METS APRIL WRAP-UP

The Mets finished the month of April with a 9-1 thrashing of the Phillies and a record of 14-9, which is shocking to say the least. The Mets were given a tough schedule right off the bat. They had to face the Rockies, Cardinals, Cubs, Braves, and Dodgers, five teams that were all expected to compete for the play-offs (a tough 16 game stretch to say the least). Many, including myself, assumed the Mets would have a terrible month. I am happy to say the Mets blew my prediction of a 12-13 month out of the water and played more inspired than they had at any point in the 2009 season.

The Mets entered 2010 coming off an injury plagued and embarrassing 2009 season. The addition of Jason Bay added another power hitter to the outfield but the loss of Carlos Beltran for at least the first month of 2010 offset the excitement. That, added with Jose Reyes missing time due to a thyroid condition and a starting staff that was full of question marks past Johan Santana's spot cooled off some of the cautious optimism surrounding the team.

The Mets opened the season with an electrifying 7-1 win over the Marlins behind the stellar Johan Santana, but the remainder of the homestand was marked by terrible clutch hitting and suspect starting pitching as the Mets went 2-4 against the Marlins and Nationals. The Mets then took their circus on the road, struggling in Colorado and St. Louis. The trip did bring us a 20 inning classic win over the Cardinals, a game that went 0-0 into the 19th inning before the Mets broke through against a Cardinals outfielder of all people. The Mets returned to Citi Field limping while fans protested that it was time for a new manager. Questions arose over whether a bad 10 game homestand would signal the end of Jerry Manuel and Omar Minaya.

The Mets heard the pleas of their fans and brought up first base phenom Ike Davis, and he did not disappoint, making Citi Field his home. Not only that, he seemed to change the attitude of this team from the beginning. During his first game, he had 2 hits and his first RBI, while hitting a 450ft bomb later in the homestand. Along with the move of Reyes to third and Pagan to the lead-off spot, the Mets dominated the Cubs, winning 3 out of 4, before sweeping Atlanta and LA right out of New York. The Mets showed a swagger that we haven't seen since 2006. The team played gritty games and never gave up, scoring runs late and hitting in the clutch. Even as Wright and Reyes struggled, Davis and Francoeur continued to hit. Reyes got his legs back and began showcasing why he is so valuable to this ballclub. As Wright and Bay got a bit of their stroke back, the team started hammering the ball. Santana continued to pitch well.

Pelfrey was the star of the month, going 4-0 and posting the best ERA in the NL at 0.69. It seems almost unbelievable, but people who watched "Big Pelf"'s surprising 2008 campaign aren't too surprised. Pelfrey's biggest problem is his confidence, but this year he has been in command and pitching effortlessly for the most part. He has been a man on a mission, for lack of a better term, and we may finally see the heightened potential of a potential future #2 (or even an ace!)

What the Mets need to watch out for in the coming months is the pitching. They need more consistently from Maine and Perez, who have each had one good start out of their first four. That won't cut it if the Mets want to be serious wild card or division contenders. Another area of concern is the streakiness of this offense, which seems to shut down for weeks on end before turning it on and pounding their opposition for a couple of weeks. For the Mets to really contend, guys like Wright, Reyes, and Bay cannot have prolonged stretches of 2-24 and need to consistently succeed in their respective roles, whether it's hitting home runs or using their speed and getting on base. It'll be interesting to see how the bullpen continues to build on their extremely impressive April. A lot of these guys, minus K-Rod and Feliciano, are relatively new and unknown, especially Takahashi. The question is will the league catch up to these relievers or will they have prolonged success. A lot also depends on Jerry Manuel, who runs the risk of overusing guys like Nieve and Feliciano, who already have a lot of appearances in one month.

The Mets face the Phillies for two more to start May before heading to Cincinatti, then home for the Giants and Nationals. May will be an exciting months, with visits from the Yankees and Phillies. Let's keep the momentum going boys, Let's Go Mets!!!

LOST Episode 13 - The Last Recruit

The Last Recruit marks the beginning of the end of LOST, the episode that foreshadowed the ending while also showing the first casualties of the war that has been alluded to since Season 5.

