For the longest time, I had no access to this bloody thing. Then, lo and behold tonight, after trying to give the url addy out to and old acquaintance that I recently just caught up with, I found out it's still here. Ain't that a kick in the pants. Maybe I should start this thing back up to see if it runs.

From our home to yours……….

From our home to yours,

With feelings of love.

Just wrap this Christmas wish around you,

Like the arms of a hug.

May it give you much comfort,

And keep you cozy and warm.

We hope it’ll be there for you,

Through many a winter storms.

And Remember…

We wish you many blessings,

At this joyous time of year.

With health, wealth, and happiness,

And plenty of good cheer.

Merry Christmas

From Scarecrow and Family

 The year was 1985. Ronald Reagan was sworn in for a second term. Keira Knightley, Reggie Bush, Evan Longoria, Frankie Munoz are born, (now don’t you feel old?). Tetris is released, the Tommy Hilfinger brand is established, and AC/DC released their tenth studio album, (if you remember LPs, you ARE old), named Fly on the Wall.

Compared to several previous works like, Highway to Hell, Back in Black, and For Those about to Rock, this album was fairy lackluster. Still, it didn’t persuade a 19 year old PSU sophomore with hair half way down his back from wanting to…er….needing to beg, borrow & scrounge up enough cash, (about $35-40 bucks at that time), to get a ticket to see one of his idols in concert.

He did manage to get a ticket, and enough to buy a $20 concert shirt, (also a lot of money at that time), and in turn, he was promptly blown away by the sound, the antics of the lead guitarist, the pyrotecnics, the props, and the fact that to date it was quiet possibly the loudest show he has ever been to.

Twenty three years later, with his 16 year old daughter and girlfriend in tow, (boy how things change), and with a $100 ticket in hand, (and change is good?), that same excitement was still there. The hair is a lot shorter, and the cut-off denim jacket over leather jacket has been replaced by a plain brown t-shirt, but inside the rock and roll animal is still an ever energetic teen, (just with an aching back).

Contrary to the rave reviews of the tour, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. First, I feel this CD, Black Ice, (they are called CDs now children), is good but not great. Second, the members of the band are friggin’ old. Angus and Malcolm are 53 and 55 respectively, with lead singer Brian Johnson almost able to collect social security at 61. Needless to say, I was going in with an understanding that the show wouldn’t be the same as the ones I saw in years past.

Boy was I wrong. From the opening animated video of a runaway rock and roll train with a devilish Angus Young stoking the fire regardless of the attempts of  suggestively drawn women trying to stop him, to last resonating note of Angus’ Gibson SG and six barrel cannon barrage of For Those About to Rock the show did nothing lest than kick ass. Angus might look old but he proved to be just as spry and energetic as ever, never slowing down for a straight 105 minutes, and all while delivering his signature power chords and one handed arpeggios. Armed with five new tunes and 13 of their classics, the lads from down under treated us to full throttle attack of balls to the wall, adrenalin pumping rock and roll. Back in Black, Dirty Deeds, Thunderstruck, (which my buddy had the bridal party enter to in his wedding on Saturday night), Whole Lotta Rosie, Hells Bells, Shoot to Thrill, You Shook Me All Night Long, Highway to Hell, TNT, Let There Be Rock and more. And as always, during The Jack, Angus did his patented strip down from his burgundy velvet school boy outfit to reveal a pair of AC/DC boxers, (available for $20 in the concourse). Cheesy as it may be, (along with the blinking devil horns for $15), it’s all part of the basic rock and roll entertainment value of an AC/DC concert. (Actually, the devil horns led to a cool light effect when the lights went down.) And as an accompaniment to the cheesy lyrics, we were treated to the usual stage show bag of tricks. From a life size train engine crashing through the stage leading into the entry song Rock and Roll Train, to a bell coming down from the rafters during Hells Bells, to flame throwers lighting up the stage in crimson & orange during Highway to Hell, to the closing cannon fire on For Those About to Rock. It’s all gooood. It’s all fun. It’s all rock and roll. And as far as it not being as loud as I remember, my hearing is worse now, so it probably was a lot louder than I thought.

The crowd itself consisted mainly of 30-50 year olds, with their kids, like me. Mostly, the adults put the kids to shame with rocking out. (Of course, they would say we embarrassed them.) One dude was there with his five year old kid. The kid had on those big industrial earmuffs that landscapers wear to protect his ears and carried a toy microphone which he sang each song into, word for friggin’ word. Talk about cute.

So whereas you don’t need to see close ups of Angus’ striptease, the bags under his eyes, bold spots of Malcolm, or Brian Johnson’s three jowls, what you do need to do is go to this concert. And even without Have a Drink on Me, or Big Balls and a no name warm up band, (or is it warm up bland?), I give this concert five crows feet.

NOTE:  My joke above about LPs now being called CDs reminded me of a funny story. A bunch of years ago, mid 90’s maybe, in my last job we use to do polyannas with a $20 limit. Typically, I always wrote down a few CDs that I wanted. One year, the person who picked my name was this sweet 100 year old woman that worked for us part time. She actually tried to buy a $20 certificate of deposit for me. Someone explained what I meant and she had no idea LPs weren’t being used anymore.

Take Care,

S

Carl was an unhappy squirrel. Outside of his nuts, he had nothing. But one fall, Carl’s luck had changed. While scrounging for coffee grounds, Carl stumbled upon a case of Sam Adams Winterbrew. Now, this winter Carl will be relaxing in his tree house with a warm fire, while sitting in his bark-a-lounger watching “Squirrel’s Gone Wild” on his big screen TV, with his nuts in one hand, a beer in the other and a smile on his face.

The End

Next up: Chauncey the Dyslexic Zebra

Going Down the Shore

It’s not “going to the shore” or “going to the beach” it’s just “Going down the shore”. In Philly we go “down the shore” or “up the mountains”. There are no prepositions. No need for unnecessary words to clutter the expression. Can’t get there fast enough and cutting out all those big words like “to” will expedite things. Anyway, in a few hours, that’s where I will be…..going down the shore. The Jersey shore. Wildwood, N.J. to be exact. The land that made Cozy Morley and Charlie Gracie famous. One of the oldest family beach communities in the country. Been getting sand in my shorts there since I was in diapers, and probably will when I get back in them. The best beach and sand in the world is in Wildwood. While most beaches are eroding, The Wildwoods beaches are still five miles long and about a 100+ yards wide. It has everything you want in a beach resort and no stinking blue laws. The Boardwalk has several piers packed with rides, games, food…..enough to drop a couple hundred a night trying to entertain a girlfriend and three insatiable kids. Boardwalk pizza, Curley’s Fries, Kohr’s Custard, polish water ice, hot dogs…….

Ahhhh…….the smell of salty air, the sun beating down on you as a cool breeze whips in off the Atlantic, the rolling thunder of waves crashing against the surf , the sound of the fudgy wudgy man selling his wares, and cackle of the seagulls as they swoop in and steal some toddlers Dorito, jellyfish infestations, horseshoe crab carcasses, the green heads sucking your blood, the invisible chiggers gnawing at your leg, sand in your PB&J, sunburn on your scalp because you forgot your hat….love it all.

GE has never been “down the shore”. Training her to lose the preposition isn’t going to well. She comes from a foreign land where they VW’s are called “slugbugs” not “punch buggies”, and they put “sprinkles” on their ice cream, not “jimmies”, and people eat “subs” and not hoagies….what kind of bassackward land is Virginia anyway? Oh well, this will be her first visit to the Jersey shore. She has been excited for weeks. Annoyingly so. “Can we do this?, “Can we do that?”, “Should I bring this?”, “Can I play in the ocean?”, “Can we fool around on the beach……oh…wait…..TMI. We’ll probably hit AC one night for little gambling, maybe the Cape May Zoo, maybe a few of the light houses along the coast, definitely a couple pancake houses for breakfast, and not to mention all the regular events Wildwoods has going on.

