LOST Episode 5 - Lighthouse

Now that was a fantastic episode. I can say that even though this season’s been alright, that episode brought the fantastic LOST I’ve been waiting for. Not many mysteries to discuss from that episode but the flashsideways and regular time both worked extremely well together. So on to the episode...

In Los Angeles, we find out Jack has a son named David with an anonymous woman (Sarah?). It’s pretty scary how much the kid actually looks like Jack! He also finds an appendix scar but doesn’t remember getting it out, though his mom says he got it removed when he was 7 or 8. Anyway... he doesn’t have a very strong relationship with the kid (only sees him once a month) causing awkwardness throughout each scene. You think this would be bad enough, but Jack has even more problems in his life. Oceanic Air lost his dad’s coffin and he is in a mad scramble to find his father’s will with his mom. After an extensive search of their house, the mother finds the will only to discover that an odd name is in the will. That name would be... Ms. Claire Littleton. I would have liked to see this explored more in depth, but we are immediately taken to Jack finding his son missing upon arriving at his apartment. He goes to his ex-wife’s house to look for him (he uses a key he finds under a lawn ornament to open the door... creeper!) but finds David using a message left on his phone. Jack hurries to a hall where his son is performing on the piano, and might I say he is a fantastic pianist. After watching his son in awe, he leaves, only to run into... DOGAN! Seriously, LOST, that was just random. Anyway, after Dogan spews something about expectations on kids, Jack finds David and they talk about expectations between parents and Jack says he will always be proud of David no matter what because his father didn’t think he had what it takes and everything is right with the world again thanks to Mr. Fix it, Jack Shephard. Looks like Jack can be a good father after all.

On the island, Jacob pesters Hurley, again. He informs Hurley that somone is coming to the island and he needs to help them find it. He tells Hurley he must convince Jack to come along on his quest (by telling him he “has what it takes”). On the way, Jack finds Kate, who almost shoots him, which Jack and Kate laugh about (because almost getting a hole in your forehead is hilarious!). However, Kate isn’t invited on their little adventure (OWNED!). In the meantime, Claire brings Jin and Justin (who didn’t die when Claire shot him) to her tent. Turns out she remembers Jin and the other 815-ers and reveals she’s been living a Rousseau-like life. She says her father (Smokie Christian?) and a “friend” told her the Others took Aaron and reveals that she was “stuck with needles” and branded by the Others (similar to Sayid). She’s about to greet Justin with the sharp side of an axe when Jin shouts that Kate took Aaron back to the states with her when they left the island three years ago. Well, it looks like Justin has been saved. Wrong! Claire, in her angry state, goes Jack Nicholson (from the Shining) on Justin. Back to Jack and Hurley... one of my favorite parts of this episode is them finding the caves and the “Adam and Eve” skeletons again. Hurley asks a question every LOST fan has probably wondered at some point: What if when they were time travelling, two of them died and were buried in those caves? Anyway, they finally reach a lighthouse, and upon climbing it they find mirrors on a giant compass. Hurley says they must turn it “108 degrees” but when the compass lands on 23 degrees (Shephard), Jack sees his childhood home. This is how Jacob has been watching his candidates! Jack, in his annoyingly angry state, shatters all the mirrors. Jacob comes to Hurley and doesn’t seem upset, revealing that Jack must learn for himself how important he is. At Clairville, Jin tells her he was lying, Aaron is at the Temple, and he’ll help her get there, which is great because Claire says if Kate really did take Aaron, she’d kill her (if only)! As the episode ends, Claire’s “friend” walks into the tent, and it’s revealed to be... SMOKIE LOCKE!

Not many theories in this episode for this episode. To me, this episode confirms that Christian was the Smoke Monster. He came to Claire and began recruiting her (when we see her in Jacob’s cabin) and then comes to her again as John Locke. Both tell her the Others have taken Aaron but as two different people, manipulating her like he did to Locke and is currently doing to Sawyer. I’m curious as to what significance Jack smashing the glass will have on the show. Will it prevent whoever was coming to the island from coming (if there is someone coming). It obviously depends on who number 108 was (108, of course, is the numbers 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, and 42 added up). The number 108 pointed to “Wallace”, which must be significant, knowing LOST. There are three possibilities: Either this is a completely new character, that was a continuity error and we weren’t supposed to see it, or this is WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALT!!! We’ve always known Walt is special so it wouldn’t be out of the question. Eh, it’s probably not. Maybe it’s Desmond! Nah, probably not him, either. He’s says he’s done with the island! Maybe no one is coming to the island, and Jacob is just a douche. I do feel that because all the candidates are on the island, the mirror is officially useless so Jacob wouldn’t care if it was broken. Also, we find out Kate IS a candidate, as her number (51) is on the compass and not crossed out. This raises the questions as to why Smokie Locke didn’t bring her up to Sawyer. Does he not know Kate is a candidate, or did he not bring her up because he knew her name would influence Sawyer to not trust him and take his side. We’ll have to wait to find out. Next weeks’ episode, “Sundown” , looks crazy, although they showed us NOTHING in the previews. Oh LOST, you devils.