The flashsideways tackled every major character and how their paths will eventually collide. We see Locke being rushed to the hospital (accompanied by Ben Linus). Upon arriving, we see Sun is also being rushed to the hospital (impossible since she was shot 6 days earlier, the day after 815 landed...), and Sun seems to recognize John as UnLocke, screaming out in Korean “No! No! It’s him!”. Elsewhere, Kate is brought to the police department before Sawyer grills her. He asks if she thinks it’s weird that he let her go at LAX and a week later he arrested her. Kate seems to think he had a different reason for letting her go on the elevator, saying that he wanted no one to know he was in Australia. The conversation is interrupted by Miles, who talks about the double homicide involving Sayid and Keamy (also a major error on LOST’s part). We see Sayid later that day frantically packing his bags, telling Nadia he has to go and telling her to stall the police. While she successfully distracts Miles, Sawyer waits out back and trips Sayid with a garden hose, arresting him.

While all this is going on, Claire is at an adoption agency when Desmond stalks her (quite literally, it was insanely creepy). Desmond asks her all these questions about her baby, as she tries to escape, but he finally convinces her to see this lawyer who will give her advice on adoption for free. The lawyer turns out to be none other than... Ilana “Verdansky”. She apparently has been looking all over for Claire and seems pleased that she fell into her lap. We find Jack and his newly nice son David heading to the same building for the reading of Christian’s will. They approach the same room, and Ilana asks Jack if he believes in fate, because she just found his long lost half-sister, Claire! Jack seems completely confused before he’s called away to deal with a huge medical issue, which turns out to be Locke. As he gets ready to do the surgery, he notices Locke as the man he spoke to at the lost baggage room.

Back on the island, the war is in full swing. Jack finally has that talk with UnLocke. He says “you look just like him” before wondering why he chose Locke. UnLocke says Locke was a sucker who followed his belief that he was special until it got him killed. Then Jack asked the question we’ve all wanted to know: Was M.I.B. Christian? In short, yes, he was. He led Jack to water to help him and the 815-ers survive. He says he needs everyone to get on that plane together to leave the island. Jack is still not convinced that he wants to leave, but Claire later tells him that the second you talk to UnLocke, you’ve already sided with him, which could be taken literally or metaphorically. Zoe approaches the camp, asking UnLocke for the package back. When M.I.B. plays dumb, they launch a rocket which misses (UnLocke doesn’t even flinch), before Zoe says, “next time, we won’t miss.” UnLocke decides to move the camp, but Sawyer devises a plan to escape with Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sun, and Lapidus, excluding “Zombie” Sayid and “Nuts” Claire.

Meanwhile, UnLocke tasks Sayid with the job of killing Desmond, which Desmond eventually talks him out of by asking what the woman he loves would say if she knew what he did to get her back. That doesn’t stop Sayid from telling UnLocke that he killed Desmond off. In this time, Jack and crew escape to find the boat Sawyer and Kate took, but unfortunately for them, crazy Claire saw them go. She finds them before they could leave, but Kate talks her down and invites her to leave the island with them. On the boat, Jack has second thoughts, saying that UnLocke wants them to leave and that means it’s a bad idea. Sawyer tells him to take a leap of faith and get off his boat, which Jack eventually does. Sawyer’s crew arrive on Hydra and Sun and Jin FINALLY have that heartwarming reunion we’ve been waiting for. Until, of course, the moment is ruined by Zoe, who is told by Widmore to fire off the weapons. On the main island, UnLocke’s crew is attacked before M.I.B. saves Jack, assuring him that he’s safe and with him now.

So as you can see, I don’t think Desmond is dead, because they wouldn’t kill off such an important character without showing us. I have no clue why Widmore backed out on his offer with Sawyer other than the fact that he is a bastard and only concerned with himself. Desmonds flash sideways plan is definitely to get everyone together so they can have some sort of mass remembering. The flash sideways always seems to pair up people from the island who question how weird it is that they just happen to run into each other, so I think the more people recognize each other, the more the island timeline will start to rear its head. Not many things to discuss from this episode, I just think that Jack is the Last Recruit but is playing UnLocke, trying to keep him on the island as long as possible. The promos for the next episode (May 4^th) show a very angry Smokie on a warpath. Looks like it’s about to go down. Two week break?! GAHH! Namaste, LOSTies.

