'Lost's' creators have to walk a real tightrope, maintaining mystery and suspense without making us feel too completely jerked around. This week, the rope started to wobble.
This week's episode didn't really go too far to explain much or advance the overall story. Sure, it was engaging in and of itself, but it kinda felt like we're on a treadmill rather than jogging ahead towards something important. I'm not the only viewer who felt that way, although some people are straight tired of it.
As always, EW does a solid recap of last night's events, and we've got a good 'Lost' page, too. It's late Wednesday night/early Thursday morning as I post this. All the good 'Lost' theories and Easter eggs always pop up throughout the workday on Thursdays as the rest of America gets to work and starts screwing around blogging about 'Lost' on company time. So check back into this post periodically for recaps, more theories, predictions, Easter eggs and links. But here's what I have right now:
Theories and Predictions
Juliet's a fertility doctor. This just fuels the Others-have-super-weird-kid-issues theories. After all, they kidnapped Walt, stole Claire to get to the baby, and there are all those tiny skeletons in the polar bear's cave. But how is it that the Others are infertile? Is the island's magnetism so strong that even spermatozoa can't steer straight?
Ben hates needles. He says it when they're putting Sawyer under. You just KNOW that's gonna come back somehow.
Desmond's becoming clairvoyant, as we saw last episode, and with the 5-iron lightning rod this week. His clairvoyance is not a glimpse at the hard-coded, inevitable future, though. He can see a malleable future that can be somewhat manipulated, i.e. the lightning bolt was going to strike at that time in that general spot on the island. But Desmond could draw it away from Claire and Charlie's tent. Will this power give the castaways the ultimate edge over the Others? Or do they have it too? 
My man Shawn Schrager suggests that the island heals, a la Locke's legs and Rose's cancer, so they'd never need a surgeon. Possibly. But there's been a lot of fatal puncture wounds that never healed up in this series. Chalk this up to ongoing mystery. 
Easter eggs
**Update** DarkUFO has an incredibly complex, well-thought-out post up now. I usually link out to this site, but this is exceptional work. Check it out.
Sawyer gets off a pretty classic film reference when he refers to his captor with the bandaged nose as "Chinatown."
The numbers on Sawyer and his fellow prisoner's prison garb are 840 and 248, respectively. And of course, if you add up the digits in each number, you get two numbers that have absolutely NOTHING to do with the 'Lost' numbers -- 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42. What's happening there? Also, according to Schrager, since when does a prison only have three-digit ID numbers? All the prisons I've been in have had five-digit IDs at least, and believe me, I know.
At least one of the Others has seen 'Pulp Fiction,' saying "you've got to get it right through the sternum, like in that movie." Lotsa drugs and cussing in that last link, by the way.
Here's a screencap of that creepy guy with the eyepatch you saw in the preview for next week's episode.
Things you missed from last night's episode.
This isn't really an Easter egg, but check out Sawyer speaking Russian.
Total Crap
I didn't buy that pacemaker jive for a second. There's no way you can cover up heart surgery with a Band-Aid like that. Although, others disagree. Sawyer's got a highly tuned B.S. detector, and he shoulda seen right through that one. 
Got theories, links, or Easter Eggs? Leave 'em in the comments, and check back in soon.
30 comments:
Interesting that you would be posting close to 2 am. I haven't watched Lost since season 1. I think I am too far "lost" to pick it up again. But I have Criminal Minds to watch on Weds, so all is not "lost". Tawnya
you know that I don't read your entries when you write about Lost?
Valerie
Oo I do.. We are a miles behind in the UK, season 3's not on for aaaages.. bah!
I work with rats in a research lab, and if you are fairly good and have been working with animals of that size for a while, (which i am guessing they have been), its not that hard to estimate the time for one to go down, for ours we use a certain mg/kg dosage for weight....and about 85% of the time they go down within 30 seconds. The only thing that would go against this woould be the shaking....it would amp up the adrenaline and possibly offset the time, if not counteract it completely. (depending what drug they used) just my input.
question: i want to embed a video.. but it's on on youtube, it's on my desktop from an email .. i don't particularly want to join youtube, is there a way i can embed the video without joining ??
The fact that the 'Others' aren't even on the Island that the Lost members are on suggests that they may not be susceptible to the 'healing' powers of the Island. As to why they have never needed a surgeon before, the Lost members have happened as Sawyer suggests, the 'Others' have never had any serious injuries that needed major medical attention. Also, Jack mentions that someone has serious spinal cancer which further suggests that they 'Others' are not on the healing Island as Locke and Rose have experienced.
I am wondering why/how Jack will operate on this so called tumor on Ben's spine on an island out in the middle of no where.... When the Dr I am seeing at a top knotch hospital in PA with all the latest toolsand know hows, won't touch my tumor/cyst on my spine with a 10 ft pole!
maybe Jack can be my dr???? LOL!
