Super Duper Stream

New Blog

2010-11-19T10:54:00.001Z

Got a new blog, movie-orientated, down-to-Earth and relevant reviews, funny videos, pictures and gossip. Got anything you want to share, email chris@originxt.com

http://themoviegoingpublic.blogspot.com

New Blog

2010-11-18T11:39:00.001Z

I have a new blog - themoviegoingpublic.blogspot.com

It's primary goal is to provide a brief, down-to-earth and honest review of any film I come across for my friends and fans to decide if it's worth watching. It's not pretty, but the lack of graphics is unavoidable.

The Cellophanes - A Band

2010-10-03T23:13:00.000+01:00

Formed within the expansive realms of the Glasgow punk scenes, The Cellophanes set themselves apart from their contemporaries with a strong grasp of vocal melodies, catchy lyrics and addictive rhythms.

Audibly, the band boast a strong catalogue of insta-classic punk songs laced with pop sensibilities. Live, The Cellophanes leave audiences entertained with their blistering playing speed and down-to-earth fan interaction.

With this attitude and these songs, it's a true struggle to leave a Cellophane's gig without whistling at least one of their musical delights.

http://www.myspace.com/thecellophanesuk

http://www.facebook.com/The-Cellophanes

http://www.twitter.com/thecellophanes

Baseball Review - 26th June 2010

2010-07-26T18:55:00.000+01:00

Aloha all and welcome to a new segment of Super Duper Stream. Herein is contained a spreadsheet detailing the current leaderboard across the MLB, showing overall winners, losers, Leagues, Divisions and my predictions for the next day's games.

[Access The Spreadsheet here]

A couple of interesting things to note about this table. First, each of the Leagues and Divisions are fairly well balanced. The fifth best National League team (Cincinnati Reds) are just above the fifth best American League team (Chicago White Sox) for instance. Only two Divisions have their 2nd place outwith the top 12 - National League East (Philadelphia Phillies) in 13th and American League West (Los Angeles Angels) in 16th.

[Current Leaders - New York Yankees (63.9%), Tampa Bay Rays (60.8%), San Diego Padres (59.8%), Texas Rangers (58.6%), Atlanta Braves (58.2%).]

Generally as you go down the table, Wins go down and Losses go up, however there are a few blips - Los Angeles Angels have an extra win and loss amongst their peers, while Cincinatti Reds have only an extra loss.

Onto my predictions. A few I may be sticking my neck out on the line for include predicting Oakland will beat the Texan's winning streak, Florida will do the same to San Francisco, both away from home. On a personal note, I think my beloved Mets will continue their losing streak, unfortunately. They just seem spent - no catching, no batting, no winning. Here's hoping I'm wrong!

I'll let you have a look at the table for yourself, and please discuss below if you agree/disagree with my predictions and if you have spotted any cool stats and quirks of your own.

This is a test

2010-07-25T12:00:00.002+01:00

Simply a test.

Weekly Image - If Zelda Was Real

2010-07-23T14:35:00.000+01:00

Weekly Image - Too Sweet

2010-07-16T15:34:00.001+01:00

Weekly Image - Isn't It Ironic, Dontcha Think?

2010-07-09T12:33:00.000+01:00

Weekly Image - Panda Bears Seriously Rock

2010-07-02T12:31:00.000+01:00

Weekly Image - Feels Good To Be King

2010-06-25T15:31:00.000+01:00

Weekly Image - For Fans Of Glee

2010-06-18T12:30:00.000+01:00

Weekly Image - Cute (or Scary (or Sad (or All Of The Above)))

2010-06-11T13:28:00.000+01:00

Weekly Image - It Is What It Is

2010-06-04T15:26:00.000+01:00

Post-Finale

2010-06-02T20:32:00.000+01:00

Hey all,

Well post-Lost, life is taking up all my time! But have no fear - not only will Week 14 of the Lost Blogging Collective Q&A be coming your way shortly, but you too can take part in the final Q&A if you so wish - it doesn't matter one bit if you are a blogger or not, just head over to this Facebook Group and follow the instructions. (If you haven't got Facebook, simply send an email to lostSDS@gmail.com and I'll let you know what to do).

Following that, there will be a look back on the Q&A, complete with plenty of stats about who took part and my favourite answers!

If you can't wait that long, there is plenty going on across the LBC to keep you remembering Lost the way it should be remembered! The Four Toed Foot is running an awesome competition, DarkUFO is running the final "Episode Cup" and other polls/awards, so head over there and have your opinion heard. Karen's Lost Notebook is hosting a series of Lost "conversations" (check out yours truly in the inaugural post).

Not Confused, Just Lost provided a series of posts dealing with the finale with each individual character. Sagacious Penguin has posted an excellent write-up of the finale, and promises more to come! The ODI continues to post some excellent podcasts - well worth listening to! And the ever-funny Never Seen Lost has provided his unique take on the finale.

Unfortunately, it's not all roses. We will have to wait until the end of June to get Long Live Locke's proper write-up. Fishbiscuitland, disillusioned with the direction season 6 went in, has given up on Lost altogether, so don't expect a much-anticipated write-up from her (however, there's always the rest of her blog to re-read!).

In final bittersweet news, Jorge "Hurley" Garcia's pet dog Nunu was tragically struck down by a car and died a few days ago. A few bloggers, including JoPinionated, have suggested donating to the Hawaiian Human Society in her honour, and I think this is a grand idea.

Apologies for ending on such a down note, but as you can see the Lost fandom is still running. There is so much going on, in fact, that I couldn't fit any more in this post - you will just need to check out the rest of the Lost Blogging Collective for yourself. Enjoy, and I will return soon!

Weekly Image - Two Halves, One Whole

2010-05-28T15:22:00.002+01:00

Lost - UK Finale Air Date & Time

2010-05-21T19:25:00.000+01:00

Just a short update for all my fellow UK fans.

The finale will be shown simultaneously to the American time.

Sky 1, Monday 24th May 2010, 5am to 7:30am. Set your alarm clocks early, or host an all-night Lost party - take the day off work, do WHATEVER it takes, but watch Lost with the rest of the world!!

A whopping 8 countries will be simultaneously watching Lost on the "23rd" (see what they did with the numbers there?) - the U.S., the U.K., Italy, Spain, Portugal, Israel, Turkey and Canada. You'd think they planned it this way!

Oh wait, they did. For months now ABC and Darlton have been saying they wished the entire world to view Lost simultaneously, hence the move to such a weird date. However, for some unknown reason, Sky in the U.K. were late to the party. Their loss in viewing figures and advertising revenues for this blatant tardiness are not my concern - I'm just glad the news finally broke that we will be getting the finale at the same time as everyone else!

For those that can't handle the early morning / late night, the show will be repeated twice - Tuesday 25th May 2010 at 9pm and again on Friday 28th May 2010 at 9pm.

And finally, for the sceptics that think I am making this up - here is some source for you all. Enjoy.

(This news brings forward the final Lost Blogging Collective Q&A by a few days, but hopefully we will still get a good turnout for the final few.)

Weekly Image - Weekend Shopping

2010-05-21T15:21:00.000+01:00

Lost Blogging Collective Q&A - Week 13

2010-05-19T23:07:00.003+01:00

This third-to-last Lost Blogging Collective QnA deals with death - the death of Lost, the death of Lost Blogs and the potential death of the Lost Characters. However, some hope does remain, as we look forward to maybe seeing a few of our old friends in the finale. Without further ado, here are the questions:

1) What are your post-Lost plans? Will you continue writing about Lost, or is that it, over, done, finito?

2a) How do you rate the following character's chances of surviving the finale : Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Hurley, Claire, Frank, Ben, Richard, Miles, Desmond, Cindy, Zack, Emma, Charles Widmore, "Smokey".

2b) How do you rate the following character's chances of appearing in the finale : Walt, Penny, young Charlie, Rose, Bernard, Vincent.

Paul @ Room 23
http://lostroom23.blogspot.com/

1) My post Lost plans are that I plan to keep Room 23 going and expanding to other shows. Room 23 will be used to report on things like what projects the different actors and Darlton are working on and Lost related projects like the DVD set, The DK Encyclopedia, and any other Lost stuff that ABC makes without Darlton (You know that they will). Also I plan on merging all of the stuff on my Media & Spoiler pages with the main page after the finale. I started a FlashForward blog before that premiered, but now that, that is canceled I plan on turning it into another show blog. Maybe a few like Fringe, V and GLEE? Still figuring that out. But mostly I plan on focusing on producing designs/new products for my store (http://room23store.blogspot.com/). More Lost and branching out to other things like Fringe, V, GLEE and other shows along with creating my own stories and characters.

2a) & b) You know I could pretend that I don't know what I know and answer those questions, but I know too much. So out of respect for all of you I respectfully decline to answer these two questions.

AJ via Associated Content
http://www.associatedcontent.com/

1) Well up til recently, I was getting into writing about FlashForward, but since they just cancelled it, I'm going to look into V.

2a) Jack, Desmond, Hurley, Ben, Sawyer, Emma, Widmore, Smokey, Richard, Miles, Zack, Frank, Cindy, Claire, Kate.

2b) Vincent, Penny, Walt, Bernard, young Charlie, Rose.

Karen @ Karen's Lost Notebook
http://karenslostnotebook.blogspot.com/

1) I will continue to write about LOST for as long as there is something to write about. I plan my own re-watch and I go back to my original notes and add to them (maybe in different color font or print to discern the new additional notes).

2a) For most of them I don’t think it looks good. I think Jack will have a role until one of the last possible moments but may find his destiny leads to something he didn’t expect.

2b) Chances look good for Walt, Penny, Rose, Bernard and Vincent. I don’t know about young Charlie.

Sagacious Penguin @ Stuff And Nonsense
http://sagaciouspenguin.blogspot.com/

1) I'd love to keep writing on LOST once the show is over -- particularly a conclusive analysis of the show's more open-ended mysteries and what they added to the overall narrative.

2a) Chances of surviving the finale:

-- Jack 50% -- Either he's destined to sit on the Island for eternity as the new Jacob, or he's destined to somehow give his life to put an end to this destructive cycle!

-- Kate 30% -- She'll sacrifice herself to reunite Claire and Aaron.

-- Sawyer 30% -- He'll sacrifice himself for the good of the rest.

-- Hurley 80% -- He'll lead those who actually escape the Island.

-- Claire 90% -- She's gotta get back to Aaron, right?

-- Frank 0% or 100% -- IF he somehow survived the Submarine sinking, then he's untouchable and he's flying that Ajira plane off the Island.

-- Ben 40% -- Not sure why he'll die, but as someone guilty of SO much, it sure seems he's gotta!

-- Richard 10% -- If anyone deserves release from loooooong life, it's Richard!

-- Miles 60% -- Poor Miles. He hasn't had anything to do for a long time. And I can't see him having much of anything to don in the finale. If he dies, it'll be for the shock value.

-- Desmond 50% -- Like Jack he'll either sacrifice himself through a lifetime of keeping the Island going, or he'll die for the sake of existence as we know it.

-- Cindy, Zack, Emma 90% -- I can't see them killing those kids, and SOMEONE needs to take care of them.

-- Charles Widmrore 20% -- The guy's the closest thing to an all-rotten character this show has! Even if he's on the side of preventing the end of all existence, we've never been given any reason to be sympathetic for him. He'll be killed by either Smokey or Ben to put an end to his power-hungry quest and it'll feel great!

-- The MIB as Smokey 0% -- He's not escaping, and he's not going to sit quiet for another Millennia, so he's gotta go to end this show. What WOULDN'T surprise me is if someone else's consciousness had to willingly take over for the MIB's dead self... like maybe JOHN FREAKING LOCKE'S!

2b) Chances of appearing in the finale:

-- Walt, Penny, Young Charlie, Rose, Bernard, Vincent 95% -- Sure there's a chance one or more of these will slip through the cracks, but knowing LOST and how much it loves all its characters, I can't imagine all of these guys not making some kind of appearance!

Nikki @ Nik At Nite
http://nikkistafford.blogspot.com/

1) I have to write my season 6 book (link) for the Finding Lost series, so yes, I will definitely continue writing on it! I'm actually looking forward to the long and extensive post-finale discussions on my blog. And I'm also hoping, maybe in two years' time, to write a book that covers the entirety of Lost, not episodically, which is the way I've covered it off in the Finding Lost series, but thematically, looking at the show as one complete text. I think that would be a lot of fun.

2a) Ack!! Oh my... I'm assuming this is island world only, because I believe the people in the sideways world will be fine... and if the island world has to be sacrificed in order to move things to the sideways world, then maybe they'll ALL be obliterated!! But if that DOESN'T happen, then here are my picks in order of most likely to least likely to die on the island:

Frank, Charles Widmore, Cindy, Zack, Emma (oh no! Children!), Smokey, Miles, Sawyer, Claire, Richard, Ben, Kate, Hurley, Desmond, Jack.

2b) Again, from most likely to appear to least likely:

Penny, Vincent, Rose, Bernard, young Charlie, Walt.

What, no Eko? Am I the only person left holding out hope we'll see him again? Wah. I would love to see him again. ;) with the sideways world, I just keep holding out hope that we'll see him over there. Fingers crossed!!

Izikavazo @ Not Confused, Just Lost
http://ncjl.wordpress.com/

1) I still don't know what I will do with my Lost blog after the show ends. It really all depends on the finale. If it's as stimulating as the season 4 finale then I could be blogging about Lost for months afterwards. But there's a chance that I might just sit back and enjoy the finale and feel no need to re-analyze everything.

2a) Jack - 100% dead.

Kate - complete mystery to me. I have no idea what the writers have planned for her, but I'm pretty sure it will be big and in the face of all those Kate haters.

Sawyer - 75% chance of death, (but I'm sure we'll get an off-Island happy ending.)

Hurley - 10% chance of death. Chewie never died... in the movies.

Claire - Hopefully dead, I'd say 60%.

Frank - Haha, I think this guys already dead.

Ben - 80%, I love the guy, but whatmore can he do. I just hope he gets to trick one more person before he dies.

Richard - 95%, this guy might be cursed with living, but he really just wants to die.

Miles - Hey I forgot about him. 75% chance, but I'll bet if he does die it will be one of those episode opening things before the LOST title card.

Desmond - 1% chance of death. I can't even pretend that I'm being objective here.

Cindy, Zach, Emma - I don't think it matters anymore, we probably won't see them again.

Widmore - 100% chance of death, he'll probably take someone down with him, someone like Ben, Miles or Sawyer.

Smokey - 100% dead. It would be too open-ended if Smokey lived.

2b) Walt - Don't get me started. I don't even want to guess.

Penny & Charlie 2.0 - 99%. It's that 1% that's killing me.

Rose & Bernard - Well my Adam & Eve theory didn't pan out, so I'm guessing they'll show up.

Vincent - 100%. I don't think I'm alone in thinking that the show will end with Vincent in the final scene. He's pretty much our Constant.

Benny @ Finally Lost
http://finallylost.wordpress.com/

1) Assuming the finale is in the same mind-blowing stratosphere that "The Incident" was, I plan on re-watching the entire series to see what I missed the first time around. After that, rumor has it that Dr. Drew is going to setup a LOST rehab facility for those of us who need our weekly fix, so I plan on signing up along with celebrity fans Jimmy Kimmel and Mary Carey.

2a) In the original timeline, I believe only Jack will survive. It seems to me that whoever controls the island tends to purge the people living on the island whenever they discover too many answers. I just hope the LOST writers don't take a page from their own book and try to purge us LOST fans "The Ring Style" once we watch the finale and learn all the answers.

2b) I believe all of the above will appear in the finale except Walt. Walt is probably 6 foot at this point and that growth is probably too difficult to explain even on this show. The show began with Vincent waking up Jack so I think it would be poetic if Jack became Jacob's successor and slipped Vincent a drink of the ageless wine so they can protect the island together. Then we can have a LOST followup series depicting Vincent's attempt to find a loop hole so he can die because he can't stand an eternity of Jack's crying.

Ernie @ Gulf Coast Offense
http://gulfcoastoffense.blogspot.com/

1) I'm not sure how much I'll continue to write about Lost, but I'll certainly still read what others have to say about it. I'm sure, every now and then I'll see something that will spark an idea or that I'll feel I need to pass along to others, but with no new content, I'm sure after a little while we'll all have exhausted analyzing this show ... then again, probably not.

2a) I think 100% Jack will survive. All indications are that he is the candidate. Others, I'm not so sure about. I'd put Hurley's chances as next best for survival. Going through the list, I think Kate and/or Claire will survive and leave the island. Somebody's gotta take care of baby Aaron. I'll put Claire's chances of leaving the island better, as I feel Kate might stay to be with Jack if given the choice. There are two on the list that are most likely to have a heroic death: Sawyer and Desmond. Widmore said that Des would have to make a sacrifice. Will that be himself or his life with Penny and Charlie? Sawyer has been in the Han Solo role for years and Harrison Ford always felt that it would have fit that character better if he died saving his friends. I think this is the end for Sawyer.

Looking at the rest of the list, I think Frank is already a goner and Richard would welcome death. I don't see a nice ending for any of Richard's group actually (Ben and Miles). I doubt we'll see a resolution with Zach, Emma and Cindy, so can we assume they are dead or just living out their days on the island, ala Bernard and Rose? For Widmore, many fans would like to see him die, so I think we will. For Smokey, I don't think he'll die, but we'll get another version of him. Perhaps another character from the list above?

Man, I'm predicting a lot of death in the finale.

2b) I rate Penny the highest (99%), so young Charlie will probably make an appearance too. The rest are slimmer. Rose and Bernard, unless they appear in the sideways world again, I don't see reappearing on the island. The same for Vincent. I think his story is done. I'd love some resolution with Walt, but it would be tough to fit in the story now with the actor being older now, so I'm going to put him at the slim chance of 15%.

Ms Wendy @ It's About Bunnies!
http://mswendy.wordpress.com/

1) My post LOST plans: As of now, I will be still blogging, on occasion, for my LOST blog (It's About Bunnies). I will also be part of a rewatch "collective" being hosted by Bonnie Covel of the LOST blog on about.com. Heath Solo and I will still be podcasting together on The Film List, where I'm sure we will "talk LOST" frequently (it's in our DNA now, I think) and possibly continuing The LOST Revisited Now podcast. We shall see...

2a) and b) Wasn't sure about what "system" to rank them with. So, I'll just go in order of "Least Likely to Most Likely to Survive the Finale/Show Up in Finale":

Who Will Survive ( Least to Most Likely)

1. Frank ( I think that door "did him in" :( )

2. Ben

3. Richard

4. Sawyer

5. Miles

6. Cindy

7. "Smokey"

8. Charles Widmore

9. Desmond

10. Kate

11. Hurley

12. Claire

13. Jack

14. Emma

15. Zach

Appearing in Finale ( Least to Most Likely)

1. Young Charlie

2. Penny

3. Walt

4. Rose and Bernard

5. Vincent

Miss Scarlett @ Knittnfool
http://missscarlett.wordpress.com/

1) Oh! I don't have any post-Lost plans. :-(

I'm in severe denial. I am about 8 episodes behind in blogging....but it will be hard to keep their reviews "clean". I guess I'll get on with those and then maybe have a wrap up overview?

2a) Jack, Hurley, Miles and Desmond will make it -- I hope!

Kate should make it - someone needs to raise Aaron and Claire, well...unless it's off-Island Claire, it would be better for her not to have access to Aaron.

Frank, Ben, Richard, Cindy, Zack, Emma, Charles and Smokey are all goners. Although I am less sure about Frank since he's sort of by the wayside.

I have a hard time guesstimating because there are more than one version of some of these characters so...I can't decide which side will live and which not. But there you have it.

Island Claire will die.

2b) Walt = no

Penny = yes

Young Charlie = yes

Rose & Bernard = no

Vincent = no -- though I really want to see him!

Chris @ SuperDuperStream
http://superduperstream.blogspot.com/

1) After Lost I plan on turning my attention fully onto the unanswered mysteries and trying to make an educated guess at the answers. This will be taken care of at the website http://lostquestions23.blogspot.com , which was my original blog. It will be revamped of course. As for Super Duper Stream, it will continue with some Lost updates, but will return to the original agenda of being a stream of my conciousness - boxing updates, comic book updates, movie news and gossip, music discussion, etc etc. Rest assured, I won't be going away, and hopefully most of the Lost Blogging Collective will stick around and guest-spot on each others blogs, maybe do a monthly Q&A or something like that.

2a) In order of most likely to survive to least likely to survive - Sawyer (100%) - He has already done the heroic sacrifice thing a few times now, he deserves some kind of break. I can see Jack dying in the end and Sawyer having to step up as the new 'Jacob', or else having to lead everyone off Island. Desmond (100%) - As much as I am neutral to him, he is a definite fan-favourite and is clearly the central character of this season. Jack (90%) - Most likely will survive as the next 'Jacob', but there is a slight chance he will need to make a final sacrifice to save everyone and Sawyer will be forced to step up. Claire (80%) - Has been through too much to die at this point, but isn't the most loved character around. Seems to be friends with everyone, including "Smokey", so that stands her in good stead. Ben (80%) - Far too good a character to just be neglected all season and die at the end. Has something big in store, which might result in the ultimate sacrifice to turn him full-fledged hero, but I imagine he will just con his way off-Island as is his usual M.O. Cindy, Zack and Emma (75%) - Nothing much has been seen, heard or done with these characters, so it would be nice to see them get a happy ending. No need to kill them, but also no urgent need to specifically save them. Richard (60%) - Again would serve no reason to kill him, and he is a fan-favourite, but also has nothing left to live for. Would be nice to see him accept his role as adviser/partner with the new 'Jacob', but in a more powerful and rewarding capacity. I want him to have a happy ending, but they need to kill somebody. Kate (60%) - Suffers from the fact that Claire is back on the scene. Her bullet-wound says that she is safe, plus the fact she is one of THE main characters, but again there would be no huge loss if she died. Miles (50%) - Can't get a read on him. His potential was wasted, so whether that earns him a happy ending, or leads to him being thrown to the wayside, who can tell. "Smokey" (50%) - Again, simply can't choose with this guy. He's either the hero or the villian, and will thusly either survive or die. Who knows? I can't decide whatsoever. Frank (20%) - I simply refuse to believe that was his death, it was so understated. I expect him to wash up on shore any second now, but I guess we have to take a lot of things at face value this season. This isn't a Jin situation, there won't be a next season to find out whether he truly died or not. Charles Widmore (20%) - Has no reason to survive. Doesn't know half as much as he thinks he does, isn't loved by anybody, neither fan nor character. Has lived a selfish life no matter what he postulates. And finally, Hurley (10%) - A necessary sacrifice. He is the ultimate fan favourite, someone gut-wrenchingly loved simply HAS to die, and who better fits that bill than Hurley? Plus, he has made peace with his Mum, with his Dad, met Libby again, he has had his fill of happy endings. As much as I don't want to see it, it makes perfect sense that Hurley would die.

2b) In terms of most likely to be seen running down to least likely, we have Vincent (70%) - Hey, it may be wishful thinking, but I know I am not alone in thinking there MUST be something more to Vincent! Rose & Bernard (60%) - It's tradition, but what would be the point? They had their ending. At least Vincent has some sort of mystery surrounding him. Walt (50%) - I actually think he is more along the 75% lines, but simply because I think it would be very anti-climatic, and the writers probably know this, his score is lowered. Finally, Penny & young Charlie (40%) - Again, there is a good chance of them arriving and giving Desmond his happy ending, but then again, the only way I can see them arriving is in some kind of danger - our pulses are already running so high I doubt the writers would do that to us!

Lost - The Tarantino Of TV

2010-05-16T13:11:00.000+01:00

Hello all,

I have a series of Lost analysis posts planned, but as I am running out of free time to write them up properly, I thought I would give you dedicated readers a sneak preview of what is in store.

I have maintained that the secret to Lost's success isn't any one individual storyline or character - instead, it is the fact that Lost has managed to harness so much into so small a medium. While Quentin Tarantino movies work because the writer/director/actor is such a dedicated fan of film that he can pick and choose various aspects of the thousands of movies he has viewed and pull them together into one work of art, so too are the Lost creators a fan of stories, myths and ideas.

