Season 3, Episode 18: D.O.C

Wow. Back to form with a classic jaw dropper of an ending this week. The theories are out of control already even in the morning after. Also, we learned some more about Juliette's struggle and confirmed that Jin's boys are strong swimmers after all. The Pilot lives and of course we saw the return of personal favorite Mikhail - and you thought bleeding from the ears was fatal. But let's start at the end with the biggest revelation of the night...the fact that they're all apparently dead.

With the utterance of those words, "there were no survivors, they're all dead," new and old theories have spread like wildfire. The once popular and many times refuted Purgatory hypothesis is back, and again, I must say that the producers explicitly renounced this idea long ago. Others ramble about time travel, wormholes, and dimension hopping; but I can't see those fleshing out either. It is important, I think, to remember that the producers have mentioned that everything that happens in this show has some sort of base in reality. While they blur the lines of this statement from time to time (ummm...so what's that black smoke all about?), I tend to think that when we get our answers, we will be much more pleased with logistical ones verses some sort of sci-fi riddled cop out. Just my opinion of course. So in following the reality based argument, let's see how this sounds.

We know that the Others have at least one, and likely many, important contacts in the outside world (Jacob being one of them presumably). These contacts have substantial power. Enough power to track down and recruit future "Others" (Mikhail, Juliette, who knows who else), and enough influence to find out every little detail of the survivor's lives prior to the crash. We also know that they want their Island to be kept a secret. They don't welcome uninvited guests, and have taken great precaution in keeping the Island invisible to the rest of the world. So, as simple as it may sound, I'm thinking that this group of people are powerful enough to somehow manipulate the media, and therefore the world, into thinking that Flight 815 was found and that there were no survivors. Rescue missions are called off, closure occurs, and the Island is safe.

Think about it: no one's really going to question the fact that there were no survivors of a catastrophic plane crash in the middle of the ocean. There usually aren't. Planes are safe for the most part, but when they go down, it doesn't end well. This group mocks up some fake pics or something, and case closed, the plane and its passengers are gone. I know, it's not that sexy a theory, but it makes sense. But who knows, maybe they did all pass through the 10th dimension and are now on the planet Zygoth. I've been wrong before (see: Christian Shephard is Dead).

Finally, it's important to point out that the fallen pilot was there looking for Desmond, and not the survivors of Flight 815. And just so we're all the same page, Desmond obviously was not on Flight 815 as he crashed on the Island from his trek around the world. Just a reminder.


Moving on...what's the deal with our buddy Mikhail?? Well, running into a Sonar/Electric fence, foaming from the mouth and bleeding profusely from the ears apparently doesn't stop our Russian comrade. I know it seems a little crazy that he's alive, but again, let's remember that only Locke really checked to see if he was dead (and not very carefully, mind you), and after a general assumption that he was dead, they just left him there...for dead. I thought it was interesting that he smirked just a bit when he says that our near-death-punctured-lung pilot would be OK in a day in a half...probably the same amount of time it took Patchy to recover from the fence. The Island is a healer, after all.

But what did the pilot mutter to Mikhail after he took that branch out? As you may expect, it certainly wasn't "Thank you." Thanks to all the crazy fans out there, it seems as if she exclaimed, "I'm not alone." Well then. Is she talking about her compadres on the sub? Or was there another co-pilot that bailed from the crashing 'Copter as well? Regardless, this is definitely an interesting piece of info to think about. Additionally, it should be noted that lung-puncture spoke a number of different languages including Spanish, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, and even some Chinese in her near death ramblings. Interesting.

One final note about Mikhail...didn't you find it interesting that he suddenly appeared on the scene looking all bewildered and what not? Wouldn't you think that this guy has a pretty firm grasp of where stuff is on the Island? Could it be possible that he saw Hurley's flair and decided to do some recognizance? After all, he did try and steal the phone from them...another sign that they are in desperate need of contacting their cohorts in the outside world. Hmmm...


Finally, I suppose we should talk a bit about Juliette. She's clearly still working for Ben and not - at least so far - pulling the double agent con on him. However we see that she's pretty torn as to what to do. She must REALLY want off of that rock. And I liked Sun's suspicion of Jack...I hadn't really thought of that possibility. While I don't think - at this point - that Jack is working with Juliette and/or the Others, it's something to keep in mind. But overall, we'll just have to see how far Juliette will go with this covert operation. Kudos to Brian, who in the comments last week suggested that Kate could be pregnant with Sawyer Jr. We got some confirmation that at least Juliette is thinking along the same lines, as she is looking to get a sample from "Austin" in the coming days (that's Kate's last name). So for now Sun and Kate best be watchin' their backs, cause they are primary targets for future Other kidnappings.


