Lost in Thought: "The End"

Today I picked up "LOST: The Complete Collection" which included all six seasons in one package along with many other nifty extras. Normally, I wouldn't just pick up the entire collection when I already have 5 out of the 6 seasons already, but this was different. LOST really is an entire collection and now that I have seen the show, I can appreciate the entirety of the show. It was truly worth the investment of time and money into one of the most thought-provoking hours of television.

This is as good as any time to do a review of the show as any. I was away from my home computer and was not able to type out a review before, but I have just finished watching the special features of the final season (along with the last twenty minutes of the last episode) and now LOST is once again racing through my mind.

As silly as it is to admit, I have to say that the LOST finale was one of the things that actually impacted me this summer (along with many more important events) and as I watched the cast and crew review the creation of the last season, I was brought to tears and contemplated matters of my own life once more. I think the main reason that this show has hit me as hard as it has is the fact that this show focuses on the nature of humanity. Mind you, many movies, TV shows and books do that, but it may be one of the few that deals with the state of spirituality in the modern era.

When I was talking with Pastor Arden from Nelson (where I will be heading in just over a month), he pointed out that LOST highlights the need of spirituality that modern North American culture yearns for but has been disenfranchised with due to bad experiences with religion or unfamiliar with due to a lack of experience with religion. LOST is a summary of North American spirituality. Even though Lost is not a Christian show, it clearly tackles the same issue that Christianity (along with other world religions) addresses.

I know that many people were disappointed with the apparent lack of answers to many questions, I still feel that at the end of the show, all the major questions I had were addressed. Sure, there are many that were left hanging, but to go out of the way to answer it would have been answering it for the sake of answering it and thus taking away from the major narrative of the story. Although, a few of those questions were addressed in a special 10 minute segment made for the DVD. However, it would have been strangely out of place had they put those into the finale itself or really into the final season at all. For the sake of those who care to check it out, they talk about questions like "What was the deal with the palette drops in season 2?" or "What was so special about Walt?" It was interesting, but not necessary. Especially after watching the other special features and being again reminded of what that show was.

Lost had two major themes that came through out the show and that was the idea of community and redemption.

In season one the castaways were faced with a dire situation and they were deciding how to deal with things and it was pretty chaotic. It was at this point that Jack stepped forward and talked about how people needed to band together if they were to survive.

"Last week most of us were strangers. But we're all here now. And God knows how long we're going to be here. But if we can't live together—we're gonna die alone"

With that line, one of the foundations of the show was laid. Live together or die alone. There was multiple times in making the movie trailers throughout the summer that I referenced that idea and I even named one of my speeches at the Kootenay camp "Live Together or Die Alone". The flash sideways was used to underscore that main tenet of the show. Whatever happens in the after life, we are going to be facing it together. One of the thoughts I have had about death is that when we go to face our judgment, it is not going to be me facing God, but rather us as a humanity and it will be our ability to live as a people who took care of each like God commanded us that will be judged. God knows that we are not doing that now and it will have to be on the mercy of Jesus Christ that we are forgiven for failing as a humanity.

I think that we should not be simply concerned with our own personal redemption, but rather the redemption of humanity. It puts a different spin on why we do good works. It means that we do good works, not for the sake of salvation, but rather as an avenue to aid our fellow humanity who we are ultimately going to be linked with in the afterlife.

The other major theme is redemption which I have already touched on, but it specifically about how no matter our situation and background, we are capable of being redeemed. No one is beyond redemption and it is up to us to embrace that change in character. In the show, we have a group of people who are flawed, but in the situation they find themselves in on the island, they are brought to a place where they can find redemption and become the hero archtype that should be outside of their grasp.

In the same way, humanity are faced with situations and people who stand in their way and it is possible for a person to rise above and become the enlightened hero. We may not have to face a foe as powerful as Darth Vader, but like the characters in Lost, we may face people like a boss that bullies us or an impossible standard put before us by our father and our redemption and evolution into a person of a heroic archtype is found in the trials of our character along with the support of the community.

In the end, what I walk away with at the end of Lost is that people can be redeemed and that it is found through the power of the good community. Of course, I would submit that it also requires the pursuit of goodness that is found at the core of teachings of Jesus, but for a network television series to actually address anything of spiritual significance and in a profound way is amazing.

One of the reasons the ending of the show has impacted me as much as it did this summer was the imagery it used in the flash sideways. The idea that people would find each other in the afterlife before they move onto their final destination was fascinating. I was thinking about what would my flash sideways look like and I have a feeling that it would look like camp. A camp where the people significant would gather and it would be around the camp fire where we'd realize the significance of each other in each others lives. I can imagine some people would be around that fire and it is such an interesting exercise.

So my question to you is: Who would be in your flash sideways and what would it look like for you?

For me, Lost was a fantastic show that dealt with issues rarely touched by television and actually got me thinking inwardly as to where am I in the whole scheme of things and that is something I can't say for a lot of things. Kudos to the cast and crew to making one of the best shows on television.

(It kills me to quote a Creed song, but alas, the song fits perfect)

"Why hold down one to raise another?
Discrimination now on both sides
Seeds of hate blossom further
The world is heading for mutiny
When all we want is unity
We may rise and fall, but in the end
We meet our fate together"
- Creed's "One" from their album "My Own Prison"

Lost in Thought: "Everybody Loves Hurley"

I just realized that I was watching this last episode of Lost in my John Locke outfit. I have these green cargo pants with a bunch of pockets and I'm wearing a tighter blue t-shirt. Shave my head and throw me in a wheelchair and I'll tell you "Don't tell me what I can and can't do!"

Anyway, I will get into this by saying that I really like the man on a mission Desmond in the flashsideways. It's interesting with his rather brutal attack via high end luxury car on a man in a wheelchair, because does that mean he remembers Locke's attempt on his life on the island realm? I am assuming so.

