Episode 5.07 — "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham"

Greetings!

So we continue the “setup” episodes of Season 5. There were a few amazing stand-alone scenes in “The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham,” but honestly, I was a little disappointed with some of Locke’s off-Island encounters. Now that everyone is back on the Island, however, I think we’ll finally be getting to the meat of the season, and the story as a whole. I don’t know about you, but I am definitely looking forward to this war Widmore mentioned…

Shall we?

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1) Bentham’s Visits — I can’t be the only one who was disappointed with Locke’s…er…Bentham’s visits. After all we have seen in the aftermath of his encounters with the O6, I expected a little more conversation than, “You have to go back.” Yeah, we knew that already! Why didn’t Locke tell them about the nosebleeds, the time travel, the other dangers on the Island that the Lefties were facing? I assume we didn’t see ALL of EVERY conversation he had with the O6, but they could have showed us more than that. It just felt like they were tying up loose ends because they HAD to, not because it was the right time or the right way to do so.



And I don’t know about you, but I haven't met many people more selfish than some of the O6. Let’s look at this for a second. Why is Jack going back to the Island? Is it really because he wants to help those people? Or is it because his life sucks, he’s suicidal, and addicted to drugs and alcohol, not to mention Kate doesn’t want anything to do with him?

And what about Kate? She spends three years raising this young boy whom she claims to love dearly, but leaves him (seemingly) at drop of a hat once everyone confronts her. I reeeeeally hope there is much more than meets the eye here. Why does she choose to return? Does she still have feelings for Sawyer? Of course she does, because she wouldn’t have that much to add to the story if she wasn’t constantly torn between two men. However, I’ll concede that we still do not know what happened with Aaron, but at this point Kate is one of the most problematic characters on the show…for me at least. She flip-flops all over the place depending on what needs to drive the story at the moment.

Sun didn’t even think twice about leaving Ji Yeon behind. A quick call to Grandma and she’s off to the Island, unsure if she will ever return.

As far as Sayid goes, we simply do not know enough about his situation right now. It looks like he’s coming against his will, but hopefully we’ll find out soon.

Then there is Hurley, who seems to be the ONLY one who actually cares about the fate of those on the Island. Hurley’s the man.



The Locke/Walt scene left a little to be desired as well. I thought there would be more to that encounter but alas, Walt’s story will have to wait until…who knows…hopefully sometime before the series ends.

I know it seems like I’m doing a bit of bashing, but this episode overall just felt contrived and obligatory. Especially after such an awesome start to the season, and after an amazing episode last week, I had high expectations and it was somewhat anticlimactic for me. However, there were some great scenes (Locke’s death, for example) and I have faith that BIG things are coming. I guess we just needed a setup episode to get things rolling for the second part of the season.

So what do you think? Am I way off?

2) Ben/Widmore/The War — Well…who do YOU trust? Ben or Widmore? Or neither? Why do I get the feeling that we can't believe either of ‘em? I like what Sayid said earlier this season about how Ben is on his own side. I think Widmore is very similar to Ben in that regard. At this point, I can only see Widmore and Ben wanting the Island for their own purposes. But I would like to be proven wrong.

Widmore seemed almost too willing and able to give Locke what he wanted, and I think this was all done under the guise of assistance when really he needs Locke on his side for the approaching war. We also got some interesting spoken backstory from Widmore, assuming of course he was telling the truth. What did he say again? That he led the Others for three decades before he was tricked into leaving the Island by Ben? Interesting… This means he would still be on the Island with the LOSTies if they are indeed in the Dharma days. (And also opens the possibility that Penny was born on the Island…)

Then there is Ben. Just when you think this guy might have a shred of decency in that twisted mind of his, he goes and strangles Locke. Geez…how can everyone continue to fall for this guy’s lies?? I think Ben is much like Gollum from The Lord of the Rings. He is a necessary part of the journey, but he’ll put a knife into your back as soon as things don’t go his way. We need Ben, but often at a hefty cost. I wonder what consequences he will face when he comes to on Hydra Island. I hope Locke has the gall to give him an earful. One thing is for sure: Ben will not find many friendly faces on the Island this go ‘round.

