Post-Finale

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!

Lost - UK Finale Air Date & Time

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.)

Lost Blogging Collective Q&A - Week 12

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.

Lost Blogging Collective Q&A - Week 10

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

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 Image - This Panda Is Undeniably Cooler Than You

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

Give To Charity (And Get Something In Return)

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.

1. Visit jayandjack.com and check out their ongoing eBay auction for your chance to get exclusive signed, rare and unique Lost memorabilia.
2. Send cheque donations to Jay And Jack, PO Box 40082, Raleigh, NC, 27629.
3. 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!

Blogger - The New Compose Mode

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.

1. Download Firefox.
2. Install the relevant dictionary.
3. Restart Firefox.
4. Now, as you type, any mistakes you make will be highlighted by a red row of dots underlining the offending words.
5. Simply right-click any underlined words to find spelling suggestions.
6. 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.

Weekly Website - Never Seen Lost

The Final Season Of Lost
As Seen By Someone
Who Has Never Seen Lost
http://neverseenlost.wordpress.com/

I'm sure you guys are feeling overwhelmed at the quantity of quality Weekly Websites this "week", however I have just found another one that I am sure you all will love.

"Never Seen Lost" is a blog like no other. While we have had the pleasure of viewing Lost through nubile eyes via our LBC member "Finally Lost" (who recently sped-viewed the first five seasons of Lost for the very first time in anticipation of Season 6), "Never Seen Lost" goes one step further and is actually watching Lost for the very first time starting with Season 6!

This has produced a hilarious, insightful and wonderfully innocent blog detailing his thoughts, feelings and theories on just what in the heck is going on. Some of the observations will be utterly hilarious to hardcore fans (immediately, he notices something is amiss with Richard's guyliner; believing Dr Ethan Goodspeed is a fake name), while some of them are just plain insightful (the reason Sawyer fell down the ladder was due to him still being drunk; why didn't Locke just call Helen from a cell phone when his van ramp jammed?).

The blog author does a great job of blending dry and sarcastic humour without tipping over the edge into bitterness. Add in his original, low-budget illustrations to accompany the Lost proceedings, and you have a hilarious, eye-opening and rather wacky Lost blog.

There isn't a great deal of posts to be read (what with it only being episode 6 so far), so I will shut up now and let you continue to experience "Never Seen Lost" for yourself.

Weekly Website - Nik At Nite

No sooner had I just updated the LBC group list, we now have our newest and 16th member - Nikki Strafford from the awesome Nik At Nite.

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

Nik At Nite is a very well put together blog by Nikki, who is an accomplished author and shining beacon to all hardcore fans of TV shows.

As well as having written several "Finding Lost" companion books, Nikki has put her writing talents to good use covering many other TV shows including Buffy and Angel (which gains her major cool points in my opinion!)

But this WW is concentrating on her blog - and what a blog it is. While, like many of us, Nikki provides a recap/analysis of each Lost episode, hers are focused on a list format - observations, questions and answers. This makes for some light reading after viewing several in-depth re-writes of each episode, but does not detract from the depth and skill of Nikki as an analyser.

Also, this year Nikki is providing us with several Lost Haikus for our enjoyment - and I for one love haikus! Throw into the mix videos, image competitions, random updates about other TV shows and a general focus on the readers/fans/commentators, and you have yourself a friendly, deep and well-maintained blog - Nikki has regularly maintained a 250 post per year average, but this year she is already well on her way to topping that with over 100 posts in the first 2 months alone. It's mind-boggling!

So, I'd like you all to give a warm welcome to the latest member of our Lost Blogging Collective, and a terrific blogger, Ms Nikki Strafford!

Lost - S6E5&E6 Lighthouse & Sundown - Analysis

Going forward through Lost Season 6, I believe my recaps and analysis will become more condensed, focusing on a few theories and observations as opposed to an in-depth analysis each week.

There are three reasons for my decision - the first is due to the overwhelming response I have had to the Lost Blogging Collective project. There are now 15 regular members, as well as the random additions through my Weekly Round-Up, which means you the reader have an abundance of recaps and analysis to read through, many of which are far better at this than I am. So, rather than try to swim in a small pool with big fish, I am instead going to provide my own observations to "fill in the gaps" as it were.

