Sunday, February 28, 2010

Haiti Relief Donation Update & LOST Memorabilia Winners



I am equally floored and impressed with your generosity, Lost fans and friends. Thanks to your charitable spirit, we have raised over $2100 for Partners in Health Haiti earthquake relief.  Of course that number only accounts for contributions made through this site and my memorabilia incentive; Mo Ryan of the Chicago Tribune and LostARGS raised additional funds through their sites as well!


Thank you SO much to every single person who was able to donate any amount of money;  your assistance is a tremendous help to those who are attempting to rebuild their lives in Haiti. A huge note of gratitude must also be extended to Cat, Damon, Jorge, Paul and Sharon for donating their time and/or items to encourage Lost fans to participate in this cause. 


After printing out and cutting up the list of everyone who donated money and putting them in a hat, I pulled the following names to win Lost memorabilia:


Autographed Damon Lindelof comic books:

  1. Leslie A
  2. Lenny G
  3. Tony G
  4. Chris L
  5. Lisa L
  6. Jarred M
  7. Paul McQ
  8. Rob P
  9. Oscar R
  10. Denise S

Autographed Jorge Garcia photos:

  1. Travis L
  2. Roger O
  3. Stephen O'B

Autographed trading cards:

  1. Christine B (Blake Bashoff/Karl)
  2. Davide B (Brett Cullen/Goodwin)
  3. John G (Carlton Cuse)
  4. Pat Mc (Evangeline Lilly/Kate)
  5. Lynne N (L Scott Caldwell/Rose)

Cast photos:

  1. Angela D (Matthew Fox/Jack)
  2. Kimbery F (Terry O'Quinn/Locke)
  3. Sheryl M (Dom Monaghan/Charlie)

Lost Premiere on the Beach bags [I threw in 5 more]:

  1. Josie C
  2. Barbara F
  3. Hillary F
  4. Susan H
  5. Angela H
  6. Erin Mc
  7. Kate N
  8. Tracy P
  9. Bette S
  10. Laurie W

T-shirts:

  1. Amy B (Film Crew, size S)
  2. B Hogan (Polar Bear, size XL)
  3. Michael H (WWLD, size XL)

Widmore Publishing comic book board protectors:

  1. Ron D
  2. Josh G
  3. Martyn G
  4. Bonnie G
  5. Chris K
  6. S Leath
  7. Ryan O
  8. Max R
  9. Justin S
  10. Jenny Y

To those of you who did not receive anything in return for your donation, please let me know if you would be interested in one of the bags - I would be happy to send you one. 


If your name is above, PLEASE email me your shipping address as soon as possible {jo at jopinionated dot com}. Due to the large number of items to mail out and to the fact that I have not yet received all items, I appreciate your patience in advance.


Yours in gratitude,


Jo

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Give Haiti a Helping Hand, Win LOST Memorabilia (New Items, Last Call!)

Over the years, Lost fans have proven to have an admirable spirit of charity. I would like to call upon that same generosity now, as the people recovering from the earthquake in Haiti continue to need assistance. 

Television columnist and fellow Lost fan Mo Ryan of the Chicago Tribune is working with Partners in Health (Watch Us Care: Help for Haiti) to collect donations for Haiti relief. In addition, Mo is auctioning off various pop culture items on eBay to benefit the charity.

To encourage donations to Mo's Haiti relief efforts, I am also giving away a few Lost items. If any of you contribute $10 or more to Partners in Health by February 26, please email me your receipt and leave a comment below - you will be automatically entered to win one of the following:

One of 2 TeeFury Lost tees (Polar Beer/Maaaaaalt Liquor and What Would John Locke Do): 

 

Or one of 3 cast photos from Season 1: Charlie, Jack and Locke:


Or one of 5 commemorative Lost S6 Premiere on the Beach bags that I had made for the fan meet-up on Oahu in January:


One of 3 autographed Jorge Garcia photos and 1 LOST Film Crew tee (brown, size S):


Or one of 5 autographed trading cards: Carlton Cuse, Evangeline Lilly (Kate), L Scott Caldwell (Rose), Blake Bashoff (Karl) and Brett Cullen (Goodwin):



One of 10 mint condition Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk comic books written AND autographed by Damon Lindelof (specifically for the cause!).