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"Woah, woah, hold on a second! Don't shoot! I just want to know what the hell on on this show"

MORE LOST THEORIES

This episode continued to expand on the importance of the alternate universe and why Desmond is so important. I really think after viewing this episode that Desmond’s purpose lies in the flash sideways and not on the island. On the island, I feel like he’s no more than a pawn, just like what all the others are (pieces in a chess game). But in 2004, he is burdened with the purpose of finding all the important 815-ers and showing them their life on the island. He finds Hurley and helps him discover his life, while he runs over Locke for an unknown reason.

Speaking of that, why did Desmond run over Locke. I don’t think it was specifically to show him his island life, because there are so many alternative (and less deadly) ways to show someone their past than ramming them with your car at full speed. I believe it was either to get him to the hospital to meet Jack or to get revenge because he is conscious in both timelines and sees Locke as the smoke monster. We do see in one of the two sneek peaks for next week’s episode (The Last Recruit) that Locke is being wheeled to the same hospital as Sun is, and we can presume Jack works there. Maybe Desmond’s plan is to round as many people as he can up and have his own mini summit of trying to spark their memories. Either way, Desmond was pretty creepy in bizarro 2004. I still won’t discount the possibility that Locke in 2004 will become the vessel for the Smoke Monster to escape from, which may be a reason Desmond is trying to eliminate him.

Speaking of remembering memories. Libby, much like Charlie and Daniel, seem to have a greater insight into the island life, which may be because they’re dead. They are the ones who initiate the talk of this life and show it to someone who is still alive on the island. Libby, specifically, didn’t even require a near death experience, like Charlie and Desmond did, but merely needed to see a commercial. This show is showing us that love will indeed be one of the core components of the ending, as each person is united to their island life by the person the love (Desmond with Penny, Daniel with Charlotte, Charlie with Claire, Hurley with Libby).

We find out about the whispers, which is one of the only things I ever predicted right in the history of this show. So the whispers are not the Others but in fact the dead souls who cannot move on. I think the whispers serve as warning for the living, because we always seem to see them before someone is dying or trouble is approaching. They may be trying to right the wrongs that they’ve done or they may just be helping out old friends. Either way, I think this makes the island a metaphorical purgatory, rather than a metaphorical hell or heaven. People who die remain there because they have issues that were left unresolved, which means the island is a waiting room for all the dead. This may relate to the island being a cork and not allowing them off, and they cycle will most likely be broken with the defeat of the Smoke Monster or with his escape, allowing them to leave as well.

As always, there is the issue of the kid who is scoping out the Man in Black. I think now more than ever that the kid is young Jacob, and his changed appearance makes me think that he is getting older and older until he eventually becomes the Jacob we know. I’m sure the change in appearance was intentional and not a continuity error, which tells us something about the boy and his ever changing appearance. UnLocke is visibly disturbed everytime he sees him, which means the boy may serve as a reminder that he is stuck on the island and can never leave. I think it might be some sort of rebirth on Jacob's part, and if anything the upcoming Jacob/M.I.B centric episode will probably be the one where we find out this boy's identity. His clothing suggests he's from somewhere deep in the past, probably even before the Black Rock landed on the island, which makes me think "Across the Sea" will reveal his ultimate identity. But for now, the newest episode looks intense. Namaste!

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"Why so serious, Flocke"

LOST Episode 12 - Everybody Loves Hugo

This episode was one of the darkest Hugo centric episodes of all. The title mirrored the old episode “Everybody Hates Hugo”. I found it to be highly entertaining and can definitely see where the season is going from here.

So in LA, Hugo is receiving a humanitarian award (presented by Dr. Pierre Chang). He is still rich, has turned his chicken store into a world wide chain, and gives a lot of money to various causes. His mother still chides him because he has no woman and tells him he has a date with a girl named Rosalita. On said blind date, Libby approaches his table and drops the “I recognize you” bombshell on him. She asks if he believes two people can be connected, but before she can explain where she knows Hugo from, her “doctor” comes, explains that she is crazy, and takes her away, even though Libby stands by everything she said. This saddens Hugo, so he resorts to his favorite pasttime: EATING. He orders a bucket at his chicken chain when Desmond approaches him and asks why he’s “depressed”. Upon hearing what this mystery girl told him, Desmond becomes serious and asks if he believers her. He encourages Hugo to find her and ask where she knew him from, so that’s just what he does. He goes to the mental hospital, and after a very generous “donation” is allowed to see Libby. She reveals that she saw his commercial and had flashbacks to the island, where they were together. While Hurley still doesn’t remember, he takes her on a picnic date on the beach. This scene was beautiful, as it represented the date they never had on the island because Libby was shot, proving to be a form of universe course correction. On the date, Libby kisses Hugo, triggering island memories, and as they both rejoice in this discovery, we see Desmond watching them creepily from afar before driving off.