The second reason is that I am wanting to concentrate more on Essay-type postings - expect to see a lot more coming soon. This, I believe, is what I am better at than analysing each episode.

Thirdly, Lost at the moment has thrown us all for a loop - we not only have to try to guess the answers, but often the questions as well. There is simply no foundation to base many of our theories on, and I am not one for blind guesswork. So I would rather take my time to look back over the previous seasons and provide support to the episodes, rather than try to predict the future.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the new format and outlook for the blog and hopefully I'll have some Essays published soon for you all to read. Here's my thoughts on Episode 5 - Lighthouse and Episode 6 - Sundown.


All Apologies
What else could I say?


Well, Lost is certainly on a good run at the moment. This was without a doubt one of my favourite Jack episodes, which is saying a lot as I generally don't much like Jack episodes. In fact, White Rabbit and Through The Looking Glass are the only other two off-the-top-of-my-head Jack-centric episodes that I can remember enjoying this much.

Secondly, as you may or may not realise, I have a very love/hate relationship with Damon & Carlton penned episodes. I think you could split them down the middle - half I hate the writing, half I love the writing. As with everything in life, it is unfortunately the negatives that I remember the most - so much so I was watching this episode thinking "I have to make a post about how THIS is how a Lost episode should be written, and scoff at Damon & Carlton again". I could have simply not mentioned this fact, but I feel I have to publicly eat humble pie - with the exception of a fairly useless "Kate" scene, this was a brilliantly written script. It helps that the great Jack Bender directed!

Anyway, enough with the love-fest, on with the show.


Denial, Revisited
Same old game that never ends,
If I could say all the right words,
I know I could make you stay.


Let us begin by revisiting my Crazy Theories from last week's episode. First - Hurley will become the new "Jacob" (or Ultimate Good) and Jack will become the new "Smokey" (or Ultimate Bad - these new nicknames serve for the fact that we have no idea who is good or bad at this point in time!).

I think this episode served to show us that, in an alternate world, Jack could have grown to be a stable, balanced person without constantly needing to be needed. However, back in the 'original' favour world, Jack is a crazy, irrational, violent jerk who is prone to delusions of grandeur. For instance, upon seeing the Lighthouse compass-cum-mirror machine, I for one would be interested to learn if all my friends' names were on that list; who was scratched out, and who wasn't? Were the Dharma folk and the Others that I knew also on the list? Other people from my off-Island life?

Jack, however, only cares that he is on the List, that his childhood home is in the mirror. He doesn't even ponder for a second that it was perhaps his father's name on the list, his father's home, his father whose makeshift gravesite he had just visited a few moments previous to be reminded that his body is still missing and floating around the Island seemingly reanimated. Nope, Jack immediately assumes it is his name on the List, and flies into a fit of irrational rage and judgement of Jacob and his goals.

And Jacob seemed to be expecting this, wanting it almost. It certainly seemed to me that Jacob was grooming a calm, obedient Hurley and a mad, judgemental Jack, giving my theory that we are looking at the next Jacob and Smokey a huge thumbs up from my perspective.


I Am The Walrus
I am he,
As you are he,
As you are me,
And we are all together.


My second Crazy Theory put forward that Jacob and Smokey are either two aspects of the same person, or else it is Jacob who is the 'villain' and Smokey who is the 'hero'. Well, both Lighthouse and Sundown depicted Jacob and Smokey as master manipulators who use their pawns to win at all costs.

Jacob made a deal with Dogen where he would save his son, if Dogen gives up his life to serve Jacob forevermore. Sure sounds a lot like Richard there. Smokey has made a similar deal, it would appear, with Sayid - kill the people who tried to kill you, and I will deliver Nadia from the dead. While this may seem more evil on paper, keep in mind that it is quite likely Jacob's fault to begin with that Nadia is dead.

There was a sweet moment in Sundown where, for almost no reason, it seemed that Sayid would turn his back on Smokey and stay at the Temple. It lasted a matter of seconds, but for that small period of time I thought Sayid could be truly redeemed. I was proved wrong when the mayhem began and instead I think the image that will forever sum up Sayid for me has "crazy horror movie villain" written all over it.


