Lost season 4 finale...

... 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

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

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

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)

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

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

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… :)

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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!

'Lost': Matthew Fox Flash Forwards to Season 4

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!

Lost finale!

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...