To Follow All Lost-Related ARGS...

I do not have as much time as I'd like to follow and analyze all three of the current Lost-related alternate reality games and experiences. But if you are interested in any or all of them, please visit my friends at the fabulous LostARGS site, as they are extensively covering all activities and news stemming from:

Damon Carlton And A Polar Bear

Lost University

Mysteries of the Universe: The Dharma Initiative

Enjoy!

LOST ReWatch Week #12: S.O.S., Two for the Road & ?

Greetings, Lost Rewatch friends!

I would like to dedicate this post to my new friend Yvonne, who sent me a very sweet email about my Rewatch articles; I really appreciated her kind words. At the end of a long day at work, there are times when I question if I have it in me to keep up at this pace. So thank you for the encouragement and support, Yvonne - and all of you who are kind enough to leave comments and read along! I am truly enjoying this project, and your participation fuels and inspires my desire to continue through the very end.

I am now about one week behind schedule, and it helped that there were only three episodes in this batch. But what a trio they were...I'd mentioned before that Michael's murder of Ana Lucia and Libby ranks very high on my list of the most shocking Lost moments ever, and watching that scene again resulted in the same goosebumps.

Australia

In S4 (The Shape of Things to Come), Hurley said that "Australia is the key to the whole game." [Of course we all know that much of Hurley's dialogue is written for us, the dedicated viewers; that his character seems to speak directly to us at times.]

Clearly, Hurley was not just referring to their board game of Risk when he said that, and Isaac's speech to Rose reminded me Hurley's words:

"There are certain places with great energy. Spots on the earth, like the one we're above now. Perhaps this energy is geological, magnetic. Or perhaps it's something else. And when possible, I harness the energy and give it to others. I can't do anything for you, Rose. It's not that you can't be healed. Like I said, it's different energies. This is not the right place for you."

I know that the plane allegedly crashed thousands of miles off course, far from where they originated in Sydney. Geographically and logistically speaking, I know this sounds crazy, but what if the island is BELOW Australia somehow? Isaac said that the spot below him had great energy, possible magnetic. Sound familiar?

And I just can't get the image of the island 'disappearing' out of my head when I think about this possibility...

Crossing Paths

Before boarding Flight 815, Rose sees Locke in his wheelchair. (S.O.S.)

Ana Lucia meets Jack's father Christian Shephard at an airport bar, and accompanies him to Sydney to work as his bodyguard for a few days. (Two for the Road)

In Sydney, Christian opens a car door into Sawyer while arguing with Ana Lucia, and proceeds to later have a conversation with him in a bar. (Two for the Road)

Eko travels to Sydney to investigate a 'miracle' that happens to the daughter of Richard Malkin, Claire's psychic. (?) [sidenote: fascinating to ponder that Malkin is the reason that both Claire and Eko were on Flight 815...]

Foreshadowing Dialogue

S.O.S.

Eko: "People are saved in different ways."

Rose: "You'll be out of that splint and running around the island in no time."

Locke: "Jack said it would be four weeks."

Rose: "You and I know it's not going to take that long."

Kate: "I'm sorry I kissed you."

Jack: "I'm not."

Two for the Road

Ben: "You killed two of us, good people who were leaving you alone. You're the killer, Ana Lucia."

Locke: "Why'd you try to hurt Ana Lucia but not me?"

Ben: "Because you're one of the good ones."

Christian: "Maybe fate has just thrown the two of us together."

Ana Lucia: "Why would fate do that?"

Christian: "Same reason fate does anything; so we can help each other out."

Christian: "Fate's calling, Sarah." [extra creepy points for calling Ana Lucia by his son's wife's name]

Christian: "I can't ever go back."

?

Ana Lucia, to Eko in his vision: "You need to help John."

Eko: "We are being tested."

Locke, re: pushing the button: "The reason not to do it is not because we are told to do so; we do it because we believe we are meant to."

Locke: "I was never meant to do anything. Every single second of my pathetic little life is as useless as that button."

Jo vs. The Volcano

There are a select few who have enjoyed debating the topic of the island volcano with me over the last few years, but I contend that it is still relevant enough that it might be addressed before the end of S6...I would not be surprised at all to learn that the violent movement from a volcanic eruption caused the 4 toed statue to crumble.