But it is interesting that both Widmore AND Ben want Locke back on the Island. Are Widmore and Ben preparing for a war against a third party we have yet to see, only they are going about it in their own way? Or are they fighting against each other with each trying to get Locke, a wildcard, on their side to gain advantage? The only thing we know for sure is that a war is coming...

3) Locke’s Death — This scene was one of the most powerful in LOST history. Too bad it was put into the context of this messy episode. Nevertheless, Michael Emerson (Ben) and Terry O’Quinn (Locke) nailed this scene, man. It was chilling, powerful, moving. When Locke broke down and called himself a failure…whew, that was intense. The lighting and framing of this sequence was brilliant as well, and even though I half-jokingly mentioned to my wife that Ben was going to kill him, I was completely shocked when he actually did.



There are many theories about Ben’s motivation here. Some say that Ben might still be holding onto the hope of gaining control of the Island, so his murder of Locke could have been one last desperate attempt of preventing Locke from assuming the leadership position in which the Island obviously wants him. Then of course that begs the question: why didn’t Ben just let Locke kill himself? Is it possible that if Locke had killed himself, he would have shown that he had lost all faith in the Island and would not have been able to resurrect upon returning? I’m not sure because the way Ben said, “I’ll really miss you, John,” made me think he was unaware of what Locke and the Island were capable of. But c’mon, it’s Ben; he knows all!

Or, another theory, which I think is equally possible, is that Locke's affiliation with Widmore was confirmed to Ben when he mentioned Hawking's name, and that just set him off. Ben wants Locke all to himself so he can continue manipulating him upon arrival on the Island. Oh man, this is a tangled mess…

What’s your theory??

4) Hawking the Timecop — Who is this chick? I mean, yeah we know she is Danny’s mama, but there is something not quite right about her. I think everyone's relationship to Hawking is something yet to be revealed. She seems to be some sort of Guardian of Time, or Timecop, and she aids those who will assist with the course correction of time, no matter who they are. I think she is helping Ben because he is escorting the necessary pawns back to the Island. I think she would have helped Widmore just the same if he was leading them back. She is kind of like a free agent, working only for time.

Her relationship to Widmore is something that I hope is explored this season. I kind of like the theory that Hawking and Widdie were once involved, possibly producing such great minds as Penny and Faraday…on the Island. Pretty wild, eh?

5) Flight 316 — So 316 DID end up on the Island! Or nearby at least. But we all should have known if there was anyone who could land that plane, it was our man Lapidus. I wonder if we’ll get to meet any of the other Flight 316 passengers besides the two new people, or if they’ll just die in a fiery shower of arrows. I prefer the latter.



Remember the runway that Kate and Sawyer were helping to build while they were prisoners back in Season 3? Was this being prepared with the knowledge that another plane was going to be arriving? Or was it just a precaution since it seems like planes and the Island have a thing for each other?

And still no sign of Sayid or Sun. Although we did hear an off-hand comment about the pilot and a female taking one of the boats… Could it be Sun and Lapidus looking for Jin? And I wonder what time they are in. Did ALL of 316 land in Dharma days or did the rest of the plane land in present time? Your thoughts?

6) Favorite scenes (feel free to add your own):
-Hurley asking the nurse if he was talking to a guy in a wheelchair
-Locke telling Jack that his dad says hello
-Seeing copies of Daniel’s notes in the Hydra station (maybe the most underappreciated and obscure scene of the episode)



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I read that the original schedule for this season had “The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham” airing BEFORE “316” but they changed it at the last minute. Honestly, I would have preferred the original airing of these two episodes because “316” was definitely the climax of this first part of Season 5. But I don’t think they wanted us to see Locke alive yet and they didn’t want us watching “316” with the knowledge that Ben killed Locke. I could be wrong but that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Until next time, fellow LOSTaholics…

Namaste…and good luck.

SFO

Episode 5.06 — "316"

Greetings!

So I don’t think there has been a more controversial episode this season as far as fan responses go. For some, it was the apex of this first chunk of episodes and for others it was the last straw. I tend to side with the former, even though “316” did feel a bit rushed. Nonetheless the story is charging forward with a momentum we have not yet seen on LOST. And I am excited to see where we are headed next.

