Slacker's Anonymous

UT vs. Louisiana-Monroe pregame entrance

2009-09-06T09:49:00.000-07:00

Team entrance with new video...

Hooked on the Horns

2008-06-26T18:02:00.000-07:00

For all the Horn fans out there, this is one cool song.

Lost season 4 finale...

2008-05-29T22:54:00.000-07:00

... was awesome. Yes, I know I've been noticably AWOL in my posts this year, but who really has as much free time as they used to? Anyhow, I can't wait to make some time to read up on the episode and discuss everything with all of you who watch it. This show really is amazing in how it keeps on cranking out great story lines. I love the way it picked up where last season's finale left off (drunk Jack and Kate in the show's first flash-forward). I wonder where the show will go from here? I guess we've got 4 or 5 months to think about that. In the mean time, here are some random thoughts and discussion points...

* the disappearing island. So where'd it go? We now have confirmation from the video that the Orchid has power to move time and space, though there's got to be something missing about the fact the VCR just happened to malfunction before Locke could see all the info
* Ben's comment about "whoever moves the island can't come back" as he's bundling up in the parka we saw earlier this season as he popped up in the Tunsian desert.
* Lock telling Jack to lie to protect the island and those there. Jack following through.
* Michael seeing Christian immediately before the explosion "You can go now". Go where? Finally die, or back to the island, or home?
* What's Jin's fate? We see the ship blow up from the middle but it looked like the deck was initially intact. Did he jump off in time? If so, then what?
* What about Daniel Faraday and the people in the raft headed to the boat? Half way between a disappearing island and a blowing-up freightor. Or did they get absorbed by the island disappearance just as the 2nd island (and presumably the hydra station) did? Or are they out there to rescue Jin?
* What does Miles know about Charlotte coming "back to the island""? Why do they choose to stay? Was Charlotte born there?
* Sayid and Keamy's fight, and Keamy's body armor recovery to the Orchid and his heartbeat-monitoring transmitter (this I had a problem with -- how the heck did it have a strong enough signal to broadcast way back to the ship from that far underground?)
* Ben killing Keamy with no remorse for those on the ship
* Sawyer jumping out of the helicopter and whispering to and kissing Kate
* Penny rescuing the helicopter crew
* Sun contacting Charles Whitmore for what appears to be an alliance to get back to the island
* Claire appearing in Kate's dream saying DON'T go back
* Sayid continuing to off people
* Hurley and not-so-little Walt
* Sayid and Hurley
* Hurley playing chess with "Mr. Eko"
* Ben telling Jack ALL of them have to go back
* Many of the off-island characters saying "Jeremy Bentham" had come to visit them, and that things on the island have been bad in the ensuing three years since the Oceanic 6 got off. Jack says "He told me that after I left the island, some very bad things happened"
* Jeremy in the coffin being... Locke!
* How exactly does Ben get off the island? Is it during the relocation? How does Locke eventually get off?

Lots of interesting and conflicting story lines going on here. Ben telling Jack all of them have to go back, yet Claire telling Kate NOT to take Aaron back. Lots of people taking various sides. Sun potentially teaming up with Charles while we see Jack rejoining Ben. Sayid still teaming with Ben, and now Hurley joining Sayid. And of course we still have Charles vs. Ben, which means Sayid vs. Desmond? Ouch, my brain hurts again!

I have no idea where it is going, but I do know I need to get to sleep! Two seasons -- 34 episodes -- left to go!

Countdown to Lost

2008-04-13T07:52:00.001-07:00

Two more weeks until Lost returns from its strike-induced hiatus. From the sound of things in this Entertainment Weekly article, it will jump-start right back into the excitement!

A snippit from the article:
The ensuing four installments will answer some of the season's biggest questions: How did the much-vaunted Oceanic 6 leave the Island? What happened to those left behind? Why is Sayid (Naveen Andrews) killing people for Ben in the future? And who's rotting inside that darn coffin? "It's big and epic," promises Matthew Fox (Jack). "Our first eight episodes, by design, were all set up for these episodes to come. That we're doing just five instead of eight means they're even more packed with plot. It's payoff time."

Also interesting, here's a teaser for the upcoming episode:
In addition to being a flash-forward adventure for globe-trotting Ben, in which his war with British billionaire Charles Widmore (Alan Dale) over control of the Island will intensify, episode 9 revisits a long-simmering subplot: Sayid's romance with Iraqi love Nadia (Andrea Gabriel). According to Lindelof, a new dimension of Smokey the monster's mercurial nature will also be revealed, per the Lost rule that "you learn something new about the monster whenever it appears." And Cuse says a major story line will begin for Claire (Emilie de Ravin), Aaron's Aussie mommy, who lost boyfriend Charlie in last year's finale: "Mysterious things are happening to Claire that set up the next few episodes — and the next few years, too."

Lost, episode 4.07: Ji Yeon

2008-03-14T06:31:00.000-07:00

Well, the writers did it again! How brilliant was that to intermingle a Sun's flashFORWARD with Jin's flashBACK?!? Jin's headstone is marked date of death 9/22/2004 -- the day the flight crashed on the island. So is he really dead, or is this part of the coverup about everything that has happened on the island? The other big "surprise" is the return of Michael (as Kevin Johnson), though most of us have seen that coming for some time. Guess he is Ben's spy on the boat as predicted.