Anyway, time to shower, pack up the old family roadster and get going.

Take care,

S

Spring'll soon be gone (Wildwood days),

summer's comin' on (Wildwood days)
And I'm-a dreamin' of (Wildwood days) lotsa summer love
(bup-a-dup-a-dup-a-up)
And all I think about (Wildwood days)

 after school is out (Wildwood days)
Headin' down the shore (Wildwood days) to have a ball once more
Whoa whoa whoa whoa those Wildwood days, wild, wild Wildwood days
Oh baby, every day's a holiday and every night is a Saturday night
Oh those Wildwood days, wild, wild Wildwood days
And then those party lights wild, wild Wildwood nights.
Say baby you'll be mine (Wildwood days)

 'cause it's kissin' time (Wildwood days)
Gonna twist again (Wildwood days) like remember when
(dom-a-dom-a-dom-a-dom)
Sleepin 'on the beach (Wildwood days) seven days a week (Wildwood days)
Rockin' every night (Wildwood days) till the early bright
Whoa whoa whoa whoa those Wildwood days, wild, wild Wildwood days
My baby, every day's a holiday and every night is a Saturday night
Oh those Wildwood days, wild, wild Wildwood days
And then those party lights wild, wild Wildwood nights

Whoa whoa whoa whoa those Wildwood days, wild, wild Wildwood days
Oh baby, every day's a holiday and every night is a Saturday night

Wildwood Days – Bobby Rydell

#17 on the charts in 1963

First, I want to revisit some things from last week. After watching it a couple more times and reading some things on line, I’d like to bring a few things to your attention.

Are the monster and Mathew Abbadon related?

Cerberus – In Greek mythology, Cerberus was the watchdog of Hades that prevented spirits from leaving. We’ve seen the name Cerberus on the blast door, and both Carlton Cuse & Damon Lindelof mentioned at Comic Con 2007 that it was another name for the Monster.

Abbadon – Jehovah’s Witness’ recognize Abbadon as “the angel with the key to the abyss” that threw Satan into the abyss and closed it on him.

Sounds similar huh? So, are both the monster and Matthew Abbadon related?

What’s with all the Hos?

Holmium – A periodic element with the symbol of HO. It is used for its strong magnetic properties in nuclear fission, solid state lasers, and even cubic zirconia. And I’ve read “Holmium plays no biological role in humans but may be able to stimulate metabolism”. Anyway, I think an overabundance of this element on the island, and the fact that time on the island moves a lot slower might have something to do how Locke can walk, injuries cure faster, and the aging process slows. The time issue will be addressed later on and will explain the inconsistencies of aging for Walt, Richard Eyeliner and new character Frank Lapidus.

After further review, we will reverse the call on the field. It is not Locke’s eye.

Upon re-watching it, the eye does not appear to be blue. Locke has blue eyes. Also, taking into consideration the darkness, the shadows, and the quickness of the shot, the skin tone appears to be darker. I think its Walt and he was talking to Christian for some reason. Maybe the conversation is about Walt & Christian trying to talk Jacob into succumbing into technology and getting a big screen so they can watch the Super Bowl. Well, that’s my guess.

Did you notice the look Hurley got when he mentioned Jacob’s cabin, from both Ben and Locke? They were surprised to hear that he could also see the cabin. This is how we know it’s not Locke’s eye that he sees. If it was, Locke would have known that Hurley saw the cabin. (Did you see Saw 2? I saw Saw 2 too.)

Tell my sister I love her

Before last nights show I had a long dissertation connecting Naomi to Nadia. But as Roseanne Roseannadanna would say…. “nevermind”. Instead, we will look at other possible code phrases Naomi could have used.

“Tell my brother I love him” really means “Just because I’m possibly dying doesn’t mean you guys on board get to go through my panty drawer.”

“Tell me mum/dad I love them” means “There is no f***ing Dunkin Donuts on this godforsaken island!” or “Why do I have to pick coffee, of all things, to give up for Lent?”

“Tell my husband I love him” when talking to another female means “Love, you have got to see this hot Sawyer guy. Pack some condoms & flavored body paints and get over here.”

“Tell my wife I love her” said by a man, means “Just shut up, and bring me a ham sandwich and a beer”.

“Tell my kids I love them” means “I told you not to push that ejector seat button on the helicopter. When I get back to that boat I’m going to beat you with a Dharma polar bear collar.”

Missing Pieces 13 revisited

In this clip, Christian sends Vincent along to wake his son, Jack up, who is laying unconscious in the jungle upon the crash of Flight 815. So Vincent can see Christian. Yellow Labs figure prominently into The Lost Experience with the character Dr Vincent 'Wally' Bole. (Wally Bole is an anagram for yellow lab.) With the help of Alvar Hanso, he started an institute researching the super powers of labs. So here are the two ideas I am kicking around. First, Brian Porter, who Vincent belonged to, while living in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Australia, whatever, worked in some regard for Hanso, and possible acquired Vincent from Hanso. Vincent crashes on the island and strikes up a bond with Jacob and/or Christian Sheppard, who is/are related to Hanso. Or, the Vincent on the plane died. BUT, Jacob has a yellow lab, (the one in the picture which lives forever), and basically sent it to take over as Walt's dog Vincent to keep an eye on the Losties and protect Walt.

“I have a Man on the Boat”

Either this is Ben’s coming-out-of-the-closet moment or the all-knowing, always thinking, all-conniving Benry really does have someone on the boat. I do not think it’s Michael like others have mentioned. I think it’s probably Minkowski. Maybe this is why he was away from the radio when Miles called in. Maybe Minkowski was secretly trying to contact the others. Any-who…Miles shows the Losties a picture of Ben all decked out in his Saturday Night Fever special. (Looking rather smart I might add.) Okay, so if Ben came to the island as a lad and was there ever since, when/where could this pic have been taken? I guess at one time on the island they could have dressed up and had an office like this, but there were no indications of this, that I remember. The Dharma work environment seemed more laid back than this. We can only surmise that Ben was off the island for a period of time. It’s interesting how the dress is 70’s but the PC’s are more 80’s/90’s. Oh well, I have no real idea on this. Maybe through teleportation or the wormholes, he was able to be in two places at one time. Maybe, while dressed for a night Bee Gees at the Studio 54 with his goldfish encased platform shoes and John Travolta suit, he got into the ‘magic box’, while a snickering Tom, Richard & Mikhail, jokingly transported him into a 90’s trust tax department. (He actually looks a lot like a guy I worked with.) Someone mentioned it looked like an airport. As a side note, I really like Ben. He’s becoming my favorite character. He had the best one-liners in last weeks episode.

Danny Faraday blinds us with science.

Way back when.....about 22 years back when.....I was attending PSU and taking courses like Com Sci, Elec Engineering, Physics....on my way to what I thought would be a career in Computer Science or Aerospace Engineering. Well, that never really panned out, but while watching last night I had a proud 'AHA' moment. I heard of the name 'Faraday' before. Michael Faraday created a force field thingy, (sorry to get technical), that traps in and blocks out electrical waves, radiation, radio waves, etc. It's called a Faraday Cage. Interesting how the whole island was sort of a Faraday Cage.

Danny Faraday, a physicist, makes note of, “interesting how the light bends over the island’. Okay, because I never finished college the rest of what I say might be complete HOrse poop, but then again, maybe I am on to something. We are going to get into an idiots opinion of quantum teleportation and all that Philadelphia Experiment conspiracy theory stuff and how it relates to LOST. Ohhhhhh….Ahhhh…….

