So for anyone that has picked up the Season 6 DVD/Blu-Ray or Complete Series Set probably is aware that it came with a special 12 minute chapter of LOST called "The New Man in Charge". (8/22/2013 update - it's on YouTube now!) What is included in it are some additional answers that didn't logically fit into the final season of the show. Now, no one should have expected some Emmy Worthy chapter of LOST writing and acting coming our way, but it was still entertaining to get some more pieces to the puzzle after the show was over. A nice after-dessert snack if you will. So keep reading on if you want to see what answers and information was included in the EPILOGUE.
The New Man in Charge Recap
Orote, Guam - DHARMA Logistics Warehouse
We join 2 men in the "present day" wearing DHARMA jumpsuits and boxing up some DHARMA goodies. They are loading up a pallet and one of the guys is worried about getting it loaded in time. An old printer prints out instructions and provides a "launch window". Then Ben Linus arrives to shut the entire operation down. Instructions from the New Man in Charge! As you may have guessed, yes, we got our answer to the DHARMA Pallet drops on the Island.
- The men are confused and have been operating in the dark for about 20 years. Considering the date is the "present day" and the printout states 8/24/2010 (DVD Release day) we can assume they have been loading these pallets since 1990 which is 2 years prior to THE PURGE when Ben killed off the DHARMA Initiative, with the help of the man that ordered the purge. (right, we still didn't find out for sure if this was Charles Widmore or Jacob. Maybe the encyclopedia will clarify?) Ben does clarify that the DHARMA Initiative has not existed for nearly 20 years, so these guys just assumed it kept going because they kept getting orders to send pallet drops.
- Ben explains that he is from the Home Office which these 2 men didn't even know where that was. They also didn't know where the pallet drops were going. Ben explained to them that they always go to an Island and the coordinates are different each time because the Island moves. The pallets were dropped off by unmanned "drone" planes. I'm not sure how these planes never crashed on the Island since every other plane that got into the Island area lost power and stuff (Well, the Swan Hatch event caused 815 to crash, but Ajira 316 lost power when night turned to day and all of that). But, hey, this is more explanation then we had. Oh and the coordinates sent to these guys was automated from the Lamp Post Station. Makes perfect sense. And yes, these guys didn't know what the Lamp Post Station is either.
- Ben also gives these guys nice severance packages with lots of cash. I wonder if this is Hurley's lottery winnings or just the money that Ben somehow had access too through his off-island connections. Doesn't really matter, I guess!
- This is when things got a little cheesy. This epilogue was obviously made to give us some answers, but they had the 2 men BEG Ben to give them answers "WE DESERVE ANSWERS!!!" And then Ben looks at them and says "Okay, you each get 1 question and I will answer them." But hey, has cheesy as it was, I had to laugh.
- And yes the first question asked was about everything I just mentioned above with the DHARMA Food Drop. Once the guy asked how the Island moves, Ben cuts him off indicating this is a 2nd question. The next guy's question is (paraphrasing) "Assuming these food drops are in a tropical area, why are we sending DHARMA Polar Bear Fish Biscuits there?"
- Ben pulls out a DHARMA Binder filled with DVDs (wow, welcome to the 21st century, but come on, you couldn't upgrade to Blu-Ray?). Ben pulls out the Hydra Orientation video that was converted to DVD from Beta-Max. Nice. Ben tells them that they will watch this video and then he will leave. He also picks up a box of DHARMA Granola bars, pockets one, and then eats another one while watching.
Hydra Orientation Video
We find out that the Hydra Video was Station #1. Pierre Chang introduces himself as, what do you know, PIERRE CHANG!
We find out that the Hydra Video was Station #1. Pierre Chang introduces himself as, what do you know, PIERRE CHANG!
- Pierre indicates that for security reasons no one should divulge his real name or else he'll have to resort to aliases in future videos. You may not like it, but there's your answer to why he goes by Marvin Candle, Edgar Halliwax and Mark Wicmund.
- The purpose of the Hydra Station was for Biological and Behavioral studies on Animal life (Land, Marine and Ariel). First up in the video:
- Hurley Bird - Remember that bird in the season 1 and 2 finales that swept down near Hurley and yelled "HURLEY!!!" or at least sounded like it did? Well, apparently the DHARMA initiative experimented in Genetic Alteration. This bird was a Hybrid or a Hybird, as they like to call it. They released the bird to see how it would adapt to the unique properties of the Island. Nice.
- Polar Bears - The bears were brought to the Island for their memory skills and ability to adapt. They thought this would be beneficial in their studies of the electro-magnetic properties of the Island, not to mention their comfort in cold temperatures. The video skips a bit here but that combined with the fact that they said the Bear's next phase of experimentation would be at the Orchid station signifies that DHARMA was behind these Bears turning that crazy Frozen Donkey Wheel, which was in a cold climate! Remember the Edgar Halliwax Parka that Ben sported when he turned the wheel and beamed off to Tunisia? Remember how Charlotte found a Polar Bear in Tunisia with a DHARMA logo on it? Did you want to know how it got there and what that DHARMA Logo was? Well it just happened to be a TRACKING DEVICE that the Dharma Initiative put on the bear.
- Pregnancy Issues - Chang also warned to be sure that the Female Bear does not get impregnated because the Electromagnetic Levels at the orchid have extremely harmful effects on gestation. Okay, so I think we all kind of assumed that the electromagnetic properties of the island may affect pregnant women. But I don't know if the answer is that simple. What about Claire being okay because she conceived Aaron OFF-Island? What about Juliet being able to deliver Ethan for Amy in 1977 because whatever happened to cause pregnancy issues on the Island "didn't happen yet"? We can't blame Desmond forgetting to push the button on 9/22/2004 because the pregnancy issues were happening BEFORE that event. So, I'll give them HALF credit for this answer!
- Room 23 - We find out that Room 23 was used to study HUMAN behavior, more specifically, the Island's indigenous inhabitants (The hostiles/ The Others). They wanted to find out more about their way of life, their origin and their belief in an Island Deity known as Jacob (this would explain why the video says "God Loves you as Jacob does" or something like that). They would inject the patients and put googles on them, play the video causing an amnesia like quality so that they would not remember their interrogation. This was essential so that they would never get caught being in violation of their TRUCE with the Others.