http://lostpedia.wikia.com/wiki/Lighthouse

HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERE'S JACOB.

LOST Episode 4 - The Substitute

After leaving us with the cliffhanger of Claire shooting two Others dead, we are treated with no mention of her this episode... but honestly, this episode was much better than last week, and while raising many new questions, it gave us an insight into what the idea of “the candidate” is. So what is it? But first...

The flash sideways provided us with a look at Locke’s life after 815 landed. Helen never broke up with him and they are engaged, though we never find out why or how. Did his father never come between them? Well apparently, he’s invited to the wedding! He’s still paralyzed, so what happened to him?! Did Jacob ever come into contact with Locke? We find out Locke never went on the walkabout but told his toolish boss he went to Australia for company business. He is fired, which leads to him to fatefully encounter other 815-ers. First he runs into Hugo, who parked his bright yellow hummer next to his ride. Hurley agrees with Locke that Randy (his boss) is a douche and gives him a number to call and tells Locke “I think it’ll all be okay”, with Hurley now the poster child of good luck and optimism. Next, he meets Rose after calling the number (she is a supervisor), and she explains her struggles with terminal cancer and how once she accepted it she could live her life realistically. Finally, after taking a job as a substitute teacher, he encounters... get ready for it... BENJAMIN LINUS. And he is... shockingly enough... a European History teacher who is bitching about coffee filters in the teacher’s lounge. Well played, LOST. Other than that, nothing noteworthy, though Locke is not portrayed as the man of faith we’ve come to know (he tells Helen he doesn’t believe in miracles).

Back on the island, things get weird. Smokie explains to a freed Richard that Locke was a “candidate”, which seems to confuse Richard. Smokie eyes a young boy, which visibly disturbs him (though Richard doesn’t see him). Smokie leaves Richard, who was probably boring him, to find Sawyer, who is partying hard, half naked in an abandoned house with loud music and a bottle of whiskey. Smokie invites him to learn why the ended up on the island. On the way, Smokie sees that same boy (whom Sawyer also sees) and chases him. The boy tells Smokie “You know you can’t kill him” to which Smokie replies “Don’t tell me what I can’t do!”, (oh real John, how we've missed thee). One long journey across the island later, Sawyer and Smokie descend into a cave to find a scale balanacing a white and a black rock. Smokie chucks the white rock and proclaims it to be an “inside joke”, presumably between him and good ol’ dead Jacob (or Locke?). We are immediately treated to one of the most profound shots in recent LOST memory, a large rock with everyone’s name carved on it with a corresponding number. Six are not crossed out: 4 – Locke, 8 – Reyes, 15 – Ford, 16 – Jarrah, 23 – Shepard , and 42 – Kwon. These are the hand-picked candidates to take over Jacob's position as the island's protector/ruler/all-around creeper. However, Smokie says the island is just an island, nothing to protect, and told Sawyer that Jacob manipulated each of them when they were weak and vulnerable. I found this particularly interesting, as Smokie manipulated both Locke and Sawyer (maybe Claire too as Christian?) when they were vulnerable, so kudos Smoke dude for keeping up the manipulation trend! He convinces Sawyer to go with him, all while crossing out Locke’s name. And then there were five?...

