Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Season Six, Episode 9

Filler, filler, filler. After last week's episode, this one was bound to be a disappointment. No big breakthroughs. And the big surprise ending ... Desmond. Blah. They didn't really think we thought we'd seen the last of him, did they?

So, here's what we did get out of tonight's episode:
Hope that we will learn more about Dharma. David was so afraid that this was the end of Dharma. But with Whidmore back, we are getting more info about the magnetic energy. And we learned that Dharma was using subliminal message testing. So, what then was it Dharma was after, some sort of mind control? While we won't get it in a big dose, I do think little things like this will help us piece Dharma together.

Whidmore tells Easu smoke monster Locke he's heard about him in legends, horror stories, nightmare, etc ... And, he knows how to keep him at bay, with those big old smoke monster blockers. Further proof he's a bad, bad dude.

The missionary tells Jin that some people just aren't meant to be together. And that seems to be the case with Jin and Sun. They can't keep it together, both on and off the island. And, while we know one of them is a candidate, David thinks it's Jin because he was the one that was transported back to the '70s with the rest of the other candidates. I think he's on to something there.

And that's pretty much it. Man, LOST, one week it's caviar and champagne. And the next it's Shasta cola.

With nothing else to cover, I'll give my two cents on what the Harris clan thinks the series finale will be: We think the last episode will be a flashback to how Jacob and Easu got banished to the island. Now that would be some good TV.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Season Six, Episode 8

And there's the brain-blowing episode we've patiently waited eight shows to watch. Let's hope we keep up this pace the rest of the season, er show.

Oh, where to start. First, do you really think they are all dead and in hell? I don't. I think Richard is frustrated. I think he is in his own personal hell. And he certainly isn't dead.

On to the back story: Tenerife is an Spanish island off the coast of Morocco (I only know this bc I have a friend who lives there). So, Richard is Spanish. Not Egyptian like so many of us, including myself, thought. And because he is Spanish, and so is his dead wife, Hurley was talking to her at the beginning of the episode. He tells her, "I can do that for you, but I don't know how to find him." (Thanks to David for the translation.)

Richard, like almost every other person to land on the island, finds himself in a bad situation prior to landing on the magical island. He kills the doc by accident, while trying to save his wife. And he is "saved" by the priest who told him he was damned. The verse he was reading in the bible in Luke is about the temptation of Christ, when Jesus, on a 40-day-food-and-thirst hiatus, was tempted by the devil. He was asked to turn stone to bread (and we see stones in tonight's episode). He was asked to worship the devil in exchange for all the power in the world (and the man in black offered Ricard anything he wanted—his wife). He was asked to throw himself from the highest point of the temple (and we see the boat crash into the top of a statue). And all of it was in exchange for something the devil was promising him. The rest of the scripture from that page talks about Jesus driving the demons out of a possessed man. It's more about ridding the world of evil.

So Captain Hanso is responsible for saving Richard from his untimely death. Hanso, that's the name we heard waaaaaaay back in the early seasons. He is the one who is behind Dharma, the one who founded it. And it looks like we may get an explanation about Dharma's roots after all. Don't freak out, David, they will talk about it! I promise!

Speaking of answers, tonight we got some serious answers: We now know where Black Rock came from. We now know what happened to the statue. And we now know why Richard has been the same age since any and everyone can remember. We also see the smoke monster judges Richard. Perhaps the "judging" the smoke monster has been doing all along is more about what it can use as leverage to get you to do what it wants you to do. Case in point: reminding Ben he let his daughter die and then using that anger to propel him to kill Jacob. For Richard, that leverage was his wife. And like so many of our Lostees, the smoke monster picks his brain and makes a ghost from his past (his wife) appear. He then uses it against him. And like Jesus in the desert, Easu (like the devil) waits until Richard it at his weakest before the temptations begin. Why, because Easu is pure evil.

Which leads me to Easu and his lies, lies, lies. Easu promises Richard he can find his wife. He gives him the same speech as Dogen gives Sayid about killing Jacob (only with team reversal). Apparently, that's been going on and on and on for a long, long time now. The show also spends a good deal of time trying to convince us that this is hell and that Jacob is evil. But then we get some face time with Jacob and we get back on track.

The scene with the wine bottle, well, that's it. (It starts at like 50 minutes in, in case you want to go back and watch it.) That's what we've been waiting for. We've now been told directly what the island is. It's a cork, a stopper, a place where evil is corralled so it doesn't escape to the outside world. It's the fine line between yin and yang. And Jacob says once you come there, your past doesn't matter any more. It's like you are washed anew. Jacob says, "That man who sent you here believes that everyone is corruptable because it's in their very nature to sin. I bring people here to prove him wrong. And when you get here, your past doesn't matter." If your past doesn't matter, then that's why Rose didn't have cancer anymore, why Locke could walk, why Charlie could kick the drugs. Your vices don't come with you. Finally, another answer. Could it also explain why babies can't be born on the island? Because they have no past yet? I'm sure we'll get to that before the end.