- This marked the end of the video and Pierre did his normal NAMASTE. The DHARMA guys watching the video make a similar comment that Locke made after watching the SWAN video (We're gonna have to watch that again!). But Ben simply got up and prepared to leave folding his hands together and giving his own "NAMASTE" farewell. He had one more call to make.
Santa Rosa Mental Institution
Ben arrives to visit a patient at Santa Rosa. He provides a note at the front desk that suggests "a friend sent him" giving him access to Keith Johnson (Remember Kevin Johnson?)
- No that's not Leonard playing that Connect 4. You guessed it! It's WALT!!!! And time for some more of the best acting to ever be on LOST!
- First of all, I do not know how Walt is going by the name Keith Johnson when he didn't even know Michael was going by the name Kevin Johnson but whatever. Ben comes to visit and Walt asks if he is there to kidnap him again (like he did on the Island). Ben profusely apologizes for doing that and says that what done is done but at least he is owning up to it.
- Ben understands how hard it has been for Walt, pretending to be someone that he's not. He tells Walt that he is Special and that it's probably been a long time since someone told him that. He tells Walt that he has work to do and that he needs to start by helping his father. Walt somehow knows that his father is dead. But Ben suggests that he could still help him. Hmmmm, do we think that the HELP is to help him "MOVE ON" because he is trapped on the Island? Move into that Big bright SHINING WHITE LIGHT in the sky--errr CHURCH? One can only guess, I guess.
- Ben takes the Granola Bar out of his pocket and gives it to Walt in some kind of peace offering. It reminded me most of when Hurley splits the candy bar with Ben when waiting for Locke to return from the Cabin. Not sure if that was intentional or not, but I like the comparison so I'm sticking with it!
- Apparently, this is enough of a selling point and Walt is on his way with Ben out of the Institution and into a DHARMA Van. (hmm, how did the Van get to Los Angeles? Unless it was one on the main land already?)
- Hurley is waiting in the Van and Walt is very excited to see him. Walt then says he has been waiting for a long time for someone to to come back for him but he thought he was crazy. Hurley, giving a very similar speech that Jacob gave to him, told Walt that he is not crazy. He just needs to get back to the Island. It's where he belongs, where he always belonged. Hurley then says he wants to talk to Walt about a job.
- What is the job? Well, Ben suggests that Walt needs to help his father. Maybe Walt will be groomed to be Hurley's eventual replacement as Island protector? Lots of speculation we can make but for now Hurley just tells Driver Ben and Walt "Let's Go Home" and the DHARMA Van drives off down the road. Does it drive to the Island somehow? Do they have another method of getting there? Doesn't matter. But what we do know is that there are more adventures for this trio on the Island for years to come.
BOOM LOST!!!!
Yes, not WOW worthy stuff, but a nice little addendum to the LOST mythology. I am content with it and just enjoyed being immersed in that world one last time. Feel free to share your own thoughts in the comments on this one.
Special thanks to Dark UFO for posting screenshots. Since I had this on Blu-Ray there was no way to get the images onto my computer!
Other Stuff on the Season 6 DVD/Blu-Ray Set
I have watched a few other features on the final disc of the Season 6 set and there is some pretty good stuff. I especially enjoyed the 40 minute "Constructing a Final Season" special feature. Lots of good stuff in there. Now, I have heard that there is some good commentary on the "Across the Sea" episode, possibly even suggesting that the MOTHER (EVE) was the original Smoke Monster. I cannot confirm this yet as I have not watched it yet. But I will update this when I do.
Not sure if everyone knows, but the LOST Encyclopedia has been delayed in order to incorporate the information in this 12 minute Epilogue that I just recapped above. I definitely will be purchasing that when it does come out. And if I find anything else worth noting, I may post a blog about it. I also eventually want to do my re-watch of the entire series. Not sure how much blogging I will do on this, but you just never know! That is really all of the LOST updates I have for now but as I mentioned above I want to continue my plug for my next Blogging venture.
Special thanks to Dark UFO for posting screenshots. Since I had this on Blu-Ray there was no way to get the images onto my computer!
Other Stuff on the Season 6 DVD/Blu-Ray Set
I have watched a few other features on the final disc of the Season 6 set and there is some pretty good stuff. I especially enjoyed the 40 minute "Constructing a Final Season" special feature. Lots of good stuff in there. Now, I have heard that there is some good commentary on the "Across the Sea" episode, possibly even suggesting that the MOTHER (EVE) was the original Smoke Monster. I cannot confirm this yet as I have not watched it yet. But I will update this when I do.
Not sure if everyone knows, but the LOST Encyclopedia has been delayed in order to incorporate the information in this 12 minute Epilogue that I just recapped above. I definitely will be purchasing that when it does come out. And if I find anything else worth noting, I may post a blog about it. I also eventually want to do my re-watch of the entire series. Not sure how much blogging I will do on this, but you just never know! That is really all of the LOST updates I have for now but as I mentioned above I want to continue my plug for my next Blogging venture.
So, with my next blog, I am broadening my scope of shows that I will cover by not limiting myself to just one. (I learned my lesson with FlashForward. You just never know what is going to succeed and what won't) The TV Addicts Blog (www.tvaddictsblog.com) will be a place that we can all continue to discuss shows that we love. I will pursue recapping certain shows, but I don't know if I can keep it up for all of the shows I watch. I am thinking I can do a mixture of long recaps and shorter posts where the discussion with all of you will be the biggest part of the post. As for Recaps, it's looking like The Event, Fringe and Dexter are getting a majority of the votes on the poll. I encourage you all to go to the site and vote as well. It will be tough to keep up recaps for all of them but I figure we'll play this one by ear. Stop by and feel free to provide some suggestions! I look forward to us all discussing these other shows and possibly discovering the next big thing together!
That is all I have for now folks. Stay tuned for more LOST updates. As I mentioned before, not sure when but they could happen. And definitely check out the new blog! Thanks again for your dedicated readership and I'll see you around! NAMASTE!!
That is all I have for now folks. Stay tuned for more LOST updates. As I mentioned before, not sure when but they could happen. And definitely check out the new blog! Thanks again for your dedicated readership and I'll see you around! NAMASTE!!
