Saturday, March 24, 2007

Season 3, Episode 13: "The Man From Tallahassee"

Another strong episode. We finally found out what put Locke in that chair, how the Other's have been able to travel back and forth from the Island, what Othersville looks like up close, and most importantly, the fact that two giant hamsters are powering the Island from underground. I knew it.

So let's just get right to the point this week: Locke is fucking everything up. It seems that on the surface this whole sabotage thing is pretty on target. We see in his flashback that his life certainly wasn't getting any better since the last time we saw him, in fact, it got a whole lot worse. The poor guy was just trying to bring his crooked father to justice and instead he got pushed out of a 7th floor window and broke his back. We can certainly see why he would want to stay on the Island that has healed him and made his life worth living again. But here's the possible twist for this week...did he really blow up the sub?

You'll notice that when Locke gets to the sub, he flicks some switches, gets all the lights on, and looks like he actually knows what he's doing. Flash forward to the scene where he is walking back to camp away from the dock and encounters Jack, Juliette and company. Two things are evident here...one is that he's soaking wet. The other is that the sub - while clearly visible and right next to the dock in the previous scene - is no longer in sight. A few seconds later the dock blows and Locke apologizes...but something seems a bit off. So what's going on here?

Even I think it's a stretch to think that Locke was able to move, sink, or hide the sub...but then again, why would he be soaking wet for the following scene? I guess it's possible to think that he was able to move it, swim back to the dock, and blew up the dock itself to make it seem that the sub blew. Of course, the whole scenario could be explained by the fact that he placed the C4 on the outside of the sub and therefore needed to be in the water to do so, but that doesn't explain the fact that you can't see it next to the dock before it explodes.

I don't know, it could be nothing, but I wanted to at least bring it up. After all, Locke knew that Ben was manipulating him and actually wanted the sub to blow...so why do exactly what he wanted? And sure, Locke loves the fact that the Island has healed him, but is he the type of guy that would blow up the one vessel that could rescue his Lostie friends? I'm not sure.

And what's the deal with this magic box Ben speaks of? Ben explains that his people have come across something so powerful that it will allow his people's deepest desires to come to fruition. We then see the "box" in action as it supposedly has brought Locke's father (Cooper) to the Island...meaning that the one thing Locke wants more than anything else is to see his father held accountable for his actions...and viola, here he is. While some folks seem to think that the Others may have some sort of Time/Dimension travel abilities (think Desmond), but I'm trying to look at this from a realistic perspective. It's clear that the Others have outside links and have been receiving background info on the Losties since their arrival. Knowing that, it is much more plausible to think that they nabbed Cooper soon after they found out that Locke was paralyzed up until he set foot on the Island. Ben needs to know how this is possible so that he can heal as well. They knew that they may need him at some point, and that time has come. Ben needs healing...Locke apparently understands how that healing can happen, and now Ben wants answers. I just can't connect how having Cooper there will help them get those answers. At the same time, let's not discount the theory that Cooper is one of them as well...or maybe even "him."

It's interesting stuff...and it certainly throws Locke back to the for front of the show. But there are plenty of theories out there, so if you have one, let us all know below.

Here are some pics from the show that are interesting:

Locke - before and after his mysterious business with the sub - notice he's soaked in the inset


Our buddy Richard Alpert from Mittelos Bioscience pops up again...

Above was a portrait found in Ben's house...it's believed to be either of Juliette or Karen de Groot (above inset), one of the original Dharma Scientists...

...But in the bottom portion of the portrait we see the woman holding a mouse or a hamster...this is either a joke on the whole "Giant Hamsters creating power on the island" (which would be hysterical), or more likely is a reference to Juliette, as she was successful in impregnating a male mouse (why she was recruited to the Island in the first place).

That's it for this week...stay tuned for what looks like a good one next week. We will finally see what the deal is with Nikki and Paulo (the new and so far useless folks)...and word is that someone kicks it.

Another note...I'll be out for the back half of this week, so my lateness in posts will continue for now. I know...I suck. Have fun working....

