LOST: Season 3 Episode 18 - D.O.C.

Good morning Losties! I gotta say, I really wasn't expecting a very exciting episode last night. But, to my surprise, they turned a "Who's the Real Daddy" episode into a really engaging story! Of course, that may be kudos to the acting skills of Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet) and the always interesting "force you to read" flashbacks of Sun and/or Jin. Add to that the continuing storyline of Desmond, Charlie, Hurley and Jin in the dangerous jungle with a helicopter crash victim, and you've got yourself ANOTHER bona fide WOW episode! (always trying to figure out how I'm going to fit that into this opening paragraph, aren't you?)

No sense delaying, let's get into the episode! The main thing that was promised to us with this episode would be the revelation of WHO is the father of Sun's Baby. We knew pre-island Jin was an infertile mess, Sun and Jin's relationship was on the rocks and she found herself with Baldy#2 trying to learn English and get some added benefits. Add to this the fact that we learned in the latest Juliet flashback that women who conceive before coming to the island will deliver their babies with no issues (Claire being the proof) and women who conceive ON island will surely die (dead pregnant Others being the proof), the producers built up a great story arc for possibly quite some time to come.


Sun Flashback
Our Flashback follows Sun relatively soon after their Wedding. We have seen flashbacks to how Sun and Jin met and also flashbacks of Sun and Jin possibly months after their wedding, watching their happy relationship crumble up to the crash of flight 815. But the time line of this flashback shows us exactly how Sun set events in motion that would lead to their relationship's demise. We learned some interesting tidbits about Sun's relationship with her father as well as things she kept from Jin. Premise is Sun is confronted by a Woman knowing of the origin of Jin's parents and how it would bring great shame to reveal this information and blackmailing Sun for some dough. Let's dive in!

• If you all recall from previous flashbacks, Jin has always lied about his past life saying that his parents died. He was ashamed of where he came from. Son of a fisherman, never knowing his mother. What we learn tonight is that, from even early on in their marriage, Sun was aware of Jin's father being alive. She met with him discussing Jin and his mother. The reveal here was that Jin's mother was a prostitute and his father wasn't even sure if he WAS actually the father. This seemed to be leading us down the path that Jae actually may be the father of Sun's child. Keep in mind, all of these events take place prior to us seeing Jin return to see his father and ask for his forgiveness, as well as tell him all about Sun (whom he already met). Time lines are fun aren't they?
• We finally learn what kind of business Sun's Father is involved in. That would be Paik Automotives. Of course, it may just be a front for other business dealings of his we've seen in the past.
• After learning of Jin's past and being sworn to secrecy, Sun is willing to get the 100,000 (dollars?) to pay off the mysterious woman. She runs to Daddy. She blackmails her father by telling him she's always known about his "business" and has pretended not to know. She says she'll keep pretending as long as he gives her the money. Sun definitely has a darker past than we thought, doesn't she? Of course, it gets even worse when her father agrees to give her the money as long as she knows that JIN will have to pay back the debt by working for HIM instead of on the Floor of Paik Automotives. Quite a web woven here! To avoid shaming her husband, Sun is responsible for turning her husband into a hitman and causing the turmoil of their relationship which led her to learn English, be with another man, and leave Jin for America. Wow, you don't get that deep on Soap Operas, that's for sure! But as long as Sun and Jin are "MADLY" in love, then everything Sun does is for the best, right?
• And yes, the biggest NON-mystery that most of us probably figured out in the beginning of the episode: The mysterious woman blackmailing Sun turned about to be Jin's mother, trying anything she can do for a quick payoff. But seeing Sun threaten to have her killed if Jin's Mommy continued her blackmailing ways? This showed again the darker side of Sun (reminding us of her shooting Colleen, one of the others). Very Carmella Soprano of Sun, who used her family ties to the Mob to get what she wanted as well.

Sun on Island

The premise of Sun's island adventure is mainly her interactions with Juliet to learn her "Date of Conception (D.O.C.)" and her possible fate.

• Thought this was a bit noteworthy. Even though Jack was just looking out for Sun's well-being by asking about her pregnancy (already knowing about the Island Pregnancy effects), Sun became suspicious of Jack's relationship with the others. This also came up again in a conversation between Desmond and Charlie, with Desmond asking if Charlie trusts Jack. Should we be suspicious of Jack too? Well, I think he knows something he's not telling us. Whether that's his Grand plan remains to be seen. I still view Jack as the hero of the show, and I don't think the producers would stray from that winning formula. But I'd also expect the suspicious of Jack to continue up to the finale where hopefully it will all payoff in the 2-hour Jack-centric Story!
• As Jack had informed Juliet in an earlier episode, people are soon going to want answers. First one to want them? Sun! She wants to know what happens to pregnant women on the island. After lots of engaging Juliet/Sun scenes we follow them on the journey back to the medical hatch where there is a secret room (one that Kate, Claire and Rousseau did not find).
• Juliet says this room is where they took expecting mothers to die. And if you recall, we saw this room in Juliet's "on-island flashback."
• So how do we resolve Jin's fertility issue and make a suspenseful episode? Well, add to the LOST Island mythology of course. Juliet informs us that a man's sperm count is multiplied 5 or 6 times on the island. That is some super baby making potentials! Pending she is telling the truth (for now, I'm going to assume she is). And if this is the case, then any woman doing the deed better watch out, because they may end up dead! Ahem, Kate? I'll spare everyone from the Rose and Bernard visual (oops!)
• Okay, we've waited long enough. Fantastic reveal scene with Juliet and Sun both turning their acting potentials up to MAX. Sun finds out that Jin is the father and the baby was conceived on the island. Even though this sentences Sun to certain death, she is elated by the news that Jin is the father. It would seem that Sun has 2 months before she could die. Each season has been about a month plus. So if the show ended in season 5, Sun might still be around. Nice how that works out doesn't it? It also means that Juliet may be sticking around for awhile. And I think everyone would be happy about that. She is fantastic! Love her or hate her, you gotta feel for the woman! (we'll get to her more in a second. I have to vent on something first)
• OOPS! Mathematical Blunder on below bullet. But I'll leave it here because I spent so much time writing it! lol
  