55 comments:
Hey Guys, so I was listening to the latest Geronimo Jack's Beard (Jorge Garcia and Girlfriend Beth) podcast and they started talking about storylines that were in the script that got cut out (causing them to edit podcasts they had already recorded)
Guess what?? THE OUTRIGGER scene was one of them! lol They forget exactly how they had the scene written but they think it may have been Man in Black in an outrigger shooting at Sawyer, Locke, Juliet, Miles, etc...before they time traveled to Rousseau Times. They said they are going to update their blog if they find the script and remember. But, I guess since it didn't make it to the final footage it is not CANON to the show anyway.
The reason I say this is because another tidbit they dropped was that Ilana was originally written to be Jacob's daughter!! But then in the final cut they changed Ilana's line from "he was my father" to "he was the closest thing to a father I had" woaaaaa Jorge made a good point in that he was glad they changed it because then fans would be asking...well then who is Ilana's Mother??? How did Jacob meet her? etc... and that probably wasn't a story they were interested in telling.
Just thought I'd drop those bits of info I heard from their final podcast. Here's the link to their blog (which links to the podcast)
Thanks for the podcast info.
The additional 12 mins was ok. I was amused.
Will have to wait to see the rest
No problem MJ. Yeah, it's not like anyone missed anything too detrimental if they choose not to buy the DVD or read about the epilogue. But it was still cool to see them address some nagging questions (even if the Pregnancy issue still doesn't make sense).
We could be waiting forever to find anything else out! :-)
i haven't seen the epilogue yet, so i closed my eyes while scrolling down the page, lol.. but YAY! glad to see that you have pretty much figured out what to do next. i am interested to see what "the event" is going to be like, but i'm not getting my hopes up after what happened with flashforward lol.. but know that i'll definitely be looking forward to reading whatever you have to say about whatever show! unfortunately i don't get any premium channels, so shows like dexter will be lost on me.. but i can't wait to see what you ahve to say :)
LOL Kelly. Good job on scrolling! I hear you on Dexter. I still say it's a good show and highly recommend watching the DVDs even if you're always a season behind. If you have netflix and a streaming decide, I think the first couple seasons are streaming too. That's how I watched the first 2 seasons.
Anyway, don't worry...I'll still be covering Network and basic cable shows too! :-)
heyI yes its been a long time... so i just want to say that i enjoyed the lost epilogue but certainly it felt like it was written for all of those lost fans who were crying desperately for answers, i loved the way the dialogues and writing interacts with the fans, that something that i enjoyed the most from the this show, but this was really like forced and also felt like a filler dont know i have mixed feelings but still i love this show! so ill take it as valid, but still one small question that maybe was already answered but for some reason cant remember so here it goes: Who put the Dahrma on the island whose idea was it? was it jacob? the millionaire dude who appeared on the Darhma video who was the one that gave money for the research? how did the Darhma got there? cant remember someone please help! thanks!
Hi Juan! - Totally agree some of it felt very forced. But I enjoed it for what it was. An bonus feature for fans. They didn't even really have to do that but they wanted to give the fans more. And yes, ABC certainly wasn't going to turn down the incentive to make more money off of the DVD/Blu-Ray sets! Well there was no clear cut answer but we do know that Jacob brought people to the Island to prove a point to the man in black. And it was a cycle that repeated itself many times over. We can assume that DHARMA is part of this cycle. However, the millionaire "dude" that you speak of is Alvar Hanso...his great grandfather (or grandfather or whatever) Magnus Hanso was captain of the Black Rock. We ironically never really saw any clear images of either of these characters. But there could be a possibility that DHARMA discovered the Island based on Alvar hanso's knowledge of Magnus's "disapperance". Maybe his funding provided the ability to discover this Island. Jacob may NOT have summoned DHARMA. They may have discovered the island on their own...as would be suggested by the research in the Lamp Post station. I forget if any DHARMA folk were on the Candidate Wall. Anyway, no, I don't think they ever specifically answered the question but definitely gave a lot of information to make up your own solution! lol
Hey Mike! What a treat to have a brand new Lost Vitullo summarizing post! As I read your post this evening, I had flashbacks to reading your blog every Tuesday (or whatever day) for the last couple of years, always with a sense of intrigue and mystery and anticipation. Very cool.
My expectations were minimal for this 12-minute segment, and it pretty well delivered on those expectations. Seeing Hurley again was great. And Ben. And Walt. As for the answers... neh. The only one that I really cared about was the fact that Michael will likely have redemption one day, with Walt's help. That wrapped up a thread satisfactorily for me. Although -- if Michael does eventually get out of islandurgatory, then wouldn't we have seen him in sidewaysurgatory in season 6? Being that sideways reality was timeless. Ahhh, whatever. I will forever be grateful to the creators of Lost for making such a phenomenal mind-bending show. And, I will forever be irritated with them, for making a whole lot of bad choices about how to utilize their finite hours of Lost screen-time priorities. Yea, it was their story, but let me tell you, if JKR did that with HP, she would have been chastised. My opinion, obviously.
In any case, I'm a bit sad that I don't watch live television shows, because that means I won't have anything to follow on your new blog. But I'll try to check in from time to time just to keep you honest! ;-)
Seriously though, Mike -- I want you to know that over time you became an integral part of my Lost viewing entertainment experience. I have appreciated your summarizing writing skills, and your people skills, and receptiveness to all questions, not matter how small or how repeated the answers were, and your dedication, and enthusiastic passion immensely. I hope that one day some big company will notice your skills and hire you to spend all your days blogging about your shows! They'll buy you a movie theater sized projection room with state of the art sound system, and you won't ever have to prioritize your "other job" meetings over responding to questions! Maybe, just maybe!
Namaste, my friend!
That's the dream, Glenn! That is the dream. A highly unlikely dream, but a dream nonetheless! lol Thanks for the major props you have provided. I'm glad that the blog was able to become part of your LOST experience. I have appreciated your excellent input as well since you joined the ranks of the blog!
My expectations for the epilogue were pretty minimal too. Yeah the answers were so-so. I did love the food drop answer. So simple, and something we could have come up with on our own (and maybe even did) but the little nuances they added were great (automated from the lamp post, drone planes, etc...)