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1) Opening Scene — There were countless shout outs to Season 1 in this episode (Hurley and his comic book, Jack being questioned about a coffin he’s traveling with, the attempt to recreate 815, plus many more), but the opening scene was…chilling. I had a typical case of the LOST “Wait, what?!” syndrome when we saw an eerily similar view of the pilot episode in which Jack’s eye opens and he is laying supine in the calm yet creepy swaying bamboo forest. And, just like in Season 1, we see him immediately rushing to the aid of others. However, there was something different about Jack this time. He seemed more…comfortable accepting the circumstances of these strange events, probably because he has done this before. Hmmm…more than once? More than twice??

This also forces us to look at the series premiere again. Did something similar happen to Jack during flight 815? Either way, I am very interested to see what Jack as a “man of faith” will add to the story this season and next.



2) The Lamp Post — Who knew that the basement of a Catholic Church in L.A. would be the site of yet another Dharma station? And one of the most important at that! Many have pointed out the allusion to Christian writer C.S. Lewis and the Chronicles of Narnia with a lamppost as a gateway to another world, which I find very fitting.

Then we have a supposedly informative speech from Danny’s mama (although she didn’t seem to have much reaction when Des mentioned her son), but in true LOST fashion we were left with puzzled faces and wild theories.

So who in fact built this pendulum? Apparently it was a “very clever fellow” who was responsible and since we didn’t get a name to go along with this comment, I’m assuming it’s someone we know. I’ve heard everyone from Daniel (who must have traveled back in time at some point) to Alvar Hanso (remember him waaay back from Season 2?) as candidates for the engineer behind this amazing device; I just hope we learn more soon!



The mention of unique pockets of electromagnetic energy positioned throughout the globe brought to mind Isaac of Uluru, who you may remember from the Rose/Bernard-centric episode, “S.O.S.” in Season 2. Bernard and Rose traveled to Australia to speak with the “healer” to learn if there was a cure for Rose. In case you forgot, I have included a brief excerpt of their conversation below (thanks to those at The Fuselage for bringing all of this to the forefront once again).

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ISAAC: There are certain places with great energy, spots on the Earth like the one we're above now. Perhaps this energy is geological, magnetic. Or perhaps it's something else. And when possible I harness this energy and give it to others. May I?
[Isaac puts his hands near Rose's face and closes his eyes. He suddenly opens his eyes, looking disturbed.]
ROSE: What? What, what is it?
ISAAC: I'm sorry. I can't do anything for you, Rose.
ROSE: I didn't expect you to. [Rose goes to a window and looks out at Bernard talking to a young girl on crutches.]
ISAAC: It's not that you can't be healed. Like I said, there's different energies. This is not the right place for you.
ROSE: Where is the right place?
ISAAC: I wish I knew. I'll return your husband's donation.
ROSE: Don't. I'm going to tell him you fixed me. I'm going to tell him you fixed me.

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What exactly did Isaac see? Did he know the Island was the place for Rose? If so, why didn’t he say anything? In hindsight, this exchange may be a lot more telling that many of us originally thought. But, as I mentioned, we wouldn’t have a LOST episode if we didn’t walk away scratching our heads and asking ourselves (often aloud) “WTF?!”

3) Bloodied Ben — The most prominent theory about bloodied Ben and what preceded his casual payphone call (c’mon we’ve all seen beaten, bruised guys chatting on public payphones, right?) is that he had just finished killing Penny (or attempted to at least). We know he made a vow to (his old friend?) Big Bad Widmore that he would rub out Penny since Keamy, aka Death Incarnate, took Alex’s life last season. And he was in a marina, a fitting place for parking a boat much like the one Des and Pen are living on. One thing is for sure: to get Des involved with the Island again, there must be conflict with Penny and/or little Charlie.

I see this panning out in one of a few ways, or maybe some combination of the following. One possibility is that Ben actually succeeded in killing Penny and Desmond either roughed him up before or after the deed was done. Another possibility is that he attempted to kill Pen but failed, either because Des got in the way or because Widmore sent his goons to follow the couple after Des visited him earlier this season. Ben could have also been two seconds away from killing Penny and then he sees little Charlie and finds a soft spot in his heart to let her live.

But, of course, it could have nothing at all to do with Penny. Maybe Ben was doing a good deed. Maybe he was protecting Aaron, or keeping Widdie’s goons away from the Humes, or fighting to protect Locke’s body? Oh…wait…it’s Ben. Nevermind.