Back to the theory - the more we learn of these two (Jacob and Smokey), the more similar they appear - manipulating lives, using the dead and the living, offering impossible deals, giving vague instructions to lackeys forced to remain loyal through no real choice of their own, dangling carrots and pulling puppet strings. A lot of blood has been shed because of these two and their "game" or "experiment", and I am beginning to find myself aligning with the crowd that believe the Alt timeline is showing us a world, a still imperfect but much improved world, without the influence of Jacob or Smokey - I know which world I prefer so far.


Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)
Another turning point,
A fork stuck in the road,
Time grabs you by the wrist,
Directs you where to go.


Now, in the interests of keeping this streamlined, I am going to run through the major plot points of these two episodes and provide a little commentary. First off, Hurley was on fire this episode. His dialogue cracked me up, his mission was vintage Lost adventuring. I also got a kick out of listening to Jorge Garcia's podcast and discovering that the instructions on Hurley's arm were intentionally written, by Jorge himself, to make no sense no matter how often you pause the screen and analyse it - so don't try guys!


Secondly, I'm going to stop trying to make sense of Island geography. White Rabbit Trails made some excellent maps a while back trying to map out the Island properly, and I have been trying to do the same, but between these new structures popping up out of nowhere, to the lengths of time changing dramatically between different camps travelling to and from certain locations - I'm just going to give up now and go along for the ride.

So, in that positive spirit I am glad to see we are back to good structural buildings and good Smokey CGI. Nothing kills my enjoyment of Lost more than the occasionally terrible CGI scenes, so I was very impressed with Smokey's outings in Sundown. But, I'm getting ahead of myself a little.



Who's That Girl?
Look into my eyes.
Back to plan B.

Now, I can take no credit for this (Fishbiscuitland, however, can), but I think the mystery of David's parentage can be put to rest. Compare these two pictures, and the blueness of David's eyes, and Juliet certainly gets my vote. The first is Juliet's house in Season 3, the second is David's mother's house (Juliet?) in Season 6. Take note of the hats and the mirror.



Last thing I want to say about David's arc - I thought for a moment that the message left on David's answering machine referred to a "Dr Rutherford" and was convinced Shannon's dad hadn't died in this timeline. However, it would appear I was wrong - it was a "Dr Summerland". Oh well, we can but dream sometimes.

Three pieces of praise I want to heap upon the details shown in this Alt story - one, kudos on getting the date right (Friday 24th September 2004), not one of Lost's strong points. Second, perfectly framing this shot to make me believe David was going to look out into the crowd, mess up his routine and hate Jack for the rest of his life.


Finally, this brilliant usage of the word Candidate. It's the little things that make us fans happy.



Devil Inside
Here comes the woman,
With the look in her eye,
Raisd on leather,
With flesh on her mind.


On-Island, we had crazy Claire to contend with. Between her axe-wielding insanity and Sayid's complete meltdown, I'm getting a spooky, horror-movie cult vibe from the Infected crew. I just hope Kate and Sawyer don't start turning into characters from a Rob Zombie film any time soon.


I was very happy to see Justin alive and well (at least for a short while), but then he had to go and ruin it by acting like a typical Other - why he had to make it so clear that he was going to kill Claire, I don't know. Had he been all "me and you Jin, we'll just run away," I think Jin would have been a lot quicker to act. As it stands, his bloodthirst cost him dearly, and he can now be added to the long list of departed Others.


Goodbye, Caeser's #2, #3 and #4, we hardly knew ye. Am I right in understanding that the only "Others" who we know by name now are Richard, Ben, Cindy, Zack, Emma and Ilana? That's pretty sad. The rest of the Others remind me of that large group of redshirts from Season 4 - I can almost see the flaming arrows now.

I'm also left pondering - where are Sawyer and Jin at this point in time, and what exactly are they thinking? I feel rather sorry for Sawyer, Kate, Jin, Sun, Miles and to a certain extent Ben - Jack and Hurley have Jacob looking out for them, Frank seems to be rolling along in the Ilana train nice and fine, but the rest must have no clue what in the heck to think or do anymore. At this point, I'd be throwing in the towel, sitting myself down on the crowd and just accepting whatever "fate" the Island had in store for me.