One of 10 limited edition Widmore Publishing comic book protector boards from the DamonCarltonAndAPolarBear poster reveal ARG last year:

Please indicate which item you're interested in the most; there are 3 tees, 6 photos, 5 bags, 5 autographed trading cards, 10 comic books and 10 comic book protector boards to choose from. The winning names will be pulled on February 27. Please spread the word to fellow Lost fans, and thank you in advance for your donations!
I would like specifically thank and express my gratitude to Cat, Damon, Jorge, Paul and Sharon for their generous donations to this charitable fundraiser.
-Jo

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

What's In a Name? Ask Ilana



The only positive note about being sick and stuck at home on a cold day is that I have time to elaborate about the latest episode. I started to study some of the last names on the lighthouse compass, and came across one that I believe to be significant: 25 - Asher.




My theory is that number 25 represents Ilana. Not only is there an obvious tie between her and ASH on the island, the name Ilana Asher offers up a few fascinating anagrams:


Heal, As Rain
Her, An Alias


That the name Asher is crossed out and Ilana was brought back to the island by Jacob leads me to believe that we will be seeing others who have left (alive) brought back in some capacity as well. Perhaps the person that Jacob is currently awaiting is one of them. 'Special' Lost Boys Aaron and Walt seem to be the most relevant possibilities... 


I have not seen the name Hume either in the cave or on the compass, so I suppose that eliminates my previous speculation about Desmond. It is puzzling that both Widmore and Hawking are absent from both locations as well.




In addition, we do not know how much time passed between Jacob's visit to Ilana while she was in a Russian hospital and her return to the island via Ajira 316...but I have a strong suspicion that she healed rather quickly. And if I had to venture a guess, her unknown yet severe injuries were caused by burns. Recalling the final image of Jacob burning up in the fire in the S5 finale, I have to question whether or not her injuries were sustained in a similar fashion.


Counterpoint:


Here is where I may be entirely incorrect - biblically speaking, Asher is the SON of Jacob. However, Asher had a daughter named Serah, who was Jacob's only granddaughter. So if Ilana does represent Serah (and no, I do not think it could be Jack's ex-wife Sarah), that would further fuel my thought process about the generations of families who have been to the island [see previous episode analysis for details]. 


Overall thoughts? Be gentle, I'm attempting to be analytical while buried beneath a stack of blankets. :)


-Jo

LOST Episode 6.05: "Lighthouse" (Initial Thoughts & Theories: UPDATED w/Austen & Wallace)



Good morning, LOST friends and fans. My crazy travel schedule is over, although I am not surprised to be feeling under the weather as a result. I actually tried to go to sleep after this new episode, but it was impossible to turn off my mind. 


So let's stare out at the ocean and take notes on our arms about Lighthouse together... 


The Lighthouse


That Jacob used a LIGHT house to 'guide' people to the island convinces me that the DARK cave actually belonged to the Man in Black/notLocke.  




When the compass landed on the numbers corresponding with specific individuals, the mirror showed significant landmarks from their lives; the Temple where Jin and Sun got married, the church where the service for Sawyer's parents took place and the house Jack grew up in.  




Dear Jack: 
You didn't need more bad luck. 
Sincerely - 
the mirrors, your mom and life


CHRISTIAN SHEPHARD


I think it is rather significant that Jack mentioned how his father's coffin may have been lost in Berlin, because that is where Ben had assigned Sayid to find and kill the Economist. We still do not know who that is/was, but I would not be surprised to find out that this person is a) somehow related to how and why Christian's coffin went missing and b) someone we've met. 


When "they wouldn't let him" remove Jack's appendix, I had to wonder if that was because he was immediate family or because he was intoxicated. 


I am under the assumption that Jacob knew about the Man in Black's ability to take over a person's body and soul; thus, I am a tad surprised that Jacob brought Christian to the island in the first place. 


CLAIRE




Crazy Claire's hair resembles her living space; a hot tangled bird's nest mess. Clearly she could use one of Jacob's mirrors. 




Among the many items scattered throughout her nest is dynamite from Black Rock. Talk about Rousseau 2.0. It is safe to assume that she got the surgical tools from the Staff station...and went to med school during those three years.  


Although she managed to find a few kids toys and books, apparently all random island teddy bears were taken because that was one seriously creepy skeleton baby.


Crazy Claire has a sense of humor: "One thing that'll kill you around here is INFECTION."


