OMG! I WANT IT! But with modifications........

I saw this and gasped. Wouldn't it be great with Hurley in the driver's seat and it imprinted Dharma instead of the VW logo?

I'd use it every day!

Yeah, Like It Could Ever.......

ABC is shameless when it comes to plugging it's own shows, aren't they?

Loved the LOST shout out with the Oceanic Billboard and when I spotted it I laughed good and hard.

Do you see it too?

Perfect Safety Record?

I can't read what is written in the middle of the billboard, but anyone else can, please let me know what it says. Not knowing it driving me to distraction.

So, is the billboard placement a mere shout out, or is it a clue to taunt us and keep up guessing about Season 6 and how it will play out?

If Oceanic has a perfect safety record, then flight 815 will land in LAX as expected. If that happens then our beloved survivors will need to find their way back. Oh God, here we go again with the "We have to go baaaaaaack" nonsense. I love Jack, but even I couldn't tolerate that whine.

What do you think? Is it a shameless plug or a clue?

Just A Thought.....

I've been carefully thinking about season six, it's premiere and the final episode. Yeah, like you haven't been doing the same, and maybe even more than myself, but I had a weird thought. Just a thought, and I really have nothing to support the following supposition, but I want to get it out here and see what everyone thinks.

By now we all know the title of the premiere episode is LA X. To be honest, I think LOST will resume where we left off with half the survivors in 2007 and the other half in 1977. For a while I had contemplated Jeff Jensen's theory that the plane would land safely, but the survivors will have been imbued with some sort of vague memory (ala Close Encounters of The Third Kind) and be compelled to find their way back to the island. To be honest, I am not liking this theory for the simple reason that our survivors have already been compelled to find the island once before and we don't want to see repetition. The writers of LOST are so creative that I would hope that they could come up with a story that doesn't repeat something we have already seen (unless it is in a flashback or a memory scene).

I adore Jeff Jensen's analysis of LOST and he has, at times, been a great resource. Heck, I have his LOST posts e-mailed to me automatically! I don't do that for very many blogs, so I hope I have shown you how much I like and respect this guy. I just happen to disagree with his speculation on this point.

So, what do I think will happen? I think the season premiere will take up where we left off in the Incident, with Juliet detonating Jug Head and the resulting KABOOM! There will be a RESET of the "Destiny Alarm Clock", but I think we will find our favorite 1977 peeps still in 1977. Seriously, as much as I love Jack (and I really do have faith in his ability to reach his potential), I have serious doubts for the success of his plan. Really, when has anything Jack ever planned actually worked the way HE wanted it to? I've tried to remember if Jack's schemes have ever worked and I can't come up with anything. If any of you can think of anything, please let me know.

Okay, now that I've said that Jack's plan will fail, where does that leave the 2007 survivors? I think we will immediately revisit Bram and Illana unceremoniously dumping the real John Locke's body on the beach, the camera will pan to a stunned Richard and then to a very confused Sun.

The most important role of the season premiere, aside from quenching our unending craving for our addiction, is to remind us where we left off (yeah, like we NEED that), to set the tone for the season and to provide a slight hint of what's to come. I expect LOST to follow this rule. However, since LOST and it's writers have never followed the rules, indeed have created some of their own, I could be so off base that you could look through a telescope and find me sitting on the Moon enjoying a rum and Coke Zero and applying inches of sunblock to my bulky spacesuit.

Only time will tell.

In the mean time, I continue to think LOST everyday. It is my drug and, while my family has NOT yet suffered as a result of my addiction, I am under the continuous watchful eye of my soon-to-be thirteen year old daughter. I think she is looking for signs of withdrawal and has programmed 9-1-1 into the speed dial on the cordless handset to be on the safe side.

She needn't worry. I have returned to my re-watching schedule and will be caught up in no time and ready to post my thoughts in about a week or two. I've modified my posting plans and plan to post thoughts on three or four episodes at a time.

It all depends on how fast I can get the basement cleaned up again after I decided, without any planning ahead, to thoroughly organize my bedroom. I now have pieces of surplus furniture and boxes of I-don't-know-what, carefully placed around the basement to create pathways to the laundry area, to my daughter's bedroom, and to my bedroom (yes, I sleep in the basement because it is so cool in the summer and warm in the winter).

In the meantime, if anyone wants to buy me a copy of the poster pictured above, I'd be greatly appreciative. I might even be able to arrange a trade. Does anyone want some soon to be ripe pears grown in the comfort of my back yard? I can't eat them all.

Season Six Cast Poster

I've cropped it to get a better look at the characters.

From left to right

Daniel

Boone

Miles

Michael

Ana Lucia

Charlotte

Shannon

Desmond

Mr. Eko

Kate

Jack

Sawyer

Locke (or Fake Locke)

Ben

Sayid

Libby

Sun

Jin

Claire

Hurley

Juliete

Charlie

Frank

Richard

Bernard

Rose

MISSING.......

VINCENT!

I'm not sure I like the implications of that.

To Keep You Amused.....

Here's a shot of the full moon. I took it as it crested over the mountain earlier this month.

Also, here's a shot of an orange moon, so tinted by wildfire smoke in the air. Not the best (the tripod I used is ancient and it moved), but it's kind of pretty. The last one was taken shortly before the full moon, before the wildfires filled the air.

By the time my daughter returns to school on September 8th, I'll be back with a full season of notes for you to digest.

Next Up....Tabula Rasa

I've been slowly trying to get back into my daily routine, but it has been difficult. I apologize for my slovenliness, but we are experiencing a heat wave of critical proportions and I have been spending much of my time in the pool in a feeble effort to keep cool. My eyes have been on the surrounding mountains as I nervously keep watch for wildfires as well. The mountains are brown, the trees are tinder dry and the forest floor is littered with fallen debris. We have a catastrophe waiting to happen. Our forest fire rating is at critical and the entire province is under a total campfire ban.

So, I am sorry that I have been remiss in keeping to my re watch schedule, but I promise to park the DVDs in the player and begin anew.

And for our Star Trek fans: DVD of Star Trek will be available on November 17, 2009. I'm getting mine. And don't forget to visit my Vulcan page. It's almost completed and I have only a few more pictures to add to it. I promise, there's one that Spock fans will absolutely love!

Oceanic airlines logo courtesy of oceanicairlines.com

Lost title page courtesy of Jo Garfein at JOpinionated.com

What a Month!

It's been a difficult month for me with the loss of a cousin, the end of the school year, and the devastating and sudden loss of my dear Uncle Ken. I've been in Medicine Hat since June 30th and only just returned home yesterday.

My uncle died just two weeks short of his 50th wedding anniversary, so we stayed with my Auntie Ria until July 14th, to help get her through what was planned as a happy celebration. It is at times such as these when we learn how important our family and friends truly are.

On our way home we decided to keep to our planned trip to Vulcan, Alberta. I'm slowly building the record of our visit here. I took so many photos and have a lot of information about the place. I also played a fun reality game as well. Check it out.

We also visited a Place called Nanton, where there is a Lancaster Museum dedicated to the memory of the men who flew bomber missions over Europe during World War II. I'll be creating a page for that visit as well. It was an amazing visit with my daughter getting a history lesson and my father talking about memories of living in Deventer, Netherlands during the war. He and one of the board of directors of the museum shared awe inspiring memories.

Lost related now, as I was driving the back roads in the middle of Alberta I sped past a sign (I wish we had gotten a photo of it) that pointed the direction to LOST Lake! It is fun to see things that have absolutely no connection to LOST become that way because our minds are always on the show!

Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, RIP

She's with the real angels now.

I can remember watching Charlie's Angels when I was a kid. I hated Farrah Fawcett because she was so beautiful. More beautiful than anyone I had ever seen. My big sister looked like her. This was my only reason for hating Farrah Fawcett. But then something interesting happened that changed my opinion of the actress. She starred in a mind blowing movie about domestic abuse, the lack of help in society and the results of what happens when a woman is pushed to the limit. The Burning Bed made me realize that Farrah Fawcett was an amazing woman and really could act. Also, she didn't look like my big sister anymore. I learned to love them both eventually.



