Season 3 Episode 4 "Every Man For Himself"

So a very mixed reaction from last night's episode...some loved it and some hated it. We certainly encounter more questions (get used to it) and not a lot of answers, but in my opinion, that's what makes the show fun. Well, let's get to it...

In short, Sawyer get's his ass conned a number of times. So much in fact, that we don't even know what's a con and what's real at this point. (For example, how do we even know that he really has a daughter? That seemed like an obvious con that the woman pulled on him in the flashback -- and now he's lost his "commission" to some fake baby in Albuquerque...but that's neither here nor there -- at least we know Sawyer's a softie under it all). I thought the pacemaker con was pretty obvious (and hilariously brilliant), and of course we end with the mysterious "other Island." What the hell is going on there?

I'll break it down in a couple different camps:

The other Island is a con, it is simply another empty island

This struck me as the most realistic answer. But why even bother showing this other island to Sawyer in the first place? They already had him scared she*tless that his heart was going to explode every time Kate shot a look his way (or took her shirt off), so he really wasn't posing all that much of a problem anymore. Furthermore, his shown restraint affected Kate's overall behavior (not escaping) - which is like an added bonus for Ben and the Others. Bottom line, Sawyer doesn't know what to think at this point. Which may be exactly what Ben wants.

Ben is telling the truth

So if Ben is telling the truth, the Hydra station is located on a smaller satellite island (twice the size of Alcatraz), and is/was used to monitor all other Dharma stations as well as possibly house a zoo full of Dharma circus sideshow acts. In pieces this makes sense. First we learn that the others have a submarine when Ben admits that the "sub is back and we have a problem." This is obviously how Colleen and co. were able to climb aboard the sailboat undetected. (By the way, the sub's name is 'Galaga' ... don't ask me how I know this, it's incredibly geeky). Secondly, it's conceivable that the Hydra station has underground tunnels that connect to the main Island. And remember the mystery cable that was found coming out of the water in Season 1? Yeah, that probably heads out to Othertraz. Finally, Rouseau's map that Sayid now has shows smaller islands drawn around the main one.

But how, you may ask, have resident badasses Sayid and Locke NOT seen this land mass? Well, one somewhat far fetched theory is that maybe the main island has been under some sort of invisibility cloak, and that the electromagnetic pulse release has lifted said cloak. Remember when Ben, while captive, told Locke that "no one can see this island, not even God?" And remember when that arctic crew (that has since been untouched) presumably "found" the island and phoned Desmond's lover to say so? Well, that happened right after the pulse was released. So go figure.

Either that, or Sayid and Locke just never got around to the back part of the Island to see Othertraz. Whatever you're more comfortable with.

Speaking of the pulse but switching topics...it was easy to miss the quick lines that Zeke muttered right as Sawyer was waking up on the O.R. table: "It's been 2 days since the sky turned purple, we've been blind, our coms are all down..." Sounds as if the pulse release was as unexpected to them as it was to the losties. Food for thought.

Quick notes: Jack is learning why he has been brought to the Hydra upon seeing that tumor.. --the question is, whose is it? Probably Ben's, but that seems too obvious for some reason. ... We see a little more of newbie Paulo, and learn that he's got a pretty ugly golf swing. ... Juliette is a fertility doctor, interesting. ... And that bunny scene was probably one of the coolest/creepiest of the season so far.

And FINALLY, what the hell is up with Desmond? Well, I'll tell you what's up, it seems like he can definitely see into the future in some capacity. He asked Claire if she would move to the beach for the night so that he could fix her roof. Well, he didn't want to fix it, he just didn't want her to be there when a violent bolt of lighting crashed down upon her, most likely killing her and Charlie (although I doubt he cared too much about Charlie). When she refused, he constructed a lightning rod to divert the deadly bolt. Well done, sir.

Some screencaps:

A visitor pass from Sawyer's prison...he was in Florida.

Hydra Uniform

Spinal Xray...but of who?

And what's this? In last week's Hallucination, we see Sawyer holding on to a "Gannon Car Rental" form! This form actually also appears in TWO other episodes (in which I have pics to, but for some reason can't post right now). Obviously the writers have taken notice to this here fledgling blog. (ed. note: my last name is Gannon).