As I have mentioned before, Dharma teacher Olivia Goodspeed discussed the volcano on the island in young Ben's class (note the text on the blackboard behind her).

Another strong clue that it was active at one point in time? Bernard used black rocks "from a lava field" in S.O.S.

Parallels

In S1 (Exodus, Part 1), we see Ana Lucia meet Jack in the airport bar.

In S2 (Two for the Road), we see Ana Lucia meet Jack's father Christian in an airport bar.

Significant Moments/Firsts

In S.O.S., Kate actually tells Jack what she found when they were apart; the Others' costumes and make-up. For the first two seasons, it was frustrating that this small group never seemed to communicate their dangers and discoveries to each other.

We get our first inkling that Christian Shephard possibly has familial ties in Australia when he makes an inappropriate and inebriated early morning visit to a mysterious blond woman (whom I believe we later learn to be Claire's aunt).

Richard Malkin, Claire's psychic and the reason that she was on Flight 815, admitted to Eko that he was a fraud. He said that he "gathers information about people and exploits it." Sounds just like our friend Benjamin Linus...

In ?, we see for the first time that all of the Dharma stations and hatches are being monitored on small video cameras, and that the hub for surveillance is the Pearl.

Dr. Pierre Chang uses the pseudonym Mark Wickman in the Pearl Orientation Film; at this point in the series, we'd only seen him as Marvin Candle, and would later learn that he also used the pseudonym Edgar Halliwax.

[sidenote: the Pearl video was clearly created BEFORE the incident, as Chang has full use of his left hand & arm - and yet this film was on a more modern beta cassette, whereas the Swan film was on actual old school style film...]

Ben

I just wanted to point out yet another brilliant move on Ben's part. In a prior episode, Ben planted the "trade one of us for one of you" seed in Jack's head, and in S.O.S. Jack approached the topic with Ben as if it were his own idea. Score one for the manipulative little mastermind.

One of my favorite Ben looks in Season 2 occurred when that sinister smirk appeared on his face as he listened to a desperate Locke outside of the armory door.

Ben told Locke that he was on his way to find him when he got caught in Rousseau's net. One part of me believes that it was true; that he was ready to meet the new island leader, or at least put his leadership skills to the test. The other part of me thinks that he purposefully got caught in her net, knowing that she'd hand him over to the 815 crew; that he wanted to integrate in order to glean their pecking order from the inside, regardless of the physical cost (given that he had dossiers on all passengers & was familiar with their histories - like Sayid - he knew what he was he was in for and probably assumed that the island and/or Jacob would protect him).

Ben & Jacob

When Ben told Jack that "they'll never give you Walt," I am now assuming that he meant Jacob wouldn't. In the mobisode Room 23 (which I am almost sure has been confirmed as canon), Ben said that Jacob wanted Walt there. So when Ben made the deal with Michael to hand over Jack, Kate and Sawyer for Walt...I wonder if Jacob sent the order via Richard Alpert or if Ben made that decision on his own.

Listening to Ben tell Locke that Jacob "is a great man, a brilliant man, but not a forgiving man" in Two for the Road...I almost feel sorry for him because of the lengths he goes to on behalf of this man he's never met who has zero respect for him.

Ben & Michael

Oh, to have been a fly on the wall during that first conversation between Ben and Michael after he killed the two women and then shot himself in the arm.

Obviously they struck the deal for Michael to lure Jack, Kate and Sawyer to the Others in exchange for Walt's freedom. But you have to agree that it would have been a stellar scene to observe.

For the record, from the moment that Michael chose to kill Ana Lucia and Libby because he believed it was the only way to save his son...I had zero sympathy for his character. Redemption or not (S4), what he did was for some reason far harder to swallow than any of Ben's insane moves and murders.

Hurley

In addition to the fact that Hurley seems to exist as our window in their world, I absolutely adore his pop culture references. In Two for the Road, his attempt to describe "Say Anything" to Sayid was classic!

It is kind of ironic and sad that some of the last words that Hurley ever spoke to Libby were, "maybe if I get drunk enough, I'll remember where I know you from."

