"The Constant" follows Desmond and Sayid on their journey to the freighter. Their tourguide and pilot, Frank tries to heed Dan's advice to stick to the bearing they came in on. However when they pass through a storm cloud (or as Sayid branded a "Thunderhead"), Desmond goes all haywire. As opposed to "Flashes Before Your Eyes" last season where Desmond's PRESENT mind traveled back to the past where he was living with Penny; here we see Desmond's PAST consciousness experiencing and living out moments in the future (or PRESENT island time) then returning to the past at an exponentially quicker rate. Depending on where Dez's mind was at a particular moment, the other time period's Desmond would lose consciousness. Of course, it is important to know that Dez's PRESENT consciousness is nowhere to be found and his prior self must find his way back through "THE CONSTANT" in order to survive and send Dez BACK TO THE FUTURE!.....errrr bring his present mind back (doesn't sound as cool!)? Bottom line: That hatch really screwed this guy up!
The Chopper Trip
- Sayid asks Frank why he's flying directly into this "thunderhead." I would assume this is because he was scared to sway from his course that Dan provided. 40 Miles N @ 305" 7 K East. Hmmm....Miles AND Kilometers? That's interesting! I guess the drawing isn't to scale either as the 7 Kilometers East looks like a longer trip than the 40 miles! Also, is it important to note that Frank's Gauge was reading 31??? If you recall, the difference between the Island and the Rocket fired from the freighter was 31 minutes. If only they could've punched in November 5th, 1955 we might have been able to stop Old Biff from giving Young Biff that Sports Almanac!
- As Desmond sits and waits and hopes to find answers on the freighter, we head towards the "thunderhead" and then Dez takes a trip back to 1996 when he was in the Scottish Army. Or really, Dez's past consciousness somehow took a trip to the future where he was on a helicopter! Thus we begin our crazy time tripping affair!
Life on the Freighter
You know, I was starting to think we may actually never see this crazy freighter! I thought they would do a bunch of hyping up of it, but never actually show us scenes on the freighter. Well, I can happily say, my fears were set aside! We met some new and interesting characters on the ship and I can easily say we're probably more confused than Desmond who has no idea where and when he is at this point!
- WE meet 2 new characters, Keemee (excuse the spelling, I have no idea what he said. I tried for a pronunciation!) from Las Vegas, and Omar from Florida.
- Keemee and Omar don't seem too thrilled with Frank from bringing Sayid and Desmond back to the freighter. Further showing that our Island Freighter folk are nowhere near the brains of this operation.
- They also mention they left port in Fiji so they know they are the Pacific Ocean somewhere. Hmmmm....seems like this island is sticking in one place for the time being. Flight 815 Pilot said they were headed towards Fiji or something after they were off course I think. Getting there from Florida and Nigeria (and apparently, Madagascar!)still To be Determined!
- These two NEW Freighter guys seem to know what is happening to Desmond (kinda) and they take him to the sick bay and lock him in there. This causes some Scottish screaming and rants and the almighty line from CLERKS "I'm not supposed to be here!!!"
- In the sickbay, is none other than our Radio buddy George Minkowski strapped to a bed. He reveals that his mind is traveling through time as well. Except, he is fully aware in the present of what has happened. So he must be tripping BACKWARDS in time as opposed to Desmond tripping forward? Speaking of which...this must be tied to Desmond's Flashes of the Future right? But we never got the impression that he was experiencing them as much as seeing them. He never passed out, just went into a bit of a daze while he watched images of events that led to a moment in the future where Charlie would ultimately die. (Don't worry...we'll get more into Dez's travels in a section below. There is no clean way to break this stuff up!)
- Then Creepy Doctor, Ray, arrives to inject George with some stuff. Dez's flipping out ensues! We didn't learn much about this doctor yet, but something tells me we haven't seen the last of him! It would seem that no one believes what is happening to George. He mentions that it's going to happen to everyone "ONCE THEY GO TO THAT ISLAND" I guess there are plans for everyone to go there? Ray tries to check Desmond's eyes with a light and then Dez trips back to the past. Connection? Oh I have no idea!
- Meanwhile, Sayid exchanges his gun for Frank's phone to call Jack and tell him what's going on. To Be Continued iin the sections below! ...
Meanwhile on the Island
Jack and Juliet are still waiting for a call from the freighter. Dan starts getting into differences in time, which Charlotte is aware of and not very fond of Dan's straight-forwardness.
- Dan says that Sayid and Desmond may not have been gone as long as they THINK they've been gone. There are potential Side-Effects with the flight. Hmmm Jack also mentions they've been gone a day before the communication but to the Chopper people, it seems like an hour or so later right? But they can still communicate in real time. Makes me think again back to that 1930's broadcast of the Glenn Miller song on the radio. I'm also confused with Jack saying it's been 100 days and it actually only being 92/93 days. It is noted later in the episode that it's Christmas Eve in the Freighter. I can only assume that Jack rounded up because it would make no sense (based on the past few episodes) that more days are passing on the island than off of the island!
- Anyway, they get the call from Sayid and he says Desmond is acting strange. Jack puts the phone on speaker. On the other end of the line Frank helps Sayid get to Desmond (well isn't he a nice guy??)...then the magic happens!
- By the way, it is revealed that the SAT Phones can only talk to each other, so they can't call anyone else for help.
- Desmond and Dan begin their connection through time. We find out that the Dez we're hanging out with is 1996 Desmond. Dan, in 1996, is working at Oxford University in the Queen's College Physics Department. Dan gives Dezzy instructions to GO TO HIM (Marty/Doc Brown style) for help!
- Dan finds his journal to find information from 1996 that would help 96 Dan believe Desmond about '04 Dan. The directions? Device must be set to 2.342 and must be oscillating at 11Hz. If the numbers don't convince him say "I know about Elloise" We didn't get to speculate about Eloise too long, for she is revealed to us in Desmond's travels.
- Dan also mentions that the splits are unpredictable, sometimes lasting for years, sometimes for hours. Jack is confused asking if this has happened before. Hmmm....Is Dan a TIME-MIND traveler as well? Or was he referring to his "Eloise" experiments? Based on our cliffhanger, I with think it might be the former.
- Dan also asks Jack if Desmond had any lengthy periods of exposure to Radiation or Electro-magnetism. We, of course, know that Desmond did when the Hatch blew. Does Jack even know that Desmond turned that key and the whole thing blew? We never saw it on camera...but I guess we have to assume he was filled in. But he never learned of his Flashes of the future did he? I don't think so. Anyway, apparently Desmond was more succeptable to this "SIDE EFFECT" based on his Electro-magnetic event. Well kids, this may be the only explanation we get for what happened to Desmond after the hatch imploded. I'm still hoping for more! But it was still intriguing regardless!
All Roads (and Times) Lead to Penny
So here we are, the part of the blog I've been avoiding, but the part I want to discuss the most! Desmond's Travels through time. We follow Desmond's 1996 consciousness back and forth from 1996 (the military era) and 2004 (the freighter/island era). In both eras, Desmond has a goal in mind and has objectives in both time periods to accomplish in order to FIX himself. 1955 Doc Brown (errr...1996 Dan Faraday) helps Desmond find his way.
1996
- Well first, let me say I'm happy that we got to spend sometime with Desmond during his military days. I remember saying at the end of season 3 that we couldn't entirely be done with flashbacks because we needed more Desmond backstory for why he's eventually in military prison and dishonorably discharged from military services. Well, we didn't quite see that yet. Instead we see Desmond and his unit being punished for him spacing out a couple times during the day. But eventually, through conversations he realizes that the only thing familiar to him in the future was Penny. He saw the picture of Penny in his hands so they must still have some sort of tie.
- Desmond calls Penny and it is revealed, just as we speculated, that Desmond broke up with Penny and joined the military (just as we saw beginning to happen in season 3's "Flashes Before Your Eyes"). Penny wanted nothing to do with Desmond and hung up on him. Keep in mind.
- By this point, Dez has talked to Dan in the future and has his mission to head to Oxford. He finds Dan there, sporting some kind of pseudo Mullett (love it!!) and unloads the information he was instructed to. As an aside, Jeremy Davies is a great addition to the LOST cast. He pulls off this nerdy, intelligent, creepy Scientist guy perfectly! He felt he was being put on by his colleagues but at the same time seemed to be anticipating this moment by all his meddling with the space-time continuum. Haven't you ever sat around wondering...."if we've invented time travel in the future, couldn't there be people from the future here right now???" Okay...maybe that was just dorky, teenage me!
- Dan takes Dez to his lab where he performs experiments that the university "frowns upon." Dan starts setting his equipment to Desmond's specifications. He also puts on a radiation vest (looks like one of those things you wear at the dentist when getting an x-ray!) There is a mention of why isn't Dan protecting his HEAD from long-term effects of the radiation.....perhaps that's why he has gone completely nuts?
- Anyway, it turns out Eloise is a RAT that Dan has been experimenting on. After the his equipment is set, he takes some type of Lightning device and ZAP...strikes Elloise with it. Eloise's consciousness slips into the future, then comes back and runs through a maze that she wasn't to learn until an hour from then.
- Dum dum dummmmmmm Time Paradox #1! So was future Dan the one to tell past Dan how to make the mind travel through time? How could this happen without causing some major ripple in TIME? Are the producers willing to explain this? Probably not....but they definitely knew they were opening this door with the Time Travel element of the show! I'm sure smarter brains than I can poke more holes in or support what they did here! Feel free to comment to make ME smarter!
- Oh, in case you want to look at Dan's scribbles on the chalkboard, here it goes. Best thing I can get out of it is the reference to Steven Hawking who wrote "A Brief History of Time" which also has been referenced on the show. Plus you get to see that fantastic Mullet!
- Another potential paradox, but sounds like something they will explain on the show: Past Dan mentions that Future Dan referenced this particular meeting with Desmond. So does that mean Future Dan remembers the encounter? Desmond says "Actually no, maybe you just forgot?" Since the producers have mentioned we will only have one TIMELINE (no alternate time universes will be created by the time traveling...remember the BAD 1985 that Doc and Marty returned to in Back to the Future II?), how does this impact it? Does Dan eventually remember the encounter? Again, the cliffhanger at the end of the show seems to suggest he doesn't. Speaking of which. Does Present Day Desmond, remember his time travels? Based on his smile in the past at the end of the episode, it would seem he does! Crazy crazy crazy! My mind is tripping!!! (but I'm still in present day, don't worry!)