Here are some of the other noteworthy moments to discuss. For some good recaps, check out:
BuddyTV recap
Entertainment Weekly recap
MSNBC's recap

Juliet pulling out all the stops to stop Sun by telling Jin about the affair

Bernard's heart-to-heart with Jin, and then the reconciliation between Sun and Jin

Where's the helicopter?

Regina jumping off the ship wrapped in chains

Confirmation the boat is owned by Charles Widmore (loved Desmond's reaction)

Accusations that Ben may be responsible for staging the fake flight 815 and murdering hundreds of alternate passengers

What's up with the huge bloodstain on the wall of Sayid and Desmond's new room?

Fun seeing Hurley visiting Sun. So where does this flash forward hit in the big scheme of things? Perhaps first? Before Hurley commits himself again, before Kate's trial, before Jack goes unibomber on us?

Next up:
Episode 4.08: Meet Kevin Johnson (Michael-centric)
Per TVGuide:
Sayid confronts Ben's spy on the freighter, and Ben urges daughter Alex to flee Locke's camp in order to survive an impending attack. Guest starring are Cynthia Watros as Libby, M.C. Gainey as Mr. Friendly/Tom, Mira Furlan as Danielle Rousseau, Tania Raymonde as Alex, Blake Bashoff as Karl, Marsha Thomason as Naomi Dorrit, Ken Leung as Miles Straume, Jeff Fahey as Frank Lapidus, Kevin Durand as Keamy, Anthony Azizi as Omar, Fisher Stevens as George Minkowski, Grant Bowler as Captain Gault, Jill Kuramoto as female anchor, Galyn Gorg as nurse, Starletta DuPois as mom, William P. Ogilivie as Gus, Francesco Simone as Arturo and James Locke as mechanic.

This will be the last epside until April 24th due to strike delays.

Lost, episode 4.04: The Constant

2008-02-29T11:53:00.000-08:00

How fun was that? Cool episode as we saw Desmond's conscienceness jump between 1996 and 2004. Although we ended up with the usual slew of NEW questions, I actually felt this one went a long ways toward actually ANSWERING some questions. Loved the communication between Desmond and Penny. Cool seeing Penny's dad buying the Black Rock's journal (aka the slave ship on the island). You KNOW that's gotta come into play. Wild twist that DESMOND is "the constant" for Miles, and it certainly answers what is up with him and that card trick scene from a couple weeks ago.

I haven't had time to read any of the message boards for insight, but I have read these recaps, which are worth sharing. Feel free to share anything you guys come across.

Buddy TV's recap
Entertainment Weekly's recap
MSNBC's recap

Up next...
Episode 4.06: The Other Woman (Juliet-centric)
Airdate: March 6, 2008
Juliet receives an unwelcome visit from someone from her past and is given orders to track down Charlotte and Faraday in order to stop them from completing their mission -- by any means necessary. Meanwhile, Ben offers Locke an enticing deal. Guest starring are Jeremy Davies as Daniel Faraday, Rebecca Mader as Charlotte, Alan Dale as Charles Widmore, Andrea Roth as Harper, M.C. Gainey as Mr. Friendly/Tom and Brett Cullen as Goodwin. Source: ABC

Lost episode 4.04 - Eggtown (Kate-centric)

2008-02-22T08:44:00.000-08:00

This was probably my least favorite episode thus far this season, though I still enjoyed it. I haven't read any of the boards yet, other than the E! recap, but here are my thoughts so far. I may add more later. We'll see...

The big "wow" came on the last scene of the night, of course, with Kate picking up her "son"... who we didn't even know she had until the courtroom. All of us as viewers are sitting there guessing whether it is Jack's or Sawyer's... then assuming Sawyer's because it is blonde... then the bombshell is dropped at the end when the kid says "Hi, Mommy", to which she replies "Hi, Aaron"! As in Claire's Aaron?!? So did she steal him, did something happen to Claire, did Claire willingly send him or what?

Jack testifying a false story about the crash at Kate's trial about there only being 8 survivors of the crash, it being in water, etc. And what does that mean about the two who aren't part of the "Oceanic Six"?

Speaking of Jack, where does this place his flash-forward from last season's finale? Is drunken-scruff Jack AFTER this trial flash-forward? I'm guessing now the "I need to get back to him" exit Kate had in that finale is referencing Aaron.

What's up with Locke the tyrant? Severe frustration with Ben. Banishing Kate. Hand grenade in Miles' mouth!

As for Miles, what the heck was that about him trying to extort $3.2M from Ben? Are we to make anything of the fact that Miles had no concerns over Ben's current captivity in providing that amount? Or of his statement he'd "take care" of Charlotte?

We know Kate ends up off-island and on-trial... but why does she do that when she knows they know she's a fugitive? And what about her sentence of 10-years probation, with the agreement not to leave the state. That obviously sets up for interesting circumstances for her to get back to the island, if so needed/desired.

