Initial Thoughts: LOST Episode 5.03, "Jughead"

I apologize in advance - this will be a much shorter post than usual, and with fewer photos. I am recovering from a migraine and am not able to spend much time writing tonight. My hope is to post further thoughts and questions about "Jughead" on Thursday and Friday.

Let's switch things up a bit, and start with....

CRAZY THEORIES OF THE NIGHT

1. They bury the bomb under the Swan hatch. Remember that in Season 2, Jack and Sayid explored beneath that hatch, and discovered that most of it was blocked off with thick concrete. Sayid mentioned that the last time he'd heard of such concrete cover was Chernobyl. Faraday told Ellie that they had to seal the bomb with lead and then bury it in concrete.

The bomb beneath the Swan caused 'the incident.' There was a leak of some kind; perhaps it was not sealed off enough. Dr. Marvin Candle attempted to work on it/fix it and lost his left arm in the process. Don't forget that the bomb was already oozing out a substance when it was hanging there.

Babies that were conceived and born on the island prior to the incident were alive and healthy. Charlotte was born on the island during or immediately following the incident; thus, her current reaction upon returning to and proximity to the Swan.

When Desmond met up with Ms. Hawking during his flash back in time during Season 3, she told him that pushing the button in the Swan hatch and then turning that fail-safe key beneath it will be the most important thing he does with his life (and that if he didn't, everyone would die). The computer in that hatch was somehow linked to the buried bomb below, and Desmond WAS saving he world by entering the numbers every 108 minutes.

2. Desmond's original vision of Claire and Aaron getting on a helicopter to leave the island was a future memory; it will occur toward the end of Season 6.

ISLAND KIDS/OTHER UNIVERSITY

We've seen a (now defunct) Dharma classroom, and Ben always asserted that tailsection kids Zach & Emma were in a better place on the island. Is there some sort of underground education system that has yet to be seen? Is that where Juliet and the other...Others were forced to learn random skills like Latin?

MILITARY MEN

Besides Widmore, the other former soldiers who have been on the island include Desmond, Keamy, Kelvin Inman, Mikhail and Sayid. We know that Inman was in the U.S. Army and was recruited to the island after the war in Iraq, but was Mikhail one of the original military Hostiles?

At some point, Dharma folk took over the island from the hostiles. Was there a purge prior to the one which Ben oversaw?

PARALLEL ALERTS!

When Claire's mom was in a coma, Christian Shephard paid for all of the medical expenses and Claire discovered that he was her father. When Theresa Spencer fell into this mystery condition, Charles Widmore paid for all of the medical expenses...could she be his daughter/Penny's sister?

Obviously not the same woman, but Ana Lucia's mom is Teresa and Faraday's failed experiment is Theresa.

RADIATION EXPOSURE

In 1945 during World War II, many people died from radiation sickness after two nuclear bombs were dropped in Japan.

On Lost...

• The bomb was on the island in 1954
  
• An unknown solider died of radiation exposure
• In "The Constant" last season, Faraday mentions that he has extensive exposure to radiation from his experiments in the Oxford basement...perhaps it was actually due to his work on the island bomb
• Rousseau's crew of scientists experienced an unclassified 'sickness' and their date of arrival on the island is unclear
• Some of the freighter crew experienced an unclassified 'sickness' when the ship was in a specific proximity to the island
  

After the war (between 1946 and 1962), nuclear bombs were detonated on the remote Marshall Islands (in the Pacific Ocean) in Micronesia. Could our island be located there?

• The Marshall Islands are fairly close to Australia, and it is likely that one would fly over them in route to Los Angeles
• Desmond crashed his boat on the island while attempting to race across the Pacific Ocean
• Anthony Cooper and Naomi gave conflicting reports about where they'd heard Flight 815 crashed; he said the Pacific Ocean, she said near Bali...
  

BEN

If his battle for power with Widmore dates back to long ago, is that an indication that Widmore was at least on the island long enough to have interacted with Ben when he and his father were recruited there by Dharma?

(BABY) CHARLIE

Although I get why Desmond would name his son after his deceased island friend, why give the kid his evil grandfather's name as well? Then again, Desmond did love Charles Dickens...

CHARLES WIDMORE

Under what circumstances did he leave the island? Was he unable to return/find it again because someone turned the frozen donkey wheel to relocate it?

Did he become a rich businessmen after his return to the real world?

