Libby or Elizabeth? You Decide...

After watching "Meet Kevin Johnson" yet again, I am not convinced that Libby's appearance in Michael's hospital room took place during his flashback after he tried to kill himself. It's a stretch, but plausible...

In Season 1, we witnessed Michael getting hit by a car, and he was in the hospital for an undisclosed amount of time. Back then, Libby was alive and well. Before she became a clinical psychologist, she took one year of medical school (she also tended to the wounded after the Tail Section crashed). I'm not exactly sure about the year, but she very well could have been working at the hospital where Michael was during that time.

The producers intermingled flashbacks with flash forwards during the previous episode (Jin and Sun, respectively), so who's to say that they didn't interject a true flashback again? We know that Michael has been in the hospital twice due to injuries sustained by a car, and it can't be coincidence that Libby has medical training. Why else mention it during her brief stint on the island?

Obviously, when Libby shows up on the freighter as Michael is about to set off Ben's bomb, that was an apparition (or a Smoke Monster manifestation, etc.).

I have always enjoyed her character on Lost, because let's face it - we have no idea is she was truly mentally ill or merely had a twin sister.

To me, the most pivotal Libby scene in Lost history took place in Season 2, moments after she convinced Hurley not to dive into the ocean after his imaginary friend Dave. The look on her face after he asks her if she thinks he's capable of change is priceless (see photo below). Her expression goes from real affection to absolute misery in a millisecond, and I believe it was very telling.

Here are the many faces of Libby and/or Elizabeth, in reverse order:

Freighter Ghost Libby

Living or Ghost hospital aide Libby?

Island Libby

Widowed Elizabeth, giving deceased husband's sailboat to Desmond

Mental patient Libby

So you tell me...was Libby cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs or did she have an evil twin? Was she working for Widmore (providing the boat for Desmond to participate in his race around the world)? Why was she married three times, and was it related to her mental illness? Was it coincidence that her last husband was named David (i.e. Hurley's friend Dave), he sailed and he died after getting 'sick' like Rousseau's crew?

Post those theories below!

The Ballad of Kevin Johnson

Tom bats for the Other team, but that is no surprise;
When he told Kate she’s not his type, we knew he preferred guys.

Michael undercover, missing his teen son;
Crashed his car, failed to die and then purchased a gun.

Libby appeared with blankets, filling him with dread.
Was the woman he shot still alive, and at his hospital bed?

The island wouldn’t let him die, so off he went to Fiji.
He saw the crew taking shot practice, and almost wet his squeegee.

He’s there as Kevin Johnson, a deckhand on the ship.
Tom’s instructions were to kill, so there’d be no roundtrip.

Cleaning up the freighter, led by Captain Gault,
You know he wants to stand on deck and just yell out, “Waaaalt!”

Ben toyed with Kev’s emotions, the bomb had made him sweat;
After pressing ‘execute’ the flag popped up, Not Yet!

Ben sent Alex with Karl and Rousseau up to the Temple to hide,
But did he set it up so that all but his daughter died?

...to be continued.

The Life & Times of Kevin Johnson

Here are a few additional thoughts and questions about last week's episode.

BEN

I love how he said that Widmore is 'without conscience' and yet Ben killed his own father and an entire village of Dharma people.

Also, he wanted to spare the 'innocent' people on the freighter. Did he view all Dharma folks as guilty or 'bad?'

Ben doesn't like sharing. Did he have Karl and Rousseau killed to get Alex back?

Is Alex pregnant? Is that why Ben had Karl killed? Did he arrange for the freighter crew to take Alex so she could safely deliver off-island and live?

If Ben was so concerned with Alex getting pregnant, why not bring crates full of birth control and condoms from the outside world? He certainly had access and resources to obtain whatever he wanted.

MORE QUESTIONS

In last season's finale, we saw Jack about to kill himself by jumping off of a bridge. Did the island prevent him from doing so as well? Was that the first time he had tried?

So the island prevents certain people from killing themselves, yet the proximity to the island causes some to take their own lives (Regina, whomever remained a blood stain on the wall). So how does one's Constant play into that picture?

Miles is a ghost whisperer/ghost buster, so what does that say about his instant summation of Michael?

Miles told Michael that 80% of the crew is lying about something? What about the other 20%? Is he talking about the Freighter Four (him, Daniel, Frank & Charlotte)? They haven't exactly been forthcoming.

According to Tom, Widmore dug up graves in Thailand to supply the bodies for the fake wreckage of Flight 815. Is Jack's stint in Thailand (where he got a tattoo from Achara, his freaky fling who had a 'gift' for visions) related? For that matter, wouldn't 300+ stolen corpses be a national story? Wouldn't the Captain and others who work for Widmore or know about his obsession with the island put 2 & 2 together and figure out that the grave robberies were related to the fake wreckage?

Captain Gault didn't seem very surprised to find out that Michael (as Kevin Johnson) was the mole on his freighter. Did he find out on his own or was he forewarned by Widmore, Naomi or one of the Freighter Four?

See you soon, I promise.

Benjamin Linus & The Temple of Doom: LOST, Episode 4.8 - "Meet Kevin Johnson"

As someone long prepared for the occasion;
In full command of every plan you wrecked -
Do not choose a coward's explanation
That hides behind the cause and the effect.
Leonard Cohen, "Alexandra Leaving"

Are you kidding me? Holy sh*t, that was a fantastic episode and my head is spinning on its axis. Let's get started...

To me, this episode played like A Christmas Carol for Michael; Libby was the Ghost of Christmas Past, Tom was the Ghost of Christmas Present, and Ben was the Ghost of Christmas Future.

Here is what we know for sure:

• The Oceanic 6 are Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sayid, Aaron and Sun. I was wrong, I admit it.
  

• Michael and Walt are not members of the Oceanic 6, so they either die or are stuck on the island. Whether or not Walt chooses to stay there remains to be seen...
  

• There is a time discrepancy between the real world and the island. In Lost time, on the island, it is just after Christmas, but it was also Christmas time when Michael was trying to kill himself after he and Walt returned home. So...there seems to be about a two month difference. This is probably how they'll explain Walt's growth once he actually reappears again.
  