I am having a more difficult time accepting the news of Michael Jackson's death. While I didn't really like him, I really loved some of his earlier works up to and including Thriller. I recognize that he was an amazing talent; writer, singer, choreographer, director, etc. His list of accomplishments are long and well earned and he deserves to go out with the respect due to him.

His gifts to the world are endless and his fan base equally unending. His fans range in age from 1 to 99 and they all shout their support at the tops of their voices.


I truly hope that he has found the peace that he never seemed to achieve during his living years. I also hope that his family understand that we mourn along side them and offer our love, support and gratitude in these the most difficult of times.

I would like to think that Farrah's spirit stopped to collect MJ's and they proceeded to the Pearly Gates together. The Angel and the King of Pop, hand in hand strolling lightly up the Stairway to Heaven, neither feeling the pain or sorrows of their earthly shackles any longer. Yeah, that's how I'd like to remember them both.

I choose to remember the positive impacts they have had on our lives.

RIP

LOST the Re-Watch

I hadn't planned to begin re-watching my all time favorite series until mid July when I had returned from a planned trip to Alberta. My aunt and uncle are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary and we've planned a little side trip to Vulcan and a stop in Calgary to visit a new friend I have met on the message boards. But the weather has been grey and cool, forcing me to remain inside and not floating in my pool.



So fasten your seat belts and put your trays in their upright position. We're about to have a bumpy landing.

This was the fourth time I've seen the Pilot episodes, and each time I found myself enraptured. If we didn't already know that there had been a plane crash, I would have wondered why a man in a suit was waking up in the middle of a bamboo forest.

The scene when Jack emerges from the forest onto the beach and it is silent with the sea lapping against the sand. It was such a serene scene that belied the tragedy that had, and was, unfolding. I still get chills as Jack turns and runs and the noise grows louder and louder until there is no mistaking the calamity.

Jack afforded himself a few seconds to gather his thoughts and then took off running. He ran from one catastrophe to another saving lives and preventing needless deaths. On after he was certain that everyone who immediately needed help had been taken care of did he find a quiet spot to tend to his own injury.

The visual shocks to the viewers just keep coming as we begin to meet the people we will come to know and Losties. Boone. Shannon. Claire. Charlie. Kate. Micheal. Walt. Locke. Sawyer. Sayid. Sun and Jin. Hurley. I know they are not in order of appearance and, in my defence, I didn't keep track of who showed up when. I claim laziness.

We all know the story, so I don't want to just do a rehash of the episode, but I'd like to point out a few things I noticed.

1. Vincent was really creepy. For a dog that had just survived a traumatic event and was separated even more from his people, he didn't seem in any hurry to find his boy. He seemed as if he had places to go and people to see. Things to do, if you will, before returning to his boy's side.

2. When Kate took the shoes from the dead body, I got the sense that she was doing what she had to do. This is important for later when we see what she did to warrant being chased around the world by the Marshall. She did not want to take the shoes and it's not like the dead body was going to be using them, right?

3. I'm not going to talk about Locke's weird orange smile. It still creeps me out and it was the scene that began my growing distrust of the character.

4. Sawyer is seriously suffering from a major inferiority complex and dislikes and distrusts authority figures. How ironic considering he becomes Head of Security for Dharmaville. A position steeped in authority. I didn't dislike him but I didn't like him either. I'm sensed his early scenes, shooting the polar bear, fighting with Sayid and butting heads with Jack, were forced and awkward. Almost as if he wanted to agree with them but just couldn't bring himself to do it on principal.

5. Jin was a real jerk to his beautiful wife and I loved the scene when he takes the sliced urchin and offers it to the other survivors. Sun glares at his back and undoes the button. It was our first hint that this was a woman who didn't like the man who was her husband. I wondered why she was married to him and tolerated him.

6. Hurley is just so affable. The exchange between Sayid and him was classic. It revealed to us the scope of Hurley's nature. His acceptance is personal and not based on outside influences. I think he also liked Sayid because Sawyer didn't, and Hurley was not feeling the love for our future LaFleur after the sweet nothings he had sent his way.

7. When I first saw this show I knew there was something off about Charlie but until I actually saw him with doing heroin I didn't guess. Watching again, I kicked myself for missing the obvious clues.

8. This is my last point. The trek to the cockpit and then the trek to send the SOS transmission was indicative of what was to come. As our survivors spend more time on the island they will venture further into the jungle. They will encounter beings that defy the bounds of their reality, meet Others who will terrorize them and, as time passes, they will come to think of the island as their home. Some will make it. Some will not. Some will get to go home. Some will not. But until that point I'm going to enjoy the ride.

I have a few questions and if anyone can answer them, please do so.

Why didn't any of the passengers know that the plane had changed course? Wouldn't they have felt the plane banking and turning? I don't fly very often, but I certainly feel it when the plane banks either left or right.

Why didn't anyone see Sawyer taking the gun and badge off the injured Marshall?

Did they take the bodies off the beach and put them back into the plane for safe keeping?

That giga spot light that Sawyer used to seriously tick off the boar, where did it come from?

Why didn't Gary Troupe have a red shirt on when he was sucked into the engine?

Happy Birthday...

to me! June 17th is my birthday and I want this cake. Since Charm City Cakes is on the left side of the continent, and I live in the right side (tee hee) I'll have to settle for the picture. I just know that's the only cake I'll be getting unless I bake one for myself.

Hmmm, I think I'll eat Locke first and save Jack for last.

I'd also like a new pair of dolphin earings. I lost one of mine last weekend while swimming in the pool at the hotel.

Something ironic. While I was swimming I stepped on something and had my daughter swim down to retrieve it. It was a beautiful gold hoop earing. I actually managed to find the owner. Unfortunately, no one has found my lost earing.

If anyone is swimming in the Delta Grand Okanogan swimming pools and finds a silver dolphin with a european hook, it's mine. Would you please turn it in to the front desk? It's not worth a lot of money, but it would mean the world to me if I could get it back.

I feel so naked without my dolphin earings.

Jeff Dunham is Jacob!

Well, not really, but this guy is the funniest comedian I have seen in ages. My daughter and I had the good fortune to catch his show last night in Kelowna. It was the first of our series of day trips to fill the summer holidays. Unfortunately, she's not quite finished school until June 25th, so she played hooky with me. Anyway, we had seats on the floor and an excellent view, yet we found our eyes glued to the giant screen above the stage. Talk about "Larger Than Life!" I had left my camera in the hotel because I didn't realize I could take photos during the performance. I'm really kicking myself.

Jeff's first puppet was, of course, Walter. I love this character and he reminds me of my own sometimes curmudgeonly father. They both seem to voice the same opinion of marriage, although I know they both really love their wives. Walter has an old man's opinion on everything, only with a twist that makes us all realize that we take life too seriously.

According to his puppet Peanut (my favorite of the puppets) he plays with dolls. Peanut, if you haven't met him, reminds me of a teenager with a skewed view on life. Sometimes my daughter tells me that Peanut reminds her of me. I'm not sure if it's a compliment, but I'm starving for compliments from her so I'm taking it as such. Often times, I think of my daughter when I hear a priceless pearl of wisdom from Jeff Dunham and Peanut. Maybe when I refer to my daughter as my clone isn't as far fetched as I thought.

The show wasn't exactly "family friendly" and contained some cursing and references to drugs and sex, but most of the kids attending were either old enough to shock Mom and Dad with their laughter, or too young to understand. By the way, I was surprised by just how many young people made up the audience. I only hope their parents have had the "what's appropriate and not appropriate in mixed company" chat that I had with my daughter.

Achmed is my daughter's and father's favorite puppet. He's a failed suicide bomber that believes he's suffering from a flesh wound. I am fascinated by his eye brows as they wiggle. I can't help it. His eyes dart back and forth and those brows wriggle up and down and I can't seem to stop myself from giggling. His signature "Silence, I keel you!" elicited many laughs. I had tears in my eyes as he described his first date with a girl on a camel.