CHARLOTTE

Is she getting sick because of the proximity to radiation? Because she was born on the island? Because she doesn't have a constant?

DANIEL FARADAY

He is Desmond's constant and Desmond's constant is Penny...

Who else had visited the Oxford basement, searching for Faraday or information?

Could the mystery woman who is taking care of Future Faraday be Ellie or Theresa Spencer?

DANIELLE ROUSSEAU

Did she and her crew crash their boat on the island during an earlier era? Were they really scientists, or military?

DONOVAN

Not that he had a good deal of time, but given his flashes and experiences...why wouldn't Desmond seek out his old friend in London, who happens to also be a professor of physics?

ELLIE

Is she Penny's mother?

Does Faraday think she resembles Theresa Spencer, the woman he left in London; the one under hospice care?

She recognized Faraday from his earlier time working undercover as Dharma Dan....

Was the injury to her left hand due to the bomb leakage?

JULIET

Sigh. She DOES know more. This is the first inkling that she knows about Alpert's agelessness, time shifts, etc.

MATTHEW ABADDON

Given that he recruited Faraday for the freighter mission to the island, can we all agree now that Abaddon is under the employ of Widmore?

MS. HAWKING

I am no longer convinced that she is Faraday's mother. Widmore is sending Desmond to Los Angeles in search of her, but Ms. Hawking isn't the only woman who lives there who could fit that role (Jack's mom, Jill the butcher, Kate's mom, etc.). And although Faraday taught at Oxford, he certainly did not live there long enough to acquire a British accent. I doubt he was born and raised in England.

PENNY

Was she conceived and/or born on the island?

RICHARD ALPERT

So he visited Locke at birth and then attempted to lure him to the island as a young boy by administering that test with various items (including the compass). Was he angry that young Locke chose the wrong item because it meant that Future Locke was lying about being his leader?

THERESA SPENCER

Is she in that state because of an experiment gone wrong in Faraday's lab? Is she traveling through time, waking up and speaking from different eras?

Could she be the blond woman featured on the portrait in Ben's New Otherton house, the one whom Juliet allegedly resembles?

I'm not sure this is relevant, but Theresa Spencer is an anagram for Each Represents.

FILE UNDER: WINK-WINK, NUDGE-NUDGE

The comic book geeks on the writing staff of Lost strike again (and I'm not complaining). The bomb was dubbed Jughead and Widmore's military uniform featured the last name Jones. Jughead Jones is a character in the Archie Comics.

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And with that, I bid you goodnight. Much more to come in the next day or so. Thank you for reading!

Lost Bloggers: The Community

Yesterday I was notified that this site made the list of the Top 100 Science Fiction Blogs, in the television category. It was a great surprise and honor!

And then today I discovered a list of the Top 10 Lost Blogs (as compiled by The Transmission host Ryan Ozawa), which is very cool. I aspire to make such a list in the future.

I feel very lucky to contribute in a very small way to the vast online Lost community, and to have people actually interested in what I have to say about the show.

Because so many fellow bloggers/Lost fans either occasionally link to articles on this site or have added me to their Blogroll (list of friends and/or favorite blogs), I thought I would return the favor and recommend them to all of you. I encourage you to visit, bookmark and follow those which you enjoy!

In alphabetical order, of course...

Annie in MN

Approaching Lost

Capcom's Lost Blog

Cinematically Correct

Crazy Georgia Lost Fan!

DocArzt & Friends' Lost Blog

Dube's World

The Four Toed Foot

Fringe Bloggers

It's About Bunnies

Karen's Lost Notebook

Les Jones

The Life Tussle

Long Live Locke

Lost Blogspotters

Lost Isle

Not Confused Just Lost

The ODI

Sceneggiatori News

SL-LOST

Too Many Hats

Zap2it's Guide to Lost

If I have somehow missed YOUR site, please let me know and I will update it immediately!

Thanks for stopping by! I look forward to getting Lost with you again late tomorrow night.

Shift Together, Lie Alone: "The Lie" Continues

I have to get up in 4 hours to leave for the airport but I had to get these thoughts out of my head first! Please excuse any repetitive ideas or spelling errors tonight (let's blame lack of sleep and Lost premiere hangover), and let me know what you think!

ANA LUCIA

Ghost Charlie made a point to prove to Hurley that he was real, yet Ghost Anger Lucia emphasized the opposite.

BEN

Assuming that he didn't place it himself, who put the secret spy item in Ben's hotel room vent?