• Tom was gay. Hello, most of us figured that out when he told Kate that she wasn't his type last season. If you're stuck on a tropical island and don't find Kate attractive, you play for the other team. Period. (For those of you who know me...that scene would be equivalent to me telling Brad Pitt that he's not my type just after he steps out of the shower. One giant 'duh.') But who cares. Check off another diversity box and move on.
  

WALT

I don't think that Michael is aware of Walt's real capabilities. When Walt was being held by the Others, Ms. Klugh asked Michael if Walt had ever appeared someplace he shouldn't be. He appeared to Shannon when he was supposed to be on the raft, and he appeared to Locke after Ben shot him. So he teleports back to the island on occasion, without his dad or grandmother knowing.

MICHAEL

How much time passed between Michael in the hospital with severe injuries and the visit to his mother's to see Walt? Given that he refused to identify himself and had a suicide note, I imagine that the hospital kept him for a while.

Was Michael ever on Jacob's list? Ben did refer to Michael as "one of the good guys," but only after putting forcing him to do his dirty work and reminding him that he chose to kill Ana Lucia and Libby on his own.

Michael told Sayid that he was on the freighter "to die." Does he have to sacrifice himself in order to save the other survivors, or does he think that there really is a bomb that Ben needs him to set off?

BEN

What changes for Sayid and his attitude/belief about Ben? In the future, we find him working for the very man he despises and mistrusts.

We know that Ben does make it off of the island and is alive in the future. So do the remaining survivors and Others all get killed off by a Widmore Purge??

Did Ben know that Karl and Rousseau would be killed? He said that the rest of the Others were at the temple, but we haven't seen them actually kill anybody. So who the hell was at the Temple? But why send your daughter if you know that they'll use her to barter with?

Ben told Michael that he was to kill everyone on the freighter, and yet none of them have died because of him. Did Ben know that the proximity would cause some of the crew to go bonkers and die? What is Ben's real intent for Michael? Further access to Walt?

Who the hell is Ben's constant? Annie?

Ben told Michael that there were some "innocent" people on the freighter. Who was he referring to?

QUESTIONS

Why would Widmore want to kill everyone on the island instead of just Ben? If he really wants to exploit the powers of the island, is that why the Oceanic 6 aren't telling the truth about it? Is Widmore the one who is paying them off? Is he even aware or care that Desmond is on the island?

Did Widmore finally discover the coordinates of the island when Desmond failed to press the button and released the electromagnetic pulse? Was Daddy looking for that as well as Penny, but for different reasons?

If the island won't let Michael die, does that apply to everyone else who gets off of the island? Are the rules the same for 815 survivors as they are for Others and Freighters? Is that why Richard Alpert appears ageless? Is that why Mikhail just won't die?

Do those from Flight 815 that HAVE died on the island (Libby, Ana Lucia, Boone, Shanon, Eko, Artz, Nikki, Paulo, the Pilot & the Marshall) die because they didn't take their own lives? What about Charlie, who sacrificed himself?

Is Arturo (Tom's boyfriend in NY) the guy who Widmore eventually caught and beat up, the one Locke and Ben watched on the video? Was he aware of Tom's true identity, Ben or the island?

If I remember correctly, the mysterious person in the coffin that Jack visits in the future had killed himself. Does this indicate that he wasn't ever on the island? Or just not from Flight 815?

If the people who shot Rousseau and Karl were from the freighter, how and when did they arrive on the island? Does that have anything to do with Frank's mysterious 'errand' in the helicopter from last week's episode?? Did he drop some of the crew off there? It can't be coincidence that we saw them shooting guns on the freighter deck in the same episode...

If the remaining Others were at the Temple, were they killed? What about the children? And if they're not at that location, where the hell are they? (my inner conspiracy theorist still contends that they are in a secret underground, under-island village; of course Ben would have one in place)

Frank had memorized the Flight 815 manifest, and Miles called Michael out immediately. They both knew who Michael was, so did Naomi know as well? Frank and Miles must not trust the freighter crew, because they didn't alert anyone to what they knew.

Also, why is it that the new guy who joined up in Fiji isn't immediately your first suspect when your communications station is disabled?

Are either Rousseau or Karl dead? I hope not, because I was really looking forward to a Crazy French Lady flashback.

Is the Temple an actual Dharma hatch or station? Does it contain ancient remains? Does it have anything to do with the 4-toed statue? And why was there a temple column down in Other Camp (where Ben had Locke's dad tied up)?

Does Captain Gault really believe that Ben is responsible for the fake 815 wreckage? Someone (Michael or Frank) warned Sayid and Desmond not to trust the captain, but it appears that Gault only believes that Widmore financed the freighter.

Was Desmond's vision about seeing Claire and Aaron getting onto a helicopter all for naught? If that vision turns out to be incorrect (which we're leaning towards, given that Aaron is rescued and Kate is his future mom), what else from the future has he altered and/or gotten wrong due to his time traveling?

Just how far away is the island from the real world? Tom sure cleaned up nice and seemed to travel to and from the island to NY rather quickly, given when we've seen him appear back on the island. And let's be honest, submarines are not the fastest modes of transportation...

In addition, how did Michael and Walt slip secretly back into the real world without drawing anyone's attention? Although there were a few hundred others who supposedly perished on Flight 815, the press coverage would have been massive and widespread; you'd think that Michael and Walt would be recognizable (especially given that there weren't many African Americans on board besides those two and Rose; Eko was Nigerian).

DID YOU NOTICE?

Tom said to Michael what Walt had said to Locke: "You still have work to do."

Before attempting to kill himself by crashing his car, Michael said "I'm sorry," which is exactly what he said to Ana Lucia before shooting her.

Michael pawned Jin's watch for a gun, the very watch that Sun's dad ordered him to deliver to an associate in LA, and the reason that Jin and Sun were in Sydney in the first place. Will that have some affect on Jin's fate?

The game show on in the background in Michael's apartment mentioned Kurt Vonnegut, author of Slaughterhouse Five (which was vaguely referenced by Daniel Faraday at one point).

Libby was offering Michael blankets in the hospital. Not only did Michael shoot and kill Libby as she was holding blankets, she used to be in a hospital herself (albeit a mental one).

There was only one helicopter on the freighter, but at that point in time there should have been two (the one that crashed when Naomi parachuted onto the island, and the one that Frank later piloted there).

Naomi is from Manchester, England...and so was Charlie.

