LOST: Season 3 Episode 22/23 - Through the Looking Glass

Well....that should hold us over for 9 months, shouldn't it? That was one super crazy TWISTY/TURNY spectacular ride of an episode! And one WELL deserving of my very frequently handed out WOWs! One might say even the MOST deserving! I don't know how many WOW's need to be said though to explain the magnitude of this episode! Action, Suspense, Mystery, Romance, DEATH and a twist so crazy that it has everyone debating at what point in the episode they figured it out! (Motorola RAZR anyone?) The producers claim that they don't want to be safe because that's when they become predictable. Well...they took some giant risks with this episode, and we'll have to discuss the ramifications of it all below. But for now....all I can keep saying is WOW!


So, anyone that has become familiar with the LOST Addicts Blogs will know that I can be a bit wordy at times! So, a recap of a 2 hour episode might imply that this thing is going to be extremely long! I'll try my best to make the blog readable! Let's get to work!


Premise of "Through the Looking Glass": Jack leads survivors on an expedition to the Radio Tower to be rescued, Sayid/Bernard/Jin stay back to blow up The Others with a few setbacks, Ben does some plotting to sabotage the survivor's plan (For good or evil? remains to be seen), Juliet/Sawyer/Hurley return help Sayid and crew finish the job, Locke is "reborn," Charlie deals with his fate in the Looking Glass station with some assistance from Desmond, and we follow a "FLASH" about Jack throughout the entire episode. Should be simple enough to sum up, right?





Miscellaneous/Intersecting Storylines


There were several events that occurred in the episode that triggered events in the main storylines, but not deserving of their own section. We'll try and sum them up here!

Ben's departure from the OTHERS

• We have a shot of Ben writing in a Diary. There may be some goodies in these writings, but for now it's a little too much to decipher. Here is an initial attempt to decipher, courtesy of Sledgeweb (lost.cubit.net), of which we can be very thankful each and every week for their fabulous screenshots!
  


• Through Radio communication Ben learns of Juliet's deception and gives an assignment to Mikhail to head to the Looking Glass to stop Charlie, and gives orders to Ryan and Tom to hold Jin, Sayid and Bernard captive until given further orders. There seems to be a general lack of trust with Ben though with the disappearance of Locke after their meeting with Jacob and also with the fact that he lied about the Looking Glass Station.
• Ben tells Richard to continue taking their people to the TEMPLE as planned. We do not see this temple. Was this a season 4 setup? Could this temple tie into the giant FOOT we saw in last season's finale?
• Ben says he will meet up with Jack and crew and CONVINCE them that they have to stay. This will hold more weight later in the blog!
• Ben also learns of Alex's deception and how Karl was an informant to the survivor's. He brings Alex with him to deliver her to her "NEW FAMILY."
• Ben insists to Alex that he CANNOT let the survivor's leave the island. He seemed pretty sincere with this statement. Does that mean everything he tells Jack and crew is true? It's really hard to believe ANYTHING Ben says!
• Our prior suspicions seem to be correct of why Ben wanted to keep Karl and Alex apart. He was afraid of Alex getting pregnant.

Locke's Rebirth

• We revisit Locke in the DHARMA Grave about to shoot himself in the head to end his pain. WALT shows up! An older looking Walt (well duh Malcom David Kelly has kept aging!) telling Locke that he CAN get up and that he has work to do. Locke had claimed that he could not move his legs. Had he lost faith in the island? Was the vision of WALT a message from Jacob? Or was it really Walt? The producers had said before that they have addressed the "WALT" aging situation. If this is true, we did not get an explanation in this episode! Also note that Walt's clothes are brand new and are nothing that he wore when he was ON the island. Maybe we are to believe that WALT does have the ability to appear to people? Still a mystery folks!
  


• Speaking of Michael and Walt, I believe someone may have commented on this in a previous blog, which is why it's stuck in my head....if they left the island and were rescued, then why would people OFF the island still not know there were survivors of flight 815?
• And what about Locke being shot? He still seemed to be limping and holding his chest later in the episode. Are we to assume he is just going to heal from this?

Sawyer/Juliet/Hurley's Return To Beach

After it seems the Beach invasion does not go as planned, Sawyer and Juliet depart from the Radio Tower expedition to go help. A couple things to note below:

• Sawyer asks what were those rocks for on Alcatraz 2.0....Juliet says they were building a runway. Then jokingly says "for the aliens." If it was a runway they were building, what is the runway for? Then again, the whole thing may have been a joke. As there probably were crazy theories out there that there is some ALIEN connection to the Island and that the OTHERS are building a runway for their UFO. I wouldn't put it past any of the crazy theorists out there! But...probably still worth mentioning, even if the RUNWAY thing was a joke.
• Speaking of runway, this caused me to have some random thoughts. There was the speculation after the Ben flashback that the DHARMA initiative might have had a PLANE, but then we dismissed this as a closed captioning error thinking that they meant the "FLAME" Station. Of course, now thinking about this more, where are the DHARMA food drops coming from? Are they coming from OFF the island somewhere where people still believe the DHARMA initiative is still up and running? And of course, if the food drop came somehow from ON the island, then wouldn't they already HAVE a runway?
• Hurley wants to help rescue their friends but Sawyer rejects the offer. Sawyer, like Charlie, implied that Hurley was too FAT to be of any help. He'd just get in the way. These comments may have saved them all!
• Best joke of the night: Sawyer "So, are you screwing Jack yet" Juliet's comeback "No, are you?" Good times!

Sayid, Bernard, Jin and the OTHERS invasion

I'm sure we all were biting our nails during this whole encounter. Once we saw Sayid and Bernard blow 7 others to bits, it seemed like everything was going to go in the survivor's favor. But then Jin, with his pistol, had problems hitting the target. The tables are turned and Ryan/Tom and the remaining OTHER capture the 3 of them. Then we get ANOTHER scare when Ben orders them to be killed and we hear 3 gun shots through the radio. Of course, whenever you HEAR gunshots and don't see the result, it was usually done for dramatic effect! Well, IT WORKED! If anyone read stuff leading up to this episode, then we knew there were at LEAST 5 deaths in the season finale. Speculation was running of who it could possibly be. Naturally, the writers played it up keeping us guessing the entire episode! Here are some things to note from this storyline:

• We learn that the OTHERS defy Ben's orders to kill our trio and that they shoot 3 shots into the sand. Now, I'm not sure who said what but either Ryan or Tom said that they should've just killed them. And the other said that Ben has been acting fishy. I THOUGHT Tom was the one that was siding with the survivors, but I heard the opposite on the radio this morning. I guess, in the end it doesn't matter. Because they're both gone! It may just impact your feelings on Sawyer!I'm sure I wasn't the only one cringing as that gun was pointed at Jin. I was relieved but very fired up at Bernard for spilling EVERY single piece of information to the OTHERS (and Ben via Radio) about what the survivors have been up to! I almost wished they shot that crazy dentist! Fortunately for him he was redeemed!
• Yes, since Juliet lies about the guns (it was the only way Jack would let them go) Sawyer and Juliet have no plan to save Sayid, Jin and Bernard......but then you hear a familiar sound coming from the jungle. Who else screamed "HURLEY!!!!" at their TV before the DHARMA van flew out of the jungle and right over RYAN? Totally didn't expect that turn of events. But it's fantastic how relevant the Hurley Flashback episode became (and it seemed so irrelevant at the time) after this episode and Ben's flashback episode. I mean, it's almost like the writers HAD a plan, isn't it?! Like we never should've doubted them, right??!!! COME ON PEOPLE, you know who you are!!!
• Another great line of the night from Sawyer "Stay in the van, Hero!" Sawyer grabs the gun and turns the tables on the remaining others. Random guy gets his neck snapped by bound Sayid's legs and then all that's left is our pal Zeke...A.K.A. Mr. Friendly A.K.A. Tom
• Now, keep in mind Tom has come a long way since we first met him. We thought he was the LEADER of this ragged band of OTHERS who just happened to have a fishing boat and and some interest in WALT and Claire's unborn baby. He was nothing but nice to Jack and Kate when they were captured by the others. But he mocked Sawyer in the Cage and he also threatened Kate's life in the jungle when Jack, Sawyer and Locke were going after Michael. If you recall...Sawyer made a comment to him "You and Me ain't done, Zeke" Well....they indeed weren't. Just as TOM surrenders, Sawyer shoots Tom "That's for taking the boy off of the raft" .... People questioned Sawyer's motives for going after the Others in season 2 (Michael, Jack)....and that he just wanted revenge for being shot. Well, it seems that all he wanted was revenge for them taking Walt. This all wrapped up nicely by Hurley's "Dude, he surrendered" and Sawyer's "Well, I didn't believe him." What a show! We may have predicted the majority of people that were going to die....but I never saw any of them coming!

Charlie, Desmond, and the Looking Glass

Well, after last week's introduction to the LOOKING GLASS station, I may have gotten ahead of myself with all of my crazy thoughts on the possibilities that we may learn from this station. None of which were revealed tonight. Instead, the station's purpose was just as Juliet explained...they were jamming communications with the outside world. Nothing further was revealed about Desmond's premonitions except that he stopped having them, but his final one pans out exactly as he describes with some pieces filled in. But what we get is an engaging tale of heroism and acceptance. But who were those crazy women that were holding Charlie at gunpoint?