Speaking of fate, what exactly does Smokey have in mind for the Island? Is he going to nuke it? Destroy the donkey wheel? Sink the Island? Transport everyone to the Alt timeline? My theory, and this is purely guesswork, is a little of everything - he's going to use some new deus ex machina to send some people (Sayid and Sawyer for example) into the Alt world, where the promise of Nadie and Juliet lie. He's going to send some people through the donkey wheel and into the outside, 'original' world (Claire, Kate, etc) where they can hope to rebuild their fragile lives. Finally, when everyone has chosen their destination, he (and perhaps a select few followers) are going to propel themselves into the sky, back to the home planet, and the resulting power needed to do so is going to destroy the Island and sink it to the ocean floor, killing anyone left alive (Rose, Bernard, Vincent). That is, if no-one can stop him first!

Three final things to say about the on-Island events in Sundown - Kate should have really told Claire that Aaron was with her mother, who is out of a coma btw. I think that might have provoked a stronger reaction. Other than that, Kate reminded me very much of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider in this episode.


Why didn't Claire just mess up the Other's circle of ash?


And did Ben make it safely into Ilana's secret tunnel?



Killer Instinct
I never doubted for a second,
That it would be hard,
But the will to be alive,
Greater than any ideals.


Okay, now onto Sayid's Alt timeline life. Not a great deal to talk about here - a good mixture of positive surprises (Nadia isn't Sayid's! Keamy is the world's happiest loan shark! Jin!!) and one missed opportunity (I am determined I want to see Mr Tom "Friendly" one more time, and having him as the school bus driver would have been perfect!). Other than that, it was an enjoyable but not life-changing story, which at this point in the season is no bad thing, it just leaves little to really talk about.


Apart from - why is Jin there and not held up at airport security? Where is Sun? When will we get some answers!? I'm hoping we get at least one episode of Sayid and Jin running around like some multi-cultural Starsky & Hutch meets James Bond, roughing up bad guys for information and destroying the head of some shady, underground mafia-type group... and I think that's enough crazy theories for this week.

Lost Blogging Collective Q&A - Week 4

As we have had a massive response to this week's Q&A, I'll dispense with the preamble and get straight to the answers. Thanks once again to all who have taken part so far, and for your continual support!

The Questions

1) What is Jack's "mission"?

2) In the 'alt' timeline, do you think Ben, Ethan and Dogen are just regular people, or are these some undercover Others?


The Answers


Izi @ Not Confused, Just Lost
http://ncjl.wordpress.com/
1) Jack's entire purpose in life is to save people, I'll bet this mission will be one final opportunity to save all of the people he loves. I also think this mission will result in his death. Me and Jack have one thing in common we both want him to be a martyr. He seeks martyrdom because he wants a purpose in life and I want his martyrdom because I don't want him to be happy, I want him to be dead.

2) I would be very, very surprised if the former Others were still a cohesive group in this other timeline. Without the Island these people don't really have a purpose, they don't have anything holding them together. They also probably don't have Dharma to fight against. Without anything in common I don't think these people would be drawn together.


Ernie @ Gulf Coast Offense
http://gulfcoastoffense.blogspot.com/
1) The easy answer is that Jack's mission is to stop Man in Black and take over Jacob's role as island protector. Is there more to that mission? Of course there is, this is Lost. (The easy answer is never the right one on this show). I can't wait to see when Jack and Man in Black (or fake-Locke) come face to face. How will Jack react to seeing the man that he broke into a funeral parlor and busted out, the man who he outfitted with his dad's shoes to serve as a proxy for his own father's corpse on Flight 316 and the same man who was his opposite on the island walking around, seemingly alive, on the island. This is a scene fans are strongly anticipating.

If Jack's mission is to take down Man in Black/fake-Locke, will that mean also saving Claire and Sayid? Or could it mean killing them? Does his mission also involved ghost Christian, who many fans also believe was Man in Black all along? Will we see Christian on the island again now that Ilana said Man in Black can't change forms again. I guess I'm throwing out more questions than answers to this question. Clearly I come from the Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse school of Q&A.

If Jack's mission is to take out Man in Black, then he would be basically serving in the same role that Ben did for Man in Black ... essentially a pawn. Man in Black used Ben to kill Jacob, surely Jacob wouldn't "use" Jack to kill Man in Black. That's why I think there's more to this mission. Jack's a fixer, so is he in place to "fix" the island? It's a stretch, but is the whole game between Jacob and Man in Black been going on because something with the island is broken? Dr. Shephard is going to be the man to fix it.