Back to Jacob: all of he and Easu's past experiments have ended in death. And he didn't help them because he wanted them to help themselves. He tells Richard it's meaningless for him to have to step in to show them the difference between right and wrong. But it's Richard who turns a light bulb on for Jacob (thus landing him a job and eternal life). If Jacob doesn't intervene then Easu will and the scales filled with rocks will lean toward the side of evil. Maybe it's because of Richard that Jacob goes out into the world and touches the candidates. He influences them for good, shows them the difference between right and wrong. Case in point: Kate and the lunch box. It's like he's giving them a heads up, if you will.

But back to Richard. So, that's it, Jacob touches him and he has eternal life. But we know he isn't God because he can't absolve Richard's sin. And we know he isn't God because he can't bring his wife back to life. So who is he exactly? That's an answer we're still waiting on.

The irony of it all, however, is that Richard has been on this island for forever, and he has no more answers than we do.

Anyone else get the feeling that Hurley is turning into more of a candidate than Jack? Just askin'.


Until next Tuesday.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Season Six, Episode 7

So, tonight's episode just made me believe even more in my yin/yang theory. On the other side, everyone's life seems to be better. I mean Sawyer, who was such a lost cause before, is now a cop. Does it get any more obvious than that? The island is that thin line between yin and yang. That's my theory and I'm sticking with it.

And we have Miles, who has a dad who is a scientist. That didn't change. Good to know.
And look who didn't die: Charlotte. Now when are we going to get Farraday?

But what most blew my mind about tonight's episode were the books on Sawyer's table. First, we had Watership Down. I looked it up and it's a book about rabbits who start their own Utopian society of sorts. OK, we've seen that. And we've seen rabbits from the planted Dharma videos on Youtube.

Next was A Wrinkle in Time. I never read this book when I was a kid, so I googled it. And look what I found. It's like the whole freaking plot of LOST. They even have a smoke monster. Start with the fourth paragraph and just keep going. NUTS!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Wrinkle_in_Time

And then, Lancelot, which is a book about a lawyer who wakes up in a mental institution with memories he can't fully remember (Jack and his appendix scar). He finds out his daughter isn't really his daughter in his new life. Lancelot then tries to go back and reverse the past with revenge fueling his quest. Kinda sounds like a mix between Hurley, Claire and Sawyer all rolled into one character.

These books make me feel like a lot of my assumptions are on par. And they confirm a lot of things we've seen. Man, now I feel like I should go back and look up all the books since the show started. But I won't.

As for fake Locke, which we are now calling Flocke, he has some super mind control over his followers. And he has something up his sleeve with regards to Kate. He is trying to win her over. What does he need her for? Will he pick Kate as his replacement. And will she have to square off against Jack in the end? That could be interesting.

As for Whidmore, we all knew he was coming. We saw it last episode and he had a whole week to get there. And while it has always seemed that he and Ben were on separate sides, I'm now starting to think he and Ben are playing for the same team, both against whatever it is Un-Locke stands for.


Until next week when we get the cheese, allegedly, on Richard. Whoo hoo!

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Season Six, Episode 6

So, we kick it off with Ben telling the history of Napoleon, which seems to be a recap of his own history with Whidmore. And it foreshadows Ben's whole history with the island, too. He is a little man with false power. And they are letting him stick around for whatever reason. This whole show, Ben has been nothing more than a pawn. And now he is an outsider who has to make decisions to get back into the graces of everyone else.

Now's here's head exploder No. 1: Ben and his dad were on the island. They were part of Dharma. So, the island was still there. Dharma was still there. But what caused them to leave? What make the island sink? What HAPPENED????? This little sentenced added into his dad's dinner scene blows like all my theories out of the water. Damnit.

The last time we saw Alex, she was getting shot in the head because of selfish, selfish Ben. This time around, Ben saves her. He does the right thing. And now this life outside of the island is better to a degree, which is a theme we've got going here that I talked about last week.

In both LA X land and on the island, Easu (as Locke) and Locke "the substitute" try to propel Ben in a direction that will benefit themselves. And, Locke is referred to in the scene again as "the substitute," which is fitting because he is a substitute for Easu back on the island. While Ben initially goes to follow their instruction (by taking over as principal and by joining UnLocke's team and taking over the island), he chooses a better fate for himself and those around him in both ends. Miles tells Ben Jacob hoped he was wrong about him, and I think now, maybe he is. Ben's finally making decisions for himself, not the island. And it only took him six and a half episodes.

There seems to be some bad blood between Jacob, Ben and Richard. Maybe Jacob isn't the good guy we've been chalking him up to being all along (which is what hubby has been saying all along). Nevertheless, he still has a Jesus-inspired story because, apparently, if Jacob touches you, you are given a gift, like Richard, of what I am guessing is eternal life. But now poor Richard feels lost because he dedicated his life to Jacob who is dead. What I think Richard doesn't realize is that he is to be the guide for all of Jacob's fill-ins forever. And up next as Jacob 2.0 is Jack.