- Speaking of One Timeline, it is reinforced by Dan that "you cannot change the future" another reference to Course Correction that Mrs. Hawking (there's that name again!) referred to in "Flashes Before Your Eyes" hmmmm wait...maybe Mrs. Hawking was Mind Traveling too??? Hold the PHONE! Maybe the chalkboard is referring to Mrs. Hawking and NOT Steven Hawking! Is Dan related to Mrs. Hawking? woaaaaaaa And then...does Dan know Desmond's former Monk friend/boss? Ahhh crazy crazy crazy!
- Anyway, with the course correction comments, we are reinforcing PREDESTINATION on LOST. Anything that is changed in the past will ultimately be corrected to provide the same future. Remember Desmond trying to save Charlie? Yep, exactly.
- Let's return to present day for a sec shall we? Keemee and Omar come in to interrupt Dez's conversation with Dan. Frank tries to explain to them what's going on. They are furious that Frank let Dez and Faraday talk "Faraday can't even help himself!" A reference is made to taking Frank to the Captain. Whom Sayid also wants to see. Hmmm something tells me this Captain is going to be a character we're going to need to know a little better. Do you think it might be someone we already know?
- George Minkowski gets wind of Desmond's name. He then provides us with some answers that we've been trying to piece together since that season 3 finale. He revealed he is the Communications Officer on the freighter. The freighter folk picked up Penny's various attempts to contact Desmond (which Charlie gets once the Rousseau's message is stopped at the radio tower). George was ordered never to pick up the call. But someone on the ship did their homework on Penelope Widmore. Just like they did their homework on the Flight 815 crew. Could this explain why Naomi was carrying a picture of Dez and Penny? It doesn't explain how they got that EXACT picture!
- George also talks about how he's been cursed with the Time travel bug. He and a fellow freighter, Brandon got bored out of their minds waiting for their next instructions and wanted to see the island. They took a boat from the freighter and started heading that way. But before they got there Brandon started acting strange. He ended up in a body bag. And George is heading that way too.
- '96 Dan explains to Desmond, after Eloise died, that eventually the time shifts become exponentially shorter until you die. The only way to kill the shift is to find a constant. Something that is familiar to you in both eras. We already knew where this was going right? PENNY!!!
- Desmond leaves Oxford and heads to London to find Charles Widmore (ahhh finally! we're getting somewhere with Widmore!). We enter an Auction for paraphernalia from the BLACK ROCK!!! Woaaaa. In particular, the 1st Mate's Journal which contains information never revealed to the public. We get information that the Black Rock set sail March 22, 1845. The Journal was found in Madagascar 7 years later. Book has "Ledger" on the binding. (2/21/2019 - Edited thanks to comments!) So Madagascar is in the Indian Ocean. Bali' is in the Indian Ocean. The expedition crew that found FAKE Flight 815 was in search of the Black Rock. But if they're in the Pacific Ocean...how did the Black Rock end up on the island? And why was the journal in Madagascar?
- Oh right, the former owner of the Journal? Tovard Hanso! A descendant of Alvar? Whomever it is...we finally have linked Charles Widmore to the Hanso Corporation which thus links to DHARMA! We will learn later this episode that Penny knows about the island through research. Through her father's research? Our speculations are TRUE! Widmore is involved! FREIGHTER level of Involvement?? Well...not quite sure about that yet.
- Charles and Dez have their meeting. Charles doesn't seem terribly disappointed to see Desmond. In fact he gives him Penny's address. He does make a few snide remarks that Penny has moved on and she will tell you herself. But he isn't at the point yet where he FORBIDS Desmond to see his daughter. (Season 2 finale - Our First Desmond flashback)
- Desmond, back in 2004, realizes he must get in contact with Penny. Apparently, George tells usk, something happened on the freighter where the communications room was destroyed. Based on the Producer's comments of the strike abbrevited season, we might not find out WHY until season 5. Anyway, we all know Sayid can work magic with wires and electronics, so they head towards the door and realize it's open. George mentions that they "must have a friend on this boat" Hmmmm Walt? Michael? Frank? Frank was visiting the captain. So perhaps whoever Ben's contact is...is the one that opened the door?
- George eventually spaces out and it's too late for him...his time traveling causes his death. RIP George, we barely knew ya...even if we've heard of you since the end of season 3!
- They get to the control room and Sayid mentions he will have something up in running in a "few minutes." That's Sayid for you! Have I mentioned how patient and understanding Sayid was through this entire episode even though Desmond was acting completely nuts?
- As mentioned before, it is indicated that it is Christmas Eve. And apparently, the ENHANCED LOST episode that aired prior to "The Constant" indicated that 93 days have passed on the island. So Jack must've just estimated to 100 days. MERRY CHRISTMAS LOSTIES!!!
- Sayid mentions that he needs Desmond to remember a phone number to contact Penny. But he doesn't! CUE TIME TRAVEL!
- Desmond heads to Penny's address 423 (the numbers yet again) Cheyne Walk. Just thought I'd point out that 4 and 23 are indeed 2 of our infamous numbers!
- Man what did we do prior to the Penny/Dezzy storyline? What did we have to look forward to? This is powerful stuff! Desmond explains to Penny how he knows it's over but he just needs her phone number so that he can call her in 8 years on December 24, 2004. As much as she tries to resist. She DOES give it to him. And Desmond keeps his promise not to contact Penny until that date. Even though we know Penny contacted him at the stadium where Desmond meets Jack.
- Desmond returns to 2004, nose bleeding and all, with a phone number. Sayid mentions the "perfect timing" which I couldn't help but laugh when he said it. That Iraqi dude just cracks me up!
- And then if you didn't cry during this scene (or almost cry) you're not human! Penny picks up the phone! Past Desmond leaves Penny's house realizing that everything is fixed. Present Desmond returns and realizes where he is and who Sayid is and tells Penny what's been going on. Penny tells Dez she knows about the island. She's been researching and looking for him for 3 years and when she talked to Charlie she knew she wasn't crazy. And that she won't give up her search. They express their love for each other. And then the battery dies. GREAT SCENE!
- Desmond finds his constant and now he's perfect. Does that mean his POST Hatch "SIDE EFFECTS" are now at an end? Sounds like it. For now at least.
- So, let's tie the PENNY events together shall we? Penny says she's been looking for Desmond for 3 years (which was our speculation after the season 2 finale when she said "with enough money and determination you can find anyone") .....she also says in the recent episode "i know about the island" so she must've done research on the electro-magnetic activity too, because that's what she was looking for. And then of course...once they detected this she had an idea of where she should be directing her lines of communication which at the end of season 3 we see reaches the eyes and ears of charlie. Yet, also apparently was reaching the freighter folk too. Enter Desmond/Penny's picture that Naomi had. So what on earth happened here? I think I'm repeating myself from up above, but I'm too lazy to check! Was Naomi really looking for Desmond? Was that her mission? Or was that her cover before she knew Flight 815 was there? But then again, she asked Abbaddon "What if there are survivors of flight 815?" So she must've known they crashed there. Yikes..
END SCENE
When all is said and done, we see Dan looking through his journal only to come to a page that said "If Anything Goes wrong, Desmond Hume will be my constant" BOOM LOST! Well, he sure looked surprise to see that note didn't he? More Paradoxes???? Yikes! I'm not even going to try to analyze it. Because it sounds like we have more time traveling for Dan ahead of us. If you want to look at some pages of the journal, feel free!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ZnHrIWhz6EXvhYPWPCS1qqFlnOMSitsTog6jLyvOHXaeOa_aebZhdIq6x11BSYRfypWWRJZcaJ1KwzpcLChODl5VbvxBLDcEeSMhVW8jisOYqGcH7haNPQ8pctq09kSgxQgPEA/s320/4x05_faradayJournal.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ZnHrIWhz6EXvhYPWPCS1qqFlnOMSitsTog6jLyvOHXaeOa_aebZhdIq6x11BSYRfypWWRJZcaJ1KwzpcLChODl5VbvxBLDcEeSMhVW8jisOYqGcH7haNPQ8pctq09kSgxQgPEA/s320/4x05_faradayJournal.jpg)
Closing Questions
(instead of Coffin watch this week)
Someone shared with me a very excellenet observation. You know how we saw Desmond, George, and heard about Brandon going nuts and getting SICK from the eyes of everyone else? Well, what if this is what Rousseau was referring to when her people got sick and she killed them? Woaaa....George did mention that it would happen to everyone that went to the island. But why hasn't it impacted all of our 815ers? Does it have to do with traveling to the island by Boat? That's how Desmond got there, how Rousseau's people got there, AND how George/Brandon were getting there. Ahhhh interesting. DISCUSS!(instead of Coffin watch this week)
Quick note: we're back to getting 8 episodes prior to the break, so we have 3 more to look forward to before the end of April! That's it folks. Sorry for the novel. I'm sure you were all wondering how on earth I was going to recap this episode. By doing exactly what I did. Pretty much re-writing the script! Lots of crazy Time Travel elements to this one. And I look forward to seeing what you guys came up with. CUE CDSTEDMAN's Copy/Paste NOW! lol See you next week everyone!
Disclaimer: Many thanks again to Sledgeweb (lost.cubit.net) for always having the ability to capture so many wonderful screen stills from the show! If I had the technology to do it myself, you bet I would! But since I don't, it's nice to know someone out there does!
100 comments:
Mike, did you notice that George Minkowski is also the oh-so-annoying Roger from Friends? Remember that annoying ass psychologist that Phoebe dated and everyone hated?
He was also the indian scientist in Short Circuit!
Jen, yep totally noticed ("i HATE that guy!!!"). I figured people would laugh at me if I brought it up in the blog so I let someone else get the credit!
And woaaa never realized he was the Short Circuit guy too! lol Good stuff!
This was just mentioned to me offline...I totally didn't notice "maybe i missed it, but i didn't see u mention how widmore left the water running (using a paper towel to hit the faucet) w/ the "stop" left in the sink as if he wanted it to overflow on desmond"
Woaaa Did Charles know what was happening to Dezzy?
Where is Regina?? We haven't seen her yet.