Take, for instance, the recent reveal that the essence of Lost, of The Island, of the Smoke Monster, of everything is nothing more than a bright, golden light. This vague thing is the centre of so many interconnecting storylines and characters, and sounds awfully familiar to me:

Or how about those Season 3 stars, Nikki and Paulo. Characters introduced years into a show's life that we are expected to believe have been there all along and to now accept as an integral part of the storyline. The water was tested in Season 3 and was met with rabid, mixed response - most of it may have been venomous, but the writer's persevered, giving Nikki and Paulo a decent send off and referencing them in future seasons. The trick was tried again and succeeded more successfully in Seasons 5 and 6 with Jacob and "the man in black". But, perhaps Nikki and Paulo weren't the original litmus test for this storytelling device. Perhaps we have seen something like this before:

I will return to both the worlds of Quentin Tarantino and Joss Whedon in the future, but for now I would like to concentrate on three other works of fiction from which Lost has drawn influence, and try to use these as a framework for possible directions in which the Series finale will go in. These three are Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus", Brian Michael Bendis' "The House Of M" and Paul Jenkins' "Sentry".

The Imaginarium Of Doctor Darlton

To boil it down to it's essence, the movie "The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus" is a story of two competing sides, one dressed primarily in black and attempting to trick people into choosing the dark side of their soul, and one dressed primarily in white who has been tricked himself into convincing people to choose the light side of their soul.

A lot of the movie is left to personal interpretation, but what is clear is that there are two worlds accessible by a mirror portal. In one world, life goes on - people drink, argue and attempt to survive. A small group attempt to open up the rest of the world's eyes to another world, a world of storytelling and imagination. In the other world, people are given the choice to start afresh, to choose their own personal chance at redemption or to give in to human greed and sin.

There is a lot here to entertain the Lost fan, and there are plenty of parallels to be made with each world. If Lost ends in a similar fashion to "Imaginarium", then we will see some of our survivors killed off by their own greed and weakness, while some will be given a fresh life as reward for their goodness. In the end, Jacob and Smokey will chalk the game up as a loose draw and moot on whether to play another game with people's lives and their mortality.

The House Of Darlton

Marvel comics have a tradition of one large, over-arching storyline every year or so. In 2005 this took the form of "The House Of M". One hugely powerful character, The Scarlet Witch, suffers terrible losses in her life and breaks down mentally, creating an alternative world in which everyone's deepest desire comes true. The dead come back to life, old friends become enemies and old enemies become friends. Two people, for unknown reasons, are aware of the fakeness of this world. Together they help 'awaken' the others.

Many moral debates are thrown up due to this situation - how can we believe which world is real? How can we choose between our wife in the original world and our wife in the new world? If given a choice, which world would you prefer to live in, and is this different from where you should be living? What if someone exists in one world and not the other?

If Lost follows the "House Of M" storyline, then it will most likely end with most people agreeing that, although it was more painful, the 'real' world is the correct one and that they must restore order by defeating the huge unstoppable power, or at least trying to make it see sense. Assuming this power is Smokey, then it will most likely declare in a fit of childish rage that humanity should be wiped out and attempt to do so.

Sentry

(Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Fake Locke)

Finally, we reach perhaps the toughest concept to wrap our heads around. While "Imaginarium" dealt with otherworlds, and "House Of M" dealt with otherworlds in which we are unsure of what is real, "Sentry" is another comic creation that bends, warps, destroys, rebuilds and decimates all concepts of reality and sense in every possible way.

The Sentry is a creation whose origins not even he fully knows or understands. He is a man, Robert Reynolds. He is a hero, The Sentry. And he is a villain, The Void. His memories have been altered and tampered with by, presumably, drugs, his enemies, his friends and himself. His advisers include a psychotically evil schizophrenic, a God of war, a comic book writer who claims to have created him, the split-personality Hulk, his sometimes-dead wife and his own fragile, shattered personality.

Following this haphazard storyline, a basic theme emerges - either the man (Reynolds, Locke) got too powerful too quick and created personas (Sentry, Void, Jacob, MIB) to fight against each other and cancel each other out so that his power could never fully be used for good or evil. While Void and Sentry fight and confuse each other to in turns attempt to destroy the world and to stop the world from being destroyed, so too do Jacob and MIB fight to prove each other wrong and in turns prevent the world's destruction or try to cause the world's destruction.

The other theory is that the three beings are completely one - that everything is a construct of an incredibly destroyed mind. This could lead to an ending similar to a fan-favourite - that of the Lost world being the construct of a game-loving mentally diseased patient somewhere in Santa Rosa.

My own thoughts on the extremely confusing matter is that Jacob, fearful of his powers, has created MIB, the whole 'game' of The Island and a certain wildcard character, John Locke, to both contain himself and act as a backdoor to escape from insanity. Whether one side of his moral coin will win, or whether he will continue to eternally outwit hisself and cancel his several personalities out forevermore, remains to be seen.

Lost Blogging Collective Q&A - Week 12

2010-05-15T13:46:00.001+01:00

Aloha all, very sorry for the tardiness - real life, yadda yadda. Let's put it behind us and move on with the Q&A which should hopefully make it to the end of the series without any more hiccups (cross your fingers and toes everyone!).

Here are the questions and the answers =) enjoy!

1) Sayid has made some difficult choices in the past. Is there hope for him yet? Did he kill Desmond? Does he deserve a happy ending? Do you even WANT to see him redeemed?

2) Jack has to make some difficult choices ahead. He seems pretty certain that thwarting Smokey is the right thing to do, and that this will be accomplished by him staying on the Island. Will he remain on the Island if it means that no-one else can leave? Will he remain on the Island if it means that David ceases to exist on any dimension, assuming he learns of his existence?

Sagacious Penguin @ Stuff And Nonsense

http://sagaciouspenguin.blogspot.com/

1) There is hope for Sayid. He will probably never be the same man he was, but what's left of him will be able to acknowledge this and (I'm guessing) sacrifice himself for what the man he used to be thought was right. Anyone willing to redeem themselves, deserves a happy ending, but at this point, going out on the side of "good" is all I think Sayid will be able to attain.

2) I think Jack now intends to stay on-Island until he knows exactly why he was brought there - no matter what the consequences are for himself or the others. Regarding David -- I was recently going back and forth in my head over whether the show's endgame will be the end of the Altered Universe to save the Original Timeline or whether it will be the death of the Original Timeline with the characters having their memories OT memories in the Altered Universe. In interviews, Darlton have described what they want the tend to feel like: and I believe the tones bittersweet, beautiful, and/or moving were indicated in those interviews. This tone seems entirely appropriate to me, so the thought that everyone might go on happily ever after in the AU at the end no matter how much tragedy takes place in the OT doesn't really sit well with me. It would be far more bittersweet, profound, and moving if the characters willingly sacrifice their (happier) AU existences to accept the reality of what goes down in the OT - rain or shine - things as they were meant to be. If this is the case, everyone's going to have a tough choice on their hands, but Jack more than anyone. But at this point, I think he's ready to make the ultimate sacrifice. Bye-bye, David...

Paul @ Room 23
http://lostroom23.blogspot.com/

1) I believe that there is hope still for Sayid, I really doubt that Sayid shot Desmond, but if he by chance did, it could be that that well holds the energy that has caused all of the healings on the island and that Desmond would be healed right after being shot, which would also help to shock Sayid out of his MIB control. But ether way this show is about redemption and one way or another Sayid will receive some sort of redemption. I could see/speculate him making some grand sacrifice to save the remaining candidates thus buying his redemption and helping him to be with Nadia in the afterlife.

2) I would assume that since Lost is about a battle of good vs evil Jack will need to do a number of things in order to stop MIB. I would assume that he will become aware of the Alt world and will have to some how ether choose between the two or to combine them. While a difficult decision I have faith that he will ultimately make the correct decision. I would guess that whatever the outcome there will be a chance in the end for some to leave and some to stay though.

Karen @ Sam's I Am

http://4mombymom.blogspot.com/

1) In regards to Sayid, I think there is still hope for him. I do not think he killed Desmond and because he somehow managed to fight the "evil within" to do that, I think he might be okay. Or he might be killed off sometime before the end. I think that I would like to either see Sayid redeemed and happy or see him killed in a heroic way.

2) When Jack makes up his mind about a decision, he has always been hell-bent on seeing that decision through. (i.e., "We have to go back Kate!!!") Jack thinks he is not supposed to leave the island, but if it means everyone else cannot leave either (if that is, in fact, what THEY want to do) I think he would struggle with that. If on-island Jack discovers David, however, I think that would be enough to change his mind especially after the last episode, where it seemed like he and David were finally connecting. That is something he seriously lacked with his own father, so I think he would do anything to have that with his own son.

Weekly Image - I Wish I Was This Cool

2010-05-14T15:20:00.000+01:00

Weekly Image - Does Anyone Even Remember 300?

2010-05-07T15:19:00.000+01:00

Weekly Image - Caught Speeding

2010-04-30T15:18:00.000+01:00

Weekly Image - Just An Observation

2010-04-23T13:15:00.000+01:00

Lost Blogging Collective Q&A - Week 11

2010-04-22T19:32:00.012+01:00

Aloha one and all! The Lost Blogging Collective returns to you this week with more exciting questions and answers. As Lost enters the final length of the final race of this grand marathon, I am more thankful now than ever that this great group of exciting writers and fans have bonded together in a theory and opinion sharing project. We all have great fun every week writing this for you all, and I hope you have as much fun reading it.

In the years to come, I hope this provides a wonderful snapshot of our final Lost year, but for now, here are this week's Questions and Answers.

1) What did you think of Hurley's episode in general, and specifically the return of Libby? Has it been worth all the hints and teases over the years - of Libby returning, of Desmond being a 'super' man, of Hurley being a leader - was this episode, in essence, worth the wait?

2) We've seen Desmond. We've seen Daniel. We've seen Charlie, Boone, Locke, Mikhail, Keamy, Charlotte, Michael! We've seen pretty much everybody this season, but one man is missing - Walt! Do you think we will see Walt before the end, and how would YOU write him back into the show?

AJ via Associated Content

http://www.associatedcontent.com/

1) I loved the episode personally. Libby and Desmond's stories are very intriguing. I only wish Libby would've experienced something more traumatic or emotional-laced than "I saw your commercial" that reminded her of Hurley.

2) I believe Walt will indeed return. I feel like he's going to return, knowing more of his "powers". The only awkward thing is going to be him coming back as a 10 or 13 year old, with the actor being 17 now. As a footnote, we haven't seen Eko either and I really would like him to return!!

Sagacious Penguin @ Stuff And Nonsense

http://sagaciouspenguin.blogspot.com/

1) The Altered Universe story and everything with Desmond worked very well, I thought. We still don't know why Libby was in Santa Rosa with Hurley in the original timeline, but whatever the reason, having the hospital be what facilitated their reunion in the Altered Universe was a nice pay-off. I'd love a bit more info on Original Timeline Libby, (including why she lied about Hurley stepping on her foot), but if this is all we get, then I'd say the character was well-justified on the whole as a link in the show's chain. Desmond's role as a 'super' man continues to build and will be something to keep an eye on for sure as the series ends. I'm fine with Hurley's growth as a leader, but we the audience need to know where he's getting his ideas. I go into detail on my blog about what didn't work for me in this episode (Illana's casual dismissal and Hurley's sudden, unmotivated, out-of-nowhere decision to go see "Locke"), but this is largely a case of what was building the last few episodes (since 6.07 [Dr. Linus]) not paying-off clearly -- what's been building for the course of the entire series is still paying off nicely.

2) I would certainly hope we'll see Walt in some capacity in the finale. He's shown up somewhere every season so far! I'm of the opinion that Walt is a character who got his "powers" from an electromagnetically-imbued location elsewhere than the Island (Like Isaac of Uhluru [Rose's Faith-Healer] or perhaps Richard Malkin [Claire's Psychic]). But the Island being the mother of all electromagnetic energy sites, Walt's powers interact with the Island in curious ways. This would be why the Others were interested in studying him, but decided they got more than they could handle and ultimately traded him for Ben's safe return. It's also probably connected to Shannon's Walt sightings. But considering what Taller Ghost Walt told Locke he ought to do in 3.22 (Through the Looking Glass), that appearance of Walt was probably some sort of MIB-induced vision. So if I were to bring Walt back in Season 6, I would want to reference both the MIB's use of his image as well as the general consequences of bringing someone with Walt's abilities to the Island. I've also always loved the idea that (in some way) Walt never left the Island, whether it's been stamped with his psychic presence, or whether he can somehow physically project himself there in an inverse of the way that certain Others (Richard/Ethan/Mr.Friendly) seem to be able to leave the Island without truly leaving it.

Jeff @ Moving Fiction
http://movingfiction.wordpress.com/

1) I think this episode is on the short list of episodes this season that answered enough questions to be considered a finale quality episode. The Flash Sideways has become great with the last two episodes, and I think Libby's story feels less like a loose end now, which is never a bad thing with this show.

2) I have a close friend who believes that Walt will end up being the Smoke Monster in some form by the end of the show. Similar to how there must be a replacement for Jacob, my friend believes Walt will be the Island's monster in captivity by the end. I personally think we won't see Walt at all, or not for more than a couple scenes to explain his character off.

Paul @ Room 23

http://lostroom23.blogspot.com/

1) Yes it definitely was worth the wait. The story and the way that they brought Libby back was so awesome and so satisfying. I kind of wish that when she mentioned that she had checked herself into the mental institute that they would have given her one or two lines explaining why, but that was a very minor thing. It was just so awesome! I love the Flash Sideways.

2) I have no idea really how they could work him in unless they do it as a big surprise at the end of the second to last episode or in the final episode, with the direction that the season is going since we haven’t seen any set up for it yet. If I were doing things I would probably do that reveal and then involve him in the big final battle with some ability that combines with Desmond's that could defeat MIB.

Anna @ The Four Toed Foot

http://www.thefourtoedfoot.com/

1) Dude. I must say the reunion with Libby was even BETTER than I expected. In fact, when they kissed on the beach and Hurley’s Island memories came flooding back to him, I totally started crying uncontrollably. My fiancé looked at me like I was the biggest Dork on Earth, but it was so sweet and so unexpected. I didn’t realize how much I had missed her, and how much I have come to really love Hugo over the years. The episode title was kind of personal in that regard.

Hurley also deserves his place as the new Leader. He has the most genuine sense of “goodness” of all our LOSTies. Besides the occasional white-lie, I cannot think of anything Hurley has done to intentionally harm anyone. He has always been the one to try and keep others’ spirits up, keep them safe, keep them LOVED. He has surpassed his earlier child-like innocence and has taken on more and more responsibility, so his new role is fitting in my opinion. I just really only want the best for the Biggest Hearted Dude on LOST.

In regards to Desmond, I have always seen him as the main “wild card” and always figured it would either be Desmond or Locke who would ultimately save the Island. This is probably why they remain my two favorite characters of all time as well. Now with the latter, uh, indisposed (for the time being – yes I’m still holding the torch, baby!), I am guessing it really will be Desmond, the most unwilling hero, who will Save Us All.

(BTW Funny you used the term “Super”man… I had picked The Flaming Lips for my latest recap band of choice.)

2) One of my favorite moments in the show’s history was the surprising return of Walt as Locke’s motivation when he was shot by Ben and left for dead in the ol’ Purge Pit. I think the return of Taller Ghost Walt is in order! He doesn’t need to be on the Island. We know he has the ability to appear in places where he shouldn’t be. I want one final Walt-Vision. Perhaps if only to tease The Lockeness Monster, or perhaps to once again serve as motivator and help coax the Real John Locke into full consciousness and give MIB the boot from that body once and for all!

Izikavazo @ Not Confused, Just Lost
http://ncjl.wordpress.com/

1) I think the Libby thing was worth the wait. After the build up of the Hurley Libby relationship in Season 2 and the extremely shocking end of that relationship it was very gratifying seeing those two get a happy moment.

As for the Desmond's new awareness, it's great to watch. But when I tried to guess what his future was going to hold I never really connected him to any of the other characters. I've always just put Desmond off in a corner away from all the normals. So it's fun watching, but I won't pretend that I ever expected him to be the link between all these characters and the guide to their enlightenment.

Now Hurley's leadership. That's something I always hoped to see, but I thought I was being delusional. Now look, he's doing Jack's job.

2) This is a torturous question. I always wanted Walt to come back, I don't think I'm alone there. But at this point I'm about to give up hope. I was so sure that the Oceanic 6 storyline was the means to get Walt back on the show. These characters were off the Island, they were coming back, they had a time jump, they needed as many Island people on the plane as possible to make it work. I was so sure that all of this was the writers way of getting Walt back on the show. But I was wrong. Now we've had another group find their way to the Island, on Widmore's submarine, but still no Walt in sight.

As for the other timeline, it's 2004 over there, so unless there's a time jump I don't think we'll see him there.
The only other way I can imagine Walt coming back is if everyone dies in the finale and the Island is uninhabited, and then Walt get's there all alone and becomes the next Jacob. That would be fun (and quite insane).

Scott @ The Stuff Of Legend
http://www.im-thinking19.blogspot.com/

1) I LOVED "Everybody Loves Hugo". I thought it was a great mix of humor, romance, plot, and stuff getting blown up. The return of Libby was extremely satisfying, and I think that Garcia and Watros have a very sweet chemistry that is unique to them.

To say whether it was "worth the wait"... I don't think that the stories of Hurley and Desmond are completed yet, so it is difficult to say. I do like that Hurley is finally gaining some confidence in himself, and we are seeing that manifest in both timelines.

As far as Desmond goes, I'm still not convinced that he is totally "aware" of everything that is going on in both timelines. For instance, I don't think he hit Locke with his car because Fake-Locke threw him down a well. I think that in the Sideways timeline, he is aware that something is "off", and he's trying to convince the others of the same thing so that they can help him do.... whatever it is they are going to do in order to try and reconcile the two.

On the Island, he seems very Zen... I think this is because, as crazy and screwed up as things seem, that timeline is the RIGHT one, and it is progressing the way it has to. Island Desmond is aware enough to know that no matter what happens in this timeline, it could be worse... he could be stuck in the other "wrong" one.

2) Man, I sure HOPE we see Walt again... otherwise, there was an awful lot of time spent telling us how freaking "SPECIAL" he is for no reason.

I know that Malcolm David Kelly's growth spurt caused the writers some issues, but I think at this point they could write him back in without much issue... it's been three years, after all, and as the father of two teenagers I can tell you that a massive growth spurt in three years is certainly within the realm of possibility.

If I were to write him back into the show, I would probably have him somehow "drawn" to Desmond and the group that he is putting together somehow. Maybe he shows up at wherever they end up gathering together, saying that he doesn't know why, but something has been driving him to find something or someone, but he doesn't know what. He even flew to Sydney, Australia and back, just because "something" told him to... he was supposed to fly back a few days ago, but he got sidetracked and missed his flight.

The flight he missed? OCEANIC FLIGHT 815.

Ms Wendy @ It's About Bunnies!
http://mswendy.wordpress.com/

1) They had me at the Hurley Tribute video... loved this episode. For me, worth the wait. At first, I wasn't too happy with Ilana blowing up. But LOST has shown us that the stakes have been high since Season One. That "life is a series of choices". And, regardless of what you think is your "destiny" , those choices (like slamming a bag of leaky dynamite on the ground) can sometimes have dire consequences. Unless you're Richard... ;)

2) In Season One, when Locke grabbed Walt's arm, he told him "Don't open that thing, Mr. Locke.... just don't open it". He knew what was going on with The Hatch. Did that include who was inside of it, i.e. Desmond? So, just like in Season 3, Walt helping Locke get out of the Dharma Death Pit, Walt could be standing over the well. The question is... would he be there to help Des or not?

Karen @ Karen's Lost Notebook
http://karenslostnotebook.blogspot.com/

1) I loved this Hugo episode. It was filled with important info. Seeing Libby, Dr. Brooks and Mama Reyes was great. One thing I noticed with his episode is that there weren’t any “mirror” moments in it for Hugo. I wonder if that is because he’s “the guy who isn’t even in the game”. It all was worth the wait.

2) I have not counted out Waaaaalt at all. I believe we will see where he still fits in.

Nikki @ Nik At Nite http://nikkistafford.blogspot.com/
1) I think it was a fantastic episode, but it didn't feel to me like the big question-answering episode we've been waiting for... it did establish Desmond as the man who was going to bring everyone together. It didn't answer the question of why Libby was in the mental hospital with Hurley, unless the suggestion is that in the original timeline, she was perhaps seeing the sideways world and was unable to cope with it then. And maybe she really DIDN'T remember Hurley. But I still find it more than coincidental that she was in the hospital with Hurley AND she was the one who gave the boat to Desmond AND she was the one at the airport asking Eko if he was OK and was still getting on the plane. So many things pointed to her possibly being in cahoots with the island, and I'm not sure that will ever be answered.

That aside, I loved the story between Hugo and Libby in the SW, and the scene of them finally getting their picnic -- blankets and all -- brought tears to my eyes. Beautifully done by the writers, and even more beautifully done by the actors. I adored this episode.

2) That's a really tough one, mostly because Walt is simply too old right now. And I'd never want them to re-cast that character. They can't have him in the SW, because he's supposed to be 11, but they can have him over in this timeline and even though the actor must be pushing 19 at this point, he could probably pull off 15, which is a year older than Walt is in the original timeline. (And maybe they're just hoping we don't do the math!) I'm not sure we will see Walt again, and because of that I haven't thought of how I'd work him into the show. Many, many people see the Walt/Michael storyline as being unfinished, but I don't feel that way. Walt was introduced as the kid who was special, and the Others saw that and took him, and he became the catalyst for the events that ended season 2 and essentially spurred the rest of the series. He brought the Others out of the woodwork; he forced Michael on his expedition; he was put in Room 23 and Ben had tests run on him; he proved too dangerous for them to continue with him and they needed to get rid of him, but they knew Michael didn't know that, so they bribed Michael to go and get the 4 people to come to the other side of the island and free Henry Gale, thus spawning everything else that happened. Walt's specialness was important just for that reason, and we got a satisfying conclusion from it (there has been no solid explanation for him appearing to Shannon or Locke, so it might be nice to get that). Then we continued to follow Michael's quest for redemption, and as of last week we discovered that he's trapped in a purgatory for the things he did, which seems like the way to end his character. He's sorry for what he did, and we know that, and we also know Walt is happily in NY with his grandmother and safe from the Bentham episode, so that storyline is done for me. But I do see why other people would want to bring it back.

Now, if they brought back EKO, on the other hand... THAT would be exciting for me. :)

Ernie @ Gulf Coast Offense
http://gulfcoastoffense.blogspot.com/

1) I enjoyed the episode and am happy that we're finally getting somewhere in the sideways world. The return of Libby was cool, but not as cool as it would have been to have gotten her original backstory. I like Hurley as a leader, as he's always been used as the voice of the audience and comic relief. Maybe with him as leader, we're on the fast track to learning that Lost is all about. Desmond has always been a great character, but I wouldn't call him superman, he's just the uniquely special guy who will piece this entire puzzle together. I think this episode was worth the wait, but really when you think about it, the first half of this season is sort of a waste. We could have done without the temple all together and the earlier flash sideways stories didn't really get us anywhere.

2) I would love to see Walt back before the end of the show because I feel like there's so much more to his story than what we've learned. In the grand scheme of things and the current situation on the show though, I don't think Walt will come into play. I'm not even sure how they could write him back unless he appears in the sideways world, which wouldn't be as satisfying.

Chris @ Super Duper Stream
http://superduperstream.blogspot.com/

1) I have been adamant for 4 years now that the way the writers handle Libby's (lack of) story would define the entire show. While I absolutely LOVED this episode, on reflection I think I may be right. This final season has been a lot of fun and contained some of the best scenes and episodes of the series, but the whole thing seems like a bandage being applied to a leaking wound. The writers obviously never anticipated the sheer volume of stories and theories and fan response, and they are so far doing an excellent job of providing us with all that we think we want to see - they did it in Season 5 with the time travelling covering all of Dharma and Danielle's storylines, and they are doing it this Season by showing us how things could have been. But the real answer is, we still haven't got Libby's story. But, for an ALTERNATIVE to what we think we want, this episode did just fine, and although I would rather have not had to wait so long, it was worth it in the end. Now please don't ignore Hurley for the remaining episodes!