According to Crazy Claire, the Temple Others shot her in the leg, took her to Temple (where I assume they dipped her in the Spring to heal), branded and tortured her like Sayid, discovered she was infected with the Darkness and then she escaped. However, I noticed that Temple Other Justin started to say (before she killed him) that her memory of those events wasn't quite right. That leads me to believe that her memory was affected by the Spring...like young Ben Linus, etc. 




It turns out that the psychic was right about Claire having to raise Aaron herself:


(S1, Raised by Another)
Psychic Richard Malkin: "It is crucial that you yourself raise this child. This child, parented by anyone else, anyone other than you...danger surrounds this baby. Your nature, your GOODNESS must be an influence in the development of this child. You must not allow another to raise your baby." 
Charlie: "Maybe he knew, Claire. If he had the gift, and I believe some people do...maybe he knew."
(S6, Lighthouse) 
Claire: "If Kate was raising Aaron, I'd kill her."

Black and White theme alert! Crazy Claire's new relationship with notLocke reminded me of the opening dream sequence from Raised by Another, where Claire encounters Locke in the jungle (he has one black eyeball and one white eyeball, and there is a white rock on the table):






Claire: "What's happening?"
Locke: "You know what's happening."
Claire: "But I don't understand. Why?"
Locke: "He was your responsibility but you gave him away. Everyone pays the price now."





So here is a question for you...when Claire 'appeared' at Kate's house in S4 (There's No Place Like Home) to warn her "don't you dare bring him back!" - who was that and were they trying to prevent the inevitable?



DAVID SHEPHARD


Add another biblical name to the bunch. The name David symbolizes someone who is beloved...and a talented musician. 


This is the third David we've met on Lost, and who the heck knows if any of them are one and the same in any of the universes and timelines that have been presented:

  • Dave, Hurley's invisible friend from the institution
  • David, Libby's deceased ex-husband
  • David, Jack's son


Last year after seeing Faraday playing the piano, I was convinced that he was the one who had programmed the Looking Glass code with a song that Charlie would later decipher (leading to his sacrifice and setting off the chain of events we've seen for three seasons). Even though it is logistically impossible, I can't help but look at Jack's classically trained musician son as another...candidate for that particular island task. AND, let's not forget that David was reading a certain book about chasing a particular white rabbit that happens to be the logo for the Looking Glass station...


When Dogen told Jack that "your son has a gift," I was immediately reminded of both Aaron and Walt. 


DOGEN


It was a very pleasant surprise to see Dogen in Jack's flash sideways. I love that he told Jack that his son David is really "good." 




Seeing Jack run into a spiritual, pony-tailed future friend off island, I couldn't help but recall when he first met Desmond at the stadium.




HURLEY


Add tic-tac-toe (which allegedly originated in ancient Egypt...naturally) to the growing list of games that Hurley has played on Lost: backgammon, basketball, chess, Connect Four, horseshoes, ping pong, poker and Risk. 


Red Flag! Seriously, can we please get Hurley a different shirt? Given Juliet's multi-episode appearance in her infamously red blouse leading up to her demise, I am quite nervous about our boy Hugo...especially if/when notLocke gets wind of his importance as afterlife messenger for Jacob. 


JACK


I gasped when I first saw Jack's appendix scar, because I thought it was going to be our first clue that the flash sideways characters were experiencing life in two simultaneous dimensions. Oh well. 


It was striking to see that, like Michael with Walt in S1, Jack barely knows his son.


Jacob said that "Jack is here because he has to do something; he can't be told what that is, he's got to find it himself." Is it too obvious that Jack is intended to be the final Candidate, 'the one who will protect/lead us all' (the Latin translated answer to the statue shadow question)?








To be perfectly honest, I have tried to understand and appreciate Jack for five seasons. I realize that he's supposed to be the hero and that the producers have high hopes that we'll see him in that light when the series ends. But I'm not quite there and time is running out. My favorite Jack scenes over the years have involved Christian (which have been few and far between), and I have great expectations for their eventual reunion before the end of S6. 




Here is what I loved about this episode - the emotional resonance and ties back to the episode that got me hooked on Lost forever, White Rabbit (S1). Jack's father Christian told him that "I have what it takes. Don't choose, don't decide. You don't want to be a hero. Don't try and save everyone, because when you fail - you just don't have what it takes." So it was perfect that Jacob used that very moment (telling Jack via Hurley that he "has what it takes") to convince him to do something he wouldn't otherwise have agreed to. 