• Well it would seem that they were just 2 random OTHERS: Bonnie and Greta. They were under direct Orders by Ben to continue Jamming communications with the outside world. The rest of the OTHERS clan were under the assumption that the 2 women were no longer on the island, but in Canada? Interesting stuff.
• Mikhail arrives at the looking glass and shoots at Desmond which inevitably drives Dezzy down to the hatch and hides trying to figure out how to save Charlie. And of course Mikhail goes down to the underwater hatch as well for a lovely showdown under the sea!
• Charlie tries to create some mistrust (or actually is just being honest) with Bonnie, Gretta and Mikhail by telling them that Ben lied about the flooding of the Hatch. Why in fact DID he Lie?
• Well over the Radio Ben tells Mikhail that it was for EVERYONE'S safety. He has specific orders from Jacob to protect the island, which is under assault from forces not seen in years. It's hard to believe all of this due to the fact that we don't know if Ben is actually getting orders from Jacob! But at the same time, it's easy to believe based on information revealed in this very hatch that validates some things that Ben says to Jack (we're getting there!)
• Mikhail puts aside the lies that Ben told and accepts his apology. Ben orders Mikhail to kill Charlie, Greta and Bonnie (because they know too much?). He succeeds in killing Greta and shoots Bonnie...but before he can finish her Desmond shows up with the very Spear Gun Bonnie was about to go get to torture Charlie. And BAM....Mikhail, the man with 9 lives, gets HARPOONED! (btw..how nasty did he look without that eyepatch? I wonder if we're going to learn how he lost that crazy eye at some point in the remaining 48 episodes and if that Glass Eye in the ARROW Hatch was his (it would be kinda stupid if it wasn't!)
• So now we have Charlie and Dezzy trying to get information from Bonnie on the code to enter to UNJAM communications. I lost track of writing down all of the numbers but that's okay...it's to the tune of Good Vibrations! I tried to think of any significance to choosing that song. But I got nothing except that the whole island vibrated when the sky turned purple during the Hatch implosion! But why on earth tie those 2 things together? Perhaps the key to the whole thing was that the code was programmed by a musician? Well, we only met 2 people on the island with musical talent (Charlie and Jack), so perhaps there is another? Ben is the only one remaining that supposedly knew the code. And we didn't see HIM learning any musical instruments. I'm guessing this "musician" thing is something to keep tabs on....even though in THIS episode it was just symbolizing that it was FATE that Charlie was the one that had to de-activate the jamming.
• Charlie and Dezzy discover Scuba equipment. Desmond prepares the equipment for their escape as Charlie goes into the room with the Yellow Light. Naturally, Charlie knew exactly what buttons to push in order to get Good Vibrations to play (maybe he remembered SOME of the numbers?)
• Once the communications are unjammed, there is immediately an incoming message. From who? Well Penny Widmore of course! She just happened to be sitting in front of her "communications device" too? That seems a little crazy. Unless, we're to believe in all of this FATE stuff. Charlie and Penny have a nice little chat about Flight 815 (I think he mentioned that, right?) and Desmond. Naturally, Desmond couldn't hear Charlie screaming for him to show up. The KEY fact revealed was that Penny has no knowledge of Naomi or the ship that was sent. I guess we were right to assume Naomi was NOT an OTHER, but perhaps I was a bit ahead of myself to assume that she WAS not lying about being sent by Penny. (of course, I'm sure I covered myself in previous Blogs saying that perhaps Naomi is from a brand new group we've never met!) We'll discuss Naomi a bit more in the next section. For now though, if Penny didn't send Naomi then A.) How did Naomi know that Penny had coordinates B.) What is going on with the crazy guys in the Snow? Has Penny been trying to communicate somehow with the Island based on the information received after the "Electro-magnetic event"? Did the coordinates allow her to focus communications to a particular location? Or....is PENNY in on the whole thing too? We just assumed that Charles Widmore was in on any conspiracy taking place. What about Penny? So many crazy questions!
  
• Meanwhile Charlie thinks he has escaped the fate of Desmond's premonition until......woa wait a second! There's that crazy Mikhail again! (I mean seriously? How many fatal injuries can this guy withstand?) He's outside the window of the Looking Glass station with a hand grenade! Within seconds, Charlie knows what he has to do (as he looks at the Yellow Light that is no longer on). He closes the door as Desmond rushes towards him and allows the window to blow and fill up with water.
• Before we continue with Charlie, does this mean Mikhail died? I mean, you would think, right? I'm will assume it one more time! But if he turns up alive again...I give up!
• Charlie has heroically accepted his fate. Such a sad scene, but at the same time...you couldn't help but be proud of the little hobbit! And before he ultimately drowned he was able to take out his favorite Sharpie and write "NOT PENNY'S BOAT" on his hand in order to communicate one final message to his Friends. :-( This one hurt, didn't it? Boone, was sad but he wasn't my favorite. Shannon, eh...she was kinda useless after Boone was gone. Eko? Well he was a newbie....so we kinda figured it would happen eventually. But CHARLIE? Wow. I kinda figured they'd do it, but I just kept hoping they wouldn't. The Driveshaft member was one of mine and many other people's favorites. But based on interviews with the producers (available immediately after the show aired), it seems it was the right thing to do. Check them out! (TV Guide Interview, EW Interview)
• So big question: Did Charlie close the door because he knew it was the only way to save Claire? Or did he want to prevent the Looking Glass from becoming completely flooded perhaps trying to save Desmond? It could've been muti-purposed, but the most touching way to look at it is that he felt he HAD to make Desmond's premonition come true in order to save Claire. Fantastic stuff!

The Radio Tower Expedition
The whole story of the Radio Tower expedition focuses on Jack and the survivors following Rousseau to the Radio Tower. Sayid tells Jack to keep moving and don't worry about anything that happens to them. DO NOT GO BACK. Things obviously go wrong and they don't see the 3 explosions nor do Sayid, Bernard and Jin catch up with the survivors the next day. As explained above, this causes confusion and starts rumblings of people going back. But Jack stays on the mission to RESCUE everyone! (as any true leader would!). Here's some tidbits of what happened on their journey!

• Kate and Sawyer discuss the possibility that Kate might be pregnant. Kate is clearly worried about it. Sawyer is too busy being a closed book ever since killing Locke's father. Maybe is what motivates him to go back and save the others. As for Kate being pregnant, well...stay tuned to season 4!
• Prior to Sawyer and Juliet heading out on the Rescue Mission, Juliet gives Jack a nice little smooch, observed by Kate. What is going on there? Clearly we got our answer from Sawyer and Juliet on what is NOT going on there! Jack and Kate have a moment in the woods where Jack explains that Sawyer was only trying to protect Kate by not wanting her to come. Why would Jack say such a thing? "Because I love you" Why did Jack try to rescue "Sawyer and Kate" from Alcatraz 2.0 by messing up the surgery? "Because he loves Kate" very touching stuff!
• It seems everything Jack, while for everyone's benefit, he has personally has done for Kate. Kinda like everything Charlie is doing if for Claire.To no one's surprise Ben shows up (with Alex) and asks to speak to Jack alone leading to one intense scene. Ben tells Jack that Naomi not who they think she is and that communicating with the freighter off of the island will only lead to 40+ people's deaths (kinda like Ben made a decision that would kill the 40+ members of the DHARMA Initiative). With us finding out that Penny has no connection to Naomi, it's hard NOT to believe Ben. But that dude is such a good liar! Plus, the storyline that I've YET to even focus on would seem to suggest that Ben IS lying! Ahhh this crazy show! Key thing that Ben does ask Jack though (and I believe I mentioned this in the 2nd blog this season) what is Jack so eager to get back to? His wife left him, his father is dead, does he want to get back to that hospital? This obviously plays a part in Jack's Flash.
• After the intense scene with Ben giving an ultimatum of Jack giving Ben the Satellite Phone or his friends die. Jack allows that clock to run down and for Sayid and crew to be shot. Some crazy toying with the audience's emotions here! Jack lets out his frustration on Ben and then declares that he tells Tom that he is going to kill him (over the Radio) and later tells Kate that after they get rescued, he will also kill Ben (ahhhh but will he?)
• Alex and Rousseau FINALLY meet each other! Very interesting that Ben introduces them. We still don't know if Rousseau and Ben have ever interacted before! But what a great scene to have those two kids together and for Rousseau's first words to be "Will you help me tie him up?" ahhhhh gotta love Mother/Daughter bonding!
• Okay...fast forward some touchy stuff (everyone finds out Sayid, Bernard and Jin are alive and Hurley saved the day, Claire looks for an update on Charlie (will be an upsetting scene once she finds out what happened)) and we get to the Radio Tower! Rousseau ends the transmission and states that she started it 2 days before Alex was born. Immediately after the transmission is turned off, we get a signal and they make a call to Naomi's freighter. BEN gives one final warning...And then BAM, just like that a knife goes into Naomi's back. John Locke returns to try and end yet another chance at rescue! (I don't think a knife makes a BAM sound, but let me have that one!)Locke has the gun pointed at Jack but just can't go through with killing him. But man, after Charlie dying, I thought he just might pull that trigger for a second! Locke states something to the effect that "we are not meant to leave this island" but then walks away as the Freighter (or someone else) picks up the call.
• Jack: "We are the survivors of Flight 815! We're with Naomi!" Response: "Naomi, you found her? We'll be there in a few minutes!" Or something to that effect. And that's where we end our Present Day story for season 3. With the hope of Rescue, With the fear that it is NOT Rescue. But even if they are rescued, would that be the end of our story on LOST? Let's dive into our final section to ponder the possibilities that were introduced!

Jumping Jack's FLASH

Okay, so when did YOU figure it out? Well, I had my speculations immediately from the 2nd flashback when I saw a Motorola RAZR phone in Jack's hand. This phone was NOT available at the time of Flight 815's crash. But in order to REALLY look at these Jack "FLASHES" we have to state upfront the reveal that happened at the end of the episode. Yes, in fact we were getting a sneak peak at Jack's life AFTER being rescued. It was indeed a FLASH FORWARD! I kept trying to figure out the timeline the entire episode. When could this have happened? Was he flying back from Thailand? Christian Shepard isn't the chief of Surgery? How is that possible then? What is up with that crazy Beard? Why is Jack a crazy DRUNK and Drug addict? Why is he suicidal? None of it made sense. I start thinking at one point that it was an Alternate reality where Jack never WENT to the island and how his life ended up. But each scene became much more relevant AFTER Kate stepped out of that car! Here are our NEW questions to ponder in LOST!