  I'm guessing this is just a mistake by the writers, but it's a pretty big one so we have to consider the possibility that it is NOT a mistake. You know how I love doing Island math when they start mentioning days. Juliet says that the plane crashed 90 days ago. She then says the baby was conceived ABOUT 8 weeks ago (8 weeks would be 56, right? she does say "about" so we're still okay). She then specifies that it was, in fact, 53 days ago. Now remember me harping about Day 48 and this is the day where Ana Lucia shoots Shannon. Remember that Jin is with Michael, Sawyer, Ana Lucia and Eko...rejoining the survivors from the other side of the island. DAY 48. Now, I'm not a math major, but I am pretty sure 90-53 is 47, right??? How on earth did Sun and Jin conceive the baby when they weren't getting the thumbs up from Hurley until the morning of Day 49? This has me thinking into things maybe a bit more than I should. Juliet being able to impregnate her patients without the Male present....the OTHERS being "in town" on Day 47 and 48, Juliet playing both sides to her advantage, Ben telling Juliet "we'll find more women." I mean, am I crazy? The producers told us we would learn who the father is. They promised us! So I have to think it's a mistake. But the facts fit too well for it to be just a coincidence. Perhaps just learning that JAE is NOT the father is enough for now? I guess for now, we have to assume Jin is the father. But if some crazy twists come down the road....remember where you read all of this first!
• Okay, back to Juliet, as she leaves Sun outside the medical hatch, we know she is returning to make some kind of communication with Ben. Turns out she leaves a recording for him. Using last names again she tells Ben that Sun is pregnant, healthy and conceived on the island (perhaps, just what he wanted?) and that she will be getting samples from the rest (Kate, in particular) soon. It would seem that they WANTED to pull Kate and Sawyer closer together and cause "the act" in the Polar Bear cage. With all of the super sperm going around, there should be dead mothers galore! The other key phrase here though was Juliet saying (off recording) "I hate you." It would seem that she does not WANT to be working against our survivors but is being forced to in order to get off the island, just as we expected. I would expect all of this to build into a fantastic and catastrophic season finale!

Camping Trip Gone Wrong

We continue the saga of the Helicopter survivor, Naomi (I don't think they told us her name yet, but that's it in case you wanted to know!). Turns out she was injured on her fall and they are desperate to save her for RESCUE. Desmond's motive, though, is to get information on Penny.

• Let's start off with some fantastic comedy "No One Knows we're here!" followed by Hurley accidentally shooting off the flare gun? Fantastic! Seriously, they better never kill off Hurley or Jin! They are the heart of this show!
• Okay kids, people have been speculating about this prior, but crazy Russian Eye-Patch guy, Mikhail is alive! How? This wasn't explained. He said something, though, to the effect of "I've already died once this week." Perhaps what we saw at the Sonic Fence was not as it seemed? We do know the Others are specialists in ACTING as well (remember the fake beard?). Or perhaps it's the Island's healing powers? Even Mikhail attested to that (which we'll get to in a bit). Anyway, our camping crew makes a deal to let Mikhail go as long as he helps with Naomi.
• Oh yeah, how about Kung-Fu Jin? That was a good time. When did he have time to learn THOSE crazy moves? Maybe Sawyer's old nickname of Bruce Lee wasn't too far off!?
• Okay, so what's up with Naomi speaking several languages? Hurley recognized her speaking Spanish (since he is fluent), Russian Mikhail understands her speaking Italian, and then Jin recognizez her speaking Korean. Don't forget she was carrying a book written in Portuguese! I don't even know where to start explaining this, so I'm not going to try! Just probably something to keep tabs on!
• You know my love for TATOO significance on LOST (if you don't recognize my sarcasm, go back and read my blog for the Jack-centric "Stranger in a Strange Land" episode from earlier this season! Anyway, I found the picture so I thought I would share. Naomi has a strange tatoo of squares with a line through it. Fascinating!
  
• After Mikhail fixes Naomi with some crazy antics (the piercing of the lung and the blood? woaaa...Remember when Jack did that to the Air Marshall? Jack did it with a bit more class!), Mikhail mentions that she will be better in 1-1.5 days, citing that different rules apply on the island. We've definitely seen people heal rather quickly on the island. But we've also seen people carrying injuries for awhile! When Sawyer dug the bullet out of his wound, he was still facing certain death until Jack got the meds to him. Jack was cut up during the plane crash, and he was carrying those cuts for a lot of season 1. Locke, although able to walk, has a scar above and below his right eye, that he received in the Plane crash. And don't forget Ben is not recovering quickly from his surgery. What gives? Does this have something to do with Good People vs Bad People and the LIST? Or even people embracing the island? How does Mikhail know that Naomi will heal quickly? I don't have answers, just like to bring up intriguing questions for future reference!
• While still injured Naomi said something in Italian (I think) and Mikhail tells Desmond she said "Thank you for helping." Seemed kind of fishy. What did she really say? I've read rumors that what she said translates to "I am not Alone." If anyone else wants to try and translate, here is the audio file. So if she did say "I am not alone," who is she referring to? Perhaps Penny? Someone else (maybe one of the Portuguese people in the North/South Pole?)? Or of course, I guess we can't rule out that she is, in fact, another OTHER. But I think we have to assume the producers don't want to hit us over the head too much more with the MIND GAMES being played by the others. Plus, they did say we'd revisit the Penny storyline and figure out what she's been up to. I am going to assume Naomi was sent by Penny to find Desmond (and only Desmond. More on that in a second!)
  
• Just wanted to point out the significance of this Satellite Phone. Once Hurley mentions it, by accident, Mikhail becomes intrigued and tries to steal it. Perhaps he wants to re-establish communication with the outside world? Maybe HE wants off the island himself? Or maybe THAT is what Naomi told Mikhail? (to steal the phone, I doubt that one, but thought I'd throw it out there!)
• And of course, our last bullet must be dedicated to Naomi's final words of the episode (well, and Hurley's last word of the episode). Naomi receives information from Hurley that they are survivors of Flight 815. Naomi recognizes the flight was the one from Sydney. But wait a second. They found the plane! There were no survivors! They were all dead! In the words of the great Hugo....."WHAT??????"
  
  Well duh, because it's Purgatory people! Yes, I roamed the message boards last night laughing at all of the people who started posting messages like "HA HA I TOLD YOU ALL! I knew it all along! It is purgatory!" It really cracks me up how many people still believe this. The producers know this and do it intentionally to mess with people! They have denied since early on in season 1, LOST island is NOT purgatory! But it is a show of redemption, so themes of the show are very similar!
  