Whew! Lots of stuff happening lately. There aren't really any easter eggs of particular interest yet...but I'll update if I find some that look good, and I'm sure I will.

If you stuck around for the the previews for next week, you saw that it looks like it'll be doozy. We'll see what Locke has been up to and more. Only three episodes left!


Thanks to Sledgeweb for translations

Season 3, Episode 17: "Catch 22"

Alright, I've really been slacking on getting these posts done, and I'm sure there's only like 5 of you still reading, so instead of my usual jibber jabber, I'm just going to get right down to business this week.

Anyone notice the picture on Desmond's Boss-Monk's desk this week (besides Ed)? Well, what I first thought was the pope was instead our old friend Clock Lady from Desmond's initial flashback/lucid dream episode this season. Check it out:

First of all, it should be noted that this pic is very poorly photoshopped...and I must say I'm a little disappointed in the producers on this one, but I suppose I will let it slide. I will suspend disbelief for a moment and assume that it is in fact a pic of the Monk and Clock Lady at the Monastery.

Secondarily, for those of you who don't remember, this lady, or "Oracle," as some are calling her, was the "guide" in Desmond's lucid dream in episode 3x8, when we learned of his ability to see the future. It can't be a coincidence that she pops up in this mysterious photo. Couple that with the fact that Desmond was literally plucked from the street by Brother Boss-Monk, brought to the monastery for a brief time, and then let go into the hands of Penny Whidmore - the impetus of his eventual trek to the Island - and you've got a recipe for another full on Lost mystery.

In Desmond's dream, Clock Lady continually asserts that Desmond is on a "path" that could not be interrupted and that his "purpose" was to push that button on the Island. This whole coincidence further pads the theory that Dharma and/or the Others have somehow drawn specific people to the Island. But who's team is the Clock Lady on? Is she Jacob? Is the Monk Jacob? The producers hinted that something "momentous" would happen in this episode, and even though we had a person fall from the sky this week, I've got to believe that this connection is what they were speaking of. We'll see, I suppose....

Shifting gears to the woman from the Helicopter: first of all, since when can you EJECT from a helicopter? Isn't that a Polish joke or something? (Author's note: I love polish people and never joke about them...when they're around). Regardless, we have a new character on the Island and I would have to assume that she is part of the same team that we saw in the cliffhanger of season two (remember them, the two Portuguese dudes in the sub that thought they found the Island and called Penny? It only took 17 episodes but we've picked up on that storyline...maybe). We can assume that this new woman is also Portuguese, since the copy of "Catch 22" that she had in her back was written in.....well, Portuguese.

Another question people are asking is if the Helicopter/Plane/Hanglider crashed over the water, how did the woman land on the Island? Well, for the sake of not beating a dead horse over every little detail (seriously, these Lost addicts are nuts), let's assume that she ejected while flying over the Island and the 'Copter ditched in the water. Probably.

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Thank you Lost Producers for the unnecessary but wonderful shot of Kate getting dressed in her tent. That was great.

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There's really no other pics of interest to post other than the ones above. I suppose I should speak to the whole "did Desmond change the identity of the pilot from Penny to this new girl cause he saved Charlie"... well, I don't think he did. I have no back up, but I just think that it's more plausible that the woman works for Penny and was sent to the Island to find him. Penny's a rich girl, she has people for this kind of thing.

THIS JUST IN: In this week's Lost Podcast, executive producers Lindelhoff and Cuse confirmed that Christian Shephard, Jack's Father, is in fact dead. I've posed a few time that maybe he was alive. I was wrong. Damn.

Look for some more info on the pregnancy issue this week as I believe we will find out for sure if Jin is the father of Sun's baby or not. Additionally, I'm told that we will revisit the pilot and see what's up with her. Let's hope for a good one!

Season 3, Episode 16 "One of Us"

We're getting there. Plot holes are being filled in, questions are being answered, and progressions are being made. I enjoyed last week's episode, and I think Juliette's character is proving to be one of the more important people on the Island. And I appreciate the fact that the writers have let us in on her secret for now...I don't think I could have dealt with another "is she or isn't she a spy" type of situation for another few episodes. But with one secret revealed, we're still left with plenty of questions...most importantly: after all that she's been through, why would Juliette still want to help Ben and the Others?