Also, this is from last week & might be useless but thought I'd share:
I came across info on-line about a picture in Aaron's room. The pic was of a blonde-haired boy on a bike -- carl saw a bike in brainwash video and it's in an orientation video. (not sure if that means anything). Playing cards are in the corner of pic (tied to Faraday?), top card is 7 of spades w/one spade covered up -- oceanic 6, a 7th one being covered up?
I absolutely loved this episode but the entire time I kept thinking this is so much like The Butterfly Effect. It didnt help that that by coincidence every commercial break had one about Ashton Kutcher's new TV show. While there are major differences in the movie and this episode, the way Dez was traveling is just like the movie. Nosebleed and all. Just was wondering if anyone else saw the same similarities
I haven't seen the butterfly effect so I don't know about any simalarities, but this was an awesome episode anyway!
And about Widmore leaving the faucet running, I figured he was just being an ass too.
Every episode in the fourth season so far has moved the plot forward in multiple directions, given answers, and raised questions. This is why I love the show!
And the idea that travelling to the island via boat is what caused the sickness of Rousoe's (sorry for the misplelling) shipmates was a great observation. I didn't connect that at all. Thanks! Good eye!
I had thought of the Russou group having had that same "sickness" as well, great connection! Did anyone else think that perhaps because time is different on the island is the reason that no one can give birth if they conceived it on the island, perhaps they are not as far along as they think and in reality they are just a few months pregnant? It may be way out there but it just seems like anthing is possible, I can't wait to find out all the answers but then that means there will be no more LOST! What a dilemna,
I will say I just love Penny and Desmond episodes you are sure to get your money's worth of crazy things happening.
Hey I got mentioned in the actual blog, how cool is that. Lol I’ll try not to repeat your thoughts this week.
My thought exactly on Rousseau’s sickness theory. My guess on why the 815er were not affected is Desmond crashed the plane by letting the timer go past 108 minutes. This opened up the island for the plane to crash safely without being on the safe coordinates that Ben and Dan knew about. Just like when Desmond turned the key and the island was seen by the artic two.
Dan’s end scene, there was a reason he asked Desmond if he’s been exposed to radiation or electro-magnetism, it foreshadowed his exposure to radiation and I fully expect him to have a nose bleed in the near future.
Desmond’s perfect comment. I hope that’s not the end of the side effects. I hope now he has his constant he might be able to control his flashes more. By the way when the Doc. Was checking his eyes they looked a lot more like Jacob’s than Locke’s. Could the side effects get serious enough to phase him out of time and asks Locke to “help me”? Could his constant Penny coming to the island be the only thing that saves him? Something to discuss.
all in good fun CDStedman lol No offense meant by it! I appreciate your contributions to the blog!
I'll check out everyone's comments later. Have a meeting to hit up!
Whew ! What an ep! I only now was able to read the recap - imagine people at work actually wanting me to work the morning after lost ! LOL
Loved the Pen/Des call on Xmas eve 2004 ! So romantic.
Agree with cdstedman - when Des missed inputting the numbers that one time the plane was able to pass thru without the electro-mag field being strong - so they have not had the affects ??
I also thought about Rousseau's sick shipmates and her having to kill them - but dang. Would you kill people because they were confused ?? I guess they could have turned violent in their confusion and you could have to kill them in defense.
I don't remember this at all Mike ?? 'Past Dan mentions that Future Dan referenced this particular meeting with Desmond. So does that mean Future Dan remembers the encounter? Desmond says "Actually no, maybe you just forgot?" ' When was this conversation?
First mobisode more intrigueing - when Christian asks Vincent to wake Jack as Jack has some work to do ! Like Christian has time-warped and knows what is to come and is somehow leading the losties to correct things?
Could the 2 island factions both be about time warping. One wanting to affect change and the other trying to stop them by course courrecting to ensure the future outcome is what is should be?
Another site says that in Rousseau's message it stated 'Brandon took the keys'. Anyone know about this ??
Strange how Des is affected by 'heavy' exposure to electro-magnetism, but Brandon and George don't even get close to the island before it happens to them !
New light shed on Charlotte's test with Dan's memory. Has Dan seen the island in time-warping and is Charlotte asking him if he can remember the forward visions ???
I think Charlotte is the only freightie that has not disparaged Daniel in some way! What's up with that !
Calendar closeup reveals 4 different colors used to X off days.
Kahana: on wikipedia Jacob Ben Abraham Kahana was a rabbinical author. Probably nothing - but just loved the guys name was Jacob Ben. LOL
Didn't Past Dan say time shift unpredictable - can be hours or years ?? That could explain some of Des's confusion. Saving Charlie from lighting by going fwd for a few hours, or going forward 8
years is a big difference. Maybe you can only retain so much per how far you mentally travel ? Could explain 2004 Dan's swiss cheese memory !
Some are sayng Ben was at the auction sitting in the back in a suit ?? Any one see this ?
Wouldn't there no longer be a magnetic field around the island because all the magnetism was released when Desmond turned the key? That would mean the island should be permanently open if the magnetism was what closed it off. Since it is obviously not permanently open, there must be some other force hiding the island and producing the "side effects".
MJ, The past, future Dan conversation was when Desmond was in 1996 at Oxford. Interestingly When Desmond told Dan his future self must have forgot he gave a little laugh which to me said "like how could I ever forget anything."
First mobisode was great wasn't it? Did you notice when Christian said "he's got work to do" that was the exact same thing Walt said to Locke in the DARMA pit.
I checked again and Ben wasn't at the auction.
Rob, interesting question. You could argue the there is more magnetism sense the hatch implosion and the island is harder to find. The incident at the hatch caused a build up of magnetism and had to be safely released every 108 minutes. Now that there is nothing holding back the magnetism it could be just flooding out uncontrollably.
I did not think of that Rob good point, if all the magnetisism left the island there has to be something else causing the time warp, or maybe there is another place in the island just like the one that imploded.
Ok, so I started watching lost almost at the end of Season One, so I bought the Season One Box set and never started watching it until now because I was told I had to watch it so that I can see all the coralations that are now coming together.
Now this is a little off of this episode, but not of this season
I noticed that when Claire went to that Psychic and he talked her out of giving Aaron up for adoption, and said she had to be the one to raise Aaron and no one else, but later told her about the couple in LA.
I know that initially it was said that he knew about the plane crash and that is why he sent her to LA, but what if he was right about the couple that could safely raise Aaron? Perhaps Kate and Jack, if they eventually get together, then the Psychic may have known that the only way to get Aaron to them was through the plane crash and the rescue.
I agree with Rob.
The whole point of the button was to RELEASE the build-up of Electro-Magnetic energy. The DHARMA folk were messing with the elements of the island and there was an INCIDENT. Ever since then every 108 minutes, the Electro-Magnetic build-up would get so huge that it could cause destruction of Apocolyptic proportions. What the button did was release or compress this energy for another 108 minutes or something bizarre like that. I'm no Electro-Magnetic expert so my wording choices could be a little messed up!
But there was the FAIL-SAFE key that no one knew what would happen if it was turned. I still don't think we ACTUALLY know what happened.
But there is still magnetic energy to the island, it's just that whatever trouble DHARMA had caused at the SWAN, is now non-existant.
So anyway...yeah...when flight 815 crashed it was DUE to the Electro-Magnetic build-up and not due to the LACK of electro-magnetism.
Perhaps it's more related to this traveling by boat vs Sea...but then the question is...why isn't Rousseau sick? Did she find a constant?
Yikes....crazy stuff! Did anything I just said make any lick of sense? lol
Anonymous...I've been discussing MALKIN (the "psychic") the past few weeks a bit...so this is good timing! lol There are disputes to whether Malkin is a FRAUD as he admitted to EKO in season 2 or if he's the real deal when he encounters Claire.
My current theory is that Christian Shephard was somehow in cohoots with Malkin in a possible flashback we have yet to see during Christian's final trip to Austrailia. Possible Shephard knows of the island (or has been there prior to his death)...and is trying to unite his son and daughter on the island. This would all have to include the possibility that Christian knew flight 815 was going down on the island. And that he gave Malkin this information in order to get Claire on that plane.
Lots of Ifs...but I like it for now! lol
hi, just thought i'd throw this out there.
When Dan and Desmond meet in 1996 past Dan mentions that Future Dan referenced this particular meeting with Desmond. So does that mean Future Dan remembers the encounter? Desmond says "Actually no, maybe you just forgot?"
One thing no one has mentioned is that Dan has memory problems on record. Remember the test with Charlotte asking him what the three cards were and he could only remember 2/3. I may be stretching but just putting it out there.
btw, love the blog.
good point faced! (and thanks for the props!!)
Also...why was he crying with the news of Flight 815 being found? His answer? I don't know! Perhaps he's been meddling with time too long and is all messed up in the head or something... Especially with the radiation exposure to his unprotected head as well.
I guess another question...did CURRENT desmond remember himself 8 years prior switching back and forth between time periods? It seemed like he did right?
ahhh this crazy show!
“Why do you hate me so much?” That question that Desmond asked Whitmore popped into my head. Last night he wasn’t concerned about Desmond contacting Penny, their relationship had deteriorated into nothing. We know later that it changes and they sort of get back together and Whitmore tries to buy off Desmond after he gets out of prison. He turns him down and starts training for his race around the world but crashes on the island. Penny said she knows about the island so we can assume Whitmore does as well (though how much and what his intentions are we don’t know yet).
Anyway I bring this up because of the picture Naomi had hasn't been explained. Penny didn’t give it to her so what if she got it from Whitmore? What if through DARMA (swan had cameras in the station) he found out Desmond was still alive and one of Naomi’s missions was to kill Desmond. What do you think?
I'm relatively new to this blog, but am already additted to it.
This is my first post. Add that to the fact that this episode is a time line nightmare, and the following might be a little hard to follow, but here I go. . .
Does anyone else find it strange that Dan tells Desmond very specific info about 1996 when he doesn't know what month or even day that Desmond is living in 1996? The information corresponds to a specific day when Dan built the maze and was going to teach Ellosie to run it later that day.
Also, Dan is elated (surprised?) when he is able to send Elosie's mind into the future, but after Desmond's leap of about 75 minutes, Dan seems to be an expert saying that effects seem to vary from case to case. What information did he learn to make him so much more knowledgable and calm. How did he now know about the constant? Was he time traveling during Desmond's leap?