Is Desmond dead on the island? There's a good chance, although it was admittedly anticlimatic. Although maybe his role is ultimately about the flashsideways and helping people to connect to the island. I don't think that they are going to try to head to the island, but perhaps they may need to do something to either save their island selves or use their island memories to save themselves.

Finally, they have revealed the nature of the whispers, although I was hoping that it would turn out to be Jacob or whoever else that was viewing the people via the mirrors in the lighthouse. But dead people are cool, too. It is interesting because the show is once again painting the island as hell or at least purgatory.

Purgatory or at least a place like purgatory would make a lot of sense. It's a place you're trapped until a change can occur before you leave and find your ultimate destination. Some could say that life for us is the same kind of place for people. It's a place where we have all of these ideas coming at us and we are broken and we have to decide what we are going to do.

The one scene I liked and stood out for me was a rather small one. It was the instance where Hurley claims that Jacob talked to him and has told him what to do and in reality it wasn't true. In addition, Jack seems to have believed him and follows Hurley. When it turns out that Jack is aware that Hurley didn't actually talk to Jacob and Hurley asks him why he would come, the answer was, "Because I trust you, Hurley".

Before I say this, I want to stress that I don't think Jacob is God in the show of Lost. What I think he represents is our perceived relationship to a higher power. The idea that there is a lifestyle that we follow based on essentially heresay and tradition and people are following it despite how wild and far-fetched the instructions can become. Hurley is the closest thing at this point for the island's spiritual leader. He is connected to the island and has a sense of where they should be going but it is interesting that he is willing to use the old "God told me so" arguement in order to convince the others to come. It's interesting that for Jack at least, that he is aware of the lie, but he is fine with it and goes along with it because he trusts Hurley (despite the fact he was deceitful).

If it's from the candidates are going to be taking over Jacob's job, it is hard to say who will be the choice. Whoever it may be, might be the creator's way of indicating the new perception of God. Perhaps? Things are definitely different both in the world of the show and the real world than they were. It could ultimately be a commentary on the relationship between people, faith and purpose.

Lost in Thought: "Happily Ever After"

I just finished watching last night's episode of Lost. Dana said that I was going to have a hay day with this one for theories and I can see why. Desmond-centric episodes are always significant and usually are the game changers for what is happening or what will happen. I actually loved how most of the episode took place in the flashsideways and how it brought back a lot of characters past.

There are two major ideas that streamed through this episode that stood out for me and one was what was important in life. We get to see Desmond in a place where all the things that were problems before are now wiped away. He was not an enemy of Charles Widmore, but rather his right hand man. He had money and the ability to do whatever he wanted. I do believe that Desmond was happy or content to a certain extent, but he did not love anyone and he was not aware of what he was missing. Charlie in his crazed wisdom was able to wake him up to this other mysterious idea of a woman whom he loved. He was willing to throw away his life of luxury for this idea, which was not even a reality for him.

This is why science fiction can tell some of the best stories because it can portray an idea that traditional stories cannot or at least portray it in such an engaging and beautiful way. When you see him meet Penny at the end and the interaction between the two, it made it feel like home. Like this is the way it should be.

This brings me the second major idea of the episode which is the idea of living through trials may be better for us. So far, all of the flashsideways have been generally pretty positive. Most of the characters are living lives that have turned out better than the original. They may be in a better place or perhaps have an improved perspective on things. They have, in general, made better choices than their island counterparts. I remember when people were predicting what was going to happen in the wake of the hydrogen bomb explosion, one of the ideas was that the plane was going to land in Los Angeles and everything was fine. I also remember how many people hated that idea because it would mean that the previous five seasons of the show would have meant nothing. All of those trials and moments of character growth would have disappeared. We as an audience have our selfish reasons for why that would be a rip off, but really, it means that the characters are the ones missing out.

I believe it is important for people to go through trials as a part of their experience. Can you really say that you are loyal if your loyalty has never been tested? Can you say that you have faith if your faith has never been tested? Can you say that you've loved if you've never had to sacrifice?

I really liked tonight's episode and from here they have also given us more insight into the connection between the flashsideways and the island realm. The two scenarios have been disconnected in terms of any real sense, although the writers have used it as an opportunity to give more insight into the characters. That's when you need a Desmond episode in order to bring the next segment of mystery to light.

It seems like electromagnetics is once again suggested as the great energy lying underneath the island with Widmore's test on Desmond. What Widmore wants out of Desmond may be to sacrifice himself and it will have to do with the electromagnetic source. Now, once again, the writers are messing with us, because it's starting to look like Widmore may be a good guy again. Which would be funny, because you would then have three groups of people who are wanting to accomplish something good but may collide in such a way that would be disastrous for all. I really can't say Widmore is a bad guy anymore, because it doesn't seem like he's trying to use the island's energy source for some nefarious purpose, at least at this point.

All three groups have displayed elements of good motives, but with scary and questionable methods. Almost like many major religions and philosophies. Hmm.

Anyway, Desmond is the key to this mystery of what is happening in the parallel scenarios. The other person who caught a glimpse of the flashsideways world was Juliet. Sweet, sweet Juliet. If electromagnetism allowed Desmond to travel there and Juliet travelled there as well, she was at the brink of this electromagnetic source and she got to see the other side. I am betting that we are definitely going to see her in the flashsideways in the next couple of weeks she's may have a vague awareness of the island similar to Desmond.

I am wondering if we are going to see the flashsideways Desmond try to let everyone on the flight know about the other place as almost a revelation or something for them to learn from. I am still leaning that the island will be done away with in the end and the flashsideways will be what's left, but they are going to gain the benefit of the islanders experience.

A lot of people have been caught up different ideas such as the Locke Monster or Jacob or the idea of the island being a cork. I have been way more captivated by the first episode with Kate in the tree and the sounds of her being underwater. I think it's somehow a clue but I have not been able to piece together where it fits. At one point I thought it made sense the islanders were in a spiritual state underneath the ocean in the flashsideways, but that sounded like I was on crack. Maybe, I'm getting caught on the wrong idea, but it was a very specific sound and intentionally done right at the start. I don't know. Maybe it ties in with the reflection idea of the flashsideways.