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Season 3, Episode 12: "Par Avion"

So I've heard mixed reactions on last night's show, but I for one, enjoyed it. There seemed to be some more of those "Lost" moments that have been lacking this season, and overall the story progressed.

Let's start out with the most obvious revelation of the night - the fact that Claire and Jack are related through Jack's Father. This has been a theory that people have been kicking around ever since Drunk Jack's Father was seen pounding on an Australian woman's door in one of Sawyer's flashback episodes. I'm not sure how relevant this connection is to the rest of the show - however, if Jack finds out about his long lost half sister, it might be the one thing that keeps him from leaving the island (if we are to believe that Ben will uphold his side of the deal and let him go once he regains his health). Jack's too good a guy to leave his sister and nephew (Aaron) on the Island to fend for themselves, right?

Man, I was sorry to see Patchy go so soon. Probably my favorite new character since Desmond, Patchy was a fountain of information with a funny accent. He shed some light on that mysterious list that has been floating around Othersville, as well as letting us know for sure that "He" is not Ben. But of course, his (and all of the others') creepy knowledge of the Losties past lives lead us to many other questions. How do they know that Locke was paralyzed? About Jack's wife? Kate's last name? Sawyer's first name? Clearly there are active links to the outside world (which was all but confirmed with how "Mittelos Bioscience" recruited Juliette). Moreover, what makes a person "good" in the eyes of the others? If Kate is "flawed," Locke "angry," and Sayid "weak & afraid;" what sets a person like Cindy the flight attendant apart? If anything, it makes sense that they go for the kids first: children equal "non-corrupted innocence" to the Others, therefore easily impressionable towards the Others' cult-like teachings.


In other news, how many times is Locke going to F up without us taking notice? I don't believe I mentioned this in last week's Notes, but there was a growing (and now very large) theory that Locke is purposefully sabotaging any effort that may lead to the Lostie's possible rescue. And can we blame him? From what we've seen of his past life, it pretty much sucked. Next week we'll learn why how he became paralyzed, but even up until then he's had a kidney stolen, was dumped by his girlfriend, and trusted a guy who turned out to be a Narc and took down his hippy Humboldt weed commune. His last few contributions to the team have been to implode the original hatch, exploded a new hatch with untold amounts of info, and now push a loosely lipped hostage into an electric fence - leading to his death. Oh, and he stole some C4 that he "didn't think" existed. Sayid rings true when he says that "this will be a conversation for another day." We haven't heard the last of Locke's strange behavior.


And what about that final scene? It wasn't jaw dropping, it wasn't the ultimate revelation - but when Jack caught that poorly thrown pass from Mr. Friendly and did a slight jig before spiking it I almost lost my shit. Touchdown, indeed. I can't wait to see what's going on there. I have my thoughts but I'd rather not ruin such a good scene with my (long winded) commentary.



Oh, and last but not least, I seriously doubt that's the last time we see Claire's message before the end of the series. Seems like a perfect epilogue to the show to me....


Not too many easter eggs this week, just a straight up good show without any tricks. Sawyer was reading "Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand towards the end of the show, but from what I've read about Rand, she's kind of a psycho, and I'm too tired to get into it, so I'm not going to. But I do have one treat for you...forwarded by a couple co-workers (thanks Keith and Ronan), prepare yourself for one of the best print ads I've ever seen. Till next week....



Thursday, March 08, 2007

Season 3, Episode 11: "Enter 77"


Alright, now we're back on track. Great episode last night. We learned some new things, the story progressed, and we got some action. But first and foremost, let's get to the big question that's on every one's mind:


Could I beat Hurley in ping pong? My answer: most likely.

Let's take a look at the facts: both Hugo and I had a table growing up. Hugo honed his skills in the nuthouse while I'm able to play every so often (read: pretty much everyday) at work. (Once again, not so great that my bosses read this, but hey, they put it there, so what I am I to do - also, they're building a bar 10 feet from my desk, so it looks like we have our priorities straight here at CP). Additionally, while I'm not the picture of athleticism, I've got to think that I've got to think that I edge out IHOP in terms of agility. I'll give the home court to Hugo, but all things considered I think I take him down. It would certainly be worth it if Sawyer's stuff was on the line...