Dan also tells Desmond that you can't change the future. So at the end of this episode, when Dan sees his note about Desmond being his constant, has Dan known this all along? Also, it is hard to tell for sure, but the numbers Dan tells to Desmond from his journal seem to be on a page further into the book than the page where he writes about Desmond being his constant.
There has been a lot of speculation that Widmore is the Economist, futhur supported by the fact that he is bidding on the log from the Black Rock. He also doesn't seem that surprised to see Desmond and is willing to help him find Penny.
Did he leave the water running in the bathroom because he knew Desmond's state and wanted the water to eventually wake him? Also, if Widmore is behind the boat expedition, then maybe he needs Dan to meet Desmond so that Dan is able to time travel to his constant to reveal the location of the island to the boat. If Dan has been jumping around time, he might have even told Widmore to expect Desmond.
If Widmore is really behind the boat, then that could also explain why everyone on the boat was given strict instructions to ignore Penny's message. Now, that Desmond is Dan's constant, Widmore doesn't need Desmond in his or his daughter's life anymore. On the flip side, if Desmond is that important to Dan and Dan is that important to Widmore's expedition, then maybe Widmore cannot allow Penny anywhere near Desmond?
The flashback scene to Dan sitting in front of his TV when he learns that flight 815 has been discovered has always bothered me. He seemed to be in a blank state and then once he heard the news, started to cry. Could he have just time traveled back after meeting the survivors and been sad/shocked/confused to learn they were dead?
I am convinced that Dan is leap frogging around time, causing him to appear to be even stranger than a highly intelligent physicist who studies time travel might otherwise appear to be.
-Lost Addicts Blog Addict
How about this for a theory and discussion point. Suppose the diary the secret contents that Widmore bought contains information about the island's effects on the crew. Since a "Hanso" owned it he obviously knows all about it. I think we have seen enough to propose that Hanso is supporting and funding everything, that Flight 815 was purposely flown to the island, that a fake Flight 815 (remember no wedding ring) was planted in the ocean. Whether the folks on Flight 815 were chosen specifically, and if so, why, remains a mystery, and I believe they were and the reasons are noble, not evil. Sure, it's a big conspiracy, but Widmore and Hanso have the means to pull it off. Comments?
I think that's the most logical theory at this time, but I'm not sure that Widmore and Hanso are working together. Remember Widmore was buying the diary that had been previously Hanso's. It seems more likely that they are on conflicting sides. Also, if Hanso was the one funding Dharma, his grand plan would probably be to overthrow Ben and regain control of the island. Maybe he made Flight 815 crash on the island because they would be the ones to stop Ben. That would mean Hanso is also involved with the freighter folk who have revealed their goal is to capture Ben. Just another theory.
Mike, current Desmond would have had to remember switching back and forth between 1996 and 2004. Since only his 1996 conscious was going back and forth, the only way that he could have told Sayid that what he did was enough and remembered talking to Penny is if his 1996 self remembered what happened and then carried this memory forward with him for the last 8 years.
A coffin theory here (and yes, it might be a stretch): we know that there is a male in the coffin with no apparent friends or family. We know it isn't Jack. I think that the coffin is much too small for Hurley. It almost appears to be a child's coffin. I know some people are speculating that it might be Walt, but Walt is quite large already. Jack seems to think that Kate would have gone, which Kate responds to by saying why would I have gone. At the same time, she seems very upset/conflicted about not going. I think Aaron is in the coffin. Even if a few years have passed since 2004, Aaron would still be a young boy with no friends and family other than Kate who in 2004 was all but hiding him from the rest of society. What if he did turn out to be evil as the psychic predicted and Kate had to turn her back on him? Anyways, I don't think that the coffin is large enough to hold a full grown male body.
-Addict
Wow...Lost Addicts Blog ADDICT. I love it! Never thought I'd hear something like that but I appreciate the compliments as always!
Loving all of the theories going around. I agree about Widmore and Hanso not being in cahoots together but more of Widmore learning information ABOUT the island from the journal. But what we confirmed with this episode is SOMEHOW they are linked.
Addict - yeah, we've been floating the "SMALLER COFFIN" subject around here for awhile and I just keep thinking...what if it was just a prop error or something? It just didn't seem THAT small to me where we were meant to think it was a child. And based on Aaron being raised by Kate and her saying "he's going to wonder where I am" at the end of Jack's flash forward....I think we're meant to tie those comments together. I don't think Kate's affections towards Aaron would've changed SO drastically that she would say "why would I go to the funeral?" But you never know lol I still think that the NEIGHBORHOOD that the funeral takes place in is a key clue to who is in that coffin. And the no friends/family thing too. We will definitely know before JUNE who is in that coffin! lol
BTW...listened to the Producer's Podcast today they confirmed/denied a few rumors going around:
- Dan Faraday is NOT Ana Lucia's Ex Danny
- We will see more of Richard soon, not necessarily more of Cindy soon.
- We will find out VERY VERY soon where the other OTHERS are and what they're up to.
- Aaron and Ben are not necessarily part of the oceanic 6, but by episode 7 we will know OFFICIALLY who they all are. They are not intending to be cryptic with the information.
- With the FAKE CRASH STORY, it is irrelevant of the 8 passengers that survived the crash who the 2 that died were.
- The 3 hours missing from this season will definitely be made up in seasons 5 and 6, although they are unsure how they will do it at this point. (i know...i stated this before lol)
If I think of more, I'll post them. Or you can just go to lost.abc.com, click on podcast and check it out yourself! (my itunes version wasn't working this morning!)
Keep up the great discussion!!!
-
Has anyone discussed the possible link between women who get pregnant on the island dying during childbirth and the fact that Ben's mother died during childbirth? It seems like this only became an issue after the purge.
Do people born on the island age faster or slower once they leave the island? I know that there has been some discussion about how Ben is now older than Richard and maybe it has something to do with going to and from the island. I only ask because Aaron seems really big at Kate's LA house. Granted, we don't know how much time has passed since they left the island, but he looks to be at least 3 going on 4. I have a hard time believing that this was done by accident.
Also, Jack didn't go anywhere near the coffin. It reminded me how he didn't want to see Aaron, but still wanted to see Kate. I think the only reason he went to the funeral parlor was to try to find Kate. Remember, she wasn't answering his calls at that time.
I really think that Jack would have paid his respects to everyone on the island except maybe Locke and Ben. No way Locke would have left the island, and I think Jack would have wanted to verify that Ben was actually dead. I am sure that I am wrong, but I still think it has to be a child, even if it isn't Aaron. Maybe Sun's child, although she no longer wanted to go to the U.S., but maybe someone else had to care for her child? I just don't think that the writers/producers would make that kind of mistake with the coffin size unless it was intentional.
-Addict
I love the Back to the Future references!!
"No, it can't be. I just sent you back to the future!"
"I know, you did send me back to the future. But, I'm back. I'm back from the future."
Yeah...i watched Back to the Future this past weekend in honor of the episode. It was a good time!
Addict - Yeah, I think Ben's flashback was meant to shed light on his obsession with the childbirth issues on the island. As we learned, the NATIVES were getting upset with ben's direction. I don't think we know if the childbirth issues were an issue prior to the PURGE. We never saw anyone giving birth in Ben's flashback and I just assumed that all of the DHARMA children were BROUGHT to the island.
You could be right with the coffin size not being a mistake. I just really didn't notice it being THAT small. But it might have been. I think I have given up trying to figure it out right now because I know they're going to surprise us anyway! lol
The aging on/off the island is definitely a big question. Taller GHOST Walt, Aaron being older indicating time has passed OFF of the island. The rocket clock and island clock becoming unsynched. Is time moving slower on the island? I wanted to think so...but then the Calendar on the freighter seemed to suggest no! I'm totall confused with it. But I'm sure Richard's non-aging has something to do with it too lol
I think Jack paying his respects at the funeral really could be ANYONE. We were meant to think it was Locke or Ben at the finale because they were the ones telling him NOT to call the freighter....and then he told kate in the future "WE MADE A MISTAKE!" Plus...when asked if it was friend or family...Jack said "neither" So that makes it VERY possible it could be locke or ben. Would he have said that about Aaron even though he technically IS family? Unless, he just refused to accept that Aaron is his blood because of his father having multiple families. But then that puts MICHAEL into the equation. Michael WAS a friend but then he went and killed a couple survivors in order to save his boy. Jack could've been still upset by this but at the same time sympathizing with Michael's situation.
Locke, Ben, Michael also would tie into Kate asking "why would I go to the funeral"
But there are still events that could transpire that could totally change how we look at that scene! lol
Mike, you are forgetting that Jack doesn't know what we know; that Aaron is his family.
I don't think that Jack thinks that Aaron is Sawyer's, but more likely that he (Jack) had to make a tough decision that affected Claire or that Aaron has done something to make Jack not even want to go to Kate's house.
Anyways, I am probably wrong about it being Aaron, but I still don't think it is Locke. Jack or someone else would have had to kill John to make him leave the island.
-Addict
-Addict
Cdstedman : Thanks - I had the chance to rewatch and saw clearly that the guy at the auction was not Ben.
Mike: Thanks too for the reminder of that conversation. On my re-watch I caught it. First time around there's just too much sometimes for me to remember for the next day. LOL
Still think it's odd that Des is at greater risk of the 'side effect' due to exposure to large amt of electro-magnetism but the 2 freighties merely take a little boat trip toward the island, without getting to it, and both get it.
Wondering if there are two factions at work here with their own agendas for the island and the experiments. One that wants to change the future, one that says altering the future is wrong and then works to ensure the the changes are 'course corrected'.
With any scientific breakthrus there always comes the argument of "we can do this, but should we do this".
Agree with Mike - any argument of who is in the coffin that no one wanted to pay respects to is almost a moot point since we can't know what will happen between island current time and the future when the O6 are home.