Well, that's all I want to dig into. I am going to enjoy the beauty of Victoria and hopefully I'll run into the girl that I loved on the island.

Lost in Thought: "The Package"

I have just finished the previous review on Ab Aeterno, so this is going to be a little quicker. Usually after a momentous episode like Ab Aeterno, the following episode is once again another setup show. It tends to not have major revelations, but rather is moving the plot towards the next cornerstone episode which makes sense. If you want a good payoff, you need to put investment into the story. Thus why I was not as awed by Ab Aeterno last week. Great episode, don't get me wrong, but I still think there are a few others that are better.

As for this episode, I don't have a lot of great insight although I enjoyed the idea that Jin was carrying the money that would get him killed if he had delivered. Fortunately for him, what is normally a bad thing, like losing $25,000, actually saved him.

A lot of people predicted that it was going to be Desmond in the submarine and the funny thing is, I don't think I even cared. Sawyer made note of the locked door and I knew something was going to be in there, but I did not even consider what it could be for a second. Meh.

It's also interesting that the show may wind up ending on the Hydra island and not the mainland. Of course, they could come back but it's weird that the Hydra island is becoming so important so late in the game.

We're getting a little more insight into Widmore's plans and it appears that he is there to kill the Locke Monster. It's strange because why is he so antagonistic to Ben earlier in the show. It's like there are three sides to this whole battle. Maybe what the whole thing is that Jacob oversees the island and has the smoke monster to be the security (against his will) to prevent people who want to use the island for the wrong reasons. It may very be that Widmore has a geophysicist to find the pockets of electromagnetism in order to power some device or solve the energy crisis or what have you, but if it's accessed it will actually doom everything.

Maybe when Jacob was talking about the island being a cork to keep in the "evil and malevolence" that will spread its darkness, he is talking about the electromagnetism. A source of such powerful energy could potentially be the source for a great evil. It is temptation and it is a power that maybe people should not have access to. Jacob is not saying that the Smoke Monster is the evil that will infect the world, but rather the power. For the Smoke Monster, it is hell, because he is trapped there forever to protect it.

Jack and Illana's group is wanting to stop the Locke Monster from leaving because the island will be defenseless. I don't think their goal is to destroy the monster.

I am not sure of the reason that Jacob would bring people to the island. That is the mystery at this point. It could be for his own amusement or to test people or for some other reason that is beyond the main objective which is to stop the exploitation of the island.

There is no real theories here except for the idea that maybe in the end, it will be Widmore versus Locke and Jack. I am liking how this show is shaping up and where it's going. There was maybe no big reveals, but it's a steady revelation of what is happening.

Lost in Thought: "Ab Aeterno"

I know this is a little late for me with this, but sue me. I've got other things on the go. Anyway, I liked this episode, as I like most episodes of the show, but apparently I don't love it as much as everyone else seems too. It hit a major point in the island's past and even gave more insight into who Jacob and the Man in Black are. It had a strong emotional story for Richard, but I still think "Dr. Linus" was a better episode. For me, maybe I was expecting too much from this one. I was figuring it was going to fill in even more than it did. And as I have stated before, unfulfilled expectations, even unreasonable ones will make you disappointed.

One of my friends called the romantic story as strong as or even better than the episode "The Constant" from Season 4 which I was surprised at. I couldn't really say why at the time I thought that was bizarre, but in reflection I think the story of Desmond and Penny had a lot more build up and had a greater payoff. Meanwhile, we are just introduced to Isabella this episode. I can see parallels in the two stories and in the end, payoff makes me more attached to that other story by far.

Anyway, that all aside, here are my few thoughts on the episode. I am hearing strong arguments now that maybe the Man in Black is not actually a bad guy. This is from one Pearson Moore and honestly, you need to go to sl-lost.com and look for Pearson Moore's writings and reflections on this season's episodes. He has some of the most incredible insight into images and the backgrounds of symbols and in addition is well-versed in theology. He picks up on a lot from watching and he doesn't read spoilers. He delves into what Lost is about and does not care as much about what is happening. Once again, he suggests that maybe the Man in Black is an angel and that Jacob maybe more like the devil.

Pearson also pointed out that when Richard stated that he was in hell, Jacob only refuted the idea that Richard was dead. He could be in hell still, but just not dead.

I like the fact that they are really trying to blur who is good and bad. It is making you really have to look at what is actually evil and good. It is really highlighting for me that in some regards, popular images of what is good and what is evil is almost cartoony. We label something as evil and then that is it. If you are evil, you have no redeeming element to you. But people never consider themselves evil and if they do, then they see no hope for themselves. They have given in that this is their lot in life. Generally, however, people see themselves as good or the very least, not evil. That all of the choices that they make are generally good.

The view of evil is one that is the destruction of life. Tyranny that tries to squash freedom. Evil lacks the ability to love. That it is a force that looks to conquer good. That it wants the world. Almost none of those things can be true. A person does not want those things, typically. The battle I have with myself is not one where I am holding back the urge to kill everyone around myself because I want to see death or I want to exert my power over everything around me. Evil doesn't work like that, but some people kind of look at evil in that regard and thus they believe that they cannot be evil. "Clearly, I must be a good person. I don't want other people to suffer, thus I am good."

Evil is a lot more common than that. In fact, I believe that evil is not a power that is somehow and equal yet opposite to good, but rather a mere corruption of what is good. Usually, a lot of evil that people do come out of a perverted sense of what is good. The other kind is what is more often see and it is purely putting yourself ahead of others.