Does Jack really not want to see Aaron? Lest we forget, Claire is Jack's half-sister (though neither know it yet).

What's up with the scene with Daniel "only" correctly guessing 2 of 3 cards from the deck? Does he have some special power, too, much like Miles can communicate with the dead.

Next up: Episode 4.05 - The Constant (Desmond-centric)
Sayid and Desmond hit a bit of turbulence on the way to the freighter, which causes Desmond to experience some unexpected side effects. Guest starring are Jeremy Davies as Daniel Faraday, Rebecca Mader as Charlotte, Jeff Fahey as Frank Lapidus, Alan Dale as Charles Widmore, Sonya Walger as Penelope "Penny" Widmore, Graham McTavish as sergeant, Darren Keefe as Billy, Edward Conery as auctioneer, Marc Vann as doctor, Fisher Stevens as George Minkowski, Kevin Durand as Keamy and Anthony Azizi as Omar.

Lost 4x03: The Economist

2008-02-15T08:08:00.000-08:00

Holy cow! Just when you think the show can't get better this season, they spring a Sayid episode on us... and we all know how awesome those ones are! This one surely didn't disappoint.

Here's a site for great screencaps of the episodes. Thanks to Kim for recommending them! Lost Easter Eggs Blog

Here are a collection of random tidbits of wow-ness...

* Sayid the hitman... working for Ben! Helping remove the bullet in a vet's office. Saying this all will help protect his friends. Oh my that is one massive switch when you think back to Sayid torturing Ben in the hatch closet. Also, earlier in this episode Sayid says "the day I trust him (Ben) is the day I sell my soul." I'm still not convinced Ben is bad. This show has a way of making me flaky that way!
* So what is this hit "list" Ben is feeding Sayid?
* time different on and off the island, as we see the time-tracking device show up 31 minutes AFTER its recorded impact. Multiply that times our survivors' time on the island and it is a LOT. Now multiply that times Desmond's years on the island. Or did the original "pushing the button" for the code in the hatch keep time in synch prior?
* Jacking talking about the Red Sox to the pilot then making the comment to the pilot that "I can't believe it's been 100 days" only to immediately be interrupted with Sayid returning.
* Miles: "Stay on the exact same course no matter what!"
* Ben's secret room filled with money, suits and passports.
* Locke's search for Jacob's cabin
* Hurley double-crossing Jack's group. Perhaps that is why in his episode he apologized to Jackk off-island for siding with Locke.
* Hurley had the line of the night in "oh great, the ship sent us another Sawyer."
* The bracelets on Naomi and Elsa. Naomi's says "N I'll Always Be There With You R.C."
* Elsa being a hitman using Sayid, while Sayid thought he was using Elsa to get to his target!
* Confirmed "Oceanic Six" thus far: Jack, Hurley, Sayid. Others shown off-island (though not described among the "six") are: Kate, Ben.
* Can't wait to see what Sayid and Desmond find on the freighter... assuming they make it there.

More later ...

Lost 4x02: Confirmed Dead

2008-02-12T19:21:00.000-08:00

Well, I haven’t posted about Lost this season, but believe me I’ve been enjoying the show! I just don't seem to have the free time these days. And you know, the more I watch this show, the less I know! Thus far, Season 4 has been FANTASTIC!

Before I begin, let me give lots of credit to the message boards out there for the tidbits I’ve compiled for this episode. I didn’t realize I had so many questions until I started reading these! So, without further delay, here’s a collection of random questions and observations the helped turn my brain to mush. Misery loves company… :)

-----
The new people: An anthropologist. A ghostbuster with a magic vacuum. A physist. A pilot. It will be very interesting to see why this apparently inexperienced team was brought together for the alleged purpose of capturing Ben.

So Naomi, Miles, Frank, Daniel, and Charlotte work for Matthew, Hurley's “Oceanic lawyer” from last week. All appear to have a deep-rooted interest in either the island or flight 815. But why? Are Naomi and Abaddon covert ops? Are they with Oceanic… or Dharma? Why does Naomi persistently ask Abaddon about survivors... and why does he vehemently deny there would be?

The complete underwater plane they found near Sumatra threw me for a loop. We know for a fact the nose, tail and middle sections of the REAL flight 815 ended up on the island. So what is this? Has Oceanic (or Dharma) planted a second plane with fake (or other) bodies on it to throw off the public?

Back to our new crew, we’ve got Frank the helicopter pilot who knew Seth Norris and claimed he “was supposed to fly Flight 815.” Why didn't he? Anyone wonder if his apparent drunken nature is strikingly similar to what we’ve seen on Jack’s (and his dad’s) off-island experience? Oh, and did anyone recognize Frank as the actor from the old Stephen King movie, The Lawnmower Man?

Next, we’ve got Charlotte the well-funded anthropologist finding the polar bear remains in the middle of the Tunisian desert… with a Hydra logo (water station). Those are two big anomolies. How did it get there? WHEN did it get there? She obviously recognized the logo (and Dharma?) Can we assume the other newbies do as well – or at least know about the island?