4) Time Loops (again) — This topic seems to be popping up more and more this season and “316” gave time loopers even more to think about. Many have speculated that the series would end with a scene like we saw at the beginning (and the end) of this episode. The idea that our LOSTies are stuck in a time loop of sorts and LOST would end showing us they either fixed the rip in the time/space continuum, or busted out of the loop to create an all new present (…or past…or future…) seems to be very popular. I agree that there have been hints in this direction and I’ll continue to mention the clues as they are brought to light.



5) Course Correction — It seems that one of the most difficult scenes for LOST fans to grasp in this episode was the way in which the O6 (minus Aaron) returned to the Island. “What, they just flashed out of the plane, never to be seen again by the crew of 316? What is this, the Rapture?”

I think this sequence of events is very telling. I believe that our LOSTies were meant to have “flashed” down to the Island during the original 815 flight. In fact, I think that’s precisely what happened. What wasn’t supposed to happen is Desmond (the wild card) bringing down the entire plane, forcing it to crash on the Island producing survivors who were not supposed to be there. Do you think it’s a coincidence that they were all (or most anyway) killed off? They were never meant to be there in the first place. It’s course correction, baby, yeeeah.

There is still debate about whether or not flight 316 landed or crashed or just kept on flying. Many believe Lapidus was able to land in the plane on Hydra Island’s runway (remember what Sawyer and Kate were helping to build during Season 3?). Others say there will be plane wreckage discovered soon, and still others believe the plane hit some turbulence and a few of the passengers simply disappeared into thin air.

One thing I do want to say is that I don’t think the conflict is over with the O5 returning to the Island. I remember Darlton saying that all of them would return to the Island this season but not without a few complications. This could mean several things but I like to think that, while Jack, Kate and Hurley landed in Dharma time, the rest of the crew is on the Island elsewhere in time. This would postpone the Jin/Sun reunion, creating more conflict for our LOSTies and probably giving us more mythological action along the way. What do you think?

6) Favorite Scenes (feel free to add your own):
-Hearing Lapidus announce himself as the pilot of flight 316
-Frank’s line, “We’re not going to Guam are we?”
-Hurley putting on his blindfold and telling the dude next to him to fasten his seat belt
-The previews for this week’s episode (AHHHHH!!!! Can’t wait!)



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If any of you are squirming in your chair and/or having a difficult time suspending your disbelief, I again encourage you to sit back and enjoy the ride and not worry too much about the plausibility of every single moment of the show. Things are getting more and more fantastical and, at this point at least, it is useless to attempt to put all of the pieces together.

We will get there soon, but in the meantime, I’m gonna crack open one of those Dharma beers, grab a fish biscuit and enjoy the show.

Until next time…

Namaste…and good luck.

SFO

Episode 5.05 — "This Place is Death"

Greetings!

Now that was my kind of episode—quick pace and heavy on the mythos. This season is shaping up to be one of the best in my opinion. I really like how we are learning about the history of the Island through the eyes of our LOSTies. It isn’t just that we are seeing some random flashback; the survivors of 815 are actually present and interactive during these crucial moments. And we are still having some new questions raised, but I believe most of these will be answered this season.

In the words of the all-knowing Eloise Hawking, “Let’s get started…”

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1) Jin and the French Crew — So it seems that Danielle was telling the truth for the most part about her early time on the Island. The crew heard a transmission spouting out the numbers; they crashed on the Island; Danielle/Smoke Monster (“It”) killed them all. These first few minutes of the episode, however, did raise some interesting questions as well.


One of the most pressing, for me at least, is what on earth is a seven-month pregnant woman doing on an intense scientific mission like this? And what is a French crew doing in the South Pacific in the first place? I’m thinking there is some sort of connection between this hip 80s group and one or more of our big players in the game.

I don’t think they were floating around that area for no reason. They were looking for something. Could they be some rogue group that not many people know about, much like the two women in the Looking Glass station at the end of Season 3? Could they be associated with another group we are not familiar with? Hanso?