Does Ben has his handy dandy black baton with him?

Ben told Jack that he's never coming back once he returns to the island; is that true of all of the Oceanic 6?

Ben illustrated unusual sympathy about Jack (when speaking with butcher Jill); he certainly didn't have much for Locke or anyone else. Why him, and why now?

Is Ben aware of Ms. Hawking's visit with Desmond in the past? Was he involved with that event?

BERNARD

I was convinced that Bernie had military training and/or was far more than a dentist, given his Morse Code abilities. Alas, he was unable to even create fire.

CHARLES & PENNY WIDMORE

We know that both Charles and Penny were searching for and ultimately found the island. Penny hired a team to man a listening station located somewhere in a frozen locale to monitor for an electromagnetic anomaly. It is unclear exactly how Daddy Widmore discovered the island, but he allegedly sent the freighter and Keamy's mercenary team to destroy it. Did either of their efforts involve physics? Is Daddy W aware of Ms. Hawking, or that Ben is working with her?

Did Penny know about her father's involvement with the fake 815 wreckage, and did she tell Jack when they had their private chat on her rescue boat? How else would Jack have known that? The only thing Locke told him before he left was that they had to lie because 'someone' faked the crash...

DANIEL FARADAY

When the others returned to the beach, Faraday remained in the jungle for 2 hours after talking to Des...and there were no time shifts during that period of time. And did he try to stop them from heading back without him; he somehow knew the shifts would not occur while he was separated from the group. So does Faraday have the ability to pause and/or prevent the time shifts?

Why is Faraday's short term memory suddenly so clear? It wasn't that long ago that he couldn't remember three playing cards on the beach. Could it be proximity and interaction with his Constant, Desmond?

FRANK LAPIDUS

Naomi described him as a drunk, and we see him with beer on Penny's boat. Will he slide back into a crazy-Jack-beard phase when he returns?



HURLEY

The photograph of him holding a gun on the hotel balcony was taken at night on a cell phone. So why is the news showing one of him in the daylight? Seems trivial, could have been hotel lighting...but that kind of discrepancy always catches my attention.

Were the men awaiting their return at the hotel only after Sayid? It seems to me that they could have split up and easily obtained Hurley if they wanted to...

THE ISLAND

When someone or something (i.e. a boat or plane) is outside of the radius that Faraday refers to, is the island always invisible except when his bearings are followed directly?

How will the O6 arrive back on the island? Plane, ship, sub or time shift?

JACK

Before or after Jack revives Sayid at the hospital, does he steal any drugs to put in his suitcase for the one-way ticket to the island?


JILL (the butcher)

How long has she worked for Ben? Has she ever been to/worked on the island?

I don't know if this is related, but Charlie's dad was also a butcher...

JULIET

As much as it pains me to finally admit...it seems my girl Juliet is lying. Her reaction to the time shifts was very nonchalant, as was her quick assessment that "whatever stuff we had with us is along for the ride." She knows something and is not sharing with Shirtless Sawyer and the others in the Marooned 5. Like Ben, she seems to hold her cards close to the vest until the time comes to reveal information to her benefit or advantage.

KATE

Before Sun called, Kate was on the run with Aaron and stopped to look at a map. It certainly didn't look like Los Angeles, so where was she headed?

Is Sun planning to use Kate for whatever plans she has with or for Charles Widmore?

When Kate asked Sun in exasperation, "what kind of person do you think I am?"...I had to laugh. Hello, you're a convicted felon.

Upon her return as one of the O6 and because of her criminal trial, Kate's image was everywhere. Wouldn't her cop ex-husband recognize her and try to make contact? Wouldn't Cassidy (Sawyer's ex and Clementine's baby mama) also realize that they'd met and that they both knew Sawyer?

LOCKE/BENTHAM

When Jack said about Locke, "he's dead, isn't he?"...Ben did not respond. Does the 70 hour window that Ms. Hawking referred to have to do with Locke's true expiration? Even after death, can the island revitalize its leader?

MILES

Does Miles know how to kill a boar because he used to live on the island, or did he converse with a hunter from the great beyond (thus he knew it had only been dead for 3 hours)?

MR. REYES

Caviar and salami sandwich...is Hurley's dad a stoner, just like Cheech?

When he leaves to bring Sayid to Jack, Hurley's Camaro is in the garage. Timeline wise...wouldn't it have been trashed after Hurley crashed it after seeing Ghost Charlie?