Addict:
Alot of us thought it could not be Ben either cause HE'D never leave the island. But now we all know that he did indeed leave the island. LOL
I am hoping it is not Ben, Locke, Walt, Michael or Aaron - that would be a little obvious. I'm hoping for a bigger surprise. LOL
Addict - me? forget something? lol naaaa Just kidding! In all seriousness, it's not so much that I forgot it that in my mind I've already assumed that FUTURE Jack knows about Aaron. I just figure something will happen on the island and he'll find out he's related to Claire and all of that good stuff. In the future..Kate has made mention that he knows that Jack doesn't want to see the baby. Probably because it reminds him of what happened. We were meant to think at the time that it was sawyer's...but once we confirm it's Aaron...that scene takes on a whole new meaning. Does Jack know Claire is his sister? Did she die? Is Aaron a constant reminder? yada yada yada.... That's just my take....so then going back to coffin scene when Jack says "NEITHER" to friend or family...I just have to assume it's someone who he hasn't seen eye to eye with in the past...but someone essential to the ISLAND happenings...and someone whose passing clearly has upset him. I, personally, don't think Aaron fits that mold. But it's a good theory! lol And we'll find out soon enough how it's all going to pan out!
MJ - no problem on pointing out the comment...i figured it was of some significance or they wouldn't have included it in the episode lol
And yeah...I'm still trying to figure out the whole exposure to electromagnetism too between Desmond and Boat people. But the only tie i've come up with is people traveling by boat to get to island. UNLESS...the freighter guys were in the water when the sky turned purple...and that had some effect on them lol
mj, I am surprised to read that you think Aaron being in the coffin would NOT be a surprise. When we first saw the coffin, we didn't even know that Aaron was off the island. Now that we know that Kate is taking care of him, I would think most people would be shocked if he was in the coffin and Kate didn't go to the funeral. Plus, if Aaron turns out to be in the coffin, then who is looking for Kate to get back home? I would be interested to find out.
-Addict
MJ and Mike, Desmond didn't get exposed to electromagnetism until after he was on the island. So it's possible that he could safely get on the island without side effects. Or, I believe he was unconscious when the boat crashed on the island. Richard made Juliet drink the drugged OJ to knock her out when she came to the island. There might be a connection between being conscious or unconscious to getting safely on the island.
Interesting CDSTEDMAN...I figured Juliet was drugged to disguise how they actually got her there. (I still don't think the SUB is what's used to transport them on and off the island. But I think the Looking Glass station may be involved.) But with being unconscious and conscious is interestin. It seems George and Brandon were conscious when trying to get there. Michael and Sawyer were even unconscious with their "Re-Arrival" to the island in season 2.... (of course we don't really know how far they actually got...but it took them a day to get back)
But here's my one issue...what about Oceanic 815? Kate claims in the pilot that she saw the WHOLE crash and never was unconscious. Jack said he blacked out. No one else we really heard talk about their experience. Or is this different because they were coming from air and not by sea?
So then are we meant to think that you can either begin experiencing "side effects" depending on if you were exposed to radiation/electro-magnetism...or if you're taking a boat consciously to the island????
hmmm...maybe we're not thinking about this rationally....what if the FREIGHTER FOLK (or at least George and Brandon) were exposed to Radiation leading to Dan's question about Desmond in the first place???? (by the way...i just hit myself in the head due to my sheer stupidity of not thinking about this before! lol)
Regardless...the unconscious/conscious thing is an interesting one that i'd like to see if it unfolds on the show. We'll have to pay attention to any more travels to and from the island! lol
To Addict:
Ahh - but if all of us are pondering if it's Aaron in the coffin - then it's not too too surprising. LOL I'm hoping for a "no way - never considered him/her" sort of thing.
something like: Jack HIMSELF is in the coffin lol That would really throw everyone for a loop! lol
obviously kidding!
to cdstedman:
Funny - I keep thinking about it like they have ALL been exposed to the electro-magneticism. The stuff was released every 108 minutes so that there would not be an overabundance.
Des turned the key and Kerpluey !
I know Des got his large dose when he turned the key - my point was more like - why did George and Brandon get the same illness without the large exposure. Daniel was so specific about the large exposure to EM or Radiation causing the side-effect.
Liking your thought Mike - we really don't yet know what either of these guys could have been exposed to before they attempted to see the island. Good one !
LOL Mike. I seriously considered that Jack was in the coffin before I heard that the producers swear there is no alternate universe/2 Jacks or 2 Kates type of thing. LOL
They just love to lead us to think things then surprise us, and I love that. So I'm just hoping for an OMGer !
The more I think about the unconscious and conscious theory the more I like it. The side effects can’t throw your conciseness through time if you’re not conscious. I’m guessing Michael and Sawyer didn’t get far enough out, I wonder if there is a storm around the entire island that you have to pass though. And I agree that George and Brandon must have been exposed to radiation probably from the communication equipment.
Kate was conscious the whole time because obviously she is the mastermind of the entire series and if there are anymore Kate centric episodes the timeline will explode. lol
Really, refer back to my first post on this page about Desmond crashing the plane by letting the timer go past 108 minutes for my thoughts on that.
Some random thoughts:
1. Faraday's notebook "Desmond will be your constant". Do you think that memo appeared after he messed with the past? hmm...
2. Coffin - Maybe we're being led to believe it's Sayid based upon his hitman lifestyle. Maybe Kate said "why would I go!?!?!" b/c she doesn't agree with this career choice. :)
3. Beard vs. No Beard
Not likely, but is it possible that the Jack w/ Beard vs. Jack w/ No Beard are two possible future outcomes based upon decisions made in the "past"?
4. Desmond and Penny are almost as moving as Jim and Pam.
5. Mothers - possible that perception of time on the island is what causes pregnant mama's to bite the dust? Kind of far fetched, but maybe they stay pregnant for too long (they think it's been 3 months when it's been 9 months). Or more possible it's just that nasty radiation.
you're right STED (just easier than spelling out the rest lol)...your Hatch Timer/Flight 815 theory would justify Kate remembering everything (funny with the mastermind stuff). Ugh...it all gives me a headache sometimes!
Brandon.
1.) Tough to say since the producers say there are NO ALTERNATE TIMELINES. It isn't their objective with any time traveling that takes place. Anything you do in the past will not affect anything in the future. See Mrs. Hawking in Season 3's Desmond Centric episode "Flashes Before your Eyes" and course correction. They will refer to this scene for any questions on alternate timelines.
2.) Could be Sayid...but wouldn't Jack consider Sayid a "FRIEND" ??
3.) See #1 answer lol
4.) I concur...Dezze and Penny (Denny???) have some magical chemistry. Jim and Pam equally are fantastic on the office!
5.) Maybe with the time differential this could explain the pregnancy problems....but really could they really control when they gave birth? Wouldn't they just have to spit the kid out eventually? lolol
Also...maybe the effect the island has on men's reproductive systems (increases their MANHOOD by a crazy percent) it has the adverse effect on women. Why this is??? I don't know if we'll ever get the answer to it!
Brandon,
1. Yes, Dan wrote that after their 1996 meeting to his 2004 self.
2. Could be. We’ll find out.
3. They have said the flashes forward are the real future and there will be no alternate futures. So Jack will grow a beard, let’s just hope he doesn’t become a drunken mall Santa in next weeks Lost Christmas special. It’s was Christmas Eve last episode.
4. Mothers; here’s what I think. What if there have never been any babies born on the island (I’ll cover Aaron later)? Ben admits that most the people on the island he brought to the island, they start trying to have babies and the mothers die. Richard is the only one of the original hostile that we know of, what if he knows that babies can’t be born that’s why he told Locke he’s wasting their time. Bottom line it’s pure politics. Ben promised these people a good life to bring them to the island and is doing what he can to make the people happy and keep his power. Now we don’t know if any babies were born to the DARMA people, if so this theory is worthless lol. Aaron is special and has some overall purpose to the story; we will see what that is.
oops didn't see you answered him Mike. There i go again copy/pasting. lol
no problem! it's not like we answered the questions the same way or anything lol
Producers answer the CAST's burning questions. Good times!
http://www.tvguide.com/news/lost-questions-answered/080304-01
I'm feeling that the reason these women/babies die 3 months into pregnancy has to do with the way time goes on this island. The fetus is not growing properly due to time being off ??
Both Aaron and Alex were born on the island - but both were already past that 3 month development stage when their mom's landed there.
How can Richard be the only hostile left? The way I remember it - and that could be spotty - is that all those people not killed in the purge were hostiles. So all the folks at the temple with Richard were original hostiles - except Ben. He was originally a Dharma guy.
What about the station folk though? The army guy in the Swan with Des was brought in by Dharma, but I don't know if the 2 women in the aqua hatch were Dharma. Ben put them down there - so I think they were hostiles, as was wyw-patch guy !
Not sure how many left that are original hostiles. But dont forget the kidnapped tail section folk (including cindy) are with the hostiles now!
Could be, right now we don't have near enough info about the pregnancy and are just throwing out ideas. That's what makes the show fun.
What i'm saying is if Ben brought them to the island or kidnapped them i don't consider them "original" hostiles or pre-purge others.
Patchy and the 2 girls, we don't know if any of them were "original" hostiles or not. Richard is the only one the writers have gone out of their way to tell us. I'm just basing that on Ben's flash where we saw long haired Richard, i'm sure there are others originals.
Regardless if Aaron is or isn't in the coffin, don't you think the show will have to address the time difference between being on and off the island? I think this will have to be addressed, especially for Aaron since he is so young on the island. For a different character such as Jack, the difference in time isn't likely to be reflected in his age.
Since there was a difference of 31 minutes in Dan's experiment, one theory I have is that every year off of the island is equivalent to about 30 on it. This might explain Richard's lack of aging. The problem with this theory is that Aaron seems to be aging normally on the island, but is he special since he was born on it? My other theory (the one I think is more likely) is that time is equal on and off the island, but the travel in between the two accounts for the time difference. This is supported by the fact that the chopper ride should only take about a half and hour and instead takes about 16 hours in island time (depending on sunset time on the island, this is in keeping with the approximate 1/30 ratio; I am guessing that the rocket would have taken about a minute to reach the island). Sayid says that they took off around dusk and landed in the middle of the afternoon. Does anyone else have a different take on it?
For instance, if Aaron is about 3 months old on the island, how old would he be off the island or does he "keep" his current age off the island? Also, what side effects, if any would there be for a baby traveling off of the island? There wouldn't be a past to go back to, only a future. . .
I know that there has been a lot of speculation that Jin and Sun maybe the other two of the O6. This would be a logical story line of what happens to a baby conceived on the island, but born (or maybe not) off the island. If Sun is about 3 months along on the island, how far along would she be off of the island and would she still have to die?