Ooo, and we got a pretty good look at the Temple and the Smoke Monster in this sequence (more on that later). But is it just me, or was there something strange about Danielle and her crew after this moment? From what we saw, it almost did not look like the same consciousness-traveling sickness we’ve seen in Des, Minkowski and Charlotte. In fact, Danielle believed that the sickness was contracted by the Others.



Danielle mentioned something about how the Monster changed them, but I’m not sure we saw enough to make a good guess at this point. All I know is that Danielle looked a little strange herself. That might have something to do with the fact that in a short time on the Island she saw a Smoke Monster drag her friends through the jungle and rip one of their arms off, not to mention an Asian man who speaks English and disappears rather often.

And didn’t Jin look a little…Other-ish? It’s likely that Danielle thought he was an Other, considering she called him a carrier of the sickness. I think it is very possible that our beloved LOSTies are in fact “Others” throughout various points of the Island’s history (aka people who know a lot more about the Island than those they come in contact with). But did Jin save Danielle from getting the sickness when he prevented her from going in after the Monster? Was all this supposed to happen?

Now there has been some discussion about the Danielle and Jin encounters. Most of it relates to Season 1 when the plane first crashed. Wouldn’t Danielle have remembered the man that disappeared in front of her twice? Some people have a problem with this, while others simply say that Rousseau probably wouldn’t have remembered Jin after 16 years on the Island (especially if he hasn’t aged) or that even if she did remember him, she probably wouldn’t have said anything to anyone. Considering the LOSTies were already calling her crazy, she might not have wanted to add to that reputation. Whatever the case, I don’t think it matters much in the full scope of things.

2) The Temple/Smoke Monster — We finally got to see the Temple! And exactly where the Monster resides and what it is protecting. Does this ancient Egyptian-looking structure belong to the Others or do they simply inhabit it? Either way I think it is some sort of safe house for the Others to keep them stable while the Island is going haywire.



I think most of us realize that Smokey predates Dharma, but for some reason, I never thought of it as being ancient. I always thought the Monster had some sort of future feel, but I can be wrong and most of the time I am! But why did it only attack Montand, and why did it basically leave them alone after it tore off his arm? How it is protecting the Temple? Just by scaring people off, or does it really give them some sort of sickness?

What were your impressions of the Temple and the most recent encounter with Smokey?

3) The Well — Was this the first way to the frozen donkey wheel? How old is this well? How did Charlotte know about it? Was it around when Charlotte was on the Island as a little girl, before Dharma built the Orchid?



One thing we have learned from all this time-jumping stuff is that whatever item a Lefty is holding during a flash…it comes with them. That’s why there is a rope in the middle of the ground after the flash when Locke is being lowered into the well. Now is it possible that somewhere in the future (future as related to this point in time when the well isn’t built) someone finds that rope and ends up building the well to find where it leads, or to cover up the fact that the wheel is at the end of the line? Could Sawyer have been responsible? Think of the rope as the compass Locke gives to Richard that sets some very important events in motion. More and more things are starting to look…"loopy."

4) Time Loop — This season has given a lot of fuel to the time loop theorists. From the very first scene when we see Chang’s record skipping over and over, to when Richard tells Locke, "What goes around comes around," we’ve seen a lot of subtle evidence to point in the direction of possible time loopage going on.



Lots of characters seem to know what is going to happen or when something is or is not supposed to happen. Does this mean that some recognize they are in a loop? Ben or Widmore, for example? Or maybe something happened in this iteration to break the loop (Des turning the failsafe key? O6 leaving the Island? Keamy killing Alex?) and now the 815ers have to find a way to bring everything back to the way it was.

5) Christian (Shephard bloodline) — Ah, it was nice to have creepy, undead Christian back, wasn’t it? While he has always been creepy on-Island, there are some interesting things to note in this scene between him and Locke. Number one, Aaron’s granddaddy is not wearing those ghostly white sneakers. I’m not sure exactly what that means, but I recall Darlton saying recently that the white shoes question would be answered this season. Also, Christian is still Christian. He knows he has a son and he knows he is off the Island. I just wish he had time to tell Locke who his son was. I think that would have thrown Locke for a…loop.

And why couldn’t Christian help Locke up? Is it because he physically couldn’t (ghostly Christian), or because this is something Locke has to do all on his own? Any ideas?