And here is where I sound like a total guy - there was a brief Godfather nod, when Miles was eating an orange (in all three films, there were significant death scenes after oranges were purchased or shown).

ANAGRAM OF THE WEEK

Don't ask me how or why this never came to me before:

Michael + Walt = Claim Wealth

...which could be a reference to Daddy Widmore's big bucks, Hurley the lottery millionaire or Miles the extortionist.

---
More to come Friday and/or Saturday.

Good morning!

Character Spotlights: Michael & Walt

Before we "Meet Kevin Johnson" tonight, I thought it would be helpful to revisit what we know about Michael and Walt. [Keep in mind that I am on the West Coast and it hasn't aired yet, so if you've already watched it, please keep comments spoiler-free until tomorrow. Thank you!]

MICHAEL

Michael Dawson worked in construction (presumably for Widmore Construction) and was an artist as well. He used to live with his girlfriend Susan, who is Walt's mother. Shortly after Walt was born, they broke up. Susan, who was a lawyer, took a job abroad and brought Walt with her, denying Michael the chance to be his father.

After an argument with her on a pay phone, Michael was hit by a car in NYC. Susan paid his medical expenses, because she wanted him to hand over all parental rights to her and her new husband (Brian). Several legal battles ensued, but Michael agreed in the end that Walt would have a good life with them.

Susan then passed away from a rare blood disease, and Michael went to Australia to get Walt because Brian was concerned about his odd behavior. Michael and Walt then hopped on Flight 815 together.

Michael and Walt's relationship has never been stellar, but they slowly bonded after they crashed on the island. When Michael built a raft to try and find rescue, Walt burned it down because "I like it here." Michael built another raft, and set sail with Walt, Sawyer and Jin. They encountered a boat that night, and the Others stole Walt off of the raft before blowing it up.

Michael, Sawyer and Jin were shipwrecked but drifted back to the island. Shortly after they reached the shore, they were taken hostage by Flight 815 Tail Section survivors Mr. Eko and Ana Lucia, whom they thought were Others. Eventually they made peace and ventured back to the beach to reunite with Jack and the other survivors.

Meanwhile, in Otherville, Juliet and Ben devised a plan to use Walt as bait to lure Michael into doing them a favor (bringing Jack, Kate and Sawyer). While in the original Swan hatch, Michael received an instant message from Walt, giving him directions to find him. Michael knew he had to go alone so he tricked and locked up Jack and Locke, took a gun and left to search for Walt. Shortly thereafter, he was taken by Tom and the Others.

During this time, Ben arranged for his own capture by Jack and the survivors. They kept him in the Swan hatch while trying to figure out if he was an Other.

Michael was taken to a fake Others camp and they took a sample of his blood. Ms. Klugh interrogated Michael about Walt, and he was their prisoner for a week before they brought Walt for a brief visit. Then Klugh explained the deal to Michael: if Michael released Ben from the Swan and brought Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Hurley to the Others, he would get Walt back. Michael bartered for a boat as well, and his request was granted. Then Juliet visited him and told him that Walt was special.

After Michael was released, he encountered Jack and Kate in the jungle and they brought him back to the Swan. He lied and told them that he hadn't been taken, but that he knew where to find the Others. At one point, he was alone in the hatch with Ana Lucia, who was guarding Ben. Out of the blue, Michael shot and killed her, as well as Libby, who had wandered in at the wrong time. He then let Ben go, and shot himself in the arm to make it look like Ben shot him.

Michael organized a rescue mission, but insisted that only Jack, Sawyer, Kate and Hurley went along (as instructed by the Others). Sayid became suspicious of this and alerted Jack. While on the trek to find Walt, Jack forced Michael to admit his real plan, and then all of them were captured by the Others. Ben let Hurley go, returned Walt to Michael and gave them a boat with coordinates for rescue. The Others then took Kate, Sawyer and Jack back to Other Village. That was the Season 2 finale, and didn't see Michael until...

Michael showed up on the freighter, working on the crew and using the name Kevin Johnson.

WALT

Walt was named after Michael's grandfather, but he hadn't seen his biological father (Michael) since he was 2 years old. After Walt's mom died and his stepfather (Brian) couldn't deal with him, Michael went to Australia to reconnect and bring him home. Brian noticed that strange things were happening around Walt, including a time when he was reading about a rare bird and suddenly that very bird crashed into their window and died.

He was 10 years old when Flight 815 crashed. On the island, Walt bonded with Locke over backgammon and knives, much to Michael's chagrin. Walt also began displaying signs of clairvoyance, warning Locke not to open the hatch even though Locke didn't tell anyone about it.

When Walt left with his dad on the raft, he gave his dog Vincent to Shannon. Yeah, she died. No one in particular seems to be in charge of him now. But before she was killed, a soaking wet Walt (or his apparition) appeared to Shannon in the jungle, supposedly whispering the following in reverse: "push the button, don't push the button, bad." A few days later, Wet Walt showed up in her Sayid love tent and whispered in reverse: "they're coming, they're close." Shannon chased after him and eventually even Sayid saw him, but in the rainy jungle ghost commotion, Ana Lucia accidentally shot and killed Shannon. Oops.

After Walt was taken from Michael on the raft, the Others took him to Hydra Island and subjected him to tests in Room 23 (where Karl was later discovered). Apparently Walt demonstrated some of his powers and scared the bejesus out of them. But Ben insisted that Jacob wanted Walt to remain there because he was special.

Walt was briefly reunited with Michael at the fake Others camp, but didn't see his dad again until Michael followed up with his end of the deal by leading Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Hurley to the Others. Walt and Michael left on the boat provided by Ben, following the coordinates for rescue. Again, that was the Season 2 finale, and we didn't see Walt again until...

Walt appeared to Locke just as he was about to kill himself because Ben had shot him. Tall Ghost Walt told Locke that he had work to do, so Locke maneuvered his kidney-less, bullet-ridden self right up out of that mass grave and went back to being crazy.

So there you go.

My Take on The Oceanic Six

I've stated this in response to other people's theories, but I figured it was time to put it in writing on my own site.

In my opinion, we have only been introduced to the Oceanic 5: Kate, Jack, Hurley, Sayid and Sun.