MRS. REYES

Why is she NOT surprised to see Hurley out of the mental institution?

MS. HAWKING

After the first viewing, I immediately jumped to the conclusion that she is Faraday's mother. However, it is also possible that she's Charlotte's mom. Charlotte told Faraday that "I was thinking about my mom...and couldn't remember her maiden name." Perhaps it's Hawking.

Is the 'event window' that will open in 70 hours a wormhole of sorts?

If she is Faraday's or Charlotte's mother, is she aware that they are still on the island? Is that why she's helping and working with Ben to get the O6 back - to protect/save them from the 'very bad things?'

NIKKI

Before she crashed on the island and was buried alive, Nikki was a pretty successful television star on Expose. Was her death mourned by fans around the world after 815 crashed? After she and Paolo stole her ex's diamonds and left him for dead, were the police after them? I only ask because her damn show has appeared for many years around the world (as shown in various episodes), and it seems natural that the press would focus on a 'star' who perished in the crash. Irrelevant to the big picture.

SAWYER

Very few injuries on Lost are insignificant. And they made a point to focus on Sawyer's foot being pierced by a sharp object. I'm probably reading way too much into it, but...click here for my visual association.

SUN

What "business" was she attending to in Los Angeles? She was on her way to LA before that surprise meeting with Widmore at the airport...

WALT

When he was held captive by the Others, Ms. Klugh asked Michael if Walt has "ever been somewhere he wasn't supposed to be." So when Walt appeared to Shannon and Sayid in the jungle (when he was supposed to be on the raft) and then Locke after Ben shot him (when he was supposed to be home with Michael after leaving the island)...was he shifting through time?

CRAZY THEORY OF THE WEEKEND: GHOSTS, OFF ISLAND

All of the characters who have appeared in ghost form off island have Constants who are still alive and not on the island. I am excluding Eko, because we don't actually see him or hear him speak (when playing chess w/Hurley).

Ana Lucia: Teresa Cortez, her mother
Charlie: Liam, his brother
Christian Shephard: Jack, his son
Claire: Carole, her mother (or Aaron?)
Libby: Hurley, her Santa Rosa cohabitant and almost island beau

See you on Thursday, if not sooner...

Dislodged! Further Thoughts on LOST, Episode 5.01 - "Because You Left"

Even after only four hours of sleep, I could not wait to get home from work to watch the first episode again. I did just that, and below are a few more theories and questions about "Because You Left."

Special thanks and a shout-out to my favorite local Lost party hosts Sara & Mike for their hospitality last night, as well as the rest of the Motorboat Crew (Jaime & Owen, Sara K, Kat, Eddie & Michal and Greg & Elena)!

BEN

Liarpants. He totally knows what happened to those left behind on the island.

Sayid was working with and for Ben. Sayid killed the man outside of Hurley's mental institution and then broke him out of there, all of which was probably orchestrated by Ben. So why is he pretending that it was a setback to his plans?

CHARLES WIDMORE

Miles said that "it took him like 20 years to find this place the first time." When did Widmore first discover it, and what did he do once he found it? How did he lose it?

CHARLOTTE

She said that she hadn't had a nosebleed since she was little. Another sign that she'd been on the island before?

Were her nosebleed and the Dharma worker's nosebleed beneath the Orchid related? Has Charlotte been somehow exposed to excessive amounts of energy? And why is she the only one who seems to be experiencing it?

CLAIRE

Given that Sawyer mentioned Locke as the sole remaining person from their group left on the island, have they all just assumed that she's dead?

DAN NORTON (Attorney)

At first I figured that Ben hired them to scare Kate into fleeing and want to return to the island. But perhaps Abaddon or Widmore were involved; the creepy mute associate with Dan added a rather insidious and almost unnecessary element to the scenario. Gut feeling is that Ben would have threatened her himself or sent one messenger to do the job just as effectively.

Considering that part of her criminal trial deal was that she has to stay in the state, was this a set-up, a test? Administered/sponsored by whom?

DANIEL FARADAY

How did he infiltrate the Dharma workforce? Did he get himself officially recruited by Dharma and follow the proper channels to get to the island, or did he actually travel through time?

Did his presence cause a wrinkle in island time; did he somehow trigger 'the incident' when he was there during the Dharma days?

Did Abaddon choose Faraday for the mission to the island because he knew about Dharma Dan's previous stint there? Has Abaddon seen Faraday's notebook?