The first kind is what I see terrorist groups as. These are groups that are almost rooted in a good ideal, but it is taken the wrong way. If it's a religious extremist, they believe that they must bring about the peace that comes from their teachings by wiping out the opponents to their ideal. They view anyone who disagrees with them as oppressive or endangering the good people and thus if the good people (as determined by their religious ideals) are to be protected, the opponents must be punished or destroyed. It's the same with environmental extremists who are trying to protect what they think is important and going to great lengths to do so even if it costs lives. A lot of ideological groups have a root in what is actually a positive thing, but is taken to an extreme length to ensure the dominance of that positive thing. That's why Bond supervillains are kind of funny because how are they even trying to do anything good and how do they get so many henchmen to follow them? Anyways, this is the most dangerous form of evil, but rather an obvious kind because people who are apart of these groups believe they are actually doing good for the world and can be obvious.

The more insidious kind of evil is also the most common and that is the second type I mentioned before. It is where people put themselves first over others. Obviously, we need to take care of ourselves so that way we can be a positive force in our society and we should get to enjoy some good things in life, but it's a tricky line. It's easy to get lazy and generally not hurt others but not actually do anything that helps other people. We're not necessarily a force of evil, but rather a lack of force. If no one is hurting each other, great, but at the same time we are lacking as a society if we are not trying to push ourselves in a positive direction. Being good is more than a lack of hurting others, but rather taking steps to reach out to our fellow humankind.

Generally, Christianity pushes us to actually reach out and do something good and not grow complacent. However, it's easy to become complacent once you've found religion because you have chosen correctly and that is all. Nothing more is required of me. I'm going to kick back and not do anything else and that is the seed of evil. It is when we stop caring. Evil is more present than we care to think. That we are fighting more than we believe.

I might claim to be a follower of Jesus which is all fine, but that doesn't mean I'm good now. Things are a lot more grey than that and that usually does not sit well with a lot of religious people. Lost seems to be pointing at this idea. That what is good and what is evil has less to do with what team you're on and more about the choices you make.

Just because the Man in Black is wanting off the island does not make him a force of evil. It may cause something bad to happen if he leaves, but really he is more selfish than anything else. He's not a malevolent being. He believes in the freedom of the individual to not be shackled into the duty of the community. He supports some good things. The idea that people should get to live how they would like and not live under tyranny. That's a good thing, however, it may come at a cost and that's the problem. He may be willing to sacrifice the good of many for the ideal of freedom for all.

We live in shades of grey and we are surrounded by people who are all trying to figure out what is good. People for the most part do not want to harm to come to others, but at the same time they are not willing to sacrifice themselves for others either. People are usually in the middle avoiding having to do either. Can you really call yourself good, if you are not willing to sacrifice things for other people?

Now, that I finally finished this, I can watch the new episode. I'm pumped.

Lost in Thought: "Recon"

Alright, this post will have less to do with tonight's show per se, but more on some ideas that solidified themselves after my post-show explanation with my friends, Mike, Allison and Dana. It largely consisted of me acting smart and inflating my already-oversized ego. Let me mention a couple of things in the episode and then I want to talk about the bigger ideas in the show.

The first thing that pops out to me, is Widmore's group on the island. It seems as though that they are a separate entity to both Locke's and Jacob's group. Interestingly enough, Widmore's group have set up shop in a manner sort of similar to the Dharma Initiative's approach to security. They have a submarine and are putting up a sonar fence to keep the smoke monster out. I am wondering if Widmore actually has a connection to the Dharma Initiative. Perhaps he was helping them all along as a mole. For those who don't know Alvar Hanso is the head of the Hanso Foundation who funds the Dharma Initiative. Alvar's ancestor is Magnus Hanso who was the captain of the Black Rock. It is possible that Magnus is Alvar if Magnus has the same longevity that Richard has, but that is a different tangent. Anyway, we saw Widmore bidding for the personal diaries of Magnus Hanso and so it might be possible that Widmore is working for or at least with the Dharma Initiative and Alvar Hanso in order help exploit the island for possible good or possibly selfish reasons.

We once again see the use of the mirror in this episode as well as a mostly redeemed Sawyer, but it is not perfect like the other stories we have seen in the other flash-sideways.

This is what I really want to dig into. My new thoughts came from the continual use of mirrors in this season and the possible significance. I am thinking that the flash-sideways is a reflection of what we are seeing on the island. It was not that the bomb created two possible worlds or two timelines, but rather the flash-sideways is a different entity altogether. It could be that the flash-sideways is the result of actions taken on the island that will redeem our lost. Redemption has been an important part of the show since the start and what the flash-sideways maybe are glimpses of a sort of heaven.

One of the older theories of the show back from Season 1 was that the island was purgatory. The writer's dismissed the theory, but perhaps it's not that far off. It is starting to really fit the bill as it draws closer to the end. Perhaps it is not purgatory per se, but rather a place that represents reality. There have been a lot of parallels and metaphors comparing places to spiritual realms. For instance, Christian referred to Australia as hell in season 1 in his conversation with Sawyer. Locke referred to the island as a place for a second chance. Los Angeles is known as the city of angels. The passengers of flight 815 crashed in between hell and heaven. What I'm starting to think is that the island really is a place of redemption and that our lost are going to go through the last trials and do something that allows them to redeem themselves as a community.

I think the best way to describe it would be to use Christian spirituality to explain it. In a lot of regards, what we do in this world is going to determine what our afterlife looks like. Our eternal selves' fates are linked in with what we do here in the reality of this dark world. Locke called the island a place for a second chance, but that does not mean that the second chance is easy. It harsh and difficult and deadly. In the same way, the characters are facing challenges and harsh circumstances not to save their lives on the island, but rather their other selves, their eternal selves who are off the island in Los Angeles. The characters will face an apocalypse of sorts where they may have to lose their lives to literally save them.

Now, I do not claim that Lost is a Christian show by any stretch, but it is interesting how the show seems to head that way. Perhaps, it's more of an agnostic approach to heaven and the afterlife. I don't know.

I am starting to think that the other thing that is being shown is that salvation for the folks are not going to be individually saved, but rather as a community. The characters are going to be dependent on each other in order to bring about a communal salvation. In the flash-sideways, we see this happening as characters are coming into contact with each other and are depending on each other.