Brian "Guitar Guy" Hener, opened the show (which started late) and had the sold out crowd at Prospera Place almost rolling in the aisles! I'm not sure if he writes his own stuff, but he was great. If the merchandise booth had taken credit cards I would have bought his CD (and one each of the talking Peanut and Achmed dolls). He's a guy who's been enjoying an overnight success that's taken thirty years to achieve. He'll tell you about his son who became a real rock star in just nine months. No, he's not bitter (I'm nodding my head here). He'll also tell you about his twelve year old daughter and her attitude, to which I truly can relate having my own twelve year old daughter, and his lovely understanding wife. She must be a saint.

The show ran an hour later than scheduled and we had the added treat of seeing Bubba J. As we walked out of Prospera Place our sides ached, our rear ends were numb from the seriously uncomfortable chairs and we couldn't stop giggling for the entire walk back to the hotel.

Thanks to my mother's generous donation of her Air Miles, my daughter and I stayed at the Delta Grand Okanogan Hotel. An apparent 4 1/2 star resort that is situated on the waterfront of Kelowna's Lake Okanogan, and conveniently across from Propsera Place, we thought it would be the best place for us.

Although it was a lovely hotel, everything was high end from the lush lobby area right down to the valet parking, I was somewhat disappointed. I must have had outrageously high expectations for a resort that charges $400 per night for a room, because I certainly didn't expect to be charged $12.00 a day to park my Jeep in their parkade! Nor was I expecting to have to pay $3.99 per hour for internet services!

I'm glad I took my own shampoo and body lotion because I wonder what they would have charged me for using those itty bitty bottles they had in the bathroom (which I packed and brought home anyway). In my opinion, the Delta Grand is far too fancy for me and not kid friendly. And the bathroom door was a pocket door that grated every time it was opened or closed.

There were two pools. One completely outdoors and the other half in half out. I enjoyed the pools, but my daughter found them boring. No water slide, which was not the icing on the cake for her. She certainly will not be recommending this Hotel anytime soon and neither will I. I learned that we are not resort people. Give me the Best Western or Holiday Inn Express any day.

Claire's Return!

Team Darlton have assured us that Emile deRavin will be back as Claire Littleton in season 6 and I've been thinking about how she will return. So, as I was crawling beneath the pool deck to remove the corner caps....well you just know where my mind went.

Here's a blazingly brilliant idea for you.

What if Claire is the new Jacob?

Now, don't start thinking that I've sniffed too much of the vinyl glue again, because I promise you I haven't been near it for days.

Think about this for a minute or two. That's all I ask of you.

Christian Shephard's ghost, or whatever you want to call it, lured Claire away from the people who would lead her to rescue. We've all been wondering why. What if Christian took Claire to a safe place (think temple) until it were time for her coronation as the new Jacob? If not Jacob, perhaps she has an important role in the up coming war.

Yes, yes, I know what you're thinking. Jacob never visited or touched her as far as we know, yet I can't help but find a tie in for the fact that there are two of Christian's children on the island. Not to mention Christian's essence (I'm not liking the whole ghost thing). The Shephard family has a connection to this island that we have yet to discern. Why, even Grandpa Ray seems to have a need to leave his rest home for something better. I have a feeling that they are as important to the island and the island appears to be to them.

Christian's children have been woven into Jacob's tapestry of the the island's future, both as individuals and perhaps as a family unit. Brother. Sister. Son. Nephew.

You didn't think I'd forget about sweet little Aaron, did you? I think his future will bring him back to the place of his birth. I'm just not certain when. I'd love to see the children of Lost reunited with their parents. Yes, I'm a sucker for a happy ending. Claire, Kate and Jack all need to be in Aaron's life just as much as he needs to be in theirs. Baby Ji Yeon needs her mommy and daddy, and Jin really needs to know the miracle that is his daughter.

I'd even like to see Waaaaaalt return and take his place in the family of survivors that has been created. And that is exactly what our beloved survivors have become, complete with their own style of dysfunction. I can almost see our Losties, arm in arm, strolling down the beach and belting it out at the tops of their voices on their way to the foot.....

We Are Family!

Ma brothers, sisters an' me!

Okay, okay, I changed the words a little bit. I'm claiming poetic license.

Did I mention that I'm a sucker for a happy ending?

Okay, I'm off to remove what's left of the old pool liner and re-rake and shape the sand at the bottom. Then I have to attend the Clone's concert. She's playing clarinet and I'm a typical proud mother. I also have to pick up the new liner, install it and start filling the pool before a wind comes along and ruins this one too. Oh, and attend a second, and final concert this evening.

Wow, looks like life is getting rather busy! But, I'm so attuned to Lost that I'll definitely be posting. I'm planning to re-watch all the episodes and post about my new thoughts and ideas. I have a feeling some of the things I see will have a new light.

About The Loophole

This entire loophole mystery has begun to consume me. I have tried to figure out exactly what the loophole was and why it would enable Anti-Jacob to kill what is obviously the yin to his yang. I really don't think Jacob is gone as in Dead is Dead. He isn't human and neither is his nemesis.

There is a great deal of speculation on various blogs, web sites and message boards about the loophole. Mostly they state that the loophole was Anti-Jacob finding a human body in which to kill Jacob. I admit that I was leaning the same way as that thought. But then, as I was crawling around on my hands and knees cleaning the floor of my pool (and we won't go into the pool saga right now) my mind, as it is want to do, wandered to Lost and its many twists and turns and finally the inevitable loophole.

The general consensus is that Anti-Jacob needed a human body that had recently died in order to take corporeal form. Only the corporeal form could kill Jacob. I can only imagine that it would be the same if Jacob wanted to kill his nemesis as well. I was thinking that the body needed to be recently dead because the "essence of the soul" may not have yet departed it's earthly host, thus Anti-Jacob would be able to take on the characteristic traits and memories of that person.

But as I patched the holes in the bottom of the pool I replayed the scenes featuring Fake Locke and Ben from the Incident in my mind. One thing that has been niggling at my brain is how Locke repeatedly stated events that occurred in the past. It was as if he were trying to convince Ben and Sun, the two people there who truly knew a great deal about the real John Locke, of whom he was. He also claimed that the island was telling him things, yet he had to have Richard show him where Jacob lived. Not to mention the fact that, throughout the episode, he was slowly bringing Ben's resentment toward Jacob to the point of eruption. To be honest, I was disappointed that Ben didn't explode like Krakatoa. But that's not important right now.

What is important is that, while I was inhaling fumes from the vinyl bond, I had an epiphany of sorts. Anti-Jacob didn't really need a human form in order to kill Jacob. He needed the leader of the Others to kill Jacob as only the true leader could. Now, before you order the psychiatric assessment for me, hear me out.

We now know that John Locke has been used and manipulated almost from the point of his birth. I suspect that even his premature birth was an event initiated by the forces at play. Someone has spent a great deal of time handing John one proverbial beat down after another, and yet his spirit has prevailed. A severely battered and beaten spirit, but there was just enough to keep him from hanging himself in a hotel in Sydney before the flight home.

And then, in the blink of an eye, it all changed. Oceanic 815 broke apart in mid air and crashed onto an island that should never have been there. When John regained consciousness, he realized his legs worked for the first time in years. I can't even imagine what went through his mind other than "Holy cow! I can walk! It's a miracle" The island had given him a gift almost as valuable as life itself and John Locke was willing to return the favour any way he could, even kill for it.

It must have been like giving candy to a young child, for Anti-Jacob as he played upon John's desire to be a leader and created the entire mythology of his fate. Every season we have watched John espouse his faith in the island as we watched the story of Lost unfold. He believed he was destined to be a great man and a great leader, and the island appeared to reinforce that belief.

Okay, if you've hung in there, I'm going to give you the icing on the cake I just baked. John was never destined to lead the Others. Yes, that's the icing. The prophecy of his leadership was created by Anti-Jacob during the time flashes, specifically the one when Richard was sent to remove the bullet from John's leg, to start the road to ruin for both John and Jacob.

Would you like the pretty gum paste flowers and fondant frills that decorate the cake now?

Sure you would, since you're probably thinking that I've gone and inhaled way too much of the vinyl bond glue stuff. Don't worry, I haven't. I hardly slept a wink last night thinking this through.

Flowers. Yes. I think that Jacob could only be killed by one of his own people, namely the leader. It's one of the rules that are totally unknown to us. Speculation on my part, but it makes sense to me. Since John Locke wasn't the true leader of the Others his corporeal being could not effectively kill Jacob. This is where the fondant fills come in, folks.