I listen to the official Lost podcast, and recently the producers intimated that Aaron was not technically on Flight 815; he was in-vitro and not on the manifest. And if Aaron doesn't count, then Ji-Yeon doesn't count either. For that matter, Ben wasn't a passenger on that flight, so he is also ineligible.

So here is my prediction for the sixth and final member of the Oceanic 6: Locke. He will be rescued against his wishes, become paralyzed again upon return to the 'real world,' and take his own life as a result...ending up in the infamous coffin that Jack visits in a flash forward.

Care to agree or disagree? Who are YOUR picks for the Oceanic 6?

Clean Up on Freighter Four: Michael Mops Up

Strange but it seems like there is a mutiny brewing inside me.
Dave Matthews Band, "Captain"

I just watched "Ji-Yeon" again. Here are additional thoughts...

• If the crew was aware that Regina was affected by the proximity to the island, why put her in charge of guarding Sayid and Desmond's door? Odd choice.

• What did the buff crew member ask Frank if he was 'ready' for? His errand on the helicopter?
  

• When Sayid told Frank that he wanted to speak with the Captain, Frank responded "no you don't." Did Frank then write the note warning note to trust the Captain?

• Who put the second and last panda from the toy shop on hold, the one that Jin needed to buy? Was it a coincidence that it had been pre-purchased? Of course not. This Lost after all.

• The hospital staff knew that Sun was one of the Oceanic Six, so they also knew that Jin had supposedly perished in the crash. Were they just placating Sun when she was asking for Jin and they told her he was on his way?

• I still don't know why Ben wasn't interested in Rose and Jin, given that the island healed her cancer and his infertility (supposedly). Why just Locke?

• If Michael is the saboteur, how would he have the know-how to: mess with the freighter's engine, communications & kitchen, as well as communicate with Sayid via morse code on the pipes? The man used to be in construction, as far as we know.

• Do you think we'll ever actually find out if the real black box from Flight 815 was discovered, and if so, what data was contained therein?

• It seems odd that Dr. Bae called Sun by her first name, given the traditional nature of the country. It stuck out that he didn't refer to her as Mrs. Kwon during delivery. I am convinced that it was a conspiracy that her regular doctor was unavailable, and that WOA (either Widmore, Oceanic or Abbadon) were responsible.
  

• Usually it takes a while for a tombstone to be delivered and installed. So Jin's funeral must have taken place before Sun gave birth. Given that the date on his tombstone was the date of the crash, is Sun under the same pressure to maintain the lie about the island and the Oceanic Six?

• Was Hurley relieved that none of the other Oceanic 6 went to see Sun because he didn't want to revisit the lie that they're all sticking to?

• Did Hurley go visit Sun and her baby because of Charlie's posthumous message that "they need you?" Obviously Charlie could have been referring to those stuck back on the island, but it can also be interpreted as a message to help some of the Oceanic 6.

• Umm...is Miles still in the boat house with a grenade in his mouth?

• Have Charlotte and Daniel given up on their original mission to find Ben? They seem to be resigned to hanging out on the beach with Jack, Juliet, etc. Also, Mile seems to be motivated to find Ben by money and blackmail, so what is motivating Charlotte, Daniel and Frank to do so?

• Clearly the freighter crew do not suspect that Frank is the saboteur; he has free reign to fly on and off the ship as he pleases.

FRANK'S MYSTERIOUS HELICOPTER 'ERRAND' OPTIONS

• Dharma beer run
  
• Take Walt to psych class
• Hooked-on-Phonics book drop for Jin

In all seriousness though...could it be that Frank flew back to the island to conduct an aerial search for the nose of Flight 815, because he knew the pilot and wanted confirmation for himself that 815 did in fact crash there?

THIS IS A STRETCH, BUT...

Captain Gault and Charles Widmore seem to think that Ben orchestrated the crash of Flight 815 and/or is responsible for the placement of the fake wreckage and bodies. Here are some thoughts that might support that:

• We don't really know what Ben was up on the island during the time between the Purge and Juliet's arrival, other than secret spy frequent trips back to the real world via sub. This kind of elaborate plan would take years to concoct and pull off. He certainly seems to have the brains and the access to the kind of resources (both monetary and manpower) to do so.

• He was overseeing the construction of a runway over on the smaller Hydra island (where Sawyer & Kate were hauling rocks). Perhaps he discovered a way to safely lure and land future flights full of people to experiment on. Or perhaps he already had...we saw Juliet emerge from a sub but not actually travel in it; she did leave from an airport after all.
  

• We've witnessed almost four seasons of episodes referencing coincidence vs. fate and good vs. bad; it's becoming more clear that most, if not all, of the passengers from 815 were hand-selected for a specific purpose...and that purpose would be determined on or by the island. Ben had full, detailed histories and files on every single passenger (which is why he wasn't concerned about his spinal tumor...knowing that Jack was on that plane).

• He knows the exact coordinates for safe entry through the island's invisible barrier, and perhaps Flight 815 was on course to land safely somewhere on the island (it was flying at an unusually low altitude at the time). Remember that Ben didn't seem too surprised to look up and see an airplane flying above Other Village on the island. It only crashed because Desmond failed to push the execute button in 108 minutes on that day (9/22/04), causing the electromagnetic anomaly which ultimately broke the fuselage apart from the tail section. Although 815 didn't land exactly according to Ben's plan, he was able to salvage some of his scheme by infiltrating the survivors via Ethan and Goodwin.
  

I can't wait for the last new episode ("Meet Kevin Johnson") this week, because it will be Michael-centric! The second half of Season 4 will begin on April 24.

Daddy Drama & The New Mama: More "Ji-Yeon" Theories

Hi, I'm back. Put my Jr. IT skills to work and got online at the cabin.

So where were we?

BEN

He was obsessed with fertility on the island. Will he continue to be, off-island? Will he take a strong interest in Ji-Yeon because she's the first child to ever be conceived on the island and live?

For that matter, if Widmore is truly interested in the island's healing powers, wouldn't he try to exploit Sun and Ji-Yeon upon rescue?

DR. RAY (the freighter doc)

Was the large cut on his cheek new? Who has more authority than the ship's doctor? Probably the Captain. So what would prompt the kind of discussion that would result in slashing your physician across the face? Smells like shades of Ben and his disregard for his only surgeon, Ethan.