Finally, I am beginning to wonder about the Monster and Jacob. I am beginning to think that the conflict is less of a good versus evil kind of thing, but rather opposing ideologies. Back in the first season, it refers to backgammon being the oldest game in the world. One side dark, one side light. It is always implied that dark is evil and light is good. But perhaps what we have are merely two opposing sides. What makes white team good in backgammon and what makes the black team evil? Nothing. It's merely two opposing sides.

Maybe that is where Widmore, Hanso and the Dharma Initiative come in. Perhaps it is a third group that is going to come in and be the true evil in the show. What would make them evil? It may have to do with the concept of control because the initiative was all about discovering how to control and change the end of the world. Perhaps, it is the idea that they need to know everything that marks them as the villains in the story. In the Lord of the Rings, Saruman is considered evil because he was wanting all the knowledge in the world when it is something outside of human grasp. There is nothing wrong with knowledge and power, but when you need to have power beyond your means or drive for knowledge that only God knows, you step outside your place as a person and claim divinity and you will ultimately begin to be better than other people and God himself.

It may be that the two sides have been warring over the wrong thing the whole time. Both have good intentions, but both are missing the point. I still think that Jacob is the closest thing to a divine character and knows the nature of people and is working towards an end that will save the world. But even his followers don't know what he is doing and are getting caught up in the wrong fights. Hmm, sounds familiar doesn't it?

Lost in Thought: "Dr. Linus"

I am not going to have much in terms of theories this time around, because this episode was not about background or plot. It didn't even really answer any questions and I am perfectly ok with that because what this episode of Lost dealt with is really what this show is about. It is about redemption. There is nothing hidden away and it was not distracted with the plot and the questions and I thought it may be one of the best episodes to date.

Lost is veiled in mystery as way to draw the audience in and push the story forward. It uses elements of fantasy and science fiction in order to be able to create analogies and examples of the bigger questions of what it means to be human. And that's what good science fiction should do.

The beauty of the flash sideways was really apparent in this episode. It was pretty much the second chance that Ben wish he had with Alex on the island.

What we saw in tonight's episode will most likely win Michael Emerson a second Emmy and he completely deserves it with that scene with Illana in the jungle. After being asked why he would go to Locke and he's voice falters as he responds, "Because he's the only one that will have me." Here is the man who has done terrible things in the name of the island and he admits his guilt and knows what he deserves and then he is given the only thing that would save him and that comes from the gracious words of Illana, "I'll have you."

Lost, you get me in the heart. This episode found a good place in the story. We have just come off a depressing, dramatic encounter at the Temple last week, ending the first act of the season and the second act begins with this peaceful story of redemption, giving us a glimpse of hope in the midst of what could be a grim season.

Now, let's get back to the meat of the mystery. Right after I get this sawdust out of my eye. Trust me, it's nothing. I wasn't crying. It's nothing.

There are three interesting notes in this episode in terms of what is going on. One being the fact that Ben and his dad have both been to the island and were apart of the Dharma Initiative. It brings about the question of what actually causes the island to sink. It could not have been the bomb that set it off. Which would also imply that in the sunken island realm, that Jack and the others did not go back in time there in order to detonate it. What the sunken island realm could be is a parallel universe that is a mirror of the Lost realm.... oh my. It could very well be that the show's name is about this whole universe (not just the strange island) that is lost because it eliminates itself for the good of the sunken island realm. And because it does sacrifice itself, it also gives the sunken island realm the possibility of redemption. Still doesn't answer how the island is sunken, but I'll think about that in another post.

Another interesting event is Jack and Richard almost blowing themselves up, but they cannot because they were touched by Jacob. The rule surrounding it seems to be that if you are touched by Jacob, you are not able to die by your own hand. Thus why the dynamite did not go off because Jack cannot kill himself. Another rule we can assume from being a touched candidate is that the Monster cannot kill them either. The Monster was warned that he cannot kill Sawyer and had indeed saved his life.

The other event that is noteworthy is the appearance of Widmore which was not a surprise at all, especially since he is the new complication to introduce in the second act. The next piece of the story will be revolving around this third party and what that means for the island's struggle between Locke and Illana.

I think that once you can figure out the connection between the Lost Realm and the Sunken Island Realm, then I believe you are going to reveal the majority of the mystery of Lost. I know aliens was an idea that was floated around by some and I was starting to think that that would have to be a possibility as well, but it may not be the case anymore. I think Lost may stick to a non-extra terrestrial answer and I hope it does because otherwise it may be a bit too deux ex machina. We shall see.

Lost in Thought: "Sundown"

I will start off by saying that I was not really surprised by the episode. Everything that happened has been alluded to in the last few episodes and it turned out as expected. Sayid has now given into Locke's side and has killed the only two significant Temple-dwellers, putting the focus once again onto the original crash survivors.

The thing I am unsure about in terms of what happens next is Locke's plan. The most obvious idea to me would be tracking down the rest of the candidates and either making them join him or be killed. Perhaps he is trying to pursue Jack and Hurley.

Next week's episode is "Dr. Linus" and it will have to be a Ben centric episode and we will see Ilana's next move. I love Michael Emerson's performances because of his amazing ability to creep you out and make you laugh at his macabre humor at the same time.

Speaking of great performances, Martin Keamy's return was very satisfactory. He is really intimidating and oddly charming at the same time. Sort of like Ben.

Before I start getting into some theories and reflections, I should point out to you that I am writing this as I go. I don't plan it out, I just sort of put my thoughts on paper. It's important to realize this because it is very much a stream of consciousness. Some of the thoughts may linger and other I will immediately take back. As I said, I do not have the benefit of knowing everything since they have not given us enough pieces to really put it all together.