  Anyway, my obvious first thoughts are of a "Cover-up" perhaps funded by Widmore, Mr. Paik's Business, the Hanso Foundation, etc... If someone is funding these island experiments, then for sure they don't want people continuing to discuss a MISSING Plane. They need to create a story with evidence supporting finding the plane crash and that there were no survivors. How on earth did they prove the passengers were in fact dead? Where did they find the plane? In the middle of the ocean? Perhaps Naomi will give us more information next week. But I think, if anything, this goes to show that Naomi is NOT there with the knowledge of Flight 815 and to rescue them (pending she is who she says she is and not an OTHER). She was carrying around a picture of Desmond and Penny and was obviously looking for Desmond. We know Penny is looking for HIM and that she knows about the island (due to the electro-magnetic activity discovered by the Portuguese at the end of season 2). It is very likely that she is in the dark about Flight 815 as well. But covering up Desmond arriving to the island? Wouldn't create as much of a media buzz if he went missing. It would seem we need to learn more of Charles Widmore's involvement with the island, if any and how Penny is aware of where to look for Desmond. I'm guessing that's where all of this is heading. But the fact remains, Desmond's presence on the island may be the eventual key to everyone's rescue, if that is, in fact, how the show ends.

Wow, crazy episode, the more I think of it! I love this show! Next week's is the episode that is supposedly the continuation for the Locke/Locke's Dad story, as promised by the producers. But from the preview, it looks like Locke will be recruiting Sawyer to kill Ben??? Something smells fishy here. And if you recall our theory that Locke's Dad may be the ACTUAL Sawyer....then recruiting James "Sawyer" Ford would seem like a great Mind game for Ben to play on Locke AND Mr. Ford. And, I also believe next week's episode has non-traditional flashbacks in store for us. No particular character will be focused on. So it will probably be lots of ISLAND goodness! Yes folks, MAY Sweeps has arrived!

Which means Only 5 more hours of Lost and 4 more blogs left for the season! Seems to fly pretty quickly, without all of the crazy reruns doesn't it? Anyway, that's it for today. See you next week as we kick things into high gear!

LOST: Season 3 Episode 17 - Catch-22

Okay Losties...I'm sure it will come as no surprise to all of you, but tally up one more on the list of enjoyable episodes for me! This one may have frustrated a few people, but I'm a fan of the Desmond storyline, so any extra tidbits we can get is a good time to me! So, yes, I am giving this one a WOW as well! Yes, we let a few storylines take a breather for another episode, but this one finally touched on a storyline opened up at the end of last season. And anytime you have some developments in the Kate/Jack/Sawyer (and Juliet) Saga, how can you not be interested? As far as Island mythology, pretty light on details this week. There's a couple tidbits that we can touch on with Desmond and his "Time Traveling" and "Flash Forwards" but this one mainly was advancing the plot a little further. Juliet's assignment and Locke's Motives? Keep holding on folks, it's coming! For now, let's break down Catch-22:

Love Triangle (optional Square) Developments

• Obviously the biggest thing we learned was that Bernard likes Phil Collins. Nice payoff to Sawyer and Kate discussing Mix-Tapes. Also a nice reminder that Bernard and Rose ARE still on the island. This is probably because they will be resurfacing in an upcoming episode.
• So we learned a little more about Kate's attraction to both Sawyer and Jack. It would seem that every time Jack chooses the OTHERS over Kate, she aggressively runs into Sawyer's arms. Some might even say she is "USING Sawyer" for what she can't have with Jack.
• Loved the Kitchen scene and the Ping-Pong scene where Kate and Sawyer were respectively acting like they were in high school trying to cut the tension with Jack. Only to see their frustration when Jack doesn't even care! (but who are we kidding? He cares!) The big question is..what's going on with Jack and Juliet? Is Jack really attracted to her or is he under the ol' "Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer" mantra? We have to hope this is what's going on. And I have faith that it is!
• Favorite Sawyer line "You guys playing who's your favorite OTHER?"
  Speaking of the Ping-Pong between Sawyer and Jack...that was a good time. Always like seeing these two competing in some way. But things are definitely a little too lovey dovey between these two right now. That can't last, regardless of Sawyer professing his friendship to Jack at the end of season 2! Something tells me this Kate tension is eventually going to create some friction between Jack and Sawyer again!

Desmond's Flashback
In Desmond's past we follow his journey to becoming a monk and learn exactly why he is trying to become one! Some interesting tidbits below!

• Lots of discussion about the Moriah Vineyards wine. Desmond learns a lesson about sacrificing and being tested. The story is of God asking Abraham to sacrifice Isaac in order to prove he will go to the greatest lengths to serve God. Moriah was the mountain where this occurred. It parallels Desmond willingness to Sacrifice Charlie to find Penny. But in the end, he couldn't. And my Old Testament memory is a little hazy, but I don't think Abraham really DID sacrifice Isaac. It was merely just a test. Kinda like Ross being willing to drink the fat for Rachel! (Yeah...I don't usually pull in Friends references, but that was a good one, wasn't it?) Also, if you want to get technical, the label of the wine says Eddington, Scotland. Apparently this town doesn't exist. I don't think that really matters! But the year says 1995, this was 9 years before the crash and 6 years before Desmond went on his sailing expedition and ended up on the island.
  
• We also learn that 1995 would only produce 108 cases of Moriah Wine. (there's that lovely number again!)
• Probably worth noting that we know now why Desmond always calls people BROTHER. He was almost an official member of the Brotherhood of Monks!
• It would seem that the theme of Desmond's life is running away whenever he sees a new opportunity. It is driven into his head that he is destined for great things. We see the pattern repeated when he returns to his ex-fiance Ruth and explains why he left a week before the wedding. The strange thing that happened here was that he said he looked up and asked (God?) if he was doing the right thing. Then a piece of his timeline is missing and the next thing he recalls he is lying on his back in the middle of the street with a monk reaching his hand out to Desmond. The "lying on his back" and "time missing" started making me piece things together. Remember when Desmond turned that Fail-Safe key....the next thing HE remembers is lying on his back in his Apartment with Penny reaching her hand out to him. Are we meant to thing that this was another instance where there was some kind of flux in time? Maybe this is another event where Desmond will end up going back to redo something? But according to him, he's ALREADY experienced it? We get more into the time travel stuff in the next section...It's driving my head bonkers! But I thought this was worth noting. But I guess we're meant to believe that there was a series of events that Desmond ran away trying to discover what great thing he is destined for. And we are meant to believe that pushing that button is the great thing he is running towards. Left Ruth for the Monastery, left the Monastery for Penny, left Penny for the Military, left the Military for Prison, ran away on a sailing trip to prove his worth to Penny's father....ended up on island to push the button. Now he is in the SAVING lives business. Crazy stuff! It would seem that Desmond's life is safe for season 4 because there is much more left to explore with this guy!
• Thought it was interesting when Ruth said to Desmond it was a good thing a "SHEPHERD" didn't reach his hand out to help him up. Anyone else thing of Jack Shephard? And remember when Desmond helped Jack up at the stadium? Then said "You have to lift her up, Jack" referring to the infamous ankle? Not sure if it was tied together..but it would seem so, wouldn't it?
• And of course the little easter egg in the final discussion between head monk and Desmond shows a picture on the monk's desk. The picture shows this monk with the crazy lady that knows the future from the Jewelry store! The picture is very photoshopped, but I'm guessing this is because they only casted this lady for the one episode and didn't bring her back in for a picture. So what does this all mean? Is it a large conspiracy to instill in Desmond a sense of purpose? Are they all in on this bending of time? Or their mission to get him to the island? Or is it just another case of lives crossing in the past? I would say there is some significance to the Monk and Clock Lady's relationship. And now it would seem that this lady IS a real person and wasn't just in Desmond's head.
• As we stated before, we also see Desmond meet Penny after getting kicked out of the brotherhood. They hit it off immediately and the love story for the ages begins!