As for Walt releasing Michael into SIDEWAYS land....and him not being with the group in the end. The only thing I can think of is that maybe Michael didn't BELONG with that group. Afterall he did kill one of the people there (Libby), even if accidentally. Ben killed Locke, and he didn't show up with that group either (even though they were both remorseful for it) I guess there is a chance that Michael would have his own "moving on" story with Walt if they were able to reconcile their past issues.
Totally appreciate what JKR was able to do. (I'm reading Deathly Hallows again right now and loving every minute of it! Can't wait for those crazy films) But, man, it really does seem like she had a vision from the beginning with what she was doing didn't it? I mean, EVERYTHING seemed to come full circle in that book series. It was awesome. I have to think producing a Television show is a "little" different than writing a Book. For starters, you're not constrained to 200 pages a book (a la 44 minutes an episode). When Rowling's story became more epic, so did the novels. And it was awesome!!
Yeah, Carlton Cuse often referred to each Season as a Chapter and referred to Harry Potter as an inspiration (since Rowling knew how many books she was writing just Like LOST eventually knew how many seasons they were creating). I dunno...I totally respect what you're saying. Do I wish that LOST could have closed every loose end and made it all tie together in a neat little bow? Yeah, that would have been amazing and never before done on TV (here is where people will note "THE WIRE" and I will still say I never saw it lol) But I am still amazed at what the show DID accomplish and I always loved the ride. And the characters are 2nd to none. I guess that's all I have for now!
Except for my Breaking Bad update. Finished season 3 last night......WOW!!!!!!!!!!! I'm a little p.o.'d that I didn't wait to do the Breaking Bad marathon until season 4 started. Now I have to wait for a resolution to that cliffhanger! lol Then again, it's nice to have a cliffhanger worthy of speculating for many months (sounds familiar, doesn't it? :-) )
Oh and Glenn, just because you don't watch TV live doesn't mean you don't watch it eventually right? The recaps or posts will always be there for when you get to them lol
There is actually a Family that has been watching LOST from the beginning and found this blog. They have been reading each one after an episode and then commenting along the way. It's been pretty fun for me to watch and enjoy their experience and find that the old posts are still relevant to a new set of eyes. They actually just caught up to season 6 so it will be interesting to see how they react to this season when watching it all straight through!
The Wire. And Six Feet Under is what I hear.
(I'll let you know -- I'm 40% through that series right now, although moving at a slow pace. So far it is really really good, and getting better with each episode.)
Yea, you are probably right about Michael not belonging to that group, and ditto for Walt.
And okay, the Dharma drop is interesting. But that was such a low priority mystery, man!
And as far as that being your dream... I'm thinking you ought to take a step in the real world towards making it happen. Why don't you drop the Doctor J. (Doc Jensen, that is) an email, and ask him if there might ever be an opening for a blogger extraordinnaire over there. Hey, what the heck -- far far stranger things have happened! And just tell me -- what have you got to lose? ;-)
To have some fun, I just did a search for "blogger jobs in hollywood." Check it out... while not a hollywood gig, one site is hiring an additional writer. Might have potential! ;-)
hasta luego, Mike!
Here are the links:
http://www.bloggerjobs.biz/blogger-jobs/entertainment-writers-needed-for-spiteful-critic/
http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/job-JLPRMHZRWO3;_ylc=X3oDMTEwc2szcjhqBF9TAzM5NjUxMDMzNQRjYXQDQURNBHBjb2RlAzUwNTg0?source=partner&scode=50584
One more thing. You should stop being so modest and start an email list. I would LOVE to join your email list. You could use it to send out notifications of when you have new posts. Or if anything Lost comes up again. Or to share that you got the dream job of your life!
How about it? A Vitullo Email List.
this is weird. a minute ago it said "12 posts," and my last posting was visible. Now it says 11 posts, and it's not visible. I'm going to try and re-post my last comment.
Aaagh, it happened again. There must be something in my post that blogger is not liking. Only thing I can think of is the link I posted was extra long? I'm going to remove the links and try posting one more time. I'm really glad I always "control-C" my long posts until I am sure they made it live!
Glenn, what are you talking about Modest? I DO have email lists! lol A.) That is how these blogs started in the first place as I was just emailing my thoughts to a bunch of people. B.) I never actively ask people to join it as it has been just friends, co-workers, family, etc... But if you want to join it, you're more than welcome!
Here's the thing though. I don't think I am going to be emailing every time a new post is up for the TV Addicts Blog. I'll tweet it and there is an email distribution list sign up on each of the blogs that I have. I don't want to bombard people with emails everyday if I'm submitting a lot more posts. But yeah, I do have a LOST email list if you want to join, you just need to send me your email address (and that goes for anyone). I think there is an email the author option on the site!
6 feet under- never watched but I think I mentioned I DID watch the finale which I thought was really good.
Hey, I've been hoping for an answer to that DHARMA Drop for ages! I think it depends on each viewer what is considered "low priority".
As for writing for a living...no, not much to lose. You're right....except a nice paycheck! lol I don't think most Bloggers get paid too well..and based on your links, that seems about right. I'd be better off just keep posting my stuff on Gather lol Or putting a "donate" button on my pages! lol j/k
Thanks for the links though. If I ever get daring, maybe I'll go for it one day. But I'm content with what I have right now!
So weird, I don't see them there either now, but I got emailed all of your posts! lol So I responded to them!
Told ya Breaking Bad was great ! LOL Just teasing.
I now what ya mean though - I thought Walt running over then shooting those guys was big - and that was only the next to last ep of the season, never mind the cliff hanger they left us with
You indeed did tell me MJ and I'm very thankful you and a few others did! The show is fantastic. And I totally knew Walt was gonna run them over but the SHOOTING? totally didn't see that coming. And the cliffhanger? yeah...nuts. But Jesse very clearly moved the gun before shooting....so who knows?!??!
What's with the Emmy shutout?!?