FRANK

Did his mysterious errand have anything to do with Walt? Perhaps he was taking him back to the island. Not sure if Frank and Michael are in on this whole thing together or not...

HURLEY

When Sun asked Hurley if anyone else was coming to see her and the baby (and go to Jin's grave), he seemed almost happy that he was the only one. Why?

JIN

I really don't think he's actually dead. I believe that he just wasn't rescued and is still back on the island. Jin is a major character and ABC tends to tease upcoming deaths on the show...but they didn't for this episode.

MICHAEL

Are we sure that he even recognizes Sayid? Perhaps he really does think he is Kevin Johnson, or was brainwashed or got amnesia.

Are we sure that Ben even knows that Michael is on the boat? I'm thinking that he's yet another slight of hand that the producers are tossing our way; that Ben's mole is someone else entirely and Michael will throw a wrench in his plans.

There is no way that Michael and Walt could have actually made it back home, because they would have been considered survivors from Flight 815 (which would have exposed the truth earlier to the world) and would be under considerable spotlight. They must have gone directly to the freighter.

If Michael is on the freighter in an attempt to help rescue his friends back on the island...is he doing it out of guilt (for killing Ana Lucia and Libby), or because he has to (to save Walt once again)?

Bernard referred to Locke as a murderer. Imagine how well Michael will be received if and when he reunites with the rest of the survivors...

SUN

When Hurley told her that the baby looked just like Jin, the look on her face was very telling. I still don't think that Ji-Yeon is Jin's. I think that either Juliet lied (again) to Sun about the paternity and/or messed up with the island ultrasound.

Why was her wedding ring in a baggie right before she and Hurley went to see Jin's grave? It wasn't like she JUST got back from the hospital with the baby. Given her insistence that she keep it on during birth, it just struck me as odd that it was then put away until Jin's funeral.

When Sun was asking for Jin during labor, it reminded me of the scene in Jack's flash forward where he referred to his father in the present. Supposedly, both Jin and Christian Shepard are deceased, yet their closest loved ones hallucinate otherwise.

By the way, the look on Sun's face when Juliet told Jin about the affair was amazing. Yunjin Kim put in a fantastic performance last night.

WALT

Could he actually already be back on the island? Is Ben holding him somewhere as a bargaining chip?

THE OCEANIC 6

I choose to disregard the popular notion that Aaron counts as one of the Oceanic 6. Jack, Hurley, Kate, Sayid and Sun comprise 5 of the 6. The producers all but verified that Aaron didn't count as one of them because he wasn't on the Flight 815 manifest.

I contend that Locke will be the sixth and last member of the Oceanic 6, that he is rescued against his wishes, commits suicide, and is the man in the coffin that Jack visits in the flash forward.

There are many character connections and intersections in Lost, both in flashbacks and flash forwards. Do the Oceanic Six represent six degrees of separation, literally?

THE FREIGHTER/WIDMORE DISCONNECT

So Charles Widmore financed the freighter and the mission to find Ben and the island. He also supplied the untrustworthy Captain with the supposed black box from Flight 815. Why give it to the freighter crew? What does the data in the box have to do with finding Ben? And wouldn't Oceanic attorney Matthew Abbadon be very interested in obtaining the black box? When he hired Naomi to lead the Freighter Four to find Ben on the island, he was insistent that there were no survivors (making him implicit in the construction of the staged wreckage).

And why wouldn't the captain put two and two together? He wondered out loud who would have the resources and power to stage an elaborate plane crash and wreckage...yet he didn't seem to suspect the very man who funded his ship and crew. Is he Ben's mole??

ANAGRAM OF THE WEEK

Kevin Johnson = No Knives John

{John Locke not only taught Walt how to throw a knife without Michael's permission, he also killed Naomi by throwing a knife in her back.}

Further thoughts will be posted tomorrow or Sunday. Thanks for reading!

LOST, Episode 4.7 - "Ji Yeon"

This post is brought to you by Pony Espresso, a hole-in-the-wall cafe in the mountains of Northern California. Seriously. That's where I am, because that's the only way I could post this blog. Everyone else went skiing, but I sought out wi-fi.

Keep in mind that I wrote down these theories last night while sitting in a beautiful cabin, sipping on a lovely tall vodka tonic, watching LOST on a grainy old television, ignoring my friends in the other room. Obviously there wasn’t a TiVO or DVR, so I had to watch it live and take notes like a crazy person.

I drove like the wind to get up here in time to catch our precious show. Hello, like I could wait until morning to watch it online. Dedication, people.

Here are some initial thoughts. More to come later this weekend.

CAPTAIN GAULT

Michael told Sayid and Desmond not to trust him. So is that really the black box from Flight 815?

DADDY WIDMORE

I am confused. According to the Captain (whom we're not supposed to trust), Widmore funds the freighter, is responsible for finding the black box from Flight 815, and wants to find Ben. All of that would suggest that Widmore is NOT working with Oceanic or Matthew Abbadon (who presumably staged the fake wreckage and bodies). But Abbadon selected the Freighter Four to find the island and Ben, so wouldn't that imply that Widmore himself had something to do with the fate of 815? Quite literally, I am LOST.

DESMOND

Now that he knows the freighter is Daddy Widmore's, does he think that Penny's dad is working with her to find him too? He was told that Penny has been calling the freighter insistently, so he should figure out that she knows her dad is up to no good and may have something to do with where he is.

FRANK

Does Frank know that Michael isn't Kevin Johnson? He seems to be siding with Desmond and Sayid. I think that he knows where Michael came from and what he's up to.

JIN

The date on his tombstone was the date of the Flight 815 crash...so he is NOT one of the Oceanic 6. Apparently Sun is playing along with the lie as well.

Was Jin one of the two people that Jack testified about in Kate's trial? He said that Kate tried to save two of the original 8 survivors.

Or is Jin really dead? Is one of the corpses from the fake wreckage buried there, or is Jin still stuck back on the island?

I only figured out that it was a flashback (and not a flash forward) when Jin pulled out his old-school cell phone.

MICHAEL

So…did he and Walt find rescue at all? Or did Ben's coordinates direct them to the freighter? Was Michael instructed by Ben beforehand that he had to complete one more task before actual rescue? If Michael already had Walt, what would prompt him to follow Ben's last order?

Is Michael alive in the future? Is he working for Ben, like Sayid is?