Does anyone think there is a differnce in the side effects based on whether you are traveling to or away from the island? The communications officer's conscious traveled back in time as he tried to go to the island, but Desmond's conscious traveled forward as he left the island.
Finally, has there been any discussion as to whether people born on the island have any special abilities? Is this why Ben/others would kidnap them? At first, I thought it was to keep their numbers up, but later we found out that Ben is able to bring people such as Juliet, Locke's dad, etc. to the island.
People on this board are smart and have great insight. I would like to hear your thoughts on the time issue, whether or not the side effects are directional, and whether or not babies born on the island are special.
-Addict
Addict -
Based on the Q&A that came out today...it sounds like the difference in time is not really what we should be focusing on. (see link in a post above but here is the copy/paste)
"Henry Ian Cusick (Desmond): "It's 2004 on the boat. What year is it in Penny's world? What year is it when the Oceanic 6 get home?"
Lindelof: What's fundamentally interesting about all the time-jumping is that we want it to make sense when people watch the show 10 years from now. We don't want it to seem dated. So it's not really about what year it is in the outside world, it's about how many years have elapsed between the time that we're watching on the island and the flash-forwards. That's one of the fun games the audience is playing: "Gee, Aaron looks like he's about 18 months old. What does that mean, and how old was he when they got off the island?"
Cuse: There are some growth issues when you go on or off the island. But I can't say more about that.
Lindelof: You've already said enough."
That all being said...I'm sure that the 31 minute time differential will need to be addressed. As well as the chopper seeming to take 1 day on the island to arrive to the freighter when it really wasn't that long. There's definitely something up there. lol What it is? I have no idea. But I am sure, based on what our producers are telling us, there will be a simpler explanation than we are thinking! lol
Addict
I think your second theory is more likely based on the chopper leaving and what Lindelof and Cuse said.
And if thats right "If Sun is about 3 months along on the island, how far along would she be off of the island and would she still have to die?" is the wrong question.
The question should be: If Sun is 3 months along and leaves the island would she go to full term and have the baby on the 20 minute trip off the island? Your head spinning yet, lol.
very interesting Sted lol didn't even think about Sun going through an aggresive Pregnancy upon leaving the island lol (you know..pending she is an Oceanic 6er or not)...that would be kinda nuts!
Mike, wow, I am starting to understand what cdstedman feels like, lol. I am not concerned so much as to what year it is (Henry Ian Cusick's question), only to how much time has passed between the time on the island and the flash forwards. I agree with the producers that the time difference on/off the island and aging issues, espcially concerning Aaron and Richard/Ben are important. Not sure why you would think I am overly concerned with what year it is? As far as I know, it has been 2008 for the last 2+ months, lol.
-Addict
don't mind me...i think i may not have read your whole comment. I was in and out of meetings today when I responded and I thought I grasped your comment from the opening paragraph lol Sorry about that! Don't mean to frustrate you. I am by no means the end all be all of the LOST MYTHOLOGY lol Just a casual viewer like everyone else here!
i wasn't saying you were overly concerned on the year...I was just stating what the producers mentioned about time on and off the island. Which, obviously you had already been aware of! lol
But yeah..you may be onto something with the "TRAVELING" between and the Time differential! Tie that into Stedman's post...and we may be figuring out why Walt is so big and possibly why Aaron is.
And yeah...I'm very interested to know WHEN these flash forwards are taking place in relation to the CRASH. All we have to go on is a Plasma TV (in Jack's apt.), a RAZR Phone and Kate's Mom talking about 4 years...but we don't know how long she was diagnosed PRE-CRASH! lol
Ok that's all I have! I'll leave it to the smarter readers to figure out all of the TIME stuff! lol
Just a thought about George and Brandon being exposed to radiation through the communications equipment - maybe the crew discovered this and cut the wires when they returned from the boat ride?
As for the coffin, I think that it could be Sawyer. He has no family (they were killed) or friends. In this episode, they really focused on Sawyer's desire to stay on the island, so we would be really surprised when we found out that he got off the island. Then we would REALLY wonder what events could have possibly transpired to make him leave with the Oceanic 6.
ok maybe i have one more thing! lol
I was re-watching The Constant today....George mentioned that "SOMEONE" got into the communications room just a couple days ago and destroyed all of the equipment.
I was just thinking that maybe it is possibly Ben's Man on the boat? It would seem to fit the mold of BEN who is obsessed with jamming communication off of the island. We thought it was to keep the freighter people away (which it probably partially is)...but he probably is concerned with whoever the freighter folk are contacting too!
Could've been George or Brandon though lol
everyone pick up your copy of TV Guide this week. It's a lost one!
http://www.tvguide.com/cover-story
Oceanic 6 Theory:
So, a friend of mine (let's call him DN) came up with an interesting theory on the Oceanic 6. Remember when the hatch imploded (or exploded)? There were 7 characters who were not in the general vicinity of the hatch at that time: Kate, Jack, Sawyer, Hurley (who had all been kidnapped by the others), Sun, Jin, Sayid (who were on a mission near the 4-toed statue). Maybe the 7 of them were not exposed to as much radiation as the rest of the people near the hatch were, and in turn, would be the only ones who could travel off of the island without having the time travel side effects. Maybe the rest of the losties, after hearing about the side effects that killed George, were too afraid to leave the island.
This theory has a couple of loopholes though. Maybe Claire was afraid to leave because she was exposed to radiation, but why would she let Aaron leave with Kate if he was with her when the hatch imploded? Also, if there were 7 people far from the hatch when it imploded, why did only 6 end up leaving the island? (Maybe Sun died because of complications with the baby?)
I know we'll find out who the 6 are in the coming weeks, but I just thought I'd put this out there for everyone to think about.
Yeah, that's definitely a good theory! Someone else was telling me about that idea the other day too. Very plausible. Also supported in this theory would be Michael and Walt being able to leave (if they ever did).
But the sky did turn purple everywhere right? and that unbearable noise impacted the crew at the dock AND Sayid/Jin/Sun. But you're right..no close proximity to the hatch.
It's as good a reason as any! But even if this is the case....we have to know why Hurley and Jack are so desperate to get back (what situation did they leave their friends in?) Why Sayid is killing people to protect his friends. etc...
Blimey! It's all marvelous, but I've only just managed to download things in the UK this week...sigh! I love all this, but my comment is sad and UK (or even Anglo-) centric - The phone box Des went into in 1996 wasn't right. We don't have phone boxes like that in England (and probably not Scotland, although I'm happy to be told otherwise). This made me think that he was on a base somewhere else. Also, the rain wasn't right - god HOW English?! It was too light and rainy at the same time. Hmmm. Must. Get. Out. More.
Calb
Doc Jensen's indepth analysis on The Constant...as well as some producer confirmations I believe lol
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20182393,00.html
Yikes lol!!!
"PARADOX R/X, or ''HOW COURSE CORRECTION WORKS''
To be clear, Desmond's past was different before ''The Constant.'' Before his time-travel adventure, Desmond never met Faraday at Oxford, never got Penelope's digits. As a consequence of changing the past, Desmond's personal history has been ''course corrected'' by The Powers That Be, beginning from the moment he walked away from Penny's apartment. Lindelof says this interpretation is also correct. But here's a Big Question: since scoring Penelope's phone number, has Course-Corrected Desmond lived his life knowing that on Christmas Eve 2004, he MUST be on a freighter in the South Pacific in order to make a call to Penelope if he wants any chance of having a future with her? Lindelof says this is indeed a matter we should be mulling. Perhaps in the future, Lost will give us an episode that replays Desmond's backstory (getting the boat from Libby; killing Kelvin; meeting the castaways) from the point of view of this knowingness.
"
So you can't change the future...but you can change the path that GETS you to that future. Very interesting lol
The problem with introducing time travel is no matter how well you plan the story you will always be able to find holes in the story.
Mike, I think you have it exactly right when you say you can't change the future...but you can change the path that GETS you to that future. But which future are you trying to get to? For the purpose of the story Desmond is getting to the future of pushing the button and calling Penny on dec. 24, 2004. But what about the future where instead of going to Oxford he went to the quicky-mart and bought some ho-ho’s? Did the timeline course correct where he made that trip on his way back from Oxford lol? I hope they do revisit his past to show what he does with his knowledge of where he needs to be in 2004. Just stuff I think about lol.
I know not everything will make sense and they’ve done a good job of steering clear of time paradox’s (with one exception) and looking forward to the ride they take us on.
P.S. the one exception involves Eloise. Dan sent Eloise’s future conscious (where she had learned how to run the maze) to the past to run the maze before Dan taught her. Dan said he wasn’t going to teach her for another hour. Desmond than jumped to 2004 and when he came back to 1996 Dan said he was gone 75 minutes and Eloise was dead by than. So how could Eloise know how to run the maze if she’s dead before Dan could teach her? Again this is minor to the overall story where Eloise dieing created a threat and sense of urgency to move Desmond’s story forward to find Penny.
65 comments ! Wow - is this a record Mike ??
Always love Doc Jensen's theories - didn't get to read it until today.
Hmm - I thought Course correcting was like when Des saved Charlie from the lightning, then 'fate' had Charlie dying another way. The course that is corrected is that Charlie dies.
But they way Lindelof/Jensen talk about it - Des goes to his past and changes it by meeting Dan and getting Pen's number so that in the future he can call her ?? That's totally different then the you can't stop someone from dying.
And is this not a huge paradox ? Des goes back in time and meets Dan, gets phone number = in future he calls Pen. But this would mean that he, at some time - lived on this island without having done this in order to know that he has to do this in another time ?!? Aargh! Time travel always screws me up - I'm not even sure that the above paragraph makes sense to me. LOL
67 Comments now and definitely a record (if you don't count the S3 Finale blog that was out there for quite some time)!! 20,000 Hits achieved this week since February 2007 also! Thanks READERS!!!
I think the whole course correction works two-fold. Desmond saw flashes of the future and was able to change something before it happened...but the end result DID happen anyway (Charlie died). Here...Desmond is in a past that already occurred (or in Season 3...relived the past from a Future Consciousness)...and skews with the past...but the future wouldn't have changed. I guess Desmond still would have contacted Penny? I think that's the same thing stedman asked...what is the future event that didn't change?