Quantum teleportation has been achieved in laboratories, but at the smallest levels. Still, this means it could be a bona fide explanation for things on the island. All I am saying is its not far-fetched. Has anyone ever seen the movie called The Philadelphia Experiment? According to conspiracy theorists, it could be based on real events. Basically, during WWII, the Navy ran an experiment using gravity, radiation, electromagnetic energy, squirrels, whatever, to try and render a warship invisible. Supposedly, the experiment worked but with many side effects, deaths, mishaps, etc. Supposedly, the warship briefly teleported between Norfolk and Philadelphia. Also, in the movie, the one character teleported from 1944 to present day in the movie, which was in the 80’s. This whole idea of bending light around an object to render it invisible isn’t unknown. Einstein called it the Unified Field Theory and people like Nikoli Tesla played around with it.

So with all these things thrown into a giant Dharma crapper, this is what my limited mind thinks. I was just talking to a co-worker this morning about the Electro Magnetic Pulse and how by imploding the Swan it didn't stop the Faraday Cage effect, but enhanced it. The button and subsequent releasals of energy every 108 minutes was a way of controlling this natural phenomenon. It allowed ships, planes, (remember the food drops), submarines, etc, to find the island if they knew where to look. I think the Looking Glass enhanced the natural Faraday cage by blocking the radio transmissions in and out. With the light bending around it and across it, this is why the ships can't see the island, nor why Sayid cannot see any ships on the horizon. It's also why Desmond's boat, while on auto pilot, kept bouncing off the inside of the cage and found its way back to the island. The force field wasn't allowing the boats navigational equip. to find a way through. Before it first crashed while on his race, during an electrical storm, and the navigation went out, the boat is at the mercy of the ocean and then finds its way on the island. The second time, he was just adrift also. (Drunk and adrift and playing with fire arms....ahh, ain't that the life.) Michael's boat could leave because only Ben knew the coordinates to the one entry point in which a craft could get through. This might be the reason they want Ben so bad. So he can tell them how to get through the cage. Of course the raft had radar, but that's it, and was only turned on for short periods of time

I also believe that because of the islands properties, time on the island, as compared to the real world, is different. I think time on the island moves much slower than on the real world. This will explain how Richard Eyeliner appears so young. It will explain how Walt comes back much older and taller, (“what like a giant?”). And to me, how can Frank Lapidus go from Oceanic pilot to drunken, broken down helo pilot to tourist in just 3+ months? Because it was only three months on the island, but maybe one or two years off. BTW, how is it that he lands the helicopter fine, but has this huge gash on his head? Wouldn’t his helmet have protected him from that? Must have happened after he landed and out of the helo. Maybe the cow did it. You have to watch out for those bovines. They’re sneaky fast.

Oceanic Six & cover-up

So the world is told the plane crashed in the Sunda Trench…..but wait we now have survivors, six of them. So maybe, the cover-up is that the six were found afloat at sea, which leads to Abbadon asking if they are still alive. But wait, Faraday, Miles, Charlotte, Frank and Naomi are/were working for Matthew Abbadon, so wouldn’t he know if they were alive?

The Newbies

What was that thing Miles put together in the dead druggies bedroom? Was it one of those vacuum/CD player combos that never took on? Was just to cover any noises in the room? Since he can talk to the dead, is Miles there to talk to Jacob, the island, Christian? My gut tells me he was a closet Expose fan, and wants to have live/death relationship with Nikki Fernandez. (BTW –Anyone recognize Miles as the bleach blonde bad guy from Rush Hour?)

Is that a picture of a young Eko Tunde that we saw in Mrs. Gardner's house? The resemblance to a young Eko was there. And Miles found both heroin and cash hidden. We know her grandson was killed by drug dealers. All of this is circumstantial evidence that points to Eko. And Eko was traveling from Sidney to L.A. when the plane crashed. But, I re-read Eko's back story and found nothing. I threw Eko Tunde, Yemi Tunde, Oduduwa Ulu, (Eko's fake passport name), & Gardner into both an Nigerian to English translator and an anagram program and came up with nothing. Maybe it is a picture of Eko, and maybe not. Maybe he's not the grandson that was killed. Maybe Mrs. Gardner took Sally Struthers to heart and donated to the Christian Children's Fund and got picture of little Eko back. (Word on the street among the parapsychologists is that the vacuum/boom box looking thing is a device that many ghostbuster employ in their work. What it does is distribute cold air which flushes out the spirits. This explains why Miles was cold all of a sudden.)

And speaking of Expose, there was a Rick Lapidus in the script. Any relation to our friend Frank?

Why is it, that when a special operative, like Naomi, gets her orders, it’s always in this large empty room with just a desk in the middle? I mean how cliché was that scene?

Now I haven’t mentioned Charlotte at all. Other than the fact she seemed happy, almost expecting, to find that Dharma bear collar on that dig, and she was so interested in Claire's baby, I have nothing to add. Except she’s a hot red head with an accent.

I like the fact that two good veteran actors like Jeff Fahey and Stephen Fisher are being added to the cast. Not that the current cast isn’t good, it’s just nice to see some old faces every now and then.

Don’t forget to check out my friends LOST blog at www.fishbiscuits.blogspot.com Between the two of us, we’ll figure this thing out. She’ll update her blog later tonight.

Okay, I’m hungry, now does that code phrase for a ham sandwich and beer go?

Now get LOST!

Take care

S

It's poetry in motion
And when she turned her eyes to me
As deep as any ocean
As sweet as any harmony
She blinded me with science
And failed me in geometry

When she's dancing next to me
(Blinding me with science)
(Science)
Science
I can hear machinery
(Blinding me with science)
(Science)
Science

It's poetry in motion
And now she's making love to me
The spheres are in commotion
The elements in harmony
She blinded me with science
She blinded me with science
And hit me with technology

When I'm dancing close to her
Science
I can smell the chemicals
(Blinding me with science)
(Science)
Science

I, I don't believe it
There she goes again
She's tidied up and I can't find anything
All my tubes and wires
And careful notes
And antiquated notions
But, it's poetry in motion
And when she turned her eyes to me
As deep as any ocean
As sweet as any harmony
Mmm, but she blinded me with science
She blinded me with science
She blinded me with

Thomas Dolby – Blinded Me with Science

#9 Tropical Depression

As Dr. Arzt is catching a medusa spider, Michael comes up to him and asks about current weather conditions. The high school teacher admits to Michael that he made the whole thing about the monsoon season up to force the raft launch sooner rather than later. He then tells Michael that he was in Sidney to rendevous with a woman he met on the internet. He lied to her by not sending a his picture, but that of a friends, Nick. Half way through the meal she excused herself, never to return. Arzt said he could of stayed around in Sidney, but booked an earlier flight on Oceanic 815. Michael tells Arzt that he has a hard time feeling sorry for him because they are all in the same situation. Michael then says don’t worry, I’ll send back help. To which Arzt replies that he will be the first one on the island to meet them when they return.

Of course we know this doesn’t happen ‘cause Arzt BLEW UP! Is there more to Arzt’s story? Who is this woman? Will Michael bring back help, knowing everyone can finger him for murder? Did he bring the freighter back? Is this his way of redeeming himself?

#10 Jack Meet Ethan

As Jack is searching through luggage for medical supplies, Ethan approaches him and gives Jack a suitcase of medicines that he says he found on the island. Ethan then mentions that Jack might have to deliver Claire’s baby on the island. Jack tells Ethan that he can be his assistant if that happens. Ethan comments how his wife & child had died during childbirth and hopes that rescue comes soon. To which Jack agrees.

So, where did the medicine really come from…The Staff? If he is telling the truth, who was Ethan’s wife? Sabine?