• Did they mention how long after rescue this was? Was it a couple years? Should we think that it is the PRESENT day? (2007?)
• First off - Jack refers to his father Christian Shepard in the present tense TWICE! He says to the new Chief of Surgery (Dr. Hamill - as in Mark Hamill?) to go upstairs and see how drunk his father is. Sure, this could've been a metaphoric reference to HEAVEN. Jack also claims that a perscription for his medication is from his father Dr. Christian Shepard who is "out of town." Maybe Drunk Jack is delusional? Or maybe there is more to look into with this?
• We see Jack flying on an Oceanic Plane (later revealed that he keeps flying that plane every Friday in hopes to return to the island. And that all of the survivors received a GOLD PASS to fly for free for the rest of their lives). On the plane he reads a Newspaper Article revealing that SOMEONE (from the island? from the crash) has died. There is one screenshot of the article that, if you look closely that the person that died's name begins with a J and is from New York (this could be James Ford, Jin, Jacob, John Locke or as Sledgeweb suggests...possibly: Jeremy Bentham (which also seems you can make out this name from the visible words in the article) who is some crazy philosopher that I don't care about)
  
  
  These are the words they made out from the article
  "The body of J --- entham of
  New York was --- shortly after 4
  a.m. in the ---- of Grand
  Avenue
  ------------------- at The
  ---------------------- loud
  ---------------------- man's loft.
  -------------------- safety, he
  ----------------------- the
  -------------------- the
  -------------- a beam in the"
• Several times Jack is referred to as "THE HERO" that saved people in the crash and it was seen on the news. It was assumed that they were talking about the car crash. But looking back...it was probably referring to Flight 815. When they are rescued, Jack is probably referred to as the Hero that saved them all.
• As mentioned before Jack attempted suicide but ended up saving victims of a car crash (which was caused by Jack's suicide attempt). I just wanted to note that the crash was explained as a car being hit from behind into a median. The very SAME story that Cooper told Locke of how he ended up on the island. Is there relevance? who knows!
• We see a scene of Jack in his living room surrounded by Maps. Looking back, he seemed obsessed with finding that island and returning.
• Jack later goes to the funeral Parlor and we see the name is HOFFS/DRAWLAR. In case you haven't heard, this is an Anagram for FLASH FORWARD. niiiiice
• So when Jack shows up to the Viewing, no one is there. He is asked if the person was friend or family. Jack said NEITHER. This immediately screams out Ben. Jack is clearly broken up about this person dying. Ben seems to have told Jack that they should not leave the island. Ben wouldn't have had any friends in the real world having lived on the island his whole life. And it wouldn't seem that anyone would want to show up to his funeral. But what about John Locke? If he was rescued, would he return to a life of being crippled and want to END his life? I read rumors that maybe it was ROSE, whose cancer came back (and she WAS from New York) when they were rescued. Speaking of which...Why did Rose not object to everyone going to the Radio tower?? Weird. Anyways....I'm going to guess that if this WAS in fact an ACTUAL depiction of life AFTER the island, then we're not going to find out anytime soon who was in that coffin. Because then it would pretty much tell us WHO survives the show! Of course...unless the upcoming seasons DEAL with LIFE after the island and attempts at getting BACK to the island!
• But I'm getting ahead of myself, obviously we need to discuss Jack meeting Kate at the airport and revealing all. Kate is clearly with someone else and thought it was best NOT to talk to Jack. It would seem that she is WITH Sawyer. But is that TOO obvious? Jack tells Kate that they never should've left the island and then BOOM.....LOST. Hmmm indeed what DID Jack have to go back to? He didn't get Kate, he doesn't have his wife (Sarah was in the episode and pregnant! still listed as emergency contact), father situation is even more clouded now, it doesn't seem he is needed at the hospital and his days of being a HERO are behind him (well, except for the car crash he caused).
• So what on earth is going on here? Are we seeing a hint of things to come? Are flashbacks finished on LOST? I don't think so....I think there is plenty of more story to tell with our remaining survivors (especially relative newcomer Desmond). Was this some sort of POSSIBLE vision of the future? (kinda like that Heroes episode a few weeks ago) Well, I thought that, but now not so much. What if next season they DO get rescued? What if we follow the events immediately FOLLOWING the rescue and then everyone's attempt to get BACK to the island? Of course...if they know where the island is and were able to Rescue Jack and Co....then why does Jack need MAPS or need to take random flights HOPING to find the island again?
• Or Perhaps Naomi's freighter presents the next conflict for the survivors and they do not get immediately rescued. Maybe we'll continue to have more FLASH forwards of life AFTER the island? And we'll learn how things end up this way?
• Perhaps the entire flash forward were visions placed in Jack's head? or maybe even a premonition from Desmond? We really could go anywhere with this!
• But the producers stated that after the season 3 finale, we will see exactly how there is so much more story to tell and how many more rooms to explore. INDEED, producers! As always, I'm totally on board!!!!

Well, I think I've talked plenty! Hope you were able to read all of this without falling asleep! This is our final Recap Blog of the season. I hope everyone is encouraged to keep commenting throughout the "off-season" if you have any theories or read any newsworthy information! I'll try to post any blogs during the summer/fall if anything noteworthy happens! Until then....I hope you all saved this episode on your TiVo's because we have LOTS and LOTS of rewatching to do! I can't wait!

Bookmark the blog and PLEASE COME BACK Next Season! As always hope you enjoyed my ramblings and I'll see you next year!

LOST: Season 3 Episode 21 - Greatest Hits

Hello my fellow Losties! Welcome back! Are you getting a little sad that our Thursday tradition will be coming to a close in one week's time? Well, we'll deal with that next week! For now, we have to talk about Charlie and some more crazy stuff happening on our favorite island! What another great episode of this show! Ultimately, we kinda knew this episode would just be setting up the finale but wow did they toy with our emotions with poor doomed Charlie (or is he doomed???) And they sure set in motion events that will change the course of their lives on this island forever. Yes, Jack and crew will be splitting up and embarking on simultaneous adventures, conveniently timed around the end of the season! As Kate says, "Here we Go Again." And what do I always say? Yep, you guessed it......."WOW!!!"

Our finale setup episode immediately deals with Jack's plan to protect his people but also how the crew must deal with complications to that plan. Sayid continues to persist that the imminent rescue opportunity is priority #1 (that would be part of the complications to Jack's revenge plot!) Flustered and crazy Ben returns from his assassination attempt of the CHOSEN ONE with a new plan almost as devious and crazy as Jack's (yep, another complication!). Charlie writes out his 5 BEST MOMENTS in life to give to Claire after he dies. Desmond has perhaps his "FINAL" premonition about Charlie, guiding Charlie in his supposed final hours as the doomed hobbit/rocker prepares for his heroic fatal mission.

Let's go ahead and break this down the best we can!

Ben's New Orders

6 hours ago prior to the rest of the episode's events. We see Ben return without Locke after the already infamous Jacob visit. Ben appears to be a man who has lost his composure and fears for losing his LEADERSHIP over the OTHERS community. Ben gives Alex the gun back and announces to the OTHERS that Locke had an "accident" and announces Jacob has a new plan. The kidnapping mission must be done that very night (instead of the next day). Since Juliet won't be prepared, take all of the women and kill any man that stands in your way! (uh oh!) Alex passes on information to Karl to warn Jack and friends. Observations:

• Ben lying to the others and giving false orders from Jacob confirms our suspicions that he shot Locke in order to maintain his ability to LEAD the Others. But Ben's flustered manner would seem to show him as a shell of the man that the OTHERS recruited to be their Leader. He has become so obsessed with finding a cure of Island Pregnancies that he has lost sight of HOW he is going about doing it. And this could lead to the DEATH of some very unfortunate castaways AND Others.
• Alex questions if Ben is real father. This seems to imply Alex does not know she was taken from Rousseau as a baby. I think we could assume that, but figured I'd mention.
• Alex has been seeing Karl in secret. Sawyer had told Karl to go BACK to Alex and it would seem he has never been caught. I guess the question remains to if Ben KNEW they were seeing each other and HOPED that Alex would tell Karl and the message would be relayed back to the castaways. Also...is it possible that Alex could be pregnant too? If the chances of getting pregnant on the island are as good as Juliet suggests, and this is the reason Ben wanted to keep them apart....then I guess there is as good a chance as any that she is!