One of the theorists out there proposed this connection – our anthropologists’ name is Charlotte Staples Lewis… is she any relation to Clive Staples Lewis, otherwise known as C.S. Lewis? He also knows a thing or two about alternate realities, since he created Narnia. His real-life nickname? JACK!

Next, we have Miles the cheating psycic/exorcist/ghostbuster who has some serious unexplained animosity towards the islands inhabitants. And what’s up with his vacuum thing? And how did he not need it to commune with Naomi’s “slab of meat”?

It has been noted that the pictures on the wall in Miles' flashback almost looked like Eko as a child. Combine that with the found drugs and drug money, could it be more Lost connections?

Next, we have Daniel Faraday, an awkward, too-trusting accomplice who is inexplicably moved by the wreckage of 815 under the sea (and he doesn’t know why). It has been noted his last name is reminiscent of both the English physicist and a main character from a Steven King novel. And he’s carrying a gun.

And he stumbled upon… a dropped crate of gas masks and hazmat uniforms. Could this be reminiscent of Ben's extermination of the original Dharma crew? Or is it perhaps due to the alleged "quarantine" nature of all the hatch doors?

Who is Regina, the woman Miles was talking to on the phone? She sounded a lot like Naomi. Perhaps a (twin) sister? Was her "code" a code after all? And who is the mysterious "Minkowski" who is too busy to answer the satellite phone?

Where the heck is Desmond? After all, Naomi had his picture, while Miles had Ben's.
Back to parallel relationships or "twins" - Dan is from Essex, Mass and Charlotte Lewis is from Essex. England.

Where are the rest of the 'Others'???

Love the ambush Sayid and Juliet staged. Why is it such a big deal to Daniel and Miles that Juliet wasn't on the plane?

"We are here for Benjamin Linus" -- why do they want Ben? I'm thinking it will have something to do with the extermination of the Dharma folks. Where was the photo of Ben taken? Looks like an airport. He said he’d never been off the island before. Is that true? Was that on the island or elsewhere?

So we have a working helicopter.... wonder how long until Locke destroys it?

How about Locke’s comment that if he’d had a kidney, he’d have probably died from Ben’s shot!

Anyone notice the shock from both Ben AND Locke when Hurley talked about the Jacob’s cabin? And if Hurley was correct in the direction he thought the cabin was in, where was Locke taking them? The metahpysical state of the cabin seemed to be solidified by Hurley and Locke's different locations comments. And why did Hurley change his story to say it was the plane cabin?

We all saw Ben eyeing the guns, but I sure didn’t expect him to shoot Charlotte! Interesting that she had on a bullet-proof vest.

I love that the first question that came to Locke's mind when Ben said he had answers was about the black smoke/monster. I'm not sure I believe that Ben doesn't know what it is. I think he may have an idea, even if he doesn't know 100%.

The speech Ben made about newbie Charlotte and her look when she knew she was caught was awesome. Those sort of things are what make Ben the hands-down best character on the show.

Who is Ben's man on the freighter? Many are guessing it is Michael.

Sawyerism of the night:
* Ben - "Yoda"

Can’t wait for this week! Glad to also read that me may get another 6 episodes this season (beyond these first 8!) Thank goodness the end of the writer’s strike is upon us!

Color changing card trick

2008-02-10T19:25:00.000-08:00

Funny how the brain works...

'Lost': Matthew Fox Flash Forwards to Season 4

2008-01-04T13:20:00.000-08:00

Interesting read from Entertainment Weekly:
'Lost': Matthew Fox Flash Forwards to Season 4

Let's hope Season 4 keeps up the amazing momentum we had at the end of Season 3!

Headache

2007-12-31T17:21:00.000-08:00

What happens when a 230-lb RB flies full-speed up the field on a kickoff return and is met by a 288-lb defensive lineman running straight into him? Let's introduce Chris Henry to Darrell Reid. In his credit, he pops right back up!

amazing Division III football finish

2007-10-30T19:38:00.001-07:00

2 seconds to go, needing a TD to win, ball on their 40... a pass and 15 laterals later they get the win! Wild stuff!

Fall TV musings

2007-10-02T16:57:00.000-07:00

Well, fall tv is officially upon us. Along with some of our old favorites, we've got the new shows out in full force. What is everyone watching these days? Here's what we tried the past couple weeks...

Monday

Chuck: probably my favorite new show thus far. It has already made the "season pass" list. Think "Alias" meets "Scrubs" -- a loveable dorky guy caught up in a spy story. Week 1 was funny and week 2 didn't disappoint. Hilarious line from week 2 was when the NSA doc was tapping into the secrets trapped in Chuck's mind and he begins spouting off assassination plots and, among many other things, a comment about "Oceanic flight 815 shot down by a surface-to-air..." Funny that an NBC show would make a pop culture reference to the ABC show "Lost".

Heroes: well, week one was a snoozer, but week two was better. If season one had started this way I wouldn't have kept with it. That said, you can tell this is all storyline-builder and hopefully future episodes will continue to get better. I can't help but think of Lost and how you inevitably run into some build-up episodes that force you to wait to see the good stuff. I'm intrigued to see where the Hiro and Peter storylines go. "Yuck" moments thus far -- Claire cutting off her pinky toe with scissors, and Maya's black blood eyes.