But that pressing issue aside, let's get on to the show. Sayid proves once again that he's pretty much the only survivor on the island that knows how to properly handle a dangerous situation. He makes Mikael Bakunin within minutes, finds the hatch door with ease, and snags the all important map right from under the Others' nose - all after the dude was SHOT. Pretty impressive. Locke was busy blowing up ANOTHER hatch (what's his deal lately?) and Kate was Kate - for better or worse. All I'm saying is that Sayid should probably be consulted a little more often (it was nearly a year since his last prominent role in the show).


So what do we make of this Mikhail Bakunin? First off it should be noted that in real life, Mikhail Bakunin was a nineteenth century Russian revolutionary, also known as one of the fathers of modern anarchy. Interesting, but we should be used to historically relevant names by now (John Locke, Rousseau, Henry Gale, etc). More importantly, we learn quite a bit through Sayid's direct questioning. Assuming everything but his Dharma ruse is true, the Others - or Hostiles - residence on the island precedes that of the Dharma scientists. There was a pretty strong theory that the Others were a splinter cell of the original Dharma group, but as for now that doesn't seem to be the case. We also learn of a civil war of sorts, or purge, unsuccessfully taken on by Dharma. Dr. Marvin Candle's recorded appearance all but confirms a schism between the two groups, as he prompts Locke to "enter 77" if the Hostiles attempt to overtake the station.


This revelation also sheds some light on Kelvin's purpose in the Swan hatch. Was he an Other as well or a remaining Dharma scientist? Seeing that Mikhail and Ms. Klugh had a specific responsibility to watch over the Flame hatch as Others, it would seem appropriate that Kelvin assumed the same duty for the Swan station. Also, how else would this Swan Dharma Merlot get into the Flame hatch?


Same deal with Radzinski (guy before Kelvin) and his map. After all, why would a non-Dharma employee need to make a map of his own territory? A Hostile, on the other hand, would be more apt to want to chart out his enemy's territory in case there were more Dharma scientists on the loose.

But honestly, I don't know what to take away from this revelation. Does this mean that the Dharma Initiative is really not at the core of the island's mystery? Does the mystery lie within what the Others are trying to accomplish and not what Dharma was doing? Did Dharma know about the Others before setting up camp on the Island? Or could the Hostiles just be former Dharma test subjects that grew frustrated to the whole Initiative and revolted? Please help me through my confusion.


Some miscellaneous stuff:

The cat = black smoke in my opinion. It's a stretch - even for Lost - to imply that the Iraqi women's cat made it to the Island. Although at the same time I'm implying that a cloud of black smoke read Sayid's mind and took the form of a cat to spy on him. (At the same time though, the smoke did seem to take the form of Eko's brother before his death, and it could be argued that Hurley's imaginary friend Dave, and Kate's phantom Black Horse could have been smokey as well). And Mikhail calls the cat Nadia - who is Sayid's lost love. Coincidence?



And Locke...maybe he didn't blow up the hatch after all. It is very possible that Ms. Klugh set off a timer for the bomb or whatever before she was captured. Still doesn't excuse Locke for leaving Mikhail alone for so long.


Some easter eggs:
RUSSIAN TRANSLATION:

Woman: Mikhail! You know what to do.
Mikhail: We still have another way.
Woman: We cannot risk.
Woman: You know what to do.
Mikhail: We still have another way.
Woman: We cannot risk. You know the conditions.
Mikhail: We have another way.
Woman: They know us. We will not let them [unintelligible]. You know what to do. It is an order. Mikhail: But we still have another way! (pause) I'm sorry! (shoots)



Map

Sawyer-isms

-"Zorro" - Pablo

-"Avalanche" - Hurley (personal favorite)

-"Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon" - Jin and Sun

-"Grimace" - Hurley

Here's to hoping that lost bet doesn't hold. The writers also included a little shout out to the fans with the "who the hell are you anyways?" comment from Sawyer to the new chick. Spot on.

