 'discovery.' But who knows. I have managed to remain spoiler free again, and I prefer it that way.

I am looking forward to meeting some of the new characters, and I assume that we'll start to get clues as to what the primary objective of the freighter crew is, if not to rescue the survivors.

Are the folks responsible for Dharma food/supply drops to the island all these years aware that Ben murdered their people and took over the barracks and island? If so, has this freighter been searching for the island for this reason?

It will be fun to watch a transition of power. Then again, something tells me that Rambo Locke and/or Jacob will have a say in all of this.

See you late tomorrow night!

Who Wrote Find815?

Thanks to my new blog friend Annie in MN for asking about Find815...because it brought out my inner conspiracy theorist.

I admit it, I am more than skeptical about who is behind Find815. It may appear that the site was unveiled to build fervor for and coincide with the new season of Lost, but I wonder if it was created and written by the actual producers and writers from the show, or even with their consent/blessing. Is Find815 an ABC network creation, or an official piece of the Lost puzzle?

Many of you might be saying, "I don't care." Perhaps this seems like a trivial inquiry, but I am interested because I prefer to support projects which have been created and/or sanctioned by the official writing staff of our favorite show. And as you know, they've been a little busy, and a little unemployed for a few months now. Which makes it highly unlikely that Find815 was their baby.

I know that most of you are disgruntled with the lack of new programming and very happy to have Lost back on the air, at least temporarily. But it is important to remember the big picture, and why the writers are on strike. Here is my position on the matter.

If you have any information about who is responsible for Find815, please enlighten us!

See you on Thursday, if not sooner.

Oceanic Commercial & Find815

I've been having fun following but haven't had time to keep up with Find815.

Here is the Oceanic commercial that ties into that site, which aired last night during Eli Stone.

Oh, and look what was spotted near LAX recently...which is where Jack and Kate met up in the first flash forward.

The people who are responsible for this show and the marketing of it continue to successfully blur the line between fiction and reality by strategically planting large Lost-related visuals in cities across the country (which specifically tie into the flashbacks and flash forwards of the main characters). It never ends, and that's just fine with me.

Christian in the Cabin...Further Thoughts About Episode 4.1

Before listing out additional thoughts about last night's fantastic new episode of Lost, I wanted to share a few photos from one of my readers (hi Sara, thanks Jaime!). She made Dharma labels for bottled water and chip dip at her Lost party last night, in addition to island cupcakes. Awesome.

And now, on to additional questions and theories about "The Beginning of the End," the first episode of Lost, Season 4:

• Hurley went with Locke, separating himself from Jack and Kate. So how did he wind up being rescued? Was anyone else from Locke's group rescued as well?

• Charlie repeatedly told Hurley that THEY needed him. Assuming he's referring to those left on the island...why Hurley? Jack used to be the de facto leader. Locke seemed to become one himself. But Hurley? Very intriguing.

• Before the survivors divided into two groups, Jack insisted upon dragging Ben around so that he could watch them get rescued. So why let him go with Locke now?

• We are assuming that the Oceanic 6 refers to six survivors from Flight 815, but that may not necessarily be the case. There may have been more survivors, but perhaps only 6 of them were designated as heroes.

• Did any of the non-815 group get rescued (Desmond, Ben, Juliet, Alex, Karl), and if so, how did they explain where they'd been? If any of them were rescued, were they part of the big lie? Were they counted as one of the Oceanic 6?
  

• Desmond knew that Naomi's boat wasn't sent by Penny to rescue him. However, Naomi had that photo of him and Penny with her when she crashed on the island. So did Desmond go with Locke to avoid the impending danger of the freighter crew, or did he stay with Jack to see what their connection to Penny was?

• Did the person in that infamous coffin actually commit suicide, or were they killed by Oceanic for talking about the island?

• If Claire is one of the Oceanic 6, and baby Aaron was rescued along with her, would he count as one of the 6? Similarly, if Jin and Sun were rescued, what about their baby? And if Kate IS pregnant, her child is a possibility as well.
  

• What happened in the time between this new flash forward and the one we saw at the end of last season? Last night, Jack did not want to go back at all, but Hurley did. Later, in his self-destructive gruff beard phase, Jack pleaded with Kate to go back, but she didn't want to at all.

• I looked up the significance of the name Matthew Abbadon (the Oceanic attorney...or so he says). Apparently, Abbadon is translated as 'destruction' in Hebrew. There are additional biblical implications of both his first and last names, but I am so not an expert in that area, and won't delve into it. Feel free to Google or Wikipedia for yourselves.