I realize that when I stated that Ben should never have been the leader of the Others, I was wrong. Yes, W R-O-N-G! I allowed my belief that Ben was evil to cloud my judgement. Ben really was supposed to be the leader of the Others until the new leader arrived. And I'm sure the new leader did arrive on Oceanic 815, but I'll talk about who I think the real new leader may be another time because I think this is important.

When Sayid shot young Ben and Kate took him to the Hostiles to be miraculously healed, he was reborn. The same skinny kid who suffered the resentment and misdirected anger of his abusive father. The same kid who wanted nothing more than to be loved and appreciated. But different. I think that from the moment he was healed he was subconsciously given his purpose on the island. As he grew and lived his double life until finally becoming entirely a Hostile, he worked toward one goal. He literally woke up and knew what he had to do. Jacob's been spinning his threads for a very long time and the tapestry he has been weaving tells the tale.

Anti-Jacob took over John's body as he had planned for many years to do. He took pains to ensure the one person who seemed to know him better than anyone else, did not suspect. He made sure to evoke memories of past conversations and events. He made sure to point out all of Ben's shortcomings and his tragic losses. He made sure to plant the seed of doubt in Ben's mind and watered it regularly to ensure that the anger grew. And when it was harvest time, Anti-Jacob gave it one last shot of fertilizer that resulted in a furious explosion as Ben thrust the knife into Jacob.

The loophole Anti-Jacob searched eons for was Ben. He just used John's deep seated need to be more important than he truly was as a vehicle of destruction. He drove Ben to the point of no return and presented him with the weapon with which to eliminate his counterpart.

So there you have it. Cut the cake, take it apart and enjoy nibbling. Let me know what you're thinking. I'm working on a few thoughts and ideas, but have had to take time to deal with other things. Like the previously mentioned pool.

It's been a battle this year to get it ready for summer and now I'm in need of a new liner, so I'm still in the middle of costing out that lovely unexpected bite in the financial bottom.

The Thread of Jacob

You like it? I did it myself. It takes a very long time when you're making the thread, but, uh... I suppose that's the point, isn't it?

Making the thread; (verb) to pass continuously through the whole course of (something); pervade. As in, Jacob created a thread that brought the survivors together. As in, Jacob is using long loose stitches to hold his fabric together. In sewing we call it basting. Often, when a seamstress is creating gathers in a garment, she will baste the fabric then pull the threads to draw the extra material into folds.

I see each of Jacob's touches as one stitch in the basting process that creates a common thread that runs through our Losties. In season six, we will see how the thread is pulled to gather them all into one place.

It took years for Jacob to touch each of our survivors lives. Kate and Sawyer when they were quite young. Jack, John, Sun and Jin when they were adults. Six visits were prior to the crash. Which tells me that Jacob had hand picked them for the island very early in his quest to set into motion his plan to counter AJ's loophole.

Hurley and Sayid were visited after they were rescued from the island. I'm not sure of the significance of this yet, but I do know that both were reluctant to lie about their ordeal and neither really wanted to return to the island. That is, until Jacob visited Hurley in the taxi the day before Ajira 316 and, I'm assuming here, he had Illana convince Sayid that he was going to Guam.

Each of our survivors at some point of in their lives have felt the touch of a being older than most countries. They have a common thread that runs through them and it guides and protects them. It will help them to remember the people they were, who they have become and what they've learned along the way.

We can assume, for now, that Jacob touched Ben when he was young and nearly dead from the gun shot wound inflicted by Sayid. This could be significant to the success of Jacob's plan. I've stated that I believe that Ben was the loophole AJ had been looking for.

A single thread is unremarkable when standing alone, weak and easily broken. But when skillfully woven together, all the threads become one and exponentially grow in strength, difficult to break. This will be important in the coming season as I believe each of our Losties will need to come together and unite their different strengths. Kind of gives new meaning to "If we can't live together, then we'll die alone" doesn't it?

In season one this was meant as a way to get the survivors to work together, find something they were good at and do it for the good of everyone. In season six, it could mean exactly the same thing. Jack, Kate, Hurley, Saywer, Sun, Jin and possibly Sayid will need to figure out what their strengths are and how they can combine them to win the fight of their lives for the good of everyone.

I believe the thread Jacob has created will pull his people together, much the same way a thread is used to create gathers in a garment, for without the thread, the garment falls apart.

I know this thought does not bode well for our Ghost Whisperer and our fertility doctor, but I am hopeful that Jacob visited them at some point in their lives. As I've said before, I just can't believe that Miles' story could be over. There is so much more we need to learn about this man. The same can be said for Juliet, for I can't bring myself to accept her fall down the shaft and the brilliant white light ending.

What do you think? Could Jacob's touch be some sort of invisible cord that will draw the Losites to where they need to be?

What will happen when they arrive at their destination? How will they arrive in 2007? And for that matter, will they go directly to 2007 or will they flash through time in much the same way as some did in the beginning of season 5?

With every thought I have I come up with at least ten questions. I'm going to have to start carrying a clipboard around with me to record them!

Apples and Oranges

I'm not so certain it's the book itself that's as important as the title, where that phrase originates and how it echoes Jacob's outlook on humanity. Briefly the title is the theme of a religious philosophy describing a spiritual version of evolution. It theorizes, that lower life forms evolve to greater and greater complexity and diversity and now have risen to the level of mankind. Mankind is seen as existing on a plane midpoint between animal and the Godhead. But instead of a biological evolution or diversification, humanity is rising towards, reaching for a convergence, a unification of spirit with God.
Both Jacob and Darkman see us, as at a midpoint between animal savagery and Ultimate Unity as One in the Christ head. Darkman sees us as O'Connor depicts humanity as a grotesque, pitiful, chaotic being that which is stuck in a bleak cycle of sin, violence and anger. Jacob sees us as in an evolution of spiritual progress and holds hope that we will rise towards convergence with the Goodness of God. This is our choice do we wallow in a destined place of no exit or exercise our free will and rise above from whence we came? The Darkman believes we cannot deny the fate and pull of our inner animal; that the physical and the ego will always override the cerebral and the soul.
Penny-Ante ABC Lost Message Boards

The above post was so profound that I felt the need to repeat it here as it bears credence to what many of us sense is the struggle between Jacob and Fake Locke, or Anti-Jacob, or Darkman. Stated so eloquently and clearly that I’m not even going to attempt to rewrite it in my own words, for I cannot.

Until I read the above statement, I had been thinking that Jacob and Darkman were arguing apples and oranges. If that is so, then both are correct! It was confuddling me to no end and I felt that it was a cycle that never ended. Round, round we go.

There are only two facts in life that are certain. One is taxes and the other is death. We are born we live, learn and grow toward what end? Tada! The end! That’s it! Death is the end that both Jacob and Anti-Jacob speak of. But we knew that already, right?

However, I had felt that Jacob’s point was this; the journey holds precedence over the destination, and it is in the journey through which humanity grows, and changes until, at the end, their spirituality meets with that of God, converges. As Jacob agreed, it ends only once for each human and anything before that is progress, for it is in the journey in which humanity makes the progress from the base antagonistic animal fighting for survival, to the enlightened being who able to make a choice between remaining in the hole of despair or climbing out and moving on.

For Anti-Jacob, it all ends the same. It doesn't matter to him that when they come, they arrive in a different manner (ship, freighter, outrigger, magic box, plane).

When they fight, it isn't what they are fighting for, but the fact that they fight.When they destroy, it doesn't matter why they destroy. To Anti-Jacob, it will always end the same.

The dictionary defines fate as "that which is inevitably destined, the universal principle or ultimate agency by which the order of things is presumably proscribed; the decreed cause of events. I read it as the end.

Fate = the end = death = the destination

Freedom of choice = progress = the journey

It's not the destination that matters but the journey. For without the journey we fail to evolve, we fail to learn from our past experiences and if we fail the journey, it will end the same as those who went before us.

So, that's my take on Jacob and Anti-Jacob's disagreement. They remind me of two boys who have been put into the time out room and told not to come out until they have sorted out their problem. Oh, and they can't physically fight, they must use diplomacy and tact to come to an agreement. Both entrenched in their belief that the other is wrong and there is no compromise to be had. Neither willing to not just hear, but to listen to the other side of the argument.