#11 Jin has a Temper Tantrum on the Golf Course

Hurley, Jin & Michael are playing golf. After missing a put, Jin throws a temper tantrum. He yells in Korean that he is unhappy, can’t understand anyone and is tired of the handcuff still on his wrist. Hurley and Michael leave him there crying that he is alone.

How is he alone? He is there with his wife? It’s a little uncharacteristic for him, so I wonder what the intent of this episode is?

#12 The Envelope

This episode takes place in Juliet’s living quarters in The Barracks. It happens right after she burns her hands taking out the muffins she baked for the book club meeting, right before Oceanic Flight 815 fateful crash on their island. After she burns her hands she is visited by an older lady named Amelia. Concerned for her frame of mind Amelia asks how Juliet is doing, considering what happened. (We assume it has to do with her and Ben.) Juliet takes Amelia into her confidence and asks her to swear to never utter what she is about to show Amelia. Juliet pulls out a manila envelope and is about to empty it’s contents when a book club participant rings her doorbell and the episode ends.

Who is Amelia and where is she now? Did Juliet ever show the info to anyone? Was it anything to do with Ben’s tumor? Did she serve those burned muffins to her guests and if not, then what was her backup?

#13 So It Begins

This episode takes place before the first scene of the very first episode. We see Christian Sheppard in his burial clothes petting and talking to Walt’s yellow lab, Vincent. Christian Sheppard tells Vincent to go wake up Jack. And as the dog goes into the jungle on his mission, Christian utters out loud……”he has a lot of work to do”.

Okay, so this is the best of them all. Right off the bat, we have a supposedly dead Christian talking to a dog. Are both Vincent and Jack seeing things? I think not. I’ve been saying all along that he is alive and I think this solidifies it even more. It also re-affirms that Christian is part of the story and how important Jack is to it also.

Take Care

S

OR….What’s with all the Ho-Hos?

If only life could be so simple again. I remember way back when I was a young lad and my posse, (UM…okay we didn’t use the term ‘posse’),….anyway, my gang and I would hit the 7-11 every Friday night and buy a some jerky, baquito burritos & slushies, and every now and then have a vision over by the Ho-Hos. Her name was Jeannie and she had that 80’s blue eye shadow, feathered back blonde hair, ripped jeans, tube top and denim jacket. Never saw a dead English rocker, but I liked my visions better.

Anyway, I have to admit I was a little disappointed in the episode at first but only because I was led to expect something else. The advance reviews promised toe-curling, mind-blowing, mouth gaping events. I found neither, but after watching it a second time I realized that it really was a more somber but emotionally charged episode, dealing with the death of a friend. Aside from the many ‘did you see’ moments I thought the two biggest interesting story lines was further proof of Hurley’s ability to see things others can’t and the further transformations of character for Hurley and Jack.

So the show opens up sometime after the Oceanic Six are rescued but some time before the flash forward from season 3’s finale. The opening scene hits us right away with both a mind f**k and huge cultural reference. With the camera panning back from a mound of mangoes with an ocean backdrop, we figure we are on the island, only to have them explode in front of us as a bitchin’ red Camaro decides the fruit is best served in salad form. Next we see the Camaro caught on live in TV, reminiscent of a certain white Bronco, as the owner of the TV, Jack, pours himself a nice morning mixed drink containing…..OJ.

We find the driver of the Camaro is Hurley. He is minding his own business buying some jerky and a slushie, when over by the Ho-Hos he see’s something and is spooked into a high speed chase from the cops. The chase ends at a used car lot and Hurley screaming that he’s part of the Oceanic Six, as he’s being handcuffed. Later, we find Hurley being interviewed by Ana Lucia’s ex-partner, Mike Walton, (that mole has to go). He flat out lies about knowing Ana Lucia, but is it because of the cover-up or her murder? After the interrogator leaves the room, Hurley has a vision of Charlie with a message of “THEY NEED YOU” written on his hand. Hurley freaks out, the cop comes back, and both agree a Santa Rosa mental institution is the best thing for him.

While in the nut house, Hurley is visited by a menacing looking Mathew Abbadon. He says he is there as a representative from Oceanic and he wants to upgrade Hurley to a better facility. (I’m assuming Hurley isn’t rich anymore because why would he need help to upgrade his treatment.) Anyway, after scary dude asks Hurley “Are they still alive”, Hurley senses a problem with this guy and promptly freaks out.

Sometime later, as Hurley is painting a nice picture of an igloo, a fellow resident of Hurley’s loony bin informs our beloved behemoth that he is being watched. The oogler turns out to be Hurley’s dead friend Charlie Pace, all cleaned up and looking quiet sprite. He tells Hurley that he is in fact rather dead, but he is there and proceeds to tell Hurley that he needs to go back. Hurley closes his eyes and wishes Charlie away.   

In the last flash forward we find our hero shooting hoops as another old friend pops in to check on him. This time it’s the good Dr. Jack that shows up and joins Hurley in a game of Horse. Hurley apologizes for not going with Jack but then tells him they made a mistake and should never have left the island. With Jack annoyed and losing the game, he yells, “We are never going back” at Hurley and leaves. Hurley’s parting words are “Never say never dude”.

Meanwhile, back on our favorite resort, we find Jack’s ability to lead dwindling even more. His decisions are questionable at best and it seems Kate, and the rest of the gang are starting to notice it. First Kate proves him wrong by finding Naomi and his mental character is further questioned by his attempt at premeditated murder on Locke. Jack has matter of factly threatened to kill three people in the last two episodes: Ben, Tom, & Locke, and basically would have succeeded in killing Locke if the gun was loaded, (I’ll revisit this later). So much for the Hippocratic Oath, huh? (Yet, what I don’t understand is why would Rose, a seemingly smart woman, NOT go with Locke? Especially since the island affects both in the same way.) Anyway, the current division between groups is complete when Hurley tells the group that he isn’t following Jack, but his friend Charlie, whose dying message was a warning that the would-be rescuers aren’t who they appear to be. With this, Claire, Sawyer, and a group of others go with Locke back to the Barracks.

It’s not terrible important right now who is with whom, as I think the members of each group will change a few times over the season.

Jack isn’t the only character who is changing. Hurley is also. The death of Charlie seemed to instill a determination in Hurley. Instead of waiting for others to tell him what to do, he is making the decision and doing it, not caring what others think. But the funny thing is, others are right behind him. (You just can’t see them because of all the slushies & ho-hos.) Hurley also seems to have some hidden power that has been awakened by the traumatic experience of Charlie’s death. We know he saw Dave, who we thought to be only imaginary. Maybe Dave is in fact Libby’s dead husband David. There’s no way the writers would use the same name for two characters, no matter how common the name. So let’s take for granted that Hurley, and possible others with a certain mental issue, can see and speak with, the dead. This explains why the other patient also saw Charlie. And of course this leads us to the big TO-DO of the episode, while peeking in the cabin, Hurley saw…….Jacob? No! Hurley saw Christian Sheppard in the rocking chair in Jacob’s cabin. I’m assuming the eye was Locke’s. So my question is did Locke see Christian in the chair? Locke wasn’t able to see Jacob in the past, he only heard him. So did Locke see Christian Sheppard? Of course both Locke and Hurley have no idea this is Jacks dad. And why Jack's dad? Does Jacob appear differently to different people? Can he take the appearance of dead people? And if not the same ‘entity’ then how are Jacob and Christian connected?

Dose Hurley not have his money anymore? Why does he need anyone to even offer to upgrade his mental facility? Why does Hurley apologize to Jack for not going with him, but yet tells him he was wrong about leaving the island? Okay, so Hurley can see dead people, but the other nut saw him too. 