2) As with the above, Walt is another neglected character. While I would love to see Eko (and all the other characters including Tom, Shannon, Goodwin etc) none of them have been neglected where Walt (and Libby) have. The Jeremy Bentham episode seemed like (to use the bleeding wound analogy) a little plaster applied to Walt's story, or perhaps a metaphor for real life events - perhaps the actor has moved away from Lost and doesn't wish to return? Whatever the reasons, again I would have liked to see Walt's proper storyline and not the ALTERNATIVE that he is living with his Grandmother and is seemingly normal. That might be nice, but nice isn't Lost.

But to get back to the question, yes, I believe we will see Walt before the end. How I personally would write him in to the episodes is dramatic - I would give us, the viewers, a pinch of respect and just show Walt as a taller version of his original self in the Alternative timeline. We all know he has grown in real life, so we should just deal with it - we've managed to overlook changing hairstyles (especially Sawyer's) over the years.
So Walt and Michael turn up at the hospital for whatever reason (perhaps Michael is still with Walt's mother and she is pregnant again and is in for a scan). Walt runs into David, who goes to his school, they get chatting and so Michael meets Jack, who at this point has been 'woken up' and, his hero complex kicking in, does something horrible to put Michael and Walt's lives at risk - but saves them in the end, waking them up in the process. Walt's powers live on in the Alternative world, which combined with Desmond and newly-heroic Jack, gives them the power to right whatever wrong needs fixed. (And I can't believe I just wrote a story that involves Jack being the hero! I guess he has grown on me this year!)

Weekly Image - Can't Argue With That

2010-04-16T15:14:00.000+01:00

Lost Blogging Collective Q&A - Week 10

2010-04-15T18:54:00.002+01:00

Hey all, just a little Q&A this week after last week's bumper edition - normal 2 question service resumes next week!

For those that don't know, the Lost Blogging Collective is a group of 23 bloggers from around the world who email, comment on each others blogs, tweet and generally chat about Lost, trying to bring as many cool Lost fans together as possible and sharing each others opinions, theories and ideas before Lost finishes - and beyond! So please, take the time to check out each member's blog and find your favourites - they all bring something different to the table. You can find the links to each in the first blogroll to your right!

Each week, we all answer a couple of questions loosely based on that week's episode of Lost. This week, the question is:

Now that Lost has went totally, 100% sci-fi on us, do you think the deaths of the likes of Charlie and Daniel were "worth it" for the story we are getting told now, or would you rather have had more of their original storyline at the cost of this flash-sideways universe storyline?

Karen @ Karen's Lost Notebook

http://karenslostnotebook.blogspot.com/

I was very sad when Charlie "died", not so much when Daniel "died". This is LOST so what does dead really mean? Dead= "Gone".

But I feel their being "eliminated" is all part of the (not only the journey) but game as well. So with that, it must have been "worth it" to one side of the chess board for the removal of those pieces.

As far as their original story lines, I feel at this point we got the information we were supposed to get. From what we saw this week these two (people/pieces/players/pawns) still have a place in influencing the "Island" game/story.

It has been my opinion the sideways and the other on "Island" and off "Island" events are all blurred together and have always been. I believe with the convergence of all of this that everything will serve a purpose and make sense in the end.

Paul @ Room 23

http://lostroom23.blogspot.com/

No I love the Flash Sideways so much. Sure it was sad when Charlie and Daniel died, but they went out in a great way. And like they say in Lost even if you die you’re never gone for good. The Flash Sideways has been such an awesome way to say goodbye to all of the characters. It’s been such a great way to reminisce about all of the great moments during the past 5 and a half years. Plus as we all now know from the Desmond episode there’s a definite connection between the Flash Sideways world and the island.

Karen @ Sam's I Am

http://4mombymom.blogspot.com/

I can deal with the death of Daniel for the sake of science, but Charlie...not so much. I'm still not sure we are 100% science. I still feel like there is a lot of mythology to be discovered between Jacob and MIB.

Sagacious Penguin @ Stuff And Nonsense

http://sagaciouspenguin.blogspot.com/

Definitely worth it. I loved both characters, but thought their deaths were worth it at the time, too. In "Through The Looking Glass" we needed a tragedy in the midst of triumph in order to frame/foreshadow Jack's flash-forward traumatized state. While we weren't sure what all he'd been through at that point, we got a taste of it with the loss of Charlie. Though we know the arrival of the freighter was "the Beginning of the End" in retrospect, at the time it was a HUGE victory for our heroes and a major defeat for the Others. To earn such things require sacrifices from a story-telling standpoint, and there can be no greater storytelling loss then to put a period at the end of a great character's story. For Faraday, his death was a similar impetus: While Juliet functioned as the Charlie-like sacrifice, that came with the "victory" of detonating Jughead in the midst of the Incident, Faraday's death defined his entire role on the show. He and Eloise, and the story of a mother knowingly sacrificing her son for the sake of time-continuity, are at the heart of the show. Eloise and Faraday have kept this timeline rigorously held to the destiny it's meant to arrive at. And while Altered Universe Eloise may not be willing to sacrifice for the existence of the Original Timeline, AU Faraday seems willing. In both universes, these two are the guardians of time, and Faraday's death is the variable (and his journal is the violation) that's allowed Eloise the knowledge to set them on this path: Farday's death humanizes what would otherwise be empty sci-fi.

Chris @ Super Duper Stream

http://superduperstream.blogspot.com/

I don't know if they were necessarily "worth it", but I am certainly glad we are getting to revisit these characters. The only downfall is - these are not the same characters we have grown to love (and in some cases hate, but at least we feel for them). One way of looking at it is that Lost has introduced a dozen or so "new" characters, but hopefully, with Desmond's new 'powers' being awoken by Charlie, we can begin seeing our old friends and these new people converge into some singular entity - one that is equal parts new and exciting, but also old and familiar.

But what I wouldn't give to have more episodes from Charlie, Daniel and even Boone before they perished. I think a lot of Lost characters still had a lot of story to tell, and for that I rue the 'end date' decision, but we can't all have our cake and eat it. I guess the writer's were forced with a choice of whether to indefinitely tell the 'character' storyline until ratings dropped so far the show got cancelled, then rush a 'mystery' ending, or to rush the 'character' aspect in order to tell a proper 'mystery' story. The way I see it, we got 3 good seasons of 'character' with a hint of mystery, then 2 good seasons of 'mystery' with a hint of character, and this season we are essentially getting both. Would I have done it differently? Yes. But am I upset with how the writer's have chosen to tell their story? No, not in the slightest. If Charlie had to die in order to get us to where we are, then so be it, who am I to judge?

Lost Blogging Collective Q&A - Week 9

2010-04-12T17:15:00.033+01:00

For those of you not in the know, this has been a hectic week and a bit - but thankfully the website has been ticking over, and I can now (finally) give you all the Questions and Answers for week 9 of Lost!

To make up for the crazy, this week is a bumper 4 question edition, and later in the week you will be getting a bonus question from our Lost Blogging Collective, before normal service resumes again with Week 11. So without further ado, on with the show.

1) What one aspect of Lost turned you from a 'normal' fan into a 'hardcore' Lostie?
2) What are some of your favourite Lost-related websites?
3) How will Desmond, the package, the constant, the variable, feature in the final showdown?
4) Who is the father of Alt Sun's Alt child?

Karen @ Sam's I Am

http://4mombymom.blogspot.com/

1) I don't think there was any one thing that made me crazy for Lost. I think that I may have been hooked right from the pilot episode. It always has seemed more like a movie-watching experience than a television show. It is just leaps and bounds more entertaining than anything I have ever watched on TV. Also, the way the producers and writers love the fan's input and participation in the show is really awesome too.

2) On Wednesday mornings, I am usually spending half my morning on DarkUFO's website (my Weekly Website review). Not to mention all the rest of the days of the week. I also enjoy Jorge Garcia's blog and his podcasts (my WW review of both). Love Damon and Carlton's podcasts too. Of course, yours too Chris!!

3) I honestly do not have a clue. He was so absent from last season, that I was beginning to think he was not as "special" as I always hoped him to be. I am very excited and anxious to see how he fits back into the realm of things!! I'll be curious to read some of the other answers to this question.

4) Hmmm....maybe Michael. Him and Sun seemed to have a little chemistry when they first started communicating together.

Sagacious Penguin @ Stuff And Nonsense

http://sagaciouspenguin.blogspot.com/

1) I have to say it was the number of "white moments" in Season 1 - those powerhouse happy and/or cathartic moments that uplifted the viewers beyond watching LOST and into experiencing LOST. Yes, the mysteries were there, but they were linked to these glory moments where (with a little help from the actors and Michael Giacchino) your soul soared. One of the earliest and most renowned of these was the revelation of Locke's having been wheel-chair bound prior to the crash in 1.04 (Walkabout). Yes, the mystery of how he'd been healed induced goosebumps, but the sheer power of watching Terry O'Quinn smile at the wheelchair beside the fuselage pyre as the music swelled took these goosebumps and turned them into joy. The characters got moment after moment like this through Season 1 - wrought with both high tragedy and high catharsis, and still every now and again they occur. The power of Ben's recent "white moment" in Dr. Linus has made it one of the episode most popular of the Season thus far, and for me how highly Season 6 ranks in amongst the best episodes of the series, will depend on how well LOST executes these moments as it moves into it's endgame. Keep in mind, I'm not saying things need to be HAPPY - they just need to be full of REDEMPTION, PAY-OFF, and RESOLUTION. Season 1 did this again and again, and THAT's the reason I love LOST.

2) nikkistafford.blogspot.com (WW) - best insightful recaps, most intelligent discussion community - darkufo.blogspot.com (WW) - best collection of LOST news, but beware of spoilers! The strong of will can avoid them easily there! www.lostpedia.com - best source of encyclopedic LOST info. Period. Want to know anything? Go there. sagaciouspenguin.blogspot.com - yes, I love my own site. A healthy ego is a requirement of all who spend their time blogging! Plus, writing my analyses and breaking the mysteries down into as few questions as possible helps me keep LOST as simple as possible in my head!

3) Desmond IS the package from what I gather, and judging from the fact that Widmore needs both Desmond and the locations of the Island's pockets of electromagnetism to move his scheme forward, I'd say he's fixing to do some time-travel craziness to repair whatever damage was caused to the Island by Desmond's turn of the failsafe key in the Season 2 finale: Meaning the cork is leaky and needs the guy-who-can-break-all-the-rules to repair it. The Constant? Without Penny, Des wouldn't have the strength it'll take to make whatever tough choices are ahead to repair the Island and space/time. The Variable? Faraday says people's ability to induce unexpected change is the ultimate Variable that can thwart the "Whatever Happened, Happened" agenda of fate -- on the show, this has seemingly taken the form of the Altered Universe: the consequence of Jack leading his troops to change the future. In the final showdown, I'm guessing our heroes may just have to sacrifice both themselves and the Island to save space/time from imploding via the Island's stores of Electromagnetic energy. If this happens, maybe the Altered Universe is the loophole that will allow them to live despite their sacrifice. Either that, or the Original Timeline (what was Constant) will have to be destroyed to allow the Altered Timeline (the Variable) to live on -- the universe's way of "course-correcting" the results of The Incident.

4) Alt Jae Lee!

Ernie @ Gulf Coast Offense

http://gulfcoastoffense.blogspot.com/

1) Two big season 1 things got me hooked on the show: the numbers and the hatch. I just had to know what the deal with these things were. It was interesting to see the numbers show up in so many random ways in each episode. The whole plot with the hatch was awesome. I had to know what that thing was and what was down there.

I also found it cool during the early seasons of the show how there was so much of a viral aspect to the show's marketing. I remember how big of a deal the Oceanic Web site was and that you could click on the character's seats and find cool Easter eggs. I also remember how each new thing mentioned on the show would soon be a Web site. Hurley works at Mr. Clucks ... check out Mr. Clucks Web site for more Easter eggs. This is a fun side note about Lost that people who came to it late or who only watched the DVDs later never got to experience.

2) As I mentioned in the previous response, I enjoyed the early viral Web sites that were created to promote the show and everything in it. Now I pretty much stick to blogs and sites that talk about Lost. My favorites are Doc Jensen/EW's Totally Lost, DarkUFO, LongLiveLocke, Lostpedia, Zap2It's Guide to Lost, Lost Media & Get Lost Podcast (for screen captures), etc. I've also enjoyed Jorge Garcia's Geronimo Jack's Beard podcasts, but I'm a few episodes behind.

3) I'm not sure how or why Desmond is the key to Lost, but I just know he is. As Faraday said, he's uniquely special and the rules don't apply to him. Is he a candidate? I don't think so, but he is likely the key to ultimately stopping Man in Black.

4) It might be the simple answer, but I think Jin's the father. I don't think we're in for a big swerve here. I think the swerve already happened with then not being married and Sun getting shot. I guess in sideways world, Jin is fertile and they don't have the same issues they had in their pre-815 life.

Ms Wendy @ It's About Bunnies!

http://mswendy.wordpress.com/

1) I've been hooked ever since Jack opened his eye. But the aspect that made me dig deeper into LOST was the connections between characters. We first got a glimpse of it when Sawyer is dragged away in the police station as Boone is talking to the cop in Australia (Heart and Minds). It showed us that these incredible and mysterious things weren't just happening to just any random group of people. And it made me need to know the "whys" behind it...and still does.

2) Oh, there are so many fantastic Lost sites out there (and thank you to all of you who take the time to put them together for us fans). Some that I frequent often are DarkUFO, Lostpedia, The Lost Podcasting Network, Lost.about.com (Bonnie Covel's site), Karen's Lost Notebook, Capcom's Lost blog, Dispatches From the Island, Lost Tidbits, Not Confused Just Lost... and of course, Stream of Consciousness. :)

3) I wrote on my blog that Desmond being referred to as "the package" might be why he is special and can withstand the electromagnetism. There is something called a "physics package" which is essentially the core of a nuclear bomb. Daniel also reiterated that for the bad things to stop "something like a nuclear bomb" would have to be set off (Happily Ever After). I'm thinking what if that is what Desmond is like? Will he "explode"? Probably not in the traditional sense.. (although, it's LOST, you never know..lol). But whatever Desmond can do has a similar reaction. This is what makes him "uniquely and miraculously special". And his "sacrifice" will be a lot like Dogen's was: Give your life to the "work" of the Island that your loved ones will live on, though you will never be with them. I think that the constants are love and hate. Love is what helped people to "see" and "feel" what was missing. Hate is what moved MIB and Claire out of their inactive state (MIB and crazy mother, Claire going after those who took Aaron). These constants showed each group their "purpose". The variables are people, just like before in 77, and their ability to choose which will be their "constant'. Their final choice of constant determines their "side" in the war.

4) I think that Jin is the father, just like Christian Shephard is still Claire father (or we can at least, assume he is).

Chris @ Super Duper Stream

http://superduperstream.blogspot.com

1) The characters, and specifically their backstory and connections. The two main touchstones of this are when it was revealed that Locke was in a wheelchair before the crash (perhaps an over-used answer, but that just shows how powerful that scene was to us all), and also as Ms Wendy says, when Sawyer is getting dragged around in the Cop shop during Boone's episode, these connections and crossovers also brought me under Lost's sway.

As a comic book fan, I find it frustrating that so few other medias utilise the backstory and crossover stuff as well as comic books do. Fair enough, comic books sometimes overplay these angles (my favourite comic book is The Walking Dead which specifically goes out of its way not to delve into backstories or crossovers) but it is very rare that a movie, TV show, book or computer game can carry out a good backstory or character crossover well. Memento did, as did Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, and these three films are rightly regarded as some of the best in the world. In addition to that, Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction both have character crossovers in the form of the Vega brothers, which has led to many a fan theory filling in the little bits of information not covered in the main films, and also a failed prequel attempt at telling these characters backstories.

As with these three examples, Lost is a rare breed. It has managed to telling backstories and show crossovers in a way that always genuinely excites their fans. Look at Season 6 - I'm sure few people truly cared about George Minkowski before "Happily Ever After", yet many of them probably still felt a buzz of real excitement at seeing him drive Desmond around.

2) Well, there's a ton. In addition to the Lost Blogging Collective (and my favourites there, if I had to choose, would be Sagacious Penguin's "Stuff And Nonsense", Fishbiscuitland (WW) and Not Confused Just Lost (WW)), there's also Long Live Locke, Jopinionated and Doc Jensen's Entertainment Weekly articles are always good for an informative, madcap and completely off-base read. They might not always enhance your understanding of Lost, but they certainly educate you in the way of cross-pop culture references, ideas and templates. I guess that would be loosely my top 6 of the moment, but it changes week-by-week - sometimes Vozzek will blow me away with a recap, other weeks I can seem to get away from Room 23 (WW), it just varies between about 30+ different sites. Check out my random Round-Ups for a more in-depth look at what I like to read. A final mention must go to Never Seen Lost (WW) - a blog about one man's journey through Season 6, having never seen any of Seasons 1 - 5! It makes for some pretty interesting, funny and crazy reading.

3) Desmond will be the glue of the group, or the dynamite. My initial thoughts were that he would either be forced into, or willingly undertake, a sacrifice in the manner of Charlie - his death for the life of the world. But now, having had time to think about things, I think it will be more complex than that. If Jacob and Esau/Smokey are the black and white of the Lost world, with everyone choosing sides between the two, then Desmond is the gray - the man who will blend together both black, white and everything inbetween - he will join together everyone into one big group, and together they will tackle whatever the big problem will be. Perhaps even Smokey will sacrifice himself to save the world, who knows - but my betting is, once Desmond gets to everyone (in the manner of Jacob's "touches"), they will all unite under one big, gray banner. That's my theory anyway.

4) Alt Michael? I always thought the love triangle storyline ended too quickly in the original flavour timeline, so the geek in me would love to see Alt Michael as the Alt Father. But the realist in me is bending towards Jae Lee or Jin, probably the latter for simplicity's sake.

Weekly Website - Devastate Boredom

2010-04-10T21:57:00.001+01:00

Weekly Website

http://devastateboredom.blogspot.com

Devastate Bordeom, run by the very cool Sarah Eliza, is dedicted to keeping absolutely everyone amused and boredom-free, in the most random and fun ways! Contained within are a multitude of free (and legal!) music downloads, TV reviews, green & cheap living ideas (including coupons, offers, etc) and a whole host of other cool stuff to keep you busy.

On the Lost side of things, Sarah provides a weekly overview of each Lost episode, nearly pointing out Answers, Questions and various notes from across the Lost message boards that many people may not have picked up on, or have simply forgotten about. For instance, in her "Recon" recap, we are reminded that Miles was initially brought to the Island by Charles Widmore (via Naomi), causing Jacob (via Bram) to try and convince him that he was on the wrong side of the war - insinuating that Widmore is not in face on the side of Team Jacob.

The best part about Sarah's site is the sheer abundance of links she provides - Lost links, music links, random links! There's plenty to keep you busy for a long, long time, so start exploring now!

Weekly Image - Island Halloween

2010-04-09T11:29:00.000+01:00

Lost - Funny Quote

2010-04-08T17:14:00.002+01:00

From Season 1's "Hearts And Minds".

Sayid - Let me ask you something -- which way do you think North is?

Jack - Sorry?

Sayid - North? Which way is it?

Jack - Uh, okay.

[Jack looks around and points.]

Jack - The sun's going to set over there, so that makes that West.

[Pointing in another direction.]

Jack -That'd be North. Yeah.

Sayid - Correct. That's where North should be.

[Sayid shows the compass to Jack. North isn't showing correctly on the compass.]

Sayid - Yet that is North.

Jack - I'm not. . .

Sayid - A minor magnetic anomaly might explain a variance of 2 or 3 degrees, but not this.

Jack - What are you saying?

Sayid - I'm saying this compass is obviously defective.

Knowing what we know now, I think Sayid was a little off the mark there.

Lost Poll - Favourite Season

2010-04-07T18:17:00.005+01:00

Thoughts From Twitter

@WhimsyAndQuirk - So far, my favorite is 6, then 5. :-)

@growlf - I rather enjoyed S2. S6 is shaping up nicely as well.

@YaGottaBKiddnMe - I like THIS season, cuz we're finally getting answers :) And I think the flash sideways will end up being something really cool.

@LOST_BOSS - Season 1.

@SawyerandKate - Season 1.

@tomwilson23 - I am going to delay answering until this season is over cause i think the last episodes could push 6 into the lead.

@deanosaurasrex - so far season 2 but season 3 is damn good too!!

@erinava - season 1! Hated season 2!

@BunniesLRNow - At this point, I'm still a sentimental, Season One LOST nerd.

@Mediawill - Season 2—with Season 6 coming in a close second. That premiere with #Desmond in the #hatch was incredible.

@SDstream - @erinava lol so did I!

@buerschte - uhm... season 5 i think...

@DharmaOutlaw - Hmm that is a tough call. I like them all for different reasons. I will go with Season 2. For now.

@topseacrets - do i have to pick one??? cause... i like em all!!!!

@aouaLOST - one.

@brunablack - Either S1 or S5. Pure bliss.

@XmeshworkX - season 1!

@gothcake - Season 3.

@hrbeck - #1

@jason_cherry - IMHO, LOST has gone downhill from the 1st episode. Was entertaining for a while, but this last seasons twists are disappointing

Weekly Website - Fishbiscuitland

2010-04-06T14:27:00.030+01:00

Weekly Website

http://fishbiscuitlandblog.blogspot.com

Although it would be a very close call between a truly exceptional group of blogs, if I was ever forced to choose my ultimate, favourite Lost website of Season 6, it would have to be Fishbiscuitland.

FBL's unique choice of writing style may be jarring for some, but for me it is perfect. Relying mostly on images, Fish weaves a wonderful weekly tale that is worthy of rivalling Lost's very own storyline. Her wonderful image selection and choice of quotes leads me to believe she has actually read every book written and seen every television show that has been created. Each time she posts, she manages to link Lost in with several other great stories - some obscure, some classical, some pop-culture and some mythological.

It helps to be a great consumer of stories to not only be a fan of Fishbiscuitland, but to Lost overall. However, like the TV show, it is not a necessity for enjoyment. Anyone can read a FBL post and take great pleasure in it - there are enough references, images and text to ensure that something will stick, even if not everyone will "get" ever link, but some of the metaphors are truly inspired.

It pains me to read FBL sometimes, as this is the type of blog that is so truly, utterly enjoyable that it makes me want to give up writing myself and simply devote all of my time to reading FBL archives over and over on a continuous loop. However, that feeling soon passes, and instead I am left feeling like FBL has raised the bar for other Lost bloggers like myself to try to live up to. I only hope that, out there somewhere, there is someone worthy enough to raise the bar even higher.

For now, please check out my favourite Lost blogger of the moment at fishbiscuitland.blogspot.com

Lost - Fate vs Free Will - Season 1

2010-04-05T12:10:00.006+01:00

For any statistic junkies out there like me, check out this for the "Fate vs Free Will" debate - every single mention of "constant", "destiny", "fate" and "we have to go back" VS every mention of "choice", "choose, "don't tell me what I can't do" and "variable".

I toyed with whether to do a full-scale every single mention of the words or a contextual count of the mentions - I've gone with contextual, so you will see Randy's mocking "You think it's your destiny?" or Christian's "Don't choose. Don't decide." count as negatives as they are anti-statements, and you also won't see Locke's rants count towards 35 "destiny"s - one line, one count.

Anyway, have fun!

Fate (25)

Constant (0)

Destiny (4)

S1E4 - Locke - Why? It was his destiny.

S1E4 - Locke - This is destiny. This is destiny. This is my destiny.

S1E14 - Michael - This us taking control of our destiny.

S1E24 - Locke - It's destiny.

Fate (5)

S1E16 - Christian - It's fate.

S1E21 - Haddad - Perhaps it is fate.

S1E21 - Essam - Haddad was right, it was fate that brought us back together.

S1E24 - Locke - We'll let fate decide.

S1E24 - Sun - Fate.

We Have To Go Back (9)

S1E1 - Kate - We have to go back for him.

S1E5 - Boone - You gotta go back.

S1E13 - Boone - Let's go back

S1E13 - Shannon - You should go back.

S1E13 - Shannon - And then we'll just go back.

S1E16 - Sun - I want to go back.