Now, what can be gleaned from the episode? Once again, reflections are used in the episode and the flash sideways contrasts with the on island character. However, in this episode something was different than the previous flash sideways in that Sayid has somewhat of a dark ending. The other episodes with Jack, Kate and Locke have generally turned out positively, showing a positive change compared to their on island persona. Sayid is distinctly different in the alternative timeline, but he still gives into killing Keamy again.

One of the ideas that I have heard is that the two timelines will have to converge once again at some point. The other is one where the actions of the folks on the island actually lead to what happens in the flashsideways. I am prone to putting my stake with the former, because once again last week's episode, I believe Jack saw where he was in the alternative timeline. As well, there is a interesting incident from the start of the season when Kate woke up and it sounded like she was underwater. With the recurring images of water and reflections and parallels, I am wondering if the two timelines are actually not two timelines at all, but rather parallel consciences. Sort of like the souls of the people are fighting for their for their souls and outcomes for their off-island analogs. That the two are intertwined with each other. Ok, that's starting to sound too strange. I'm going to put that one on the back-burner.

This next piece is going back to last week and the Lighthouse. One of the important things about traveling to and from the island has been the bearing. When Michael left the island he had to follow the bearing of 305. Same for the freighter people to go to and from the island. If they wavered at all, it would be have dire consequences. However, if the bearing 108 is important (of course Jacob could have been lying about that and arbitrarily chose a number because ultimately he just wanted Jack to smash the mirrors) then maybe there is something to leaving out the different bearings. If anything, maybe the more important number of candidate is 305. Whose number is assigned to that? Is it Michael's? Is it someone else really important?

When Desmond tried to leave the island he wound up coming back perhaps because he could not find the right bearing and maybe there are only a handful that will actually lead you off the island. And if there is only one or a few that do, it would be interesting to know which bearings they line up to and what number they correlate with the candidate list.

Well, that's where I have to leave it for now. We're right in the middle of the season and this is where they are really pulling out all the guts of the mystery, so it's hard for me land on a solid theory right now. But of course, that is what the writers are trying to do. So good job?

Lost in Thought: "Lighthouse"

Spoilers are following for those who have not seen the Season 6 episode of Lost that aired on February 24th.

I will start off this post by getting ahead of myself a little bit (a tactic that Lost likes to use, so I feel it is appropriate) and say that next week's episode I believe will be a very important one with the fact that they did not even create much of a teaser for it and the fact that we now know that Locke is on his way to the Temple. It seems like the whole plan for Jacob was to ensure that none of the candidates that have not been corrupted yet are not at the Temple. There has to be a better way to say that. I don't care, I just need to get this out.

I am not surprised that Jack and Hurley have come across the caves and once again opens up the question of who are the two bodies in the caves. Currently, I am still sticking with Jack and Kate.

The introduction of David is an interesting thing because he only exists in the no-island timeline. I guess that could theoretically be possible with the fact that if things had turned out differently that consequences would be different. It was just that I was under the assumption that if something happened in the one timeline, that it will occur in the other one. For instance that Charlie with eventually die or that Locke will regain the ability to walk. However, it's starting to now seem that the two timelines are similar to each other, but can be much different from the other and not just cosmetically different. Also names have been always been significant in this show and generally a TV show does not just repeat a name even if it's a common name. Now I can think of think of three other instances of the name. Hurley's dad's name is Dave, his imaginary friend was Dave, and Libby's ex-husband was Dave. Is there a connection between these characters? Not directly. I think the connection might be a little more vague. There's a good chance that it's a red herring, however. Know what? I don't care anymore about this one. We need more info and after this I would just be making up connections.

I was talking with Brad and he made a note about the mirror and I think he may be onto something. He said that what if the whispers came from the person or people watching them on from the Lighthouse. As we saw, the mirrors's angles are assigned to different people and if you can spy on the different people, it may mean you can be heard on the other side. Thus the whispers. The thing was that there were mirrors there and if the one mirror was showing Jack's house that he grew up in, it may be actually pointed at where Jack was in the flashsideways because he was there helping his mom find the will of Christian. Perhaps the mirrors can see both versions of reality.

I feel I don't really need to speak to the situation with Jin and Claire. It seemed pretty straightforward. Claire is associated with the monster and Jin is being brought along for the ride. The monster is going to the Temple and mess some people up, maybe take over something. Maybe take Sayid as his own.

I guess it turns out that 108 belongs to someone named "Wallace". Not Kate like I was imagining. Oh well.

Hey, this is an interesting thought. Jack is the only one in the flashsideways so far that has indications of his time on the island. He seems to not remember things earlier in his life like his appendectomy. He was also the one that was way out in the middle of the jungle in the pilot by himself which was always a little strange. He had claimed at the time that he had passed out when the plane was going down and never saw it crashed. I am wondering if there are special circumstances surrounding Jack and the two timelines. I do not have a complete thought here yet...

See people might assume that I some great insight into the show of Lost and then when they finally catch up to me in watching the episodes, they realize, "oh, wait, it's just because he has watched everything."

Lost in Thought: "The Substitute"

Wow, that episode was fantastic. They have unloaded a lot of information and it's going to be a lot to dig through. I think I might just take some highlights and make a few comments.

Let's start with the idea of the numbers. I'll be honest, I really did not expect any more from the numbers. I kind of figured that they were random numbers picked arbitrarily to connect to the Valenzetti equation and then used for the computer. However, after this episode, now I have to reexamine my thought on that. I mean, I think the writers picked the numbers at random, but the function of the numbers in the story was always intentional. People who are brought to the island were assigned numbers (I am going to say at random) and as Jacob was determining who would be the best candidates, the six numbers assigned to the individuals started to take on importance. That's why they were broadcast from the radio station.