2) I think there's way more to Ethan, Ben and Dogen being part of the 815ers sideways lives than just random meetings. I hope we get more of the Others new story than just these couple of seconds meetings off island. Their dialogue with the 815ers has been loaded with double meanings and it seems like they could know more about what's going on. Are they checking in with them to gauge how much they might know and see how they are adapting to the new timeline? Do they need the 815ers to make the first move (i.e., they can't say push them or provide any info, it has to be the Losties decision)? Is this how the two timelines will ultimately converge? Has Jacob placed these Others in the 815ers lives to keep moving them toward a certain outcome and that outcome includes the flash sideways world and island world converging, finally ending Man in Black and Jacob's "game"? Remember, it only ends once, everything else is just progress.


Ms Wendy @ It's About Bunnies!
http://mswendy.wordpress.com/
1) Back in Season Three, Locke had a vision where his "mission" was to "bring the family back together". I wonder if Jack's mission is to "keep the family together", once they've been reunited. ("If we can't live together...we're gonna die alone!") And by doing that, revealing the importance of "The Numbers" being together, especially in light of the upcoming war.

2) I want to think that Ben, Dogen and Ethan are still somehow part of the Others. The way people are congregating in this time line, it almost feels like "Well, since you can't go to the Island, then the Island is going to come to you".

But what I think may be happening is that Ben, Dogen and Ethan are just regular people. With all the Wizard of Oz references in the show, they might be like the farmhands that were Dorothy's companions on the yellow brick road to Oz.


Paul @ Room 23
http://lostroom23.blogspot.com/
1) Well the Jack and Locke’s struggle has always been a big part of the show. Another big part of Jack’s arc has been to be able to get out from under Christian’s shadow to become the leader that he’s meant to be. Jacob of course knows that Jack’s job will be major so he’s allowing Jack to get to the point where he can really accept the role of leadership. Of taking care of the island and of watching over everyone that’s supposed to be on the island. Part of getting there will be to have a final struggle with Locke/MIB.

2) I don’t think that they are undercover Others, but rather going through the same process of development that Jack and all of the rest are going through. I do believe though that somehow the flash sideways world is connected to the island world and that everyone has been placed in the world when and where they have been placed in order to help them gain something that will somehow help their island selves. Their meet ups are not coincidences.


The Shapusens @ Shapusens On TV
http://shapusens.blogspot.com/
1) Well, if Jack’s mission is to smash everything in his path and try to destroy the island whenever possible, then he’s doing one hell of a job so far. In all seriousness, despite Jack’s multiple epic fails, tears, and Jack-faces, it seems like he is poised to be Jacob’s replacement. Whether he chooses it or not, Jack somehow always ends up being the one to make the big decisions. People look to him and respect him. Well, at least they do on the island. Off island, not so much. When he said he came back to the island because he was broken and he was stupid enough to think the island might fix him, he might have been on to more than he realized. Without the island, he was an absolute mess. An alcoholic bearded loser. We’ve seen the island heal physical ailments (Rose’s cancer, Locke’s paralysis, and Jin’s sluggish sperm), but can it heal Jack’s spirit? If so, than the logical Jack might be wooed by island faith to follow in Jacob’s footsteps.

Personally, I’m more interested in Hurley’s mission, which seems to be to get people where they need to be. That perfectly describes our old buddy Abaddon, as well as Richard. Methinks the island has a lot more in store for him as well.

2) No, I don’t think that they are undercover others. I think that there may very well be a faction of Dharma/Other survivors out there with some sort of agenda, but I don’t think these folks are among them.

Until someone convinces me otherwise, I am sticking to my guns that all of the events we know to have happened prior to the bomb’s detonation in 1977 are identical in both the original and sideways time lines. Otherwise, how would Ethan even exist? He wouldn’t be alive in the Sideways-verse if Amy and Horace hadn’t conceived him on the island, or if Juliet hadn’t delivered him. I have a feeling that Dogen wasn’t on the island in the ‘70s, or else he would have been a little more in the loop about our time traveling friends. And we all know that little Ben was on the island before the bomb detonated, but he must have escaped the island before it ended up under water.