Desmond's Flash-forward
Well everyone has heard the expression "Catch-22." Everyone might not know that it was inspired by Joseph Heller's novel Catch-22. I could get into crazy details about what the book is all about, but honestly, I forget! (plus, I only saw the movie version!) Here's the Wikipedia Synopsis. Basically, I recall that the story takes place during WWII about a pilot who crashed on an island. But the story is revealed to us out of order and from different character perspectives! Sounds a little like the show LOST itself doesn't it? I believe this episode was simply meant to be an homage to the novel. Plus, the expression "Catch-22" is often used to describe a "No-Win Situation" which is what we find Desmond in the middle of when he has to choose between saving Charlie and finding Penny. Let's dive in!

• Loved Desmond's method of getting the First Aid kit from Jack. Why wouldn't the doctor take a look at Desmond's ankle? Because Desmond took care of JACK's ankle when they were running the stadium steps in their Pre-Crash lives. Thought that was a crafty little reference.
• Some funny moments. Everything revolving Jin and his love for Camping. "Everybody Loves Marshmallows," Jin telling a horror story in a woman's voice, the Superman vs Flash Discussion between Hurley and Charlie, all good stuff!
• As for Desmond's flash forward, we got to see one of these actually occurring. He pretty much saw the whole scene of Charlie dying and then just brief glimpses of what led up to it (like pieces of a puzzle as Dezzie describes). This must be how ALL of the flashes work for him. He was convinced that Penny had come to rescue him. We were reminded of the season 2 finale when Penny says to Desmond "With enough money and determination you can find anyone." Still no real information on HOW these flash forwards are occurring. We are still meant to believe that he has lived through this all before. Or has he? How many times would he have had to loop through his life to have seen various versions of Charlie dying? Everytime he saves Charlie, he sees a new future vision of Charlie dying. It's almost like someone has already TiVo'd the entire Series of LOST and is showing Desmond some scenes that never made the final cut! I mean...WHAT IS GOING ON!??!! Wow...this wasn't driving me crazy last night because I just accepted that Desmond is getting these visions. Now, that I'm thinking about it again....my mind is racing! How on earth are they going to explain these visions!? I guess they could tie it into all of the OTHER visions people are having on the island. Eko, Locke and Charlie all received instructions from very clear visions about things they couldn't possibly know about. Is Desmond another victim of this? I would buy that, except for the fact that the producers have told us that he DID actually re-live some of his life again with knowledge of the future. It all has to revolve around that safe-key! And, well, I've heard rumors that before this season's end....we're going take a dive FACE-FIRST into the DHARMA Initiative and learning some serious details! Perhaps they will explain to us all how it is scientifically possible to travel through time as well as see visions of the future! (sorry for the rambling! I can't help myself!)
• Bottom Line - Desmond was so adamant about finding Penny, he was willing to let Charlie die in the process. He felt that if he changed ANY details from the vision that he wouldn't be able to get to the PRIZE (which in this case was a vision of a pilot hanging from a tree with their parachute). When it came time to make that decision though, Desmond could not resist saving Charlie.
• So how about that Helicopter? Did it really find the island? Is that really what crashed? If we go with that theory...then what made it crash? Is there still some electromagnetic force around the island that brought the plane down? Does that give Desmond some reprieve on causing Flight 815 to crash? (meaning..maybe he didnt?) Very interesting stuff, and maybe we'll get some details in the upcoming episodes!
• On the way to finding the Pilot, they discover a backpack full of goodies including a Hoola Girl and a Satellite Phone. Sayid's next project anyone?



• Also among this was a copy of the novel "Catch-22" but it was in Portuguese. Not sure if anyone remembers the season 2 finale with those crazy 2 people in the arctic tracking electromagnetic activity. They were speaking Portuguese. Are we meant to make a connection? I'm going to go ahead and say Yes! Inside this novel was that infamous picture of Desmond and Penny. Now, we only saw ONE picture taken in that pseudo Flashback of Desmond's earlier this season. How did Penny or whoever get a copy of this photo too? Is this something we're meant to harp on. I'm going to go ahead and say "I don't know!"
• So After all of the Charlie rescuing and clue following is finished, we get all excited at the possibility that the Pilot IS Penny (come on, it could never be THAT easy, could it?) We rip away the helmet...and there she is. Who is it? Woaaaa......It's Sanjaya Malakar fresh off of an elimination from American Idol! Well it makes sense...he WAS in L.A., right?! Okay okay...in all seriousness, who is this lady? Well, for now, we have to assume she has connections to Penny and is, in fact, Portuguese. We have to assume she had the picture to ID Desmond and that's why she knew his name. Of course, there is always the skeptics in us that also cannot rule out that it's those crazy OTHERS or some other FACTION on the island messing with poor ol' Dezzy and giving everyone false hope of rescue. More to come on this as we close up season 3!
  

Pretty great episode wasn't it? Well, we all have our favorite characters. Can't help myself...Loving the Desmond! Maybe some people are a big fan of Jin and Sun. Well, we'll be revisiting them next week! And, as predicted early in season 3, Juliet being a fertility doctor will directly affect Sun and her pregnancy. Now, the big question on the table... Did Sun conceive PRE-CRASH with Baldy#2? or did she conceive POST Crash with Newly Fertile Jin? The answer is coming folks!