Libby's death was rather excruciating and uncomfortable to watch again, and I applaud both Cynthia Watros and Jorge Garcia for creating one of the most touching, painful and emotional moments in the history of the show. The look of absolute horror on her face as she passes away is haunting, especially given that her last word was "Michael" (in an attempt to warn her friends; they misinterpreted it as her concern for his well being).

Locke

Just an amusing observation: when he and Eko discover the Pearl hatch, Locke has the look of a young boy entering Disneyland for the first time.

It is a riveting, seminal moment in the overall series when Locke begins to lose faith just as Eko discovers it. It is not mere coincidence that we witness the apparent failure of a Faith Healer during a flashback in this same batch of episodes...

Mystery Man/NotLocke

For those of you on board with Mystery Man having appeared in ghostly form as other deceased people on the island in earlier episodes...

In ?, when Yemi appeared to Eko in the Swan, it was very reminiscent of Ghost Alex's interaction with Ben in S5 (Dead is Dead); both Yemi and Alex instructed them to listen to and follow John Locke:

Yemi: "The work being done in this place is important; more important than anything. And it is in danger. You must help John, he has lost his way. Make him take you to the question mark. John will not want to show you, so you must make him. WHAT'S DONE IS DONE."

Alex: "You listen to every word John Locke says, and you will follow his every order."

So the obvious question is - was Mystery Man using the shells of both Yemi and Alex to deliver those messages, to instruct people to assist the man who's shell he would eventually take over for himself? Also keep in mind that when Ghost Yemi appeared to Eko in his vision, he was sitting in Locke's wheelchair....

Rose and Bernard

Of course this will never be answered, but I wonder who Bernard told about Rose's "situation," because the person that recommended Isaac of Uluru is the reason that they were in Australia (and on Flight 815). Perhaps Bernard was also visited by Jacob at some point...

IF there is a reset of some kind, or we find ourselves in an alternate timeline in S6, I wonder if Rose will either be ill or deceased. I suppose it depends upon L. Scott Caldwell's availability, but I also think that they seemed to wrap up the tale of Rose and Bernard for good at the end of S5.

Sawyer

I tend to favor post S4 Sawyer, especially once he settled down with Juliet - but in Two for the Road, I was reminded that he was the island's man-whore for a time; he slept with Ana Lucia, Kate and Juliet.

And don't get me started with just how awkward and wrong his tumble in the jungle with Ana Lucia was...

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Tune in next week, as we analyze Michael's betrayal and reunion with Walt at the end of S2, and enter the world of the Others in S3. Please make sure to also visit my fellow Lost Rewatch sites as well, for their take on these older episodes!

Thank you for reading, and have a nice weekend.

LOST ReWatch Week #11: Maternity Leave, The Whole Truth, Lockdown & Dave

Welcome to this week's batch of Lost Rewatch episodes! I have not caught up to the official schedule, but I am trying my best to do so as quickly as possible. Again, your patience is greatly appreciated!

So let's dive off of the precipice of reality and attempt to analyze the truth about Claire's leave of cave absence, Benry Gale's identity and motives, Jin's little swimmers, Locke's hatch doors and Hurley's imaginary friend...

Alternate Reality Alert

As I am re-watching older episodes, it seems that there were little clues along the way suggesting a possible alternate timeline. I have referenced other scenes in previous Rewatch articles; here are a few that caught my attention from this batch:

Maternity Leave

Libby: "Sometimes, when something terrible happens to us, there's a little switch in your head that flicks on to protect us from having to deal with it. Maybe your memories aren't gone; maybe you're blocking them."

Claire actually sees herself outside of the Staff Station with Ethan (allegedly during a vision/flashback/memory). It was reminiscent of the time skip in S5 that resulted in Sawyer coming upon Claire giving with Kate's help.

IF what Claire remembered of her time in the Staff Station was real, then she had been down there with Ethan very recently. But the Station had cobwebs and was in a state of decay, indicative of significant time passage rather than recent destruction for abandonment purposes.

Visually, I was reminded of the inexplicable condition of Dharmaville/New Otherton during yet another time shift in S5 (Namaste).

Lockdown

Jack: "There is no loop."