Do people back in the ‘real world’ know what he did on the island, or was he paid for his silence too?

If he isn't on the freighter for Ben, did Widmore hire him to assist with the mission? I have a feeling that Michael used to work for Widmore Construction.

Did the freighter pick Michael up in Fiji, the last place they were in port? If so, wouldn't they figure him to be the saboteur? If the were suspicious about him, you'd think they wouldn't allow him free access to roam the ship and interact with Desmond and Sayid.

REGINA

She was reading a book upside down. One of the ‘side effects’ that Daniel referred to?

Was she affected by the proximity to the island, like Minkowski?

Was Naomi her constant, is that why she didn’t survive?

SUN

Was Sun’s delivery doctor (Dr. Bae) working for Oceanic, Widmore or Ben? Is that why her regular doc was conveniently out of town when she went into labor?

The hospital staff acknowledged that Sun was one of the Oceanic 6. Was the man in the suit who walked by her room an Oceanic thug or one of Widmore's people?

Why wouldn't Jack and Kate join Hurley to visit Sun's baby and Jin's grave? We know that Kate has no interest in flying again, but Jack was taking weekend jaunts across the world frequently. Of course Sayid is missing in action, because I think he disappeared after rescue and is working for Ben without the other Oceanic 5 knowing about it.

LITERARY REFERENCE OF THE WEEK

Gault is the name of a character in Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged." Quite fitting, considering that the book is about individuals who rebel against society and create their own communities hidden from the world.

QUESTIONS

Where is Tall Ghost Walt? Is he on the freighter or the island? Did he instruct Michael about Ben's orders to infiltrate the freighter crew?

What was the ‘problem in the kitchen’ on the freighter?

Did anyone on the freighter care about Naomi or her fate? They didn't seem very upset by Regina's suicide.

DID YOU NOTICE?

In her room, Sun was watching Nikki on her soap opera Expose, dubbed in Korean.

Bernard said to Jin, “we must be the good guys.” Is that bad news/foreshadowing for Bernard?

The Captain used the phrase "cabin fever" to describe the affects of the island's proximity on some of the crew (i.e. Jacob's cabin).

On the freighter, in Desmond and Sayid's new sleeping quarters, there was a blood stain on the wall. It looked similar to the one in the Swan hatch, where Kelvin's first bunkmate killed himself.

CRAZY CABIN FEVER THEORIES OF THE WEEK

Michael is not Ben's mole. It's Frank. That's why he took off in the helicopter on an unknown 'errand.' And that is why he seems to be helping out Desmond and Sayid. Michael made his way onto the freighter on his own (not via Ben or Widmore). He knew that he sold his friends up the river when Ben let him and Walt go home, he found out about the freighter and where they were headed, and made his move.

Sayid noticed that clanging noise on the freighter, and told Desmond that it wasn't mechanical. Walt is on the freighter too, and he was communicating with Sayid using a form of morse code.
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Well, that's about it for now. I have to head back to the cabin because it just started to snow.

Thoughts? Theories?

This Week's LOST Blog...

Apologies in advance. I am heading out of town tomorrow evening and probably won't be able to watch LOST until Friday morning. Thus, my weekly theories will be slightly postponed. I am aiming to have them posted here by late Friday morning.

I only hope that our cabin isn't anything like Jacob's...

Sawyer, Strawberries & Secrets

[This post and link have proven to be very popular over on my other blog, so I thought it was worth updating here.]

Do you dream about shirtless, sweaty Sawyer in his cage?

Do you ever drift off and imagine yourself having breakfast on the beach with dressed up dirty Kate?

Have you ever envisioned your own version of the steamy Kate/Sawyer cagematch?

Has anyone ever told you that you taste like strawberries?

If you answered yes to any of the above, then it's time to channel your inner Martha. You can now make your very own homemade Fish Biscuits! Bake a batch or two for your next Lost viewing party, or delight your co-workers with seemingly disgusting fish-shaped biscuits that are surprisingly delicious.

Kudos to Kat for sharing her secrets (unlike our friends on the island).

Character Spotlight: Charles Widmore

Last week's episode only confirmed what many of us have speculated about for four seasons...Charles Widmore is a key player in the game of Lost. As my friend Jeff reminded me, we should always just follow the rich white guy.

Just who is Daddy Widmore? He is a wealthy British man who owns or runs Widmore Industries and many subsidiaries. In 1996, Widmore bid on and won the journal from the Black Rock (owned by a Hanso), a 19th century slave ship which is now situated in the middle of the island for unknown reasons. According to former Other leader Ben Linus, Widmore has been searching for the island and sent the freighter on a mission to find it. Ben said that Widmore wants to exploit the island, to expose it to the world to make millions from its healing and other powers. From the mouth and mind of Ben, however, this statement must be taken with a grain of salt and an ounce of doubt.

Penelope Widmore is Charles' daughter and the love of Desmond's life. Daddy has never approved of Desmond, and told him that he'd never be a "great man." The status of her relationship with her father in Lost time (2004) is unknown, but she herself has been searching for the island as well. Penny somehow discovered that Desmond was on the island and knew to look for an electromagnetic anomaly to pinpoint the location.


The influence and reach of Widmore has been illustrated in various ways on Lost thus far. Where have we seen Widmore's name before?

• Widmore Labs: On the real Henry Gale's crashed hot air balloon & on pregnancy tests (Sun's and Juliet's sister Rachel's)
  
• Widmore Industries: Charles' London office, where Desmond visited him to ask for Penny's hand in marriage
  
• Widmore Corporation: Sponsors/organizers of Desmond's race around the world, which ended when he crashed on the island in 2001
• Widmore Construction: Banner on side of London building in Charlie flashback

Other links to the passengers of Flight 815 and the island:

• A painting on the wall of Widmore's London office features a polar bear and the word 'namaste'
• MacCutcheon Whiskey, his expensive beverage of choice was found in luggage on the island (Locke's dad Cooper also had it before throwing Locke out of the window)
  

Lingering questions about Daddy Widmore:

1. Did he find out about the island and its powers from the contents of the Black Rock journal?
2. Did he have anything to do with how and why Desmond crashed his sailboat on the island? For that matter, did he have anything to do with Desmond's stint in military prison?
   