As stated before, it's that time of year when we have to be pondering who will be leaving us this year. We have to think about whose stories are coming near completion. Who is expendable? I could name countless others that could be killed off by the end of the season. Charlie's name is floating out there with the whole Desmond premonitions thing. Possibly Sun with the pregnancy. The big question is are Jack, Locke, Sawyer, and Kate invincible at this point in the story? One would really think so. I would also throw Hurley and Claire into the safe zone. And well....they better not be getting rid of Jin! The dude has been funnier than Hurley this season! And like I said before, Desmond better be sticking around too. He seems very important to the entire mythology of the show and his love saga with Penny seems to be just getting started. But what do I know? So who does that leave? Juliet? (she's getting a lot of praise for her role on the show....are they really going to kick her off?) Ben? (possible....if we learn who Jacob is...Ben's role on the show may become meaningless) Tom? (more probable...ever since he was revealed as a non-bearded goon of the others....his role seems less important) Parachute Lady? (oh yeah...she doesn't seem to be a mainstay!) Then there is the question of Michael and Walt. We are told their story will resume in season 4. But Harold Perrineau has just been cast in another TV show. What is going on??? Anyway....just thought I'd do some pondering. Feel free to post your own thoughts on who is the next to go!

Okay...upcoming Flashbacks for the remainder of the season. Highlight over the text below if you want to read!

• April 25 - 3x18 - Jin/Sun
• May 2 - 3 x19 - Non-Traditional Flashback..no particular characters. And a huge season 1 mystery will be revealed. Remember, this is when we're revisiting the Locke/Locke's dad story
• May 9 - 3x20 - Charlie
• May 16 - 3x21 - Ben
• May 23 - 3x22 &23 - Jack

Pretty exciting stuff! That's all I have for this week. Hope everyone enjoyed the ramblings. Please post comments and I'll see you next week!

LOST: Season 3 Episode 16 - One of Us

Well, my fellow Losties, they've done it again! Not sure who is still not on board after a questionable season 3 start, but it is becoming hard to deny that the LOST crew can make some engaging television! And based on this, I give episode 16 "One of Us" another WOW! And based on what I've heard of upcoming episodes, it would seem that the WOW's will keep on coming! Yes, I know, I have blind faith in the producers and can find positives even in the worst episodes. But come on, it's hard to argue that this episode wasn't a good one! It's an episode to help with even the toughest critics. The ones looking for all the answers, all the time. Well, we got some answers last night! And we tied some season 1, 2 and 3 stuff together pretty seamlessly. And most importantly, these answers were about THE OTHERS! Those crazy mysterious people that seem to avoid telling us information about themselves whenever possible! Well, Juliet finally started talking last night and her flashback was quite revealing. Well, let's do what we do best and start diving into the details!

The Flashback and the Present day tied together pretty seamlessly, so forgive me if I jump back and forth within the headings below. I'll try my best to make it all make sense. If not, I'll keep you entertained!

Key theme last night was simple: Do whatever it takes to get off this crazy island, at all costs. As Jack returns to the camp after his "rescue" he brings Juliet with him with 100% trust in her, causing drama with his fellow survivors. It's tough to forget everything that her people have done to the castaways since arriving to this crazy mysterious baby killing yet miracle healing island! Throughout the episode we follow Juliet's journey to the island and her life there since she arrived. We'll focus on this first!

Juliet Flashback

• So let's talk about Juliet's dedication to the Mittelos company. Up front, she agrees to give up 6 months of her life and communications with anyone she knows. She agrees to be taken to some remote location somewhere off the coast of Portland, Oregon. And then, after questioning why she needs to take a tranquilizer, a few choice words from Alpert about the place where she is going being "special" and Juliet wanting to "make a difference"...she chugs that juice down like an Irish Car-bomb! What is motivating Juliet? Kinda tough to tell, but she definitely didn't ask many questions.
• So Juliet is taken to some small airport to transport her to wherever Mittelos is stationed. The airport's name is "Herarat Aviation." I think we know an Anagram on LOST when we see them now. So what is Herarat? Oh, it's only some mixed up letters for Earhart. Anyone remember the tale of Amelia Earhart and her attempt to fly around the world? Remember where she disappeared? Yep, over the Pacific Ocean! (hmmm...sounds familiar doesn't it?).
  
• Here's the thing though, we never see how Juliet actually GOT to the island. Did they fly her somewhere to take the submarine we see her wake up on? Is the submarine even operational or is it just a prop? Remember, Ben says it provides the "illusion" that people can leave the island whenever they please. So, methods of getting to the island still remain a mystery (well, except sailing in race around the world (Desmond), following coordinates with the bearing 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42 (Rousseau's crew) , or having a plane split in two above the island due to a huge electromagnet (yeah, not sure if you've been watching the same show I have, but that's our survivors we root for each week!) ). But I'm still intrigued! What was up with Ethan having Juliet strapped in on the sub saying that the last turn was a bumpy one, or something like that? Was it all part of the act? Or was that a clue for a future revelation about the actual process of getting to the island? Stay tuned for the final season when we reveal all!
• We get a better look at the sub. There seems to be a marking on the Sub, which is similar to a marking on one of the crew inside the sub....and if you see the comparisons in the picture below, it kinda resembles part of the DHARMA Logo. It would seem to suggest that we are meant to tie the sub back to the DHARMA initiative. This would make sense since all other technology on the island seems to have belonged to them.
  
• Lots of answers around the Others' love for children and all of the fertility stuff. We had all been running theories that the OTHERS were unable to reproduce. This turns out to be accurate. But further details suggest that women can get pregnant but will die afterwards. Juliet's expertise was getting infertile women pregnant, so she feels her research is useless.
• Ahh but good ol' Ben. He loves getting what he wants, doesn't he? He seems to have leverage over anyone he manipulates. What does he have on Juliet? Her sister, Rachel. The cancer is back (oh yeah...she had cancer by the way!) and is going to die before her baby is born. Ben makes a deal that he will CURE Rachel's cancer, even going a step further that JACOB will cure the cancer. We get confirmation that Jacob is definitely the man in charge. But about this curing cancer business? We do find out that years later Rachel IS cured of the cancer (if she ever had it), but haven't we learned in past seasons that you need to be on this island to receive these miracles? Rose had cancer, Locke was crippled...both seem to be cured. So there are still questions on how the others can cure cancer, especially when Ben got the tumor and needed a surgeon. There is also the question to if Rachel ever had cancer, and if she did and was in fact cured......then maybe the live footage we see of her (we'll get to that in a second) was ON the island? Would be tough especially with that current day's newspaper in hand.
• Possible prop error though with the Report Ben shows Juliet. It's supposed to imply Rachel has cancer, but the report is for a Male with Heart Failure.
• Did I mention that Juliet and Goodwyn were lovers? (So much for the Ben and Juliet rumor!) We jump ahead a couple years in the flashback and see that Juliet has become content in living on the island. She and Goodwyn have become pretty close. I wonder how she reacted to his death when Ana Lucia killed him? Anyway, Juliet's happiness quickly goes away when she gets Ben's X-Rays showing the tumor. This sets up the big fight between Juliet and Ben. We knew they were on the outs from the first 5 minutes of this season with Ben being "out of the book club" but we see him reading Stephen King's "Carrie" and getting ready for the discussion. It would seem Ben's refusal to let Juliet go home is why we see her on the verge of a breakdown in that opening scene of this season.
  