I'm pretty sure that his shirt wouldn't fit Sawyer. Oh, and I'm also pretty sure that he didn't give it up because that would mean relinquishing his beloved skinny scientist tie.

Does Faraday know that Locke (or whomever is designated island leader at the time) is the only one who can stop the time shifts?

DESMOND

Was there ever really going to be a replacement for Desmond in the Swan hatch with Kelvin? If so, who?

Why is Desmond immune to "the rules" and 'uniquely and miraculously special?'

Have Des & Penny been on her boat for three years?

ETHAN

Again, why does Ben send his only surgeon out on dangerous missions?

THE HOSTILES/MILITARY VIOLENCE

Weapons seem to be a good indication of time/era on the island. On the beach, Sawyer & co. were attacked via flaming bow & arrow. Locke was shot by Ethan. The British soldiers almost cut off one of Juliet's hands with a machete.

THE ISLAND

Logistically speaking, the people 'inside the radius' did not see or experience the island actually disappear under water (i.e. those on the beach and the Zodiac raft); the Oceanic 6, however, did see just that. Was it some sort of invisible defense shield/mirage that appears outside of the radius when the island moves?

DR. MARVIN CANDLE

Do the Dharma Staff know that his real name is Pierre Chang?

What is his exact position within the Dharma Initiative? In addition to being the authoritative figure both in the Barracks and the Orchid, he appears in other station orientation films.

Is he aware of or does he have a relationship with either Richard Alpert or Jacob?

In future Orientation Films, Dr. Candle does not appear to be wearing a wedding band. Is there a Dharma divorce lawyer on the island, or did he arrange for his wife and their baby to leave the island because he knew about the dangers there (not just beneath the Orchid, but the potential for a purge)?

MIKHAIL

Was he a member of that initial military group that occupied the island?

MILES

IF Miles is Dr. Candle's son and Daddy is buried on the island...will Miles be able to use his ghostbusting abilities to communicate with him? Was Miles specifically chosen by Abaddon for the mission to the island because he knows that Miles can glean pertinent information from his dearly departed Dharma dad? Remember that Miles said he's 'exactly where I want to be,' which is on that island.

When Miles first met Ben and attempted to blackmail him, he asked 'do you know who I am?' and Ben responded with 'yes.' Does Ben know that Miles is related to Candle?

THE ORCHID & FROZEN DONKEY WHEEL

The rock beneath this station resembles the part of the Swan hatch that was cemented off; the part concealing extraordinary amounts of radiation. Who originally built the wheel and contained the energy within the station's walls?

What caused the injuries to the Dharma worker? Proximity to the energy released when they started to bore holes beneath the Orchid?

PENNY WIDMORE

Has she been in contact with Daddy Widmore since rescuing Desmond and the O6? Has he been searching for her for 3 years, just as she was for Desmond?

RICHARD ALPERT

Ben doesn't seem to share Alpert's ability to live agelessly on the island while time and people around him shift...but does Alpert ever inform Ben about Locke's time shifts on the island? Does he remember them?

SAYID

If the men who were waiting to attack him and Hurley were using darts, the intent was to take them both somewhere but not allow them to recognize the journey or locale. So...who wanted them and where WERE they going to take the two of them?

By the way, I love that Sayid was an island bad ass who killed men with his breakdancing feet, and off island he gets shot by his euro fancy con girl and then taken down for a serious nap by a freaking dart.

SUN

How does the world's most recognizable Asian woman roam the airport without so much as a glance? And wouldn't all Oceanic employees (especially in Korea) be highly trained to take special note and treatment of the survivor from their own town and/or country?

I don't believe that Sun really wants to kill Ben, given that they've never actually met or spoken to one another. Yes, they've been in the same general vicinity, but I have a feeling that she's playing her own game with Widmore.

TIME SHIFTS

They do seem to occur when someone is about to alter the course of the future (i.e. when Ethan was about to shoot and kill Locke.).

DID YOU NOTICE...

Bookend statements! In the opening sequence of episode 1, Dr. Candle said "God help us all" when discussing the potential release of energy beneath the Orchid. In the last scene of episode 2, Ms. Hawking responded with "God help us all" when Ben hinted that he wouldn't make her 70 hour deadline to return to the island.

Faraday refers to the island's time shifts as a record skipping...which is exactly what we see in that first scene when Dr. Candle puts the record on.

Oh Kate, you're such a foreshadower. She told Aaron that once Choo Choo the train goes into that tunnel, it never comes back out.