I think that Sideways Ben, Ethan, and Dogen all represent the people they could have been without the island’s interference. They still have the same basic personalities, and some of the same background, but they aren’t driven by the same things. That being said, I’m a little concerned about what’s going to happen once these two timelines begin to merge. Do we think that everyone will start to gain memories from the original timeline, or just the surviving losties? I don’t think we want Ethan remembering anything if we can help it, and I’m a little concerned about what Sideways Locke might do if he remembers how Ben killed him.


Will aka "Sagacious Penguin" @ Stuff And Nonsense
http://sagaciouspenguin.blogspot.com/
1) We now know pretty conclusively that Jacob has a plan for Jack. We know it's important to Jacob's on-going mission to protect the Island, and we know that the only way it can happen is for Jack to learn of his own importance and accept it on his own terms -- free from the stranglehold of control and expectations that his father has previously wielded, and that now Jack suspects Jacob of wielding. Clearly Jacob wanted Jack to feel he's broken free from this 'watch' -- just as Jack wanted his son David to feel free from his own critical eye in the Altered Universe. So now Jack is staring at the ocean, and I suspect preparing to do everything in his power to resist being a pawn - which must be exactly what Jacob wants from him.

Why does Jacob want Jack to be rebellious? My guess is that Jacob wants Jack to end up in the Man In Black's camp, placed there by Jack's own self-wielded disobedience against the Island. That way when the MIB finally reveals his hand and makes his play, Jack will be in the perfect place to realize the true stakes and stop him. Jacob wants Jack to do nothing less than to put an end to the MIB and the threat he poses to the Island. Someone else will be the next Jacob, I suspect (My money's on Hurley), but Jack will be the one to rally our other Survivors (even Sawyer) to put their collective feet down on the MIB and his intentions.

2) Call me crazy, but I'm going to go with the simple explanation for this one. Ben, Ethan and Dogen are just regular people in the Altered Universe. Ben and the rest of the Others managed to get off-Island before it was taken to the bottom of the ocean, and have continued to live their lives unaffected by its influence. Though, like Jack and his mirror-gazing, they've probably been experiencing uncanny non-memories of a different life for quite some time. If there is a plant in the AU, I vote for Desmond. His appearance on the plane was just a bit too short/sudden for comfort, and Faraday has told us he's special before. I think it's his job to somehow wake up our AU characters and remind them of their true Island-bound destinies...


Danny aka "Vozzek69" @ Things I Noticed
http://www.thingsinoticed.com/
1) Jack's mission is to take over Jacob's role on the island. Like Locke, I think he's going to have to die to accomplish this. Jack's ending won't be a happy one, which kind of sucks for him, but his destiny has always been sacrificial.

2) In the ALT timeline, Ben, Ethan, and Dogen are regular people. The view we had of the underwater island suggests there would still have to be Others (i.e. the sonic fence), but I'm thinking those Others would be radically different people.


Benny @ Finally Lost
http://finallylost.wordpress.com/
1) Jack's mission is to go back-to-back episodes without shedding a tear. I think Jacob's plan is to get all the crying out of the way early on so Jack has no tears left. This plan is foolish because like the energy pocket he destroyed, Jack's tears are practically limitless and unfortunately there are no nukes left on the island to stop them.

On a serious note, I think Jacob wants Jack to kill someone. Unfortunately it is probably Sawyer. FYI if Jack is responsible for the deaths of Sawyer and Juliet I am going to be in the market for a new flat screen TV because metal objects will be thrown into my screen like I forgot to type in the hatch code...

2) In order to answer this question you must first answer whether you think the nuke sunk the island. Unfortunately I flip-flop on that issue worse than Juliet deciding whether to help/stop Jack detonate the nuke (tear). Today is a "nuke sunk the island" kinda day so I'm going to work with that.

In addition to sinking the island, I think the nuke fractured time and sent our Losties back to Timeline Prime's present, while warping everyone left on the island to Tunisia. This could explain how Ben, Dogen & Ethan all got off the island. Assuming this crazy theory is true, then I think it's safe to say that Ben and Dogen are retired Others, while Ethan is just a regular creepy man. Dogen strikes me as someone who was an Other before 1977 and as Richard said about Ben, "He will always be one of us now", thus they become ex-Others. Ethan was obviously too young to be an Other but he'll always be creepy.