This show is really starting to bug me now!
Sharon
aber3 -- I see your point. But what I'm saying is that if a small village of people has been thriving on that Island for at least Ben's lifetime if not longer, SOMEONE's going to have had a bad accident eventually. I just can't buy that it's never come up. Maybe that's what the skeletons in the cave are for?
I wouldn't really call this an easter egg, but Sawyer asked for his money to be left in a bank in Albuquerque. We know from season 1 that Kate staged a robbery of a bank that was also in Albuquerque in order to get the toy plane. Same bank, perhaps? I think so.
I felt that there was plenty of material to push the story forward. i didn't feel that I was on a treadmill. What really caught my interest was that there are 2 islands, and they are on the 2nd. Which also means that they probably have more than just that sailboat, since they were able to get back to the 2nd island easily to suprise Sayid.
Another thing that was interesting is when the others were discussing the lost of the magnetic field, and how they were having communication problems....Intersting stuff
Also, after reading kuku225's comment, I have a theory: We know that Jack is in the underwater hatch, yet it seems that the Others are quite easily and quickly able to get from there to their island. Also, they were able to surprise Sayid, Jin, and Sun without much effort. I think that the underwater hatch connects the two islands. Obviously, although Jack didn't find it when he tried to escape, there's a way to get out of there and onto the island. It seems feasible that there would be another way on the other side to get to the Losties' island. That would explain how the others got onto the boat so easily - they didn't have to come from the land.
I'm going to say that they're European Fainting Rabbits.
They're a nuisance. I mean, I see a bunch of them either sleeping on the side of the road or actually IN the middle of the road. Apparently, the loud noise of the roadway scares them and they pass out. At least that's what they used to tell me at The Home.
-Dan
http://journals.aol.com/dpoem/TheWisdomofaDistractedMind/
that have absolutely NOTHING to do with the 'Lost' numbers -- 1, 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42.
Since when did 1 come into play? This is why I will never read your article again.
do none of you people remember that there was a very clear mention of a "sub" in the episode?? No tunnels for the Others, they've got themselves a submarine. Also, what do you mean they don't have the healing effects on their little island? It is made very apparent on the first episode of season three that they actually live in that little village on the MAIN island, because we saw the plane break apart overhead and crash in two different areas, then the two scouts were sent out on foot to assess the crash. They clearly are detaining jack, sawyer, and kate on the separate island, but live primarily on the main island.
Anyone else wondering how 2 polar bears got across to the other island? I'm sure they coulda moved them but... I'm thinking the 2 islands are connected somehow.
Polar bears are really good swimmers.
-Dan
http://journals.aol.com/dpoem/TheWisdomofaDistractedMind/
The 2 islands are connected!!! when they zoomed out at the end of the first episode this season it showed 1 long curved island.
They may be at other sides of the island but i believe the visibility on that spot of the island only allowed Sawyer to see the "other island" rather than seeing that the water between the "two islands" was part of the single island's bay. He said his purpose for bringing Sawyer out there was to show to him that him and Kate have no way of escaping when in fact, they could just run to the other side of the island. If you tried you could find a specific spot of the island where you could see the other side of the island and make it look like a separate island. That's why he brought Sawyer out to that specific spot anyway. Just some thoughts...
Oh thank God....I knew I heard the mention of a Sub returning. Everyone in the room looked at me like I was nuts.
OK now my "theories".
My firtst theory was "the others" were creating an "Eden" where only a choice few would be chosen and the rest left to deal with thier demons. "The Others" of course being left over rebels from the Dharma Experiment. This theory has been semi confirmed this season. ie: there lil "neighborhood" and their disgust with the great Stephen King.
Theory two...The magnetic pull of "The Island". Considering a lot of other craft have been drawn there (excluding the balloon) which is not metalic. The Bermuda Triangle....huh? maybe? "The Island" itself a weigh station or limbo. The impossible possible. Locke walking, Rose's cancer leaving, Sun's pregnacy (although I have my doubts now that i know she slept with Jae. tsk tsk naughty girl). While some benefit from "The Isalnd" others are left to deal with thier demons (see theory #1). Echo finding his dead brother, Charllie's heroine addiction and as far as I can tell Claire is the only person that hasn't been involved with the death/deaths of others.
Season three...Theory three... I still stand strong on both my previos theories. The "second island" enforcing them I think. "The Others" guard a gateway to somewhere. The somewhere, i don't know. Heaven, Hell, home. Who knows.
The zoo and aqauriume, maybe a noah's ark kinda thing. Maybe animal human experimenting. This has me very confused. The cages once belonged to those polar bears but now they are on the other island. How'd they get there and why?
Then there is that 3 toed statue from last year...wth?
Seriously I want answers but I love the mystery. I am awaiting Desmond's love, Penelope to show up soon but prabably not till after the long break.
I'm lost.
