BuzzSugar

Let's Get Lost: Series Finale, "The End" Recap

BuzzSugar — Mon, 24 May 2010 08:04:54 PDT

I have to be honest here: I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the Lost series finale. In some ways, it's a perfect ending: epic, emotional, final. I teared up, I choked up, and felt like I was sending my beloved show off into the sunset - just as I should. On the other hand: so many questions left. So many. The finale doesn't answer many of the things that die-hard fans have been waiting for since the first and second seasons. I feel a little manipulated - part of the reason I got so hooked on Lost is because I couldn't wait to see the show's many mysteries unfold.

Whether you're satisfied with it or not, there is so much to talk about! Since this is our very last Lost episode to break down, I want to hear all of your thoughts! So without further adieu, let's

You can already feel the sadness in the opening scene of the episode. There's just something about the music playing over the actions that are unfolding: we see each of the Losties' island lives juxtaposed with their lives in the sideways world. Jack looking at Locke's X-rays, Sawyer in the cop locker, Locke undergoing surgery. There's that delicious excitement that something huge is about to happen.

In the sideways world:

In the sideways world, the precious cargo that is Christian Shephard's body finally arrives, and Desmond picks it up. Desmond gets a quick interrogation from Kate, who wants to know why he sprung her from jail. His response is cryptic: "No one can tell you why you're here, Kate. Certainly not me." Then he says that all he wants to do is leave.
Elsewhere, Hurley is getting all prophetic on Sayid and Charlie. He tries unsuccessfully to jog Sayid's island memory with a tranquilizer gun, then tells him "If you stick with me, you'll be happy you did." Then - the return of Charlie! Since it's old school Driveshaft Charlie, he's drunk and wearing too much guyliner. Hurley tries the nice way to get Charlie to play the concert saying, "Playing this show is the most important thing you'll ever do." When Charlie refuses, he nails him with the tranq gun.
Miles spots Sayid en route to his dad's "museum concert benefit thing" and calls Sawyer, asking him to make sure Sun is safe. Turns out Sun is fine - she and Jin are still at the hospital where Juliet (with new last name Carlson) is their doctor! When Juliet does the sonogram, Sun's island memories all come back to her, and to Jin, too! Did anyone else get goosebumps during their montage of island moments? Their English comes back too and they seem genuinely happy (no kidding, especially since Sun saw their island death. I'd be pumped, too).
So, Juliet is Jack's wife (is there anyone who didn't see that coming?) They run into each other in the hospital after Jack assures Locke that he'll try not to kill him during surgery (eesh). Then he tells Locke "If I can fix you, that's all the peace I'll need." How prophetic.
Hurley continues to try to convince skeptical Sayid to trust him, but Sayid resists, assuring Hurley that he's not the good guy Hurley believes him to be. Then they witness a brutal bar fight, and Sayid runs out to break it up - and runs into Shannon! All they need to do is see each other for the island memories to come flooding back. They embrace while Boone catches up with Hurley, and apparently Boone already had all of his island memory - but how? I have to admit, as annoying as Shannon is in the first two seasons, it was good to see her again.
The concert begins and hail, hail the gang's all here. Juliet has to run back to the hospital, leaving her son with his Auntie Claire. Shocker: Claire is at table 23 along with Desmond and Kate. Backstage, Charlotte wakes Charlie and comes face to face with Daniel ~~Faraday~~ Widmore. No memory fireworks here just yet, at least not for Charlotte. It takes Charlie all of two seconds to spot Claire in the crowd. She looks uncomfortable, but before we can figure out if she recognizes him, she goes into labor. Kate follows her, because doesn't Kate just follow anyone? Side note: is it just me, or does it make no sense at all for Faraday and Driveshaft to be playing together?
Kate attends to Claire, while Desmond gets a lecture from Eloise back at table 23. He tells her that he chose to ignore her advice to keep all the Losties apart, and then tells her that they're leaving. He also says that he's not taking Daniel with them, but it's unclear whether or not Eloise is happy with the news. Backstage Kate starts coaching Claire through her labor, where a much sobered up Charlie comes to help. It's all very reminiscent of Claire's birth on the island, so of course Kate starts remembering. Once she hands over Aaron, Claire's memory comes back, and all it takes is a touch of her hand to get Charlie on track too. (Another sweet montage of romantic island memories! Two points to Charlie for his waterproof mascara). Once they're all on the same page, Desmond comes back to check in on them.
Jack's neck is bleeding again, and now we know why - it's from where Flocke almost killed him. Jack tries to head to the concert, but Locke starts to wake up from his surgery. Locke immediately says it worked and that he can feel his legs, wiggling his toes just as he did after the plane crashed. And you know what that means - memories! Locke tries to get Jack on board, but Jack resists, particularly when Locke says Jack doesn't have a son. More yoda talk: "I hope someone does for you what you just did for me."
Jin and Sun can't help their smug smiles at Detective Ford, who still isn't clued in. They brush him off and tell him that they're safe, quipping "We'll see you there."
On his way out of the hospital, Sawyer passes Jack in the hall and asks him where he can find food. When Jack directs him to the vending machine, Sawyer gives him a "Thanks Doc," then takes a double take at Jack. But it's who he bumps into at the vending machine that brings back the memories -Juliet! After she helps him free his candy (and sasses him a little) they touch hands and like clockwork, remember it all. (And awww, they bring up their coffee date!) They embrace, and it's still not getting old even though the reunions are coming fast at this point. So now Jack's the last man standing trying to get the gang all together (see the irony here?)
Jack arrives at the concert, and Kate's there to inform him that he's too late. Jack gives Kate a few longing glances, before Kate and her LBD jog his memory about stealing his pen on the plane. Rather than waste time talking to him, she gets right to the point, touches his face, and tells him that she missed him. Jack still doesn't get it. But why? Everyone else does.
Locke arrives at the church, but is still using his wheelchair. He and Ben greet each other, and Ben's already been clued in. He apologizes for everything that happened, admitting that he was jealous because Locke was special and he wasn't. Locke forgives him. Ben stays he's going to stay because he still has some things to work out. Then Ben prompts Locke to ditch the chair and Locke says goodbye.
Hurley tells Ben he was a great #2, and Ben says Hurley was a great #1. So how far back do their memories go? Kate takes Jack to the place where Jack intended to have Christian's funeral, so that they can do the funeral for real. Kate says everyone has been waiting for him to leave, but Jack still doesn't understand what's happening. Until he touches his father's coffin, that is. But when he opens it, there's nothing inside - because Christian is behind him!