Back on the island, Hugo is sitting near Libby’s grave when Michael approaches him, preceded by the whispers. He tells Hurley a lot of people will die and it’ll be his fault unless he stops them from blowing up. Hurley pleads with the crew, saying blowing up the plane will only make that thing angry. Too bad he doesn’t know he can’t really kill the candidates. Also too bad that Ilana didn’t listen, because she gets Artz-ed and blows up while dropping the back of explosives. So much for protecting them. Despite seeing this, Richard is dead set on proceeding with the plan, and surprisingly Hurly agrees. However, Hurley was merely lying, as he blows up the Black Rock so they can never touch the remaining dynamite. Richard is fuming, but Hurley insists this is what Jacob wants and even says that Jacob told him their next move is to go talk to the Smoke Monster. Richard knows Jacob never tells you what to do, so he goes with Ben and Miles to the Barracks to find their grenades, while Jack, Lapidus, and Sun venture off to find UnLocke. On the way to see Locke, they run into the whispers again, and Hurley again sees Michael, who reveals that the whispers are the people who can’t move on. He tells Hurley that he wants Libby to know he’s truly sorry about killing her and points the group in the direction of UnLockeSpeaking of which, Sayid returns to show said Smokie that he retrieved the package. UnLocke takes a walk with Desmond, showing him one of the wells that was dug up to find out what made the needle points on compasses spin. Obviously he’s talking about the electromagnetism, which Desmond knows a lot about. He then asks Desmond a very important question: “Why are you not afraid”. He explains that no one in the world know where he is, but Desmond says there is no point to being afraid. He probably should have, because UnLocke goes on to throw him down the well. He returns to his camp, saying “their friend” is no longer a problem before Hurley, Jack, and crew show up. Jack looks terrified, maybe because this is the first time he has seen Locke since his death.

Back in bizarro LA, Desmond is watching a bunch of kids outside of Locke and Ben’s school. He is clearly watching Locke, and when Ben comes over to ask what he’s doing there, he lies and says he is looking for a school for his kid. As Ben leaves, he drives towards Locke without stopping and rams right into him before driving away. Ben pleads for someone to call 9-1-1 before the episode ends with Locke looking rattled. The next episode, based off the promo, looks intense and may be the biggest episode this season. Namaste, LOSTies.

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"That looks terrible, but not nearly as bad as the KFC Double Down brothah!"

LOST THEORIES

Something terrifying happened after the latest episode of LOST, entitled “Happily Ever After”: The show actually started clearing up for me! For the first time in a while I can safely say I know where LOST is going, though I’m still a little fuzzy as to how the show will get there. The executive producers have proclaimed all season that the flash sideways are extremely important and have also said that the season would be split into three acts (the third act got under way with this latest episode). So these are just a couple things I picked up after watching Desmond’s latest episode.

The flash sideways is a time where the island sank (as we know) and I think the biggest repercussion is that the Man In Black has escaped (breaking the bottle... metaphorically speaking). In this life, people seem to have what they want, but in a weird way have sacrificed something to get it or don’t have it the way they want it. In this installment, Desmond has Widmore’s approval, but is missing the love of his life, Penny, and his son Charlie. Something that is overlooked is that Daniel also gets what he wants in this timeline, as he is a full time classical musician. Remember, this was his dream, but his mother (Eloise) forced him to intensely study science and mathematics, no doubt because of his purpose relating to the island. With other characters, Jack has his son’s approval (albeit he has no son in the original timeline), Jin and Sun seem happier (but are now in hot water), Sawyer is a cop but is still looking for Anthony Cooper, Sayid has Nadia alive but not as his wife. In the OT, the Flocke makes promises to manipulate them into following him, such as promising Jin he’ll find Sun, Sayid the woman he loved, and Claire with finding Aaron. The problem is when the devil offers you something (metaphorically speaking), it usually comes at a cost, and we’ll probably find that out in the alternate timeline what that cost is.