I think the main point of the producers is...if you think about it too much..you'll drive yourself insane. Just enjoy the story! and don't try to find loopholes because there inevitably will be! As long as the story is engaging we'll buy it!
But good point on that Paradox Stedman with Eloise. I didn't even think about that. And trying to rationalize how that was possible just gives me a headache.
A friend of mine had mentioned to me a Continuity issue with the episode too. 1996 Desmond had never met Dan...however when he traveled to Oxford to find him...he picked him right out of the crowd and asked if he was "Dan" Yeah...just slight liberties taken there I guess. Unless part of 2004 desmond's consciousness made Dan instantly recognizable! lol a stretch probably!!!! I still think 2004 Dan should've said something like "you can't miss me..look for the guy with the giant MULLET!" ahhh fantastic!
Loved the mullet comment ! LOL
I think Des also made some comment like - I was told I'd find you here - I think we were supposed to assume that he asked for directions to Dan's department when he first arrived on campus. And pegging him as the professor was easy as he was older than a student and the way he was talking to the student that was there made it obvious he was the teacher !
Yeah - you are very right about just enjoying the ride with all the time travel stuff.
MJ
Your huge paradox thought: If there is only one timeline and the future can’t be changed than Desmond was always going to make that call. There is no timeline where he didn’t. But you say “he went back in time! How can the timeline not been changed!!” Well here’s my theory on how they’re dealing with time. LINDELOF said in the story http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20179125,00.html that they’re not against bending time. Think of the timeline as a rope tied between two poles. Now take a sheet and place it in the middle and the rope bends because of the weight. The sheet represents Desmond’s new actions in the past, it changes (or bends) the rope (timeline) but the rope still goes from pole (birth) to pole (death). I hope that makes sense.
Just read a preview for tonight's episode and had this thought:
Ms. Hawking = Other Woman?
I am sure that I am wrong, but based on her knowledge of how things were supposed to happen, I have a feeling that she is going to show up again.
-Addict
Mike,
I keep forgetting to remember to post this thought, what happened to Naomi's body? The last I remember, she was on the helicopter as the last "passenger", but her body wasn't seen in flight, mentioned or shown was on the freighter. Did she disappear?
-Addict
Did anyone else notice that Dan says to Desmond that he is on a boat in the middle of nowhere in the future during "The Constant"? I just rewatched this episode and Desmond never tells Dan about being on a boat. Is this just a mistake by the writers or was Dan time traveling to and from his time with Desmond while Desmond was out for 75 minutes? Remember, Dan seems to know much more about the side effects after Desmond was out during this time even though Dan was shocked to be able to send Elosie's conscious to the future. Or did someone prep Dan on Desmond's visit?
-Addict
I noticed something that your buddy who provides the still shots can help us with....
on the deck of the freighter, about the time that Desmond runs to the back of the ship a camera shows what I feel is the head of a person (reddish colored w/ a part, I believe) in a prone position and seemingly covered from the neck down.
Could this be Brandon who we are told is now in a body bag? Check it out and see what your call is on it.
Small detail - You right that the 7K scribled on the heli pilot's paper is kilometer, but it isn't. If it was kilometer it would have been 7KM.
That's all :P
Not that I want to argue such a small detail, but "K" is used for Kilometers as well. Anyone that does the big 10 Kilometer or 5 Kilometer runs can tell you they are called the 10K and 5K runs!
But, the fact that it is right underneath something that says "Miles" makes it bizarre that Daniel would be using 2 different metrics to confuse Lapidus. Regardless, I'm sure the detail does not matter in the giant scheme of things! lol
I don't know what to say! For me this was the best episode of the season and probably of the series so far. It was one of the best episodes of television I've ever seen. It's amazing how deeply I'm invested in Desmond's story, his long-lost love, and his fate (not only with Penny, but with Charles Widmore and the people on the island).
Indeed, tears came to my eyes when Des called Penny on Christmas Eve and she picked up the phone. My heart raced a bit as the battery power on the phone was fading and Des and Penny were shouting rapidly to each other, trying to express their love. WOW, what a scene!
For some reason, it reminded me of the first time I watched It's a Wonderful Life, the 1946 movie with James Stewart. I cried when George Bailey finally came home after his long nightmare of time-travel. Of course, this ep of Lost was plotted differently and all sorts of things were different, but the net result was no less affecting. Except in the movie, George gets to hug his wife and hold his daughter...poor Desmond is still alone on a freighter in the South Pacific.
There were so many things going on in this episode, with tons of mega-plot and mini-plot connections and references, it's exhausting to even think about addressing them all. But that's what we have Mike's recap for! So I don't have to!
I am getting a huge kick out of Daniel. He's perfectly cast and provides such a great dimension to the show.
Right now it appears that people have no control of when they are going to time travel, which is why is can become lethal when it happens too rapidly. I wonder if eventually people will be able to control it and specify a date in the past or future that they want to travel to, which is how we usually see it presented in sci/fi fantasy. Does Ben already have control over his time traveling?
It was great to see Charles Widmore again. We know he's a major factor in just about everything going on off the island, but how much is he a factor in what's going on ON the island? Inquiring minds want to know!
Yeah, Mike, the comments section is becoming unwieldy for me at this point. I get so anxious to see the next ep, I'm beginning to just skim through the comments. Of course, by the series finale the volume of comments will be insane, but at least it will be over and maybe I can go back and read more of the comments on the finale after I register my initial thoughts.
@Miles - Not sure if you're still going back and reading my responses to your comments, but I said season 4 does play home to the best hour of television quite possibly ever produced and my favorite episode of LOST. You found it!! They actually spent a very long time working out the logistics of this episode and it paid off. So well executed, not a minute wasted.
That scene with Des and Penny is so awesome...any time you ever see that scene again, you will tear up. Just perfection. Amazing what those 2 actors were able to convey with basically MINUTES of screen time together.
Jeremy Davies is great as Daniel Faraday. Totally agree. You should see him in season 2 of Justified...hysterical how different those characters were (2 totally opposite ends of the spectrum of intelligence and he nailed them both)
Don't want to say much about the time travel mechanics...all I'll say is you'll find out! But there sure was tons speculated especially after this episode.
I'd love to tell you more about Widmore, but just keep watching! :)
Yep, comments sections will get much bigger than even this one registered. Of course, half of them were me responding to people too...but still. LOTS of discussion. Definitely understand you skimming!
Even if Miles isn't reading your follow ups, I am! Whenever he started commenting about August 10th or so on whatever episode that was, I was ironically at the very same one. This is my first time commenting even though I think I found your blog around the first or second season of my watching.
I am obviously going at a significantly slower pace than him, but I read this thing after every single episode. After this crazy episode especially I couldn't wait to come on and see what everyone had to say. I read then I copy and paste important facts into an email for my boyfriend, who obviously isn't as much of an obsessive as I am. Since we are pretty after-the-fact on Netflix, it is nice to have somewhere to go to look at what people have to say. I know other people have said so in the comments already, but the blog is awesome and thanks so much for having done it!
Hi Sarah! Thanks for commenting and letting me know you're reading! Glad to hear it's still useful for you too! You're totally welcome for writing it. It was a very fun time!
Miles did keep up with my responses and you'll see our ongoing conversation over the next posts. Lol loving this resurgence in lost blog readership!! :-) enjoy!
Move over Jack/Kate/Sawyer...the best love story here is Desmond and Penny. (At least for this episode, who knows what future iterations of the lovely love triangle will make me feel).
Wow. What an episode. I had a feeling that this was the 'best hour of the season/possibly series' that you had referred to before. How on earth did the writers manage to make this work? It seems like a storytelling nightmare with all of the time jumps, but they did it, and it is brilliant. You said that the writers spent a long time working this one out - any interesting info about that process? Would be interested to know more.
That phone call scene between Desmond and Penny had me teary. I'm amazed at how much emotion these two portrayed in such a short amount of time. Also, it was so reassuring to know that Penny knows about the island and has been researching it (behind her dad's back?). Just knowing that someone out there, who loves one of our heroes, knows about the island and is trying to find it made me feel so much hope for their situation.
I'm not going to spend too much time thinking through all this time jumping stuff. The nitty gritty details of it might be more than my brain can handle at the moment. But the confirmation that time moves differently on the island is awesome. Also love the theory that Russou's people got sick from time jumping and went crazy. That makes a lot of sense. Also, maybe the visions the castaways have been having on the island are weak side effects of the weird island time lapse.
I was SO pumped to see that freighter. It does exist! I was starting to believe it wasn't real. :)
I'm glad you're enjoying my comments. I really enjoy your follow-up comments to my thoughts. Can't wait to see how this all plays out!
I was feeling like an idiot commenting on this after so much time, but it appears someone else's watching the series along with me! Hello, Krista! :)
I was watching LOST when it aired on TV, but I stopped early in season 4. Real life had become too hectic at that point, and I also felt I didn't like where the show was headed. I think I stopped right after episode 4. Years later I've finally decided to rewatch the whole thing - and here I was, thinking I still don't like season 4, right until this episode. It completely blew my mind away!
This was awesome in every way possible. Desmond is quickly becoming my new favorite character. I hope he fares better than my old fave, Charlie! If he doesn't get his happy-ending with Penny, I'm gonna be pissed.
I'm loving Dan too. We certainly needed someone like him on the show, a person who has some idea what might be going on at this crazy island - in a scientific way, unlike Ben or Locke. Not to mention he's such a likable character, too. I'm also eager to see what Charlotte knows, I think she has some surprises for us as well.
All the theories I've read here sound very interesting, but I'm not going to speculate, just enjoy the show and see where it takes me. I'm mostly watching it for the drama, not the mystery, anyway. That was my main quibble with season 4 so far - too many mysteries being piled one upon another, too little time for character interaction and engaging storytelling. I hope this changes soon!