This leads me to the next idea about the candidates in general. One thing that jumped out to me was that all of them (with the possible exception of "Kwon") are male (which leads me to believe it is supposed to be "Jin"). Now, I think this is significant because I think we might find that there is going to be a female counterpart. Maybe that list is elsewhere or the female is selected in a different way, but I am wondering if that the candidate and the female counterpart have a special role to play. What I am referring to is that they may wind up becoming "Adam" and "Eve" that were the two bodies found in the caves by Jack and Kate way back in Season 1. Remember that? Does anybody remember that? Remember that there were two stones found in the pocket of the male and that Jack took them and put them in his pocket. What we may have is the same weird thing that happened with Locke's compass where Locke gave the compass to Richard so that Richard can give it to Locke and thus creating this strange loop. It could be that those two stones could be in the similar loop. Jack takes the stones from the body and then later Jack dies and becomes that dead body. Which would be interesting in that the black and white stones represent the struggle between good and evil and the statement from that could be that there is no beginning and no end to the struggle between good and evil. As long as there is people, that is the eternal struggle. Man, that sounds kind of smart. Heck, even if this gets proven wrong, I'm still going stick with it. Now, since Jack is still one of the candidates and arguably the actual protagonist of the show and has fought so hard against the idea of having a destiny and how his character has slowly evolved over the course of the show, it would be fitting that his character finds his destiny as the candidate. He once believed he was there by coincidence and has taken on the idea that he is supposed to be there. So who would be "Eve"? I think you know where I'm going with this one. It would be so fitting that Jack and Kate, who originally found the bodies together, become the bodies together. I mean, there were no other characters present when they first discovered the bodies and I think that may have been intentional. Although, they may tease the Jack-Kate-Sawyer triangle or possibly the Jack-Kate-Sawyer-Ghost Juliet rhombus, ultimately we are going to see Sawyer go to the dark side or at the very least not be with Kate. There has been much more emphasis on the Jack-Kate aspect and the writers of the show really like to make certain statements a foreshadow of what's to come even if it's not apparent at the time it was said. In this case, the line that Kate says in Season 5 when Jack asks Kate to be on his side when he presents the idea of the Oceanic 6's deception, "I've always been on your side." I think you really are going to see that through in this case. I think you're going to see Jack step into the role of the new Jacob.

I suppose that it is also very likely that the candidate is not Jack, but Jack and Kate still become Adam and Eve and it all makes sense. I was just riffing on the whole candidates are all males thing.

Anyway, other interesting thing was the kid that Sawyer and Locke saw in the jungle and warned Locke about following the rules. The rule probably was that Locke is not allowed to kill the candidates (other people are fair game). That kid could have been an incarnation of Jacob and maybe children are special to the island for that reason? Either that or the kid is actually an older version of Aaron. Whaaaa?

An interesting thing about the flash sideways is that Locke had accepted the idea that he can't do everything and instead became a teacher instead. Meanwhile, evil Locke still fervently holds onto the idea that he cannot be told what he can't do. The whole idea of fate. It's interesting that the monster seems to be saying that Jacob forced the six to make choices, but what I think you see is that the monster is the one exerting it's will. Jacob may have touched the folks, but I do not believe he took away their free will. I don't know. They are trying really hard to blur who represents fate and who represents free will.

One other thing I was thinking about is that we have seen both Ethan and Ben outside of the island and that actually proves what I said a couple of weeks ago to be at least partially inaccurate. Because Ben and Ethan would have both been on the island when the bomb had been detonated and thus it could not have been the bomb that sunk the island. However, something else may have done it. I will have to think on it some more.

Lost in Thought: "What Kate Does"

Although this episode was Kate-centric, it was really about Claire. It hinted at past events of Claire and has established her return. There is a lot going on here, so I am going to take different scenes in a random order and try to explore the possible implications of that on the story and Claire's role in the story.

One of the most intriguing events in the episode was appearance of Ethan, who was a major player in Claire's story earlier in the series. In the off island story, Ethan is a baby doctor (or whatever the technical name is for that) and talks to Claire about giving her drugs so that she does not have to give birth so early.

One of the trends in this alternative timeline (the producers have said that they don't like using that term, saying that this new off-island story is not a secondary or lesser than the island events, but for a lack of better term, I will use it) is that the characters are more or less in the same scenario as they were at the start of the series and that this timeline explores what would have happened without the plane crash. The archetype of the characters are essentially the same. Hurley is still a lottery winner. Jack is still a spinal surgeon, Kate is still a fugitive, etc. More to the point, Ethan can be assumed that he is filling a role that he had in the original timeline and that is on the island, he was also a baby doctor. This may also imply that he knew what he was doing with Claire on the island and not just taking orders, but rather he was trying to protect Claire through his medical training. The drugs he was injecting into her when she was taken away from the other castaways was to prevent the baby from being born on the island because of the fact other pregnant women have died. It may indicate that he really did have Claire's best interest in mind.

Another major event in this episode links Sayid to Claire's fate. I had always assumed that Claire did in fact die in the attack by Keamy and his fellow mercenaries on New Otherton. When she woke up that night and saw Christian, this was when she was "claimed" like Sayid is. Now, I had assumed that maybe Claire was another one of the forms of the monster like Christian, but this episode seems to indicate that Claire and Sayid are different than merely a form of the monster, but rather raised from the dead for the sake of fulfilling the monster's purposes. The monster has been associated with the idea of Cerberus, who was the guardian of the underworld in Greek mythology. The reason Dogen wanted Sayid dead was because of the tainted nature that Sayid inherited from this second life. What would Dogen fear so much about Sayid. I think the answer lies with another one who may have been claimed and that is Rousseau's team members. In the episode where Jin was with them, he witnessed the team member who was romantically connected to Rousseau try to attack her in a way that is out of sync of his character. We know that the team members were in contact with the monster and may have been "claimed" at that point. It is possible that once "claimed" the monster can take over the body and do as it will.

The question then is, what is the difference between the state Christian is and the state that Claire is in? Is Christian and Locke under the same thing curse that Claire and the Rousseau team members are under?

It's clear that this season is about defining who is on who's side and which side is the good side and which one is the evil side and I believe the original timeline and the alternative timeline are actually connected in some very major way. Aside from the producers actually saying so, it is also clear in the way Claire and Kate talked about the baby's name being Aaron.