OK there you have it....untill next time.
Happy Halloween!
Come join me for a Halloween celebration. Yesterday we visited with Lizzie Borden. Today I share local ghost stories. Tomorrow is another surprise!
Jude
http://journals.aol.com/jmorancoyle/MyWay
The band-aid was covering up where they gave him the shot! Did you not see the huge scar-like thing underneath the gauze?!?!?!?!? That was the scar from the supposed surgery. Not the band-aid.
I do wonder if it is really two different islands. Polar Bears can swim great distances. But would they all have swum to a different island? And just how far away was the second island? Most interests me the most is why they chose to hold Sawyer and Kate captive along with our hot shot doctor. Sawyer and Kate are the two "classic" criminals on the island. They have both killed people with premeditated murder and so forth- and been in jail or been running from it. The other criminal types on the island at the moment are quite as classic. Eko is reformed and now doing the priest thing- though being a former African Drug Lord is definintely major big bad criminal points. He also had the whole being blown up thing. Sayid also has the big bad criminal points (even if he is not a criminal- lets say bad guy type points) with his whole torture thing. But he was in a foreign army and so forth, yada yada yada yada. Jin too has some major points being with organized criminal activity and deliverying those "messages" to people. Of course that was all for family, he didn't want to do it, etc. So that is why I list these charachters as non-conventional criminals. Of course we don't exactly have a perfect criminal on the island. Where is a stereotypical pirate who only cares about what he (or she) can get and will not hesitate to do away with any threats? Even Sawyer has his vulnerabilities and affections. So we have our two "classic" criminals being locked up in the polar bear cages while the good doctor is held in an aquarium. Why them? Is it because the others are secure then in their moral superiority? Or is their some other reason?
well, to comment on the last one about not watching LOST since season 1, i think you will find it most easy to jump right back in. there's not much that has been discovered, just little eggs along the way. that's not to say that there hasn't been a fair share of defogging. things, mostly the timeline of events, are a little bit more clear. however, we are still unsure of the LOSTies role on the island.
good article.
i have a little bit of trouble believing the Others. If someone (Ben?) on the island has a tumor, and they claim that they have connections to the outside world, why does tumor-person still have a tumor? ESPECIALLY if they're all scientists. you'd figure they'd jump right on that one...
which leads me to think that it might be possible that the Others may be just as lost as the Losties, just with a few more luxuries. if you can't save your own, why stay on the island?
any thoughts?
I'm getting a little tired of lost. The only thing that makes me continue to watch it is the suspence. I think the writers need to tie everything up this season and be done with it. Get a new series that everyone can obsess over.
For the question about "why they captured certian people" umm well to me it is obvioulsy becuase they picked the strongest people there. And what i mean by strong is not phisically strong its mentally strong. Like you said Sawyer and Kate "they are the 'classic' Criminals".
I LIKE LOST
I think that the island perhaps represents purgatory. There seem to be religious references every where (some not always christian aka Dharma). Almost every person on the island has something to atone for Charlie: drugs, Jack: his marriage, Eko: drug lord days. Many of the charecters have found answers to their problems on the island and as a result have become better people. (ex. Eko finding his brothers body). What the others role is in all of this i have no idea. I agree with someone who said something below about the island being eden. No random island in the middle of the ocean has so many resources and not so many people would surivive a plane crash. They have food in the hatch but not enough to last that many people as long as it has so far. Just some thoughts
WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO THE CLIFFHANGER ABOUT DESMONDS GIRLFRIENDS FATHER? HE WAS WATCHING AND KNEW WHEN SOMETHING HAPPENED TO THE HATCH? WE'VE BEEN HANGING FOR AWHILE NOW. GETTING BORED!
i do subscribe to the theory that the islands are connected. also, do the the others typical propensity for illusions, that would fit. furthermore, i question the fact that jack was being held actually under the water, i believe there was daylight past juliet on the other side of the glass, when she brought the grilled cheese or whatever it was.
someone a few posts down suggested that the others are just as lost as our heros. however, i slightly disagree. we know they have outside connections, ie the red sox world series game (curse em...). they also have massive files on everyone, or at least jack, sawyer, and kate. but a theory i'll attribute to my brother is that they can recieve information, but are unable to get messages out. just throwing it out there, cause it fits with what we've seen. finally, does anyone know where i can watch the last few episodes of season two? they weren't on my bro's bootleg, and i wasn't really a fan til the summer when i watched every single episode...
thanks, i can't wait for next week.
h
If Jack was supposed to be a donor, who would be the mother? I'm pretty sure they impregenated Kate during the "breakfast" with Ben, which would explain the chafing around her handcuffs. I don't buy that Jack's the one with the tumor, it's virtually impossible for him to fix himself! But it is possible that everyone's getting sick and in need of surgeons because the electromagnetism was what healed people- and it's possibly all gone now.
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