See you next week!

Thursday, March 01, 2007

Season 3, Episode 10: Trisha Takana is Dead (seriously, that's the title)


Ok, so it looks like Lost has gone 0 for 2 in the past couple episodes. But let's not panic, instead let's remember that every season has a handful of fluff episodes to develop some characters that aren't necessarily as edgy as others. Hugo is a comic relief figure, and to be fair, there were some fairly funny scenes last night (by the way, I think Roger is my new favorite character...the scene with him taking a load off and chilling with Sawyer over a beer was simply fantastic.)







But let's get serious...there were some pretty amazing connections last night. First and foremost, Asian reporter Trisha Takanawa:












Hands up if you're with me, but I'm thinking that Trisha Takanawa from Family Guy may be THE SAME reporter as Trisha Takana from Lost. I know it's a stretch, but I think I may be on to something here. Now that's got me thinking about a possible Brian the dog and Vincent connection too. Hmmmmm...(I apologize to you who don't watch Family Guy...but at the same time I pity you...).


Connection #2...Cheech Marin, formerly one half of perma-high Cheech and Chong, makes his debut as Hugo's money grubbing Pop on the SAME episode that Hurley finds a V-Dubs bus - an iconic symbol representing stoned hippies everywhere (I've heard). COINCIDENCE? I think not. See while all you guys were groaning at the cheesy scenes I was putting the puzzle together. These things are important.


Alright...so not much happened last night. They did give us a nugget at the end with the whole Rousseau bit, but do you honestly think she's surprised that Alex is still on the Island? I mean, where else would she be? And speaking of Rousseau...why hasn't she scoured the Island in the last 16 years to find the Others' camp? She tied up with other things to do? You know, like generally being crazy and shooting at anything that moves? Ugh. I'm tired.


There was a map found last night, but again, it's been a busy day and while I'm sure it leads to something, there's just not enough time to figure it out right now. Word on the street is that it's a tunnel to something, or somewhere...but I was too busy wondering what Dharma beer tastes like and hatching up ways to recreate and sell it to figure out the map. (I'd totally buy a six pack of Dharma beer - and I know you probably would too...if I was motivated I'd make this happen).


I apologize for my recent absence to all (6) of you, but let's hope that next week we're back and rejuvenated. Cause I can't handle an 0 for 3 in three weeks. But it's a Sayid episode and it looks like they hang out with eye patch guy, so - dare I say it - looks like some answers are on the way. Till then....here's some pics:







Season 3 episode 9: Stranger in a Strange Land

Rrrrrrright.

So what exactly were the three things we learned in this episode?

1) Jack's Tattoos mean that he sucks being a leader (already knew that)
a) Literally Jack's tattoos mean that he should get the F out of Thailand.
2) Cindy, the stewardess, is alive. As are the kids. No, the other's didn't eat them or anything. Big surprise.

But I had a hard time coming up with number 3. Here are a couple options below:

3) Jack likes his sandwiches toasted AND likes them cut up into squares and stuck with toothpicks. That's cute. (He also sucks at making a kite...amatuer)

3) Kate needed some action and pity screwed Sawyer. That's sweet.

3) Carl and Alex name constellations after teddy bears. Now that's just downright adorable.

...

Well, I guess I'll never know. Feel free to comment what I may have missed. To be honest, I have been quite busy as of late (as always, various bosses in the office) and I didn't really have time to put a decent post together for this show. But luckily for me, the show didn't really warrant one anyways. Let's just leave it at this: Kate and Sawyer got away, Jack may want some Juliette action, Sawyer got his feelings hurt., and Juliette is now deformed. I bet that brand looks pretty cool after the scarring goes down though.

I'd say let's hope for better stuff next week, but since today is Thursday and I already saw last night's, I'll just end this post with no hope.