Yeah, tell me about it. Actually, LOST did win an emmy on the show that was held last week. M.J. Goldman won for editing the finale. So not a COMPLETE shutout lol I read some stuff that the final episode being 2.5 hours actually hurt its chances at winning because the voters probably wouldn't watch it more than once and may not have been fans of the show anyway. Emerson and O'Quinn submitted their centric episodes but still lost. Aaron Paul was fantastic in Breaking Bad though, I must say. And I knew once I saw Mad Men's season 3 finale that it was going to 3-peat. I think Best actor wealth should have been spread though....Cranston is amazing on Breaking Bad but come on! Any of those actors deserve a win. But yeah it hurt not to see LOST win for its final season and that amazing finale. But the show doesn't need an Emmy to validate its awesomeness! And it DID win for season 1...and was nominated for 5 out of 6 seasons. Not too shabby! (and I still think season 3 should have been nominated!)
Hey Mike! I finally got around to reading your recap of the epilogue!
I had a comment on the whole pregnancy thing. We remember that those issues didn't exist in 1977 when Ethan was born. We also remember that they were still building the Orchid at that time. I interpreted the explanation to mean that the pregnancy issues began after the Orchid was built. As for the place of conception being important, I assume we can just chalk it up to some complex scientific thing.
By the way, the first stage of my project has been completed. I've now watched every episode of the series and ranked them all. Season 6 actually did better than I thought it would. Going into it I thought Season 6 would end up being one of the weaker seasons, but those episodes hold up surprisingly well. Now I have to give each one its own writeup. That part's going to be time-consuming. I'll send you a link whenever I get it posted.
Good luck with your new blog! I unfortunately don't watch any of the shows you mentioned there (I don't watch much besides sports), but I'm sure there'll be plenty there for fans of those shows to enjoy. Never stop writing if it's something you love!
Hey Ian! That makes sense about the Orchid and the pregnancy issues. Good call!
That's cool that you're progressing along with your rankings. I agree that there is a lot of season 6 that should be high in the rankings. I'm working my way through season 6 on blu (slowly) but I'm thoroughly enjoying it. I am kind of dreading the RECON episode with Sawyer though lol But I'm sure I'll come around on it once I start!
Sorry to hear you won't be checking in on the new blog. Just keep in mind, the site will not be limited to the shows I listed. I did that Poll with shows that were on the top of my mind at the time. Granted, Fringe and The Event seem to be the ones I will focus on mostly. And I am a lot of talk with Idol. I don't want to be a full time correspondent, nor do I think I will have time. But there is no question that I will see SOME of the season as far as curiosity will probably get the best of me. These posts, if I do any, will probably still end up on the Idol blog though.
I never want to stop writing, trust me! The problem will be TIME. I'm becoming a very busy person as I get older! lol
Hi Mike,
In all my time reading your Lost blog, this is my first post. Actually, my first post on any blog, so you should feel special! I had to check for your comments on the Epilogue even though I haven't seen it yet. While I don't want your head to swell too much, I have to agree with Glenn R's post when he gave you much deserved props. Once I found your blog, my Lost experience was definitely enhanced. Frankly, you explained things that I didn't notice or went right over my head in some cases which made the Lost experience that much more enjoyable! As we all know that Lost was a program that demanded conversation unlike any other TV show, I told several other fans about your blog. At some point, I do plan to go back and watch Lost from the beginning and will read your blog again as I go. And, I, too, am looking forward to your new blog as another self-described TV addict. I enjoy your writing style and hearing your points of view. Keep your dreams alive! You just never know!
Hi Leslie! Any boost to my ego is good these days with the Lost blog dying down! lol j/k Thank you so much for your props on the blog and to me. I appreciate it greatly. It's nice to hear from the not so vocal readers of the blog every once in awhile. I always saw the numbers of how many people were coming to the site, but when I get comments like this it hits home a bit more how many people ACTUALLY out there were reading it! So thank you for finding it and sticking with it...AND promoting it!! That's great. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts if you try to re-read some older blog posts. I'm sure a lot of it would be comical in hindsight based on how far off I or we all were! I look forward to your readership on the new blog and hopefully, I can keep up with it!
Thanks again!
I took the pregnancy issue to mean that if you conceived in proximity of the electromagnetism then you became "infected".
This would explain why claire was ok, but perhaps wouldnt explain why sun was able to have the baby off the island.
Guess i dug a hole for myself!
I wouldn't say you dug any hole for yourself LOST Maniac! That sounds completely logical. Basically what we learned in Season 3 was that for some reason if you conceived ON ISLAND you were going to die if you stayed on island for the term. Based on the DVD extra, it is related to the electromagnetism and based on season 5...it wasn't an issue until after 1977. Claire conceived Aaron OFF-Island and therefore was somehow IMMUNE to the electromagnetic impact on childbearing.
That all fits in on what you said.
Maybe there was always a pregnancy issue in proximity to the electromagnetism on the Island but ....wait a second....DUH....THE INCIDENT!!!!
The pregnancy issues for the entire island were caused by an electromagnetic force 30 times as powerful as that at the Orchid Station....the site of the SWAN....there was an electromagnetic event on the Island in 1977...Totally makes sense that this is the "EVENT" what causes the pregnancy issues on the Island.
What did that take us? A week and 2 days to figure out? LOL Okay..I won't put you all in the same boat...it only took ME that long to come to my senses! lol
Mike...It's great to read one more recap. Agreed with Glen R and others on props. Youre recaps has been priceless and deserving of big mounds of cash. I hope you will consider blogging Caprica Season 2. Season 1 was not so great but I've heard Season 2 will be amazing.
Back on Lost pregnancy issues there is that Mobisode w/ Nikki and Paulo in Jacks tent and Nikki explains paulos extreme variances on his sex drive with Claire. Uh.. what was my point... oh yes The EM probably effects the male reproductive organs kind of like a steroid type boost. Perhaps this may damage the female reproductive organs in the oppisite way. I agree that it must have been The Incident that caused this. I am still looking foward to on Island stories with Hurley Ben and Walt through novels and expanded universe stories. Namaste
Oops not Paulos sex drive w/ Claire but w/ Nikki.