3. Was Elizabeth (the seemingly sane version of Libby) sent by Widmore to provide that sailboat to Desmond?
   
4. If he financed the freighter, did he also hire Oceanic attorney Matthew Abbadon to select the crew and team to find Ben and the island? And if so, what is his connection to Oceanic and Flight 815? Was he a board member or major stockholder?
5. Did he provide Naomi with the photo of Penny & Desmond that she had with her when she parachuted onto the island?
6. Will Desmond find out that he financed the freighter? Will Widmore himself show up on the freighter?
   
7. Is he somehow connected to/involved with Paik Heavy Industries (owned/run by Sun's dad)?
8. Is he the "Economist?"
9. Michael worked in construction before Flight 815...was he under Widmore's employ?
   

Bad Twin/Find815/The Lost Experience
Although I read Bad Twin (a few hours of my life I'd like back) and played along on Find815, I never participated in The Lost Experience. All three, however, link Widmore to both Hanso and Paik in some way. Are we to apply what we learned from these off-show activities to the series, or do they merely serve as conspiracy fodder to further muddy the Lost waters?

I believe we can now implicate Mr. Widmore in the overall conspiracy about how Flight 815 crashed and why, and acknowledge that he plays a huge role in the history and future of the island.

Thoughts? Theories?

You're Mine, Juliet! More on "The Other Woman"

[Programming note: due to a little setback today from back surgery a few months ago I am limited on the laptop; much more to come about this episode later this weekend...hopefully]

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS

Juliet was having an affair with Goodwin, but how come the issue of her own fertility has never come up? Perhaps Ben sent Goodwin on that mission to the Tail Section because a) he stole Juliet's heart away from Ben, and b) he didn't want Juliet to get pregnant and die.

How long had Juliet been on Ben's radar before he arranged for her to come work for him on the island? You just know that he had Richard Alpert coordinate the death-by-bus of her husband.

When Tom was talking to Juliet, he said that Harper "will have you crying about your daddy in no time." Is Harper aware of the purge and that Ben killed his own father? If she's still around, Locke could sure benefit from some of that therapy.

Where did Ben get the gas masks for the original purge? Before he killed off his people, was the sub operational and did he have access to it?

Harper must not have been an apparition, the Black Smoke Monster or something that Jacob projected...because Jack actually saw her too.

What's with Claire's sudden interest in Miles?

In Lost-time, last night's events took place on the day of the actual tsunami. Even though we don't exactly know where the island is, I'm glad that the tragedy didn't play a role. That being said, the Tempest was introduced. Mere coincidence?

Is Juliet the reason that Jack wants to go back to the island after he's rescued? I have to say, as much as I love Juliet, I really don't find an ounce of chemistry between her and Jack.

Back when Ben masterminded the original purge, he wasn't at all interested in island fertility. Something tells me that arranged for his childhood girlfriend Annie to be spared from the purge (put her on the sub or another safe place), and then a few years later they got pregnant. When she died giving birth, Ben become obsessed with finding out why. Thus, his recruitment of Juliet the fertility specialist...who happens to resemble his deceased girlfriend/wife.

Ben's Man on the Boat: Options

All we know for sure is that Locke will recognize this person's name...hell, I don't trust that Ben's mole is even a man.

ALIVE

• Michael (seems too obvious to me, especially given that Harold Perrineau's return is no secret)
• Sayid (not sure how or why, as he is already on the freighter; perhaps he made a deal with Ben back on the island that we weren't privy to)
  
• Walt (also seems obvious, and not shocking because Locke has already 'seen' him)
• Richard Alpert (Ben's ageless cohort)
• Randy (Locke's former boss, Hurley's former boss turned employee)
  

DEAD {supposedly}

• Libby (or her mentally stable twin sister...remember, Elizabeth did give Desmond a sailboat to use in Mr. Widmore's race around the world)
• Mikhail (if he can survive a spear through the heart, he can survive an underwater grenade explosion)
• Charlie (Desmond never recovered the body for some reason, and you know how much those survivors love the frequent beach funerals)
• Christian Shephard (his body was missing from the coffin after the crash and there have been multiple sightings of him since)

See you soon.

LOST, Episode 4.6 - "The Other Woman"

Juliet, the dice was loaded from the start
And I bet that you exploded into my heart
Dire Straits, "Romeo & Juiet"

Wow. Here goes. And I apologize for the lack of photos. I wanted to get these insane thoughts out of my head first.

I know from the lack of emails and text messages that many people won't think much of this episode, especially following last week's. But holy sh*t. I disagree. The puzzle pieces are coming together with amazing speed and clarity.

I just LOVE how brilliant this show is, that we've moved from fearing the Others to Ben to the Freigher Four to Widmore and Oceanic.

DADDY WIDMORE

Try to follow me here...this is my interpretation of the events that led Widmore to the island.

Widmore purchased the Black Rock journal at the auction in last week's episode because it contained the island's secrets. It took him several years, but when he was finally able to determine where the island was, he then financed the freighter and selected the Freighter Four. That team was hired (based on their individual expertise in fields relating to the Dharma stations on the island) to find Ben and dismantle the poisonous gas on the island because Widmore wanted to preserve it/exploit it. He knew about Ben's prior purge.

Matthew Abbadon works for Oceanic and is the one who hired Naomi and the Freighter Four; he is working for/with Widmore. So now we can tie together and Widmore and Oceanic. If Widmore knew about the island and had been trying various methods to get there, and knew about the Dharma stations and the powers (i.e. electromagnetism), did he commission and/or tinker with Flight 815 to specifically fly that route to see if it would crash there? You might be asking what the airline would have to gain by purposefully crashing one of their planes on that island. Well, I believe that all of the passengers were specifically chosen for that purpose, to see what affect the island would have on their various emotional and physical ailments (Locke's paralysis, Rose's cancer, Jin's infertility, Hurley's mental instability, Charlie's drug habit, etc.). Widmore had files on these people long before they booked that flight, and each passenger had an enabler that made sure they were on that flight (a long list for a future blog).

When Abbadon was providing Naomi with her team (the Freighter Four) for the mission to find Ben, he insisted that she wouldn't encounter any survivors from Flight 815. Widmore's sole purpose and the reason he sent the freighter was to find and stop Ben. Of course he and Abbadon knew that Flight 815 survivors were also on the island, but they didn't want Naomi and the Freighter Four to either believe it or interact with them.