QUESTIONS:

Has Anti-Jacob become the very thing he despises?

Who or what will be coming, now that it appears Jacob is dead? Is Jacob really dead?

Who will Illana fight for?

What is Frank a candidate for?

Will Sun get angry at Fake John Locke for stringing her along? If she does, will she be the one to end his life? I can see her losing her temper, grabbing the knife from Ben and, since she's seen the corpse, slicing into the impostor. She has a right to be seriously ticked.

My Enemy's Enemy Is My Friend?

It's an ancient proverb which means that because two parties have a common enemy, they are friends. Often described as an Arabic proverb, there is also an identical Chinese proverb which may be an extension of another Chinese proverb that says, "It is good to strike the serpent's head with your enemy's hand." A historical example of this policy occurred when the Greeks were attacked by the Persians at Thermopylae; the Greek city-states put aside their differences and fought the common enemy.

Could this be the case for Ben? Will he choose to align himself with Fake John because he now views Jacob and his own people as his enemies.

It is conceivable. We saw John remind Ben of practically every failure he suffered as a leader of the Others. He reminded him of all that he apparently was forced to sacrifice in his service to Jacob. And for what? Absolutely nothing. Not even a "good luck in your future endeavours" when John arrived to take over as leader. No gold watch. No shares in the company's stock. No "happy retirement" party.

But serving Jacob is not like working for the company for 35 years, putting in your time and looking forward to drawing from your retirement fund. But, like the faithful who go to church every week and drop all they can into the collection box, all they can hope for at the end is forgiveness for their sins and entry to the place they call heaven.

But did Jacob ever promise Ben a reward? Sure, he made Richard ageless, but we have yet to learn the circumstances of that event. I hope we get to see this next season. If there are any other Others with special qualities, please let me know. And I don't mean Ethan and his super strength.

I was wondering if it really was Jacob who saved young Ben's life back in 1977. I've decided that he did, but only because he knew Ben's fate was not to die then and there, Ben wasn't finished just yet.

Was Ben ever destined to become leader of the Others? I don't think so. I think Ben, like his father, believed he was more than what others assessed him to be. Remember when we saw the flashback of Ben and his father arriving on the island? Remember how angry Roger Linus was to find that he'd been assigned janitorial duties according to his aptitude tests? And we see a grown up Ben also working as a workman, which I'm sure it more than what he aspired to be.

I have a little theory on how Ben became leader of the Others. I could be no where near the ball park on this one, but it's all I can come up with right now.

Other than the promise of a great relief from the restrictive society that Ben finds himself living in, the Hostiles promise an escape from the apparent anger and hatred of his father. Life with Roger Linus had been illustrated as dark, depressing and a serious blow to the kid's self esteem. I don't blame young Ben for wanting to escape such a miserable existence and the promise that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence is too tempting for young Ben to resist. Above all else, Ben believed, like his father, that he was greater than the sum of his parts.

But here's the kicker. Ben was only ever considered to be a member of the flock. Nothing more. Nothing less. He was expected to do what he was asked and not to take the initiative. His reward was acceptance within a society that accepted him for whatever he was. The realization that his position within the Hostiles was equal to his position with Dharma must have been one hell of a shock. So, he manipulated and contrived and insinuated himself into a higher position, eventually taking control in a bloodless coup. He exiled the island's true leader and took what he thought was his rightful place at the top of the pyramid.

Then along came cancer. Whether Jacob could have allowed it to occur, I really can't say either way at this point. Then came Oceanic 815 and a whole host of problems. Remember that Richard and the Hostiles were told in 1954 that a man named John Locke was going to arrive via a plane crash and he would be their leader.

It would have been a long awaited and anticipated arrival of the messiah. Talked about often and how a great leader would come. The current, or interim leader, Ben, must have felt inferior and not very appreciated. He had never seen nor spoken to Jacob, didn't have a communion with the island and really, his instructions arrived by messenger Richard.

Ben did all that he could to sabotage John Locke and maintain his tenuous leadership position. He lied to him and lead him into situations of great danger. On several occasions he tried to kill him or have him killed and ultimately managed to strangle him to death. He manipulated the Oceanic 6, the survivors of the crash who were rescued, into returning to the island, insisting they take the body of John Locke with them.

I believe Ben was taking the body of John Locke back to the island as proof that the Others were without a leader and attempt to reclaim the job. There didn't seem to be any other candidates in the wings. Ben's shock and utter frustration must have been disheartening, to say the least. Only this time, Ben doesn't have a back up plan. He never counted on John Locke's resurrection.

He was used as he had used John. He was manipulated as he had done to John. All, it would appear, by John Locke himself. And yet, despite his loathing of John Locke and all that he seemed to be taking away from him, Ben made a choice. Only time will tell if it was the right one for him to make.

Using a common enemy as the basis for an allegiance is dubious, likely because there are probably very few other areas for mutual agreement. Remove the common enemy and the friends are apt turn on each other.

More on Jacob and Who They are

Doc Jensen, who recaps Lost for Entertainment Weekly has a most amazing theory about Jacob and his thouchy-feely need, and how those he touched are going to factor in the next season. Give it a read because the light of revelation will, hopefully, shine as bright for you as it did for me.

I agree with the stewardship of the soul idea Doc Jensen has written about, but I differ on the execution. The cards are cast and now we must wait to see if we come up with the winning hand. I think the flash of white we saw is going to be the final leap through time that brings Jack and gang back to 2007, landing in the middle of this burgeoning war. They will have to choose sides and Jacob is willing to put his eternal soul on the line betting that they'll all end up fighting for the good.

Which is when Jacob can be resurrected. Once all the pieces of his soul are united in a common cause, and only then, can Jacob return. The very last image we have of Jacob is of him burning in the flames. Like the Phoenix rises from the ashes, so too will Jacob. Just as soon as Jack, Kate, Jin, Sawyer, Hurley and possibly the mortally wounded Sayid arrive.

It's not looking good for Miles, now that I think about it. He may be stuck in 1977 with his father, which isn't all that bad. He could have that relationship he lacked as a child. Also, I understand that Dharma needs new a head of security and one of his first jobs can be to take out Radzinsky. I hear they might need someone over on Hydra to weigh polar bear poop and with Radzinsky's analytical mind, he just might be perfectly suited to it.

I find it a bitter irony that Jacob saved Ben's life, only to have him take Jacob's life in a fit of anger. If Jacob did indeed save Ben's life, which I am doubting more and more.

I think Ben was always fated to be the tool with which Evil John would "kill" Jacob. Jacob knew that Ben's "destiny" was to do this. By ignoring Ben, not corrupting his "vision" of Jacob and not validating his leadership of the Others, he did not "interfere" with fate and allowed Ben, even at the very end, the freedom to choose which road to take. Jacob believed that, most importantly, Ben had a choice. To kill him or to walk away.

Unfortunately we are all painfully aware of how that turned out. Ben appears to be the classic example of the faithful having lost their faith who have turned their once devoted love to anger and hatred. He was weak and Evil John took advantage of his anger and I don't think it bodes well for our beady eyed friend in the end. One thing to note, and it struck me as painfully obvious once I wrapped my brain around the idea, is that Ben may believe that he will return to what he thinks is his rightful place as leader. Evil John promised that things for Ben would be much better once Jacob was gone.

However, one of the recurring themes of Lost is Redemption. Right now it seems unlikely that Ben can redeem himself and reconcile his actions toward any moral worth. His future is unclear at this point. Does he realize he has been manipulated by Evil John, in a manner akin to the way Ben himself manipulated John Locke,and rise up against the machine? And how ticked is he gonna be when he learns that he was beaten at his own game?

They're Coming

I have a half mowed front lawn right now. As I was riding around my half acre of heaven, cutting the grass, I had a thought and had to get it out there. This is going to be a long hiatus for me. I can't stop thinking LOST!

Just before Evil John, which is what I am now referring to him as, kicked Jacob into the pit of fire, Jacob uttered: "They're coming"

Once I managed to get over my initial shock, and my grief over the jeep, I began to wonder who "They" were. Once again I am about to put two and two together to equal eleventeen, but I see two options.