Thanks Candidate! I appreciate the props and will take the cash if you want to send it my way! lol j/k Ahhh Caprica. I've heard so many lousy things about season 1 (which I have heard is only the first half of season 1) that I have been deterred from even watching it. But it looks like the DVD may come out in October, so maybe I'll rent it or something to catch up. We'll see about recapping. I feel like I'm gonna have my hands full with all of this other stuff! lol
interesting point with the EM affect on Men as well. Don't forget Juliet telling Sun about how the Island multiplies the impregnation success rate by some crazy amount as well (since Jin was infertile).
And yeah maybe it does damage the female organs as well. Afterall, Richard showed Juliet the uterus of a young woman and it appeared as if she was 60 or something like that. Good stuff.
I'm definitely interested in seeing if any expanded universe stories come out eventually too. Should be a good time!
BTW...finished season 6 on Blu-ray..the commentaries were very good. Damon and Carlton were very defensive about "Across the Sea" but very strongly implied that the Mother was probably the original smoke monster. They wouldn't come out and say it though because they intentionally left it open for interpretation. They made a few other comments too worth noting but I can't think of them right now. If I do, I'll jot them down here.
Also on the Ab Aeterno commentary, the writers noted the discrepancy between all o the Black Rock dates and said it was intentional...and look forward to Fan Fiction to fill in the holes lol They also noted that the ship seen at the end of season 5 is DEFINITELY the black rock...and a storm whipped up right after that scene.
That's it for now!
So I just picked up the deluxe box set or the complete box set rather. I haven't opened it yet but cant wait to check out all the extras and play the senet game. Not sure if the rules come w/ the game or if u make up your own. Across The Sea and Ab Aeterno are among my top 5 favorite episodes. The other 3 include Flashes Before Your Eyes, The Incident and Pilot. I think over time Darlton wont have to be so defensive with ANY episode in Season 6 as people will continue to see the brilliance as a whole work for generations to come. On Caprica I have faith that Season 1 part 2 will be much better than part 1. Some episodes in part 1 were truly excellemt but most fell short. I've never seen Fringe yet but will be catching up w/ that soon. Right now I'm enjoying The Wire as per your recomendation. Thanks
Hi Candidate! Nice that you got the Box Set! I couldn't justify it after already having a couple versions of the seasons on DVD and Blu. Oh well! I doubt there are any clear cut rules with the Senet Game. Darlton discuss the appeal of Senet in the Across the Sea commentary that it is an old game and that most people are uncertain of the rules...kind of like the RULES of the Island that Jacob had created. And they also discuss the idea that the rules may not even be real and just something man made that people were inclined to follow. Eh...sounds kinda vague to me but whatever! I'm shocked the Constant isn't in your Top 5 there, but you definitely have some awesome episodes in your list. I did love Across the Sea (I'm not one of the haters!), but I don't think I could put it in my top 5. It's tough to do that top 5 though...but I know The Constant and Through the Looking Glass are up there. Of course, they are like the most popular 2 for a lot of people, so I'm not being very original!
I totally agree that season 6 was great and hopefully they won't have to be so defensive. The 6 volumes are a great work of art together. I gotta say though...on Rewatch value alone...I think season 5 has it in the bag. I remember thinking these guys were totally off their rocker when the season started and as the season progressed (even while loving each episode in the process). But to just sit back and watch season 5....it's an immensely intense thrill ride of a show. And, I think that's where season 6 receives a bit of backlash. The show was firing on all cylinders to set up the final conflict and then season 6 became a bit more of a slow burn and introspective stuff before the final conflict. I loved it...but I can see how people weren't on board for it. Of course...that and people were looking for answers to questions that were never really questions except in each of our own individual creations of the LOST world!! (yes, there are exceptions)
I'll take your word for it on Caprica. Maybe I'll netflix it when it's finally available. Definitely watch Fringe and don't give up. It's very procedural in the first season. Lots of unique cases but the overarching mythology takes some time to grow. But by the end they have something really cooking. And season 2 is awesome (especially the 2nd half) It's so funny that you're watching The Wire on my recommendation. I still have not even put in the first disc of season 1! I want to, but it's a huge commitment after watching all of BSG, Breaking Bad and Arrested Development (Netflix streaming..gotta love it!) this summer.
Here's a recommendation from me so you can keep in touch on the new blog. Watch THE EVENT...it premieres Monday 9/20 at 9pm Eastern Time on NBC. It's either going to be awesome or it's going to be a total disaster, but at least we'll be there on day 1 if it does take off!
I've decided that Fringe and The Event will be my recap shows in the new season, but I'll still be hitting on a bunch of other shows in small doses so we can all discuss! Hopefully the legions of readers eventually flock to the site, but I think it's gonna be a slow start-up!
Oh yes The Constant and I also like The Variable. I may lol Substitute The Constant for Across The Sea..but it's difficult to pick only 5. Like I said
I believe Lost will be judged as a whole piece of work (greatness!) (Wow) as you say. Season 5 i've rewatched about 3 seperate times before season 6 started and referenced scenes in a few episodes for clues during season 6. I also did a rewatch on key episodes of season 3 and 4 before airing season 6. I think season 5 is my favorite as well. I still haven't opened my box o Lost yet. Waiting for the right time..(like on some snowy blizzard like day where I am forced to stay home from work.) Costco has the deal on Blu for 139 bucks. (if u have or someone you know has a Costco Card.)
I will be watching The Event with high hopes and looking foward to your Recap and thoughts. Namaste
Candidate - Yeah, it's very tough to pick 5. Hey, I had a hard time even ranking the seasons. It all works so well together as a complete story. I still am very fond of season 3 too even though it is looked down upon by some. Has anyone heard about the LOST marathon running in a theater in London this week? I know it all ends tomorrow, but I just read some tweets this morning about season 3. Some people have never seen lost and are doing this marathon (theater operator was one of them)...and he tweeted saying that he is REALLY enjoying season 3. Isn't it ironic? Dontcha think? Anyways...nice use of episode titles for reshuffling your top 5! lol
Savor that box set opening...you can only do it once! (well...unless you buy it again lol) $139 is not bad at all for the Blu....I think I had seen a deal for $125 at some point...but I still couldn't justify it! Maybe one day...we'll see.
I'm glad you're going to catch up on Fringe AND watch the Event! At least one of those shows is guaranteed to satisfy our mythology cravings (Fringe) and just a lot of potential for the other one!