OK, so that's it for this week. We have two more weeks of mystery and then a loooong break (till Feb!), so eat it up, folks. If you saw the preview for next week, you know a big one is on the way... till then.

Season 3 Episode 3: "Further Instructions"

Ok, then...did everyone wear down the buttons on their Tivo's last night? Well, no worries, because that's what I'm here for. Locke episodes rarely disappoint, and last night was no exception. Let's get to it...

The episode opens (as 4 others have) with an opening eye. Locke survives the implosion, sees Desmond flapping in the breeze, and finds that he can't speak a word. After quick assessment of the situation, he realizes that - what else - he needs to build a good ole fashion "sweat tent," cook up some drugs, and enjoy a trip for the ages. The hallucination, while seemingly nonsensical, actually taught us quite a bit last night.

First of all, the vision should not be interpreted as what actually happened in the past. We know that Hurley (behind the counter), Desmond (airline pilot), and Ben/Henry (security guard) did NOT fill those roles prior to the flight taking off. This is obvious, but it should be mentioned so that we're all on the same page. More interestingly, it can be interpreted as what is occurring on the island in the present. Boone represents "the island" (Locke tells Charlie he needs to talk to the island), and the terminal represents the geographical island. Boone gives Locke some clues as to who needs help currently. Take a look at the pic below and follow along...



We see Sun and Jin fighting, but Boone notes that "Sayid can take care of it." We saw in last week's episode that Sun is having some problems being truthful with Jin, and we know that Sayid will be the one that leads them home. He's a known badass, and those two are lost without him in the jungle, for the most part.

Charlie and Claire are seen happy as clams with Claire's baby Aaron. This pretty much denotes what's happening with them currently on the island. They have resolved their differences and are happily raising Aaron. However, Boone predicts that "they are alright for now." Keep that in mind for future episodes, as they may encounter some issues.

And the now the most interesting group: Ben, Jack, Kate, and Sawyer. We see Ben playing security guard on Jack, with Sawyer and Kate flirting behind in line. The theory here is that Ben is acting as "gatekeeper" to the outside world. We know that he has already starting working on Jack - that he'll need to "cooperate" in order to gain his freedom. That same cooperation is most likely in store for Kate and Sawyer, but not yet, more likely in "two weeks" time (hence, they are in line). And we already know that he rewarded Michael and Walt with freedom for doing what they were told. Ben clearly is the key to this supposed freedom. Seeing Kate and Sawyer flirt notes the obvious attraction that is currently blooming between the two as well. Finally, the entire group is behind a plane of glass, which might tell Locke that none can be helped and/or reached for the time being.

The wild cards here are Hurley and Desmond. Boone states that Desmond is "taking care of himself," which pretty much rings true of his story on the island. He is neither a lostie nor an other, and tries - most of the time - to not have anything to do with them. Hurley is seen checking in passengers, and punching (the numbers?) info into the airline computer. Boone explains curtly, "not Hurley," and yes, that rhymes. It's interesting that he's not a passenger like the rest of the losties. I don't have much of an interpretation for this, but it's an interesting symbol. Feel free to speak up with your own ideas.

Finally we see Mr. Eko's bloody stick, but no Mr. Eko. Boone leaves Locke to follow the stick on his own, a message to him that he is the one to save. This is followed by his vision of the polar bear as he leaves the tent. Locke has found his purpose, and can say with confidence - "I have to save Mr. Eko."

Moving on, another interesting nugget from last night was the fact that Desmond can apparently now see the future. He mentions Locke's "speech" to Hurley, but quickly backs off once Hurley questions him about it. I think though that it's not only Desmond that has this new ability. Instead I believe that the three survivors from the implosion - Locke, Eko, and Desmond - share some sort of subconscious connection between them. First Locke "sees" that he needs to save Eko from the polar bear; then Eko abruptly wakes up to tell Locke that he will go and save Jack and co.; and then of course Desmond predicts Locke's speech. Something happened to them during the electro-magnetic implosion. We'll see if this connection continues.