Why was Locke carrying around an unloaded gun? Seems kinda silly on this island. And when you consider the fact that HE went for this unloaded gun, knowing it was empty, is even nuttier. So, to me, he knows Jack is going to go after him. So he takes the time to unload the gun. Then baits Jack into grabbing it off of him hoping Jack does something stupid, like pull the trigger, thus casting Jack in a different light to the rest of the other Losties.  

Did You See:

-Was it Randy on the video camera? Although I disagree, it appears that it was Randy, Locke & Hurley’s one time boss/employee, video taping Hurley’s arrest.

-Back to the Ho-hos, or more so, back to “HOs” in general. Hurley mentioned Charlie standing by the HO-HOs. Later, after being freaked out by Matthew Abbadon, we see the letters “H” & “O” behind Hurley. And in the last flashback, while playing “horse” Jack has a “H” & “O” against him. I have no idea what these two letters mean, but they were in there several times. Are the writers just screwing with us? Does it simply mean “Hurley’s Overweight” or can it mean that Hurley took to a life of pimping after the rescue. Or maybe Hurley is Santa Claus? Or is it a homage to that Hawaiian Island icon, the great Don Ho? All I know if I can go for one right now…a Ho-Ho that is, not a ho.

-How about the mural on the chalkboard behind Hurley and Abbadon. It has an island, with water, and a raft, and a shark attacking the raft……interesting.

-Did you know that as per wikipedia the name/word Abbadon has a myriad of apocalyptic meanings? It is Hebrew for destruction. Place of Destruction/Realm of the Dead. In Revelations Abbadon is the Angel of the Abyss. Biblical scholars equate him as Satan, and Jesus and some even more powerful than Satan. With the black/white themes throughout the show, I think this character is black for a reason. And based on name and looks alone, this Matthew Abbadon looks positively evil. But like all things LOST, I wouldn’t be surprised that he isn’t what he appears to be and might turn out more white that black, or even gray.

-The Oceanic Six are: Hurley, Jack, Kate, Sun, Jin, & Sayid  

Next Week: Confirmed Dead, I hear it’s a multi-person flashback concerning those on the freighter. Jeff Fahey officially comes on board.

Thank God it's back.

Take care and Get LOST!

S

Tiny bubbles (tiny bubbles)
In the wine (in the wine)
Make me happy (make me happy)
Make me feel fine (make me feel fine)


Tiny bubbles (tiny bubbles)
Make me warm all over
With a feeling that I'm gonna
Love you till the end of time


So here's to the golden moon
And here's to the silver sea
And mostly here's a toast
To you and me


So here's to the ginger lei
I give to you today
And here's a kiss
That will not fade away

Tiny Bubbles – Don Ho

Okay I am going to go off on a little tangent and delve into a small part of the LOST legend that circulates outside the realm of the TV show. Call it impatience, call it curiosity, call it winter boredom, call it whatever you like. But with the excitement building up until January 31^st Season 4 premiere, and having completed watching the first three seasons, most of the Missing Pieces and whatever else I can find on ABC.com, I just feel like the day isn’t productive without a LOST fix of new information of some kind. So I decided to succumb and read about some outside information. Since I still find it an incredible waste of time I don’t have, (tax season, house, kids, Flyers, GE, etc), to do the whole LOST Experience & Find 815 alternate reality games on my own, it doesn’t mean it’s not beyond me to lavish in other people’s work and pass it off as my own. ;-) Having said that, I have to admit from the first time it was mentioned in season one, I was interested in just what the Black Rock was. What was Danielle “the crazy island bag lady” Rousseau talking about? I assumed, like everyone else, that the Black Rock was just that…a mountain of black rocks. But then, later in season 1, we find out it was a 19^th century slave ship. (NOTE: In season 3, we are introduced to a huge rock that is black which is near the line that Tom tells Jack his people can’t cross.) In regards to the ship the question’s are, what is it and how did it get there? Well, let us explore the secrets of the ship known as the Black Rock. Just try not to step on any pieces of Arzt while looking around.

This is what we know of the Black Rock from the show. It is stranded inland in what Rousseau deems The Dark Territory. It was mentioned in both Rousseau’s distress signal and Claire’s diary. In fact Rousseau mentioned it several times including her imprisonment of Sayid. It’s noted on the map that Sayid steals from her lair. The map on the blast door in The Swan marks it as the “KNOWN FINAL RESTING PLACE OF MAGNUS HANSO/BLACK ROCK”, which we’ll also assume is the ship and not the rock formation. It’s a slave ship with loads of dynamite and some shackled skeletons. Locke kept Anthony Cooper in the ships brig, and that’s where he ‘died’ when Sawyer killed him. (Remember, he claims to have died in an accident in Tallahassee, Fl.) It seems to be perched on a slope of a mountain or hill.

From The LOST Experience, we find that the Black Rock was a British ship owned by New World Sea Traders and still operated as a slave ship decades after the slave trade was outlawed in 1807. The Black Rock’s home was a slip 23 in Portsmouth. New World Traders owned slips 18 to 27, although no company claimed ownership of the ship itself. The Black Rock disappeared in 1881 while returning from Papua New Guinea where it was on a gold mining expedition in the South Indian Ocean. According to traders in the area, the ship traveled eastward instead of westward towards Africa, where it would have traded the gold for slaves. The owner of New World Traders was Magnus Hanso. He was said to have a passion for the sea and it wasn’t odd for him to accompany his ships on their journeys. We assume he was on this ship, with its crew of 40 and unknown number of slaves, when it was shipwrecked on LOST Island. There is no definitive answer on how it crashed and why it’s so far inland. A year after the crash, New World Sea Traders was bought by East Ocean Trade Group where it existed for another seventy years. It was later bought and renamed to Allied Copenhagen Marine Merchants in the 1950s by none other than Alvar Hanso, who is the great grandson of Magnus.

In the alternate reality game “Find 815” we find out that a search and rescue vessel, the Christine 1, is currently searching for the Black Rock in the Sunda Trench. The Sunda Trench, (also called the Java Trench), is one of the deepest trenches in the Indian Ocean. (In real life, an earthquake in the trench caused the December 2004 tsunami killed hundreds of thousands of people in Indonesia.) According to Naomi Dormit and Locke’s dad, this is where they found the wreckage and remains of Flight 815. In the game Find 815, Sam Thomas, the central character, is on board the Christine 1 searching for his girlfriend Sonya, who was a flight attendant on Flight 815. He received mysterious email telling him to get on the ship. His video journals can be seen on ABC.com. Christine 1 is owned by the Maxwell Group, which is a subsidiary of Widmore industries. The captain of the freighter is Mr. Ockham. The expedition is being run by Oscar Talbot, whose name is an anagram for Bast Locator. Bast is the Egyptian Cat Goddess who has only four toes. Do you remember the statue on the island of the foot with four toes?