I have an idea about the pregnancy issues that arose after "the past" but before "the future." I am thinking it has something to do with the radiation from the hydrogen bomb that they used. This would prevent births because of radiation and the mothers died because they were always opened up to try to save the babies. Claire wouldn't have had enough exposure to the radiation, especially during the initial months of pregnancy to infect the baby with radiation poisoning.
just an idea. hope you like it.
Hi Matthew! I guess with the answers we were given ALL things are possible! And radiation causing pregnancy issues is as good as any. We know that exposure to radiation OR electromagnetism would cause being "unstuck in time" like Desmond. And it's quite possible that BOTH happened to desmond when he turned that failsafe key. For pregnancies, all we know now is that exposure to high amounts of electromagnetism were affecting incubation. But, I'm sure radiation wouldn't help either. The thing is....I think any leakage of radiation was contained in that hatch....they wore the radiation suits when leaving the hatch but that was for precautions. Just my thought though. And, I think we learned in season 3 that Claire was able to give birth on the island because she conceived OFF Island. Of course...they were injecting her ON island was some kind of vaccine. So I guess it could have been a little of both!
But yeah...the answers have been vague enough that we could theorize forever on this one!
New pilot show starting. Check it out...
http://www.facebook.com/#!/hometvshow
I was wondering if you re-watched the entire show. I have done so and I am in season 6 and it is actually better the second time. You see everything on a different level. Instead of watching to see what happens, you hear the words and see the significance of each statement and see the messages in the show they are attempting to convey. Now I am going to start reading the source books. LOVE LOST.
Hi Laura! I haven't done a full rewatch from season 1 since the show has ended but I have watched every episode many times and done many rewatches while the show was still airing. Since season 6 ended, I have gone back and watched season 6 a couple times as well as season 5 a couple times. (I find season 5 the most rewatchable...it was a fantastic season!) I have watched a few eps from s1, 2, 3 and 4 here and there. I just can't quit that crazy show! But I do want to watch it all from the beginning knowing how everything ends, and I'm sure one day I will.
Still very obsessed with LOST and dont think I ever won't be. I have said I might write a post about my findings in the encyclopedia but I have barely read the thing lol I'm thinking I may have a "reflection" blog post when we approach the 1 year anniverary of LOST ending. Not sure what I'll write about but I'm sure I can think of something.
Thanks for checking in! Glad you're enjoying your rewatch!
What was Walt doing in California? Why didn't he check into a mental institute back in New York?
["As for Walt releasing Michael into SIDEWAYS land....and him not being with the group in the end. The only thing I can think of is that maybe Michael didn't BELONG with that group. Afterall he did kill one of the people there (Libby), even if accidentally. Ben killed Locke, and he didn't show up with that group either (even though they were both remorseful for it) I guess there is a chance that Michael would have his own "moving on" story with Walt if they were able to reconcile their past issues."]
But both Jack and Shannon tried to kill Locke. They were prevented from killing him by a lack of a bullet and Sayid's interference.
Hi Juanita (I think)!
Ahh, so nice to see people still coming to comment on LOST!
As far as Walt being in CA? Yeah, chalk that up to another unanswered mystery. I only watched the epilogue once or twice but I think he does talk about feeling like he doesn't belong in the world. Meant for something else. Maybe he went back to find Hurley and ended up checking himself in. In all honesty, I don't think they put THAT much thought into the epilogue and probably just figured that bringing Santa Rosa back into the picture would be a nice touch. But yeah, doesn't make much sense why he else he'd be there instead of in New York.
I agree with your synopsis on Michael and Walt and have thought the same thing over the months since the show has been over. In the scheme of things, they didn't really contribute to the adventures of THESE losties. One could argue that all of the passengers of Flight 815 that survived should be in that church, but they weren't. Because these were the people that formed strong bonds. (and probably the ones that agreed to come back to the show for that final scene. Eko was supposed to be there too but the actor wouldn't come back for the money offered)
As far as Jack and Shannon....yeah...but Jack goes through an entire redemption arc and ends up realizing that Locke was right the whole time and repented for his past confrontations with him. He told ol Smokey in the finale that he wish he got a chance to tell him when he was still alive. Shannon? Eh...don't know what to say there...but she did have a strong connection with Sayid so it kinda explains why she's there.
Thanks for the comments!
I watched the epilogue on YouTube and, as you can imagine after just spending three weeks watching the entire series, the epilogue was little more than a weak dessert after the feast that the show presented. But I'd be more than happy to see hours and hours of weak dessert if they featured Ben and Hurley!
I'll be sure to continue marching through your blog posts to the end, but I'm already itching to start up some new TV series binge-watching on Netflix. Lost kind of whetted my appetite.
I still can't believe Lost is over. I've already browsed a few pages on LOSTpedia and it's been both a kick and kind of a drag reading such a dry, canonical summation of the characters and episodes. Nothing like your passionate recaps!
But I must add that the canon they are ostensibly making official aligns almost perfectly with your assessment of the show. So they got nothin' on you!
You're too kind Miles! I rewatched the epilogue yesterday to make sure the entire thing was on that youtube video. It really wasn't that bad in the sense that it confirmed a lot of answers in a short amount of time. If anything, it went to show that this is what season 6 COULD HAVE looked like if it was the "season of straightforward answers after answers". It wouldn't have been hardly as entertaining as they made it. But, even with this, things were still vague enough that you had to piece together things....i.e. they didn't come out and say that THE INCIDENT caused pregnancy issues on the island, but there was enough evidence in the video to piece that together.
I can't believe after that emotional overload of a finale, you're ready to get into something else! Well, I told you the ones that I recommended watching first! (I forget what post that was lol) Good luck on your decision and feel free to update on your progress in the TV Addicts Blog. The summer post that's up right now is free for any TV discussion, just state the show you're talking about and what season/episode you're on...if it's something I watched, I'll join in the discussion! (then we'll have weekly posts for that kind of discussion once fall TV starts)
I have to say that I am satisfied with this as far as Walt goes. Heading towards the end of the show I just didn't know if there would be more story to tell on the island or not, and I must have been assuming not haha. In reality there is a lot more story on the island, and Walt is part of that story. Sure, I was hoping we'd see him finding his island roll on the show, but it's great to have unfinished stories that lead into the continuation of the island (him, Ben, Hurley, and maybe even some others that left). Plus, man he aged more than I thought he would've since The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham the previous year haha. And I've now seen some videos with him from like 2014. Holy crap haha. Hardly looks the same at all, though his voice does sound pretty much the same.