Tuesday

Wow, no show on the itinerary!

Wednesday

Bionic Woman: This may be a guilty pleasure, but I loved it and have got the season pass set up and I'm ready for more! This show is dark and the action is great. Throw your preconceived notions of it out the window, because this one isn't your 70's model! That said, I don't expect many surprises with this one, because thus far it seems pretty predictable.

Pushing Daisies: this hasn't started yet, but I've got the DVR ready to roll on it as it seems intriguing.

Thursday

The Office: Thank Goodness this show is back. I about spit up my drink when Michael ran over Meredith in the opening segment.

Friday

Moonlight: I tried this one, but the jury is still out on it for me. It was intriguing enough for a 2nd visit this Friday, but we'll see.

Numb3rs: this one isn't new and it's not critically aclaimed, but it feeds my need for a CSI / Law & Order type of show, since the rest of my schedule is packed.

Saturday

Nothing on the tv plate for Saturdays except college football and catching up with everything on our DVR!

Sunday

Sunday is another day of catching up with everything on our DVR, in between watching NFL football. Sunday nights, though, features one of my favorite shows these days -- Dexter. I already blogged about how great this show is here.

That's it for now...

Disney slide show

2007-09-23T11:10:00.001-07:00

Dexter

2007-08-26T19:38:00.001-07:00

Looking for a show to tide you over until all the fall lineup starts? Look no further than Dexter. Season 1 is now out on DVD. It's only 12 episodes, so you aren't far behind! Yes, I'm behind the curve on this one, but we didn't have Showtime back when it was first out. If the Amazon reviews (5 out of 5 stars at the time of this blog) don't sell it, check out Metacritic and see how all the newpaper/press reviewed it so highly -- as in it showed up all over the "Best of 2006" lists. Season 2 starts up at the end of September.

So what is it? Well, in a nutshell, he is a forensic blood splatter expert who spends his spare time hunting down -- and killing -- serial killers. A serial killer whose code of ethics constrains him to only killing other serial killers. Think CSI, Superman, Hannibal Lecter, Natural Born Killers and American Psycho all rolled into one. He's a likable, if not lovable murderer. A dark vigilante hero. Definitely quirky. Let me tell you the show will suck you in. It's extremely dark and suspenseful, but funny at times. The character development is incredible and you'll find yourself torn because you actually like the guy. Pick up the DVDs and give it a try. Just be sure it's after the kids are in bed!

College Football Schedule

2007-08-24T04:58:00.000-07:00

Here we are a week away from kickoff (at least for the Longhorns). I stumbled on this cool college football schedule and figured I'd share the link.

Lost finale!

2007-05-23T23:50:00.000-07:00

Man, I just got done watching the Lost season finale. Now, Heroes was fun... but Lost... and all I can say is "WOW!" THAT was everything you want in a season-ending cliff-hanger. Talk about an awesome twist that it wasn't Jack flashbacks, but flashFORWARDS! I didn't see that coming. The main thing that threw me off was he referenced his dad several times, whom we think is dead. Has that now changed? Hmmm...

Random thoughts before I got to bed far too late for my 5am alarm clock...

* so long Charlie. I never loved his character, but his end played out very cool and you couldn't help but feel sorry for him
* Mikhail is straight out of a Friday the 13th movie. The guy just wouldn't die...
* Mikhail to the girls in the undersea station: "I thought you two were on a mission in canada"
* Penny! And "Not Penny's Boat"...
* Interesting explanation from Ben about why he tortured Karl -- didn't want Alex to get pregnant. Guess that makes sense, since she'd die...
* So what's the "temple" Ben referred to?
* Jack and Locke both in near suicidal moments
* WAAAAAAALT!!! How cool was that?! And wasn't that a biblical-feeling moment when Locke told him he couldn't move his legs and Walt replied "yes, you can... now get up and move... you have work to do"?
* Hurley and the magic bus! Way to go, big man!
* Alex and Danielle meet at last. First words: "Wanna help me tie him up?"
* Haven't you missed Bernard (and Rose)? Very cool seeing the empathy he had toward Jin when they were about to shoot him
* Who actually thought any of the trio were really dead? Bernard, maybe... but Sayid or Jin... ya right...
* Sayid with the leg-induced neck break. Wow!
* Sawyer shooting Tom: "this is for taking the boy". I was kinda hoping they'd keep him alive...
* Locke's knife-toss into Naomi. D'oh!
* So who was in the coffin? Ben? Locke? Juliette? Sawyer?
* Who was it future-Kate was referring to that she needed to go back to? Sawyer? A baby (assuming she was pregnant)? Is she still a fugutive?

I'm sure there are tons more things I'll think of later, but that was an amazingly quick 2-hour finale. Suspense, action... excellent. Can't wait for next season...

Leapin' lizards

2007-05-11T10:21:00.000-07:00

This one is actually from last year, but it's still pretty funny...