So much to ask: Who is the young boy? Why do these numbers become significant and "unlucky"? Why is Kate not a candidate? Which Kwon is 42? Who can’t Smokie kill? Who is “the substitute”? Does the scale serve any non-metaphorical purpose? Why is Smokie stuck in his Locke state (according to Ilana)? Honestly, I’m not sure for most of these. Smokie tells Sawyer he was once human with feelings and such, so I’m gonna change my previous belief and say that the Smoke Monster was actually the guy we see in the beginning of Season 5, and because of something that happened between him and Jacob, the man is trapped in the form of the cloud of smoke, trying desperately to escape. Oddly enough, there are no women who are “candidates”, and Kate, while she was touched by Jacob, is not one. What does Jacob know about Kate? What makes her "flawed" like Mr. Friendly says in Season 3? The logical thing to assume is that Jin is the "Kwon", but being that this is LOST, logical assumptions rarely apply. The young boy is by far the most intriguing aspect of this episode. He tells Smokie that he can’t kill someone. Is the someone Jacob, and if so did Smokie break the rules? I think Smokie is planning to kill or corrupt Sawyer, and planning to have each of Jacob’s candidates killed/claimed one at a time. Maybe Smokie (who can’t kill Jacob), can’t kill his candidates either. Smokie doesn’t believe what he is telling Sawyer about there being nothing to protect on the island. He is manipulating them just like everyone does on the show to convince Sawyer to trust him so Sawyer can be “claimed”. Smokie is already making strides with Sayid, leaving only 3 more after that. I don’t know who the young boy is but from what others are saying, it could be either Aaron or Jacob. People have always believed Aaron to be special. If it’s Aaron, maybe this is like Walt, who was on the island and somewhere else at the same time (astral projections?). And why did the boy have bloodied hands the first time? Is it older Aaron? Is Aaron a religious or Jesus-like figure? With that said, I don’t know. Next week we’ll probably see the return of Claire and team Temple, so hopefully we’ll get some friggin answers!

"I know what you did Smokie!"

http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/lostpedia/images/f/fd/Lost604.3.jpg

To Write Love on Her Arms Day 2010

I just want to take time to write about something that means a lot to me. Today is To Write Love on Her Arms Day (unofficially, there was one on November 13 too). TWLOHA is a non-profit organization that deals with suicide, depression, self-addiction, and substance abuse and how to help alleviate those problems. The organization deals with spreading hope and love to people that may feel that there is no hope or love for them. It's about starting a conversation. It's about not ignoring someone who comes to you looking for someone to talk to.

I love what this organization is doing, and although they are not affiliated with this day I'm glad they've brought these topics up when many people just want to ignore them and hope they disappear. What I hate, though, is people who treat this issue as if it's a joke. Depression is not a joke, and neither is suicide. All I keep reading on the Facebook page for this event is a bunch of people mocking this day, saying it's a waste and to let these people kill themselves. It's people like this that are the problems. Depression is not an "emo" problem. People with depression aren't faking it! It affects over 121 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization and TWLOHA's site (2/3 of these people never seek treatment), and I'm sure these people aren't "emo". I know people with depression, both family and friends, and it's something that has affected me. Depression doesn't discriminate against race, gender, religion, or social standing. It is a disease, pure and simple, and CAN AFFECT ANYONE!! I get so fed up when I see people mocking this problem.

I am also fed up with people saying "writing love on your arm doesn't help anyone". That's not the point of this day. It's to spread the word, to educate people, to make sure they understand the problem, and to show that there are people who believe in hope and love. Yes, writing love on your arm will not physically cure anybody's depression anymore than wearing a pink pin or baseball players using pink bats will cure breast cancer. It's a show of support and a way of raising awareness, and it's beautiful, just like seeing people wear those pink pins show unity and support. I ask people please stay educated to these important issues and that's all I can truly ask for. And please read the story, it's truly phenomenal.

I don't care if you support TWLOHA, and I'm pretty sure they don't care. The story of Renee, which began TWLOHA is beautiful and shows the amazing power that this organization can have and how it truly can change things. This isn't about buying a shirt or writing "love" on your arms physically. It's about a mindset. It's about caring, about hope, about love, about treating people with respect! I'm wearing my red "TWLOHA" shirt today to show my support, but in all you can show your support every day of the week to someone who needs your help and your time. Don't blow someone off if they need a shoulder to cry on. You don't know how much power you have to help. We are the hopeful. TWLOHA :-)

"We are only asked to love, to offer hope to the many hopeless. We don't get to choose all the endings, but we are asked to play the rescuers. We won't solve all mysteries and our hearts will certainly break in such a vulnerable life, but it is the best way. We were made to be lovers bold in broken places, pouring ourselves out again and again until we're called home." - Jamie Tworkowski

www.twloha.com/vision

LOST Episode 3 - What Kate Does

It’s hard to follow up such a tremendous two hour premiere. Episode three lagged at times but was overall a good episode. Almost no questions are answered. We know Claire is “alive”, although the Temple Others have raised more questions as to what happens to people who are exposed to the water in the Temple. So let’s dive in.