So now the questions. If the Black Rock mined for gold, then was supposed to head west to trade it for slaves, where’s the gold? Why did the Black Rock purposely traveled in the opposite direction? Where was it really going or doing? Is the Christine 1 searching for the gold? Does the Sunda Trench have mythical Bermuda Triangle like qualities, where any vessel lost there wind up in some alternate reality/place? Or is it simply that because of the magnetic principles of the area no one has ever charted an island there? Are Richard Eyeliner, and the rest of the Hostiles from Ben’s back-story, the descendants of the crew, or actual crew members, of the Black Rock? Is Bea Klugh or any of the other black Others, descendants of the slaves, or actual slaves, from the Black Rock? It appears the island has some fountain of youth qualities. Who was in shackles on the Black Rock? The slaves or the crew? If the crew, this would explain why all the dynamite and mining equipment was left onboard. Otherwise, wouldn’t that stuff be needed? Maybe the slaves were shackled, and the crew killed by the islands inhabitants. So who was on the island before hand? Are the two bodies in the caves, Adam & Eve, original inhabitants? Are they crew members? Is it Magnus Hanso? Is Magnus really Jacob? Is Magnus’ son Jacob? Back before I had kids, I wanted to name my son Magnus and a second son Maximus. Would I have been allowed? Is it a good thing I have daughters? Is the Christine 1 the name of the freighter that Jack talked to on Naomi’s phone at the end of season 3? Are any of the people mentioned in the two ARGs going to be new characters? (Sam Thomas, Sam’s girlfriend Sonya, Oscar Talbot, James Maxwell, Tracy R., Mr. Ockham, Alvar Hanso’s daughter Rachel Blake, who is also Persephone and the centerpiece of the Lost Experience)

In LOST we have the Black Rock, a character named Jack & one named Jacob. Both appear to be stranded on an island. The crew of the Black Rock might be the Hostiles who are cursed to walk the island forever and never bare children. In Pirates of the Caribbean, we have The Black Pearl, a pirate named Jack, who was stranded on an island a couple times, and a crew that is doomed to walk the earth forever as the undead. Similarities…yes! On purpose…yes! Why? Disney owns ABC. Let’s call it cross marketing. I just read this online and thought it was interesting.

Oh well, hope that fills the need for a bit.

Take Care,

S

Old pirates, yes, they rob I;
Sold I to the merchant ships,
Minutes after they took I
From the bottomless pit.
But my hand was made strong
By the hand of the Almighty.
We forward in this generation
Triumphantly.
Won't you help to sing
This(not another) songs of freedom
'Cause all I ever have:
Redemption songs;
Redemption songs.

Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery;
None but ourselves can free our minds.
Have no fear for atomic energy,
'Cause none of them can stop the time.
How long shall they kill our prophets,
While we stand aside and look? Ooh!
Some say it's just a part of it:
We've got to fullfil the book.

The Redemption Song –Bob Marley

p.s. The Redemption Song was sung in part by Sawyer while on the raft.

p.s.s. All of a sudden, I am having issues at home viewing Missing Pieces on ABC.com. I have yet to see episodes 10 & 11. So I’ll review them after I can watch them.

Okay, I am going to take a break from LOST blogs for a bit….or am I? Let’s see, Cloverfield was produced by J.J. Abrams. It’s about a group a good looking people stranded on an island with a monster. The entire movie is a flashback, with some smaller prior flashbacks intertwined. One actor seen in a minor role in Cloverfield was used in a minor role in LOST. (Can you pick him out?) There are many questions with no answers. (Although, if you pay attention to the final scene, you’ll have a major question answered.) Hmmmm…….looks like J.J. is staying with a winning combination. Because of my LOST training, I did my best to watch background scenery and pay attention to every inch of dialogue. I still missed a key answer to the main question. Let me just reiterate, pay attention to the very last scene.

“Cloverfield” is the name of the freeway exit near J.J. Abrams office in Santa Monica. The movie was made with no known actors. When reading for parts in the movie, they actors were given false scripts and told nothing of the movie. One actress took the job because she was a big fan of Abrams work, especially LOST. Although afterwards, she said she would never read for another movie without knowing the premise of her role. The producers also used several other titles besides Cloverfield to keep it a secret. So just like Abrams used cloak and dagger techniques to keep it a secret, an underlying theme of the movie is that the whole incident reeks of government cover-up. So, the name “Cloverfield” has become the fictional random name the government ends up giving to this ‘incident’ in Manhattan. The movie has the appearance of being shot all on a single hand held video camera, so like home movies, it is very jumpy and many times you cannot see what the characters are seeing. Before entering the theatre, there was sign posted warning viewers they may experience dizziness and compared it to being on a rollercoaster. Personally, I got use to it after a few minutes and found that the frustration of not knowing or seeing the action actually allowed me to somewhat experience the curiosity, confusion and apprehension the characters were feeling. Even though at its heart it was a basic & predictable monster movie, (and who doesn’t like monster movies?), the filming technique used made it more believable. Of course, what’s not predictable is that we know little before & after that night and that’s it’s not your usual American ending. Remember, Abrams is a Star Wars fan, and which of the original three was the best one? The Empire Strikes Back.

The film is based around the night Manhattan was attacked by a monster. It is depicted as if you are watching a piece of Government video documentation, portraying first hand evidence of the events of the area that was once Central Park. The sole piece of the government film is the video tape taken by one of the characters.  Basically, a group of twenty-somethings are throwing a party for their friend who is leaving for a job in Japan. The first 15-20 minutes of the video depicts the party, when all of a not-so-sudden, the night is rocked by some sort of earthquake or explosion. The party-goers take to the roof and then the streets, as mayhem ensues. With government officials and troops evacuating the city, the party boy finds out, via cell phone, that his girlfriend is injured and still alive in her apartment in the middle of ‘ground-zero’. The rest of the video details these four friends trying to work their way back across the concrete jungle of Manhattan to rescue her, before the island is declared lost, and subsequently destroyed. We assume that later on, with the government investigating the island, they find the video tape and it is used as evidence and for research.

The monster itself and the reasons why this is happening are not important. Like most monster movies, the monster in this movie is really just lost, confused & scared, and is being attacked by the island’s inhabitants because they are scared and protecting their homes. (Hmmm…there’s that LOST parallel again.) In fact, what you don’t know only adds to the story and the emotions the characters going through. This unknown plus the way its shot makes it more than a basic monster movie. The opening for a sequel is there, but I don’t think you can get away with it again. I think the film technique is a one shot deal.

Now there was one thing I did not like about the movie….it’s running time. The running time is supposed to be 84 minutes, which in itself in today’s genre of three hour epics, a very short movie. Add to this the first 15 minutes of party video and we have a short film or an extended season finale of a TV show. All I know is that the movie time was 6:45 and we were out of the theatre by 8:15 and that’s including the previews of about 10 minutes. Because there is no opening credits or intro, it does feel like a long 84 minutes, but since I really enjoyed the movie, and considering the first 10-15 minutes a waste of party gossip and sexual tension, I wouldn’t of minded another 10-15 minutes of action. Anyway, even with losing a half a crow’s foot because of the short running time, I give this movie an enthusiastic three and a half crow’s feet. I wouldn’t mind seeing this on DVD again, so I can freeze frame through it, just like LOST, to see if I missed anything the first time around.

Take Care,

S

Missing Pieces are 13 original 2-3 minute clips of story that may or may not have any impact on the events in the show. They were originally produced for cell phones, but are also available to watch on ABC.com. Eleven of the ‘mobisodes’ are available on ABC.com, with the remaining two becoming available over the next two weeks leading up to the Season 4 premier on January 31^st. Let’s go through the ones we have and see if we can gather any info from them.

#1 The Watch

This piece takes place the day before Jack marries Sarah. He is on a beach throwing rocks into the ocean as his dad, Christian, walks up and presents him with a watch. Jack’s grandfather gave the watch to Christian on his wedding day. He tells Jack that his grandfather didn’t approve of Jack’s mother, Margo, so Christian never wore the watch. He presents Jack with the watch, which Jack immediately puts on, and he then tells Jack that he does approve of Sarah, that he absolutely feels Jack is making the right decision, and that he wants Jack to promise that he will be a better father to any kids he has with Sarah, than he was to Jack.

So, a few things are going through my head with this. The watch itself becomes an important part of Jack’s story and the LOST story when compared to Jin’s delivery of several watches for Sun dad, Mr. Paik. If Jack’s dad isn’t dead, and he is an important part of the whole back story, like we think Widmore, Paik, Hanso, etc, are, then these watches may symbolize the leaders of Dharma, or whoever is behind the scenes.