That's where I'll leave it for now. I know I said I was going to talk about the smoke monster more, and I want to actually walk through what Jacob's nemesis' plan was and see if that sorts out some issues, but I was more interested in the role of Claire and Ethan. And now I'm about to fall unconscious. Good night.

Lost in Thought: "LA X"

The long wait to the new season of Lost was well worth it after taking in the two hour season premiere. I am excited to see where this season goes and what they do with the story. However, I wanted to actually write down my thoughts about the new episodes as they come along just to see how well I can understand where the story is going. Each week, I want to write about various topics that come up in the show. Obviously, these posts are going to mean nothing to people who are not current with the show and if you are trying to catch up, then please, do not read these because it's going to riddled with spoilers. With that, let's start.

This week, I am going to tackle the big turn in the story which is a direct result of the season 5 finale. I was wondering how they were going to handle the bomb detonating at the pocket of electromagnetism. From various sources, there was an implication that the bomb would reset the timeline and that flight 815 would land in Los Angeles safe. The problem with that though would be that the island would be abandoned and the idea that this show centers around the island would not work or they would really have to stretch to make it work for the characters to go back and in addition you would the problem of a time paradox. However, if the bomb failed, then all the main characters would be dead with the story nowhere to go.

That's where the timeline split comes in, which does not completely surprise me, but I was unsure of how they'd handle it. I mean, you are tracking two stories of characters in two different realities and I can potentially see that being confusing for much of the audience (although I assume that much of the audience who watch the show are fairly intelligent). The two realities (or parallel timelines) that were created by the incident at the Swan site and both need to exist on a metaphysic level otherwise it would cause a time paradox as I previously mentioned. The first reality is one where the bomb successfully detonated and ultimately sinks the island to below the seas' surface in 1977. Since the island sinks, there is no hatch constructed on it, thus no button for Desmond to press and thus it did not bring down Flight 815. The plane lands safely in the Los Angeles airport and things are relatively normal for the passengers. However, minor differences are apparent in the lives of the characters due to the ripple effect of the island never playing a role in the lives. I will call this parallel universe the "no island" reality.

However, this would mean that since the plane did not wreck on the island, it also means that Jack and his crew would not go on the series of events that leads them to going back to 1977 and thus detonate the bomb that sinks the island. It's a time paradox, so on a metaphysical level, there needs to be a reality where the island still exists and the hatch is created and the plane crashes and the events of the first 5 seasons occur. They get bumped back to 2007 and exist in the same reality as Sun, LaPedus, and Ben because in relativity that is how much time has passed for both the Ajira crew and for Jack and the others. This is the "island exists" reality.

Ok, that was basically a review of what actually happened on the episode and doesn't really have a theory in it, but what does this idea mean for some of the other mysteries of the island? I don't know yet, I will have to think about it more. The other major development is the identity of the smoke monster as being Jacob's nemesis and the fake Locke. I will deal with that next time.

What I really look forward to in this season is the development of the two alternative timelines because I have not seen this in any other show or movie really. It will be interesting to see what the characters would have done without the impact of the island on their lives. It is also a tool for the main debate of the whole show which is fate vs. free will. If we have a specific fate, then you will be seeing the two realities parallel each other. You will see Boone die in the "no island" reality, along with Charlie, and the others that died in the original "island exists". It will be very much like the Final Destination franchise in that regard and there will be nothing that can be done to prevent it. However, if the philosophy of the show leans towards free will, then you are going to see vastly different outcomes for the characters in the two realities. Maybe in one, the character has a tragic end, but then you can see that they have a second chance in another life.

Can we change fate? That's what Lost has asked from the start and I am looking forward to see how the writers tackle it.

"See you in another life, brotha," - Desmond

What is in the Hatch Already?

I picked up the new season of Lost and it's got me excited once more for my favorite TV show. Yes, even more favourite than 24. As I have watched the show go along and seeing how things are coming together, I am excited to see where the story goes and it has me thinking again about what could be.

J.J. Abrams, the creator of Lost and a director with a keen knowledge of film and story, talked about mystery in stories. He said that mystery is what drives characters through a story. It's what brings the audience through a story. He believes that mystery is key in telling an engaging story.

I was reflecting on how that is not only true in why I am drawn into Lost, but perhaps that is what pulls a lot of people through the story of their own lives. I mean, we have the mystery of how will our career turnout? Who will I marry? Are my kids going to be successful? Who is God? Where do I fit?

People have gotten with how Lost is taking it's time in revealing the nature of the island and what is going on and I think people are missing the point. Although the writer's could tell you what everything is, it would suck the life out of the show. If I had told you what was in the hatch that they found at the end of season 1 and what it does, it would severely take away the wonder and awe of discovering it with the characters and then seeing how the characters deal with it. This wonderment is key because this show is not about the answers. It's about the characters. It's about what the characters do in this situation where they don't know the answers but they continue to live and figure the best way through the chaos.

It's the same for us. We could have definite answers about our future and the exact nature of God, but I think there is something to mystery that needs to permeate into our lives. We can't know every detail for the reasons why things work the way they do and ultimately, I think it would be a disservice to us as individuals created in God's image. If we are wrapped in a mystery, the thing we are left with is who are we in the midst of it all. Who am I going to be despite the situation where there are unknowns. Are we going to throw up our hands and hang out at the beach and wait for death to come get us or are we going to live in such a way that explores the mystery. A way of life that tries to do the best they can with the strange scenarios we are plunked into.

Lost is a show about broken people given a chance to change how they approach their lives and enable them to see their essential true selves in the face of a wall of mystery. Their past lives may dictate why they do things they do, but that doesn't mean they can't change. They can change their fate. And through the grace of God, so can we.

I got troubles, ah, but not today

'Cause they're gonna wash away

They're gonna wash away

And I have sins love, but not today

'Cause they're gonna wash away

They're gonna wash away

- Joe Purdy's "Wash Away" from the album Julie Blue