1. Could it be Illana and her people, since Evil John had mentioned about dealing with them? He had face to face contact with both Illana and Cesar, and possibly subconsciously impelled Ben to shoot Cesar, could he have read their thoughts, thus knowing that they could be a detriment to his ultimate goal to control the island? Worth a thought.
2. Could Jacob have meant the group from 1977? Jack, Sawyer, Kate, Hurley, Miles? Which leads me to another question: Did Jacob put them in 1977 not just because of what they needed to do there (detonate the bomb), but also for safe keeping until they were needed in 2007? And I use safe keeping very loosely here, by the way.

I'm kind of leaning toward the second option and here's why.

Although some of them had a role to play in 1977, they also have a job to complete in 2007. Jacob needed them in both times, but not at the same time. When Lost premiers next January, I'm hoping the first thing we see is that white flash and hear that high pitched whirr.

I can't believe that our 1977 survivors have executed all that the island needs them to. Let's face it, Hurley's destiny is NOT to introduce garlic mayo to the world! There's something inside that guitar case that will help them fight Evil John and restore the islands balance.

And Miles wasn't meant to talk to dead Alverez to learn about some hot chic and fillings being pulled out through the brain, nor was he to meant to enjoy a great relationship with his father. I think he will talk to dead John Locke and find a new loophole that could help to defeat Evil John and, possibly, give Jacob a new, stronger presence on the island. Irony moment! What if Dead John's body becomes the vessel by which Jacob continues?

Just a thought. Now I have to finish mowing the lawn then I need to fix up the pool and, hopefully fill it for the season. But, as I seem to keep having random thoughts and ideas, I'll be back.

Let Me Grieve....

One of the most heart wrenching scenes of the Incident, besides the grievous loss of Juliet and possibly Sayid, is the moment that beautiful blue jeep starts its painful journey toward the magnetic shaft of destruction. Stu Radzinsky has a great deal to answer for and he had better stay the heck away from me. There's nothing worse than an really ticked of redhead with a temper stronger than that magnetic pocket he just tapped so recklessly into! Just what the heck did he think was going to happen when he hit that giant pocket of electromagnetic energy, anyway? I bet he hadn't even contemplated how to control it! Like any mad scientist of fiction, he was on a slippery slope and hell bent on taking whomever, and what ever, he could with him as he descended into his own personal hell. If things haven't been changed by the survivors' actions, then history tells us that he found his own sweet acre of Hades here on Earth.

While we mourn Juliet, I also mourn the blue jeep. I only hope Dharma had more than one, but not to be destroyed. I have a personal attachment to blue jeeps. In fact, my first post ever referenced how much I love the jeep and how excited I was to see Le Fleur tooling around the island in one. It's like my own personal connection to Lost.

Now, each time I drive my own beloved blue Jeep, a piece of me is saddened and yet I am buoyed by the realization that the Dharma Jeep lives on. The trail never ends!


My Jeep Liberty.

The Incident

VINCENT IS BACK! Doesn't he look great? Three years he has survived and, like Hurley, hasn't shed an ounce!


Whew, now that I've released the big news, lets get down to it, shall we?





Let me iterate, The Incident was the best episode we have seen as yet. It provided us with many answers, a slew of clues to other mysteries and, as always, left us with some pretty pressing questions. I expected nothing more than what I received. Damon and Carlton have raised it up yet another notch! And how freakin' cool was that new inverted Lost logo!

I have eighteen double sided pages of notes to sort through. I've never taken so many notes, not even in college, so it's going to take me some time to get through it all, but, here we go.

Our episode starts with what appears to be ancient clay pots, a man spinning thread, then weaving a tapestry. All by hand. The man is wearing a white shirt and black pants. He appears to be in a time long long ago. Where he lives is basic with stark furnishings. We see this man enter the sea and collect a fish trap emptying of its contents and cook the fish on fired stones. Another man approaches. He is dressed in black. They greet each other, the man in white offers the other some fish, but it is declined. They talk about the approach of the sailing ship. They, for lack of a better word, debate why it is here. I'll talk about what I think their words mean later.

I'm going to start with what we have learned about Jacob first of all. Basically, almost all the flashbacks in this episode feature one thing in common. Jacob. At various times in the survivors' lives Jacob has visited them, and touched them physically. I think the touch is a sort of protective shield to keep them safe until and during the crash of Oceanic 815. Fate lending a helping hand? I don't know.

We learned that Jacob has been existing on the island for what appears to be eons and that he lives in the four toed statue. Speaking of which, we were gifted with a really great view of it's head this time around, but more on that later. Jacob has a cohabitant on the island who seems to have a very dim view of humanity and truly hates Jacob. In fact, he'd like nothing more than to kill him, but something, perhaps some sort of rule, does not allow him to do so.

I think Jacob is responsible for bringing humans to the island. He seems to be an optimist and considers our evolution progress. His cohabitant, on the other hand, appears to believe that humans will never change. They come. They fight. They destroy. They corrupt. It always ends the same. Jacob tells him that it only ends once, and anything before that is progress. Evolution? I'm not sure yet what he means by this.

We see Jacob visiting with each of our survivors at different times in their lives, usually a highly stressful time or, in John's case, horribly tragic. In each case he said each of their names and made sure to physically touch them.

When he visited Kate, she was a young girl and had just been caught having tried to steal a New Kids On The Block lunch box. When the shop keeper was about to phone her mother, Jacob intervened and paid for the item. He then extracted a promise from her never to steal again and touched her on the nose. "Be good, Katie"

Next we see him approach little James at the church where the funeral had just be held for his parents. This kid played an amazingly convincing Sawyer, who is writing a letter to the man who caused all the tragedy in his life to happen. His pen runs out of ink and Jacob gives him a new one. Again, making sure their fingers touch. Again, Jacob states his name.

There is a busy intersection. Sayid and Nadia are about to celebrate their anniversary and are looking for a great place to go for dinner. Nadia would just like to find her sunglasses. As they cross the road, Jacob asks Sayid for directions, holding him back as Nadia continues on, looking in her bag. She finds her sunglasses, turns and is hit by a SUV. She dies in the street. Her last words: Take Me Back.

Our next Jacob flashback was a surprise to me. It is in a foreign hospital and there's a patient whose body is completely bandaged. Something terrible has clearly happened to this person. It is Illana. When he visits her, she appears to know him and is happy to see him. He tells her he needs her help and she agrees. We don't actually see him touch her, but his hand does appear to reach for her.

John is next to be seen with Jacob. Jacob is sitting on a bench reading the book, Everything That Rises Must Converge, written by Flannery O'Conner. We hear the sound of braking glass followed by a gut wrenching thud. Jacob calmly walks over to John laying on the grass, kneels down and touches him. At that point we hear John inhale. I think he brought him back to life. He tells him not to worry, every thing's going to be all right and apologizes to him, then walks away.

Sun and Jin's wedding ceremony follows, with touching declarations of eternal love and promise for the future. Jacob meets them int he receiving line and tells them that their love is a special thing and it should never be taken for granted. He touches them both on the shoulders at the same time. When he is gone, they ask each other who was that, only to realize neither knows him.

Jack is operating. It's the girl he told Kate about in the pilot. We see the accidental cut and the panic rise within Jack. Christian is there, tells him to close his eyes, count to five, banish the fear and get on with what he was about to do. Afterward, Jack tries to buy an Apollo chocolate bar from a vending machine, but it gets stuck. He berates his father for making look bad in OR, just then a man calls out. Is this yours? Jacob has purchased the same chocolate bar and two have come out. He passes the spare to Jack and their hands touch.


Hurley is being released from the jail. He is innocent and they made an mistake. He gathers his belongings and hails a cab, but it already has a fare. The occupant offers to share. It is Jacob, who tells Hurley that he isn't cursed, but blessed. He assures him that he isn't crazy and tells the cabbie to stop and gets out. Hurley tells him he left his guitar behind, to which Jacob replies that it isn't his. It was Jacob who convinced Hurley that he could, should, return to the island.