The irony of Widmore saying to Sun, "since you seem to be worried about your plane" was not lost on me. Pun intended.

Parallel Moment Alert! Last season, we saw Ben don some little doctor spectacles and then remove a bullet from Sayid's shoulder. Last night, we saw Alpert don some little doctor spectacles and then remove a bullet from Locke's leg.

Alpert's response to Locke's inquiry about the purpose of the compass ("it points North") reminded me of the engraved words on Eko's Jesus stick...lift up your eyes and look North.

CRAZY THEORY OF THE NIGHT

"Very bad things" started to happen to those left behind on the island because of and when the Oceanic Six left...because Aaron, Hurley, Kate, Jack, Sayid and Sun are their Constants.

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I will be hopping on a red-eye tomorrow night, during which time I aim to re-watch episode 5.02 ("The Lie") and take notes to post upon my arrival in Atlanta on Saturday.

Have a nice weekend, and thank you for your comments!

LOST Episode 5.01 (Because You Left ) & 5.02 (The Lie): Thoughts & Theories!

For those who are new to this particular Lost blog, I wanted to quickly review my process during the season.

Because I am on the West Coast, I avoid being online at all during the day when a new episode airs; I turn off email on the iPhone, avoid Facebook and Twitter, etc. I have remained Spoiler-Free since Season 4 and aim to continue that run.

I watch each episode live while taking notes, and then immediately sit down to flesh out initial thoughts on the laptop. Again, I avoid reading any other blogs or articles until the weekend, lest someone else's theories intermingle with or influence my own. Because I prefer to include screen captures with each post, I tend to publish these entries between 2am-5am.

So I thank you in advance for your patience and enthusiasm as we begin Season 5 of LOST...

[Note: Due to the fact that there were 2 new episodes and I have to be at work in a few hours, there will be fewer photos and content in this first post of the new season.]

Episode 5.01, "Because You Left" & Episode 5.02, "The Lie"

I literally jumped off of the couch and screamed "Candle!" during the opening scene. Talk about coincidence and fate - I just interviewed actor Francois Chau last week and had NO IDEA that he'd feature so prominently in episode one. Of course now I will try to contact him with some follow-up questions about his appearance!

THE ARROW STATION
This station was created for defensive strategies and to gather intelligence about the Hostiles. My first question is...was the Black Smoke Monster created there? Is it based there, and if so, can it be unleashed remotely (i.e. from Ben's secret office chamber)?

FROZEN DONKEY WHEEL
How did Dr. Candle know about it and its properties? The Dharma Initiative were unaware of it...so was Candle recruited by whomever created it to go to the island to keep it hidden or study the effects?

When Ben released the Frozen Donkey Wheel to move the island, was a dangerous amount of energy released (as Dr. Candle warned when Dharma first discovered it)?

THE ISLAND
Why would the Swan implosion cause the same purple sky and bright flash that accompanies the time shifts?

MAROONED 5
I enjoyed the Freighter Four in Season 4, so I now designate Charlotte, Daniel, Juliet, Miles and Sawyer as the Marooned 5. Just because it makes me laugh when I read it. And I'm running on fumes at this hour. (Yes, I'm aware that Rose & Bernard are there as well...but let's be honest, they're not traipsing around the jungle as much).

THE ORCHID STATION
The facade of the Orchid has changed significantly...either that very first scene is set in the FUTURE or most of the station disintegrated by the time Ben descended down to the frozen donkey wheel.

ORIGINAL DHARMA or MILITARY OCCUPATION?
During that last time shift, Juliet and Sawyer were taken by at least one British soldier. Were they under Widmore's leadership? Was he their Ben?

I noticed that their jumpsuits did not feature Dharma logos. Was the pre-Dharma island run/occupied by military?

"THE RULES"
In Season 4, Ben said that Widmore changed the rules. Are the rules he referred to the same set that Faraday is talking about? And since 'the rules' don't apply to Desmond, how will that affect his efforts to help his friends get back to the island and keep Penny safe from Ben?

TIME SHIFTS
Faraday said that they can't change the future. But the time shifts seemed to occur whenever someone was being informed about something in the future (i.e. Faraday telling Des to go to Oxford, Richard Alpert trying to warn Locke about his role).

If it is impossible to change the past, then why did Ms. Hawking (who we can assume is Faraday's mother) talk to Desmond about course correcting the universe during his flashback in Season 3?