Lost and Heroes

2007-05-10T19:11:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I haven't posted much, but man oh man have those shows been good lately. Heroes has been EXCELLENT and I still have no idea what is going on. Can't wait for those last two episodes this season. But for sheer intensity, last night's Lost takes the cake! It has been a LONG time since we've had that good an episode. Don't get me wrong, it has definitely been back to season 1 form, but last night was incredible. It definitely was the best this season for me.

Lots of hot points and questions:
* Jack and Juliette telling the camp "its time we got caught up" as they prepare for the showdown
* Locke returning to his alpha dog role by beating the crap out of the russian dude.
* Why did Alex give Locke a gun?
* Ben was born off the island
* Ben's dad, Roger, is the Ben's dad was the one Hurley found in that van
* what happened with Ben's childhood friend, Annie?
* I about jumped out of my couch when young Ben turns around in his room and sees his mom
* Richard is a native/hostile, and he hasn't aged since Ben was a boy?
* The whole Jacob scene, especially when only Locke heard "Help me". For a split second you actually see someone else in the room! More on that later...
* Was that gunpowder Locke was looking at when they approached the cabin? Volcano ash?
* The whole gassing scene, Ben killing his dad, the hostiles gassing the Dharma camp. Wow!
* I got chills in that scene by the mass grave where you realize Ben is going to take out Locke, and shoots him before Locke can react. Wild!

For the first time in ages I actually hit the Lost forums. LOTS of theories about Jacob. And, yes, you see him if you pause your Tivo:

One theory is he's Locke. Or Locke's twin? I can see the resemblence, minus the big 'ole hole in his head.

Another talks about the clothing he's wearing and the wig... very 1700s... like a pirate of say a certain slave ship (Black Rock)?

Another talks about him being Jacob Radzinsky, the maker of the map, and the dude who left part of his brains on the ceiling of the Swan hatch.

Another theory is he's Alvar Hanso, i.e. the founder of the Hanso foundation (which the ABC site had all those online references to). I can definitely see that resemblence as well:

I haven't read it yet, but here's the Entertainment Weekly recap.

So much to discuss. Can't wait for next week!

up for a quick game?

2007-04-19T19:45:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick, simple, yet surprisingly difficult little game, which I've found to be quite addicting! Red Square

My best so far is 29.231 seconds. Yes, that was after dozens of attempts. My first game lasted about, oh, 0.236 seconds! At about 18 seconds it becomes insanely fast.

Lost, Episode 3.16: One of Us

2007-04-11T20:26:00.000-07:00

What an excellent episode! I know I've been horrible about finding time to blog about this season (despite how great the past few weeks have been), but this episode was the kind that forces me to jot something quick down right away!

I just love the episodes that have a total twist at the end, and this one sure fit that category! I had told my wife during the handcuff scene when Juliet said they abandoned her just like they did Kate that I wasn't convinced it wasn't a setup. Even so, seeing that scene tonight where her and Ben are plotting the plan of action for her to infiltrate, and discussing the activation of Claire's implant, well it all still caught me by surprise. Or is she double-crossing Ben yet again? Her character is so intriguing! I still don't know what to think of Ben since he did apparently keep his promise to cure her sister (or did she ever really relapse?) And what does this all mean to Sun's pregnancy? Also interesting seeing Juliet had hooked up with Goodwin. Great episode...

P.S. I still don't know why Jack doesn't recommend the camp relocate to Otherville. Why stay in lean-to's on the beach when they can have actual houses with running water?!?

Lost... oh, so Lost

2007-03-25T19:14:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know I haven't posted anything on Lost in a while. There's just too much going on in the real world to keep up with a weekly recap. That said... hasn't it been awesome lately?!?! It has certainly returned to the suspenseful thriller it was Season 1. I came dangerously close to losing interest, but the past few weeks have definitely sucked me right back in! Love the Locke storyline, but boy does he annoy me how he keeps screwing things up. Can't wait to see what happens with his dad...

The Office

2007-03-25T19:10:00.000-07:00

So who misses "The Office"? I know I do. Here's a little clip to get you psyched for it to return April 5th! It's a nice recap of the Jim-Pam storyline and gets you primed for the Jim-Roy showdown. The last 20 seconds of this clip definitely leaves you hanging! So much for this being a comedy!

Lost, episode 3x09: Stranger in a strange land

2007-02-22T08:38:00.000-08:00

Came across this great recap below on LostForum. Combine it with the recaps on Entertainment Weekly and the MSNBC and we've got some stuff to talk about...

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3x09: Stranger In A Strange Land (A Jack Episode)

We open with Sawyer singing as he rows their canoe. Kate asks him to stop, saying they have to go back, because they can't leave Jack behind. Sawyer tells her that they can because that's what he asked them to do. Karl, groggily laying at the end of the canoe, says that Ben will kill him and "God loves you as he loved Jacob", Sawyer responds to him confused, and tells Kate that Jack is on his own.

Tom comes in and tells Jack they're moving him. Jack tells Tom if they're going to kill him at least show him the respect of not calling it moving, and asks what kind of people they are, Tom asks what kind of people he thinks they are, and Jack lists the list of things they've done (hanging Charlie, taking children, etc.) but Tom only knocks on the glass, and asks Jack if he wants any stones for his glass house. A couple of other Others come in, put handcuffs on Jack, and they all walk out together. On the way, Jack passes Juliet also in handcuffs, and she just says "Hey."