I like the name, it’s a reference to the old episode “What Kate Did” in which we find out what Kate did (killing her step-father). Here, we follow her flashsideways after escaping the comically incompetent Edward Mars. She kidnaps Claire in the cab, lets her go, then finds her again to give back her stuff. We learn that the couple in L.A. was in fact real, but the husband left the wife, resulting in them not meeting Claire, which means the adoption is off. Claire has contractions and Kate, at her own risk of being arrested, takes Claire to the hospital where we get our first surprise: Ethan is the Doctor!! Say what? I guess since Ethan was evacuated off the island during the Incident (which somehow resulted in the island sinking), he never has the opportunity to go back and ends up in L.A. Another interesting thing to note is that he uses the name “Goodspeed” (his father is Horace) when we’re used to Ethan Rom. His interaction with Claire is similar to that on the island; he is courteous and always seems to present her with a choice as to what she can do. The most interesting line to me was when Claire ended up with the name “Aaron” and said to Kate that she feels like she knew the name from somewhere, showing another instant of a character remembering occurrences on the island, though not recalling where it’s from. Theory: Kate will end up delivering Claire’s baby. It seems that things in flashsideways world are happening similar to that of the island (Charlie was supposed to die, Christian’s body is missing, Ethan attending to Claire) and we will eventually find out everything is somehow connected, though I have no clue how yet.

On the island, Sayid plays Jack Bauer and resurrects minutes after death. He is rewarded by being tortured (another Jack Bauer moment). Dogen (Japanese Other) claims to be testing him and proclaims he passed. He then tells Jack that Sayid’s infected and pleads with him to give Sayid a pill, a move out of the Ben Linus catalog of trust. Jack, being the man of science he is, doesn’t believe Dogen and tries to swallow the pill, leading Dogen to beat him up until he spits it out. We find out the pill is, surprise, poison! The supposed consequences of the spring is that people are subject to being consumed by evil? When Jack questions how the Temple Others know this, Dogen says it happened to his sister (half-sister Claire, Christian’s daughter). As this is going on, Kate and Jin run off to track an escaped Sawyer. Sawyer reveals to Kate that he was going to marry Juliet before tossing the ring into the water (one of the best scenes from this episode). Jin, abandoned by Kate and Sawyer, tries to escape the Others and is caught in a trap. The two Others are shot by a mysterious figure revealted to be (CLIFFHANGER)... CLAIRE! So, she lives...

So what’s the deal with the spring? Like many I think the water is dark because the smoke monster/dark entity now has the power over the island with Jacob “out of the picture”. We now know this is what Ben was subjected to when he was brought to the Temple by Richard in 1977. I believe, judging from what the Temple Others know, that Ben was not infected. Despite his evil demeanor, he was never killed by the Others. Also like Ben, Sayid remembers nothing from after his injury, only saying “I remember being shot.” This is also a nice LOST reference to Smokie-Locke (“I remember dying”). Regarding Claire, she is no longer the lovable pregnant girl we remember. She looked angry, deranged, and shot two people dead. It is also implied by the two others who accompanied Kate and Jin that Claire is the one who set the traps on the island. We find out the “infection” spreads gradually and is not immediate, which would answer why Claire looked even happier than normal when seen in Jacob’s Cabin with Christian. My guess on Claire is that she died when the men rocket launched her house in season 4, but she was revived somehow. Smokie (disguised as her father Christian) sought her out and made sure the spring procedure took place, thus bringing her to the “dark side”. I think this episode proved that Sayid is not Jacob nor is her the smoke monster exactly, because Smokie can only inhabit one image at a time (Locke). It’ll be interesting to see how Jack and the Temple Others address the issue of Sayid now that he is apparently possessed. Will Sayid be killed? Is Claire the new Rousseau? Why did she abandon Aaron? Why did Smokie knock out Richard? Why does Smoke-Locke seek out Sawyer next episode...

http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/lostpedia/images/d/da/6x03_ClaiRousseau.jpg

HiMyNameIsVas

Hello, I'm Vas. All the appropriate info is in the profile. I like sports, music, TV, and other stuff. I'll write about things like CD/concert reviews, thoughts on any given sports events, and I'll try my best to review each episode of LOST and theories after they happen. Speaking of LOST, new episode is coming up...