• Matthew Abbadon is an anagram for WHAT BAD BOAT MEN, among other similar variations.
  

• Just what kind of 'upgrade' was Abbadon offering Hurley? The kind where he would end up in a coffin at a funeral that no one attends?

• It strikes me as strange that people would ask plane crash survivors for their autograph. What story has been told to elevate the Oceanic 6 to that level?

• Hurley told Jack that he wished he'd gone with him instead of Locke back on the island, but that would have meant ignoring his buddy Charlie's warning. Perhaps we are to infer that either Charlie was wrong or Penny was lying.

• While being interrogated at the police station, the detective asked if Hurley had ever met Ana Lucia. It was as if he wasn't aware that the survivors spent a good deal of time together on the island, that they were rescued shortly after crashing. Does this validate the popular theory of a time/space continuum?

• Is Naomi's satellite phone simply a long range radio, or is it an actual functioning phone? If so, why haven't any of the survivors attempted to call home?

• In last season's finale, Ben told Jack that if he called the freighter, "every LIVING person on this island will die." They have emphasized the hell out of that line, replaying it over and over in all recaps and promos. Ben knows that the dead reappear on the island; he chased his own mother into the jungle after all.

• In Jack's flash forward, when he referred to his father as if he were still alive, it was because he actually sees him and thinks everyone else does as well.

• Why didn't the freighter helicopter simply land on the beach out in the open? Why drop a crew member in via parachute, risking his life (especially after hearing Naomi tell them that she pierced her lung when she landed in a tree on the way down)?

ADDITIONAL CRAZY THEORIES

• Until now, I was convinced that Ben instructed Kate to get pregnant or he'd kill Jack or Sawyer (per their mysterious breakfast on the beach at the beginning of last season). But perhaps Kate stole the phone from Jack because Ben's instructions were to prevent Jack and the survivors from ever having the opportunity to leave the island.

• Kate isn't a fugitive upon her return after rescue...because she took/stole the identity of someone from the island who had perished during the crash, someone without any family.

• In the future, Kate is taking care of Aaron. Either Claire was left on the island or died, and Kate became his surrogate mother (the only viable candidate among the Oceanic 6). Aaron was one of the Oceanic 6, and he is the 'him' that Kate referred to in the flash forward with Jack.

• After Locke threw a knife in Naomi's back and disappeared, he went to Jacob's cabin. Jacob had asked him for help, because he was being held hostage in that cabin by Ben. Locke wants to overthrow Ben and take his place as island leader, so he is teaming up with Jacob to do so. It was Locke's eye that Hurley briefly saw through the cabin window.

• Ben pulled the knife out of Naomi's back (there is no way she could have done it herself). Naomi wasn't aware that Locke acted on his own when he tried to kill her, so she crawled over to Ben for help instead of drawing attention from the group of survivors who were focused on Jack's phone call. She took the knife with her. It was probably Ben's idea to leave two blood trails to throw them off of her scent.

• I thought I saw a very quick flash of the Black Smoke Monster by the helicopter. My theory is that it scanned it, liked/trusted what it saw and let it through the invisible island barrier. That is why it didn't crash like Naomi's copter. Although I'm not sure why Smokey wasn't pleased with hers...
  

• I'm not a huge believer in the prevailing Purgatory theory, but perhaps no one can give birth on the island because everyone there is already dead. Thus, new life is impossible. I know, that leaves no explanation for the flashbacks or flash forwards, but it's something to contemplate.
  

• Hurley sees dead people. That is why he saw Christian Shepard in Jacob's cabin. And not because Jack's dad was still alive.

• Ben was in the coffin. He killed himself because he was rescued against his wishes, and wanted to remain on the island. Jack was distraught about his death (but not Kate or anyone else) because Ben represented belief in the island, which Jack clearly denied until it was too late.

• Naomi said that the wreckage from Flight 815 was discovered at the bottom of the ocean. The freighter crew's mission was to put it there. That is why the guy who parachuted in to Jack and Kate is seen saying in next week's episode, "rescuing you isn't our primary objective." And that is also why the guy who answered Jack's call from the freighter wasn't surprised to hear him say that he was a survivor of Flight 815; he knew there were some, but his crew was responsible for covering that fact up.

Thoughts? What did I miss? What did you like/dislike about the episode? Don't be shy, leave your own theories or comments!