We find out quite a bit about Juliette through this episodes flashbacks. She enjoys a nice tranquilizer cocktail from time to time, she not very good at keeping pregnant women alive, she's banging Goodwin (and NOT Ben, as some thought), and has pretty much wanted to leave the Island from the moment she got there. So one thought is that her desire to get off the Island is so strong that she will betray Jack once again and spy for Ben and the Others. But what is there to spy on? Haven't they tortured these people enough?

Well, at one point, Ben argues that they will have to "find more pregnant women" when discussing their depleting sample of preggies in Othersville. Therefore, one reason for Juliette's presence is to keep an eye on who may be pregnant on the Island. We know that Sun has conceived, and at this point, Sawyer's probably game to knock someone up...I mean, it's probably bound to happen when you're stranded on a deserted island with some good looking ladies, right? So Juliette finds some more test subjects, and in exchange she will finally be able to leave the Island and reunite with her sister Rachel. OR, she's just playing Ben and the Others. We can't rule this out just yet, cause at this point, with the sub apparently blown up, there is no confirmed way off the island to begin with. Regardless, we'll find out in a week, as that's when Ben will come retrieve her. (But don't forget that a week in "Lost" time could mean another 4-6 episodes. Damn.)

And what about the Island curing cancer but not allowing births? Rachel is cured, as is Rose (remember her? She hasn't had any face time this season really but she was dying from cancer before the Island cured her). Ben had a "tumor", but they never went so far as to call it cancer. And the pregnancy problems? When did these start? Because let's not forget that Ben was apparently born on the Island, Rousseau gave birth to Alex, and that Claire had Aaron (although it seems like she had some help from Juliette and the Others on that front). Not sure what the answers are here, but it seems that something happened to stop Island births. Was it associated with Dharma's presence?

....

A couple of quick things: Juliette meets Richard Alpert and Ethan at Herarat Aviation which is likely an anagram for "Earhart," as in Amelia Earhart, the doomed female pilot trying to cross the Atlantic.

And here is an interesting pic that I thought I'd include. The workers on the sub are wearing a T-Shirt with a Dharma inspired logo on it. Without the details of the relationship between the Others and Dharma fully known at this point, it's worth pointing out this little catch. (Did they steal the sub from Dharma? Could there have been some Dharma defectives? )

And here is just one other easter egg from last Wednesday...

Rachel's Chart that Ben shows Juliette (when he tells her the cancer has returned)...likely a prop error unless we are to believe that Juliette would miss such a glaring error.

And now onto next week. Not sure if any of you caught the latest Lost article/blurb in the most recent Entertainment Weekly, but without mentioning any minor spoilers, the next few weeks sound pretty promising. Looking forward to tomorrow night, see you here later this week.

Season 3, Episode 14: Expose


Ok, so this was a pretty fun episode...it wrapped up the forever hated and doomed Nikki and Paulo storyline in a very cool ending sequence, and showed some earlier scenes from a different perspective. And of course, let's not forget that the series' best cameo appeared in the form of Lando Calrissian himself, Billy D Williams. But unfortunately, I don't have much to say about the show other than that. Oh wait, something else...Nikki is hot. Annoying maybe...bad actress for sure, but that first "dancing scene" was top notch and even a little risky in these FCC big brother days. But I'm not complaining...bravo.

I guess there are a couple interesting notes to make in terms of the show's key points. First off, we can confirm that Ben specifically picked Jack, Kate, and Sawyer to exploit Jack's unrequited crush on Kate in order for him to perform surgery on him. Not exactly news, but it was never specifically confirmed before.

It was also interesting to note that it appeared that Ben and Juliette did NOT come down through entrance that Paulo did in the Pearl Station. This helps the "tunnels" theory.

Finally, and most outlandish, the paralyzing Medusa spider could lend itself to the possibility that Christian (Jack's father) used a similar tactic to fake his own death. Bear with me here...but I've mentioned here in passing that some folks think that Christian is alive and well, and could possibly be an integral part in the whole Dharma Initiative. The fact that there is a way to essentially freeze yourself and appear dead, it needs to be put under consideration that Christian did so. Too bad it didn't work out for Nikki and Paulo though...


And here are some pics that have little to no relevance to anything...

See that the show "Expose" was one of the ads on the soccer field in the Desmond Flashback

Cool, but unfortunately out of focus shot, of how they put Nikki in previously shot scenes

Billy D...cause he's awesome. The inset is of Locke watching TV in his most recent flashback...and folks that have read through the episode scripts (NERDS!) noted that he was watching this very episode of Expose.

That's it...double whammy this week...read on!