Hurley: "Loop, dude. Loop."

Dave

Dave, on the island: "None of that ever happened. You're still at Santa Rosa; you never left the hospital. It's hard, I know. But all this - you, me, this island, that peanut butter...none of it's real. None of it's happening. It's all in your head. The second you closed that window, your brain popped a gasket...back into your little coma thing, and that's where you are this very second, in your own private Idaho inside Santa Rosa."

Hurley: "So this is all in my brain?"

Dave: "Every rock, every tree."

Hurley: "I'm making you up?"

Dave: "Sort of. I'm part of your subconscious; all the people on this island are. I'm the part of you that wants to wake up."

Dave, on the edge of the cliff: "This is it, the big finale, the answer to all your problems. This is going to bring you back to life. The only way to bust out is to tell your mind that you don't believe any of this. When you do wake up, come find me. See you in another life, Hurley."

Crossing Paths

Locke inspects the new home of Sayid's love Nadia. (Lockdown)

Destiny is a Fickle Bitch...but so is Karma

I am reminded of Ben's infamous line to Locke because it struck me that both Eko and Ana Lucia confessed to killing Others when they first met Ben in the Swan.

Eko later dies when Smokey destroys him, and Ana Lucia gets shot.

Foreshadowing Dialogue

Maternity Leave

Locke, to Jack: "Did you know that Hemingway was jealous of Dostoevsky? He wanted to be the world greatest writer, but convinced himself that he could never get out from under Dostoevsky's shadow. Kind of sad, really."

[shades of Ben, metaphysically lying in the shadow of Jacob's statue]

Sun, to Claire: "A mother should not leave her child." [Sun later disregards her own advice when returning to the island via 316 w/o Ji Yeon]

Ethan, to Claire: "Nobody's going to take him from you unless that's what you want. You have a choice."

Rousseau, to Claire: "You're not the only one who didn't find what they were looking for."

Ben, to Locke: "Are you the genius, or are you the guy who feels like he's living IN THE SHADOW OF a genius?"

The Whole Truth

Ana Lucia: "Jack and Locke are too busy worrying about Locke and Jack."

Sayid, about Ben: "Once we find out he IS one of them, something will have to be done."

Jin, about Sun's garden: "I'm fixing a mistake."

Ben: "Men reject their prophets and slay them, but they love their martyrs and honor those whom they have slain. So what's the difference between a martyr and a prophet?"

Jack: "Either way, it sounds like you end up dead."

Ben, to Jack: "You guys have some real trust issues."

Dave

Dave, to Hurley: "Lay low. When the time is right, WE FLY."

Ben, to Locke: "God doesn't know how long we've been here. He can't see this island any better than the rest of the world can."

Lockdown

Jack: "What's done is done."

[Later uttered by Sawyer's uncle to young Sawyer, Sawyer to both Jack & Juliet, and Yemi to his brother Eko]

The Incident

Another indication that the incident took place? The Swan hatch appears to have been the only station equipped with emergency blast doors in case of explosion.

It's Raining Food, Hallelujah

How is it that NO ONE heard a plane or helicopter when the food drop occurred?

I believe it was recently at Comic-Con that we got confirmation that they will indeed address and resolve the Dharma food drops. Check that one off of your lingering mysteries list.

Parallels

In Maternity Leave, Locke throws a mini fit and tosses the dishes to the floor after Ben points out that he's not in control. In The Whole Truth, Jin throws a mini fit and tears out Sun's plants after he realizes that she is starting to stand up to his controlling ways.

In Lockdown, Locke was surprised to see his father Anthony Cooper alive and well after his funeral. In White Rabbit, Jack discovered that his father Christian Shephard's body was missing from his coffin after the crash of Flight 815. I have faith that we will be treated to an electric Jack and Christian reunion in Season 6...

Significant Moments/Firsts

Tom referred to the Others' unknown leader as "Him" for the first time. (Maternity Leave)

Kate discovered that Tom and the Others donned costumes and theatrical facial hair; they had been hiding their true identity beneath ratty clothes and fake beards, etc.

In addition to Locke and Rose, we learn that the island has also seemingly healed Jin of his infertility issues.