Another nod to that S1 episode occured in the cave, when Jack admitted to Hurley that "I was chasing the ghost of my dead father. He led me here. That was his coffin, before I smashed it to pieces...because he wasn't in it."

Insert Coldplay (Fix You) or Pearl Jam (The Fixer) song lyric here. Jack's best line: "I came back here because I was broken...and I was stupid enough to think that this place could fix me." 




And I certainly appreciated the redemption and softer side of Jack in the flash sideways, and was moved by his breakthrough with David at the end of the episode. When his son said "I didn't want you to see me fail," I admit that there were tears in my eyes.



JACOB


As ridiculous as it might sound, pens seem to be a relevant fate vs. free will tool to Mr. Not a Fan of Technology and how/why some wind up on the island:


  • S1 (Raised by Another): When Claire went to sign adoption papers, she decided not to go through with it after both pens offered were out of ink.
  • S1 (All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues): Christian insisted that Jack sign a falsified document covering up his alcohol related mistake in the operating room, holding out a pen for him with every last ounce of hope. Jack initially refuses but takes the pen and signs it. 
  • S5 (The Incident): Jacob gives Sawyer the pen that he uses to finish writing his letter to the real Sawyer.
  • S6 (Lighthouse): Jacob told Hurley that he needed a pen to write down the lighthouse instructions.  



Did anyone notice what Jacob was putting in the Spring inside the Temple? It was very subtle, but something tells me he has the solution to the murky water.


JIN


Is Jin wearing boxers with hearts on them? Sadly, that is my only question about him right now. Of course I hope he gets to dip his wounded leg into the hot tub time machine too. 


KATE


Update:


Message received, observant Lost fans! Kate is indeed listed as number 51 on the lighthouse compass and does not appear to be crossed off. So Jacob and/or the Man in Black are not recruiting male Candidates only.




Thank goodness for another simple line of dialogue to prove that the love triangle/quadrangle has indeed been resolved:




To Jack: "I hope you find what you're looking for."


RAY SHEPHARD




As we've seen over the years, very few people have proven to be inconsequential on Lost. That is why I have asserted since last season that Christian's father Ray Shephard plays a larger role than originally thought. Considering his line in S5 (316) about wanting to escape to a place "they won't ever find me," I have to believe that we'll hear about, if not see, Ray again...on the island. 


SAYID




Now that he has been infected, I can't wait to see Sayid encounter the Man in Black. If Claire doesn't see him as John Locke, I wonder what form/person Sayid will see him as. 


Candidacy Key


To me, the most important line of the episode Jacob's instruction to Hurley: "Tell him you can do you what you want, tell him you're a candidate." That statement is an alternate take on and antithesis of "don't tell me what I can't do!" 


Inside Joke Count: 2


I laughed out loud when Jack found Shannon's inhaler and Hurley identified it as such, because at Comic-Con last summer, Jorge Garcia pretended to ask a silly fan question from the audience and sarcastically addressed that very trivial lingering mystery:


"So this is the last season - everything's going to be answered, right - everything that matters? In Season 1, Confidence Man, Sayid tortures Sawyer to get Shannon's inhaler. We never found out about that one."


LOST Book Club




In yet another great nod to the fabulous White Rabbit episode and the Shephard lineage, David Shephard was reading The Annotated Alice by Lewis Carroll. 


I am somewhat of a Viriginia Woolf buff, so I was thrilled to dig up some of my old notes about To the Lighthouse to look at after tonight's episode. Aside from featuring multiple timelines, characters and perspectives, the only real parallel I could recall was the focus on a particular family (the Shephards in this case). Also, the book is divided into three sections which are certainly applicable to this episode: The Window (mirror?), Time Passes and The Lighthouse.  


Mirror in the Bathroom


In 6.01, Jack had an odd moment while looking in the bathroom mirror aboard flight 815. In 6.03, Kate experienced something while looking in the bathroom mirror at the mechanic shop. In 6.04, Locke briefly had a introspective moment while looking in the bathroom mirror at his house. In 6.05, Jack breaks 4 mirrors. 


Theme alert: reflection! 




Oh, and let's not forget the fantastic water ripple that provided Jack a mirror early on in the episode.