What I'm still unsure of is Desmond's importance. He can survive an EM force, but Widmore clearly did not think that would send him to the alternate timeline. His importance to Widmore is survival, but it has a large effect on Desmond than even Widmore can tell. Will an EM wave kill the smoke monster and therefore Desmond has to be the one to set it off, or is the smoke monster himself an EM force that cannot kill Desmond.

So why does Charlie see Claire as he’s about to die and why is he suddenly the guru of love? It’s interesting that Charlie is the one to instigate the merging in a way of the timelines as on the island he has already died. His death might be the key, as since he only exists in one timeline he has a greater access to his other self since it no longer exists. The same goes for Faraday, who experiences this deja vu with Charlotte and then writes down these crazy equations that he (a full time musician in this life) cannot comprehend. It seems the other timeline is visible but some people see it more than others. On the OT, Juliet sees the flash sideways as she’s about to die, prompting her to say “it worked”. And another good question: Why does Eloise appear to Desmond both times there is a big EM force that affects him. She seems to try keeping each timeline on a certain course and knows a lot more than even we believe she does so far.

The season is heading down a path of merging or one time overpowering the other. LOST has been walking this line of will the flash sideways prevail or the OT. The question is: who wants what? Widmore clearly wants the OT to win because he sees something harmful in the flash sideways, knowing that MIB escaping will send them all there. Eloise appears to be the keeper of time, making sure that everything that’s supposed to happen, happens (Desmond not proposing to Penny during “Flashes Before Your Eyes”, Desmond not meeting Penny in this episode). So we presume Desmond, seeing the truth, will try to show the others from 815, one by one, what he saw and what he knows. The question is, how? Does Desmond know exist in both timelines. I think somehow, he is conscious of both (or all) Desmonds and as a result has access to information that no other person in either timeline has. He is the first to live in both timelines and with his knowledge of the island, he will warn Jack and the others of what Charlie warned him of.

Ultimately, one timeline will have to die for the other to survive, and that seems like the greater meaning of all this. LOST is intertwining their religious side with their more scientific side to appease both sides of the fan base. I feel MIB winning will kill all the LOSTies and bring them back to 2004. Maybe what we’re seeing in the flash sideways is after this battle took place, but Desmond venturing to this time before he was supposed to be there (this being the violation Eloise talks about) is an attempt to make sure the original timeline wins out. Since everyone’s deaths will bring them here, everyone’s fate may have already been decided, but Desmond is the constant that can break the rules and make sure that doesn’t happen. I feel Desmond is the one person on LOST not tied down by fate. He can change things that have happened in the past and make of his life whatever he wants. It’ll be interesting to see how Desmond in the flash sideways is shown in relation to Desmond on the island and if he now becomes the most prominent member of this show. I have more theories but I can’t think of them right now.

LOST Episode 11 - Happily Ever After

My brain has not hurt so much after an episode this season, but Happily Ever After lived up to the hype. The episode also explained to us the importance of the flash sideways time. Without further adieu, “time” to dive in.

Desmond is awoken by Charles Widmore and is noticeably upset that he is back on the island, even attempting to beat up Charles. Widmore assures him that the island’s not done with him before taking him, along with Jin, to this large area where Widmore’s crew is experimenting with electromagnetism. After frying one guy, they throw Desmond in the cabin and lock the door. He tells Desmond that once he is finished, he must make a sacrifice, and if he doesn’t everything he loves will perish. Widmore is also attempting to see if the rumors are true and Desmond can survive an electromagnetic force like he did when he activated the fail safe key. As they turned on the switch, Desmond is transported to the flash sideways timeline, making him the first person to be taken to that universe, although he is not aware of what is happening.

So right off the bat, we discover Desmond was actually on Oceanic 815, as he is waiting for his luggage. He sees Hurley and then Claire in the airport, though doesn’t recognize either from the island. He is driven to his employer in a fancy limo by... George Minkowsky... whom we last saw dying on the freighter after travelling back and forth between times and having a brain aneurysm. Turns out his boss is Charles Widmore, which isn’t so strange, except he hugs Charles and the two seem to genuinly like each other. Two interesting items to note is the painting of a scale, much like the one seen in the hillside cave with the black rock slightly overpowering the white rock, and a pretty large sail boat replica. Another noticable parallel is not only Widmore’s desire, but his happiness to share the bottle of MacCutcheon whiskey with Desmond, who in the original timeline wasn’t good enough for the whiskey. Anyway, Desmond’s business is to babysit Charlie Pace, who was last seen getting arrested after almost choking on a bag of heroine on Flight 815. Charles and his wife are having a charity event and their son, who is a classical musician, wanted to combine forces with DriveSHAFT.