So, was the whole "blow-me-up" scene between Richard and Jack just a test to see if Jack is the right candidate? I think it was. And I love how Richard tells Jack "not yet" when he asks him for his story. So, if not yet, then when? He was def. a slave on that ship. But how much longer are we going to have to wait for them to spill the beans? I'm just glad Black Rock was in the episode. I was starting to think they forgot they had to explain that little mystery. And yes, I'm still waiting for answers.

We now know there are six candidates and there were six Oceanic survivors, do you think they are the same? If so, I think Sayid is out of the running. He seems to have gone to the dark side. I don't think Hurley is still in the running either because Jacob speaks to him directly. And if it's one Quan, I'm going to go with Sun, not Jin.

And lastly, what the hell is Whidmore doing on a sub looking at the island? It's all going to come together—eventually. But how they are going to tie up all these ends? Ugh, that drama that is LOST.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Season Six, Episode 5

OK, so I've got a whole new theory based on tonight's show. Asian pirate guy, Dogen, says something to the effect that everyone has scales in their lives and one side is good and one is evil. Yin and yang, if you will. Now, what if our Lostees lives pre-island are the yin, the dark side? And what if this parallel universe of LA X is the yang, the light? Because, it seems life in LA X is, for the most part, better for everyone in it. And what if, in this theory, it's the island that determines where you fall on this scale? The decisions you make on the island determine if you lean to the good or the bad. And it's Jacob's intervening and Easu's coniving that nudge you in the direction you'll untimately go, which I guess goes back to my theory of free will. I think Dogen's story about his son supports the theory. In his pre-island life, he killed his son by drunk driving. In his LA X life, he is a loving father with his son at an audition. It was Jacob who nudged him to the island where he decided to sacrifice his former life so his son could live (tipping the scale for the good). And this isn't the first time we've seen someone sacrifice their former life for a greater good. Juliet came to the island to ultimately find a cure for her sister. And now we see that Easu is pushing Sayid so that he will tilt the scale toward evil in order to save Nadia. The decision he makes further tilts his scale for evil: more killing. And how about the bounty hunter? What he chose on the island, to kill Ben's daughter, causes him to further tilt in the direction of evil and he untimately dies in both scenarios. And why is Jin in the freezer? He must still be hooked up with Sun's dad doing the dirty work, getting involved with all sorts of shady people. What decisions has he made on the island? He's still just a messenger. And he is a messenger in both of his lives, doing what he is told.

So, if that's the case, what about Claire? Claire is drawing people out of the temple. She is hooked up completly with Unlock (Easu). What is going to happen to her LA X life? Thus far, we know she is about to have Aaron. But that's all we know, that and Kate totally screwed up by telling her she took Aaron. Look for Claire to try and whack her with the axe, too. But you can't kill Kate, she the lead female character.

Speaking of sharp objects, this whole knife thing with Sayid killing UnLocke, wow. You just can't stop that guy. And Dogen tells him, now that Jacob is dead, Easu is free. And there doesn't seem to be a lot anyone can do about it. And now we've lost Sayid to the darkness, thanks to Easu. He's just pure evil. The look on his face coming out of the temple says it all. Now that Dogen is dead, there is no stopping the darkness from getting into the temple. What, exactly, was his job that he agreed upon with Jacob? Do you also get the feeling that Sayid is now the keeper of the temple?

Ironic that Sayid kills Dogen the same way he killed him? That seems to be another example of karma. And that's a theme that's also been running throughout LOST. And while we are on the topic of death, there was another purge on the island tonight. This is the second one we've seen. First, it was Ben killing all of Dharma. Now we have Sayid leading all of the Others to their deaths. We keep getting instances of history repeating itself. I pointed that out last week, too. Rousseau died and we got a new Rousseau, Claire. Ironically, the two responsible for the purges, Sayid and Ben, meet up in the temple and Ben urges Sayid to get out, but Sayid tells him there is no more time left for him. Also ironic, this is where both of them were brought back to life, here at these waters. Back when Ben was a kid and Sayid killed him, he was brought here to the temple and healed. And we saw Sayid literally come back from the dead here. And like the sands running through the hourglass, Sayid feels his time has, again, run out.

I have a feeling if Kate doesn't get out of the grips of UnLocke and his followers, her time might appear like it is running out, too (even though we all know she won't die). But it's going to be through her that we find out what this group is up to, and she will be able to report it to the good guys, who, at this point are Hurley and Jack. Speaking of which, does anyone else think Jacob sent them to the lighthouse just to get them out of the temple so they wouldn't be a part of Easu's massacre?

Alanna seems to be taking on a leadership role. She's been completely clued in thanks to a visit from Jacob in her past. But where will she lead us? We only have 11 episodes left to find out.