The Visitor


Given that I am spoiler-free, do not watch promos for new episodes or read casting news, I have no idea who is coming to the island. Here are my best guesses:
  • Desmond
  • Faraday
  • Hawking
  • Widmore
What I am looking forward to finding out is whether or not this person is going to help Jacob and Team Good Guys as they battle against notLocke and Team Darkness when they all finally congregate for war at the Temple. 


Update:




The person listed (and crossed out) as number 108 is Wallace. At first I thought that it could be a reveal of the Man in Black's real name, but then I realized that Hurley was following Jacob's instructions to help bring the visitor to the island using that coordinate. So my theory is that Wallace will be the uniquely and miraculously special Desmond, because the rules do not apply to him and that may become essential during the pending war at the Temple. 


Sir William Wallace was a Scottish hero and knight, so my inclination is to draw a parallel to the potentially heroic Desmond. [sidenote: I might be the only person in the world who did not like Braveheart, which was written loosely based on Wallace's tale.]


Visual Parallels


 

One of the items that Richard Alpert showed young John Locke at the foster home while testing him for a future island leadership position was a compass. Of course he also gave Locke a compass during his time shift travels last season and Locke had two compasses with him when he crashed on the island. So of course Jacob's lighthouse features a giant compass.




Like Charles Widmore and Anthony Cooper, Christian Shephard was a MacCutcheon man. Yes, I realize that Sayid and Desmond both also drank the good stuff...but Des got his from the 815 wreckage and Sayid purchased a few glasses before getting his ass kicked by Ilana.




Once again, Hurley said out loud what many fans often wonder when he was looking at the Adam and Eve skeletons from S1 (White Rabbit) and asked "what if these skeletons are us?"


Just as Miles got a key from under a white rabbit statue in S5 (Some Like it Hoth), Jack takes a key from under a white rabbit statue in this episode. Insert obvious references to both chasing their father's ghosts and to Jack's White Rabbit episode here. 


Just as on new 815 when Sayid kicked in bathroom door, Jack kicks open door to lighthouse.




The Lamp Post station in Los Angeles features a giant pendulum in the middle that locates the island, and the Lighthouse features a giant compass in the middle that helps bring people to the island.




CRAZY THEORY OF THE WEEK

I have frequently speculated that one of the final scenes to end the entire series will feature the offspring of the main characters, designated for destiny: Walt Dawson, Clementine Ford, Charlie Hume, Ji Yeon Kwon and Aaron Littleton. That Jack has a son in the sideways version of his life further fuels my theory, and I will now add David Shephard to that list. Perhaps these six will be the next incarnation of the Oceanic 6...crashing, leaving and then returning to the island in the loop of life that Jacob calls "progress."




We've now seen the last names of those who have been brought to the island over the years both on the cave wall and the lighthouse compass. I strongly believe that there is a familial, generational tie to the island. Some names are now crossed out, which indicates that they are not Candidates. However, I believe that some of the names represent more than one person, and those with crossed out names are not necessarily deceased: 
  • Dawson is crossed out: Michael is deceased, son Walt is alive.
  • Faraday is crossed out: Daniel is deceased, but it is fascinating that he is a Widmore yet father Charles' name isn't on the wall...
  • Goodspeed is crossed out: Horace is deceased, son Ethan is alive only in flash sideways world.
  • Kwon is not crossed out; Jin and Sun are Candidates, daughter Ji Yeon is also alive.
  • Linus is crossed out: Roger is deceased, son Ben is alive.
  • Littleton is crossed out: Claire and son Aaron are alive.
  • Shephard is not crossed out: Jack is a Candidate, father Christian is deceased, grandfather Ray is alive. Jack's son David exists in the flash sideways world only.
  • Straume is crossed out, as is Chang: Miles is alive, father Pierre is deceased.
In addition, when the lighthouse mirror reflected the house where Jack grew up (versus the hospital where Jacob had visited him) when the compass landed on Shephard, I believe that the mirror was showing the memory of Jacob's visit to Christian.






---
I have to say that I did not have high hopes for this post, because my initial reaction to the episode was lukewarm and I am not feeling well (so please excuse any errors or oversights in advance). However, once I explored the many links back to earlier seasons and elaborated about a few theories, Lighthouse grew on me and I am looking forward to a second viewing.


Just a reminder that you have until Friday (2/26) to make a $10 donation toward Haiti relief for the chance to win some very cool Lost memorabilia, including autographed comic books written by Damon Lindelof!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read along. I love and appreciate constructive feedback, so feel free to leave a comment below! Stay tuned for round two of 6.05 analysis this weekend, if not sooner. 