  I'm still confused about this whole Ben/tumor thing, but I know we're meant to be! It makes me think that he is just manipulating Juliet and Rachel never really did have cancer.
• I'm usually not into all of the literary references on LOST, but here's a bunch of books that were on Ben's bookshelf. Feel free to research these and get back to me on the meaning behind them all!
  
• Okay, so the LIVE footage at the Flame Hatch. We see newscasts from around the globe, the day of the crash, that the world is looking for Flight 815 which seems to have "Disappeared Over the Pacific Ocean." We now know that the world is aware of the plane crash. We all assumed it, but it's nice to have confirmation! We also have confirmation on how the Others are getting their information. We see how Ben got the Red Sox footage. And we may just see how they're getting all of their information on the survivors. Ben ordered information on all of the survivors. Mikail confirms that he's already working on it. Is he communicating with Alpert on the mainland and having him do the research? We hear Ben talking to him over a headset.
  
• And what about the LIVE footage of Rachel in Miami? We see the current day's newspaper. Then we see Rachel and her child Julian, healthy and happy. Why on earth would they just happen to have a camera in Miami filming Rachel at a playground LIVE? In a previous episode, Juliet tells Jack that his ex-wife Sarah is HAPPY. Did they have a camera following HER around too? And Juliet's knowledge of Sayid and Sawyer's past is just creepy, but we'll get to that in the next section. So, we got PART of the answer to how the others are getting their information.
  
  The footage of Rachel allows Ben to continue having the upper hand on Juliet and that he still is her main ticket home.
  

We'll save the final flashback scene and the Ethan information for the next section!

Jack Returns to Camp with an"OTHER"

So finally we reunite the castaways! No one trusts Juliet except Jack and there is a crisis to resolve almost immediately upon returning. Funny how no one gets sick until Jack is around isn't it? But it turns out the timing was incredibly intentional! Claire has fallen ill! Immediate thoughts are to all of the discussion about people getting "sick" on the island. Juliet immediately gets involved because she knows what is wrong with Claire. Let's dive in!

• First, we got another one of the classic LOST reunion scenes with everyone hugging. How about the awkward Jack and Sawyer moment? That was some crazy stuff. And of course Kate and Sawyer have their wordless exchange pretty much saying all is well between them.
• Sawyer had another classic "non" nickname...3 Men and a Baby counting "Hugo" twice! Good stuff!
• Jack tries to earn everyone's trust in Juliet but ends up having to explain his OWN actions. Why is he trusting the others? Why was he going to ditch them and get off the island? He says it was all in an attempt to get them rescued. I'll believe Jack on this one. He is the Hero isn't he? But come on...they gotta stop making this guy sound like an idiot or even be easily fooled by people! We want to root for Jack! Not be annoyed at him! Live Together Die Alone!
• Juliet explains her case to how she knows Claire is sick. She claims that that she was giving Claire medicine to keep her alive (due to the island pregnancy issue). She suggests that Claire was the CONTROL to their experiments. I'm sure she is probably telling the truth here, but how can a woman that is 8 months pregnant when they crash on the island, compared to someone who JUST got pregnant ON the island show be a comparable scenario? So they are befuddled to how Clarie was still able to give birth. Was it this magical serum that Juliet was giving her?
• Juliet also explains that Ethan, being a doctor, was only looking out for Claire's well-being but reacted on his own instincts once Hurley discovered he was not on the plane. It was never their intentions to abduct claire or HANG charlie or to kill the survivors one by one until they gave Ethan Claire back. We can confirm that Juliet is telling the truth based on the "Maternity Leave" episode last season (just happened to watch this one last night). We see TOM talking to Ethan in the Claire flashback saying that "HE" is not going to be happy with Ethan's actions. Of course, we do know that they were preparing that nursery for Aaron, so the kidnapping of Claire's baby was ALWAYS the intention.
• Keep in mind people that SUN is also pregnant, so expect this story to play into future episodes! Is she the next on the list to die? Let's hope Jin learns more English first!
• So while we're talking about pregnancies and stuff, let's update our theory on the OTHERS fascination of children and reproduction. Ben seems to have a desire to create and sustain a society on this island where people WANT to live there. We have seen tidbits of people being cured of disease or paralysis. Yet now we see that reproduction is near impossible on this island. A theory being bounced around now is that perhaps the others have been trying to create a society where people are never sick and possibly live longer lives (if not live forever), but the one thing going against this plan is their inability to reproduce. Crazy concept. Probably a lot of holes in it, but it's something to keep in mind!
• Okay, so Juliet knows where there is a stash of this medication that can save Claire, claiming that Ethan kept a stash near the caves where they used to love. Jack allows her to retrieve it and we see a marked tree. Symbol looks similar to Juliet's new marking on her doesn't it? Not exactly the same though.
  
• Anyway, Sawyer and Sayid follow Juliet and are looking for answers. As Juliet stated "you'd kill me if you knew what I know." Intriguing stuff. But the real meat to this scene is when Juliet starts talking about things she couldn't possibly know. Like Sawyer shooting the man in Sydney that he thought was the real Sawyer. And Sayid torturing Bazthra? (not sure if we even know about this yet). There is no way that they can OBTAIN this information from the flame hatch. These are personal things that only Sawyer and Sayid should know. How are they getting this information? We know the smoke monster can grab images from people's minds (as it did with EKO), but I've never seen this monster in contact with either Sayid or Sawyer. Well, there always has to be more questions with every answered one, right? This one was crazy!
• Okay, so Juliet saves the day and Claire is still alive! Of course, we knew she wouldn't die. We need some brother/sister moments between Jack and Claire in the future! But due to Juliet's assistance, the losties begin to trust her. Jack's reasoning for trusting her even before then? He saw it in her eyes. She wants off this island more than anything in the world. I'm going to go ahead and agree with Jack that this IS what is motivating Juliet. But I don't think that necessarily makes her ONE OF THEM! It would seem that Juliet do whatever gives her the best chance at getting off this island. And for now, that best chance is still with Ben. Hence, the final flashback scene of the episode:
• We see Juliet reciting her instructions from Ben prior to them vacating Othersville. it went something like this:
  
  "Juliet: Drag Austin (Kate) into the jungle, handcuff myself to her then tell her i was gassed just like she was.
  Ben: If she catches you in lie?
  Juliet: Admit to it...tell her it was the only way to earn her trust. Then They'll take me back to beach.
  Ben: We've activated implant in Claire. She should be symptomatic within 48 hours."
  