Also, with Christian Shepherd planting the seed of Jack having kids, (like that pun?), another thought comes to mind. In Jack’s flash forward, we see Sarah all preggers. Could Jack be the daddy? The timeline doesn’t fit, but, it’s just a thought.

And finally, it wouldn’t be LOST without some questions. Who is Jack’s grandfather? Why didn’t he like Margo? And what is the symbology of ‘throwing rocks’ since it’s come up a few time with other character: Sawyer & Tom? Does it suggest that a higher, or more influential power, picking up and placing these people in a certain situation, (plane crash on a mysterious island), just to see where they will wind up?

#2 Hurley and Frogurt

This episode takes place directly before Libby is murdered, while she is getting some blankets and Hurley is getting some food & wine for a picnic. Hurley is leaving Bernard’s tent with a bottle of wine when approached by Neil, aka, Frogurt, because he is a frozen yogurt salesman. Basically, Neil is a dick and is asking Hurley if he’s going to make a move on Libby soon, because if he’s not, then Frogurt is. Hurley tells him he’s going on a date with her in a few minutes and Neil turns and walks away. That’s pretty much it.

Neil was mentioned before on the show, specifically by Bernard in the episode he was trying to get people to build the SOS. He uses the term “Neil time” in regards to him hitting on Libby. It’s an anagram for ‘time line’. I have nothing else.

#3 King of the Castle

 This episode centers on Jack and Ben playing a game of chess while Jack was a guest of the others and tending to Ben’s healing from back surgery. As they converse during the game, Ben asks Jack if he would consider staying on the island. Jack asks Ben if he is going to keep his word and let him leave. (Jack actually jokes about the sub being blow up.) Ben replies that he will but it’s not entirely up to him and that the island will have something to say about it. He then tells Jack that there will come a day when he wants to get back on it. Jack makes a move in the game that is seemingly anticipated by Ben and he counters with his rook. I’m copying what another site feels is the symbology behind the game itself:

Ben takes Jack's pawn opening way for Jack's queen to take Ben's pawn at the back of his defense (Kate and her team "storming the castle" to free Jack). Jack does so thinking of taking the far-right pawn next if Ben plays the more predictable move of saving his Rook from Jack's queen by placing it right next to his own king. But Ben seems to have anticipated this move or even provoked it in the first place (purposely leaving Jack to escape). Surprising Jack he castles his king on the queens side (symbolizing Juliette's part in his plan) and effectively putting Jack's queen on the run (i.e. Kate), retaining his own positions in the significant center of the board (the island), having sacrificed one of his own pawns (the destruction of the submarine and the death of some of the less-significant others). This moves also paved the way for both of his rooks to be able to attack on Jack's king and queen directly (a reference to Ben's yet unrevealed allies in his plan).

Okay, aside from all that, there’s also a case of reverse foreshadowing. We already know that Jack loses his chance off the island by sub when Locke blows it up and that in his flash forward, Jack wants to get back to the island. Also, it tells us the Ben anticipated the rescue attempt on Jack and planned out the events that followed. Overall, it doesn’t give us anything other than showing how much detail the writers/producers put into this show, even a 3 minute episode, meaning that we must also keep attention to the smallest of details & dialogue.

#4 The Deal

This episode happens while Michael is a captive of The Others. Juliet comes to him with the deal in which he is going to release Benry from the hatch, and return with Hurley, Sawyer, Kate & Jack. Juliet refers to her deal with Ben about saving her sister and that Michael can rely on their word that he and Walt will be set free. Juliet asks Michael if he is willing to do anything to save Walt, which I’m assuming is referring to their request to kill Ana-Lucia. Juliet also mentions how special Walt is and how important it is for him to get off the island. We learn more about Walt’s time with The Others in Missing Pieces #6 “Room 23”.

Juliet’s sincere delivery entices Michael to believe her, and it sets him up into believing that freeing Ben and trapping his friends is the right thing to do to save his son. That’s how he justifies it. Personally, I would like to see a flash back on how they talked him into killing Ana-Lucia, because it wasn’t directly addressed in this episode and I would think that’s not an easy thing to rationalize no matter what the reward.

Why is Juliet so intent on Walt leaving the island? “Room 23” doesn’t help with that either. Is Juliet’s sincerity truly sincere or a tool she uses to get what she/The Others want?

Next up: Missing Pieces episodes 5 through 8.

The other day, Preston and Steve interviewed Terry O’Quinn. You can link to it HERE.

Take Care,

S

Please, please forgive me,
But I won’t be home again.
Maybe someday you’ll have woke up,
And, barely conscious, you’ll say to no one:
"isn’t something missing? "

You won’t cry for my absence, I know -
You forgot me long ago.
Am I that unimportant...?
Am I so insignificant...?
Isn’t something missing?
Isn’t someone missing me?

Even though I’d be sacrificed,
You won’t try for me, not now.
Though I’d die to know you love me,
I’m all alone.
Isn’t someone missing me?

Please, please forgive me,
But I won’t be home again.
I know what you do to yourself,
Shudder deep and cry out:
"isn’t something missing?
Isn’t someone missing me? "

And if I bleed, I’ll bleed,
Knowing you don’t care.
And if I sleep just to dream of you
And wake without you there,
Isn’t something missing?
Isn’t something...

Missing - Evanescense

p.s. Congrats to the Phillie Phanatic on being named as the best mascot in all professional sports by Forbes magazine. Click HERE for the story and the marketing ideas behind mascots in general.

There’s nothing like a cheesy 80’s rock ballad to get us started off, eh? Here goes:

Oceans apart, day after day
And I slowly go insane
I hear your voice, on the line
But it doesn't stop the pain
If I see you next to never
how can we say forever

Wherever you go, whatever you do
I will be right here, waiting for you
Whatever it takes, or how my heart breaks
I will be right here waiting for you

 “HE will be wondering where I am.”

That is what Kate tells Jack, during the last flash forward scene in the season 3 finale, when she reluctantly agrees to meet him at the airport. From what I remember, she says it with a tinge of resentment in her voice, like she is in a relationship with an overbearing man, just like her mother was, (which would be ironic as she killed her father to get her mother out of that kind of relationship). Anyway, in trying to guess who this is, there are other facts, assumptions and rumors we must take into consideration. We know the person is male. We know that he is someone that has an interest in where she is and that he might be waiting for her. We know Kate insisted that Jack not contact her anymore. We know they met in secret. We know Kate is not in jail and in fact that she appears to be living comfortably, (dressed nice, makeup, driving a Volvo). We know that she probably was pregnant at the time of the last episode, and that would make her child just about two. And we do NOT know what happened to her after her breakfast with Ben. We know she was married before the crash to police officer Kevin Callis.

Now let us throw out a few assumptions. We are assuming that Sawyer is the dad, but I can also make an assumption that it could be Ben. We’ll assume that even though she was married to Kevin Callis before the crash, it was probably nullified, since, according to Naomi, “they found the plane and you are all dead”. We can also assume the Oceanic six became famous after their rescue and made some decent money, or since Hurley was one of the six, he set them all up, or they were given hush money. This will explain Kate’s nice car and all. I read something where she was tried for her crimes, but obviously either not convicted, or got some sort of commuted sentence or parole. Maybe, since its two years later, she served a couple years and now is on parole.

Once again, as per the supposed spoilers I’ve read, the Oceanic Six are Kate, Jack, Hurley, Sayid, Jin & Sun. Rumors have it that Kate is pregnant, she does beat the felonies against her, and she has a new romantic love interest. And also, some deal was struck between the Oceanic Six and somebody, where they aren’t speaking about everything that happened to them. It appears to be some kind of cover-up.