-Jo

Sunday, February 21, 2010

LOST Episode 6.04: Further Thoughts About "The Substitute"

"I'm a child lost in the woods;
a black heart pollutes me."
- Incubus, Black Heart Inertia




Welcome back! Below is my follow-up analysis of The Substitute. Without further ado, let's put down the whiskey, put some pants on and check in the mirror for deja vu together...


The Absence of Austen


4: Locke. 8: Reyes. 15: Ford. 16: Jarrah. 23: Shephard. 42: Kwon.


I still haven't seen proof that Kate's name is anywhere on that cave wall, so I am operating under the assumption that she is missing from it for a reason. I started to look back at a few key Kate moments on Lost, and am pondering if any of these relate to her absence on the wall...

  • S1, Exodus Pt 3: Kate throws dynamite into the hole, saving Locke from Smokey
  • S3, Par Avion: Mikhail tells Kate that she's not on the list because she's flawed
  • S3, Left Behind: Smokey spares Kate (and Juliet) twice; first when he flashes a bright white while they hide in the trees and then when he stops at the sonic fence. In this same episode, Locke reveals to Kate that he failed to convince the Others that she is 'good.'



I still believe that Jin is the Kwon above, and wonder if perhaps Sun is listed somewhere as Paik. If not, I am curious about her absence from the numbered list because she's never had an encounter with Smokey and her crime (infidelity) was not as egregious as others who are included. 


Although I can't quite narrow down exactly why, I am also still under the impression that there is a specific reason why the only candidates with their names not crossed out are men. It has to relate to the island's infertility issue...


Can't Touch This




I am increasingly interested in the fact that Jacob wore gloves to avoid touching Ilana when he visited her in the hospital to ask a favor in the S5 finale. We are to now believe that every single person who has ever been on the island was visited and touched by Jacob at some point in their lives before arriving there; thus, their names are on the wall in the cave.  We do not know Ilana's last name, but I question the nature and history of their relationship, and whether or not she was ever listed on that stone. 


Cave Men


Given the Man in Black/notLocke's familiarity with and access to Jacob's cave, it seems as if they had a more amicable relationship at one point. It also makes me question whether or not that cave and those names were really Jacob's or not...


Father of Mine




In this episode, Locke's "lost luggage" (his suitcase of knives) was 'found' by Oceanic and delivered to his house. I am so hoping that in the next episode, Christian Shephard's coffin (Jack's "lost luggage") will also be found and delivered. The question is - will the body be inside?


Ghosts in the Machine




Just as Walt appeared "somewhere he wasn't meant to be" to Locke after he'd been shot, I believe that the mysterious young blonde boy who appeared to both notLocke and Sawyer is Aaron (who is also special). 




By the way, at first I assumed that the boy was referring to Sawyer when he reminded notLocke that he "can't kill him," but now I believe that he was talking about Alpert.


Hugo: Healer, Hero




Just as notLocke is recruiting on the island, it appears as if Hurley has been busy recruiting in the 'what if' scenario off island. He has employed the two people that the island healed in the original timeline, Rose and Locke. This may be a potential hint about Hurley's status as the Candidate on the island. I do not believe that he is the new Jacob right now (as confirmed by Darlton at Comic-Con; Jacob has not and does not take over bodies like the Man in Black), but Ghost Jacob's interest in him is rather significant in this light. 


By the way, Hugo Reyes is an anagram for Heroes Guy. Perhaps he is "the one who will protect/save us all" (the Latin translation of 'what lies in the shadow of the statue')...

Isn't it Ironic




My favorite line of this episode was delivered by notLocke to Alpert: "I would never have kept you in the dark." 




And it was a nice touch that substitute teacher Locke was addressing the human reproductive system, given that his beloved island is responsible for on-island conception issues that lead to the death of pregnant women. 


It's a Nice Day for a White Wedding


In S1 (House of the Rising Sun), Locke told Charlie that he's a fan of Drive Shaft. Given Charlie's state on Flight 815 and the band's short lived success after their one hit, it wouldn't surprise me at all to see Drive Shaft hit rock bottom and take low paying gigs...like a wedding in Los Angeles.  


Killing in the Name




A few things strike me about the names we've been able to glimpse so far on the cave wall. 