  Ben gives Juliet the Gas Mask and then says "See you in a week." Ahhhh chilling stuff! Why does Ben want Juliet to infiltrate the camp? Is it for Sun? For Revenge? What is going to happen in a week? One thing is for sure, we can confirm that Juliet followed Ben's directions TO THE TEE. That doesn't mean she'll support him TO THE END. Like I said, her motivation has been proven to be what is best for her AT THE TIME. She did kill Pickett afterall, remember? But for now, it'll be interesting to see what she does as a PLANT in the castaway camp!

Man, there was a lot to cover there. Hope I didn't bore you! Great episode and the previews for the final 6 weeks look equally awesome! I'm doing pretty well keeping up my promise of NOT getting these blogs to you Thursday mornings. But again, I will still maintain that this can change on any given week! Please share your thoughts on this episode. I'm sure there are tons of theories out there, and I can only remember so much! (it would seem from the length of this thing I remembered a lot! But still!) But in closing, I will say that I think Ben stole my line that closes each and every blog. But I'll use his version to close this one. "See you in a week!"

LOST: Season 3 Episode 15 - Left Behind

Well, they just keep pulling these fantastic episodes out of their arsenal don't they? I'm going go ahead and give "Left Behind" my official "WOW" seal of approval! Started off a little bizarre and I was getting concerned that we'd have another snoozer on our hands. Of course then I saw "Written by Damon Lindeloff" in the credits and was immediately put at ease. This episode packed in a lot of suspense and a lot of girl power between the Kate flashbacks and the Kate/Juliet story. And back on the beach we also got a little light comedy between Sawyer and Hurley with a rewarding ending. This is when the show works best, combining the mystery, suspense and feel-good elements into one episode. That IS what LOST is all about. Hence, why tonight has me itching for MORE!

Before we get started, lots of theories going around that Nikki and Paulo are still alive. I kinda gave a hard stance on this that I couldn't figure out why in the world the producers would WANT to keep them alive and what purpose it would serve. In listening to the podcast and also reading ew.com discussions with the producers it appears that bringing 2 characters out from the background was always an idea they had since season 1. They had ideas of having the Nikki/Paulo storyline extend over several episodes instead of just 1, but due to the fan response....it seems they figured to wrap it all up in one intense episode. One idea they had was for ALL of the flashbacks in Expose' to actually be the TV show Expose' with the reveal at the end of the episode being that it WAS in fact, all a TV show. Personally, I'm glad they didn't go that way. Anyway, producers confirmed in an interview with EW's Jeff Jensen that Nikki and Paulo are definitively, certifiably DEAD. Also they confirmed that Rose and Bernard are alive and well and that a story-arc for the 2 of them is coming up. They also revealed an easter-egg that I missed. In Locke's latest flashback, when he's eating his TV Dinner and watching TV, he is actually watching Expose'! Fascinating stuff, isn't it?

In the comments last week there was some intense discussion about the brief flashback to Ben and Juliet in the Pearl station and the fact that they were wearing ragged clothing and barefoot and the fact that this happened on Day 48. If you recall, last season when Eko and Jin went looking for Michael (who ran after Walt)...they came in contact with several of the OTHERS. All we saw was their Feet...and they were all barefoot and some had ragged clothing on. Might be safe to say that 2 of these people were Ben and Juliet and maybe they were on their way to the other side of the island. This is also the date range that WALT appeared to Shannon and Sayid, when Cindi disappeared, when there was whispering in the Jungle. It seems The Others had some elaborate scheme planned for this day and we should be getting a taste of what that was soon.

Whew....almost forgot we have a NEW episode to discuss! Let's get to it!

Kate Flashback

Pretty much the premise of Kate's flashback was to follow her pursuit of learning WHY her mother turned her in. In the end, it doesn't seem like much was accomplished except that a few past story points were tied together, which is always exciting to me! Here's a couple things worth noting:

• Kate runs into Cassidy, a past love of Sawyer's. He had performed the LONG-Con on her but fell in love with her in the process. Cassidy is still seen performing the Jewlery scam that Sawyer taught her. I guess since Sawyer ransacked all of her money, she had to resort to this method of earning income. Kate helps Cassidy out with the scam and in turn, Cassidy helps Kate get ahold of her mother.
• Patsy Cline's "Walkin After Midnight" is playing in the beginning of her flashback when her car breaks down. It is worth noting that Kate put this record on in the HATCH when she was feeding Sawyer, who was asleep recovering from his bullet wound (Season 2).
• Kate's wearing a hat that says "COWBOY UP." If you recall, Sawyer told Karl to "Cowboy Up" when they were walking back from the jungle. I'm sure this was just a tongue and cheek reference to that!
  
• Kate gets her answer to why her mother turned her in. Even though Kate thought she was doing her mother a favor, her mother thought it was an act of selfishness. Wow...some deep stuff there! Glad we spent a whole flashback on that big reveal! Anyway, the fun part of the exchange was that Kate's mother said the next time Kate tried to come back, the first thing she would do is yell for help. And, if you recall in season 1, Kate does track down her mother, dying in a hospital. Mom keeps her word by screaming for help...which leads to Kate causing the death of her childhood sweetheart. She lives a rough life doesn't she?
• Another confirmation was one left open-ended last year with the introduction of Sawyer's possible Daughter. We thought that Cassidy informing Sawyer that they had a child together could've been a CON. Yet Cassidy came clean to Kate that she was, in fact, pregnant.
• And one other thing to note. Kate and Sawyer have now both interacted in each other's past through other characters. Sawyer is connected to Cassidy and also Kate's Mother, who was his waitress in the diner at one time. Kate is obviously connected now to the same 2 people. She even had a conversation about Sawyer without even realizing it WAS him. I guess there may be a way for this conversation eventually to happen on the island. If, for any purpose, it may drive Kate AWAY from Sawyer and in full pursuit of Jack. But this is all speculation!

Sawyer "making amends"

Speaking of cons, Hurley pulled a big one on James "Sawyer" Ford tonight. I guess we all may have had a feeling the whole time that no one would be interested enough in OUSTING (is that a word?) Sawyer from the castaway camp. But it was hysterical to watch Sawyer try to get on everyone's good side based on one conversation he had with the ROTUND survivor. Some highlights:

• Hunting Boar with Desmond. His angle? Have to give the people something they like. "people like meat" Loved it!
• Trying to fish. "I can rule out the Korean vote" Fantastic! Also, notice how Sun has been giving Sawyer the stare-down all episode after the reveal last week that her abduction last season was all his fault.
• Sawyer's conversation with Claire and Hurley telling him to KISS the baby was a good time!
• The book Sawyer was reading was "Watership Down" which happens to be the first book he ever read on the show. Is he running out of things to read? Or is there some connection we're supposed to make with that episode? I don't remember the exact episode but if it was the "WHITE RABBIT" episode, that is where Jack officially became the LEADER and gave is "Live Together, Die Alone" speech.
• And as we realized tonight, since the major "LEADERS" on the show are all MIA from the camp, Sawyer has been the "Go To" guy. The whole thing was actually very touching and Sawyer reluctantly embraced his role, as Hurley noted, similar to the way Jack was thrust into the role.