Desmond picks Charlie up from court, but Charlie immediately strolls through traffic to the bar across the street with no regard for his life. At the bar, he describes to Desmond the feeling he had as he was choking on a bag of heroine. He describes true love in the form of a beautiful blonde girl (Claire) and claims he felt like he’s always loved her. He also tells Desmond that while he thinks he’s happy, he’s really not and has never experienced “conscious altering love” like he has. After telling Charlie that there’s always a choice, he begrudgingly agrees to follow Desmond back and play the show, but in the car plans change again when he offers to show Desmond what he was talkin about... by driving his car into the water. As Desmond tries to save Charlie, Pace puts his hand against the window and Desmond experiences a deja vu of Charlie drowing in the Looking Glass station. The moment ends and he rescues Charlie and bring him to the doctor. While undergoing an MRI, he sees visions of Penny, the same feeling of love that Charlie described, and Desmond goes out in search of the rock star. He finds Jack, who remembers him from the plane, but as he looks for Charlie, he comes running like a maniac in his hospital gown. Charlie claims to Desmond that no one there can help him and he wants to go out in search of love. He suggests Desmond stop worrying about him and the concert and look for Penny, the name Desmond saw written on Charlie’s hand.

Unfortunately for Desmond, he is tasked with telling Eloise Widmore that DriveSHAFT will not be performing, which is bad because everyone acts like she’s a fire breathing dragon. Eloise doesnt’ seem so rattled by the news, though, but only begins to get angry when Desmond asks the waiting staff for a copy of the guest list after hearing the name “Penny Milton”. She explains that he should stop looking for something because he finally has the one thing he’s always wanted (Widmore’s approval) and he’s not ready yet. Frustrated, he is about to leave when Daniel Widmore (Faraday) knocks on the cab door and simply says “We need to talk.” Daniel echoes the feelings of true love explained by Charlie and takes it a step further by saying he saw Charlotte at the museum and felt as if he’d always loved her. He woke up the next night and wrote really complicated quantum mechanics equations that only someone who had been studying that his whole life could know. He says he doesn’t want to set off a nuclear bomb to change the past because he feels he already has and this might not be the life they were supposed to lead. He then directs Desmond to his half sister Penny, who is training at the stadium Desmond used to train. As he introduces himself, he passes out.

Desmond is back on the island and now fully cooperative with Widmore, having seen his purpose (much like Jack at the lighthouse). As he walks with Zoe, Sayid appears, snaps someone’s neck, and tells Zoe to run, instructing Desmond that these people are dangerous and they must leave. Desmond, surprisingly, is also cooperative, probably realizing that his destiny is etched in stone and to not interfere with it. Just then, we see the flashsideways, where Penny wakes up Desmond and agrees to coffee with him. As he goes back to the limo, he tells George there is one thing he can do for him... get him the Oceanic 815 passenger list, telling him that he “has to show them something”. What could that something be? Is he going to attempt to show them that this isn’t their reality. Next week is a Hugo episode, which are always enjoyable.

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LOST Episode 10 - The Package

Ah, the inevitable transition episode after the epic Ab Aeterno, how thee could not be avoided. All in all, I still enjoyed The Package and it looks like things are clearing up for the end of the season.

