Season Six, Episode 4

First, let me thank for DVR for crapping out 37 minutes into the episode so I had to move to the bedroom to watch on the less-than-big-enough TV. And this, Comcast, is why we record LOST on two different DVRs. Now that we have that out of the way, let me just say, welcome back, LOST. Welcome back.

We kicked things off tonight with Jack's scar, the one he doesn't seem to remember getting. Well, we know Jack version 1.0 had that removed on the island, but since Jack 2.0 was never on the island, then he has no recollection of it. Interesting. So what else are we going to stumble across that happened but never really happened? In other Jack news, not only does he turn down drinks, he also has a kid. And old kid. And his wife is no longer in the picture, so that divorce thing still happened. Island or not, there was nothing he could do to fix that. Is that because he is destined to be with Kate? What prompted the show to give Jack a kid is beyond me, other than to show that he can break the chain of bad-father-son-relations that plague his family. Maybe that's why Asian pirate guy and his kid are there, to push Jack to do the right thing. with not just his son, but whatever it is he is meant to do in life. That's appears to be what Asian pirate guy is doing in Lost-land, anyway. While I ponder that, I'll tell you this: The Alice in Wonderland reference was about her Kittens: Kitty and Snowdrop, who were BLACK AND WHITE. Another good vs. evil reference.


So, Claire is alone in the jungle and has no concept of time, because she's clearly lost her marbles. She has fake baby. She's been branded, just like Sayid. And she's partnered up with Un-Locke. She's also has visits with her dad, Christian. But the thing that most stands out to me is she is so much like Rousseau. She's even starting to look like her. She sets traps, she lives alone, she lost her baby. And she is hell-bent on killing The Others. It's like when someone on the island who has a role dies, they have to be replaced. Someone else has to fill that roll asap. LOST island must contain at least one crazy baby-less lady. But does it go further than that? Now that Jacob is dead (and apparently not living in Sayid's body, as I earlier thought), he needs to be replaced. That's what it appears Easu and Jacob are both up to, finding replacements. The other thing about Claire, in life version 2.0 she is still around. She is still Jack's sister and still in his dad's will. Those paths will still cross. Aaron will still be born. But where, oh, where will that path lead?

If Claire has partnered up with Easu and she has a heart of darkness and we are assuming he is the "black" in all of our black and white scenarios, then are we to assume he is assembling an army? Jacob tells Hurley that it's too late to go back and save anyone at the temple because someone bad is coming. I'm assuming that someone bad is Easu in smoke monster form. And I'm assuming he is heading back to get Sayid. That means Team Black has: Easu, Claire, Sayid and now possibly Sawyer. Now we have to figure out what he is going to do with this team.

Moving on to Hurley. He seems to really be our guide. I said that the first episode and it's becoming more and more true. It's because of him that we are finally getting some answers. What perplexes me most about Hurley in this episode is when he says: "If we timed traveled to dinosaur times and we died and then we got buried here and what if these skeletons are us?" Um, what? Is this an attempt by the producers to give us an overview of how things are going to end up? Or is it some lame question thrown in to make us think this is how it's going to end? Does it even make sense? Are the Lostees so far back in the past that the decisions they make will effect all of mankind's future? Is this the progress we've been hearing about? Time travel, we know is an element. But to what degree? Is the whole show taking place in the days of Adam and Eve, each set of people given a test, like Eve, to see if they will prevail above evil?

While we don't know where in time we are for sure, we do know that Jack came back to this place "bc I was broken and I was stupid enough to think this place can fix me." And that is what the island does. It's fixed so many: Locke, Rose, Ben, dead Sayid. And while those were just physical fixes, it, too, can have emotional healing powers. Sayid learned to love Shannon. Shannon learned to trust Sayid. Sawyer dropped his guard and became an entirely different human being. The island will heal Jack, in due time.

Now on to the dessert, what this show is all about: Mind-blowing crap you can't figure out. Where in God's name did this lighthouse come from? Another wheel? We have another wheel? Our last wheel was below ground in The Orchid. It made the island disappear. This one is above ground and it makes the island appear. And while Hurley has been sent to make the island appear to someone looking for it, I think that it was all metaphorical for making it appear to Jack in his mind, heart. Jack has been looking for the island, per sey. But what he is looking for has always been in front of him. Jacob has been watching him all his life through the looking glass (another Alice reference). The person Jacob needs to find the island is Jack and the place he needs to find it is within. He does, after all, "have what it takes." And I'm starting to think it's really Jack who is the candidate, perhaps the next Jacob. With Easu trying to recruit Sawyer as his candidate, we will have yet another showdown between these two. And I have a feeling, kids, that's the direction we're headed in. It's a showdown of foils: Kate vs. Claire (it's coming), Jack vs. Sawyer.

Now back to this whole mirror. Did you see all those names and numbers? How long has this been going on? Since the beginning of time? How many scenarios have they been through? And when does it end? For us, in 12 more episodes.