As they walk out the door, they pass an older woman that Tom stops to talk to, and before going out the door, Jack sees Juliet being put in the room he just left from.

[Lost]

Out on another island, Jack puts on sunglasses, puts a backpack on his back, and walks out on the sand. A young boy runs up asking if "Dr. Jack want soda" and gives it to him, and Jack pays him. "You know I can't understand a word you're saying right" Jack says as the boy goes on in another language.

At the beach, Jack is trying to put what looks like a kite together, as a woman further down the beach laughs at him and comes up to help. After they finish, it's a bird that flies wonderfully to nice violin music. Jack thanks her, and the woman says he's not from around here (obviously....), and introduces herself as Achara.

Jack is now in the cage Sawyer was in, and Tom comes out to give him food. He asks who the woman was that he was speaking to, and Tom says she's the "sheriff". After asking why Juliet was put in Jack's old room, Tom tells him that Juliet is in trouble. Tom tells Jack to stay put, and Jack tells him that he knows they're watching him from the cameras. Tom remembers Ben telling him that Jack got into the control room, and Jack sits down further back in the cage, not looking fondly back on those memories. Tom asks him why he risked his neck to get them loose, and they run away and don't ever get back, but Jack cuts him off thanking him for the sandwich.

Sawyer and Kate are getting near the shore, Kate tells him they have to go around and get to the camp to tell Locke and Sayid to go back. Sawyer tells her they're both going to shore to make a camp, they argue a bit as Sawyer acts almost like a jackass to get her to shut up and he eventually takes his way to go and land the canoe where they're at. After making a fire, Sawyer asks her if she's hungry, and she says no "James." Karl tells them not to fight because theyre glad to be alive. Karl says that island is where they work on projects, they don't live on that island, they live on this island. Kate asks what they did with people, he says give them a better life, better than theirs. He tells them of how Alex and him used to name the stars.

Jack pushes the "Warning" button Sawyer got so trained with, and paces around his cage a bit. Juilet then comes out, followed by two Others with guns. She says they let her out to examine Ben, his vitals are low and he has a fever. She shows him a picture of his stitches, and they are indeed infected. Juliet asks Jack to come looking at him, and Jack says no, Juliet asks as a personal favor for her. Juliet says it's because she's in trouble, she just killed someone, and says complicated. Jack tells her he's not going to help Ben and he's not going to help her.

Jack has a special "Thai" dish at dinner with his new friend, and after downing it the waiter, who is Achara's brother calls him "very brave." She asks why he doesn't know how to fly a kite, and he says he just never learned. He says his dad worked a lot and was never the kite flying type. The woman tells him she has no interest in his father, some things are personal. She asks if he's in Puckit to find himself, he asks why she would say that, and she says "Because you're an American." Someone else comes up and gives her a package, Jack asks what that was about, and she tells him that she has a gift. Jack comments that it must be one hell of a gift.

Jack leans against the bars of his cage as the woman Tom was speaking with comes up and reads off what Jack's tatoos say, saying she finds the Chinese a bit ironic. She asks him if he knows what it says, and he says yeah he does. She says it's fairly common for some things to get lost in translation. She introduces herself as Isabelle, and asks if Jack will come with her so she can ask him a few questions.

They walk and on the way pass Alex, Isabelle tells her to check on her father, and they continue walking down the halls. They eventually come to a room where Juliet is handcuffed to the chair. She tells him they don't live on the island, they don't even like coming here, but there was an inicident and they're clearning up questions. She asks Tom about Juliet asking Jack to kill Ben, and Jack says that he was lying, that he would have done anything to get his friends out, and turning the Others against each other was his best chance at creating chaos. Isabelle asks why he's lying for her, and Jack says he'd like to go back to his cage.

Back in Thailand, Jack is laying in his bed as his new friend comes in, and gets into the bed with him. She asks if there's anything he'd like to ask her, Jack says it'd be nice if for a month of her coming in whenever she wants, he would be able to find out something about her. She says there are things that happen here that he could never understand. "Like your gift?" "Yes, like my gift." She tells him to stop asking questions, for them to have fun.

When Jack wakes up in his cage it's morning, and there are a lot of people just...standing around watching him, and hey, it's all the Tailies that were taken by the Others! He screams some and Cindy, the flight stewardess who gave Jack all the wonderful alcohol, calls his name. He asks what she's doing here with them, he thought she was taken, she says it's not that simple. She says they're "here to watch.", a child comes up and whispers into her ear, and Cindy tells Jack the child wants to know how Ana Lucia is doing. "Are you serious?" Jack yells, and screams at her to go, she seems taken aback by this, and the girl and her walk off with the other little boy, with their teddy bear in hand.