The reason that Abbadon is harassing the Oceanic 6 upon their return is because Widmore arranged for their rescue and paid for their silence. Abbadon is his enforcer, and Sayid & Ben are working together in the future to expose and kill Widmore (the Economist) and his team.

I believe that Sayid went rogue after rescue, and disappeared/distanced himself from the other Oceanic 5 on a mission to either return to the island to rescue those left behind, or simply kill those responsible for the entire lie. That is why we haven't seen Sayid interact with Kate, Jack or Hurley in the future; they don't know where he is or what he's doing. Remember, he's a celebrity in America, but roaming freely abroad on his assassination missions for Ben. I also don't think that the rest of the Oceanic 5 are aware that Ben made it off of the island, let alone that he's now working with Sayid.

BEN

So now we know why Ben sent Goodwin to tail section beach to infiltrate the survivors, but why did he send Ethan to the other side, when he was the Others' best surgeon and knowing that he has a tumor? What could Ethan have done to piss Ben off enough for that assignment?

Ben had to have known that Ana Lucia was the one who killed Goodwin. He knew Goodwin was dead long before he showed Juliet the body. Did Juliet find out, and if so, did she order Michael to shoot Ana Lucia because of it? Was Ana Lucia's murder premeditated or one of the conditions Michael had to fulfill in order to get Walt back?

The man who Widmore apprehended and beaten didn't look like Richard Alpert, but we haven't seen him in a long time. Perhaps Richard was the one who was videotaping it. Is Ben's captured man the reason that Widmore finally finds the island and why the Oceanic 6 are rescued?

Everyone is assuming that Michael is somehow Ben's man on the freighter. If that's true, is Walt with him? And if they are, will they be the remaining 2 members of the Oceanic 6?

Ben monitored the Swan hatch, where Desmond was stationed for 3 years. He had to know who he was and have his personal history file as well. So why wouldn't Ben be more interested in Desmond, knowing his connection to Penny Widmore?

HARPER

If Harper was the shrink, why was Juliet assigned to tail section kids Emma and Zach? And did they brainwash them? They were asking about their mom, who perished in the crash, but it seems that Juliet told them she was in Los Angeles (where the flight was headed).

Where did Harper disappear to? Is she down in the secret island underground city (another one of my long-standing theories) along with the kids and the other Others who we haven't seen in a while?

Or was Harper an apparition? Did she appear like Walt did to Shannon and Locke? Did Jacob actually send her?

Did you notice that Harper said the exact same thing about Ben that Miles told Kate last week? She said that Ben "is exactly where he wants to be." This lends credence to the theory that Miles is working with/for Ben.

When Juliet is confronted by Harper about Goodwin, Juliet said "I would never hurt him," and Harper responded with "it's not you I'm worried about; it's Ben." I interpreted that to mean that Harper was protecting Ben because she knew about his crush. My better half, however, interpreted it to mean that she was worried about Ben hurting Goodwin.

Harper also said something vague and interesting to Juliet about why Ben has a crush on her...."you look just like her." Was she referring to Annie, his childhood Dharma girlfriend? Or his mother? The man IS creepy, but Oedipal too? I found that to be a fascinating comment, especially given that Ben used Juliet to befriend Jack originally because he thought she looked like Jack's wife Sarah. Hey, perhaps Sarah had an affair with Ben when he was on one of his off-island missions at some point in time. It's Lost...anything's possible.

Did any of the other Others have to be analyzed by Harper? Was she hired/recruited specifically by Ben to work with Juliet because Ben demanded to know everything about her? Something tells me that patient/client confidentiality doesn't exist in Ben's world.

QUESTIONS

Penny must have found out about the island through Daddy. But did he know that Desmond was marooned there, or was he the cause of Desmond's sailboat crash? Was the race around the world Widmore's ploy to get Desmond to the island; was he one of Daddy's guinea pigs?

Does Penny still talk to her father, and if so, does he know about her search for Desmond and knowledge about the island? Did she tell Daddy that Desmond called her last week?

Have any of the Others heard the voices in the jungle? It seemed odd that Juliet heard them. Did she know that an Other would appear from out of nowhere when that happened?

Why are the tail section kids on Jacob's list?

What was Goodwin doing at the Tempest when he burned himself?

How long has the freighter been at sea? Was Widmore searching for the island long before 815 crashed (regardless of his possible involvement with that)?

Why would Dharma have built a station capable of killing everyone on the island, including themselves? Was that their worst-case-scenario system? Were they aware of the hostiles and other dangers on the island before arriving there?

Does the Tempest have anything to do with the Black Smoke Monster? It could be a chemical creation controlled by that station...

Does Jack really care about Juliet, or is he using her like Kate is using Sawyer? Whatever happens between Jack and Juliet, it's clear from the flash forwards that she's not in his life and he still pines for Kate.

LITERARY REFERENCE OF THE WEEK

The Tempest station. Shakepeare's The Tempest is about a father and daughter stranded on an island. Clearly there are shades of Penny & Daddy Widmore, and Ben and Alex. I'm sure it's no coincidence that Juliet's flashback featured a Shakespearean station, given that she herself is a reference (Romeo & Juliet) from one of his plays about a doomed relationship.

ANAGRAM OF THE WEEK

Harper Stanhope = An Other Perhaps or Or Perhaps Ethan

Of course Ethan Rom was an anagram for Other Man, and the title of this episode is The Other Woman. Juliet is an Other, she was the Other Woman in Goodwin's marriage, the other woman vying for Jack (along with Kate), and the other woman in Ben's life (the first being his mother or whatever doppelganger Harper referred to).

CRAZY THURSDAY NIGHT THEORY

This isn't exactly related to tonight's episode and I'm sure I'm not the first person to assume this but...I think that the ageless Richard Alpert and the original island hostiles first arrived on the island on the Black Rock. When young Ben first encountered a disheveled Richard in the jungle, Richard had long hair and torn clothing; he certainly looked like he'd been there far too long. Ben learned about the Tempest station and the gas from Richard, and in return, Ben guided Richard, educated him about the modern world and Dharma, and eventually transitioned him into his right hand Other.
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I will be back tomorrow night with more. Must. Get. Sleep. Now.