Season Six, Episode 3

And there you have it, our Lostees are the number. But what does it mean, man? What does it mean? Our Lostees are the numbers, Jacob has assigned them these numbers and he has also altered their lives in some way to push them toward the island. And that's about where I stop believing anything Easu says. I think everything else he fed Sawyer was a big old load of crap. I don't think what Locke tells Richard about our Lostees being candidates is true. I don't think Jacob picked them to be the next Jacob. I don't think he picked them to take over the island. I don't think he picked them for anything other than "the progress" he was talking about in the last episode of last season. Elana says Easu is recruiting. For a team of evil? For a new body to take over? For a replacement for himself so he can leave the island? If that's the case, we've seen that before with the hatch. They were always waiting for their replacements to come. It would be fitting for Sawyer to be the replacement, as he was always the outsider. He was always the darker one in the Jack vs. Sawyer plot. He was the one who looted the plane and told Jack that he was thinking like he was stranded while Jack was the one who was still thinking like the civilized. Jack seems to have an in with the Temple People. Sawyer seems to be in Easu's pocket. Do we have a new good vs. evil in the works? Hummm, maybe he wasn't lying about Jacob picking them as candidates.

Now let's get to the symbolism. The black and white rocks (good vs. evil) on the scale make me think of yin and yang. There was a balance between good and evil while Jacob was in control. And now the evil is winning. There is no balance, no harmony. Furthermore, I think Peggy Bundy's (Locke's lady) shirt said a lot about the season as a whole: Peace and Karma. I think that is what the island is looking for, the basis of the show, but now that the scales are tipped, the darkness is taking over.

And who is this kid? And why is it Sawyer can see him but Richard can't? This kid looks an awful lot like Jacob. But why is he bleeding? And why is he also dressed like he came from Black Rock? He tells Easu, "You know the rules, you can't kill him." If he says "him," he can't obviously be Jacob. I think the producers want us to think the him he is talking about Sawyer because that's who is with him at the time, but we have to focus on the big picture. And the big picture is Jacob. If Easu broke the rules, what is going to happen to the island? Is this why the island is at the bottom of the ocean? Because Easu broke the rules? Furthemore, the kid provoked new Locke (Easu) to use Locke mentality, causing him to scream, "Don't tell me what I can't do."

In alternative reality-land, Locke's life is peachy keen. But why? What caused his woman not to leave him? When the smoke monster judged Locke, did it alter his alternative reality for the better? Both Locke and Hurley have emerged as stronger people. Rose, on the other hand, still has cancer. Why do some re-emerge as triumphant while others suffer the same as before? Because Rose was at peace with being stranded on the island, did it also cause her to be at peace with her life off the island? Because Locke emerged as strong and confident on the island, has he taken that back to alternative reality? This entire paragraph is full of questions because we still have no answers. However, I feel we are—finally, after three episodes, making some progress.

And what has happened to our all-powerful Richard? Before this season, he seemed so in control. Now, he is nothing more than prey for new Locke. Clearly, the balance of power has shifted.

The episode is called The Substitute. Locke becomes a substitute teacher. Locke has become the substitute form for Easu. Is Sawyer going to sub for him in his place on the island?

Lastly, anyone else notice how everything in this episode is purple? Purple clothes for everyone. What is that all about? And that's what I have to digest for this week.

Oh, one more thing: Thanks to Cort for this mind-blowing little link. Apparently, LOST isn't an original idea for the current team:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lC3nfHUrxlY

Season Six, Episode 2

What? LOST, you have 14 episodes left. Let's start wrapping stuff up guys, I mean come on. This isn't season two where you can just wait until the last three minutes of the episode to make something happen. But that's exactly what LOST did. And now we know Claire is still alive. Although, our dear sweet Claire has been "taken" and now has a heart of darkness (I hated that book in high school, but Black Rock kind of reminds me of that ... anyway). We also have Sayid with a heart of darkness, and I'm guessing Locke (Easu) with one, too. And while we're at it, I'm guess Christian has one also.

It's no secret the island is all about good vs. evil, but what I want to know is, why did Jacob, whom we've all decided is "good," send Sayid to the temple? Did he mean to inhabit him and just not get there fast enough? Or (and I don't want to believe this theory) is Jacob evil? You never know with LOST. You never know when they are going to flip it. So are temple people good or evil? In our Lostees eyes, they seem a little evil, trying to kill Sayid with a pill, poking him with a hot stick, shocking him. But I think in the grand scheme of things, the temple people are going to be the good guys. And I think they are the ones who took Walt to test him as well. And then freed him. But what do the tests mean? We've got a history of tests going here. We have this one on Sayid, we have the one done to Locke the kid and we have the ones done to Walt, of which we know nothing about. BUT WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN? Do we have a lot of lost souls floating around here looking for people to inhabit? I just keep reassuring myself that this is not purgatory. We've been told that time and time again.

Apparently Aaron is still very much a part of the big picture. When Claire tried to give him away, she went into labor. When she tried to delay the delivery, his heartbeat struggled. Oh, and hello, Ethan. Apparently it's Ethan's destiny to try and get this baby out of Claire. But doing so on the island ended up killing him. So, why isn't Ethan on the island? Because in LA X-land, the island doesn't exist. It's on the bottom of the ocean. No island, no Dharma. And like Ethan, who is destined to interact with preggo Claire, we have Kate who seems will also be a part of Aaron's life no matter what. Now if that theory holds true and there is no island and no Dharma, where or where is Ben?