Kate and Sawyer wake up from sleeping in the dirt and Karl is gone, they find him crying, and Sawyer goes to talk to him, stopping Kate claiming it's guy time. He walks up and hits him in the shoulder, and tells him to cowboy up, and tells him that he thought his people were tough. He makes a reference to the Brady Bunch, of which Karl has never heard about. Sawyer tells Karl he's been with a lot of girls, some of them worth the trouble and some not, and every now and again there's one that you name dumb stars with. He asks Karl if he loves Alex, and Karl replies more than anything, so Sawyer tells him to go and get her back. Karl says if he gets caught they'll kill him this time, but Sawyer says at least it will be worth it.

Back on the other island, Alex walks up to Jack's cage, asking why he saved Ben's life. She tells him they're not watching him anymore, they're all busy with Juliet. Alex is confused why Jack still fixed Ben after his friends got away, and Jack says he will answer her question if he answers his. He asks where Juliet is, and Alex tells him that they're reading the verdict. Alex says they're really strict about killing one of their own, eye for an eye, and tells Jack she murdered the guy who was going to kill one of his friends. Jack tells her that he saved Ben because he said he would. Jack asks if Ben is still in charge, will that woman Isabelle do what he says. Alex says yes, so Jack asks Alex to get him out of the cage.

Jack walks into the surgery room and stops the lame Other doctor, Jack tells Ben who is lying awake on the table that he would be much more impressed if they had a good surgeon. Ben says they had an excellent surgeon, his name was Ethan. Jack tells Ben what he needs after his surgery, and it entails Jack keeping a close watch over him. Ben tells him Jack needs to work on his bedside manner, but Jack says he's stuck with him, he needs a doctor to bring him back to good health. Ben says he's already given him a ticket off this island, what's next, and Jack says he wants him to stop the execution of Juliet. Ben tells him that Juilet doesn't care about Jack, no matter what she's done, she's one of them. Jack ignores him, asking if they have a deal, and asks if Isabelle has a "Walkie". Alex tells him they're already in a meeting, and Ben asks for somethign to write on.

This..somehow leads us into the rest of our flashback, where Jack is watching Achara and follows her behind an alley and into a building where he finds a lot of candles lit and a chair with various tattoo things around it (I'm assuming.) She's suprised that he followed her. Jack asks what this is, and she tells him it's where she works and they shouldn't be here. Jack asks if a tatoo parlor was her big secret, she tells him she is not a tattoo artist, she's able to see who people are. Her work is not decoration, it's definition, and this is her gift. She sees who people are, and she marks them. Jack asks who he is, and she shakes her head, because she's not allowed. After some coersion, she tells him he is a leader, a great man, but this makes him lonely and angry (Okay, you don't have to have a gift to tell Jack that.) Jack wants her to mark him, she tells him it's against her people, there will be consequences, and he tells her there always are. So Jack gets his tattoo.

Jack and Alex knock on the door to where their little hearing is going on in Other Court. Tom pushes Jack against the wall but Isabelle demands he be let go, and Alex gives her the letter from Ben. Ben has taken execution off the table, and the rules don't apply, but he has ordered her to be "marked."

Back in Thailand, Jack has on his sunglasses and backpack on the beach, and the young boy is there again, but this time he runs away. Achara's brother and a load of his friends show up, take a look at Jack's tatooo, and beat the hell out of him, screaming for him to get out of the beach and leave the country, Achara watches all teary eyed, and please don't ever give her a close up again.

Juliet now goes to see Jack in his cage, and she hands him a grilled sandwich with toothpicks, of which Jack missed. He wants to see her "markings" and Juliet lifts up the back of her shirt to reveal what looks like an astrick with a line coming from it. He tells her to break a branch of the aloe plant behind her, she gives it to him, and he places it on her back where the scar is. She asks why he helped her, and he tells her that Ben promised them both they could go home and together they are going to make sure he keeps his word. Juliet tells him they'll be coming for him, all of them. Jack's friends know where they are so they're going to leave the island to go back to where they live.

Back on the other island, Kate asks where Karl is, and Sawyer says he let him go, that he is only a target, Ben isn't going to stop looking for him. Kate says Ben only wanted Karl as far away from his kid as possible. Sawyer asks her if she's coming, and Kate yells if he wants her to walk beside her or ten steps behind because Sawyer has managed to be a controlling asshole all episode long. Sawyer asks if she feels guilty about what they did, Kate says she doesn't feel guilty for leaving Jack behind, they had to, but Sawyer says he's not talking about Jack, he's talkign about them. He says he knows she did it because hse thought that he was a dead man. He tells her to not beat herself up because the docs left behind. She says she's not beting herself up, and Sawyer tells her now that they've got that out of the way, let's go.

Isabelle walks Jack to where various Others are taking a canoe, and Tom (hillariously, in my opinion) holds a little umbrella over Ben in a stretcher....

Isabelle says "He walks amongst us but he is not one of us" Apparantly, that's what Jack's tattoos say, but I'm sure that's not what Foxy's say...

Jack says that is what his tatoos say, but not what they mean. They all get on the canoes to go back to the Other's "home"

After this, we get a montage of people to nice music, Sawyer and Kate are lighting torches to go back to camp, Karl is watching the stars, and Jack and Juliet are smiling at each other all on a ship with the Others.