We catch up with Jin and Sun back at LAX. Jin is released but his 25 Gs were confiscated, which obviously ruins the deal Daddy Paik ordered. They arrive at the hotel and we find out that they have seperate room reservations because... they’re not married! And living in the same room is frowned upon outside of the sanctity of marriage. Not only that, but we find out Sun’s daddy doesn’t know they’re dating... or so they think. Sun reveals that she accompanied Jin to LA so they could run away together, which is opposite from the original timeline, where Sun wanted to run away from Jin. But even though Jin is determined to deliver that watch, 25 Gs or not, Sun seduces him (very awkwardly I might add). Bad move, because they next morning Team Keamy arrives lookin’ for Jin. Finding him shirtless in the bathroom, Keamy sits them down and talks about wanting his money. Frustrated with their Korean speaking, he invites “that friend who speaks 9 languages” otherwise known as Mikhail (an eye-patch-less Mikhail I should say). They arrange for Sun to go to the bank and get money out of her secret account while Keamy and Omar take Jin to Keamy’s egg-celent restaurant (sorry... corny, but had to be done). Sun unfortunately finds that her daddy closed down her not-so-secret account. That’s not even the worst news. Keamy reveals to Jin that daddy Paik wasn’t happy about discovering Sun and Jin’s relationship and the 25 grand was payment for offing Jin. Keamy talks about the cardinal rule being to never sleep with the boss’s daughter, but “the heart wants what the heart wants”. Jin, not understanding a word, thanks him. Keamy ties him up and, you know the rest: Sayid comes in and goes Jack Bauer on the baddies. He gives Jin something to free himself with, and when Mikhail returns Jin turns the gun on him. A firefight breaks out and Jin ends up shooting Mikhail in the eye (aha!), but Sun is accidentally shot. She reveals she’s pregnant as Jin carries her off! Course correction at its finest.

On the island, UnLocke reveals his plan to Jin while telling him he will make every effort to find Sun. UnLocke then tasks Sayid with the job of watching the camp while he’s gone. Unfortunately, Sayid says he can’t feel any emotions, which UnLocke assures him is best for what’s coming up. I don’t think UnLocke had Widmore’s crew members attacking his people in mind when he said that. But they shoot UnLocke’s crew with the same darts we see the Others using on Jack’s crew at the end of season two. They kidnap Jin and take him to Hydra Island. So where did UnLocke go... to find Sun of course. She’s very distraught and sitting in her garden after chasing Jack away, but even after she is tempted with finding Jin, she makes a clear break for it. Even though UnLocke can turn into a large column of black smoke, Sun outruns him. Ok? She ends up running into a tree and getting knocked out. Ben finds Sun unconscious, and when she comes to she can only speak Korean, though she understands English enough to tell Ben UnLocke did that to her. At the beach, Richard returns and reveals his plan to destroy UnLocke’s means off the island (Ajira 316). Sun, visibly shaken, tells him off in Korean because her main goal is still getting off the island and the plane is their best bet. Meanwhile, UnLocke returns to his camp, which is missing Jin. He embarks on a journey to Hydra with Sayid to find the culprit. UnLocke talks to Widmore in front of the now fully finished sonar fence. Widmore plays dumb about Jin’s whereabouts, and Smokie replies, “A wise man once said that a war is coming to the island. War just came”. I think he meant Widmore, who said that to Locke in Season 5. Widmore is lying, of course, as we see Jin locked in room 23. Zoe tries to get him to explain a map about the electromagnetic properties of the island, which apparently Jin signed when he was with DHARMA. Jin, however, refuses and asks to speak to Widmore, who is happy to talk to him. Widmore shows Jin a camera with pictures of Sun and his daughter, who he has yet to see, and says that if Smokie escapes the island, everyone will “cease to be”. He then orders Zoe to get the package (dun dun duuuuuun). The episode ends with UnLocke leaving Sayid behind to find out what was inside the locked room. The “who” turns out to be... DESMOND!

A couple of interesting things from this episode. UnLocke talks to Claire and tells her that she needs Kate to help recruit one of the remaining three people he needs to get off the island (Sun, Jack, Hurley?) He says after he’s finished with Kate, whatever happens, happens. Clearly, Claire is not done with Kate and UnLocke will do nothing to stop her from killing Kate once he’s done using her. This further proves that Smokie is bad in the sense that he uses and manipulates people for his own gain. He needs all the candidates to get off the island with him (or die) because then there will be no one keeping him from leaving. I also think the someone he needed Kate to recruit is Jack. The other question is: what is Desmond’s purpose? Why is he so important that Widmore had to kidnap him and bring him back to the island? Remember, Faraday did once say “the rules don’t apply” to Desmond. Is Desmond special because of this? Does Desmond’s knowledge of the electromagnetic properties of the island after being locked in the hatch for three years make him valuable? Does this have to do with him setting off the fail-safe key? I think the electromagnetism will play a part in neutralizing or destroying Smokie, which brings LOST back to the science fiction part of the show, which is nice. Next week is fully devoted to Desmond... see ya there, brothah!