  • Is Richard Alpert/Ricardus up there? 
  • Is the Man in Black's real name etched in, and if so - was his the very first name?
  • Why is it that the numbers assigned to people do not seem to correspond with the year/time of their arrival? Flight 815 people, for example, have lower numbers. 
  • Were the remaining numbered names on the wall also on Jacob's list inside of the wooden ankh that Hurley delivered to Dogen? Did he warn them that they'd all be in a lot of trouble if Sayid died because he was one of the only remaining Candidates?
  • Are we sure that the Littleton represents Claire rather than Aaron? What about Linus - Roger or Ben? Are there any repeats of last names representing relatives on the island, like the Shephards? If so, I'd LOVE to discover that Grandpa Ray is also up there.

Owner of a Broken Heart


It was striking when notLocke admitted to Sawyer that "I know what it's like to lose someone you love." For a brief moment, I had to question whether or not he was speaking as Locke (about Helen) or as his evil self. So now not only do I look forward to finding out who he was in the real world, I hope we discover how he gained entrance to the very crowded broken hearts club of island souls. 


Paging Daniel Faraday


Perhaps the key to the names on the stone in the cave is none other than Faraday. After all, the phrase "the writing on the wall" is an omen that emanated from the biblical Book of Daniel... 


Party of Three


I used to be far more focused on the Shephard version of the Father (Jack), Son (Aaron) and Holy Ghost (Christian), but now I'm shifting gears to analyze an interesting island trifecta: the Candidate, The Substitute and the Variable. Can they all be one and the same?


That Douche is My Dad


I didn't catch it the first time around, but I noticed a photo in Locke's cube of him with his father Anthony Cooper. That, coupled with the fact that Helen mentioned Cooper during her wedding planning chat with Locke, seems to indicate a close relationship between father and son. [sidenote: in this photo you can seen half of that picture, as well as what appears to be a polar bear bobblehead or toy figure]




Despite the version of Locke and Cooper that we've seen, the historical version of the two was far more pleasant and perhaps indicates the direction that this "what if" scenario is going. Whig party co-founder Anthony Ashley Cooper (First Earl of Shaftesbury), collaborated with  physician/philosopher John Locke in the 1600's. When Cooper had a liver infection, Locke saved his life. Sound familiar? 


Which to Bury, Us or the Hatchet




Although it was a spoiler at the time I took these photos a few weeks ago during the private set visit on Oahu, I can now share pictures of the fresh grave we saw because now we know it was Locke's.


 


You're Special, So Special




Perhaps this is wishful thinking, but it looks like Desmond in the poster on the cube wall behind Locke as he meets with Rose at the temp agency.


CRAZY THEORIES OF THE WEEK


1. We know that Locke did not go to the conference or on the Walkabout in Australia. Instead, I believe he went to see faith healer Isaac of Uluru. In the original scenario, Bernard brought Rose to Isaac, but I don't think that was the reason for their trip this time around.




Remember that the room where Rose met with Isaac was filled with crutches and wheelchairs from those he allegedly 'healed.' Much like Isaac was unable to help Rose, he was not able to heal Locke either. In Rose's case, in the original timeline, she was destined to be healed on and by the island - and was. 




In Locke's case, however, he returns home after an unsuccessful visit with Isaac in the same condition. Isaac told Rose that he couldn't heal her because "this is not the right place for you." Perhaps he says the same thing to Locke, because Jack will be the one to 'fix' him in the end.


Here is a fascinating addition to this storyline. Taking the fact that Isaac is Jacob's father in the Bible, analyze with fresh eyes what Isaac the healer said to Rose:


"There are certain places with great energy, spots on Earth like the one we're above now. Perhaps this energy is geological, magnetic. Or perhaps it's something else. When possible, I harness this energy and give it to others."


2. Daniel Faraday told Desmond that the rules do not apply to him, that he is "uniquely and miraculously special." That fact will finally come into play when Desmond kills notLocke, because he is the only one who will be able to do so. Whether or not that takes place on or off the island remains to be seen, but it makes the most sense in terms of the rules and loopholes.
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Thank you for returning for round two! As always, I appreciate and encourage constructive feedback and comments.


If you have not done so already, please visit and share my Haiti relief fundraising post with fellow Lost fans. For a simple $10 donation, you will be entered to win some very cool items and rare Lost memorabilia, including a few comic books written by Damon Lindelof that he is graciously autographing for the cause! 


See you late Tuesday/early Wednesday. 


-Jo