Jack's back in charge

Well we knew a big speech was coming. We didn't know Jack was going to escort all of our regular cast-members (with none of the "Red-Shirts" as Boone or a Trekkie would say) into a random open field to announce his big plan! However there are some setbacks to the Plan. Let's break down these events:

• Jack reveals that he has been in talks with Rousseau to bring Dynamite from the Black Rock back to the camp. Well now we know why Rousseau was in the Black Rock! Jack gets into speech mode saying there's nowhere to run this time, nowhere to hide. "It's time we stop hiding. We're going to mark the tents with white rocks just as they instructed Juliet. And when they show up.....we're going to blow them all to hell!!" Woaaa Jack! So now it's Live Together, Die Alone, and KILL anyone that isn't us! niiiiiice
• Well, as always, I must quote myself from previous Blogs when I'm onto something! This was from the "The Man Behind the Curtain" blog just a couple weeks ago:
  
  "Sayid got a new toy to play with in the Satellite Phone as predicted. They are going to try and communicate with the rescue freighter. All static right now even though it had a few bars of service. Perhaps they will go to the radio tower to kill Rousseau's transmission? Isn't that what was blocking all other signals before? "
  
  Well, Sayid convinces Jack that communicating with the freighter is just as important as keeping people alive. And YES, they want to kill Rousseau's transmission. Juliet, however, reveals that Ben has been Jamming ANY transmission from leaving the island except theirs. And that there is a secret hatch UNDER WATER that is the source of the JAMMING. (And quite possibly the source of a LOT of answers!)
• The Underwater hatch is revealed to be "The Looking Glass" Hatch. We'll get into all that is LOOKING GLASS in Charlie's sections below. For now, we will say that THIS is what is at the other end of that WIRE along the beach. The wire that Sayid found after he tortured Sawyer in season 1 and left the camp, inevitably finding Rousseau and then discovering the existence of THE OTHERS. The wire that Hurley finds after talking to Sayid about some crazy NUMBERS that were on maps and writings the Iraqi stole from Rousseau. The wire that Desmond has a flash about in another Charlie-death premonition and discusses with Hurley in order to locate. Yes, we've been wondering about this wire for quite some time. Earlier this season, we thought that we finally discovered that it went to the Hydra Hatch. But considering that was on a different island, it wasn't really possible.
• Sayid pulls out the blueprints he stole from the FLAME station...and of course the "Looking Glass" Hatch blueprints are in there. Juliet says Ben told everyone there was an "ACCIDENT" and that the Hatch is completely flooded. Jack questions how it still works. Sayid says it's irrelevant and that they must get in there. Ben sure likes throwing that "ACCIDENT" word around. Perhaps he was trying to maintain an "illusion" again so that no one tried to go to the Looking Glass? Of course, this is all assuming Juliet can be trusted! But that is not our concern at this time! The plan is someone must swim down into that Hatch and that it would appear getting out alive might be tough (the whole running out of oxygen thing!) Charlie, based on Desmond's vision, volunteers for the job and Dezzie goes with.
• According to the blueprints, it would appear that the station was designed for a submarine to dock there. We have yet to see the full functions of this DHARMA station, but this could be an important development on how people are ARRIVING to the island.
  


• Anyway - Plans had to change a bit once Karl showed up. Others are coming TONIGHT not tomorrow! Jack goes into EMERENCY PLANNING mode and says there are 3 things that must happen at the same time. 1.) The Looking Glass must be entered and the Transmission Jamming must be stopped 2.) The OTHERS still have to be killed! and 3.) Everyone not involved in Missions 1 and 2 are heading to the Radio Tower together in hopes of Rescue!
• Jack obviously wanted to stick around and kill people. He stated that for 90 days people have asked him to make decisions for the Group. Sayid suggested Jack start ACTING like a leader and don't put yourself on the FRONT Line. Lead the Majority of the group to RESCUE! Sayid will stick behind with 2 other Gunners. Rousseau did not finish rigging the tents to light the dynamite....so each gunner will target a tent and BLOW those crazy others to bits!
• Who are are assigned Murderers? 1.) - Sayid Jarrah - Ex-Iraqi Military Guy 2.) Jin Kwon - Ex-Hit man/Korean Military Soldier?? 3.) Bernard - Ex-Pheasant Shooter!
• That's right Rose and Bernard returned! And not a moment too soon. As we need people to die in the finale, and well...Bernard is on the front line now! That ain't cool! But you never know what's going to happen. Key thing we learned about Rose this week? She can tie some serious knots! I'm sure that's behind her psychic powers too right? Hey, in LOST anything is possible! Oh yeah....and where did she get the DREADS from?
• Bernard fired quiet an accurate shot on that DHARMA Can too, he might be okay!
• As for Jin, he and Sun have a tiny moment where Sun reveals she went to the medical hatch. She, however, did NOT reveal that she is a ticking DEATH clock!
• So, what does Jack's Plan do for us? Well, it has set up pretty much where we'll probably starting at the beginning of season 4. The group will be split up again....but this time...Jack, Kate and Sawyer should ALL be with the core of the survivors....just AWAY from the beach. What does that mean for Desmond, Charlie, Sayid, Jin and Bernard (yeah, that's 5 people, by the way in case you like numbers!)? Are one or more of them destined to say goodbye before this season's end? I would say not all of them, but maybe at least 1? Bernard would be a HUGE cop-out too! Well we have 2 more hours to find out! (I wouldn't quite call Jack's crew safe either).

Charlie's Greatest Hits

Can I just say for the record, that I loved how they did the flashbacks this week? Just like any great Rocker has-been would, Charlie compiled a list of his greatest memories, or his GREATEST HITS, prior to his inevitable predicted death. He uses the Marker he used in season 1 to put those crazy letters on fingers. You remember "LATE" and "FATE"? Ahhh, remember when we thought there was some huge symbolism behind those words? Yes, back in our Amateur LOST viewing days! Anyway, his top 5 hits ended up being his 5 flashback scenes in order from 5-1. And yes....it turns out he was making the list for Claire resulting in the ultimate tear-jerking scene of Charlie giving the letter to Desmond to give to her!

5 - First Time I heard myself on the radio

Prior to the band making their big break, Charlie, his brother Liam and the rest of Driveshaft have a flat tire on the way to a concert. And then they hear "You All Everybody" on the radio. Their lives change forever. I'm not going to look into this flashback very much. Just a cool scene to see! As the relevance of what these flashbacks stood for grew with each one.

4 - Dad teaches me to swim

We see a young Charlie (looks like the same actor that played him in "Fire and Water") afraid to jump into the pool. And Daddy in the pool promising that he'd catch Charlie. For once, on LOST, someone's Dad ends up being a GOOD father! And he DOES get his son after jumping in the pool. What do we learn here? Charlie learns how to swim. Important for the task ahead! Charlie tells Jack that he was a Swim Champion in England back in his youth. And that he can hold his breath under water for 4 minutes. We later learn in a discussion to Desmond, that this might have been a fib.

3 - Christmas Liam gave me the ring

We arrive at the flashback finding Charlie in bed with 2 women, as all rock stars would be found. Liam arrives on Christmas to pass on the DS ring to Charlie. We used to think this stood for Drive Shaft, but actually the band was named after Dexter Stratton (didn't find any significance in the name. Anyone?), and the ring has been passed down through the family for many generations. There was some ironic comments from Liam who says that he is a mess and that Charlie will be the one to settle down, get married and have children. (Liam actually quits taking heroin and has the family in Australia...leaving Charlie with a drug addiction and a mess) Charlie gets the ONE RING TO RULE THEM ALL (yes obvious Lord of the Rings reference due to Dominic's role in each! Of course, I unnecessarily explained anyway!) and Liam asks him to pass it down to FAMILY.

2 - Woman outside Covent Gardens calls me hero

Charlie, after playing guitar in the street (once again Oasis's "Wonderwall") and after once again singing "You're gonna be the one that saves me" Charlie saves a woman from being mugged. The woman tells Charlie he is a Hero and that 3 people walked by and did nothing. By the way, did you notice the woman was Sayid's Girl Nadia? Yeah, she has showed up in Iraq, California (Locke inspected her Home), and now England.

The other thing you might be thinking, as I did, that this was the same flashback where we saw Desmond confront Charlie (during his time traveling adventure). I double checked the episode so you guys don't have to (and a Picture just showed up so I added it). Charlie was wearing different clothes and was at a different location. The song was the same though. So, we can't have any theories that Desmond's time traveling episode did NOT happen. We must assume that it still did! (based on the producers)

1 - The Night I met You

This was sooooo sweet! We revisit the night of the crash and see how Charlie met Claire and see the start of the romantic/flirty banter between Charlie and Claire. I think they spliced in this new scene with some older ones to date EXACTLY when this happened. But I haven't done my season 1 research to double check. But the last time we checked, it would seem Charlie introduced himself to Claire by helping her with her luggage the NEXT day. I'm sure they did their research, and I'm just being picky though! The gesture that this was Charlie's #1 outweighs any inconsistencies!

Charlie's Noble Mission

Well, Desmond has a premonition (supposedly, we've seen him want Charlie to die before for his personal benefit. But Desmond seems to be a good guy, as he couldn't let it happen last time) and says that Charlie will HAVE to die this time. In this section we follow Charlie's path to acceptance that he will die to save the people he loves.

• Naomi talks to Charlie and tells him that Driveshaft had a huge resurgence once word was out of his death. Charlie actually predicted this would be great publicity for the band back in season 1. So this was a nice ironic twist on that. Naomi said they released a greatest hits album and that the band was back together. This reminds me of all of those jokes that somewhere Elvis, Biggie, Tupac, and Kurt Cobain are hanging out on a deserted island somewhere collecting all of their royalties from the huge sales their supposed deaths brought in!
• Desmond tells Charlie that he sees Charlie in an underwater station, he flips a switch, the place floods and then he drowns. But the last flash he sees? Claire and Aaron getting on a Helicopter. There is no telling WHEN these events all happen. Just that they do. So Desmond's vision of Claire, for all we know, could be 49 episodes away (yes...that would be the season finale!) Anyway...Charlie, as we've stated, volunteers to flip the switch to unjam communication, fully knowing he will die doing so.
• During Charlie reminiscing on his greatest hits, we see him say goodbye to Claire (not telling Claire of Desmond's vision). And then to Aaron (aka Turnip Head awwwww). He tells Aaron that he loves him and even left the DS ring for him in the cradle (which Claire did not notice as she left for the radio tower with Aaron). Awww Charlie considers them FAMILY! so sweet! (I'm not gonna lie...I'm a sucker for the sappy sometimes! Plus Dom did such a great acting job in this entire episode!)
• So then it is upon us. Fortunately, for Dez and Charlie, Karl showed up with a boat, so they didn't have to swim to the Looking Glass. Upon arriving, Dez tries to stop Charlie from going down suggesting that maybe HE has been foiling all of the Charlie death visions because HE is supposed to take his place. In the end Charlie, being all noble again, knocks Dez unconscious and dives down. We get a good look at the Looking Glass station from outside and the thing is MASSIVE! The DHARMA Logo is a big white bunny/or rabbit with a hole in the neck. Yes a WHITE RABBIT. Remember the season 1 episode White Rabbit where Jack sees a vision of his Father? Remember all of the visions that followed? Remember these visions of the future that Desmond has been seeing all season long? Anyone think the expression "Through the Looking Glass" sounds familiar? Well not only is it the name of next week's finale episode, but it's also a sequel book to a very famous story, and one referenced in the "White Rabbit" episode of LOST. Yes, it is "Alice and Wonderland" PART II For the full name of the book is "Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There" This is one time that I think the book reference is VERY important. Why do I say so? Let's take a peek from wikipedia at the themes covered in this book:
  
  "Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (1871) is a work of children's literature by Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson), generally categorized as literary nonsense. It is the sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, although it makes no reference to its events. In it, there are many mirror themes, including opposites, time running backwards, and so on."
  