Oh! As far as unfinished stories, obviously Aaron too. As far as him being special and that he needed to be raised by Claire. From the time that that was first introduced I always thought it would be near impossible to fit his whole story in the show without a huge time jump or something. But I'm cool with it being left up in the air with the idea of many more stories occurring on the island.
The funniest thing about the actor who plays Walt...he's 1/2 of some pop music duo now. I forget their name but it's some abbreviation. They had a hit single and everything. I saw the music video one time and I had a double take...."wait...that's WAAAAAALT!!!"
But yeah...it was a nice coda to the story getting him back to the island. Doesn't really explain what the others wanted with him...but he clearly was in tune with the island and belonged there. And the fact that Ben was involved again in bringing him back it kinda tied back to the season 1/2 story.
Yeah...the Aaron thing....I think it was supposed to be covered up in season 2 when the psychic Malkin said he was a fraud. But, I'm not sure how he knew to put Claire on that plane though...unless Jacob was somehow involved in that. It's just one of those loose ends that are impossible to avoid with a show like this. If they decide on a direction for the show not all puzzle pieces are going to fit the new vision.
But I'm cool with it being a little messy. For the most part, they tied it up well!
please i downloaded and binge watched all the 6 lost series. but didnt get the videos of the 3 new epiloges. how do i see it? are there any lost or dharma related games online or offline?
Hi I linked to the YouTube video in this post! It's only one epilogue and 12 minutes. It's pretty good but don't expect too much! :)
Hi! Mike, I loved this show. I am watching it for the second time. Moreover i religiously read you blog after each episode to understand it better. As the show progressed your writing got better. It was fun reading your interpretations. Though there were many unanswered questions left in the show, if you could find an answer to why kate was not pregnant.
Hi Meera! Thanks for the props. Not sure if my writing improved so much as I put more time into it when I realized more and more people were reading and discussing! :) Ahhh back in the days when I had tons of time to spend obsessing over the best TV show of all time!
Hmmmm Kate pregnant. I don't think that was ever really a thing. Just a theory. Kate made a comment to Sawyer in season 3 after they did the deed that she was worried she might be pregnant. That was because they just found out women who conceive on the island all died on island. (confirmed that this started after the Incident after piecing together some info from The New Man in Charge) Some also theorized that Kate might be pregnant with Jack's child after their night together prior to coming to the island. But, that never turned out to be anything the show pursued either. Were you referring to something from the show or just a theory?
You made a comment about so many things unanswered. In the end though, I think most things can be explained through piecing together clues from all 6 seasons. There's a few weird outliers like Libby's history with Hurley (though I think it's related to Dave and her husband David who died possibly being the same person) and Walt (which can be chalked up to the kid aging quicker than the show could cover his story...he ended up just being "SPECIAL" and in tune with the island like Locke, MIB, Desmond, etc....)
Many of the unanswered questions were due to the fact that each fan dissected the show and came up with questions for everything and some things were never really meant to be questioned. It was just the nature of the show that caused us to examine everything for clues. Not sure if you noticed on your 2nd watch through how much a lot of that stuff didn't matter in the long run and you could just enjoy the show as the great drama it was. THat's what I enjoy most about the rewatches. Though the discussions from episode to episode, season to season was a blast!! And we all came up with some great (and some bad!) theories!
Thanks for writing!
After my whole shpeal in the series finale post about saving this final bit of new L O S T footage un-watched for a rainy day I uh... immediately went on to do the exact opposite. Uh, well anyway, I had to laugh as soon as they brought up the mystery of the Hurley Birdy because it was always one of my favourite things to do to mock fans who fixated on unanswered questions by pretending to lose my head over the Hybird appearance. And now I can't do that! The polar bear was the one that interested me, and I think it's a good answer considering I never even really thought twice about those cages that held Sawyer and Kate. This segment was pretty low-stakes but I loved the shot of Hurley and Ben driving off with Walt in tow. A very comforting ending. I was hoping one of them would make a joke about Hurley still owing Walt the money he won off their games of backgammon, but maybe that would've been a little too cute.
I really liked them giving us a chance to hear the DHARMA intro music once last time since I always loved the basic sound design of it. Go Namaste yourself! Thanks for writing about it.
ahhh good call on the Hurley owing Walt money. That would've been pretty funny! That was one thing I wish was explored more on the show...Walt. However with his growth spurt it made sense to kinda write him off the show. And really crafty to get him back after the time jump. And it's good to see that he ended up where he belonged due to his "Special" nature.
And of course, the actor ended up being part of some pop duo music sensation. I saw a music video a few years ago and did a double take. wait....is that WAAAAAAAAAAAAALT???? Yep sure is. lol
Oh yeah I remember you mentioned that about Walt's actor some time previously and looked them up at length on jewtube. They were real cute and I wonder if his actor would ever reconcile with the fact he'll always be at first glance associated with his role on L O S T.
Yeah the writers were crafty about how they brought him back. I just wish they allowed themselves to go full-cheese and keep him on the show by claiming The Island had induced the growth-spurt prematurely lol. "Walt's specialty attracted the souls of the dead babies from the dead pregnant women and they accidentally jump-started his hormones because they wanted to live vicariously through him." But seriously I wonder if that was just their excuse to hide the fact they hit a narrative dead-end in what they wanted to do with Walt. Sometimes I think about him in relation to Mr Eko's actor dropping out, maybe they could've let Walt have some of the direction they intended with Eko if that really was the case.
I've just one additional query about Walt... Did it ever get established if Michael was actually chatting to Walt on the 1970s computer? Seemed a bit unlikely at the time and can't remember if it was confirmed either way if it was Walt or the Others trying to fake it.
I don’t think they ever said for sure, but I agree I think they were trying to lure him there to get jack kate and sawyer. You know for the surgery.
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