Do these time shifts occur even when the frozen donkey wheel hasn't been activated?

YEMI'S PLANE
Did it veer off course, did the island bring it down, or was it an electromagnetic anomaly?

THE ZODIAC RAFT
This is entirely trivial, but I'm pretty sure that the little engine needs refueling before it can be utilized again. It's no motorboat.

AARON
Are 'they' interested in Aaron because he was born on the island, because he's the next in line to run it, or because he's special like Walt? So are they looking to assist his journey back, or prevent it?

ANA LUCIA
I have to admit that it was nice to see Ghost Anger Lucia. When she said "Libby says hi," I laughed for a very long time.

ANNIE
Was she born on the island, and who were her parents?

If she's still alive, does Ben know where she is and does he visit her now that he's banished from the island?

BEN
If the consequence of turning the frozen donkey wheel is that he can't ever go back...does HE change the rules somehow to do so?

Is he lying - had he seen Locke since they said goodbye at the Orchid on the island?

Did he arrange for the attorneys to ask Kate for a blood sample in order to force her to run again, knowing that she'd have to go back with the rest of them?

What is the mystery item that Ben took from the hotel vent and stuck in his bag? It was too small to be his special black baton or the magical father-producing box.

CHARLES WIDMORE
Is he searching for the island because he turned the frozen donkey wheel 20 years ago?

If Widmore found the island 20 years ago, did he visit or live there himself? Where was Penny at that point?

Given that Sun should have had a Golden Pass from Oceanic as part of her settlement, yet Widmore was able to override and intervene at the airport...he's clearly in bed with or owns a majority of Oceanic. If that is the case, acquiring an old Oceanic plane to place at the bottom of the ocean wouldn't be as challenging for a man in his position.

CHARLOTTE
Is she getting sick because she either doesn't have a Constant or can't connect with/recall who it is?

Or, is she getting sick because she WAS born on the island and the time shifts adversely affect her?


DANIEL FARADAY
Oh Dharma Dan. When he was working at the Orchid for Dharma...how did he travel back in time to that exact place and time? Did he do so after Desmond's first visit to him at Oxford?

His appearance there indicates a strong possibility that he was the one videotaping Pierre Chang during the Barracks Video.

Last season, he was distraught when the payload did not land until some time after it had launched from the freighter. Was he trying to figure out the time discrepancy which occurs when the island shifts?

He doesn't seem to remember much without referring to his notebook; after he escapes the island during that first Dharma purge (pre-Ben), is memory loss the major side effect? Remember that in the future, he is crying while watching news of the fake 815 wreckage but does not know why...

DANIELLE ROUSSEAU
Did the arrival of her ship and crew on the island coincide with or result from one of the island's time shifts?

DESMOND
Does the concept of a Constant work in reverse? Is that why Des suddenly remembered his conversation with Faraday outside of the Swan? Do memories return the further away from the island you get?

Faraday informs Desmond that he's special, which is how the Others described Walt.

ETHAN ROM
His appearance signified a very specific time; he was a post-Ben purge Other recruit.

FRANK LAPIDUS
Where does he go after he leaves the O6 and Des/Penny?

Why doesn't he have to go back to the island as well?

HORACE
When he appeared to Locke in a dream last season, was Locke actually experiencing a time shift?

HURLEY
Dude. Ghost Anger Lucia told you not to get arrested. You listened to Ghost Charlie; perhaps it's time to listen to your other afterlife buddies.

She also told you that you have a lot of work to do. That is exactly what Ghost Christian said about Jack (in the mobisode) after they first crashed on the island, and what Walt told Locke after he'd been shot. This does not bode well for Hurley.

My favorite moment of the second episode was Hurley's confession to his mom; the details about his time on the island. He basically sums up the first four seasons of Lost, and the premise DOES sounds as crazy as non-Lost fans consider it be.

JACOB
Could he be reanimate? Ben and his team are quite focused on protecting Locke's body, and he was a former island leader. Could Jacob have also died off island, only to be brought back and given life on the island? Ben did NOT answer the question about Locke being really dead, so anything is possible. Darlton have always joked about that zombie season...

JI YEON
Sun's baby is in Korea, but wouldn't she have to go back to the island as well?

JILL, GABRIEL & JEFFREY
Who the heck are they and how long have they been working for Ben? Were they ever on the island? Are they former Hostiles or Others?