We now have three generations of Shephards connected to the Island: Christian, Jack/Claire and Aaron. There is something special about the Shephard bloodline with relation to the Island, which is also the case for the Widmores (who also have three generations connected to the Island (Chuckie, Pen and little Charlie)). I am not clear on the significance of this yet, but with the way things are moving this year, I wouldn’t be surprised if we get some answers soon.

6) The Incident — Here’s the latest theory that I’m on board with: The Incident, which is first referred to by Dr. Candle in the Swan orientation film is, in a few words, when the 70s Dharma-inhabited Island jumps forward to 2008 and the O6 arrive. But let me back up a second. This theory states that the reason the O6 need to return to the Island is because the O6 are the Island’s constants. In other words, what happened to Charlotte is now happening to the Island and it needs to have its constants for some stability. If not, it will have the equivalent of an Island brain hemorrhage.



So what I think will happen is the Island will continue its flashes and eventually wind up during the 70s when Dharma is in their heyday. (This may even be when Daniel infiltrates Dharma and gets a closer look at the wheel.) Dharma will cause some sort of disaster when they continue to attempt to reach the donkey wheel. Maybe they will drill into it, or something else, but basically what will happen is the Island will jump forward 30+ years, creating the “event window” calculated by Hawking.

This will give the O6 an opportunity to return to the Island in their present time but they will be arriving on a Dharma-controlled Island. Then the Island will return some point in the past where the O6 and Lefties have to remedy some situation to prevent disaster in the future. You see, for the O6 to be constants, they have to be present in the Island’s history and be instrumental in Island events.

*takes a deep breath*

Did that make any sense??

7) Favorite Scenes (feel free to add your own):
-Smokey ripping off Montand’s arm
-James yelling “C’moooon” between two quick flashes
-Charlotte telling Locke about the well
-Charlotte telling Faraday he was the creepy dude who told her never to return
-Every scene with Mrs. Hawking



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Well that’s all for now, folks. I think what is most important right now is just sitting back and enjoying the ride, holding on to a bit of trust that the writers and producers will bring everything together soon. It’s difficult putting all the pieces together now, but I think in the near future we’ll have a pretty good idea of what is going on.

So until next time…

Namaste…and good luck.

SFO

Episodes 5.03 and 5.04 — "Jughead" and "The Little Prince"

Alright, so LOST is quickly picking up the pace and I will try to do the same. Unfortunately, I missed a recap for last week but I do hope to address some points from the two most recent episodes, “Jughead,” and “The Little Prince.” Chances are I’ll miss something big so please let me know and I will address it if time permits.

Well…off we go into the wild green jungle…

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1) Richard and Locke — “Jughead” really put the relationship between Mr. Guyliner and ol’ Johnny boy into new light for me. Prior to this episode, I had a feeling that Alpert was the one jumping through time keeping things on track, but now I feel he is traveling linearly down the stream of time. It’s possible that he has been visited by other time travelers throughout the last 50 years, keeping him updated on the shape of things to come. Was this “chance” meeting with Locke the first one?



Richard has spent many years following and checking on Locke because of this on-Island encounter in 1954. It appears we now know why Richard went to visit Locke soon after he was born…because future Locke told him to do so. We also know why Richard became upset when Locke chose the knife during his Dali Lama-esque test when he was a child. Locke was supposed to choose the compass…the one item that belongs to him. What else has Alpert done under the influence of time traveler visits? Has anyone else we know paid him a visit?

2) Widmore — Widmore…a young Widmore…on the Island?! That was probably the biggest “WTF” moment for me so far this season. Not that it’s surprising that Widmore was ever on the Island. I think we all saw that coming. Last year I was even talking about Widmore being the last to turn the frozen donkey wheel before Ben came into power. But nonetheless, when Richard shoved the gun out of his hands, referring to him as Widmore, my jaw dropped. It made so much sense. Everything is falling into place.

So, now we must ask what has happened with Widmore between then and when we see him off Island. Was he being groomed as the next leader? It certainly looked like he was the only one giving Richie a little lip. What happened to him to make him leave and “lose” the Island? Was there a transfer of power between Widmore and Ben similar to that of the power shift between Ben and Locke?