The Visual & The Visceral

There is an Oceanic mobile above the crib in the Staff Station. (Maternity Leave)

Rose and Bernard offer to help newly pregnant and under the weather Sun in her red shirt. (The Whole Truth)

Rose and Bernard offer tea to what appears to be a newly pregnant and under the weather Juliet in her red shirt (The Incident). [yes, this is pure speculation]

In The Whole Truth, Jin offers to help Bernard with his fishing net.

In Ji Yeon (S4), Jin and Bernard bond while fishing.

In Orientation, Locke's girlfriend Helen presents him with a key to her place; the caveat is that he must agree to never stalk his father again.

In Lockdown, Locke's dad presents him with a key to a safe deposit box and $200k; the caveat is that he must aid and abet his con man father by bringing him the rest of the embezzled funds from that box.

I am not a very religious person, but there can't possibly be a more overtly Jesus pose than this. (Dave)

Widmore Labs

Both Sun's pregnancy test and the real Henry Gale's hot air balloon were manufactured by Widmore Labs.

I assume that Widmore himself assigned Gale to find the island, and Ben killed him when he arrived on a Widmore-sponsored balloon.

As for that pregnancy test, we don't know who had it in their luggage before the crash of 815...

Ben

It is fascinating to think about the fact that before the Swan blast door crushed Locke's leg, Ben knew that Locke had been paralyzed (due to the passenger dossiers that Mikhail had prepared for him after the crash of Flight 815). Obviously Ben already knew that the island had healed Locke, as he was walking when they met...so Ben also knew that the island would heal Locke again.

When Locke was lying injured on the Swan floor awaiting Ben's assistance with the computer, I have a feeling that Ben turned off the lights to allow Locke a brief glimpse of the hatch door map. It may have been the first of many tests that Ben administered, testing Locke's mettle and leadership abilities. I think that Ben wanted to see what Locke would do, given the opportunity to discover other hatches and explore the island.

Libby & Dave

I realize that we've been told that Libby's story is over, but I am going to stand by this theory, as I have always believed it to be true...Libby's deceased ex-husband David is Hurley's invisible friend Dave. [sidenote: when Libby 'happens' to meet Desmond at the airport, she talks about her dead spouse and proceeds to give him the boat he'd named after her...the very boat that brought Desmond to the island]

Dave appeared in the Santa Rosa Mental Institute when both Hurley and Libby were patients there. I have a strong feeling that Libby was also able to see and communicate with Dave.

[sidenote: the doctors and other patients at Santa Rosa don't see Dave because he is indeed a ghost; Libby told Desmond that her ex-husband had recently passed away]

Dave then appeared on the island just as Hurley and Libby were starting to get close. The look on Libby's face when Hurley first sees Dave on the island near the food drop is worth a second look; I believe that Libby sees Dave there as well.

In addition, on the island both Libby and Dave make similar statements to Hurley about his brain and mind; she mentions a switch, he mentions popping a gasket. They both know that Hurley is amenable to coercion (just like Locke), and both represent change and temptation.

Libby was telling the truth about being a clinical psychologist; she helped Claire to remember a traumatic incident in her past. So here is another crazy theory that I've hinted at before...Libby worked for Charles Widmore and was embedded undercover at Santa Rosa for psychological surveillance of Hugo Reyes.

Without question, Libby recognizes Hurley on the island and changes the subject whenever he brings up that she looks familiar. And the way that Libby's face drops as she literally talks Hurley off of the cliff and tells him that she thinks he's capable of change is priceless.

...And My Emmy Goes To

I just loved Jorge Garcia's performance in Dave; he displayed an amazing and touching vulnerability, and deserved to be recognized for it.

Everyone agrees and acknowledges that Michael Emerson is a fantastic actor. The scene in Lockdown when he is alone in the makeshift armory while Locke was panicking about pressing the button while lying injured on the floor - absolutely brilliant.

The fear on Ben's face is so palpable and yet...he knows exactly what his happening and how he will control it.

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Thank you again for watching/reading/commenting along with me! I look forward to your feedback, as always. Stay tuned for the next installment, as we explore the beginning of Rose and Bernard, the end of Ana Lucia and Libby, and Eko's encounter with Claire's psychic.