We saw one flashback that did not feature Jacob. That was Juliet's. Her parents have sat down with Juliet and Rachel to tell them that their marriage has failed. They were getting a divorce, but they still love each other. Sometimes, even though two people love each other, they are not meant to be together. This flash back is just as important as the others as you will understand later.

Now on to 2007, and you will understand why when we get there.

John and the others are on their pilgrimage to see Jacob. They have a long way to walk. John wonders why Ben hasn't told Richard of his plans to kill Jacob, which is when Ben told him that he'd promised his dead daughter, under threat of destruction, to do what ever John Locke wanted him to do. This was a surprise to John, but he was pleased. He wouldn't have to convince Ben to kill Jacob then. They take a break at the survivor's old beach camp.

It's in disarray from three years' neglect. Most of the make shift huts have fallen down and Aaron's cradle is falling apart. Sun is saddened by the memories the camp evokes. She puts the cradle upright and spots something glistening in the sun. It's The DS ring that Charlie had placed in the crib, his final gift to baby Aaron, a family heirloom for his island kin. Ben admits to John that he has never seen Jacob and wonders why John wants him to kill Jacob. And so, John begins to plant seeds of anger in Ben.

"Despite your loyal service to this island, you got cancer. You had to watch your own daughter gunned down right in front of you. And your reward for these sacrifices? You were banished. And you did all this in the name of a man you've never met? Why wouldn't you want to kill Jacob?"

As the Others continue their trek, the mysterious people from Ajira 316 are paddling from the Hydra island to the larger island. They've brought the metal crate and an unconscious Frank. They make the beach and unload the crate. Bram wonders why Illana wanted to bring Frank with them. He didn't know the answer to the question. But Illana tells him that he could be important and Bram wonders if he could be a candidate.

I'm loving Frank because I just knew that he was awake, listening to them. I'm sure he'd been conscious for most of the journey, but since he's a pilot, rowing just isn't his talent. Illana tells him that they are his friends. You gotta love Frank's queries. He always words them so well...

"So, you smack all your friends in the face with a rifle, shove them in a boat and kidnap them?"

"Only the ones we like." Illana can give as well as she can take.

They show Frank what's in the crate. Judging by the look on his face he's both confused and horrified. I wanted to see too, but my TV isn't 3D and I couldn't change the angle of view. Drats. They lock up the crate and head into the jungle. Illana knows where she is going, which makes me think that she's been there before. She is taking them to the cabin, and Frank really wishes he hadn't asked what was in the crate.

They arrive at the ramshackle cabin and Bram notices the line of ash has been broken. Foreboding fills the air as Illana heads inside. She sees a painting of a dog (I still think it looks a lot like Vincent), broken dishes, debris on the floor. Pinned to the wall with a knife is a square of woven material. Whatever, or whomever she is looking for is long gone. She shows the material to Bram. He frowns. He knows where they're going next. They torch the cabin, much to not tree hugging Frank's objections and leave. Nothing is ever easy, right?

The others reach the base of the four toed foot and gather. It is getting dark now, but John wants to see Jacob right away. Richard urges patience. Jacob will come to you. But John is impatient and wants to see him now. Ben admits to Sun that he's never met Jacob and tells her the giant foot has been like that since he arrived. She asked if she should believe him, and is told probably not.

After some prompting, Richard agrees to show John the way into Jacob's place. He tells John that Ben can't continue with him. Only one leader allowed on the island at a time. That made me wonder. Is John truly the leader? But time flies when you're having fun and Richard pushed the heavy stone wall open. "Tell him I said hi", he says, then goes back to the group on the beach. John and Ben enter the base and John gives Ben a knife, assuring him that things will be different once Jacob is gone. Ben is still seething, which is what John wants. They move forward into the main area where Jacob lives.

It is stark, just as we saw at the beginning. The only difference? The tapestry is complete. It is magnificent and draws Ben's attention. Jacob has been waiting for them. He tells Ben that he spun the thread by hand, and to weave it took forever, which is the point. John greets Jacob.

Illana and her men arrive at the base of the statue and asks for Ricardus. Richard greets them. It's quite tense, then Illana asks the important question. "What lies in the shadow of the statue?" Richard's response is in Latin, those buggars! Damon and Carlton, you will rot in hell for this!

Thankfully, there's babelfish, and if I did it right, Richard's reply was: "He who will protect us all."

Illana tells him she has something he must see and orders the crate to be opened. They open the crate and tip it over, spilling it's contents onto the sand.

Not in one million years was I expecting what tumbled onto the beach! Nope. And I was so surprised I jumped up screaming. My border collie is still regarding me with accusing eyes. Poor thing was in a lovely deep sleep on her doggie bed and, at my scream, leaped three feet into the air, looked for the intruder and was not happy that she didn't get to chase one away. I'm sure she glared at my back while I slept last night. It hurts right between the shoulder blades, just where her eyes would have been leveled.

Anyway, in case you missed it, the body of John Locke fell out. GASP!?!?!?!?!?!!? Illana had found him in the cargo hold of the plane, inside the coffin.






Sun asked the question we were all afraid to voice... "I don't understand. If this is John Locke, who's in there?"

Yeah, and he's been leading Ben astray, I'm thinking. Although, Ben is pretty astray all on his own doing.

Inside the Foot, Jacob greets his "friend." Ben is stunned as he watches their exchange.

Hello Jacob.
Did you find your loophole?
Indeed, I did. And you have no idea what I've been through to be here.


Fake John urges Ben to kill Jacob. Jacob gives him a choice. He can do what Fake John asks, or he leave and let them discuss their issues.

Ben is angry. The anger of 35 years of being ignored boils over and he stabs Jacob to death.

With his last breath, Jacob tells his nemesis, whom I believe is the man from the beach at the beginning, that they are coming. Fake John, for lack of a better name, kicks him into the flames.

1977

There was so much going on that I've watched this episode three times already and am still working on trying to make sure I've caught everything. Likely, I'll have missed something.

On the sub, Kate tries to convince Sawyer that he needs to go back to the island to try and stop Jack. Jack is going to blow up the island, according to Kate. Oh ye of little faith. That's been their problem all along. Neither Jack nor Kate have had the faith in each other that they should have. But Sawyer is still brooding. He's upset that his happy life with Juliet in Hippyville is over and he wants only to start a new life with his love in the real world 1977, away from everyone else. But, alas, it is not to be.

Now I don't know about anyone else, but I've been thinking that Juliet has had an advance "awareness". Her decision making process is deliberate, yet quick. She knocks out the orange juice sedative delivery dude, uncuffs herself and Kate and, after giving Sawyer an option, uncuffs him as well. They force the captain to surface and put them off the vessel, then with characteristic compassion, insists that he promise to take his passengers as far away as possible and don't come back, no matter what.

Meanwhile, Jack and Sayid are studying Daniel's journal. It's a good thing that Daniel had the foresight to realize that two men, who know absolutely diddly about time travel and nuclear explosive devices, would be reading his journal. The detail to which he ensured anyone could understand was astonishing as Jack and Sayid carefully removed the plutonium core and prepared to transport it to the Swan site.

Richard and Jack have a quick chat about John. Richard has his doubts, and rightfully so, but Jack tells him not to give up. I almost choked on my York peppermint patty! Jack defending John? Dharma cooks must have baked some of those special brownies for breakfast that the 70's were so famous for! Richard reminds Ellie that the reason they plugged up the bomb and put it underground was because it was leaking radiation, oh, just in case she forgot, he also reminded her that she was pregnant.

With the plutonium core safely wrapped and strapped to Sayid's back, lucky guy, Richard leads them down the tunnel to a wall with a triangular stone in it. He breaks through the wall smack dab into Horace Goodspeed's basement! Richard knocks out Ellie, and is she ever going to ticked when she comes to, but he'd rather face her wrath than grieve for her. He's only protecting his leader, after all. Jack and Sayid are on their own.

Fair enough. They cautiously creep up the stairs and peer out the window. The compound is in chaos and it looks like Phil got himself a field promotion, as he's out there directing traffic. What to do, what to do? Sayid slips on one of Horace's jumpsuits and they walk calmly toward the boundary. They were almost home free, too, when Roger Linus, in a rare fit of vengeful fatherhood, recognized Sayid and shot him. Oh crap, I groaned, this is not going to end well.