Oh, and for some reason I find it fitting to mention Ellie here as well. You know, that young, very-comfortable-with-a-gun Other? There are a LOT of folks who believe that Ellie is none other than Eloise Hawking aka Mrs. Hawking aka Daniel’s mommy. Remember that scene in “Jughead,” when Daniel notes how familiar she looks? I’m totally on board with this theory and I think there is a very good chance it will play out like this. What do you think?

3) The Sickness — So, the nosebleed is back. And spreading like craaaazy. According to Daniel, the length of exposure to the Island plays a role in this…sickness. But how long does it last? Do any other symptoms come to the surface? At this point it looks like a very mild and less intense form of what we saw Desmond suffer with last year in “The Constant.”

I think most of us have theorized that Charlotte had been to the Island before, and maybe even that she was born on the Island as a Dharma baby. But now we have Miles showing similar symptoms. Does this mean he has previously been to the Island? Or that he was born on the Island? I had a buddy send me a message the other day talking about a theory that has been growing on me since that Pierre Chang video was released at Comic Con last year. The theory claims that the baby we saw in the opening scene of Season 5 was our mysterious, ghost-whispering freightie, Miles. I’m not sure yet if this is the case, but I could definitely buy it…



4) 2004 Flash — This series of scenes in “The Little Prince” really set up a major theme for this season and the rest of the series. I think we are going to get an up-close-and-personal Island history lesson through the eyes of our time-traveling LOSTies. And it seems that our beloved LOSTaways are more connected to the Island’s history than I originally thought.

Seeing Sawyer watch Kate help Claire deliver Aaron was pretty intense. But of course he couldn’t say anything to Kate because he never did. I so wonder though if there have been other encounters between LOSTies from earlier seasons that did include a future time-traveling 815er with a 2004 version of a character. Locke did seem awfully aware of what was going on back then…



And I really like the theory that the whispers we heard so often in early seasons were actually the Lefties (815ers left behind), or other time travelers, talking to each other as they were whisked through the bowels of time. I think a lot of early mysteries will be coming to the surface again, although I wouldn’t be surprised if answers are given indirectly. We’ll have to come to a lot on our own, which honestly, I prefer.

Something else to note is that the Island flashes we have been seeing might seem random but I believe they are far from it. Wherever the Lefties have flashed, it has been a somewhat significant point in the Island’s history. And it seems that as soon as someone completes some sort of task, the Island feels its time to move on (think Daniel talking to Des, Daniel telling Ellie what to do with the bomb, Locke giving Richard the compass, etc.).

5) Ben and the O6 — After hearing confirmation than Ben was in fact leading the charge against Kate in the custody battle for Aaron, it certainly makes sense that he has been orchestrating everything to bring the O6 back together. The attacks on Sayid, the lawyer, everything, all seem like Ben’s handywork in hindsight. It’s kind of funny because whenever the O6 were asked who was following/chasing/attacking them, they had no answer. “It’s all in the mind,” I once heard a Beatle say.

And, really, are the O6 better off now that they are back home? Sayid has killed more than a few since his return; Hurley’s been in both the mental institution and the slammer; Jack has become a drug addict; Sun’s getting ready to kill; and Kate, while it seems she had the most normal life, was occasionally visited by Aaron’s real mom in dreamland. By the way, where is Claire? Does anyone on the Island care? I don’t think any of the Lefties have mentioned her, right?

6) Rousseau — Cooooooool! Young Rousseau and company discovering Jin! (C’mon, you didn’t really think he was gone, did ya?) I am very excited to see the French crew and I hope their backstory will take the lead in more than one episode this season. Does anyone remember what year it was when they crashed? Danielle’s distress call had been looping for 16 years, which would bring us back to 1988. But do we know how long the team was there before they were murdered?



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I must say that I’m having a bit of trouble going from an eight-month hiatus to dissecting crazy amounts of clues every week. I’m so glad LOST is back, but everything’s happening so fast and it’s a little overwhelming! We’re already on episode five! I don’t know what I’m gonna do when LOST….nevermind, I’m not going there now…

Oh, almost forgot, the van that Ben and Sayid were traveling in? You know, the "Canton Rainier" van? There's an anagram in that name, but I won't tell you here since it can be a fun surprise.

Anyway, I hope you all are well and I look forward to hearing you thoughts on the season so far.

Until next time…

Namaste…and good luck.

SFO