For my closing thought tonight, in last week's episode Jack and Locke were chatting at the airport. Locke told Jack, you didn't lose your dad, you just lost his body (something to that effect). I'm really thinking that's the bigger picture here. Maybe your body is back at LA X, but your soul is on the island. And with all this body inhabiting-heart-of-darkness stuff, maybe that's where your soul stays.

More on the Separate Reality Theory

OK, so (based on something I read today), maybe we aren't in a separate reality, per say. What if they are back on the plane and the island sinks and is nothing because Jacob really is dead. With no more Jacob, none of it happened. And they didn't fix or make anything happen with the bomb. What happened, happened because Ben killed Jacob. No Jacob, no island. The end. But, now that Jacob has a new form (Sayid), life (and life on the island) goes on. If Jacob lives, so does the island, and they remain there. This is the reason Whidmore tried so hard to get them back to the island, because he needed them to save Jacob so the island could go on. This is why Locke couldn't let them leave the island. This is why Locke and Ben had to get them back.

Furthermore, Juliette's "it worked" is really plaguing me. I think the "it" she may be referring to goes back to the last episode of last season, when Jacob tells Easu that there's only one ending and everything in between is progress. I think Rose and her hubby are that progress. They came, they found peace, they made a home and they are content. After all, Easu says that the outcome is always the same: they come, they fight, blah, blah, blah. Rose and her hubby defy that. Could they be the "it worked" that Juliette is referring to? Is it a bigger picture that she is talking about? I know the "it" can't be them setting off the bomb and preventing Dharma from making the Swan hatch, because after the explosion, they wake to find Juliette at the exploded Swan hatch. And it's complete with the exercise bike Desmond was riding in the first episode of season 2. So the hatch still gets built. And Desmond still makes it explode with Charlie. So that "it" didn't work. And they are still on the island, so that it (being back at LAX) didn't work yet either. So which "it" is it that she is referring to?

Anyone else notice how the stewardess from the plane, also a member of the Temple People, seemed really routed with the Temple People? Like she had been there before, long before the plane crashed? Was she planted on the plane? And she referred to the Lostees as the ones who came from the "first plane." I'm assuming that means the Agira Air flight still crashes, so if they made the bomb crash in 1977, wouldn't it have stopped the Agira Air flight from crash landing? I think what this episode boils down to is that our Lostees and their bomb changed nothing, even the Lostees being back on the plane and landing at LA X. I think their level of self-importance, has them thinking they can do so much more than they have any control over. I think the heart of this episode is Jacob's "death" and "rebirth" and that is what has the power to change and control everything, including the island, their pasts, presents and futures.

Season Six, Episodes 1

So, is Jack really on the plane or is it an alternate universe? A Separate Reality (a book mentioned last season) if you will (like the movie Sliding Doors). Or, is that how the season is going to end? Is it a flash, flash forward to our last episode? While it's the least favorable ending (because it's highly predictable), it would be a proper close because if nothing ever happened, then this is how it would end. But we still have 14 or 15 more episodes to mull that over.

I understand we needed to give Juliet a proper farewell, as she had been with us for a long time, but I was ready for her to be written off last season. That, for me, was a waste of precious last LOST minutes. However, I understand that her coming back for this episode gave Miles the go ahead to let us all know "it worked." If that's so, then we do indeed have a separate reality kicking. But why oh why was Desmond on the plane?

It seems in Separate Reality-land that everything is the same as it ever was. Kate is still trying to get away. Sawyer is most likely going to con Hurley out of his lottery money, Locke is still in a wheelchair, Jin is a control freak. And our characters will continue bumping into each other none the wiser of what they have gone through together. No, God, please don't let it end that way! The only thing that stands apart: Hurley, who says he is the luckiest man in the world. Prior to all of this, didn't he think he was cursed? Hummm, how is it that he is the only one who didn't fall into the same old, same old?

In non-separate reality land, it looks as though Hurley is way more important than any of us could have ever imagined. Jacob picked him. He sees dead people. And he is the one who is demanding answers for us: "What's on the paper?"

We've now been told that the smoke monster is who I will refer to as Easu. We now know there is yet another group on the island (who I will refer to as Temple People), there is a fountain of life, Richard was once a slave and if you draw a black circle around yourself, you can't get eaten up by the smoke monster. All good to know. Also good to know: Jacob is now Sayid.

I'm going to go ahead and say that Richard being in chains meant that he was a slave on Black Rock. And I think he was enslaved with other Egyptians, who were forced to build the Temples, which is why we have hieroglyphics on just about everything.

Since my brain has suffered a nine month lapse in LOST analysis, I'm going to have to watch this again. I am, however, concerned they've introed a new group of people, because it's time to start wrapping this package up.

One final thought: Anyone else notice the episode is called "LA X" with a big old deliberate space between the LA and the X. Why not just LAX? What's that all about?