Leaving Othersville and Girls-Night Out

Well, Ben seems to have gathered the troops (which we learn that that the Others' Community is about 50 people) and moved out of Othersville leaving a select few behind, in accordance with the Episode Title. Those left behind? Jack, Kate, Sayid, Juliet. Not left behind? Mr. John Locke. The majority of the story is following Kate and Juliet around in the jungle with some great dialogue and action. But the whole strategic move on Ben's part is worth discussing. Let's note some things below!

• In Tom's Rec-Room, where Kate is being held hostage we see a glimpse of the board-game Mouse-Trap. If you recall, in a season 1 Locke flashback, he is explaining the game to a kid while working in a Toy Store. Could be an allusion that the whole plan set forth in this past episode is, in fact, luring prey into a trap. Really depends on how you view Juliet and her intentions.
  
• Supposedly the 4 left behind were all gassed but only Kate and Juliet were placed randomly in the jungle hand-cuffed together. I'm getting ahead of myself, but how did Juliet know where Sayid and Jack were when they got back? Seems a little fishy if she was just as much in the dark as Kate. Feel free to get a closer look at the canister of gas. Apparently, it is a real-world brand, so I don't see much to look into!
  
• Juliet makes a note that Ben has a love for playing Mind Games. I think we all are aware of this by now. Of course, we still don't know when he's playing games and when he isn't! But if you take Juliet on her word, then she could be IN on this game. But at the same time, it's so easy to want to believe her! In an interview with Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet) on the podcast, she says that we will soon be learning how she went from a paranoid and unsure individual (pre-island) to the confident Juliet we've come to learn on the island.
• Maybe they'll reveal to us how she learned how to FIGHT as well. How about that crazy cat-fight Kate and Juliet had? They were all over the place. It kinda reminded me of how strong Ethan was when we saw him in season 1, and even when Ben beat the crap out of Sawyer when he was in the cage. What are these OTHERS eating??? Also, the fact that Juliet's arm has been dislocated 4 times before is probably something worth noting.
• Of course the fight all got started because of Juliet's interrogation of Kate's intentions to go back for Jack. The "You broke his heart" reveal was quality stuff. Will be interesting to see how the LOVE Rectangle develops from here!
• So, again we see what many have started referring to as "SMOKEY THE MONSTER." I think it's a bit cheesy to call him Smokey, but damn it's catchy! Of course, this time we see some different elements of the monster. I'm not sure I saw what this photo shows, but it would seem that the monster took the form of a 3 headed monster. And if you recall your Greek Mythology, there is the 3-Headed Guard Dog of the underworld, CERBERUS. And if you recall even further on the Glow-in-the dark Hatch Map, there was a reference to CERBERUS. This could be confirmation that the smoke monster was what this Map reference was referring to. Examine the pictures for yourself!
  
• I thought it was interesting at first when Juliet was claiming that this was the first time she saw the monster. But then it seems it was confirmed that the Sonic-Force field surrounding OTHERSVILLE was for Protection AGAINST the monster. I guess what the big reveal is, is that the OTHERS and the Smoke Monster are completely unrelated. This kinda goes into play with Ben looking for information from Locke about the island's powers. The Others just seem to be another faction of people living on the island but do not hold the answers that we all seek. Well, we had to know this is the way things were going, right? We have 2 or 3 more seasons to go! BUT then again, if we are to believe that the Smoke Monster and the Manifestations on the island are one of the same, and that Ben somehow has Locke's father in captivity and that THIS is somehow related to manifestations....well then something just isn't adding up! But apparently, by the first week in May, we'll have a little more understanding of all of this!
• Speaking of Locke, how about him just giving up on everyone else and following the Others? He "put in a good word" for Kate about being a "Good Person." But once he learned what she did, then he seemed to be on board with the Others that she deserved to be "Left Behind." Maybe Lock is following them for the greater good and will end up pulling some heroic stunt. But it seems this man just wants some answers. And of course, I'm sure there is some motivation with seeing his father. (who am I kidding? It might be his ENTIRE motivation) No doubt there is much more to learn in this story!
• So eventually Juliet and Kate get back to Othersville and get Jack and Sayid. Kate apologizes to Jack and Jack reluctantly says it's time to go BACK. Wow...past the midpoint of the season and Jack is finally returning to the camp! But they're not going alone....Juliet is going with them immediately causing some problems for Sayid. It is possible that Juliet is part of a Ben master-plan...there is plenty of evidence in this and prior episodes to support that. Yet there is also evidence that she is just as helpless as the rest of them which is what Jack wants to believe. There is also the possibility that Juliet is looking out for herself and has her own motivation for going to the other camp. In any case, it looks like we're going to get some of these answers pretty quickly.

Because next week it looks like Jack and crew will return to the Camp! Let me ask you this....every other time we have survivors trekking across the island, it takes 2 or 3 episodes to get there. Why now is this going to just happen instantaneously? Couple things I can think of....Juliet is aware of a short-cut or the producers are aware of the frustrations of the viewers with taking too much time to advance plot...so they're taking some liberties with travel-time. Or maybe some combination of the 2? In any case, it looks like next week will be a more revealing look at the OTHERS. Could it be the episode we have been waiting for? Maybe partially. Seems like it will have to be another Juliet flashback. I am starting to think that the season 3 finale episode will be a 2 hour BEN Flashback, kinda like Desmond got the nod in Season 2. So between these 2 episodes, maybe we'll learn all there is to know about the mysterious OTHERS and move onward to the next big cliffhanger. Here's a question for you...with all of this "CHARLIE DYING" stuff going on, when are we going to get a Charlie flashback? He is the only original castmember to still have no flashback under his belt this season. And hopefully it's a better story than the dreadful "Fire + Water" Baptism episode last season! I'm going to guess his flashback will happen sooner than later.

Whew...well somehow I still found a way to get to the blog today, but I'll continue posting my warning that it may be getting later as the weeks go by. Hope you enjoyed my ramblings and as always, I look forward to hearing yours! See You Next week!