  Hmmmm Time Running Backwards....Mirror Themes....ahhhhh these concepts sound very familiar and very relevant! Could all of the events transpiring on that crazy island be linked to things happening in The Looking Glass Station? All of the visions? Desmond's premonitions? Could the safe-key that was turned in the SWAN Hatch be linked as a trigger to something happening in The Looking Glass Station. Were these visions intentionally given to Desmond to bring Charlie TO the Looking Glass Station? Charlie AND Desmond, maybe? And what about the SUB being linked to this station and based on every question I just asked. Is it possible that the Looking Glass Station is involved in getting people TO the island? Wow...I'm really psyched to see what we find out next week! But still....what happened to Charlie?
• Right...Charlie found an opening underneath the station and ended up in the Moon Pool entrance to the Looking Glace. It appeared to be a HUGE Hangar-like area. Charlie feels that Desmond's premonition was incorrect. Although, did anyone notice inconsistencies with stories earlier? Juliet believed the hatch was flooded (based on what Ben told her)...but Desmond says that the hatch floods after he flips the switch.
  
  (try clicking on image to enlarge. if not...go to this link and check out a larger image) What gives? Does that mean Charlie IS still doomed? Well he definitely looks doomed right now as he his being held at gunpoint by......
• 2 crazy women! Well, this is definitely a diffferent scenario than the last time we saw Charlie with two women (you know...the Ring Flashback!) Yes as Charlie is rejoicing in his survival, 2 women appear in military-esque fashion with guns rifles cocked and aimed at Charlie. Reminded me of how we were first introduced to Desmond at the start of season 2. Who are these women? I'm sure that's what we should be asking. People are speculating the BLONDE is Annie (Ben's childhood crush/friend). Others are suggesting it's the same woman that threw the lantern on Michael's Raft and blew it up at the end of season 1. Rumors are saying the brunette looks like Cassidy (sawyer's Long Con). I'm not going to deny any of this, but just raise more questions. Who are they working for? If Ben made up a flood story about Looking Glass, are they working for him? Does he have something over both of them to make them work for him? Are they working for Jacob? Are they working for themselves? Are they the last known survivors of the DHARMA initiative? Are we going to find out this season? WOW WOW WOW! This show is just crazy!
  

And with that, there's not much more I can say. We have 2 more hours to wrap up this fantastic season of LOST. I'm sure there are spoilers out there about the GAME CHANGING event that is going to happen next week. But I've read that these things should not be pursued because it will ruin your personal enjoyment of the episode! So steer clear of the spoilers!

I'm sure I missed tons of stuff though from THIS episode....and I'm really excited that the Blog audience is continuing to grow!. 2 Weeks ago, the hit count on thursday was twice as much as the weeks prior. Last week was twice that of 2 weeks ago! This is fantastic! It's unfortunate that we have to take a hiatus until February with all of you frequent readers! Maybe we'll think of something to keep the blog alive in the "Off-Season"! But please, keep commenting and sharing theories. You all had some really great ideas that I never even thought of last week!
And as a warning, I will try my best to get the blog out in a timely manner next week. But it is twice as hard to recap a 2 hour LOST episode as a 1 Hour, as you can probably imagine. Be Patient as I try to balance this with my real job! Hope you enjoyed my ramblings and see you after next week's CATASTROPHIC FINALE!

LOST: Season 3 Episode 20 - The Man Behind the Curtain

WOW! Sorry, couldn't build suspense for my episode approval this time. Just had to get it out of the way! This was one insane episode of LOST. Of course, if last week's episode caused ultimate confusion for me, it's hard for me to explain how confused I am now! So, this causes me to think that everyone might not share in my enjoyment of the Ben episode. I'm all about the MYSTERIOUS aspect of the show and love all of the questions they raise with their crazy little twists. And more people should be getting on board with this now that we know the end is coming in 50 more episodes (more on that at the end of the blog)! But, I will say, that the episode was TOTALLY weird and totally bizarre! So we don't just get an ordinary WOW this week. We get the WHIFTY Wow! And this, will now forever be known as "That was one crazy episode, but I sure did Love it!" (yeah...I was asked to do that by one of our most loyal LOST Addicts blog readers! Can't let the fans down!)

Whew...Yeah...I'm stalling. I don't even know where to begin with this one. But I know all of you don't want to just keep reading all of this filler! Kinda like no one wants to watch Aaron get baptized while Charlie has crazy dreams of Claire as the Virgin Mary! (get it??? Because it was a filler episode? Man, I'm so funny sometimes!) Anyways...Here we go!

"The Man Behind the Curtain" As Locke reminded us, it is a reference to the Wizard of Oz. Locke accuses Ben of being the Man Behind the Curtain, pulling all the levers and running the show. Of course, this ties in nicely to the fact that Ben pretended to be Henry Gale for half of season 2 (another character from the Wizard of Oz). This episode was all about Ben. The flashbacks focus on where he came from, and partially what inspired him to become the man he is now. And it might just reveal that he isn't the person running the daily operations of THE OTHERS (yeah, I'm not referring to Jacob here either). Speaking of Jacob, the episode also focuses more on learning about the mysterious Jacob mentioned maybe 2 or 3 times previously this season. For now, it seems we should believe that JACOB is the mysterious Man behind the curtain. And he will remain behind that curtain for the time being! And, of course, learning their lesson from episode's past...we didn't totally abandon our survivors in this episode. We see some small plot developments around everyone's suspicions of Jack and Juliet and FINALLY some heroic leadership from Mr. Shepard! And that's the easy part of the blog, so we'll start there!


"I think we got some catching up to do"

Well said Jack! Some important plot progressions from our Survivor's side of the island this week:

• There is more of the "Don't Tell Jack" theme going on. Jack has fled the camp with Juliet after Kate unveiled the Parachutist information.
• Sayid tells the whole camp about Naomi, who seems completely healed now (as Mikhail said she would be in 1.5 days). Everyone is up-in-arms about the world thinking they're dead. But there are more important issues at stake.
• Juliet's message is played for the camp. Loved when Sawyer and Kate made awkward eye contact when the part came on about "I'll have Austin's Sample soon." Amazing how much can be said with such a quick look!
• When Jack and Juliet return, we hear other side of the tape. Ben's response to Juliet's message. Juliet says that she went right to Jack about her "assignment" from Ben after Sun's ultrasound and the "I hate you" confession. I'm just curious to know how Juliet knew that Ben left a response for her. Jack and Juliet weren't informed that Locke brought Sawyer the recorder. Maybe we're just supposed to accept this one and not really look into it! Anyway, why has Jack been so quiet and secretive lately? Duh people! He was formulating a plan! And now he has one! Finally! I really would like another Live Together Die Alone speech next week! I'm tired of hitting the button on my Jack Action Figure to relive the glory days before Jack became the ultimate Whiner! (oh come on...I didn't buy it! It was a gift! yeah...maybe that's not any better!)
• Ben's message? In 2 days, 3 Teams of Others will come to extract Sun. He asked Juliet to mark the tents of any other pregnant women. Ahhh....perhaps marking the tents will be part of Jack's plan for an ambush! It's gonna be a showdown for the ages! And it conveniently is scheduled to occur right around the season finale! Weird how that works isn't it?

The History of Ben

Speaking of weird, time to talk about Ben! Although, his flashbacks weren't TOO weird, they just raise a lot more questions and STILL leave a lot to be explored with the fall of the DHARMA Initiative. But we also got some goodies in there! Mainly, as stated before, we follow the path of how Ben went from innocent child to the manipulative evil Ben we know today!