S1E19 - Boone - That's it. Let's go back.

S1E23 - Walt - Stay, Vincent. Go back, Vincent. Vincent, go back, go back.

S1E24 - Sayid - You're going to have to go back.

Anti-Choice (5)

S1E9 - Danielle - I had no choice. They were already lost.

S1E14 - Michael - But it's not his choice. It's mine.

S1E20 - Jack - There's no other choice.

S1E21 - Kate - You had no choice.

S1E24 - Kate - You had no right to make that choice

Anti-Choose (2)

S1E5 - Christian - Don't choose, Jack, don't decide.

S1E23 - Sun - There really wasn't much to choose from

Free Will (25)

Choice (12)

S1E1 - Jack - So I just made a choice.

S1E5 - Unnamed Bully - It's your choice man, walk away now and you won't get your ass kicked.

S1E6 - Locke - Give it up now at least it will be your choice.

S1E7 - Priest - Well, we all have our temptations, but giving in to them, that's your choice.

S1E7 - Charlie - Well, then, I've made my choice.

S1E7 - Locke - Having choices, making decisions based on more than instinct, is the only thing that separates you from him [a boar].

S1E7 - Charlie - I've made my choice.

S1E8 - Jack - This was Sawyer's choice.

S1E16 - Duckett - Only two choices, shrimp in mild sauce, shrimp in hot sauce.

S1E21 - Sayid - There's always a choice.

S1E23 - Danielle - You have only 3 choices - run, hide, or die.

S1E24 - Michael - There's only 2 choices - you're either a hero or you want to die.

Choose (1)

S1E23 - Sayid - Choose wisely when you use it.

Don't Tell Me What I Can't Do (5)

S1E4 - Locke - Just don't tell me what I can't do. (to Randy)

S1E4 - Locke - Don't tell me what I can't do. (to Kate)

S1E4 - Locke - Don't ever tell me what I can't do, ever. (to Travel Agent)

S1E19 - Locke - No, don't tell me what I can't do.

S1E20 - Jack - Don't tell me what I can't do!

Variable (0)

Anti-Destiny (3)

S1E4 - Randy - That's what you think you've got, old man? Destiny?

S1E24 - Jack - Did you talk with Boone about destiny, John?

S1E24 - Jack - I don't believe in destiny.

Anti-Fate (2)

S1E16 - Jack - Instead of taking responsibility for it, he just put it on fate.

S1E24 - Claire - There's no such thing as fate.

Anti-We Have To Go Back (2)

S1E13 - Boone - We never go back.

S1E20 - Shannon - I don't want to go back.

So, there you have it. It would appear, for Season 1 at least, there is a dead-even tie between Destiny and Free Will. Spooky! I think Sayid says it best:

S1E20 - Sayid - Maybe we should go back?

Lost - Where Are They Now - Kate

2010-04-04T09:13:00.033+01:00

In this new segment, I try to quickly recap (in a few paragraphs, or less) the history and current placement of all the main characters - consider this a quick "Best Of".

Kate

She runs.

She killed her father. She runs. She confesses to her mother. She runs. She gets married. She runs. She kills her best friend. She runs. She bank-robs her best friend's toy aeroplane. She runs. She gets a job on a farm. She runs. She crashes on an Island. She runs. She encounters a Smoke Monster. She runs. She does a lot of running, so much so that she eventually runs onto a helicopter and gets back off the Island. A court orders her not to run. She tries not to run, to build a family with Jack and Jack's nephew Aaron, but her emotions cause her to run right back to the Island.

Where she runs some more. From the Temple, from Jack, to Sawyer, to Claire. In the alternative world, she runs from the authorities. She runs into Claire, runs away from Claire, runs back to Claire, then runs away again, before running into Sawyer, literally. With all this running, she should try out for the Olympic Games.

Currently caught between a rock and a hard place, with nowhere to run, Kate is forced to stay put and try to build relationships with all the insane, selfish and injured people around her. How long until she gives up and starts running again?

Current Location - Smokey's campsite.

Current Team Members - Sawyer, Jin, Cindy, Zack, Emma, unnamed Others, Sayid (debatable), Claire (debatable), Smokey (debatable).

Weekly Website - Lost Blog

2010-04-03T11:48:00.005+01:00

Lost Blog

http://www.lostblog.com/

By fans, for fans and about fans, that is the tagline for the Lost Blog, and it couldn't be more apt.

Run by an array of fun contributors, the Lost Blog comprises so much Lost stuff it even makes MY mind boggle! There's a "Tweet's O' The Day" section which collects the best Lost ramblings from Twitter (and on which I have featured occassionally). There's a fantastically full Interview section comprising artists, cast members, and fellow bloggers (and again, I have been lucky enough to be featured in that fantastic line-up).

There's a multitude of recaps and analysis. There's a weekly "We Re-Watch Lost" chatroom where everyone is invited to re-watch the latest episode of Lost and chat about it, which is then followed by "We Talk About Lost" which again is an open-invitation podcast to come chat about the latest episode.

In addition to this, there are hundreds of links to other Lost fan sites, as well as far too many internal links to mention - humour, competitions, videos, pictures, polls. Imagine a typical Lost fan site mixed with a typical Lost aggregate site, then given a large dose of steroids, and you'll have LostBlog.com - fantastic fun, incredibly huge, and a great place to check out and contribute to.

Weekly Image - This Panda Is Undeniably Cooler Than You

2010-04-02T10:25:00.008+01:00

Too cute for you? Jorge Garcia certainly doesn't seem to think so!

LostBlog.com - My Interview

2010-04-01T12:02:00.001+01:00

The fantastic team at LostBlog.com selected me to be interviewed recently.

Oh look, there I am sandwiched between Mark "Jacob" Pellegrino and Gary from AfterLost.com!

The interview was a blast, with 16 questions ranging from "Favourite Character?" to "What Do You Think Will Be Lost's Legacy?"

So if anyone wants to know the intimate details of my love-affair with Lost, now is your chance!

Thanks again to all at LostBlog.com =)

Live - The Alchonauts w/ The Cellophanes, The Cemetery Girls

2010-03-31T22:37:00.001+01:00

Venue - The 13th Note, Glasgow

Date - Thursday, 11th March 2010

Line-Up - The Alchonauts, The Cellophanes, The Cemetery Girls

The Cemetery Girls

http://myspace.com/thecemeterygirlsuk

Rising from the ashes of The Terrors (http://www.myspace.com/theterrorsuk) comes The Cemetery Girls, an all-girl punk group mixing in various styles from horror-pop to Grease-esque 50's rock. This, their debut show, was as strong a foundation as any from which to grow a band upon.

Featuring a solid 7-song length performance, with titles as atmospheric as Necropolis, Bad Girl, Dark As The Ocean, Female Dracula and The Watcher, the band performed a strong, confident set that, while still needing some additional work that will come with practice and performance (ie some extra bass notes, more cymbal work, the little things), was more than enough to convert everyone within hearing distance into a fan. The main core of vocalist Elaine and guitarist/vocalist Tina is a powerful combination, working best in tandem than seperately - in particular, the bloodcurdling screams of Tine complement perfectly the more femininely aggressive vocals of Elaine.

The final two songs of their set were easily their best - 60's cover "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" (notable for being the first all-female perfomance to reach US #1) was a strong and pointed performance, equal parts respectable to the original and decidely theirs. Set finale, The Watcher, is a delight, particularly the 'storytelling' breakdown which, if anything, could do with being lengthened, a la Battle Of Mice's "Sleep And Dream" or Gorillaz's "Fire Coming Out Of A Monkey's Head".

All in all, this was a great performance and one you wouldn't have believed was a first for a new band.

The Cellophanes

http://myspace.com/thecellophanesuk

My upcoming "2009 In Review" postings will name tonight's venue, The 13th Note, as simultaneously one of the best and also worst venues in Glasgow. Tonight, nothing had changed - the opening times are still sporadic and ever-changing, the sound quality flips periodically from intimate to awful and the atmosphere in general is welcoming, but not overly so.

In that same Review, I name The Cellophanes as my pick for band of 2009 and band to watch in 2010, and here is where you will find some definite changes. The young, raw, likeable-yet-amateurish pop-punk band of yester-year is gone, only to be replaced with a more professional, maturer, stronger band that simply defies genre. The 'younger brother' of the Glasgow punk scene has been replaced with this 'older brother' outfit, carving out their own name and genre. It is telling that, while last year The Cellophanes opened several times for Cemetery Girl's Tina and Mary-Kate's The Terrors, 2010's touring schedule kicks off with a bout of gigs in which The Cemetery Girls will be opening for The Cellophanes.

Upcoming 13th Note Gigs

Wed 7th April - The Cellophanes, Scragfight, The Cemetery Girls

How To Make A Monster Cd launch

Sat 24th April - The Murderburgers, The Cellophanes, The Accelerators, The Priceduifkes

The Murderburgers Cd launch

Wed 5th May - Banner Pilot, The Hijacks, The Cellophanes, The Lie Detectors

All three gigs listed above are well worth checking out, but for now, back to the present. Following a brief a cappella introduction lampooning "In The Jungle", The Cellophanes launch into the strongest performance of "Don't Wanna Be Retarded" to date, wherein the first thing that grabs you is just how solid and improved the drumming has become. The 13th Note is traditionally a venue for The Cellophanes to test out just how fast they can perform, squeezing as many songs into their set as possible, and tonight is no exception. Whilst in the past this would result in an understandable drop in quality, if anything the speed tonight only showcases just how on form the band have become, with no noticeable mistakes or hiccups in places where previously there would have been at least three! This shared sense of impeccable timing continues on throughout a set that includes a confident performance of "Why Don't You Like Me" that is so full of charisma and swagger, you almost expect the instruments to grow arms and begin playing by theirselves.

Next up is typical set highlight "Weekend Girl". For once, the poor sound of The 13th Note simply doesn't matter - all three members have grown stronger as singers, making the lyrics incredibly easy to make out (which is an absolute must for a band that rely heavily on the catchiness of their songs) and the vocal harmonies pitch perfect. The speed begins to take its toll on the usually vicious bite of the guitar riffs, but conversely, Sean's bass lines seem to have conjured up a few extra notes!

New song "This Guy I Know" shows off perfectly the differences between old Cellophanes and new Cellophanes. Where old Cellophanes would have crafted a decent intro that began with a solo guitar riff slowly being built upon by the bass and drums, culminating into the song proper, new Cellophanes simply burst straight into all three playing as unit, a feat that involves timing that borders on telepathic.

A calm and collected version of "Wasting My Time" follows, with the strong vocals again on show, allowing the brilliant lyrics to shine through. With "Don't Forget Me" we again get to see the differences between the band of last year and the band of present - Johnny makes one slight mistake with the drumming, something which previously would have brought the set to a grinding halt while the band made self-deprecating jokes and apologies before attempting to restart. Tonight however, the minor incident is instead glossed over professionally and the band simply get on with it without acknowledging anything and steamroll through the song with great skill.

As for the song itself, whether an intentional improvement or simply an ad hoc sublminal chanelling of The Cemetery Girls, benefits from a new vibe straight out of the 60's. An incredible new breakdown is showcased, and there is only one way to describe the band at this point - this is no longer The Cellophanes, this is THE CELLOPHANES A+++!!!

Anothing new song is introduced next with typical Cellophanes humour - "this song's called Don't Haud Yer Breath, which means... don't haud yer breath!" - and features three new directions The Cellophanes could move towards. First, Sean's vocals are clearly more raspy and angrier than before, giving the band a slightly grunge feel. Second, the song teases with what is almost a great, jazzy, syncopated beat, but this is sadly a mere hint. Third, late in the song a slight sense of metal begins to shine through. As always, the song is best served when all three sing in unison, or when Sean and Stewart trade a back-and-forth, call-and-response delivery, remniscent of any great band that features two frontmen. Thankfully, all these elements combine in this new song, providing something that is equal parts new and old, and all parts awesome.

Set cloest is a Cellophanes staple, their cover of The Ramon's "Bonzo Goes To Bitburg". By this point, both band and audience are riding on a jubilant high, and it shows in the fast and frantic delivery. Everyone is performing at full speed and skill, with Sean's basswork in particular impressing. It is all wrapped up neatly with Johnny performing a much awaited drum solo outro.

Three things combined to make this simply THE best Cellophanes gig to date. First, it was a great event - good bands, good audience, good venue (despite its shortcomings, The 13th Note IS a good venue) and good atmosphere. Second, the song selection - the 'fat' has been trimmed from The Cellophanes setlist, most prominently with the frantic "Bonzo" being chosen as set closer over the slower "Stiches On My Brain". This resulted in everyone leaving with the best possible impression of The Cellophanes at their strongest. (Also a nice touch, the band began and ended the set with the only two songs that mention the word 'cellophane' in their lyrics!) Finally, and most importantly, pure work ethic. The band have clearly become more skilled, both individually and as a group, over such a short period of time. It amazes me that this is still a band in its infancy, and I can't wait to see what they have in store for the future. Like genre stalwarts Green Day, they have launched themselves from a strong, stable, pop-punk platform and are now branching off into other genres and sounds. Hopefully, one day in the future, we might get to see The Cellophanes perform in stadiums too.

The Alchonauts

http://myspace.com/thealchonauts

As much as they are their own bands that defy pigeon-holing in many respects, both The Cemetery Girls and The Cellophanes could loosely be described as punk. The Alchonauts, however, cannot realistically be defined by a genre, and their placement on this set miffed quite a few in the crowd. Beginning almost intentionally awful, almost as if to goad the crowd into leaving, it soon becomes apparent that this Fife outfit are a different breed of band, one that is effortlessly talented and simply don't mind whether you notice it or not.

Unlike most bands of their undefined ilk, The Alchonauts seem genuinely appreciative and engaging with their audience. Between songs, lead singer Theo addresses the audience, breaking the hypnotic, haunting, almost harrowing hold that their doom-laced dance noise death-ska, in short incredibly indescribable, music has on the listener. Such random outburts include "this is Another Song About Drinking", "this is A Song For Sleazebags" and "this song is Horrible" serving to sow a general sense of bewilderment as their mixture of self-deprecation, confusion and genuine song-titles blur together, leaving one wondering whether the band actually want to be here, or whether they are playing some cosmic practical joke on the rest of the room and having the time of their lives in the process.

Either way, the music speaks for itself. Effortlessly mixing in aspects and influences from Rage Against The Machine, Primus, Biffy Clyro, Enter Shikari and System Of A Down, all of these names and more race through the mind as you experience The Alchonauts, however none of them quite stick. The band simply pick and choose elements from everything, and piece them together to make one manic, unique and whole experience, held together by an incredibly bored looking keyboardist, whose one-note-wonder element is betrayed by his effortless jams of classical music between songs.

His image betrays the complete joy and fun that is found in the running undercurrent of the band, again making you feel as though there is something larger at play that the rest of us just aren't privy to understanding. It's like listening to Coheed & Cambria without the knowledge that the entire band is one huge conceptual performance.

From a technical point of view, everything is superb. The keyboards are necessarily restrained, the drums and bass make a potent combination, the guitar work is wonderfully schizophrenic and the singing is crisp and clear, packed full of excitement and danger. However, beneath the shallow exterior of songs about the backseats of cars and emptying your friedge because you got too 'wasted', beats the heart of a different band.

Roughly halfway through the set, the lineup changes, with bassist Dr G assuming vocal duties, singer/guitarist Theo taking on the drums, and drummer Billy taking on the guitar. This new line-up, simply put, works. What follows is a heartfelt, genuine rendition of a song about sorrow, regret and self-blame. Dr G is a wonderful singer, and it is a show-stopping moment in a maniacily non-stop set that causes the entire room to pause and reflect. All too soon, we are back to the wonderful, humourous and equally as entertaining original lineup, but there is a sense of wonderment in the air as everyone in the crowd ponder what the band would sound like with Dr G's vocals incorporated even further.

As it stands, this band are an incredible and unique force in the Glasgow scene. One song, for instance, sounds like the mutant cousin of The Cellophane's "Don't Wanna Be Retarded", another sounds like a ska band attempting black metal, and a third sounds like fellow Fife musician, folk singer King Creosote, leading an alien invasion into the heart of Scotland. Weird, wonderful, and utterly compelling.

Further Viewing

The Cemetery Girls - 7th April @ The 13th Note, 14th May @ The Dreadnought (Bathgate), 17th May @ Stereo, 6th August in Nottingham, 7th August in Derby, 14th August in Edinburgh

The Cellophanes - 7th April @ The 13th Note, 18th April @ Three Tuns (Durham, England), 24th April @ The 13th Note, 5th May @ The 13th Note

The Alchonauts - 4th May @ PJ Malloys (Dunfermline)

Lost - Where Are They Now - Jack

2010-03-30T18:04:00.003+01:00

In this new segment, I try to quickly recap (in a few paragraphs, or less) the history and current placement of all the main characters - consider this a quick "Best Of".

Jack

Caught in a destructive loop with his father, Jack and Christian cycle through the emotions of doubt, guilt, failure and heroic aspirations. Or, as the case may be, Jack and his son David learn to reach a stage where the cycle breaks and they stop worrying about perfection and disappointment.

Original flavour Jack finds himself literally in the middle of our Island of madness, forced to battle with the contradictions of wanting to save everyone and thereby being unable to save anyone. His battles include debating with Sawyer about manners, debating with Sayid about leadership and debating with Locke about everything. In almost all circumstances, Jack loses, but his willingness to sacrifice everything in order to save everyone is both his most endearing and utterly idiotic personality trait. In essence, he is the classic hero that is both refreshingly and realistically unable to rush back into the burning building to save the trapped cat.

Currently, he is on his 400th attempt to 'let go' and simply accept the Island's mind-games and subsequent frustrations, by utilising his award-winning "Playing With Unstable Explosives" strategy.

Current Location - Beach.

Current Team Members - Ben, Sun, Frank, Miles, Ilana, Hurley, Richard (debatable), Jacob (deceased).

Lost Blogging Collective Q&A - Week 8

2010-03-29T23:10:00.002+01:00

As we reach the halfway mark of the final season of Lost, we also reach a historic period for the Lost Blogging Collective. When this whole thing began, my aim was to bring together a few, maybe 3 to 6, of my favourite Lost bloggers in order to chat Lost and share our opinions and theories.

That number rapidly expanded to the point where I made it my goal to achieve Lost number 16 members - that goal was met 3 weeks ago. Since then, the numbers have grown even further to the point where we now have 23 full-fledged members! So everyone, please welcome AJ into our fold.

Over the next two weeks, I aim to produce a Weekly Website review of each member's blog to show my appreciation for their support. I will also be moving away from finding other Lost blogs for your viewing pleasure and instead concentrating on my own blog. With 23 LBC members and over 100 links for our latest Round-Up, I have no intention of increasing my workload even further to try to reach 42 members. However, with that said, if anyone, Lost blogger or not, wants to join in, it is never too late. Email me at lostSDS@gmail.com for details.

For now, I will be going on holiday soon, so expect Week 9 to arrive a little later than usual - however, it will feature a bumper 4 questions for you all to enjoy, so check back next weekend. In the meantime, there will be several Weekly Website and Lost Polls being posted by the Blogger auto-bots while I am away, so check back daily for your Lost dosage!

Now, onto the Q&A. Questions first, Answers second.

Question 1 - After 6 years of the writers insisting that the Island was neither hell nor purgatory, and that the survivors were not dead, would you feel betrayed if indeed it turned out that Jack etc ARE dead and ARE in hell/purgatory? Or would you be okay with the deceptive long-con, so long as the final episode is a good one?

Question 2 - It is impossible to know who to trust, what with the many manifestations of the dead, and shallow promises being made by all sides, so I will boil this whole thing down to one test to find out who you believe - was the Isabella that Hurley saw the real Isabella, or Jacob, or Smokey?

Sagacious Penguin @ Stuff And Nonsense

http://sagaciouspenguin.blogspot.com/

1) I would not be angry or feel betrayed; I seriously don't think Darlton owe us anything, and the fact that they've doled out their ideas and thoughts through the years is a bonus. BUT, I would personally be disappointed as I think the show has dwelled far too securely in exemplary shades of grey to embrace the notion of a hell or a pure good and evil. The Others like to throw out terms like good and evil, but we know darn well from watching LOST that there are no such absolutes. Take one look at the handling of the Ben Linus character to see where the LOST writers stand on these matters. So while good/evil and heaven/hell are convenient terms for characters within the show to use when labelling things with their own personal world-views, I would not be happy to see the show itself sink to that kind of simplicity. Regarding the characters being dead, again, it wouldn't be a betrayal (the ride's been great and I expect the end will be equally grand no matter how it pans out) but being dead already would just be too simple and/or obvious for a show that's been hinged on the unexpected.

2) It's the actual Isabella. Maybe there's a leap of faith component in believing that, but really I try to think there actually IS some sort of method to the madness of all the visions/manifestations seen on this show. It wasn't Jacob because even if Jacob at one time had the power to give people visions, he's dead now. I believe that despite Jacob being able to tap into the Island's power in life, dead is dead for him like everyone else. All he can do now to sway the tide of events is talk to Hurley. It wasn't the MIB because: 1) The visions the MIB imparts (like the one to Richard on the Black Rock, and I'm guessing the ones to Locke to get him to the Swan and Pearl hatches) INTERRUPT real life, while Hurley went back and forth conversing between Isabella and Richard; 2) He didn't have Isabella's body to physically transform into her and take her appearance as he did with Chrsitian, Yemi, Locke, and Alex, and even if he did, Ilana tells us he's stuck now; 3) He seemed pretty damn pissed at the result of Richard's conversation as he turned to the camera! So were left with her being either a "Magic Box" style manifestation (like Kate's Horse or the MIB's bloody-handed Kid) or an actual dead person talking to Hurley (like Charlie, Anna Lucia, and Jacob). I say no to the Magic Box here because it would be weird for the Island to pull something from Richard's subconcious and not let him see it, so that leaves us with it actually being Isabella. Some speculation included, but a pretty deductive process! At this point in the game, I think the obvious answers are sometimes the better ones! Now here's hoping the show will give us the last few connecting dots to help us match all of the Island's visions/dreams/aparitions with their proper sources once all is said and done!

Bonus Tangent related to Q2 - On my latest blog entry I tried to categorize as many of the visions/dreams/aparitions on the Island into the categories discussed in my Q2 answer. The one that intrigues me the most is Harper appearing to Juliet in 4.06 (The Other Woman). We've really never seen this precise kind of behaviour from an Other before, and I really don't see how Ben could have sent her, so part of me thinks it would be cool if this was Juliet's subconcious testing herself via the Island's Magic Box. She knew about the Tempest station because of Goodwin, so maybe her subconcious brought Harper out to test her faithfulness to the Others and to ultimately allow her to finally reject them... Feel free to publish that last tidbit or not, it's just a thought that came to me when writing about the MIB's Kid being a "Magic Box" manifestation from his own subconcious.

Karen @ Karen's Lost Notebook

http://karenslostnotebook.blogspot.com/

1) I wouldn’t feel betrayed. I’ve been aware of the long con concept of the show since the beginning so I don’t think I’d be surprised. I have been one to gravitate toward the metaphor layer of the story and can see that a few of the castaways feel or even perceive they are “dead” and are in some type of “hell” and being punished. I for one am glad the writers have been able to keep the rabbit in the hat all this time, and whatever the reveal is I know I will be pleased.

2) Isabella could have been manifested by anyone of them. The “Island” presents “dead” people and items whenever the castaway in need seems to require it. But the scene with Hurley telling Richard that Isabella wants him to stop the MIB from leaving the island may be hinting to Jacob’s handy work there. Who knows… maybe Hurley is more directly involved in the game than anyone realizes.

AJ via Associated Content

http://www.associatedcontent.com/

1) I would probably be incredibly angry at first if it came to be that the characters were actually dead. Though I don't believe that they'll go that direction, I would most likely forgive them if the ending was, indeed, epic.

2) I believe that it was Isabella for the same reason that I believe it was Charlie that visited Hurley at the mental hospital. Though I can't begin to explain Hurley's ability to communicate with the dead, I believe it is a genuine gift and that Jacob is Jacob, just as Isabella was Isabella.