So, it’s not Jack. And even though he made the most sense at the time, it’s not Sawyer, (he stayed on the island). I also doubt it’d Hurley or Sayid based on the fact that there was nothing there for three seasons. Jin and Sun have their own kid, so I doubt its Jin. That leaves us with two other choices and the unknown. Based on my “who’s in the coffin” I have Ben and Michael off the island. So with Michael as my best guest as the dead guy, that leaves Ben or the unknown. I’ll make a case for Ben, even though I’m not sold on him completely, but it’s the best I have right now.

Okay, here goes, Kate is in fact Annie. After the breakfast with Ben, they take her, against her wishes, (which tell us why her hands were chaffed from the cuffs), and Juliet inseminates her, with Ben being the donor. She beats the felony rap with the pregnancy playing in her favor. She and Ben shack up to keep a happy family for the kid. Maybe, with Ben having some influence off the island, part of Kate’s plea bargain was to stay with him, raise their kid, and not have any contact with Jack or the other survivors. She doesn’t like it, but at least she isn’t running anymore.

Here’s an unknown option. She beats the rap against her, but is on parole and maybe wearing tracker anklet or something. The ‘he’ is simply her parole officer who is going to question why she was at the airport, wondering if she is going to skip town. Maybe another part of the deal, or cover-up, they all made is not to contact each other and that could be a violation of her parole. Since unlike the coffin, where we were told it WAS someone we know, there was never any statement alluding to who it might be, I tend to think it’s not a known character, but who knows. The rumor that has her with a new romantic interest throws everything off, but again, it’s unknown, so I’ll go with what I got. Anyway, that’s why I’ll be watching come the 31^st.

Addendum to the whole Jacob/Ben/Locke thingy.

I watched "Man Behind the Curtain" last night. This was the Ben-centric episode where we got the glimpse of Jacob. Anyway, I have an 'a-HA!' and 'Duh!' moment all at the same time. At least I think I did. Has anyone mentioned that both Ben and Locke had to kill their dad as a sacrifice to the island, in order to, what seems like, take over control of the island? I think Ben gets off the island and Locke assumes control over, and protectorate of, the island. Kind of like the bible story of Abraham and Mt. Moriah, except its reverse, and the sacrifice is made. And if Jacob is the assumed leader before Ben, and maybe he is the Hanso between Magnus and Alvar, did he have to kill his father, Magnus, who purportedly crashed on the island with the Black Rock in the mid nineteenth century? Maybe then Alvar is trying to re-find the island so he can kill Jacob to control it and will have to go up against Locke.....maybe, if Jack kills his undead dad, he controls the island......ignore me, I'm just rambling now. But to be sure, I am going to be weary of my kids surprising me with a family trip to some uncharted island in the South Pacific.

Take Care

S

Thank you everyone, for the birthday wishes. All I have to say is, the dog will get her day.

Like everything else in trying to figure out this show, you have to put a cap on the information flow somewhere, otherwise you’ll be running off on tangents chasing every red herring you find. For this reason I am limiting the stream of information that I draw my blogs from. Whereas I might include rumors, spoilers, and assumptions, they will be based mostly on the show. I am trying NOT to get too far into the LOST Experience thing, the whole Valenzetti Equation, the game based on Flight 815 and whatever else the producers have going on outside the realm of the weekly episodes and ABCs Missing Pieces, (only because they are just shorts). Anyway, again, after considering the pro’s and con’s of what’s possible, there still are no definitive answers. Based on the show, we only have a few pieces of information. And because Jacob could be some kind of un-natural force/being, we can’t really make too many assumptions. So let throw out what we do know, and see what conclusions we can come up with.

This is what we’ve heard from those involved with the show.

-Michael Emerson, the actor who plays Ben, had said that “the role of Jacob had been cast, and that the actor is someone whom we've seen but not heard before on the show”.

To me, the use of the word ‘actor’ instead of the name of the character, ‘Jacob’, is confusing. If he said that Jacob had been seen before, but not heard, either Alvar or Magnus Hanso come to mind. We’ve seen Alvar’s profile from afar briefly in the original Swan orientation video and we saw Magnus’ name only, along with the Black Rock, etched on the map in the Swan. Still, he said ‘actor’, which throws me off.

-Damon Lindelof: "Jacob? The answer lies further downstream in the ongoing story. (longer pause). Character names on the show are not assigned without a reason. And yes, that is a clue."

In the Bible, Jacob is the son of Isaac, grandson of Abraham, and brother of Esau. He had 12 sons, which comprised the twelve tribes of Israel, one being Benjamin. Jacob was 147 when he died. I have read that Jacob was the first one to be called shepherd by God. The name Jack is derived from Jacob. Okay so, Jack and Jacob are similar, and now the shepherd connection…hmmmmm. The second J in J.J. Abrams is for Jacob, (okay, so that’s more trivia than anything else). Jacob’s Ladder is a ladder to heaven on which Jacob saw angels ascending and descending. This gives credence to the island being purgatory, which we know is not true! It’s also a type of rope ladder used at sea. Does this have anything to do with the Black Rock? Was he originally on that vessel? Jacob’s Ladder the movie is about a guy who at his death bed perceives himself to live on for years only to find out in the end that he died. It is also similar to the book, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, which shows up on LOST at one point.

-Carlton Cuse: "Yes, we do know how Jacob will be depicted. Notice the careful wording of my answer. And no, Jacob did not appear before he was met by Locke." Cuse declined to say whether an actor had been chosen to portray the character.

Obviously, the first and third quotes contradict each other. Thanks a lot for that. Without trashing Emerson’s quote altogether, I think I would be more inclined to go with Cuse’s quote over Emerson’s, even though I feel Jacob has something to do with one of the Hanso’s. But now, that word ‘depicted’ throws caution to our assumptions. Semantics aside, I wonder now if there will even be an actor, with a speaking part, playing Jacob.

‘Depicted’ could just mean makeup or how he is portrayed. If it is Magnus Hanso, then he would be 120+ years old.

As far as the show itself goes, all we have are some basic comments about Jacob and the scene in the cabin. He doesn’t like technology. He loves us like Jesus loves us. He is a great man. He only communicates with Ben. Locke did see him, but only after he heard Jacob first. He lives in a run down cabin, with jars of red liquid and a picture of a golden retriever on the walls. (Any connection with Vincent?) The cabin is encircled with a charcoal like ring of ash. (Is this the dormant smoke monster?) Jacob seems to have the ability of telekinesis. He tossed Ben backwards and everything in the cabin shook. (Aside from astral projection, is Walt telekinetic?) Jacob wears tattered clothes like the other ‘hostiles’. We know Jacob has to play a more prominent role and that we’ve seen a preview with a quick clip of him and Jack’s dad together. I believe there is another person between Magnus & Alvar Hanso, could it be Jacob? Was Jack named after Jacob?

Well, that’s about all I have on this question. I’m sure I am missing stuff, but I doubt if it’s anything definitive one way or another. If you have something, let me know.

Next up, in Kate’s conversation to Jack in the future, who is it that will be wondering where she is?

Take Care

S

p.s. I added something to a previous post in regards to Jack’s dad. In re-watching the Nikki/Paulo buried alive episode, Exposé, I caught something I missed originally, (and then three times more after that). After Paulo is bitten by the Medusa spider that Nikki throws at him, she says that its effects give the appearance of death that even a doctor would have a hard time telling the difference. This is why Jack believes his dad is dead. In the same episode, Locke tells Paulo, who is trying to bury diamonds in the sand, that “nothing on this island stay buried for long”. I believe this is another allusion to Jack’s dad. Mark my words, Christian Shephard is involved in this, has visited the island, knows of the Medusa spider, and used it’s venom to fool his son. Who else is not really dead?