Other theories on this topic are that Desmond is simply psychic ("see you in the next life, brother")...or that (and this is far fetched but interesting) Desmond is actually dead. No one spoke to him other than Hurley, and no one seems to notice him skipping rocks towards the end. However we know that Locke saw him running in the beginning of the episode. The only reason this theory holds any water is that Hurley has "seen" people in the past that didn't exist (Dave).

And finally, during that last scene we see two extras get thrown some lines! Extra's right? No! Apparently these are two new cast members; Paulo and Nikki. Not sure if we need any more characters at this point, but who am I to say.

I didn't spend any time on Locke's flashback, but I think it's pretty safe to say that he's a chump and for some reason everybody exploits him for it. Pretty standard character development (and he likes the "herbal" enhancers, but we knew that, right)?

Some "easter eggs" to leave you with:

Eko's "Jesus Stick" - note the psalms and, of course, the numbers towards the bottom.

"Mike's" Geronimo Jackson T-shirt...this is the same band CD that Hurley and Charlie found in the Hatch previously.

Locke's gun permit and license. Note that the date of births don't match up (most likely a prop error...or is it?)

Mike's ID card...the only clue/joke here is that he's a Humbolt County Sheriff.

Dharma logo in the bear cave.

The Tonka truck Locke found in the cave...maybe from the 80's or so? Is the bear eating all those lost kids?

I think that's it for this week, folks. As usual, let me know how wrong I am in the comments section if you wish. I believe we head back to Jack and the crew next week, with a Sawyer flashback. Till then...

*info from the 4815162342.com forums was used in this post

Season 3 Episode 1: "A Tale of Two Cities"

And we’re off! Great first episode last night. It really didn’t give me too much to find out seeing that there were plenty more questions than answers and no “smoking gun” (i.e. black smoke or island maps) to investigate. That being said, there’s always something to theorize about…so here goes.

It’s now confirmed that Desmond did indeed cause the earthquake/magnetic field/plane crash when he initially did not enter the numbers. It’s also confirmed that the survivors weren’t “destined” to be drawn together on the island, or that their arrival was expected by the others. They seemed just as surprised by the earthquake and crash as anyone. But they certainly sprung to action and Goodwin (killed by Anna in Season 2) and Ethan (killed by Charlie in season 1) were sent out to each camp to generate a List (of the “good” people) and have it back in three days. Sounds like this has happened before….

To back up a smidge, the Book Club was reading Stephen King’s Carrie. The significance here could be that in the book Carrie had telekinetic abilities and subsequently uses said powers to kill her tormenters. It’s Juliet’s favorite book, and it looks as if Juliet and Henry Gale/Ben (or now known as “Benry”) were together but are no longer. Maybe she’s looking for some revenge herself. OR, more simply, it is well known that King is a huge fan of the show, and this could have been a bit of a shout out to him.



Flashback Scenes: So now we know why Jack has so many anger management issues. Heartbreak’s a bitch. But to fast forward a bit: how do the Others know SO much about him? Bare with me, but there’s a nutty theory that maybe they got the info from his father, and that maybe his father is still alive. The clues: his coffin in season 1 was empty. Jack saw him in on the island in supposed “hallucinations.” Furthermore, it is thought that the AA group leader in the flashback was also in Book Club on the Island. Could that meeting have been an off-Island secret Dharma get together? Seems far fetched, but remember, this is Lost. Regardless, it seems clear that the Others have ties to the mainland, as the collection of cd’s, books, grill cheese sandwiches, and modern clothes substantiate that notion.

THE HYDRA Station: Seems to be a zoological station. Clearly it’s where the Polar Bear from season 1 came from (best line of the night, from Zeke, “Hey, you got yourself a fish biscuit! It only took the bears two hours.”). Also, the Dharma shark we saw from season 2 comes from the “aquarium” that Jack is in. Question is, is the aquarium under water or just a tank. Could that be where the cable to the sea connects to?

But more than anything else, questions arise. Who was the boy in the other cage? How long have the Others been there? Are they Dharma scientists? How could they have not known about Desmond and Kelvin, or their sailboat (as noted in scenes from next week)? What are they going to do to Jack, Sawyer, and Kate? Is Zeke gay? (I mean, really, who wouldn’t want to see Kate naked??)

Look forward to 5 straight weeks of new episodes before an extended break. Till next week!