Karen @ Sam's I Am

http://4mombymom.blogspot.com/

1) I think that if they end up being in hell/purgatory, etc., I will end up feeling a little bit betrayed. It will just depend on how they play it I guess. We have come to put our trust in them so much and they have been good about showing the fans of the show respect and love in return. I guess for them to be playing us all along would hurt a little. Having said that, I do not think that is what is going to happen. Carlton has said he wanted the MASH ending, which was a very happy one IMHO. I can't see a happy ending being that they are all dead and in hell. That is what I am hoping for anyway.

2) This question kind of ties in to them not really being in hell in my opinion. If they were in hell and everyone was dead, then why would Hurley be the only one who could see or talk to Isabella? If they were all in that realm, wouldn't they all be able to see and talk to dead people? Therefore, I think Isabella was dead and Hurley was communicating with her as only he can do. Not Jacob and not MIB, in that instance.

Helena @ Outlaws Forum

http://www.skate-outlaws.com

1) Lost has always been about the journey, so the revelation in the final episode that all those characters were dead since day one would definitely be a big disappointment. That said, I don't believe for one second that would turn out to be the case. The island has been their own purgatory since they crashed. Every single fan has been emotionally invested since the beginning in those characters, watching them evolve throughout the seasons, and rooting for them to defeat their own demons from the past and earn a second chance in life. So to find out after six years that they are indeed dead and what we have been watching is just those people trying to earn their ticket to heaven or they were already in hell, wouldn't sit well with me.

2) I think Hurley definitely saw the real Isabella. The scene at the end of the episode with Richard was pretty emotional, so if that was Jacob's manifestation, then it would be downright creepy and maybe a bit of cheating the audience and lessening the overall emotional vibe that scene had. We can also assume that it definitely wasn't Smokey, due to message that was delivered to Hurley. But to me the real mystery is still Hurley's gift and how he is able to see the dead people, why exactly they choose him and is there any Jacob's influence behind the 'timing' of those appearances.

Paul @ Room 23

http://lostroom23.blogspot.com/

1) I really wouldn’t be that disappointed if the island was Hell. This has been such an awesome journey and I trust Darlton. But having said that, Jacob said that the island was more of a cork which was keeping Hell, Evil, or whatever you want to call it from escaping this prison. So I still think that Darlton’s 'The island is not Hell' still stands.

2) The Isabella that Hurley saw was a Ghost. **POTENTIAL SPOILER REMOVED - SEE END OF POST TO READ, IF YOU DARE** Also Hurley would have been able to tell if it was MIB or a ghost and he acted as if it was a real ghost.

Izikavazo @ Not Confused, Just Lost

http://ncjl.wordpress.com/

1) I would be pretty pissed. I wouldn't have a problem with the Island being Hell, Purgatory or anything like that if it wasn't categorically denied. But since they went out of their way to assure us that it wasn't, well... we've based all of our theories around that assurance. Darlton could have easily said 'no comment' to our theories that the Island was Purgatory, that's what they usually do.

2) I think the Isabella Hurley saw was the real ghost of Isabella. If Isabella isn't real then that would mean that Hurley's power is pretty much meaningless. We'd have to ignore all of Hurley's conversations with the dead.

I don't think it could possibly be Smokey masquerading as Isabella. Hurley has been seeing dead people for a while now, some of those rendezvous with the dead have occurred off the Island. Mr. Smokey can't get off the Island. Plus, what does Smokey have to gain from convincing Richard not to join his, Smokey's, side?

And I really can't imagine what would make Jacob want to use Isabella's image to influence Richard. He could have just appeared as himself.

Nikki @ Nik At Nite

http://nikkistafford.blogspot.com/

1) You know, I was just chatting with someone about this today and they said, "So, IS the island purgatory?? Because if so, that would suck." And I said while I'd be surprised if it all came down to something the fans had figured out by episode 4 and the writers had been denying by episode 5, if it's handled well, I wouldn't be upset at all. It could come off as perfect television if it was so well crafted that you could see the seeds of it right from the beginning. These are the same guys who said there would never be time travel on the show, so I don't look to their dismissal of the idea as canon. What I do look to is the fact they've carried this show beautifully for five and a half seasons, and if anyone can pull off the island being purgatory, they can. It's always been a great theory, despite being one of the first, and I wouldn't be upset at all by that. (I'd be a little sad that the characters are all dead, obviously...)

2) I believe that the Isabella that Hurley saw was the real one. That scene at the end with Richard not seeing her but so desperately wanting her to be there was SO powerful, so beautiful, deep, and rich, that if it turned out to be nothing more than a manipulative hallucination the power of that scene would be completely erased. And I just don't see that happening. We've seen such lovely romantic moments in the series before -- think no further than Desmond and Penny finally connecting by telephone, or being reunited on the Searcher -- and I've suggested from the end of season 2 that maybe it'll all come down to some sort of "all you need is love" thing, and if that's the case, then I believe what Hurley saw was the real Isabella. Man, just thinking about that scene makes me want to cry again!!

Jeff @ Moving Fiction

http://movingfiction.wordpress.com/

1) I don't think conning a viewer is cool, but I guess that's always a possibility. I still don't think Lost will go the route of Hell or Purgatory because I don't think anyone on the island that's supposed to be alive, isn't. I would feel completely betrayed, let down, and every other word for that kind of feeling if we find out otherwise. I'd probably go the length of not even purchasing the show on DVD if this were the case.

2) I vote real Isabella. Could be any of those choices though, as both Jacob and Smokey seem to be able to read the mind of a character, and know their whole past.

Scott @ The Stuff Of Legend

http://im-thinking19.blogspot.com/

1) My answer is that I would be very upset if it turned out that all of this has taken place in hell/purgatory, even though this makes me a total hypocrite. I have said all along that however the writers want to end the story is fine with me, because it's really THEIR story... however they choose to end it IS the proper ending, because it's their story that they are telling (these are conversations born out of the Battlestar Galactica finale, BTW).

The reason I would be upset is that the writers have point-blank told us that the hell/purgatory explanation is not where they are going with it. I don't mind when the writers are vague or misleading in their communications with the fanbase, but I wouldn't like being outright lied to.

2) I think that was almost definitely Isabella that Hurley was talking to. Hurley has shown the ability to talk to dead people before, both on and off the Island, and I think this was just another example of that.

To me, the bigger question is whether that was really Isabella that Richard was talking to on the Black Rock. He was talking to her right in front of him, but then we heard the tell-tale sounds of Smokey outside... have we ever seen Smokey be in two places at once? Hmmmm....

Ms Wendy @ It's About Bunnies!

http://mswendy.wordpress.com/

1) A part of me would be unhappy that this was the theme all along...still hoping for something a little bit more "unexpected". But, in keeping with "You're good (audience) but we're better", if they had to "con" us to have the story 1) be on network TV, 2) to have us remain interested and enjoying the other aspects of the show, 3) not be spoiled for us, and 4) the writers staying true to what story they want to tell... then I can cut them some slack. It's LOST, after all. :)

2) I think that it was Smokey that had Isabella show up on The Black Rock, to lure Richardo. But with Hurley being so close to Jacob now, I'm leaning towards Jacob being responsible for her showing up in 2007. Two players, two sides.

Chris @ SuperDuperStream

http://superduperstream.blogspot.com/

1) I don't know exactly how it would work, but if the writers could properly pull off a Purgatory storyline, I think I would love it now. Ask me this question in Season 3, 4, 5, then I would be royally P--ed off. When Naomi landed on the Island and started telling them all that they were dead and on the ocean floor, I was pretty much screaming at my TV, feeling robbed. Got to keep in mind that, at the time, I was reading every interview, featurette, DVD commentary, podcast, etc that I could get my hands on. This year, in order to avoid spoilers, I have distanced myself and, looking at the actual show without thinking about the behind-the-scenes stuff, I would totally buy into a Purgatory/Hell storyline, if it was done to the quality of the past 5 seasons-worth of storylines.

2) Oh, it's a toughy. I'm regretting asking that question now - my opinion has flip-flopped between Jacob, real Isabella, and even at times thinking it was Smokey. In order of least plausible to most, I'd say Smokey (because he has some master plan), real Isabella (because she loves Richard THAT much) and Jacob.

To be honest, why in the heck would Isabella want Smokey dead? The real Isabella had nothing to do with Jacob and, if we have learned one thing this season, it is that both Jacob and Smokey are master manipulators. Smokey has already killed Jacob, so now it is Jacob's turn. I highly doubt Richard (even combined with Ilana, Hurley and Miles) has the skill-set needed to kill the Smoke Monster, but I'm sure Jacob has some kind of plan in mind. So I guess what I have learned from this Q&A is that... I don't trust anybody anymore, not even Hurley. Chances are it was the real Isabella, and he just added in that "kill Smokey" message of his own accord. If so, the signs are pointing towards Hurley becoming the next Jacob/master manipulator.

-------------------

**POTENTIAL SPOILER** - "Darlton stated at Comic-Con that Jacob does not take the shape of anyone."

Sorry for removing, but I personally feel that counts as a spoiler and don't want ANYONE to have ANYTHING unnecessarily spoiled for them. :)

-------------------

Weekly Image - Supercat

2010-03-26T23:44:00.000Z

Is it a mouse? Is it a piece of wool? Is it a litter tray? Is it some catnip? No, it's Supercat!!

Lost - Round-Up #5

2010-03-25T22:30:00.003Z

Lost - Round-Up #5 - 9th March 2010 to 25th March 2010

To see what the Round-Up is all about, check out my previous editions. Coming soon - YouTube Special. If you have any relevant links, please let me know in the comments section!

(LBC) donates that blogger is a member of the Lost Blogging Collective. For more information, email lostquestions23@gmail.com

S6E7 - Dr Linus

AJ (LBC)

Devastate Boredom (LBC)

Finally Lost (LBC)

Geronimo Jack's Beard (Podcast)

Gulf Coast Offense (LBC)

It's About Bunnies! (LBC)

Jopinionated

Karen's Lost Notebook (LBC)

Karen's Lost Notebook, Vozzek69 & The ODI (Podcast) (LBC)

LongLiveLocke

Moving Fiction (LBC)

Never Seen Lost

Nik At Nite (LBC)

Not Confused, Just Lost (LBC)

Sam's I Am (LBC)

Shapusens On TV (LBC)

Stream Of Consciousness (LBC)

Stuff And Nonsense (LBC)

The Stuff Of Legend (LBC)

Vozzek69 (LBC)

S6E8 - Recon

AJ (LBC)

Devastate Boredom (LBC)

Finally Lost (LBC)

Fishbiscuitland (LBC)

Geronimo Jack's Beard (Podcast)

Gulf Coast Offense (LBC)

It's About Bunnies! (LBC)

Jopinionated

Karen's Lost Notebook (LBC)

Karen's Lost Notebook, Vozzek69 & The ODI (Podcast) (LBC)

LongLiveLocke

Moving Fiction (LBC)

Never Seen Lost

Nik At Nite (LBC)

Sam's I Am (LBC)

Shapusens On TV (LBC)

Stream Of Consciousness (LBC)

Stuff And Nonsense (LBC)

The Stuff Of Legend (LBC)

Vozzek69 (LBC)

S6E9 - Ab Aeterno

AJ (LBC)

Devastate Boredom (LBC)

Geronimo Jack's Beard (Podcast)

Gulf Coast Offense (LBC)

Jopinionated

Karen's Lost Notebook (LBC)

Lost Blog - We Talk About Lost (Podcast) (LBC)

Moving Fiction (LBC)

Never Seen Lost

Nik At Nite (LBC)

Sam's I Am (LBC)

Stream Of Consciousness (LBC)

Stuff And Nonsense (LBC)

The Stuff Of Legend (LBC)

The Others

AJ - Sundown Recap (LBC)

DarkUFO - New Cast Group Promo Pix (LBC)

DarkUFO - Lost Slapdown Video #8 (LBC)

Dispatches From The Island - Fan Art

Fishbiscuitland - Dr Linus non-Recap (LBC)

Geronimo Jack's Beard - Insider Knowledge

Gulf Coast Offense - A New Arrival (LBC)

Gulf Coast Offense - The Official Lost Podcast (LBC)

It's About Bunnies! - Podcast News (LBC)

LongLiveLocke - March Contest Winner

Lost Blog - Answers You Missed In "Lighthouse" (LBC)

Lyly Ford - Ab Aeterno Promo Pictures (LBC)

Lyly Ford - Cast Pictures (LBC)

Lyly Ford - Emilie De Ravin (LBC)

Lyly Ford - Hurley Bobble-Head (LBC)

Lyly Ford - Rebecca Mader Interview (LBC)

Nik At Nite - Finding Lost Season 6 Book Cover (LBC)

Nik At Nite - Recon Haiku Time (LBC)

Nik At Nite - Series Finale Contest Winner [SPOILERS!!!] (LBC)

Not Confused, Just Lost - On "Never Seen Lost" (LBC)

Room 23 - Lottery Contest (LBC)

Room 23 - Mark Pellegrino Interview (LBC)

Room 23 - Michael Emerson Injury Report (LBC)

Room 23 - Tail Section Artwork For Ab Aeterno (LBC)

Stream Of Consciousness - Donate To Autism Speaks (LBC)

Stream Of Consciousness - Ilana Profile (LBC)

Stream Of Consciousness - LBC Q&A Week 5 (LBC)

Stream Of Consciousness - LBC Q&A Week 6 (LBC)

Stream Of Consciousness - LBC Q&A Week 7 (LBC)

Stream Of Consciousness - Lost Round-Up #4 (LBC)

The Four Toed Foot - Meets Billy Dee Williams (LBC)

Thanks

In this new section, I'd like to extend a heartfelt Thank You to the following bloggers for mentioning me in their blog!

Gulf Coast Offense, and again, @loster21's Tweets O' The Weekend, Devastate Boredom, Moving Fiction, Finally Lost, The Four Toed Foot, and to everyone for their continued support over these past three months of awesomeness!

Finally
While I fully support all 100+ links in this epic Round-Up, if I had to choose 3 that you absolutely must visit, it would be Fishbiscuitland's "Dr Linus", Shapusens On TV's "Recon" and Stuff And Nonsense's "Ab Aeterno". Those three, in my mind, have been the highlight of the past 3 weeks of Lost blogging!

Agree? Disagree? Have more to share? Tell the world via the comments section:

Lost Blogging Collective Q&A - Week 7

2010-03-24T20:05:00.011Z

Hey all! Busy time this week, so check out previous Q&As if you are new to this, otherwise lets get straight into the questions:

- What one guest/past character would you like to see return in the "alt" world, and how would YOU write them into the storyline?

- Which side do you think each of our main characters will end up on when the dust has settled and all is said and done. Who will choose to have faith in Jacob / the Island, and who will choose to trust Smokey and his promises?

Karen @ Sam's I Am
http://4mombymom.blogspot.com/

1) I guess the one character I would like to see in FS timeline would be Mr. Eko. He was such an awesome character on the island and I think he really deserves to have some sort of redemption story in the FS. I could see him being the one who became a priest as opposed to his brother, or something along those lines. After all, he was building a church on the island.

2) As far as sides go, I think that Jack will ultimately wind up on the side of faith; thus, coming full circle from his first season attitude as a man of science. I can now see Ben being on the side of faith as well, if he makes it to the end. Hurley is definitely going to be on the side of good as his character has remained kind-hearted throughout the series, and I would hate to see them change that in any way; but they really need to get that red shirt off of him!!! It seems that Sayid is now lost to Smokey, but I have hopes that he will still come back around somehow. Sawyer seems to be on Team Sawyer now, so I can see him not choosing any sides, but I have my doubts about Sawyer's chances of making it to the end too. Kate will follow which ever male she is with at the time...whether that be Jack, Sawyer...or Aaron. Claire is just a loon. Just sign her up for the looney bin right now. She needs a power of attorney to make any kind of side-choosing decisions. Sun and Jin...hard to say.

Paul @ Room 23
http://lostroom23.blogspot.com/

1) I know that we have seen Charlie but I would like to see his sideways story finish well. Liam helps him kick his drug addiction and he meets Claire and they fall in love, are married and they raise Aaron together.

As for a new character I would like to see Mikail. Maybe Paik hired Keamy to kidnap or scare Jin to keep him working for him and now that Keamy is dead Paik hires Mikail to go after Jin and Sayid has to protect him. (Keamy was a mercenary so he probably had more then one employer and was also hired by someone else to injure Sayid’s Brother).

2) I actually think that all of the main characters will eventually see through MIB’s lies. Sawyer and Kate are already just on MIB’s side to save themselves and to save Claire. I think that somehow Sayid and Claire will snap out of it and join Team Jacob. But there will be a penalty for that and I’m betting that a number of the Losties will die because of their choices. As for Desmond I can’t see him on any side other then Jacob.

Jeff @ Moving Fiction
http://movingfiction.wordpress.com/

1) I'd want Mr. Eko to make an appearance in the flashsideways, perhaps as part of an R&B duo with his brother Yemi... They could sing love songs to God.

2) That's a tough question, I feel like in the end, only one answer will matter for all the Losties. Whatever is coming, will somehow effect the whole group no matter who picked what. I sort of think that Jacob will inevitably lose his battle with the Man in Black, and whatever his smoke monsterness decides to do, will be the fate of all Losties. As I don't see Jack and Sawyer picking the same side, and neither of them have a totally horrible/totally fixed life in the flash sideways, I just think the whole gang is going to be rolled into a picnic blanket and dumped into the Flash Sideways, all becoming conscious in that time line right where this season began, on 815-2.

Ernie @ Gulf Coast Offense
http://gulfcoastoffense.blogspot.com/

1) Of course the popular picks will be Mr. Eko and Libby, but let's go off the path a little more. I think it would be cool to see Mr. Friendly again. Since he's so good at throwing a football, how about make him the head football coach at the high school where Ben and Locke work. We can see him throwing his awkward passes again! For another obscure character, can we get some resolution on the Scott/Steve running joke? Let's get Scott/Steve in the alt world, stat!

2) I get the feeling that all the characters will end up on the same side in the end, but I'm still not sure which side that will be. From the promises Smokey is making, I'm getting the feeling that he's the man behind the alt world. I mean, Jacob is dead, so it remains to be seen what power he still holds. So for now, I'm saying that the alt world is the result of Smokey and his twisted way of fulfilling all the promises he's made to the characters.

Ms Wendy @ It's About Bunnies!
http://mswendy.wordpress.com/

1) If it were possible, I would like to see The Degroots (Gerald and Karen... I know..that's more than one). They could be the administrators of the hospital that we've seen some of our Losties/Other appear at, with more showing up in the future. The Degroots would be trying to be leaders in "alternative medicine", using their "techniques" on their patients... and we would finally find out more about the purpose/effects of the Dharma experiments.

However, since most of the flash-sideways tend to lean toward the "happy(ish) ending", I will lobby for a Carmen Reyes appearance. Maybe she could be busy trying to coordinate Hugo's wedding (to Starla, Libby or someone else, remains to be seen) or helping Hugo with his many business ventures. It would be fun to see that the now smooth Hugo can still be a little rattled by his mom. And we need, at least, one more hilarious line from her before the show is over.

2) Since LOST likes to keep us guessing about "Who's Who" until the end, I will throw out this lame, crackpot theory that I have. :)

I have a feeling that, despite appearances, somehow those who are among " The Numbers" (Reyes, Shephard, Ford, Jarrah, Kwon and even, Locke) will be together. They will all be on the same side (Jacob/The Island), which will bring about "It only ends once...". And if it may be more "Star Wars" - like this season, from what I've heard, we could see all of our main characters decide for the "Light Side". ( It's already shaping up that Ben and Widmore may actually be on the same side... so why not!) ;) This would eventually include MIB , as he becomes more and more like Locke. In SW, Darth Vader seemed like he was the "centerpiece" of the "Dark Side" until the final scenes of the last chapter. We also found out that there was one higher up than him. In the end, Darth Vader reverted back to the "Light Side" from where he originated, helping to destroy the Empire that he helped build. In similar order, the final battle on LOST will be with the true "bad guy" (TBA) and his many minions of Red Shirt "stormtroopers".

Hey, I said it was lame. ;)

Sagacious Penguin @ Stuff And Nonsense
http://sagaciouspenguin.blogspot.com/

1) I remember hearing early reports that Mira Furlan had declined to appear this season, but if this is a best-case-scenario dream answer, then I'd want to see Rousseau appear in the Altered Universe. Imagine how different her life would be if her team had never arrived on Island. Would she have still lost Alex somehow due to fate? Or would she be living in LA sending her daughter to school to be taught by Dr. Linus? I think I'd write her in as still searching for her daughter, fate having somehow again separated them, and maybe this time Ben could be the force that brings them back together, rather than the force that tears them apart...

2) I have a feeling that pretty much ALL our main characters will unite in the end against the notion of taking sides and in favor of some uber-brave heroic act that will remove the threat of the Island (while maintaining it's vital function) once and for all. Unbeknownst to them, however, this is exactly what Jacob's hoping they will do, and it's the reason he's treated them with such "tough love" all along. (i.e. not giving them answers, explanations, visible helping hands, etc.) He could not explain his behavior to Ben in The Incident, because he needs Ben and the rest of his Candidates (and ex-Candidates) to lash out against bias and taking sides and to be/act completely selfless. The ultimate test/decision will come down to choosing sides and conflict vs. sacrifice and peace. Everyone, with the exceptions of the Man In Black and Widmore, will choose sacrifice and peace. Even Sayid and Claire will find themselves again.

Miss Scarlett @ Knittnfool
http://missscarlett.wordpress.com/

1) I know, I know. But I can barely contain myself - I want Sawyer back with Juliet. Already.
(Ordinarily I would have been thrilled to see Charlotte - but I would have wanted Daniel Faraday to meet her for drinks, not Sawyer!)

So, I'm waiting to see Juliet. Alive and well in the Flash Sideways.

And Daniel Faraday.

As to how I would write them in....Juliet could be Daniel's caretaker that we didn't see in Season 4. He may be in touch with Hurley after he sees a television report/retrospective on Lottery winners and their methods (you know, when he's flipping between news stories that make him cry) and the mention of the Numbers has him force his caretaker to travel with him to LA to extrapolate on the origin of the Numbers.

Whaddaya think?

Hurley could freak out that Daniel is a nutcase and what the? Here's Sawyer to help him out, since he's a cop and all, and Sawyer meets Juliet! Ta Daaa!

2) Oh man. Ok. Well, unless Jacob starts delivering for some of his followers I don't know how many will stick it out. Ditto for Flocke.

BUT: I think Jack will side with Jacob in the end. Jin and Sun are a toss up. I feel uncomfortable making a prediction because we know so little about what the REAL agenda is here. Jin, Sun & Kate have real incentive to return to LA: their children. So unless Jacob will be providing a means to that end, these 3 might end up with Flocke.

I have a feeling that things are going to come down to Sawyer choosing to be the hero who allows for a conclusion to the "war". What that will look like, I can't begin to guess.

Chris @ SuperDuperStream
http://superduperstream.blogspot.com/

1) Now that we have seen Charlie and Claire again, and with Walt being pretty much abandoned, the only character that still needs real resolution is Libby. During Jorge Garcia's recent live fan Q&A, that was certainly the hot topic of debate, and Jorge even shed some light on the Libby situation - but I wont say a word for those wanting to remain unspoiled. As ever, his answers were vague enough to not bring down the wrath of the Lost writers, but if we never get to see Libby's original backstory, then I at least want to see her in the alt world somehow!

As for how I would write her in - the episode begins with Hurley putting on the corporate smiley-face for the TV cameras, maybe as part of an interview for the opening of a new business venture. But once the cameras stop rolling and he has a moment to himself, some sadness creeps over his normally-cheery face. He goes home and is consoled by his loving parents. Nothing concrete is discussed, but talks of "her" and how he should try to see "her" again, how they made a lovely couple and it was a shame the wedding didn't get to go ahead after all. The whole episode creates the feeling that Hurley has lost a great love, through some sort of drama, and that he is being coaxed into trying to win her back, propose to her again perhaps. However, the last shot sees him entering the familiar room of Santa Rosa, where the camera angle and motions directly parallel Season 2, as it whips back to reveal a crazy, black-haired Libby, with a devastated Hurley there to visit. The penny drops, as once again we don't know why Libby came to be there, but we realise that she is the woman he lost, and he lost her to something a lot worse than another man.