• So, did anyone else think we were on the island witnessing the birth of Ben? Yeah...even when the producers mentioned in a podcast that we shouldn't necessarily believe Ben was telling the truth about his birthplace, I still fell for it! But no, Ben was born on a hiking trip 32 miles outside Portland (a locale becoming more and more important with each episode!)
• Ben's mother Emily dies as a result of childbirth. She was 7 months pregnant. This seems to tie all of Ben's determination to save expecting mothers on the island very nicely. It provides us all sympathy for the tragic reminder Ben receives on each of his birthdays that he caused his mother's death. Ben's father, Roger, reminds him of this in his drunken stupors.
• We are introduced to Horace Goodspeed. Look into the names if you will and provide your theories on the significance in the comments! All I can think about is Stanley Goodspeed from The Rock! Horace was on the side of the road the day of Emily's death. It is yet to be seen if his significance goes further than just the link to how Roger and Ben end up on Fantasy Island.
• Yes for some 12ish years later (based on how old Ben appears), Horace was a part of the DHARMA Initiaitve and a bit of a hippie at that! He recruited Roger to be a part of experimentation taking place on the island. They arrive via the infamous DHARMA Sub (so we think once again...we once again still don't see them actually arriving!) But instead of working on experimentation, Roger becomes a WORK MAN. Ahhhh...ring a bell? Yep, remember that FILLER episode this season where Hurley found the DHARMA Van and the dead "Roger Workman" inside? Guess it isn't a filler episode anymore! Them genius writers, I'm telling you!
• We have a new Marvin Candle video to analyze (the Korean DHARMA video guy!) He welcomes everyone to the DHARMA Initiative. Discusses how the barracks are surrounded by a high frequency Sonar Fence to protect from the diverse "Wildlife." Hmm Smoke Monster or the "Hostiles?" He explains how every morning a new code will be provided if anyone wants to risk going beyond the fence. "There are properties on this island that exist nowhere else on this earth. Our Mission is to study these properties for the betterment of mankind and advancement of world peace" Betterment of mankind eh? Perhaps to start mankind all over again? Ben touches on the "world peace/harmony" aspect in the present time and how the DHARMA Initiative couldn't even co-exist with The Others. So...really nothing revealed in this additional DHARMA Video...just more to chew on!
• Ben gets a friend! Yes, he meets Annie and she offers the ultimate sign of friendship in the Apollo Candy Bar. Lots of adventure happen with Annie in these flashbacks, but the most important being the exchanging of Ben/Annie Dolls on Ben's Birthday. Something Ben holds sacred even in the present day. I wonder if Annie was part of the Purge. And when Annie suggested with the dolls that Ben and Annie would never be apart, I wonder if this holds more significance. Was she leaving? Or was this justification for Ben years later come Purge time? There's obviously room for more Ben flashbacks. Or at least...maybe some RICHARD flashbacks where we could learn more about Ben? I guess all I'm saying there is that if anyone is going to be offed in the season finale, Ben is still on the table as a possibility! But I hope not. That creepy dude is awesome!
• During Ben's education at the DHARMA Daycare (came up with that myself, you like?), we learn that the Island is actually volcanic and that there had been an eruption a long time ago. Hmmm I'm guessing this was an important tidbit for episodes to come!
• Then there is the attack of the Hostiles, as DHARMA people always call the Others. (Even Desmond said it in season 2!) Lots of explosions and a lock-down in the classroom. But the biggest thing to come out of all of this was Roger recapping the story and saying they were driving back from the PLANE prior to the explosion. Hmmm....this must be a plane we have not heard about or seen before since it pre-dates both Flight 815 and the Nigerian Plane.
• And of course we must mention Ben seeing visions of his dead mother and the whispering he hears. Of course when he sees her beyond the fence...and Emily saying "It's not time yet Benjamen" we're supposed to look at the Purgatory themes and the Gates to Heaven. But on a surface level, it would seem it is not time for Ben to make his departure from the DHARMA Initiative just yet.
• Young Ben DOES in fact make an excursion outside of the fence one day. Gets the daily code "54439" (numbers fanatics...work your magic!), the de-powering of the Fence makes the infamous Star Wars Tractor Beam deactivation sound that we so know and love (you know..on the Death Star! Come on, I'm not THAT big of a dork for making the connection!). Ben sends a white bunny through the fence. Ahh we learn of Ben's fascination with causing terror for cute little bunnies! Of course...he didn't paint an 8 on the back of any bunnies at this point in his life!
• More whispering is heard and then enter Long haired hippie Richard. Huh? He's on the island already? He was an Original Inhabitant of the island? And how on earth does he look like he's the same age while Ben is only 12? I could've sworn Present Day Ben was the same age as Richard, if not older. Now, I'm sure Richard is supposed to look younger with the wavy hair...and it's just because it's the same actor playing him that he looks older....but still...how much older than Ben could he really be in the present day? Anyway...Richard looks VERY intrigued that Ben sees visions of his Mother and Hears her talking to him. But he asks Ben to be patient. Kinda like Emily said "it isn't time yet." From those 2 exchanges, it would seem that the Smoke Monster/Visions CAN be tied to the OTHERS and they are manipulating Ben. Or it could be seen as Richard seeing hope in Ben for being able to experience some of the Island's powers. And they have plans for Ben to be their leader one day.
• Years later...we see an older Ben (it would seem still a bit younger than present day Ben but not TOO much younger) working as a WORK MAN right along with Roger. They take the Van out on Ben's Birthday to the Pearl Station and then to Mesa (never heard this before, have we?) Lots of exchanges of how Roger ruined Ben's life for him and then BAM....GAS City! At 4:00 sharp, Ben kills his father and leaves him to rot in the Van at Mesa. How the Van is turned over when Hurley found it? Yet to be seen. But what IS seen now is that 2 times Richard has convinced outcasts to kill their fathers to become ONE OF THEM. As Present Day Ben says...he CHOSE his allegiance when it was necessary.
• Why do I say Richard convinced him? Because when we return to the Barracks the entire DHARMA community has been Gassed and killed. Yes...Mikhail telling us of the PURGE was accurate. And we finally saw it first hand!
• Question to part with from this section: Was Kelvin working for DHARMA at this point? It would seem he would have to be. But he wasn't there for the purge. He was pushing the button. Maybe this also confirms Ben did NOT know about the Swan hatch until he was brought there by Sayid.

The Hunt for Jacob

Yes, this is the storyline that has all of our heads spinning once again. As if we didn't have enough on our plates with Time Travel. Now we have imaginary friends to deal with! Anyway, Locke's back with dead Daddy and wants some answers! So do we John, So do we! Here's what went down.

• It's Ben's Birthday again which he seems adamant about reminding to Richard. As if maybe Richard promised Ben he'd never forget his Birthday some time ago. Perhaps a promise that he made in order to persuade Ben to help with the Purge? Ben still has his Annie Doll with him to this day too. I just have a feeling this scene will hold more significance with future flashbacks.
• Ben realizes the recording is missing, thinking Richard brought it to the Medical Hatch. Does he catch on that Locke gave it to the survivor camp? We're not meant to think so. I'm going to say no for now.
• Ben has a sit down with Locke once he returns. Pours some whiskey, which seems to be a recurring theme on the show these days. He tells Locke that he really doesn't have all of the answers. But DOES say he's not the leader and tells us about Jacob. How Jacob only speaks to Ben and everyone believes that Ben does speak to Jacob. Locke has his suspicions right away. Keep in mind...the OTHERS seem to be getting tired of Ben's quest for fertility on the island. It just seems that Ben took charge of the OTHERS after a key occasion where he encountered Jacob for the first time (maybe seeing his Dead mother ties into this somehow...where the others view Ben has having a gift?) And since no one else has communicated with Jacob, THE OTHERS were willing to follow Ben and whatever Ben wanted to do. And it seems Ben used his manipulation skills to convince everyone that Jacob WANTS them to pursue the fertility on the island issue. Maybe even convince everyone that Jacob exists? I'm getting ahead of myself. And I'm definitely just theorizing by the facts given.
• Mikhail shows up and explains why he's still alive (as promised, in a sentence). The Pylons were not set to a lethal level. And just like that he lives. He explains to THE OTHERS about Naomi. Clearly, Naomi is not with The Others, as this comes as a shock to everyone. Of course Locke tells the entire Camp that Ben is taking him to see Jacob. The whole camp is taken aback. And notice how no one does a thing when Locke starts to beat the crap out of Mikhail. This seemed to show their loyalty behind Locke over Ben, which was the point Locke was trying to prove. Everyone is fed up...and if Locke is the CHOSEN ONE, or whatever....why shouldn't HE be able to go see Jacob? Again...just my take on it all. So, against Ben's wishes (so we think), he must bring Locke to Jacob.
• Alex gives Locke a gun for the Jacob encounter. What is THIS all about? Has Alex met Jacob? Or just heard stories?
• Ben suggests Jacob will not appreciate the intrusion. He summons people and is not someone you just go and see. Could be more of Ben's fear and attempts at manipulation. He seems to have his own agenda, and other people coming in contact with Jacob would ruin his hold on people.
• So was that a river of ASH that Ben and Locke came in contact with? Perhaps from the Volcanic Eruption? Does this hold significance to Jacob's location? Why did Ben look so scared to cross the Ash? I have no answers, just observing!
• And then there is the Jacob encounter. This is probably where the LOST fans are divided in Half. They arrive at an old creepy house in the middle of the jungle. Ben mentions Jacob is like Locke when it comes to use of Technology on the island and requests Locke to turn off flashlight. After Ben does the ol "There's No Turning back once door is open" saying...we enter the house. We see a Portrait of a Dog (a creepy dog!), Jars of weird colored fluid, and of course Ben talking to his Invisible friend!
• I was with Locke.....Ben is a loon! He somehow was keeping his hold over the others by lying to them! Locke says some awful words to Ben that he may learn to regret. He walks away and then hears in a creepy low voice "HELP ME." He turns the flashlight on...and all hell breaks loose! The house shakes.....jars fall over, the chair rocks....windows break....lantern lights the inside on fire. Ben yells at the chair and gets pushed against the wall.....and then....IT HAPPENS.....we see a brief glimpse of a Man sitting in the chair!
• Okay...so we need to break this stuff down right? First of all...did anyone see that shadow on the chair when the house started to shake? Some suggest this was ol' Smokey appearing again. It kinda just looks like an accidental shadow to me. Plus, it wasn't accompanied by the trademark Smoke Monster Sound.
  
• Then there's the quick glimpse of JACOB. The hair is a bit deceiving, but look at the shape of the face and forehead. Doesn't that look a bit like John Locke? I was mulling around a theory in my head yesterday that perhaps Locke is unknowingly Jacob prior to seeing the episode. So, this might be me just seeing things. I also mulled around the possibility that it could be Christian Shepard (whom we never actually saw die...just saw his body...but now that they found the bodies of the Flight 815 passengers...it made me start considering that again). But who really knows. We can guess about this all day....but it will be revealed to us in time who Jacob is. And if Hurley's foreshadowing in Expose' is correct, it will be in season 4! But this kinda confirms it won't be Lando/Billy Dee Williams!
  