Anna @ Four Toed Foot
http://www.thefourtoedfoot.com/
1) I think that Jack first needs to “fix” himself. It was pretty clear in “The Lighthouse” that he still needed to let go of some baggage, but it seems to be falling away now. Like Jacob said, he DOES have what it takes. He has always been the guy you can count on in a jam… he was the one who sprung into action at the very start of the show’s pilot and since then has only continued to at least TRY to act in the best interests of everyone else. Even when he was a kid he had the natural instinct to try and be the guy who saves the day. In addition he is a healer of all things… a brilliant surgeon… a miracle worker. If only HE would realize these things about himself instead of concentrating on how he might somehow fail…

I could totally see Jack becoming the new Jacob and Hurley the new Richard Alpert at this point.

2) If there is no Island, then I suppose I do not see a need for there to be Others. If there is no Jacob, then there is no need for him to have “people”. I think that X-Ben, Ethan, Dogen, etc. are just there to remind us about fate and course-correction… how some encounters were always meant to be no matter what.

Then again, there could always be a second Island… but I’d better not get into that!


Michelle aka "Miss Scarlett" @ Knittnfool
http://missscarlett.wordpress.com/
1) Well... it will clearly be about "Daddy" issues. I think his mission is personal. I believe he has to come to terms with his relationship with his Father and start living his life fully. He seems to still live as if there is a higher authority weighing his every decision, that he must impress. Perhaps there is. But the issue is that he is not making true decisions, because he is too concerned with what another person will think/believe and so he vacillates between dogmatically making choices/declarations or avoiding making a choice e.g. drinking, 'I-don't-knowing', shouting, crying.

As much as Jack's assumption of the roles of responsibility/leadership/rescuer has dominated his storyline, I don't believe he will ultimately take over Jacob's position or make the big sacrifice needed for a resolution to the series.

I think his mission is to become a whole person. An adult if you will. Do both Jack's need to do this? It remains to be seen. At the moment it appears that Off Island Jack is in a much healthier place than On Island Jack. I think On Island Jack has some catching up to do...

If he is meant to become the Leader/Rescuer of the Losties + Others (and by that I mean everyone!), if that truly is his mission, then I think he must first achieve the Mission of becoming a whole person. Without that he will not be much of a leader. In saying that, the leaders we have seen have not always been the best...

2) I think they are regular people. Significant, yes; but regular all the same. I do not have any evidence to support my opinion. I hold to it nonetheless. ;-)


Chris @ SuperDuperStream
http://superduperstream.blogspot.com/
1) Well it would appear there are three prevailing theories - Jack is the new Jacob, Jack is Smokey's killer and Jack is nothing but a cry-baby. There's valid arguments to be made for all sides, and while one of them is likely (our writers are fans of traditional (read: clichéd) storytelling), I am hoping for a fourth option. I see Jack becoming the new Smokey in some form, with Hurley being the new Jacob. Why this makes sense to me, I can't quite say - maybe it is Jack's anger, maybe it is Jack trying to be a hero but usually failing, maybe I think there is more to the loop/Candidate program than simply finding a replacement for Jacob. In order for the cycle to continue, there must be two sides - a black to the white, a Smokey to the Jacob, a Jack to the Hurley. That is why Jack cannot simply be told his destiny - I mean, who would choose to be a 'monster'?

2) Again, although it makes sense from a practical, traditional storytelling point of view, I am one of those in the camp that believes the nuke didn't sink the Island, but perhaps instead set off a reaction that cause the volcano (or something else) to sink the Island. It is far-fetched, but in this scenario it gives Ben and Ethan plenty of time to get off the Island. They might not have became fully fledged Others, especially not Ethan, but there is most likely more to Alt Ben and Alt Dogen at least than meets the eye. I'd also be surprised if we didn't see more Alt Others - Juliet (David's mother?), Goodwin (Juliet having an affair with him behind Jack's back?), Richard (a student counsellor at the Alt School?), Tom/Mr Friendly (principal at the Alt School?), etc.

I don't foresee them being a united, Illuminati-esque superpower like they are in the 'original' timeline, however I believe (or hope) that some of them such as Ben, Charles Widmore, Richard, Dogen, have some semblance of Other-ship and are pushing certain people towards a 'new' destiny.