2) I think the final battle with be an all-out war with members on both sides - Team Jacob comprising Jack, Ben, Hurley, Ilana, Widmore, Frank and Richard, Team Smokey comprising Sun, Jin, Sayid, Sawyer, Miles, Claire and Kate, roughly speaking, although I think there will be some grey-area members as well. That being said, none of the Team Smokey members will mean to be there (except Sayid, who can't change). Claire has been manipulated and just wants to see her kid again, the same goes for Sun and Jin. Kate and Sawyer try to save everyone else, but get caught in a trap that they can't get out of. Miles will just follow Sawyer wherever he goes, and with those diamonds, getting off the Island doesn't look too bad a prospect. The only one who will come out a true villain in the end will be Sayid, who I can envision killing Sawyer in the closing moments of the series.

Lost - S6E9 Ab Aeterno - Analysis

2010-03-24T19:44:00.002Z

I truly enjoyed this episode. So much. It had amazing reveals, great character development, and genuinely (often unintentionally) laugh-out-loud funny moments.

For instance - how does a wooden boat, for starters, reach the height of a giant statue and, secondly, have the power to destroy it? Is this a metaphor for Richard having the power to destroy Jacob/Smokey?

Then there is the question of why Jacob chose Richard to share all with, to recruit as his speaker? I'm willing to ignore this and roll with it, purely because Jacob acted the exact same way I would have by trying to drown Richard - straight forward enough way to make someone believe they are alive.

Again, I keep getting the feeling that Jacob is evil and Smokey is good, or at least they are two parts of the same whole. The beating Jacob dished out on Richard, when it was obvious that he brought him there, seemed overly harsh.

The lines are being drawn now, and both sides say the exact same thing. Smokey says Jacob is the devil. Jacob says Smokey is the devil. Smokey claims you can't let Jacob speak or else it is too late, he is very persuasive. Jacob (via Dogen) says you can't let Smokey speak or else it is too late, he is very persuasive. Mirror images. Two sides - one light, one dark. Who is telling the truth? Has Jacob trapped Smokey, stolen his body, and continues to manipulate people for the sheer fun of it? Or is Jacob the protector of the world, keeping Smokey at bay lest he corrupt everyone alive?

From a behind-the-scenes perspective, it was great to see Titus Welliver back in action as "the man in black". I was lucky enough to not see any guest credits, for a change. Tucker Gates (director), Greggory Nations (writer) and Melinda Hsu Taylor (writer) make a decent team - their episodes are generally good, with points of greatness, but forgettable when it comes time to ask for a favourite or least favourite episode, which is a shame as I think this was a prime example of a great episode that will get lost in the shuffle come the end of the series.

The only parts that did seem a bit poor in my opinion was the overly simplistic explanations of what exactly is going on, however on reflection there is still a lot of grey area to be explored, mysteries to found. I will leave you with this parting question to ponder - what was Smokey thinking in that very last shot? Is he worried, or are all his playing pieces falling into place perfectly?

(Ab Aeterno can mean "from eternity", "since the beginning" or "for long ages". This phrase sums up this episode nicely - it is a piece of the eternal power struggle, it is the (for now at least) the true beginning of our story, and we finally learn exactly how long Richard has been struggling with his decision to choose a side - that we are being asked to make that choice after such a relatively short period of time is ridiculous, and I simply refuse to believe there is a side to choose - both Jacob and Smokey are the same being, struggling against itself due to the enormity of its power. At least, that's my theory until next week, where I will be convince Widmore is the real smoke monster, NotLocke is actually Aaron, and Charlie was never real, merely a figment of Hurley's imagination!)

Give To Charity (And Get Something In Return)

2010-03-22T21:03:00.000Z

In order to raise money for Autism Speaks, Lost podcasting stalwarts Jay And Jack held a 30-hour marathon podcast over the weekend, featuring many varied, Lost-related guest stars.

Highlights included Damon Lindelof chatting about the future (and revealing that Lost may continue in some format if there is a high enough fan demand - but he stressed there are absolutely no plans whatsoever to continue Lost beyond Season 6). That was on Saturday, and on Sunday, Jorge "Hurley" Garcia chatted for almost two hours about burgers, general TV and finished off the marathon by answering some great questions about Lost, such as "What do Apollo bars taste like?", "Does Keamy really make great eggs?" and "Will we ever get any resolution on the Libby backstory?". As a bonus, Jorge gave an exclusive insight into his own personal Lost theory if we could raise $500 within an hour. Needless to say we succeeded, and got to hear first hand how Jorge thinks Lost might end.

Brilliant fun, and a great way to raise money - if you want to join in, the great news is you can! Jay and Jack have extended the donation period for a further week, so here's how you can donate. At present, we have raised almost $23,000, with an ultimate goal of reaching $30,000.

Visit jayandjack.com and check out their ongoing eBay auction for your chance to get exclusive signed, rare and unique Lost memorabilia.
Send cheque donations to Jay And Jack, PO Box 40082, Raleigh, NC, 27629.
Head over to PayPal and donate by sending a 'personal gift' to lpdonate@gmail.com

It's really that simple! Now, award your good charity by heading over to LongLiveLocke to enter into Erika's free prize draw to win a Lost-related t-shirt! See, what comes around goes around.

Donate. Enter. Help improve people's lives, and have the chance to get a Lost t-shirt for your efforts. Feels good to be nice, doesn't it?

Happy donating, everybody!

Weekly Image - X Cat Is X

2010-03-19T23:42:00.000Z

Lost - S6E8 Recon - Analysis

2010-03-17T23:06:00.001Z

As I mentioned before, I am cutting back on the recapping/analysis to concentrate on more Essay-like postings.

As ever, check out the Lost Blogging Collective for great recaps to keep you entertained!

This week's episode was a very fun one - even the creepy parts were 'fun', unlike the creepy parts in previous episodes. Amazingly, the great writer Elizabeth Sarnoff (S2's "The Hunting Party", "Two For The Road", S3's "The Man Behind The Curtain", S4's "Cabin Fever", S5's "La Fleur", "Dead Is Dead", S6's "The Substitute", among others) and the great director Jack Bender (pretty much every great episode from "Tabula Rasa" to "LA X", via "The Man From Tallahassee" and 35 more inbetween) had never teamed up before this episode! They are joined by new-comer Jim Galasso, co-writing his first Lost episode.

Kudos go to the writing and directing team, as well as the many actors, for giving us such a great episode! The guest stars were superb this week - the only thing missing was a Cassidy cameo.

Now, rather than recount what happened this episode (one major thing though - the alt timeline is really overlapping now, with Sayid and Jin, and now Sawyer and Kate, getting in each other's storylines) and analyse the little details (loved the fact that Widmore is setting up a sonic fence, however), instead I would like to take the opportunity to revisit a theory I have.

The flash-sideways are the manifestation of promises made by Jacob and Smokey.

My theory basically states that, if a survivor chooses team Jacob, they will be rewarded in the alt timeline with a happy ending. If they choose team Smokey, although technically they will get their heart's desire, it will be warped and twisted to ensure an unhappy ending.

Lets take a look at the individual characters and see where their allegiances lie:

Hurley - The most pro-Jacob member of the survivors, and also the happiest in his alt life - rich, sane, successful, cheerful.

He is no longer cursed, or at least he no longer feels cursed.

Locke - Pre-death, Locke was also very pro-Jacob/Island. Although he accepted Smokey as part of the Island, his heart was always in the right place. If given a choice, he'd probably have chosen Jacob over Smokey, but he was unfortunately robbed of that choice. He is still paralysed, but he has Helen, his father (who it turns out, may be a con man after all. A retired con man, perhaps?) and above all, his happiness.

He is no longer the man who says "Don't tell me what I can't do!"

Jack - Beginning to come around to Jacob's way of thinking, but was never on Smokey's side anyway. In the future he may still have been estranged from his father, but he can cope better with his shortcomings, he has a son to love and make up for the mistakes of Christian, and he may be able to fully unite and bond with his half-sister soon.

He is no longer pushing away those closest to him in order to 'fix' everthing.

Ben - May have wobbled off the path slightly, and may have often been unaware there was a path, but he has generally been on Jacob's side (besides killing him!). Will probably side with team Jacob in the end. In the alt timeline, although he technically has Alex (alive again!) she is not his daughter, and will probably never visit him after she goes on to bigger and better things. Stuck obeying a lesser man instead of leading, stuck looking after his ill father, but generally seems happy, or at least delusionally optimistic, about his lot in life. Generally a good outcome.

He is no longer killing people like it was going out of style.

Rose - Pretty much the same Rose we always knew and loved. Seems rather neutral in the overall scheme of thing. Just wants to enjoy her life with her husband, however short or long it may be, and whatever location they may currently be in.

She is just herself.

Boone - He died long before he got a choice, but from the start he seemed to embrace the Island's message of change. He seems a good candidate for team Jacob. In the alt timeline, he has managed to seperate from Shannon, and feels a kinship with Locke.

He is just a background character at this point.

Claire - Hard to tell whether her alt timeline is a positive or negative outcome. She has her baby, Ethan hasn't tried to kill her, but how will it all pan out. On Island, she was 100% team Smokey, but I think she may finally be wavering.

She is just a confused young woman.

Sun & Jin - Nowhere near enough information about these two in their alt timeline, but things do not look good. Seemingy oblivious to Jacob and Smokey on the Island, they are only concerned about each other. However, they have a murky past and their moral compass seems permanently set to gray - a rather cute, lovable shade of gray, but a gray that would kill you if necessary nonetheless.

He is still finding himself involved in violence and the gangster underworld.

She is still seemingly lying about her bilingual status.

Charlie - Claims he was 'supposed to die', yet is alive. His brother seems concerned enough about him to fly out to bail him out. There's hope for him yet. On the Island, he tried to be at one with the Island's will, but cynical sarcasm and drug addiction made it hard. In the end, he may have enabled Jacob's downfall by flipping the switch, so who knows what side that counts as being for.

He is still a junkie.

Kate - Poor Kate, seemingly wrapped up in things she has no hope of understanding. She generally wants to do well, but is oblivious to other people half of the time. She'll most likely just go with the flow and do whatever Claire, Sawyer, Jin and Sayid do, until she is forced to choose between Jack (Jacob) and Sawyer (Smokey), again. In the future, she technically hasn't killed Wayne, unsure on the status of Tom, and may have helped Claire out, but she does not seem happy in the slightest.

She is still on the run and still a killer.

Sawyer - Eternally playing every side against each other in hopes of ending up the ultimate winner, Sawyer's role on the Island has been undefined from the very start. However, at present, he will happily hand Smokey the head of everyone on the Island, except the purely innocent, if it means he can escape. While not technically pro-Smokey, he sure ain't trying to stop him either. In alt world, Sawyer may be a cop, may have an awesome sidekick partner, but he sure ain't happy, still chasing his past demons, still drinking alone and his parents are still dead.

He is still alone, angry, unhappy, but trying to change.

Sayid - Sayid is a torturer. Sayid is a killer. Sayid has tried to change, but every time he ends up back at square one with no emotional growth. He could have been a great leader, but has now resigned himself to plaiyng the villain. I don't think he has embraced this role, but he sure has accepted it, and now he has killed viciously in cold blood, there is no turning back. In the alt world, again technically Nadia is back in his life (alive!), but he can't have her, and although he has changed, the people around him, those he loves and wants to protect, force him back into his animal side.

He is still a killer.

Mirror Mirror, On The Wall

In all the 'flash-sideways', we have seen our centric characters glance at, or study themselves, in a mirror. Jack clearly pondered a strange blood mark in 'LA X', then studied a strange scar in 'Lighthouse'. Kate was caught in a mirror in 'What Kate Does'. Locke then clearly studies himself in a mirror in 'The Substitute'. Sayid's reflection is caught in Nadia's door, half in darkness, half in light. Ben was then caught in the microwave door of 'Dr Linus'. Finally, Sawyer takes time to clearly study himself in a mirror, before smashing it in 'Recon'.

By my theory, everyone who clearly looked at themselves in a mirror is in team Jacob, and those who were caught are in team Smokey. The wildcards are Ben, who may not have fully redeemed himself yet, and Sawyer, who may be sliding further into camp darkness.

PvP

So by my count, we have 3 people who have chosen Jacob's side, and have a happy alternative life. We then have 3 who are fairly neutral and probably don't matter in the grand scheme of things. We have 4 that are debatable - 2 are probably on Jacob's side, 2 on Smokey's. Finally, we have 4 who have definately not changed, are definately not happy in the alt life, although one of them may not matter in the grand scheme.

So that brings us to an even 5 vs 5 - Jack, Hurly, Locke, Ben and Claire on one side, Sun, Jin, Sawyer, Kate and Sayid on the other.

It will be interesting to see how this pans out in the end - maybe Kate will sacrifice her soul and happy ending in order to reunite Claire with Aaron in the 'next' life? At any rate, this is my theory for Season 6 and I hope you have all enjoyed reading it.

Lost Blogging Collective Q&A - Week 6

2010-03-17T01:38:00.001Z

Check out last week's Q&A for an explanation of the Lost Blogging Collective and what we do!

This week, we have grown to an astounding 19 members! As always, the LBC is open to anyone, blogger and non-blogger alike. If you are interested in taking part, send me an email at lostquestions23@gmail.com - simple as that!

Rather than focus on the future, on the mysteries of the show or the thoughts of the characters, I thought it was high time we turned the spotlight on the bloggers and asked them what their personal favourites are from past seasons. With that in mind, here are this week's Questions and Answers:

- What is your favourite Season 1 episode, and why?

- What has been your favourite reveal/answer of the series so far?

Izikavazo @ Not Confused, Just Lost
http://ncjl.wordpress.com/

1) I know Walkabout is the most memorable Locke episode, but I think Dues Ex Machina stands out as my favourite episode of the season. There's so much to love: Locke's vision, Boone being fatally injured, Anthony Cooper stirring things up, Sawyer's Frankenstein glasses, Yemi's plane, the Tailies showing up (in voice only), and then that scene at the end when Locke and Desmond connect.

2) It's a toss up between Penny's very surprising arrival at the end of season 4 or this season's solution to the Jughead situation.
The Penny thing was less of a mystery, we wondered how the Oceanic 6 were going to get saved, but it wasn't a huge mystery. The reason why I loved it was because I didn't expect it at all. I thought Penny and Desmond would get their reunion in the final season.
But the debate that was stirred up at the end of season 5 about whether or not Jughead "worked" or not really hung over my head over the hiatus. I didn't want either solution. I essentially abandoned my blog because I was dreading the premiere. I didn't want to see the past erased, but at the same time I didn't want all that work and the deaths of two of my favourite characters to mean nothing. When they revealed the two timelines in LA X I was extremely relieved. It reignited my obsession. So for that I'd say the LA X reveal my favourite.

Karen @ Karen's Lost Notebook
http://karenslostnotebook.blogspot.com/

1) My favourite episode in Season 1 is Walkabout. It is there that we first find out that John Locke is "misrepresenting himself". The moment it was revealed Locke was in the wheelchair I knew he wasn't what we thought he was. From that moment on I kept a close watch on Mr. Locke.

2) There are many answers I've been excited to see, but for me it is the reveal that Smoky connected to Locke. When the episode Tabula Rasa first aired I saw that Locke and the smoke monster we "related". So to get that confirmation this season was not only great, but showed me I wasn't crazy in my thoughts on that connection.

Sagacious Penguin @ Stuff And Nonsense

http://sagaciouspenguin.blogspot.com/

1) Personally I think the last 10 episodes of Season 1 is one of the best runs of the series. Topped only perhaps by the last 8 episodes of Season 3. To pick a favourite out of those is tough, but since I have to, I think I'll go with 1.19 (Deus Ex Machina). The main Locke/Boone journey is flat out creepy, very compelling, and pivotal to the show. It was one of the first times we got the feeling that the Island was talking to someone and trying to convey a message/purpose. Locke's flashback, detailing his father's con that lost him a kidney, was high "rip-your-heart-out" tragedy of the best LOST kind. And the culmination of both plots with Locke banging away on the hatch and the light turning on was the pitch perfect ending with a twist. I love Giacchino's Locke theme when it's played for grand emotion. All that and we also get one of the best/funniest Sawyer/Jack plots on the side. Jack asking Sawyer about STDs in front of Kate when all Sawyer needs is a pair of glasses... was priceless.

2) Yeah, I've never been one to clammer for answers. Trust me, I want them, but I don't need them on a week-by-week basis. I don't rate/enjoy episodes based on how many checkmarks I can put on my questions list, and I find the people who do just a bit grating. What I think LOST does better than any mystery-mythology-based series is answer questions subtly, slowly, and indirectly, letting the meanings of things weave their way into multiple plot-lines and/or aspects of the show until the question has been answered without being pandered to, and the importance of that answer to the series becomes clue/asset to the couple larger mysteries of the show. Good example? The polar bears. We see polar bears wandering around in Season 1. Weird, right? In Season 2 we see a brief clip of polar bears in the Swan's Dharma Orientation video while Dr. Candle is listing the various sciences Dharma deals in (zoology being the one of import here). So now we knew who brought them to the Island. In Season 3, our heroes are held in bear cages at the Hydra station. Now we knew where Dharma kept them and did their experiments. In Season 4, we saw one end up in Tunisia, apparently the result of having been used by Dharma to turn the Frozen Donkey Wheel (since, you know, that's where people who do that end up). Since it's so cold in the cave... maybe that's why POLAR bears in particular were thought a good idea. In Season 5, we get more light shed on the Dharma mission to better the world by harnessing the Island's power for various aspects of science - the initiative was a key player in causing "The Incident" which led to the necessity of the Swan hatch, which led to the Crash of Oceanic 815. We might not know what all Dharma was doing with those bears, but we know enough. They were a clue, slowly expounded on, that permeated many aspects of the series and led to larger more important mysteries like the function of the Donkey Wheel and the impact of the Dharma Initiative.

Ernie @ Gulf Coast Offense

http://gulfcoastoffense.blogspot.com/

1) Is it cheating to pick the pilot or the finale? It seems almost unfair to the other episodes in the season, but my choice is Exodus (Parts 1 &2). The season had built up so much momentum and fans had learned that this wasn't your typical plane crash drama. With the suspense over opening the hatch to the hope and triumph of launching the raft, this episode had it all. Throw in the Others, the Smoke Monster and finally seeing Black Rock (not a rock at all!), and you have one of the most satisfying season finales on television.

The Others taking Walt on the raft was such a stab in the heart after everything the group had been through to get the raft going, but my favorite part of the episode was the last scene with Jack and Locke looking down the shaft of the hatch. That was a great mystery and what a cliff hanger!

2) My favorite reveal on the show was from "Through the Looking Glass" when we first learned that Jack and Kate had made it off the island and what we had been seeing during the episode was actually a flashforward. We can debate whether the show delivered with the Oceanic 6 storyline later, but that reveal was well-crafted and mind blowing at the time. I wasn't one of those who picked up on the small hints throughout that this was the future (such as Jack's Razor phone). I can remember distinctly as we watched this season finale (this was the first Lost party I'd thrown and we had a large group watching at my house), when Kate got out of the car at the airport a few people questioned, did he already know her? Then we realized, boom, this is the future. When the episode ended, we sat in silence for a couple of minutes before really digesting what we'd seen.

Jon @ The Lost Blog

http://lostblog.com/

1) Walkabout is the easy favorite, and so is the finale. I'd like to shout out about one episode that I've surprisingly enjoyed during the re-watch. It's The Moth. It's intriguing how Locke comes across as the helper here, a guide as Charlie is going through his heroin withdrawls, telling him he'll let him ask three times before he'll give the drugs back to him. The flashback shows the background of Charlie and DriveShaft, his junkie brother, who cleaned up his life. Charlie went to Australia to ask Liam to start back up the band, not realizing his problem was his addiction. The freaky part looking back was the b-story of Sayid's triangulation, Jack getting trapped, Charlie deciding to slither in the whole. A great episode leaving off the mystery of who walloped Sayid in the back of the head. We later find out, in the Season 1 finale, it's John Locke, of all people.

2) There have been plenty of wonderful reveals, the Lockdown hatch map was mesmerizing, so rich in clues some of which have been helpful in decoding the show. Though I think my favorite is now the Lighthouse reveal of numbers and names and the dancing images of important landmarks in the candidates lives. The reveals are awesome, but the answers haven't been as forthcoming, more often answering a question with another question. I also enjoyed the stint in 1977 Dharmaville, and the connections made through the time jumping in season 5.

Paul @ Room 23

http://lostroom23.blogspot.com/

1) This one is hard because there are so many great episodes in Season 1. Season 1 is so great because there was such a great character focus in every episode. From all of Jack's flashbacks and him growing into leadership, Kate’s flashbacks about being on the run, Charlie’s drug problems. Walkabout comes very close, but I would have to say that my favorite one has to be Exodus 1 & 2. Its great because it has Flashback for nearly every character and arguably the only Walt Flash. But I just love the raft cast off with the moving and awesome Michael Giacchino music and Vincent trying to follow them, also the trek to the Black Rock and Locke getting grabbed by the Smoke Monster. Plus the duel cliffhangers of Walt’s kidnapping and the opening of the Hatch.

2) That’s another hard one because unlike some I am very excited by the amount of answers that we’ve been getting. From Locke being in a wheel chair, who’s in the Hatch, who the Others are, who the OC 6 are, who’s in the Coffin, how did the Incident happen, etc, etc. But my favorite ones are from this season, like how the Smoke Monster is The Man in Black and that Richard did come from the Black Rock. I feel that we are getting a lot of important answers this season, theres minor things that might go unanswered and still bug me a bit, but over all I totally have faith that everything important will be answered in the end. And if not, theres always the encyclopedia that’s coming out in August!

Scott @ The Stuff Of Legend

http://www.im-thinking19.blogspot.com/

1) For me, it has to be "Deus Ex Machina". I am always going to lean towards Locke-centric episodes, and as great as the reveal was in "Walkabout" that Locke was in a wheelchair, I thought the on-Island plot was much stronger in this one. This episode included:
- Locke's dream of the drug plane (including creepy bloody Boone's "Teresa falls up the stairs, Teresa falls down the stairs") that ended up coming true.
- Locke's increasing paralysis in his legs as his faith wavers.
- The radio message back to Boone: "No, WE'RE the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815!". Totally gave me goosebumps the first time I heard it.
- One of my favorite scenes of the entire series...the light comes on in the hatch. Cue chillbumps (again).
- And, just for fun, Jack's interrogation of Sawyer before he diagnosed him with farsightedness.

This one was tough...looking back over the season brought back a lot of great memories. Close runners-up were "Walkabout", "Do No Harm", and the 2-part "Exodus" season finale. Oh, and the Pilot episode is still probably the best pilot I have ever seen for any show.

2) Wow. Can I cheat and give you one for each season?
Season 1 - Locke's pre-crash paralysis ("Walkabout")
Season 2 - Desmond in the hatch ("Man of Science, Man of Faith"). This was the moment I truly fell in love with this show, when Des pops out from behind the wall after we just saw Jack meet him in the stadium in his flashback. I often say that "Walkabout" was when I became hooked on LOST, but this episode was when I became OBSESSED.
Season 3 - Duh. "We have to GO BACK!!!" from "Through the Looking Glass". My favorite season finale of all time.
Season 4 - I'm going for the rare "cheat within a cheat" and pick the entire episode "Cabin Fever". Richard Alpert at John's birth. Richard showing up again to visit 8-yr old Locke and his freaky smoke monster drawings. Abbadon as "Orderly". Plus, that wicked-cool scene where Horace is stuck in some sort of time loop (even if it was a dream, that was awesome).
Season 5 - There was tons to choose from here, but one of my favorite scenes of all time, just from a mythology standpoint: The Smoke Monster, masquerading as John Locke, is leading Benjamin Linus into the bowels of the Four-toed Statue, so that Ben can kill Jacob at Locke/Smokey's command. That scene just brought so much of the mythology of this show into one power-packed scene.
Season 6 - So far, my favorite part of the season is the redemption of Benjamin Linus, happening simultaneously in both timelines. Does one have anything to do with the other? Only time (and Darlton) will tell...