• So then there's the ol "HELP ME" thing. Ben seemed very surprised at Locke saying he heard something. And the fact that LOCKE heard "Help Me" could say it all. Ben clearly didn't hear Jacob say it. Maybe he's never heard Jacob at all? And can he really see him? Or was he really hoping that bringing Locke there would shed some light on the situation? Again...we can all theorize...but we just need to let this one play out. But why "Help Me" Is it Help free me from Ben? Help me because I'm invisible? Help Me Help You? Help! I need somebody? not just anybody? Yeah....I have no idea. I'm still trying to figure out why he was invisible!
• Locke still was trying to figure out exactly what he saw, claiming it was all a big show to Ben. (He clearly saw Jacob! They showed his eyes fixated on it!) Ben reveals that he DID lie about being born on the island and then shows Locke the DHARMA Grave. Ben is persistent in finding out what Jacob said to Locke...and then he SHOOTS Locke! WOA!!! Why did he do it? "BECAUSE YOU HEARD HIM!" Hmmm....is that because he doesn't want Locke telling The Others what he heard? Would seem so, wouldn't it? Perhaps Jacob will help Locke? Locke does have incredible healing powers. But we've never seen anyone recover from Bullets. Can they really kill John Locke after he heard such an important Message? I say no....of course...unless Jacob IS Locke and there are 2 Locke's from 2 different times on the island. That's a bit crazy, though isn't it? I'm sticking with SOMEHOW Locke will survive this and become more determined than ever to SAVE the island...OTHERS and Survivors alike.

Hope I didn't lose anyone in that rambling. Every detail of the episode seemed so important! I didn't want to leave anything out! Very interested to hear everyone else's thoughts on the crazy episode. Liked/Disliked? Theories? Bring em' on! We can figure it out together! Wait...we still have more to discuss!

3 Seasons of 16 Left

In case you've been living under a rock...or I dunno...actually doing work, you probably have heard that LOST producers have worked with ABC to confirm an End Date for LOST! Took me awhile to get on board but we have 3 Seasons left of 16 episodes each. For now each season will run from February to May and the show will end in 2010! If you're having a hard time getting on board, maybe you want to read the entertainment weekly interview with Damon and Carlton (producers). I thought it was fantastic! Careful on Page 3...they reveal a few tidbits of season 3. One of them being that we'll meet Jacob in the episode that just passed. They also compare Jacob to the Emperor in the Star Wars saga....and how we didn't even meet the guy until Return of the Jedi, but he was always mentioned leading up to that. They claim Jacob is just as important to LOST as the Emperor is to Star Wars. But their rationalization of the final 3 seasons was what captivated me. If you think about it....they had a 5 season plan. Each season being 24 episodes (so that would be 48 episode). So now....we have 3 seasons of 16, which is also 48 episodes. They said 24 episodes a season is too tough for them and leads to some of those bizarre episodes we've had where really nothing happens. 3 sets of 16 is better to work with and also gives them more time to put some thought into how they unveil the mythology to us! But we can all be assured that the answers are coming and they already started this season! We're more than halfway done! I'm excited and totally onboard!

Finally, I'd like to end this blog by welcoming all of the newcomers who discovered the blog last week! Thanks for checking it out! Please keep on coming back and sharing your thoughts. And share with your friends! Hell, share with people you don't even know! I was really excited to see the Comments section taking off! This was always meant to be an interactive discussion with other fans of the show!

Well my fellow Losties, 2 more blogs for the season and I'm sure the episodes are going to be fantastic! I'll see you next week to discuss!

LOST: Season 3 Episode 19 - Brig

I'm really starting to feel like a broken record! But seriously, this show has been FANTASTIC! Maybe I'm just getting over my initial enjoyment of last night's episode but for now, I have to say it may have been one of the best episodes EVER on LOST! Season 3 definitely had a slow start, but man have we hit the pay dirt now! Week after week of ANSWERS, it seems! The one we got tonight was one we've been speculating about since season 1. And it's always nice when we end up being right about something! But, the WAY they went about the big reveal was some very engaging TV! When the LOST screen popped up at the end of the episode, I literally just sat there in amazement at this show's creative streak and said out loud................."WOW!" Now....just because I think this was one of the best episodes ever, does NOT mean this will translate into the greatest blog ever! Mainly, because I'm just as confused as ever! But as always, that doesn't mean I won't try!

In "Brig" we find ourselves back with John Locke. Our non-traditional flashbacks show us the 8 Days that we've missed with Locke, Cooper, Ben and the whole Others Clan while we've been pursuing equally important storylines back at Othersville and eventually the beach! Locke recruits Sawyer under the false pretense that he has infiltrated the OTHERS and needs help killing Ben (come on...we all knew he was lying from the second he said it!). And of course the story of our Parachutist, Naomi continues as our favorite castaways try to keep information from getting to their former trusted leader, Jack. Let's dive in!

The Missing 8 Days
Ahh yes, we love when Days pass by with a lack of information don't we? I still say we're missing a day or 2 of information after the HATCH imploded. How did Eko get in the cave? Was Locke just lying in the jungle with no voice for 2 days? And well....Desmond's whole time travel thing! But alas, we're not focusing on those today! These 8 days have Ben putting Locke on the path of enlightenment. To what end? Well, that is yet to be seen. But apparently, the others (and some former tail section survivors) seem to think Locke is very SPECIAL. But for some reason, for Locke to be ENLIGHTENED, he must first show signs that he can be trusted. That he's not the same person he used to be. He must KILL his father, who mysteriously just showed up on the island. I guess we still don't know if Locke's father was just another manifestation of the island. But it sure seemed real! So for purposes of this Blog I'm going to stay with the assumption that he was indeed REAL!

8 Days Ago

• Cooper bites Locke's hand and leaves a big gash.
• Ben asks Locke to join the OTHERS as they leave Othersville. He mentions where they are going is an OLD place.

3 Days Ago

• Others are in make-shift tents. Living the way Locke had suggested to Ben. A life without technology...living off what the island provides.
• We see Cindy, our favorite flight attendant, again who seems completely comfortable co-existing with the Others these day. Which, I think everyone would agree, we still need more information with what happened when Cindy and the kids were taken! But the key for now is that everyone is excited by Locke's presence.
• Ben, all of a sudden is able to walk again (with the help of a cane). Is this because he embraced the island? He credits being around Locke to his recovery. Is it the truth though? or is it all for a false pretense of making Locke feel special and wanted and with purpose? Because all we've seen of Locke's prior existence was his search for belonging and purpose.
• We see Ben received Juliet's recording and announces to Locke his plan that he's going to take the pregnant women. Seems like a test of some sorts to see where John's loyalty is. Or could just be another game. Maybe he WANTS Locke to get the information to the castaway camp. Ben speaks again of Locke's POTENTIAL, but cannot reveal anything until Daddy is dead.
• You know how much I love books on the show, don't you? Well Ben brought some with him in his tent. One was "WORD POWER" which we've seen before. Apparently, he brings this with him everywhere he goes. A new arrival is John Lescroart's "The Oath" a criminal thriller that takes place in a house of healing. You getting any insight from this? Yeah..me either.
  


• Locke's father has been tied up to an ancient column that looks like it was used for ritualistic sacrifices. The ancient appearance of this column seems like it's meant to draw comparisons to the 4 toed statue we saw in season 2's finale. We're still nowhere closer on learning exactly HOW old this island is, and what it was used for. But there's definitely a theme they're trying to get across here. The producers even said that they placed the Adam and Eve skeletons in the CAVE in season 1 just so when they reveal exactly what's going on on the island.....that they can prove they knew what they were doing right from the beginning. And for some reason..it seems like the AGE of the island or its inhabitants plays a big role!
  
• At Night Fall - Locke is put to the test to kill his father. He fails and Ben humiliates him in front of the whole camp "He is not who we thought he was." What was up with Cooper saying "I'll be here rest of the week if you change mind?" Supposed to be a joke in passing? Maybe...but then why did Ben knock him out so quickly? He did the same thing in the Closet when Cooper tried to tell Locke where they were. Are we supposed to be harping on these 2 interesting moments? Cooper seems to tell us where he thinks they are in the present day. Is that what he was going to originally tell Locke? Like I said...for purposes of this BLOG...that's what I'm assuming. But, we always have to consider the alternative! We just don't exactly know what that alternative would be!

2 Days ago

• The gash in Locke's hand is completely healed in 6 days. They just keep dropping these little tidbits in the episodes to remind us of the healing powers of this island. Especially with John Locke. Hopefully the answers are coming soon!
• Richard Alpert informs Locke that Ben's show the night before was intentionally to embarrass John. He doesn't want the people thinking John is special. Apparently, word got out to all that there was a man with a broken spine on flight 815 that could walk again. Richard seemed to be clearly complaining about Ben's leadership and how they are all bogged down with the Fertility issues on the island. Apparently, they were promised BIGGER things when they signed up for Island living. Or as Alpert suggested....MORE IMPORTANT Reasons. Reminds me of when Juliet tried to have Ben killed during surgery. It seems that there is some disagreement within the Others community. Then again, Richard talking to John could've entirely been part of Ben's strategy. In any case, Locke is given information on James "Sawyer" Ford. If Locke can't kill him...there's someone else who has been dying to!

Yesterday

• Ben and the Others leave Locke behind. Ben instructs Locke not to come unless he's carrying his father's body on his back. I wonder if there's another reason Ben wanted Locke's Dad dead. Not just for Locke to continue on the path of enlightenment. Just seems that he was very persistent that it needed to be done. Of course, by doing it in this fashion, it just gives Ben more power over Locke and his future decisions. Ben withholding information until key opportunities seems to be what he does. Remember him holding information about Juliet's sister? Lying to the survivors about being Henry Gale until he was able to get into Jack and Locke's head? I'm sure there are other examples. But we'll just go with those for now.