JIN
If in fact he did jump off of the freighter before it blew up, could he have been 'inside the radius' as well? Will he swim to shore and join up with the Marooned 5 at some point?

KATE
Will she return to the island before taking care of that favor for Sawyer?

KELVIN
Where was Kelvin when Faraday talked to Des outside of the Swan?

LARA
I am assuming that the woman Pierre Chang refers to as Lara on the Barracks Video is his wife.

LIBBY
Seriously, is there a Club Posthumous in Los Angeles where Charlie, Libby, Eko and Ana Lucia hang out?

LOCKE/BENTHAM
In order to get everyone back to the island, Locke has to die. In order to save everyone on the island, Michael had to die.

So there are people off the island who are interested in Locke, even after he is dead. Why?

Alpert handed him a compass, which was one of the items he'd tested Locke with as a child. Will we eventually see Locke receive those other items on the island?

When Ethan shot him in the leg, it was reminiscent of a similar incident from Locke's early days on the island; Locke had hatch shrapnel in his leg and couldn't help Boone when he climbed up and then crashed down in Yemi's plane.

MATTHEW ABADDON
Is he the one after Aaron?

What does he know about the island?

Was he one of the alleged LAPD who first showed up at Hurley's house and spoke with his father?

MILES
It should be a safe assumption now that Miles is Dr. Candle's son. Agreed? The man knows far more about the island than he'd let on before tonight's episode. Of course if he WAS born on the island...how did he live?

If he is Candle's son, at what point does he leave the island?

MS. HAWKING
Wow. I did not see that one coming, but I love that she is Faraday's mother. So when she told Desmond that his destiny was to push that button on the island in order to save the world, was her information based on Daniel's data...or intel from Ben?

She also told Des that he wasn't going to marry her. It seems (at least by their wedding bands) that Des and Penny do marry in the future, so was she referring to that point in time? He may still end up breaking her heart if he returns to the island without her...

What is/was her relationship with Brother Campbell at the Monastery where Desmond briefly lived (and met Penny for the first time)? They appear in a photo together.

So who is Daddy Faraday? Is Hawking her maiden name?

Did you notice the photo of the island taped to her equations chalkboard?

Why is she using island-esque computer equipment in her lair under the church instead of modern technology? Is that the only way to pinpoint the location of the island?

PENNY
How does she explain to Daddy Widmore how she came to be in the right locale to find Desmond and rescue the Oceanic 6? I'm assuming that wasn't a secret and that she probably couldn't convince her entire crew to lie.

PIERRE CHANG/MARVIN CANDLE
Clearly we witnessed a pre-purge Dharma Initiative and Dr. Candle. How long after the discovery of the Frozen Donkey Wheel beneath the Orchid did Chang create the Barracks Video (which warned of the purge)?

RADZINSKY
Were he and Kelvin part of Dharma or the initial military subset?

RICHARD ALPERT
Was Alpert ever really a Hostile, or was he dressed 'in character' like the Others were when they were trying to scare the 815ers during season 1?

I was surprised to hear that Richard wouldn't recognize Locke after a time shift. Given that he's basically stalked Locke from birth on, why would that occur?

Do Richard and the remaining Others/Hostiles not experience time shifts?

SAYID
Those who were following him used darts rather than bullets. Did they know that the island wouldn't let the Oceanic 6 die?

SUN
What do she and Widmore discuss at the airport?

Is Sun working for Ben?

When Sun was talking with Kate about doing everything you can to protect your child, she could have been referring to:

• Protecting Ji Yeon from Ben and/or the island
• Ben's failure to do so, gambling on and losing his daughter's life
• Widmore's need to hide Penny from Ben
• Michael's decision to kill Ana Lucia and Libby in order to save Walt

WALT
Why wouldn't he have to go back too?

Was Ben interested in Walt and have him kidnapped to study him because he knew that Walt's special abilities included time shifting? Walt was able to appear in one place while actually being located in another...

THE WHISPERS
Could the whispers on the island be voices/warnings from one's self during a previous visit to the island during a time shift?

CRAZY THEORY OF THE NIGHT
The empty casket that Jack comes upon on the island after the crash belongs to Locke, not Christian Shephard; it was used to transport him back and Jack happens upon it during a time shift.
_ _ _

I must apologize for the brevity of this post. Usually I am game for an all-nighter but I am unable to do so this week. I appreciate that you took the time to visit and read, and look forward to your feedback and comments!

Please stay tuned for further thoughts and photos as soon as tomorrow evening...