Nikki @ Nik At Nite

http://nikkistafford.blogspot.com/

1) My favourite episode in S1 was "Walkabout." I'm not suggesting the rest of the season was a let-down after that, because it was a truly fantastic season, but "Walkabout" was the masterpiece of the opening of the series... it was the episode that took Lost from a great show to an epic one. (And it was written by David Fury, a Buffy alumnus, so I was doubly happy.)

It's a carefully crafted episode that kept us guessing right to the end, and artfully hid the fact that Locke couldn't actually walk. On the island he's the weird bald guy with the orange peel in his mouth creeping out Walt with his eerie, "Do you wanna know a secret?" and we all took those preconceived notions of the man and put them onto the same guy we saw in the past. Not once did we notice that he was always sitting, and when he was talking to the woman on the phone he was turning off some machine and sitting awkwardly and stiffly on the bed. At the very end, when the man in the Walkabout agency got up and walked out, and Locke wheeled back his wheelchair, I swear you could hear the gasps of Lost fans worldwide in that instant. The music swelled, we realized a miracle had happened on the island, and it took us back to where Locke was standing on the beach, smiling as he watched his no-longer-needed wheelchair burn. What an incredible episode. (And it doesn't hurt that it features that absolutely superb Terry O'Quinn.)

2) Wow, your second question is a doozy. What a tough question! I think I'd have to say the reveal (if we can call it that) at the end of season 3 that crazy bearded wildman Jack was actually Future Jack, and what we were seeing was a flashforward. To me that was such an amazing moment, that not only were we seeing that rescue was imminent, but that that same rescue was going to drive Jack crazy, drive him away from Kate, AND it suggested the following season would give us more glimpses into the future. It was an extraordinary moment for me.

Ms Wendy @ It's About Bunnies!

http://mswendy.wordpress.com/

1) My favorite Season One episode is the three part finale "Exodus".

At the time of first viewing, I had never been this enthralled with any tv show before. Every episode up to this point was the greatest I had ever witnessed. So, by the time I was anticipating watching this episode(s) , the expectations could not have been higher. And LOST did not disappoint. Everything about it is just outstanding... the writing, the acting, the directing, the editing, etc.

To me, it has the best of all that I love about the show. It is moving, tense, hilarious and mysterious. It has so many iconic moments ( The Black Rock's first appearance, Walt's kidnapping, the raft launch, Arzt blowing up, the boarding of 815, etc. ) And in it, contains (IMO) two of the greatest scenes ever on the show : Locke and Jack in the jungle, pre -hatch opening , ending with " Yes, you do...you just don't know it yet." and Jack/Sawyer exchange, right before James leaves for the raft.

2) There have been so many. But I have to go with "We have to go back, Kate! We have to go BAAAAACK!!!" reveal that they are off the island at the end of the Season Three finale "Through the Looking Glass". It was the last thing I was expecting. I even thought, for about 30 seconds, that Jack and Kate knew each other, pre crash. Damon and Carlton "got me good" on that one. And that answer/mystery alone held me for the nine months we had to wait for Season Four to start.

Benny @ Finally Lost

http://finallylost.wordpress.com/

1) I just recently re-watched Season 1 and there are so many good episodes. I won't pick the season finale because the cliff hangers make them unfairly good. I wanted to pick Walkabout because the moment you realize Locke was in the wheelchair was one of my all time favorite LOST moments but I have to go with Outlaws. Sawyer meeting Jack's dad in the bar and later realizing who that stranger was is one of my favorite moments in the series. It's also the start of the Red Sox joke has some great payoffs and Sawyer and Kate's game of Never Have I Ever. Never have I ever seen a plane with so many mini bottles of liquor...

2) The Jacob/Man in Black reveal is my favourite by far. That 2 minute sequence changed the entire 101 previous episodes in a Bruce Willis seeing the dropped ring at the end of Sixth Sense kinda way. Jacob is a real person and is responsible for pulling all the strings. The Smoke monster is a person and trying to kill Jacob! I've never seen a show where after 113 episodes the audience still doesn't know what the show is about. This reveal came close to answering it and changed everything.

Vozzek69 @ Things I Noticed

http://www.thingsinoticed.com/

1) Well I could say the Pilot, but that would be like cheating. Best S1 episode was probably Deus Ex Machina. Locke's legs were failing, Cooper swipes his kidney, we see visions of the Beechcraft crash, Boone radios Bernard before falling to his doom, and of course Desmond turning the light on just as Locke is banging on the hatch door... just such an awesome episode.

2) By far the best reveal has been the 3-minute opening scene of The Incident. Jacob talking to the dark-shirted man on that little beach as the Black Rock sailed up? After five seasons of trying to figure out who the hell was playing the game, it gave me chills.

Miss Scarlett @ Knittnfool

http://missscarlett.wordpress.com/

1) My personal favourite is the 2 pt Pilot episode - followed by White Rabbit (when the enduring mythology was first clearly set out).
Fellow blogger and personal friend, Izi, had asked me to videotape (remember that?) the Pilot episode for him. I wound up watching to make sure I had the right channel/time.
What I saw were the most incredible hours of television to date.
The silence in the jungle. Jack's eye opening. The eery music/sounds. Waving bamboo. Vincent's appearance -- so normal, a bounding yellow Lab so out of place in this context.
Jack's emergence onto the beach, the chaos, the debris and all the action.
I distinctly recall Shannon standing, screaming, in the middle of this scene and at that point I thought: I HAVE to watch this show.
I loved how this diverse group became a unit when they heard the monster in the jungle --- incidentally what was that rampage about? protesting the arrival of more "progress"?

2) I think my favourite reveal was when we learned that Locke was the person who had been in the wheelchair. Seeing the camera pull back when he is in the Australian travel office as he shouts from his wheelchair: Don't Tell Me What I Can't Do! was awesome. It made sense of his sitting on the beach, wiggling his toes right after the crash, his belief that being on the Island was a good thing --- and took away some of my fear for Walt! remember Locke's "wanna know a secret?" with him? Creepy.
It set the tone for this series full of reveals and also informed us about the Island and Locke's potential for being 'special'.

Chris @ SuperDuperStream

http://superduperstream.blogspot.com/

1) There are so many good ones to choose from. Luckily, I had never heard about Lost until Season 2, so I had the luxury of watching Season 1 back-to-back on DVD. As such, the episodes and memories have became a bit of a blur for me - more like moments popping out than specific episodes - realising the farmer in Kate's flashback would be awarded a 'number' ($23,000); realising Locke was in a wheelchair; Rose recognising the sounds of the smoke monster; the 'tailies' radio conversation; etc.

But the one episode that sticks out for me, as a whole, is "The Moth". Beforehand, Lost had been about specific characters - Kate, Jack, Locke. However, "The Moth" is the first time the whole crew get a decent shake of the stick - Charlie and Jack bond, Sawyer begins to show signs of a decent human being, Sayid shows his leadership skills, Shannon begins to show signs of a decent human being, Boone and Kate are given something useful to do, Michael gets to play hero for a while, Locke shows his wisdom and bonds with Charlie, Charlie begins to grow into the lovable character he became; even Steve and Scott get an appearance! This, to me, felt like the first true ensemble episode and set the tone for my favourite episodes since. That's not to say I dislike the "X-centric" episodes, but spreading the screentime between multiple characters makes a stronger show, in my opinion.

2) All the seasons have been jam-packed with great reveals - Locke in the wheelchair, Jack in the future, the Frozen Donkey Wheel, the Jacob/Smokey conversation; all of these have been major game changers.

But the reveal closest to my heart came in S.O.S. (which, to me, was a fantastic episode) when Rose reveals that it is the Island that has cured her cancer. There's lots of nuances to this reveal - the fact that the "faith healer" in Australia couldn't heal Rose due to her being in the wrong place, began the whole Vile Vortices theory, which to me is the moment Lost stepped over from crazy sci-fi theorising, to something else... something rooted in real life, in deeper discussions of all kinds of crazy. There's the fact that Rose knew all along that Locke was in a wheelchair, but kept it to herself. It's the fact that Rose may have been the first person to 'win' this game. There's the parallels to Claire and her pyschic storyline. There's a lot of nuances, and one may argue that this was more of a Question than an Answer, but to me Rose revealing she had been cured of cancer by the Island specifically, when she appears to matter little to either Smokey or Jacob, is a major game-changer for me in the way I thought about, and continue to think about, Lost. Others may use the Flash-Forward or Locke's wheelchair as major touchstones for discussion - I always come back to S.O.S. and Rose's cancer. To-may-toe, to-mah-toe.

Lost - Where Are They Now - Ilana

2010-03-15T17:00:00.001Z

In this new segment, I try to quickly recap (in a few paragraphs, or less) the history and current placement of all the main characters - consider this a quick "Best Of".

Ilana

So much is unknown of Ilana - for starters, what's her surname? What we do know is that she's an unlucky bounty hunter who got caught up in all this madness while trying to bring Sayid to justice... no, scratch that, she is a shady operator trying to recruit everyone to join the 'third' group in this war... no, wait, she's actually more like Jacob's daughter.

So far what we know is that we know nothing - Ilana had a mysterious condition that caused her to be severely bandaged up; we don't know why. Jacob visited her and asked her to do something; we don't know what. Jacob seemed to not want to touch her; again, we don't know why. What little we do know is that she brought the body of John Locke to the Temple, she seems to know all the codes and secrets revolving around Jacob and Smokey (including that Smokey was using Jacob's cabin, that Smokey is stuck in Locke's form, "what lies in the shadow of the statue", and that Richard isn't his full name). At the moment, her main role is to protect the Candidates, however she seems willing to protect just about everyone else too - Ben, Frank, Miles. Protect them from what, and how, remains to be seen exactly - everything else is just guesswork.

Current physical location - Beach.
Current team members - Ben, Sun, Frank, Miles, Jack, Hurley, Richard, Jacob (deceased).

Lost - S6E7 Dr Linus - Analysis

2010-03-14T19:59:00.000Z

The title above may be a little misleading - I have a lot of great Lost stuff in the pipeline that should be coming up soon, and as such I am cutting back on the "analysis" part of the recaps. Instead, here is a few observations/questions raised from this week's episode. For more interesting, in-depth analysing, check out the Lost Blogging Collective instead.

Normal service should pick up in a few weeks.

Questions:

- Why does the show continue to torment us non-Spoiler fans with these pre-episode "Guest Star" credits? "Alan Dale", so brightly reflected in Ben's microwave, completely ruined that surprise for me. Luckily, Alex appearing within minutes put a huge smile on my face - one that remained throughout the episode.

- This 'Jughead' timeline hiccup is even more confusing than the 'Ajira' one. When did the Island sink? Wy isn't Ben an Other at this point? Are Jacob and Smokey alive in some form in the alt timeline, or did they disappear when the Island sank.

- Alex turning up at Ben's house was a bit creepy. If he wasn't at the club, why did she wait so long to look for him if she was that worried?

- Who are the six remaining Candidates? The choices seem to be - Jack, Hurley, Sun, Jin, Sawyer, Sayid, Locke, Frank. Choose your six from them, but just as with the Oceanic 6, I think the most obvious answer is the easiest - Ilana probably considers Jack, Hurley, Sun, Jin, Sawyer and Sayid as Candidates, despite Sayid's recent evil spree.

- The Jack/Hurley/Richard side-story seemed a little out of place to me. Plus, both Jack and Richard were acting majorly out of character - Jack blindly following Richard and then blindly setting off the dynamite; Richard completely giving up on all he has lived for. Also, for a man wanting to die, didn't Richard seem a bit scared ultimately when Jack lit the fuse?

- Did Jacob's touch make Richard immortal? Has his touch affected everyone else in this way, or is there something else going on? Is this why he didn't want to touch Ilana? Did Jacob touch Michael? Is this why Ben had to kill Locke? Can we say that Jacob's touch makes you unable to age and unable to commit suicide, and also unable to killed by Others or other Candidates?

- Nestor Carbonell is the perfect actor to play Richard. Can you imagine Ian Somerhalder(Boone) in that role? Nestor is the only one I can imagine looking ageless throughout all these years.

- I hope there is more behind Jack's decision to return to the beach than simplistic plot setting.

- Why did Ben seem so eager to dig his own grave? I'd have spun that job out much longer. It also seemed a bit ridiculous that he could outrun Ilana, but whatever - trying not to nitpick.

- Smokey seemed unconcerned about whether Ben joined him or not. At least we got some answers - Smokey's team is heading to the Hydra Island (maybe they plan on getting Ajira in the air?), and he perhaps needs someone to stay and take care of the Island before he can leave (maybe even two people, to replace Smokey and Jacob?).

- I'm fairly convinced that this is a simple Jacob = Good, Smokey = Bad story. I'm going to do a post on the classical Jacob & Esau story sometime soon, but in that story Jacob is a bit of a villian, yet in the end is treated as something of a hero. More to come soon.

- I love that Miles and Frank are just friendly to all comers. I wish we got to see more of the Freighter Four in general, they seemed even more ignored than the Tailies, who were tragically ignored. Sometimes I do wish Lost had spun their wheels over 7 or even 8 seasons, got a few Miles-centric "filler" episodes done before the end.

- Smokey's telekinetic powers should be put to better use more often.

- I also sometimes wish that Richard was a Terminator.

- On second viewing, it seems that the revelation Jacob had visited Hurley may have been the straw that broke the camel's/Richard's back. "You spoke to Jacob?". Cue incredulous blinking.

- While the point can be made that Ben could have blackmailed Reynolds into giving up his job and writing Alex's recommendation, while the point can also be made that Ben could have waited until after Alex went to Yale, both these points mean nothing when you consider the fact that Ben got played by Arzt. He was never going to come out the big winner, and was lucky to escape with his job and getting out of detention duty. In fact, I think we should be asking ourselves why Arzt didn't make the power play for Principal? (Maybe he likes his students more than he lets on?).

Book Review - Introducing Quantum Theory

2010-03-14T01:20:00.003Z

After publishing my own introduction to Quanum Theory, something I am no expert on, I decided I should read a few more books on the subject in case there were a few blanks I could fill in to better expand upon my own introduction.

So it was that I came by "-> Introducing : Quantum Theory - A Graphic Guide To Science's Most Puzzling Discover" written by J.P. McEvoy and Oscar Zarate. By the look of the cover and the very descriptive title, I thought I had found exactly what I was looking for. (Just to be sure, however, I also picked up a couple of Stephen Hawking books while I was browsing.)

But I was certain this was the book for me - just look at that cartoon, skeleton cat!

I couldn't have been more wrong. (Which just goes to show, you should never, ever, judge a book by its cover).

What I found inside was a mess of cartoon depictions of 'famous' scientists, complete with 'witty' speech bubbles, but entirely lacking in handy captions that may explain who any of them are. This was obviously written by an elder person trying to be 'hip' with the kids and clearly missing his target audience.

Instead of clear, well-written explanations that both educate and entertain (something Hawking does very well), what you'll find if you ever (and I hope you don't) read this book is a mass of equations (the kind that mysteriously replace numbers with seemingly randomly chosen letters, with no reason behind the choice), a focus on dates that have no relevance (dates of birth when discussing the publication of a theory, for instance), out of place illustrations that serve to depict our most brilliant minds as bumbling men accidentally creating fortunate disasters (and a few of them, Schrödinger in particular, just look plain menacing). The final nail in the coffin that truly exposes the author as a misguided man trying (and failing) to grasp a young audience comes with a talking computer (complete with ultra-cool floppy disk drive) and amazement that "the EPR paradox still lives ... as noted from the web page recently down-loaded from the Internet" showing a poorly rendered website dated November 1995, complete with 90s era graphics.

One could forgive such shortcomings had the book been published in 1995 - however, the final page makes mention of December 2000 being the 100th Anniversary of the discovery of the quantum, in a manner that suggests it is right around the corner. The best is saved for last, in a post-script containing a list of other books for further reading. One I won't be picking up is J.P. McEvoy's "Stephen Hawking For Beginners" - from what I have read from both, it would appear easier for 'beginners' to just jump straight in to "A Brief History Of Time" than try to wade through the swamp that is McEvoy's patronisingly idiotic writing style.

Not to sound too harsh, but this book neither makes Quantum Theory easy to understand nor makes it seem exciting, or even intelligent, in any way. One to avoid.

Blogger - The New Compose Mode

2010-03-13T16:51:00.000Z

Some time around November, Blogger (as part of its 10th Anniversary) created a new compose mode.

The Real Blogger details all this, including how to switch between the two, the new features and the drawbacks. Two of these drawbacks is the loss of the Video button and the Spellcheck button.

If, like me, you both want to switch to the new compose mode (it does make image uploading and page breaks/jumps a heck of a lot easier to deal with!) but you also rely on Spellcheck as a crutch, here is one solution.

Download Firefox.
Install the relevant dictionary.
Restart Firefox.
Now, as you type, any mistakes you make will be highlighted by a red row of dots underlining the offending words.
Simply right-click any underlined words to find spelling suggestions.
Click on the right one to automatically replace it - just like Blogger, only with right-clicking instead of left!

I am sure there are many different add-ons and work-arounds out there, but for a simple, compatible solution follow the above steps. You can also add different dictionaries, for any bilinguals out there.

The one problem with this is that the red dotted line is a bit hard to see. It is obvious if you are looking for it while you type, but to scan a previously written document for mistakes it is pretty tough work.

On a more positive note, this add-on is compatible with all text boxes - comments sections, Google searchs and, best of all, Twitter! However, if anyone has found a better solution, tell us all in the comments.

Friday Fight Night - Liverpool - Paul Smith vs Tony Dodson

2010-03-13T11:46:00.007Z

Let me preface this review by getting any bias out of the way - I'm not a huge fan of Frank Warren promotions. Every Frank Warren show I watch I know in the back of my mind that these fights are booked in such a way that his protégés are almost guaranteed a win. That's not to say they aren't fine boxers, just that I feel other promoters (Frank Maloney for instance) put on a more balanced and thus entertaining show. I enjoyed two out of the three fights tonight, but I would not say I was entertained.

Secondly, I feel strongly that Tony Quigley should have been taking part tonight as part of a rematch against Paul Smith. I may be the only one that holds that opinion, but I hold it tightly and am more convinced than ever having viewed the fight.

Thirdly, I was very happy to see that Dave Parris was nowhere near these fights. Although he makes a decent referee, his judgement and scoring of late has been nothing short of appalling. I was seriously very excited to not hear his name read out as a judge, which I think says a lot about him.

Now that I've gotten my personal feelings out of the way (and what use is a personal blog without some strong opinions, right?), here is my report of the night's action.

British Super-Middleweight Championship

Paul Smith (champion) vs Tony Dodson (challenger)

In what was a hard-fought, yet underwhelming, battle, Dodson set the mood of the fight early in an eventful first round. Following an early clash of heads (which I personally felt was more than accidental), Paul Smith had to spend much of the first half of the fight battling through blood, which was fast forming a mask over his entire left side. Cuts were to follow, with Smith receiving two more throughout the bout and Dodson getting one himself, making this a bloody battle mostly fought by the cutmen at ringside.

To Smith's corners credit, they did an excellent job from the first round to keep his bleeding under control and to keep their fighter focussed, calm and motivated. If Dodson's headclash was part of some plan, it completely back-fired as Smith became an unrelenting force of power and speed, taking the fight to Dodson and clearly going for a knockout before the referee could stop the fight.

However, after passing an inspection after the 4th round, Smith seemed to run out of steam a little and Dodson returned fire. The fight was fairly neck and neck until the 10th where Dodson, who had been fighting ugly (grappling, 'headclashes' intentionally aiming for Smith's cuts) received a point deduction for holding. It was a deserved deduction, and from that point on it was no surprise to anyone that Smith would win by decision.

What did come as a surprise, however, was the 12th round, wherein both Dodson and Smith gave it their all - trading flurries of hard hitting, accurate hooks, the likes of which make me wish that boxing still went, on occasion, to a 15th round. Although I wouldn't like to see Smith suffer any permanent damage as a result of fighting on for a further 9 minutes, with the energy and excitement these two were displaying the fans (myself included) were eager for more. If only the rest of the fight had been this closely contested. The twelve round showed what boxing should be about, however the dirty tactics of Dodson and the bloody visual of Smith throughout the preceeding eleven showed everything boxing shouldn't be.

Smith can hold his head high, having survived some close battles as of late. He is an exciting boxer on the domestic scene and it will be interesting to see what he has to offer if Warren's promises of a World title challenge come to fruition. For Dodson, however, I think it is time for a re-evaluation of tactics. He has the power, the stamina and the conditioning to do great things, if only he can find a way to apply his natural abilities properly. The break away from the ring last year has clearly did him some good physically, but he now needs to sharpen up his mentality.

Judges Scorecards - 117-112, 116-111, 115-112.

Post-fight Records - Smith (27yr, 29(15)-1(0)-0). Dodson (29yr, 24(12)-6(4)-1).

WBO Inter-Continental Welterweight Championship

Krzysztof Bienias (champion) vs Kell Brook (challenger)

In what was a completely one-sided and, in essence, boring match-up, Bienias (a boxer with an pretty decent paper record) played punchbag for Brook, allowing him to take his time and throw punches at Bienias all night. By the 6th round, the fight was called to a halt as Brook barely grazed Bienias with an unconvincing uppercut, then subjected him to the same few punches he had been throwing all night. Why the referee chose to end it in the 6th and not the 1st or 2nd (all the rounds were pretty much the same thing), I don't know. Why Bienias offered almost no opposition in defence of his record and his belt, I don't know. Why people are touting Brook as a possible opponent of Khan and Pacquiao, I don't know. (Well, I can guess that it is because Frank Warren is still hurting from Khan having left him to find bigger, better and proper opponents - if he had stayed, perhaps he would still be getting lined up to face the likes of Bienias). From what I can gather, Brook has far more to offer than what was on display tonight, which I can believe - there are few that can make such a one-sided affair look good (Amir Khan being one of them). Needless to say, I was left completely bored and uninterested by this bout - yet another 'unbeaten' Frank Warren fighter facing yet another defenceless opponent, only this time Bienias really should have been able to bring more to the table.

Post-fight Records: Brook (23yr, 21(14)-0(0)-0). Bienias (30yr, 39(16)-4(2)-0).

vacant Commonwealth Light-Heavyweight Championship

Tony Bellew vs Atolie Moore

By far the most exciting fight of the evening was also the shortest, lasting only 150 seconds. Bellew, keeping to his promise of showing Moore exactly what kind of boxer he is, unleashed fury upon Moore, knocking the man down after a flurry of brutal punches. The referee ruled it as a shove, but it hardly mattered - Moore had practically been knocked out by the display and, less than 10 seconds and several unanswered punches later, the ref had to call a halt to the fight and give it to Bellew.

Obviously still feeling the effects of his adrenaline rush, Bellew then addressed the crowd - standing in the middle of the ring and screaming such rants as "I'm the best", "Look at me", "Totally pwned that fool" etc. While this brash cockiness normally rubs me completely the wrong way, in this case it was completely called for. Bellew may be the least prominent of the three Liverpudlian Tonys (Quigley, Dodson), he matches them both for charisma, confidence and power. His momentum may take him far.

A quick thought for Moore - being utterly dominated in your fifth fight, and for a title no less, is something that could derail a career for good. Chin up, accept you were up against a complete monster who you shouldn't have even been in the same country as, let alone the same ring, and get back on the right path.

Post-fight Records: Bellew (27yr, 13(9)-0(0)-0). Moore (27yr, 4(2)-1(1)-0).

Summary

The rest of the night featured performances from Smith's brothers - Liam Smith (21yr, 5(1)-0-0) defeated non-relative Billy Smith (31yr, 12(0)-77(6)-1), while Stephen Smith (24yr, 10(6)-0-0) made short work of Jason Thomas (33yr, 7(2)-27(9)-3) in a first round stoppage. Youngest brother Callum is currently working his way up the amateurs and hopes to join his elder brothers in the pros when the time is right.

Other highlights included former WBO Cruiseweight champion Enzo Maccarinelli (29yr, 31(24)-4(4)-0) defeating Zoltan Czekus (34yr, 8(4)-3(2)-1). Enzo has had real trouble of late in winning title fights, but his non-title fights continue to hand him wins. It remains to be seen if he has what it takes to become a champion again, but certainly a first round stoppage like this one will do him no harm. (The same can't be said of his opponent, however).