"...and then I had this crazy dream that my plane crashed and we all ended up on this strange island..."

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Opening Day Feels Like Christmas Morning

The Mets are a bad baseball team. I mean... they’re gonna be pretty damn bad this year. Yet, for some reason, I woke up today feeling like it’s Christmas morning. That warm rushed surged through me, and I felt like a kid again. That’s because baseball is back. I love baseball with all my heart, and even though I love hockey, football, and basketball too, nothing revs my engines up like baseball season does. Even though tonight is Yankees v. Red Sox, it still means that Mets baseball is just about here. A trip to Citi to watch the Mets practice today got me even more excited, and seeing the players and feeling the energy has me ready for tomorrow.

The other sports are nice, don’t get me wrong. I love my Rangers and Giants, and the Nets... well, they try their best. But nothing compares to the smell of the freshly cut grass at Citi Field on the first day of baseball season. The weather’s getting warmer, everything’s beginning to bloom, people are able to go outside in a T-shirt and shorts again. Baseball just starts at one of the best times of the year, albeit a stressful one for us college students. But once baseball arrives, you know summer’s right around the corner.

Like I said, the Mets are bad. They’ve horribly disappointed me the past three years, especially last year, which was plagued with injuries, bad play, horrendous moments from GM Omar Minaya. I couldn’t wait for baseball to end last year, and when it did I stored all my Mets stuff away and didn’t wear it all winter. I was so disgusted and utterly sickened by their play, but that doesn’t matters on Opening Day. As they say, “hope springs eternal”. Today the Mets are 0-0, just like everybody else. I think the Mets will only win 77 to 84 games, but that doesn’t mean I can’t get excited. Sure, our pitching staff is an absolute joke, our players can’t seem to stay on the field, and our front office is bound to do something stupid sooner rather than later, but why let that take away from the joy of baseball? What pissed me off so much about the 2009 Mets is that they did something I never thought was possible: They took away my love for the game. I grew to detest watching the team and almost couldn’t bear to turn on the games down the stretch. The Yankees v. Phillies WS didn’t help, either, that was a whole other brand of torture. But I don’t want that to happen again this year. I want to enjoy the game, to cherish the moments spent at Citi Field watching this team try to play baseball. We’re baseball fans because we have fun watching and taking in America’s Pasttime, and like Christmas morning, it’s a time where everything seems right.

I’ve made the comparison between the Mets and an abusive relationship many times. How you always end up hurt and disappointed but you can never end it, and how you try to make sense of why you’re still stuck in the relationship. Hell, I just wrote an entire essay on that for my creative writing class. Well, another round of abuse is coming up this year, but I will still look forward to watching my Mets. I’ll be going to many games, feeling complete bliss sometimes and complete suffering most of the time. But it’s still baseball. What makes it so much more enjoyable and painful than any other sport is the 162 games. No other sport can boast that. Hell, football teams only play 16 games. The grind just isn’t there for me as a fan in football. You start the year on a three game losing streak and your season is already almost over. You dedicate one day a week to your team, and that’s it. But in baseball, the journey is so intense. There’s a game every night, and it takes up half the year with more ups and downs than a roller coaster. You could be in and out of playoff contention 50 times by season’s end. The satisfaction or suffering you feel is that much better or worse because of how much energy you put into baseball. And all I can say to that is... I’m ready. The good, the bad, the ugly, and everything in between, bring it on baseball. Yankee fans have a lot to be proud of and have a right to feel good, and Met fans have approached the season in disgust. While I’m disgusted with the team too, I urge all Met fans to put those feelings aside and support the team through good and bad times. After all, that’s what being a fan is about. It’s time to play some ball!

I didn’t bother making official predictions this year because I was so completely off last year, though I do feel the Mets will finish in third. Off the top of my head, I think the Yankees, White Sox, Mariners, and either Twins or Rays will make the playoffs in the AL and the Phillies, Cardinals, Rockies, and Braves or Giants in the NL. Watch out for the Braves and Rays. I can see them both having big years but I think their lack of experience will hurt them during the playoffs against teams like the Yankees and Phillies. I’m praying we don’t get cursed with another Yankees v. Phillies WS, because I don’t think I’d be able to take it. But like I said, hope spring eternal, and anything can happen... except the Pirates winning it all of course. On that note...

LET’S GO METS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!