Meanwhile, Sawyer, Juliet and Kate are left to row, row, row their boat back to shore. They arrive at a beach which no-one recognizes. There's a sound and the tall grass rustles and out comes our favorite golden lab, Vincent. I don't remember him quite that chubby, though, I thought as he happily greeted his visitors. And while Vincent is glad to see them, his room mates are not as pleased by the intrusion.


Rose and Bernard (who's really let himself go and looks like he's Rip Van Winkle) explain that they wanted to stay retired and so, when Saywer and the others joined Dharma, they easily avoided detection. They built a nice cozy cabin by the beach, pilfered Dharma food supplies, and were raising their son Vincent to be an irresponsible carefree citizen of the island. Anything that happens will just have to happen without them, which means they've opted out of the Jack is gonna kill us all school of thought.

Jack and Sayid were cornered and it didn't look good for either of them. Bullets were flying at them from all directions, and, though Jack tried to fight back (isn't his aim getting so much better with all that practice he's been getting?), I was beginning to worry. Then along comes Hurley with his magical Dharma micro bus loaded with Jin and Miles to save the day!

Everyone is helpful, everyone is kind
On the road to Shambala
Everyone is lucky, everyone is so kind
On the road to Shambala
Oh Yeah baby!

Ahem. Urrrrch! The van comes to a stop. Sawyer, Juliet and Kate are standing in the middle of the path. Can't call that a road, can we? Sawyer asks for five minutes to talk to Jack. Was I the only one who giggled with glee when Jack got that he-wants-to-be-my-friend look and agreed to the chat? Biggest mistake of the day, for Jack, because Sawyer's sad story about his parents and the fact that he could have hopped a sub and stopped it failed to sway Jack. So, as is Sawyer's way, he resorted to beating the tar out of Jack. Jack took it well, too, for the first little bit. But Sawyer was really really ticked about having his happy hippy life ruined and, since Jack was the closest, he went berzerk on the poor doc's face.

Juliet, as ever the voice of reason, finally called James off his punch fest and explained that Jack was right. Whaaaaat? Poor Sawyer. Even after living with the woman for three years he still can't grasp that whole women's perogative about changing their minds at the drop of a palm frond. This is where we remember that whole flash back of Juliet's and how two people could love each other and not meant to be together, because Juliet is about ready to cut Saywer loose despite loving him with everything she has.

At the Swan, Radzinsky is throwing yet another hissy fit. Chang has shut down the drill. He doesn't spend six years planning a station that'll manipulate magnetic energy in ways we can only dream of for nothing! The drilling begins again and Stu's walkie beeps. It's Phil. The Hostiles have been spotted and accoridng to Roger, they have a bomb. Radzinsky orders Stu to get his hiney up to the Swan, and bring some guns.

Sayid is in a bad way. He knows that Jack can't stop the bleeding and it's only a matter of time. Jack scopes the Swan site and watches the drilling. He manages to convince Kate that this is the only way she can be sure that Aaron is where he belongs. Kate tells him that she's with him. Suddenly an alram goes off, something is happening at the Swan. They've hit the pocket. As Jack heads to the Swan to drop the bomb, Miles asks a very interesting question.

"Has it occurred to any of you that your buddy is actually going to cause the thing he is trying to prevent? Perhaps that little nuke is the incident."

And then it hit me like a feather tied to a brick! Miles just could be bang on right about that.

The group ponders the thought for a moment. Until, that is, they hear a noise and see Phil and his gang of hooligans racing toward the Swan. That's when they decide, live together, die alone, Jack is gonna need their help. Phil orders his merry men into position and, as luck would have it, he spots Jack and starts shooting. Since the good doc has had a great deal of practice, he takes out a few guys on his own before the calvary arrives, guns blazing out the windows of that lovely powder blue micro bus.

In my head I could hear Trooper screaming: Raise a little hell, raise a little hell, raise a little hell.

Which, if their plan didn't succeed, is exactly what the island would become. For a few tense moments I was wondering if they would. Just when I was about to give up hope, they managed to gain control of the situation. Dr. Chang grabbed Stu's gun and tried to turn the drill off. But it was too late. The magnetic energy was slowly pulling it in. Jack drops the bomb.

Juliet and Kate closed their eyes in agony and waited for the inevitable. Jack held his breath. Sawyer, I think, bit his lip and loosened his grip on Phil. They were all going to die when it hit bottom anyway. And they waited. Thunk. What the heck?

They realized it didn't work, but the pull was growing much stronger. A tool box flew across the site, hit Jack in the back of the head and knocked him out, then it flew down the shaft. A wheelbarrow skuttled across the dirt and fipped itself in. Stu and few of his boys, now horribly frightened, tried to take off in the Jeep, but its attraction to the hole was inescapable. Phil, who seemed to think he was impervious to danger, pulls a gun on Sawyer. Oh LaFleuuuuuur, he calls with giddy glee....just as scaffolding crumbles around him and he is gored by rebar. Serves him right for hitting Juliet.



Speaking of Juliet. Suddenly I really hate that the red shirts always seem to get killed on away missions and on Lost, they always bite it in the most spectatular ways. Grabbed by chains that are snaking toward the hole, Juliet screams. Kate leaps forward and grabs the ends, but can barly hang on. Sawyer reaches for and grabs Juliet's hand. They try to untangle her, but they can't and their grip is slipping. I am in tears as I watch her let go and the total devastation that consumes Sawyer as he watches the only person he's truly loved fall to her death.

I hate you team Darlton, I thought. Juliet's final sacrifice is at the bottom of the shaft as the drilling apparatus collapses and falls. She struggles to reach the bomb and hits it repeatedly until.....Flash of White!


WHAT I WANNA KNOW

1. Where the heck is Horace? Did Stu tie him up and put him in Sawyer's closet?
2. Why didn't Jacob visit Hurley when he was a child? Why wait until his entire psyche had been totally shattered?
3. If Jacob knew what would happen to Sayid after Nadia was killed, why didn't he stop it? Did he need Sayid to become a killer?
4. How did Phil get off the sub? Last we saw of him he was on the sub as they closed the hatch.
5. Where's Amy and baby Ethan? Have they gone to the Other's camp?
6. When they were bulding Dharmaville, why didn't they notice the tunnels below?
7. Where were Rose and Bernard stealing the food from and why didn't the Others find them? Did they have Dharma Dog Food or did Vincent eat what they ate?
8. Who is Jacob's nemesis and why does he want to kill Jacob?
9. Was it Jacob's nemesis who took John Locke's form and convinced Ben to kill him or was it another entity?
10. Are Smokey and Jacob's nemesis the same thing?
11. Was that the Black Rock we saw sailing into the bay at the island?
12. Did Jacob set up every one so that his nemesis could kill him?
13. Is Jacob dead?
14. The white flash at the end, was it one more time jump to take Jack, Sawyer, Sayid, Hurley, Jin, Kate and Miles back to 2007? If so, did it take Juliet as well? What about Rose, Bernard and Vincent?
15. Who is Christian really speaking for? Jacob?
16. Did the bomb work?
17. Was Ben ever supposed to be leader of the Others or did he go against Jacob's wishes and exile Charles Widmore on his own, pretending that it was Jacob's orders?
18. Why did Jacob ignore Ben.
19. Was it Jacob who healed young Ben?
20. How did Jacob and his "friend" get to the island? Did they used to be friends? Brothers?

TRANSLATION OF GREEK ON TAPESTRY

Accroding to Dark UFO the greek symbols on the tapestry translate to this:

May heaven grant you in all things your heart's desire.

Odysseus speaking to Nausicaa

Homer - The Odessy Book 6, line 108

There also appears to be Egyptian and possibly Roman on the tapestry, but I'm not too sure.

Well, that's it for now. I've been working on this all day and am, again, exhausted. I want to watch the episode again and then I'll publish my favorite quotes. I'll also add more thoughts and my take on what I've seen.

I'm also planning a few 'research' projects for the loooooong hiatus. But mostly I'll be specualting, and likely being very wrong, about the upcoming season.

I'll likely watch Lost starting from season one and post what I'm thinking about those as I connect the dots.

Namaste

Arcticroses