Wow, busy week on the Lost blog!! Don't worry Leta, I still get notified when people comment and I'm still happy to discuss the show spoiler free! :) I appreciate you guys still checking out the recaps and taking the time to comment. :)
@Krista - Absolutely. I couldn't say it until you got to this episode. And Absolutely, this is generally agreed upon as the best hour of the entire series. And it's #1 on my all time favorite episodes of television too. They really hit it out of the park. And apparently, they spent a lot of extra time perfecting this episode in production than the others. A normal episode took 5 weeks to produce, so I can't imagine how long this one took! LOL...I type my comments as I'm reading through yours, so I see I already made that comment about creating the process. Ugh...I wish I knew more! You could look to see if the official LOST podcasts are still available. Damon and Carlton were very entertaining to listen to previewing the next episode and recapping the previous. I think that's where I got my info. Or maybe it was on the blu-ray special features I can't remember! :)
That specific scene between Desmond and Penny with the phone call was just so earned and so perfect. I cry every time I watch it. And yes, they had so little screen time in the scheme of LOST, it's an attribute to the actors, the editing, the script and of course Michael Giacchino's amazing score (We are alums of the same High School thank you very much! lol) that made it perfect. Yep, and Penny knowing about the island...just ties back into Charlie's amazing and painful final scene. His sacrifice may have been worth it. awesome.
That's basically all you need to know about time jumping for now. But, yes it surely led to much speculation. I don't want to say much more about what it may or may not lead to. But, it should be noted that Desmond was involved in another time travel tale in season 3 too...plus his whole visions of the future. So, there may be a theme there. If there are any such topics in the future of the show, I'm sure I've covered them in detail on the blog! :)
Yes, the Freighter does exist!! Looks like you have someone else to join in on the conversation with now too!
@Leta - WOW...you stopped right before the BEST EPISODE of the show!! That has to be rough in hindsight. But, I can understand. Many did get frustrated with LOST and abandoned it. I'm glad you started over from the beginning to refresh your memory! I'll tell you what I told Krista. Just keep an open mind as the show goes forward and don't concern yourself too much about very nitty gritty questions. I'm guilty of it too on this blog, but many people went into that final season with a checklist of questions that they demanded answers to. You'll get the answers you need. But it shouldn't be the objective of enjoying the show. It IS a television drama and it's a fantastic one at that. Enjoy it first as a great drama with great characters and 2nd as one crazy rollercoaster of a mystery show..and you should enjoy the remainder of the series!
I will make no promises with Desmond and Penny, but I will say desmond easily emerged as probably my favorite character on the show. I still thought Jack was a great character, even if most people got annoyed with him. He has a great story arc and he is the leader. Has to carry the show and all that. lol
Yeah, Dan is great too! The freighter 4 (Miles, Daniel, Charlotte and Frank) ended up being great additions to the show...you will get more scoop on all of them. But due to the writer's strike in season 4 (hence why the season is shorter than the rest)....you may have to wait a little bit to get their stories. :)
Once again, I should've read what you wrote before I made my comments. Glad to hear your enjoying it as a show first!! The questions and mysteries don't really stop but there's plenty of time for character interaction. That said, with the shorter seasons for 4-6, it's more plot movement than driving DHARMA VANS with Skeletor. :-) A blessing and a curse. I do enjoy the filler episodes because they add depth to the characters and increase the emotional stakes when drama happens. But they spent 3 seasons building up these characters so everything in seasons 4-6 still felt earned. You should enjoy it!
Feel free to keep commenting. I'm loving that this blog gets a little resurgence about once a year!
ugh...hate when I make typos I can't edit. Most annoying pet peeve "YOUR" instead of "You're" :-) There, I feel better now!
Come on, Mike - Dharma Van was great! :) I think I actually shrieked with laughter sometime during that episode. I really liked the quiet moments of Lost, and I'm going to miss them if, as you say, the rest is going to be a rollercoaster ride. A hell of a ride, I'm sure, but still. But we'll see.
And yes, after seeing this episode yesterday I was like "Aargh, why did I have to stop right after the Kate flashforward?" But that's been remedied 6 years later! And I'm determined to get to the end this time, no matter what.
It's wonderful that you're still up for discussion about this show so long after it's ended. It must be fun for you, knowing everything that's going to happen :)
@Leta - Oh no...I LOOOOOVED that episode! I was using it as an example of what not to expect in the future. lol Jin speaking english lines that Sawyer taught him? Classic!
Don't worry, there's still humor to come!
Definitely fun for me to watch "newbies" see things for the first time and see their reaction. Of course, it's hard for me not to tease too. But, I do my best.
Same thing with Game of Thrones now...i read the books so I have to be very careful what I say on my new TV Addicts Blog site! (shameless promotion lol)
Love your blog Mike! Just started Lost a few months ago and have been trucking along ever since! This series is fantastic and I love the mystery behind it! JJ Abrams is fantastic! I gotta tell ya, the beginning of this season is starting to make my head hurt! I feel like I get confused more and more every episode that goes by! Man I love Juliet. I think she may be my favorite character! I don't know why I love her but her manipulation and the way you never know what team she's trul on really grasp my attention! But I always come to your recaps to try to clear things up after every episode! Thanks for taking the time to write them for confused people like me!
Hi Anonymous, thanks for the post! Yikes, if this season is making your head hurt, wait until season 5! (though, I always say season 5 is my favorite to rewatch) Juliet is certainly a great character and quickly became a fan favorite. You picked a good episode to post a comment on throughout your binge. This is easily my favorite episode of the series and perfect in absolutely every way.
Enjoy the ride and feel free to comment along the rest of your binge. I can respond back when I have time!
Mike, thank you for creating this VERY detailed blog and for continually remarking on the "newbie" comments. My daughter raved about "LOST" when it was on t.v. but I only began watching it when it was on Netflix about two yrs. ago. Yes, I certainly binged watched it and then started the series all over again about 2 months ago. I watched other Netflix series (all the popular ones) but NOTHING has even remotely compared to the brilliance of "LOST". Fortunately, because of all the many details and complicated storyline, I had forgotten much and now (with the help of your blog), I can appreciate the series even more. I will say though, that (without giving anything away), I felt such a loss when the show was finally over. It was more to do with my deep connection with the story and characters than with the actual ending. I really have no one to discuss the show with (my daughters are tired of me going on and on) and I have tried, even subtly, to get my husband to watch it but because he hears me occasionally rave about it, he is already tired of it. However, he has just said that if I read "Atlas Shrugged", he may be more inclined to watch "LOST" (although he easily falls asleep when watching shows, which of course would be a problem!). I had forgotten this superior episode and even watched it two times in a row (thank goodness for Netflix!). Desmond is certainly one of my favorite characters and his story is filled with emotions (I could cry just thinking about his passion!).
Hello Anonymous! Thanks for the kind words and for posting. It's crazy that you're on a rewatch and still finding value in reading the old posts. Good to hear!
I definitely went through a period of withdrawal when the show ended. But, it's always good to know that we can return to that world whenever we want through Blu Rays, Netflix, etc... Plus, all of the talent behind the show have moved on to great things too.
One thing you might be interested in is a LOST compilation being published in the next couple of weeks. Some of my old posts will be published in there as well as many other posts from popular LOST sites. All organized in a great way to get the most out of your LOST experience! I'll be advertising the book on the site and via twitter and other mediums soon.
You gotta get your husband on board! He's missing out. Let me know if you need help! LOL Totally agree on Desmond. It's amazing how impactful he was with limited screen time in season 2. So much so that he became a series regular moving forward!
Thanks again for writing in, and feel free to chime in during your rewatch and I'll write back. But definitely stay spoiler free for future eps! As you did very well here! :)
WOOOOOOWWW!!! That was mind-blowing... I expected Dan to give us some answers and that he did. Dan is now in my favorites list. And DENNY did almost make me cry.
Btw the Dan and Mrs. Hawking being linked theory is great too. I hope that this is not the end of the future visions and time-travelling of Dez. Time-travelling is one of the things that I am loving the most about this show...
DENNY, nice. lol I don't think I ever used a shipper name for the greatest love story of all time! Penny/Desmond certainly deserve one. ALMOST made you cry?? I get tears every time I watch that episode, that scene! It's so perfect.
I don't want to spoil on the time travel aspect. All I'll say is "keep watching"! Did I mention something about Daniel and Hawking in this blog? Interesting. I'll have to reread what I said for my own personal retrospective!
I know I'm late to the party, being that this episode aired over 10 years ago, but I've been binge watching episodes over the past week and I can't stop! Season 4 is really stirring my curiosity. Thankfully, I stumbled upon this blog for answers and speculation without spoilers on a per episode basis. However, after reading the blog for Season 4 episode 5, I couldn't help but make a correction about the article pertaining to Frank's Helicopter Instruments. The instrument was not reading 31,rather 30.5. It's a heading gauge that works in degrees. The gauge has exactly at 30.5 which is equal to 305° the heading listed on the paper
Hi Anonymous. Thanks for checking out the blog and definitely happy you're able to utilize the blog for spoiler free speculation upon your binge!
Appreciate the correction on the heading gauge! I definitely did not know that, and honestly forgot that I ever wrote 31 in the post. :) But now the correction will live on with the blog for the next bingers!
Hey guys,
I just wanted to say hi again and leave my stamp on this classic episode. Gotta love Desmond and his tortuous path. And I was sure that being 10 years late to the party meant that there would be nothing new for me to contribute, but there is something that you all missed!
The book doesn't say 'Edgar', is says 'Ledger', as in the ledger of a ship. Who the hell is Edgar? hahahaha I laughed so hard when I read that.
Love the blog man :)
Thanks Badeco! (BTW...thanks for your initial comment on that season 3 post. I did respond. :))
This truly was one of the best episodes of television of all time (and easily the best LOST episode).
lol....wow. I was working on minimal sleep back then writing these recaps. That's hilarious that I wrote Edgar! Thanks for the correction and the props!
Thought I’d check in and say that is this the other BEST episode of Lost that you mentioned?? Because I would definitely think so, loved every minute of it, so many answers and things clicking together but of course, also so many more questions! Absolutely loving season 4 so far, love the flash forwards as well, I think it’s quite a clever way of building the story up! Love love love this show, don’t know what I’ll do when it’s gone! :((((
Yep you got it! Definitely the best episode of lost and one of the best all time episodes of television. Yeah I was kind of “lost” after the show ended. We all kept looking for the next great thing. Great shows always turn up out of nowhere but nothing captures my imagination like this show did. Game of thrones has probably been the closest. So my solution? Just watch Lost again! Lol
Yes definitely a great episode... Again it has taken me about 90 mins to read the blog and comments, so high time I got to episode 6 😀
My favorite tv episode of all time. “I won’t call for 8....years!!!”
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