Edinburgh's John Thain (1-0-0) made his debut defeating Kevin McCauley (4-16(2)-2) on points. Young Ronnie Heffron (19yr, 2(2)-0-0) keeps his perfect record defeating Karl Taylor (44yr, 16(4)-135(34)-7). It amazes me to see these old boxers continue to put in the appearances and plump up young boxer's scorecards. (It also amazes me that so far both of Ronnie's fights have ended the same way - with his opponent retiring after the 2nd. I wonder how long that will last?). Finally, Tobias Webb (21yr, 3(0)-0-1) technically clings to his unbeaten record in a points draw with Lee Duncan (21yr, 2(0)-4(1)-2). That little '1' at the end of his rating might be enough to preclude him from the Frank Warren club, where everyone is an undefeated future World champion. Which might not necessarily be a bad thing.

Self-Analysis - 2010 Q1

2010-03-13T10:22:00.002Z

I am quite a junkie for analysis / statistics. Give me a good pie chart and I'm in heaven. As such, I will probably begin randomly throwing numbers and stats at you fine people - feel free to ignore me as I'm mostly indulging myself.

Over the past week, 50+ visitors have arrived here via search engines. Here's just some of the madcap terms they were looking for that brought them to this eclectic place:

aliens timeline ad jacob
analysis of belle et bete lyrics
consciousness game
darkufo vozzek69
dude, you've got some arzt on you
effy psychosis
ferris beuller is imaginary
interpretation of the real slim shady
jimmy fallon no guts no glory t shirt
kate sawyer
lost al trautwig
lost juliet
lost s6 e4 review
maturus puzzled
meaning of absence of sun in chinese whispers game
the idea of nature vs nurture is an obvious theme in the executioner's song
what fight's on stoke friday
www.weeklywebsite.com

Now, while a few of them are obviously in the wrong place (the guy looking for The Executioners; the guy looking for weeklywebsite.com) and some just sound like robots ('ad jacob'?; does Jimmy Fallon listen to Bolt Thrower?) I'm quite please by a few of them - 'kate sawyer' is such a generic term, I'd think searching for it would take you to a million different places before ending up here (it's not like I'm a great "shipper"). 'Darkufo vozzek69' I am most please with, as I consider those two of the biggest names in Lost fandom - to have a visitor arrive here looking for them is again inconceivable to me as I'm sure their names are all over the internet.

The three I'm most please with though are the 'Stoke' boxing, Skins 'effy psychosis' and 'ferris beuller is imaginary'. This is, currently, a Lost site more than anything else, but for people to find their way here looking for the other things (boxing, Skins, movie analysis) pleases me greatly, as the site will obviously be continuing on long after Lost as fell out of public fervour. (There were many 'effy' and 'ferris' terms that brought people here - I only published one of each, but there were around a dozen variations).

Well, this list interested me so I hope it may have interested a few of you :)

Weekly Image - How I Hope This Blog Makes You Feel

2010-03-13T00:39:00.000Z

Lost Blogging Collective Q&A - Week 5

2010-03-09T18:46:00.001Z

The Lost Blogging Collective is a collection of 16 (and growing) Lost bloggers. Our aim is to bring together as many theories, blogs and fans together before the end of Season 6 to try to figure out what the heck is going on, but mostly to just have fun and enjoy each others company and websites!

The two main parts of this project are the Weekly Round-Up, where you can find all the best blogs and sites in the one place, and the Weekly Q&A, where each week we answer 2 questions loosely based on that week's episode.

Check out the latest Round-Up here, as well as Week 1, Week 2, Week 3 and Week4 of the Q&A.

This week's questions are based on the point-of-view of the characters instead of the fans. Hopefully you enjoy reading our answers as much as we enjoy answering them! The questions are:

1) You are Miles. Sayid has burst into the Temple and asks you to choose - pick Jacob and stay within the Temple with the people that have kidnapped you, tortured you and mysteriously told you to stay put, on the promise of 'safety', or pick Smokey and go on a vague journey with a monster that has promised to kill everyone and anyone who disagrees with him. Should you stay or should you go? Who do you trust at this point?

2) You are Kate. You have found yourself far from home following three people you thought were your friends - one is a zombie monster, one is a lunatic and the other has recently caused the death of many and is trying to convince you to follow the zombie monster so that all your dreams can come true. All you want to do is grab the lunatic and make a run for it. What do you do? What CAN you do?

Karen @ Karen's Lost Notebook
http://karenslostnotebook.blogspot.com/

1) Oooh, this is a quandary, indeed. At this point it’s all about Miles picking the side that most agrees with his “scale”. At this point I’m still heading with Locke. He seems to be trying to free those who have been also trapped by Jacob on the “island”. But this is LOST and we’re still in the dark about who may represent which side of the scale. Maybe Jacob and Locke will find a way to see eye to eye and balance will be achieved.

2) Kate and Locke did share an interesting look with each other and we can’t ignore the point that Kate looked at smoky in action and appeared to watch in a sort of peaceful wonder. But Locke’s goal is to get off the island and Kate wants to get Claire off the island to be with Aaron so she should stay with him. Maybe Kate is done running.

But if I (Kate) want to run then when Locke and his flock of followers aren’t looking I grab the lunatic and run. Who knows…maybe Locke won’t kill us. But how far could I run and where could we hide without having to come face to face with something again. I think facing things is part of the whole “Island” adventure so it’s only a matter of time before that issue would come up again. Unless I get to be the new guardian of the island.

Vozzek69 @ Things I Noticed
http://www.thingsinoticed.com/

1) As Miles, I'm staying with the temple. I've gone on one-too-many vague journeys across the island, and I'm pretty sick and tired of them. The people in the temple have answers, and eventually they'll reveal them. Wandering through the jungle... been there, done that. It just doesn't sound so appealing anymore.

2) As Kate, you appeal to Claire's womanly/motherly sensibilities. Of course this doesn't work, because Claire is bat-shit crazy. So you slip away, fill your canteen, cock-tease Jack some more, and then go look for Sawyer. When rejected (again) by Sawyer, you simply repeat the process. That's Kate's loop.

Paul @ Room 23
http://lostroom23.blogspot.com/

1) Well these Temple guys are kind of jerks, especially that Lennon guy and that Dogen with his torture device, but Sayid has been acting creepy ever since he died and came back to life. I know that he was really dead for two hours. So even though the Temple guys have been jerks I think that I’ll stay put. I think that while I don’t trust them totally its better here then out there.

2) Well I made a promise to Claire’s Mother that I would return to the island in order to return Claire to Aaron. Locke has always been a whack-job, but he seems even more messed up than normal, so I’m nervous about him. I’ve seen him blow up the Others communication station and their Sub which was the only way of leaving the island for who knows what reason. Not to mention the Hatch near the beach camp. He’s always been so focused on stuff without thinking about the results. But he seems even crazier now, there’s something off about him. And even Sayid, he’s always been stable, I could always trust him. But after all that has happened at the Temple I’m not sure what to think of him. But I made a promise to save Claire so I plan on following them until I can hopefully talk some sense into her. I just worry about her, she’s starting to remind me a little of Rousseau.

Scott @ The Stuff Of Legend
http://www.im-thinking19.blogspot.com/

1) If I'm Miles, I probably have to go by the old saying "The devil you know is better than the devil you don't know." Since Sayid didn't mention that the "man" he had met also happened to be a formerly dead John Locke who now smells vaguely of smoke, there was no way for Miles to know who exactly he was following...other than Sayid, who is a person that he knows, (probably) trusts, and has proven to be a pretty good guy to have on your side.

Meanwhile, who is really left at the Temple that he would want to stay with? And, to your point, what reason does he have to believe that these are really the "good guys"?

So, yeah...if I'm Miles I'm going with Sayid. (Of course, lucky for Miles, he didn't actually have to stick with either choice, since he got rescued by the Ilana/Frank team.)

2) Ugh, I have to be Kate? Hmmm...this one will be tougher.

Well, at this point she's pretty much sold out to the idea of reuniting Claire and her bay-bee. Where else is she going to go? She finally blew off Jack (funny that the one time she DOESN'T tag along with Jack, this is what happens), Sawyer basically told her to hit the bricks...unless she's going to try and set up an unprecedented Love Pentagon by going after Miles, I guess she's pretty much committed to sticking with Claire at this point.

And, just like with Miles, she doesn't have all of the information that we do...she doesn't know that Claire has become an axe-wielding, trap-setting, more homicidal version of Rousseau. Although, to be honest....shouldn't the hair have given it away?

The Shapusens @ Shapusens On TV
http://shapusens.blogspot.com/

1) I’m a go-with-the-flow kind of guy. When we were jumping through time I went with the group. When we were in Dharmaville, I happily threw on a uniform and followed Sawyer’s lead. When Faraday said we couldn’t change the past/future, I believed him. I’ll trust whatever the group thinks. Unfortunately my group at the moment has been reduced to Sayid, who I don’t know much about besides the fact that he shot young Ben Linus and was recently dead. Kate’s also running around here somewhere. Oh wait, wasn’t she looking for the hot-but-crazy Australian chick? Maybe I should go check in with her instead. Let’s be honest, I’ll go wherever the action takes me. As long as I get to make some snarky quips along the way, I’m all good.

2) Well, against most odds (because let’s face it, I fail a lot) I have managed to find Claire alive. So score 1, Kate. Sure she’s a hot box of crazy right now, and she’s hanging out with someone who most certainly cannot be John Locke, but a crazy Claire is better than a dead Claire, right? I could try to grab her and make a run for it, but something tells me she’s not super ready for the “you’re completely insane and everything you think you’ve known for the last 3 years has been a lie . . . PS: I just wanted to remind you that I stole you baby, that he loves me, and that he has no idea who you are” conversation. Better to stick with this group for now, figure out what is going on, and work on a plan for extraction. Wait a sec, is that Sawyer in the back? Crap. I’m totally going to screw this up, aren’t I?

Ms Wendy @ It's About Bunnies!
http://mswendy.wordpress.com/

1) If I'm thinking like Miles, I'm going to stick with the Jacob people, especially with this Ilana chick. She's pretty, tough, knows what's going on... and I dig her accent. Plus, it seemed like there was a brief moment that Miles was" listening" to something, possibly coming from the floor, right before Ilana kicked in the door. He might have been getting some "answers" there and wants to stick close to people who have a history with the Temple.

2) If I'm Kate, I'm still totally focused on reuniting Aaron and Claire. And unwisely or not, I'm still trusting Claire for saving my life...for now. But Kate's not completely out of it. She knew enough that when you're traveling into the heart of darkness with zombies, make sure to pick up shotgun on the way out.

Ernie @ Gulf Coast Offense
http://gulfcoastoffense.blogspot.com/

1) As Miles, no matter which way I choose to go, I know I'll have the funniest one liners out of the group. As far as this choice, it's an easy one, that Australian chick is still hot and while Sayid has an evil twitch in his eye now, I'm sticking with their group. I can talk with the dead and from what they tell me, being dead on the island isn't a fun proposition for me. The only person I'd be able to speak with is Hurley, so I'm going to take my chances and follow Sayid, Claire and the bald guy.

2) As Kate, my main goal in coming back to the island is to find Claire, so I'm right where I want to be, even though Claire seems a little off. I know this situation isn't ideal and not what I had hoped for. I mean, Locke is dead, yet here he is, once again leading a group of Others. I'm going to bide my time and get Claire away from here. Not sure how I'll do it yet because something is different about Claire. I know I can talk some sense in her and reunite her with Aaron. I'm not sure what this new Locke has promised her, but I know the truth about Aaron, and I will prove it to Claire. If we have to stay with new Locke to get off the island, that's what we'll do ... as long as I stay with Claire and get her home safely.

Benny @ Finally Lost
http://finallylost.wordpress.com/

1) Dude this sucks! I shoulda got on that sub when I had the chance. I could of made some stock moves and placed a few sports bets and I would have been the Chinese Moe Green. But NOOO, I'm stuck in this damn temple with some guy from the cast of Big Trouble in Little Chinatown and his hippie translator. La Fleur's gone AWOL, Jin never came back and even Hurley left (although I'm kinda glad I don't have to try and explain to numb-nuts why the nuclear explosion was really the incident all along and whatever happened, happened!) I don't trust the Arab guy because he should be dead, so until I get some answers, or La Fleur returns, I'm not moving. Btw, would it really hurt any of these Hostile chicks to take a shower once in a while? After 3 years of no play in Dharmaville, digging up Naomi is looking like a viable option!

2) OK Kate, 5...4...3...2...1...Ok, let's just keep our cool and get Claire alone. She'll understand that I had to take Aaron because she left him in the jungle all alone. God Sawyer looked hott..ok Kate, focus! Maybe Claire didn't remember leaving Aaron behind, stranger things have happened on this island, like the time I got trapped in a cage with Sawyer yum!…Come on Kate, pull it together! You just out that Smoke monster thing is impersonating Locke and Claire is bff with it. I have to convince her to leave with me so we can find Sawyer and maybe get stuck in a net with him..dammit Kate this is what you get for shacking up with a guy that cries all the time. I'll just explain to Claire that I've had Aaron this whole time and he's safe and sound off the island with her mother. Then I'll convince her to leave the smoke monster and try and find a way off this island with me so I can reunite her with Aaron and so she can wash her hair.

Sagacious Penguin @ Stuff And Nonsense
http://sagaciouspenguin.blogspot.com/

1) If I were Miles at this point, I think I'd try to stick with the people I knew the best. Sucks for him that Jin, Sawyer, and Juliet are all gone at the point of decision. I think it's fortunate for him that Lapidus showed up when he did, and I would have done what Miles did and go with Lapidus. However, if there weren't an easy out I think at this point I would have gone with Locke and trusted Sayid. The Others simply give no worthwhile explanation for their silence and lack of explanations. I think a lot of crap could have been avoided by them if they had just come clean on a few things... but hopefully we'll soon find out why they're so consistently mum on everything. So far it's been their undoing! And were I Miles, I wouldn't trust the folks who don't talk to me.

2) Yeah, If I were Kate I would do everything in my power to isolate Claire, promise her Aaron and her mother (who Claire doesn't even yet know is OUT of her coma), and get the hell away from this madness. Her finding Sawyer on team-MIB is going to make things a lot trickier for her, however. He's gonna make the prospect of getting off-Island with the MIB palpable for her. And that's going to seem like it might be her best way to help Claire get off-island. Once she finds Sawyer and hears about the mass exodus that's being planned, I think she'll stick with the MIB... but without the Sawyer/Home influence Kate (and I role-playing as Kate) would so completely gone.

Chris @ SuperDuperStream
http://superduperstream.blogspot.com

1) As Miles, I think my instinct is to go with the flow, however I'm getting some creepy/interesting vibes from this Temple and the death/rebirth that lives here. Be that as it may, the bottom line is that I don't want to die. I'm not one to be pushed around and bullied by threats (screw you Bram, you still owe me a fish taco!) (screw you Ben, you still owe me $3.2million!), so my choice is either go with the people who promised me safety, then beat me up, then let me play noughts and crosses, or go with the guy who promises me death, is probably dead himself and even when he was alive, he shoved a grenade in my damn mouth! I'm going with the voices, and the voices tell me Jacob and the Temple have mad resurrection skillz. At least if I die, there's hope for me yet in their camp.

2) As Kate, I'm beginning to rue the fact that I never told Claire that Aaron is with her de-coma-fied Mother at present, and that my sole reason for risking my life coming back to the Island was to get her to Aaron. I'm now beginning to think that, for some reason, she feels threatened by me, perhaps? Either way, I'm now pretty much alone with three psychotic ex-friends and a bunch of strange Others - I think I recognise one of them though, her with the kids. Maybe this won't be so bad, if I can make them all see reason and stop the slaughter. Until then, I'll do what I always have done - keep a hand on my gun and an eye on all the exits incase I need to make a run for it. But I've come this far, I'd rather take my chances and take Claire with me if I can.

Lost - Round-Up #4

2010-03-09T18:27:00.003Z

Here is all that has been happening since our last Weekly Round-Up.

SuperDuperStream

I have been quite busy this week - I've set up a Twitter and a Facebook (and have been trying to integrate both into the site template - bare with me while I test things out). I also finished a (in my opinion) fairly extensive look at Quantum Physics & Parallel Universes, which anyone interested in the 'alt' timeline might find interesting.

Most of my time this week will be spent doing other things, but expect a few good updates soon. I'm concentrating now more on the philosophical side of Lost, rather than just what we are seeing on TV, so expect more "essay" type posts along that train of thought.

(Also, much thanks to The Stuff Of Legend for his kind words in regards to this site!)

Lost Blogging Collective

This week we say "hello!" to Nik At Nite, our latest member of the LBC!

Week 4 of the LBC Q&A asked the questions; 1) What is Jack's "mission"? and 2) In the 'alt' timeline, do you think Ben, Ethan and Dogen are just regular people, or are these some undercover Others? Find out the answers here. You can also check out Finally Lost's write-up of the Q&A here.

Week 5 asks; 1) You are Miles. Sayid has burst into the Temple and asks you to choose - pick Jacob and stay within the Temple with the people that have kidnapped you, tortured you and mysteriously told you to stay put, on the promise of 'safety', or pick Smokey and go on a vague journey with a monster that has promised to kill everyone and anyone who disagrees with him. Should you stay or should you go? Who do you trust at this point? and 2) You are Kate. You have found yourself far from home following three people you thought were your friends - one is a zombie monster, one is a lunatic and the other has recently caused the death of many and is trying to convince you to follow the zombie monster so that all your dreams can come true. All you want to do is grab the lunatic and make a run for it. What do you do? What CAN you do? Answers will be published tomorrow, found here.

Podcasts

Episode 5 - Lighthouse (audio)
Geronimo Jack's Beard
Jay & Jack Wednesday
Jay & Jack Friday
The ODI

Episode 6 - Sundown (audio)
Geronimo Jack's Beard
Jay & Jack Wednesday
Jay & Jack Friday

Episode 6 - Sundown (video)
Al Trautwig (via The ODI)

Plus more. Also, check out It's About Bunnies! podcast recap for EVEN MORE Podcast action.

Episode Recaps/Analysis

Episode 5 - Lighthouse
Knittnfool (LBC)
SuperDuperStream (LBC)
TheFourToedFoot (LBC)
Vozzek69 (LBC)

Episode 6 - Sundown
Finally Lost (LBC)
Includes a great discussion on whether we should be following Jacob or Smokey.
Fishbiscuitland (LBC)
FBL pulls a fantastic long con on us this week - just as you think the recap is over, FBL hits you square in the face with one of the most fantastic analysis I've ever read. Major kudos.
Gulf Coast Offense (LBC)
It's About Bunnies! (LBC)
Karen's Lost Notebook (LBC)
Knittnfool (LBC)
Great write-up - answers, speculation, observations, quotes. (Plus, "McKeamy"!)
Not Confused, Just Lost (LBC)
Shapusens On TV (LBC)
Stuff And Nonsense (LBC)
"Sayid's internal monologue" is one of the funniest things I've read this week.
SuperDuperStream (LBC)
The Stuff Of Legend (LBC)
Some great, fast observations.
Vozzek69 (LBC)
Get Lost With Jopinionated
LongLiveLocke
Never Seen Lost
As I posted the other day, Never Seen Lost is a brilliantly unique blog written by a fan who has never seen seasons 1 to 5!
Nomad (via DocArzt)

Some over-arching theories/thoughts across the blogs - Smokey is echoing Ben - promises of answers, Magic Box symbolism, has been described as 'evil incarnate' and 'going to kill every living thing on the Island'; Smokey = Satan, Jacob = God (although not necessarily Evil and Good); Jacob's offer to Dogen is too similar to Smokey's offer to Sayid; Kate was on Smokey's cave wall (but production error led to her being cut in editing); Omar was conning Sayid - Keamy never mugged him; Sayid either couldn't kill Smokey because he spoke, or because Sayid is already too evil (hence why Dogen called for Jack or Hurley first); all this fire & water symbolism will become highly important; Matthew Fox has a clause in his contract that states he must appear in every episode; Keamy works for Charles Widmore; Jin was delivering the watch to Keamy; the 'alt' timeline is the manifestation of the promises Jacob and Smokey have made - Jack, Locke, Dogen, Hurley, Rose all relatively happy (Jacob promises), while Kate technically hasn't killed Wayne and Sayid technically has Nadia back, they remain unhappy (Smokey promises) - where does this leave Claire and Charlie?

The Others

DarkUFO - Lost Encyclopedia
The Lost Encyclopedia is the first, and most likely only, official companion book to Lost. However, if this is a mere print version of Gregg Nation's "Lost Bible", expect plotholes and mistakes in abundance.
DarkUFO - Season 6 Episode Grade Chart
Dispatches From The Island - Chile Appeal
Dispatches From The Island - Paella BBQ!
Karen's Lost Notebook - ABC's Promo Competition Entry (see below)
Nik At Nite - More Photoshop Fun!
Nik At Nite - Sundown Haikus
Not Confused, Just Lost - Good vs Evil - Jacob & Smokey
Izi continues the excellent GvE series by looking at Jacob and Smokey's past actions to determine where their morality lies.
Room23 - ABC's Ultimate Lost Fan Competition
The ODI - Emilie De Ravin on Jimmy Fallon
The Stuff Of Legend - SuperDuperStream Review
What About Me? - Episode 7 Preview
WAM? is a Michael "Ben" Emerson-centric fan blog, and a really great Lost aggregate site.

Pre-Fight - Paul Smith vs Tony Dodson

2010-03-08T21:11:00.000Z

This Friday sees Paul Smith (27yr, 28(15)-1(0)-0) defend his British Super-Middleweight title against Tony Dodson (29yr, 24(12)-5(4)-1) in what proves to be a great fight that will most likely go the distance.

Now, putting aside my excitement for this fight, I feel I must mention a man seemingly forgotten in the shuffle - one Tony Quigley (25yr, 13(6)-2(1)-0), who in his last two fights has face the two men fighting on Friday.

First, almost exactly a year ago, Tony Quigley defeated Tony Dodson in a last (12th) round TKO to win the vacant British Super-Middleweight title. His first defence was in October 2009 against Paul Smith, who won a split decision of 116-112, 116-113 and 114-116. Now, I was with the third judge and scored it to Quigley, but by all accounts it was a close, tough contest that had the whole of Liverpool on their feet - some booing, some cheering, but everyone on an emotional high.

Unless my ears and memories deceive me, promoter Frank Warren immediately found a microphone and announced a rematch. This seemed to pacify the crowd somewhat (I'm sure all agreed that, no matter who won, it was as close a fight as any and one worth watching again) and that was the end of it.

Fast forward several months, and we now see Tony Dodson leaping right over Tony Quigley into the challenger's corner, while Quigly will face the vicious Paul Samuels (36yr, 21(12)-7(4)-2), hot off back-to-back wins over Cello Renda, in April.

So, not only has Quigley lost his belt in a closely-contested battle, not only has he been overlooked for a rematch, he now faces a man who could potentially throw major spanners in his future career. A devastating loss for Quigley in April could well propel Samuels into title contention, but it would set Quigley back greatly, possibly derailing his career for good.

I fail to find the justice in this situation. While I will be watching, an enjoying, the fight on Friday night, it will be with a very bittersweet taste in my mouth. My one hope is that Quigley dominates his fight, Smith wins his, and the two come together for a rematch soon.

American Boxing - An Observation

2010-03-08T21:00:00.000Z

I have recently discovered a TV channel that carries American boxing, so I may begin blogging more about that too when I get the chance.

From what little I have seen however, I have made a startling observation - American boxers seem to be a lot more vicious, in almost an MMA/UFC kinda way.

One fight I saw recently had a muscular, tattooed, WWE-wrestler-looking man squaring off against a podgy, middle-aged, punch-bag-looking man. The first guy was simply throwing wild, ugly punches, several a second, while his opponent was doing all he could to block - arms up, at one point he threw a knee, but nothing could stop this battering machine.

This was the low point on an animalistic show. At least the other fights seemed evenly matched - two muscular, rabid fighters throwing wild, horrible punches at each other with seemingly no thought to tactics, accuracy, skill.

For a first impression, I was equally impressed at the bravery of these men, and shocked at the complete disregard for their own and their opponent's health and well-being. Hopefully not all American boxing shows are like this one, but for now I will keep an eye on the TV schedule and try to find more and report back.