Sawyer, Locke and Sawyer Showdown

Before we get into the reveal below...let me share some of my quotes with you from previous blogs.

March 30, 2006 - Lockdown
"So Locke's "Dad" conned a family out of $700,000. Can we assume that this is SAWYER's family? (which would definitely date this flashback quite a few years since Sawyer was a kid when his Dad killed his wife then shot himself) There were rumors before that Locke and Sawyer might be related after Locke knew Sawyer's real name, "James Ford" but we got nothing to tie this together by finding out Locke's Dad's name is Anthony Cooper (unless it's another alias). But a clean way to tie it together would be if Locke's "DAD" is the conman Sawyer was/is looking for. And, hmmm maybe if he DID catch an Oceanic flight out of LA, maybe HE's on the island too! (okay..now I'm just getting crazy!) "

Crazy indeed! Crazy how close I was! Here's another one:

March 22nd 2007 "The Man From Tallahassee"
We know Locke's dad is a conman and so is Sawyer.....and one of the running theories in LOST is that Locke's dad might be the REAL Sawyer. You know the one that conned James Ford's (who we know as sawyer on the island) mother causing his father to kill her and then himself...and causing a life of pain for James....also causing him to become a conman himself while hunting down the REAL sawyer. Wouldn't it be convenient that the island brought him the thing he wanted the most too? A chance to kill the man that ruined his life?

Ok ok okay...I'm not claiming to be a genius or anything. A lot of people had the theory. But come on...even predicting he might be on the island!?!? That was insane! Anyway, as stated earlier Locke has recruited James "Sawyer" Ford under the false pretense (and supposed audience false pretense) that he needs help killing Ben. Here's what went down in this fantastic storyline!

• First of all, we must note that Kate and Sawyer are shacking up like bunnies these days. If what Juliet says is true about men's fertility on the island and what Ben said is true that he wants to take the pregnant WOMEN (plural)....then I don't see how Kate is going to get out of this season without being pregnant!
• Locke continues his digging for information from Sawyer. Explains what information was in his file stating that his parents were killed when he was a boy and that is all. Of course, then he added the fact that it didn't mention WHY Daddy killed Mommy then killed himself. Hmmm..Locke seems to be learning manipulation skills from his new mentor Ben! He also starts asking again why he picked the name SAWYER. Sawyer also explains how he killed the wrong man in Sydney (which still...how did the others have that intel??). All nice reminder information for those people who don't have fantastic blogs to read where the writer force feeds previous quotes from previous blogs to tie things together!
• By the way...quick glimpse of Sawyer's file shows a Police Report in French. Prop error? Or a hint at a future flashback tying Sawyer and Sayid together or Sawyer and Shannon possibly?
  


• Locke takes Sawyer to the BLACK ROCK where he claims to have hidden Ben. Great to see the ol' slave ship again! Locke thinks that the slaves were brought here to mine. Mine for what???
• Sure enough Locke had set up a trap to force Sawyer to confront their mutual nemesis. A man that goes by many names including Anthony Cooper and TOM Sawyer. (not sure if we ever had the first name. And idiot me may never have even thought of it!) Loved the "Huck Finn" was already taken line.
• But before we get into all of that, let's divulge some information Cooper gave us about how he ended up on the island. From his perspective, we must assume, he never saw a coastline and has no idea they're on an island. He was in Tallahassee driving down I-10 when someone rammed his car from behind and crashed him right into a median going 70mph. All he remembers is being picked up by the paramedics and the guy placing the IV in his arm smiling. Next thing he knows he's in a closet looking up at his "DEAD" son. Not dead because Cooper threw him out a window but dead because Flight 815 was found and the passengers were all dead! (more on that in next section). Cooper assumes he is also dead and in HELL. So now we replace our purgatory theories with HELL theories! Fantastic! I'll just go out on a limb and say they are NOT in hell! But the bigger thing to focus on is how he got to the island. UNCONCSIOUSLY. There seems to be a recurring theme that no one really recalls arriving at the island. When they wake up...they're already here! Of course, we've seen the tail section of the plane crash, we saw a splash in the water that was supposed to be a helicopter. But Juliet was brought to the island willingly unconscious strapped into a bed in the submarine. We had speculations that she really didn't get there via Sub. And now Cooper was in a car accident and ended up on the island? (pending he's telling the truth) And does the car accident tie into the "Bring me the Man from Tallahassee" order that Ben gives Tom? I think we have to assume it does. But how were they able to get him so quickly? Granted...Ben claims that LOCKE brought him here. But here is where I call B.S. on Ben! That is...until Ben proves to me that there IS a metaphorical Magic Box, I'm going to assume that the others can freely summon people from off the island. How? I have absolutely no idea. The only other explanation is Cooper was lying and was there all along. Or that it was, in fact, a manifestation of the island (i.e. smoke monster).
• By the way, while Sawyer is confronting Locke's Dad, Rousseau just happens to show up at the Black Rock looking for Dynamite! Hmmmm what does she need THAT for? Last we saw her, she was stalking her daughter, Alex. We have to assume that something EXPLOSIVE might be happening in a possible rescue attempt by the season 3 finale. What else would she need dynamite for? I'm intrigued!
• Back to the Sawyers. I absolutely LOVED this scene. Sawyer finally giving his letter to the man he's been hunting his whole life. Cooper reading the letter non-challantly and then tearing up the letter. Making comments about James's Mother (whose name is Mary). I think I was ready to strangle the guy myself, which is exactly what Sawyer does! Man, what a graphic and haunting scene! But well written and fitting scene. I mean, when the fans want a PAYOFF, that is what we're looking for! Absolutely fantastic. All of this followed by a heart-felt THANK YOU from John Locke. Perfect scene. RIP Anthony Cooper.
• Key moment we should consider - Sawyer knows about Locke's prior paralysis. Will he tell everyone else? How will it factor into everyone's future perception of Mr. Locke? (namely, Jack).
• Locke, although now on his own journey (not with the survivor camp or the others camp), provided the Baby-Napping intel he gathered from Ben (Beach Raid in 3 days) as well as gave Sawyer the recording proving Juliet is a mole. Considering Juliet is playing both sides....this should prove to be very interesting in the final episodes of the season.

Don't Tell Jack
Pretty much seemed like the theme was that Jack was with the others for however long and is very friendly with Juliet. And EVERYONE except Kate was showing no trust in giving him the information on their latest vistor, Naomi. Of course, once you tell one person, accidents happen and eventually the information will get to everyone. Some very interesting tidbits provided by Naomi as well as Jack and Juliet. Here they are:

• Naomi's full name is Naomi Dorrit (I checked the closed captioning!)
• Helicopter took off from a search and recovery team freighter 80 nautical miles west of the island.
• She is on a mission to find Desmond. Hired by Penelope Widmore (as suspected) and had a set of coordinates to a location in the middle of the ocean. They thought it was a fools errand. This seems to confirm she is not lying as Penny had the coordinates in the final scene of season 2. Also seems to confirm that the island is NOT a moving target as previously theorized.
• She claims the helicopter just stopped functioning prior to crashing (instruments started spinning). Seems very much like an Electro-magnetic Pulse effect doesn't it?
• Sayid got a new toy to play with in the Satellite Phone as predicted. They are going to try and communicate with the rescue freighter. All static right now even though it had a few bars of service. Perhaps they will go to the radio tower to kill Rousseau's transmission? Isn't that what was blocking all other signals before?


• But the big and disturbing news? Naomi continued to explain how Flight 815 was found and that there were no survivors. They found the ENTIRE Plane in an ocean trench 4 miles deep off the coast of Bali. In case anyone is wondering where Bali is, it's not far from Australia. Kudos to Google Maps for the assistance!
  
  Naomi says that they sent those crazy robots (like the ones we saw in Titanic) into Flight 815 and ALL of the bodies were found in the plane and dead. HUH?????? I still smell cover-up. I have no idea how they could replicate bodies (except in the form of manifestations), but how would an ENTIRE plane end up 4 miles underwater practically undamaged? I could not be more confused yet completely intrigued in this new twist! I want more information! And I'm sure more is coming by the finale. It better if we have to wait until January for more LOST!
• And of course the final little tidbit we need to mention is after Kate explains to Jack and Juliet (unwillingly) what is going on. Jack, instead of worrying about everyone not trusting him, asks how they are going to contact the freighter. Kate mentions the satellite phone. Jack and Juliet look at each other. Juliet "I think we should tell her" Jack "No" Juliet "I THINK we should TELL her!" Jack "NOT YET!" WHAT???? Ok, so this kinda ties into what some of the commenters posted about before. It seems that Jack and Juliet are conspiring on SOMEthing. Maybe they are BOTH on the same mission. Jack said he trusts Juliet. Juliet hates Ben. Perhaps they are both playing everyone for fools for the greater good of the survivors? I mean...what could Juliet be so persistent in telling Kate? I remain convinced that whatever Jack is up to...it is for a GOOD outcome for everyone; not a selfish or evil plan. UGH....I want to know more now!!!!

Whew....that's it folks. I am still in awe of this episode. 3 years of build-up is what leads to fantastic episodes like this. Anyone else rank this one up as high as I do? Are you all looking forward to the Ben flashback episode next week? We keep hoping to get information on that crazy DHARMA Initiative and the purge. Perhaps that is next week! Then we'll shift our focus finally to Charlie the next week and probably will learn his fate. All leading up to the 2 hour Jack-centric finale where we hopefully will learn what he's been conspiring to do all season!

Hope you enjoyed my ramblings as always and look forward to hearing all of yours! See you Next week!