On the island:

Jack explains his "new Jacob" situation to Kate and Sawyer, and he and Kate head off to the heart of the island while Sawyer goes to find Des. His sleuthing skills aren't exactly flawless, and Flocke and Ben catch him spying almost immediately. They all realize that Des is nowhere to be found, but Flocke picks up a dog scent. We see that Rose and Bernard have been living a provincial little life in a bamboo hut, and Desmond is hiding out with them (though we still don't know how he got there). Rose is just explaining to Des that they don't want to be part of any island drama when Flocke shows up bringing exactly that. Though Rose stands by Desmond, Flocke threatens to kill Rose and Bernard unless Des goes with Flocke, and Des agrees. Then Des mysteriously mentions that he has a "hunch" that they are going to the bright light. Meanwhile, Ben's still communicating with Miles via walkie talkie.
Miles finds Richard - and he's alive! (phew). Miles informs Richard that he got knocked out when he tried to talk to Flocke. Then Richard reveals a new plan: he and Miles should head to Hydra island and blow up the plane so Flocke can't leave. While sitting on the dock, Alpert finds a gray hair! His first! His sign of aging gives him a will to live for the first time in, well, hundreds of years. En route to the island, they find Lapidus - who's been hanging on for dear life and bobbing in the ocean. They rescue him, and Lapidus suggests that he fly them off the island instead of blowing up the plane, and leave Flocke behind. High fives all around.
Jack's gang (complete with Sawyer) meets up with Flocke's gang, and Jack and Flocke have their first showdown since he became protector. Jack confidently tells Flocke that he plans on killing him using a "surprise," then tells Sawyer that he'll be using Des a secret weapon. When Jack, Des, and Flocke arrive at the magic stream, Des tells Jack that it doesn't matter if he goes into the light, because when he does, everyone will get to be with the ones they love. He tries to tell Jack that Jack's got a happy life in the sideways, but Jack refuses to listen saying that he tried to go back once and it didn't work.
As Desmond is lowered into the cave of wonder, Flocke tries to trick Jack into think he's the real Locke by re-hashing the memories of when they opened the hatch and found Desmond inside. Jack isn't fooled, and says that Locke was right all along. Flocke disagrees, and Jack leaves Des to settle it, saying, "We'll just have to see which one of us is right."
Once inside, Des heads to the bright pool and pulls out a big rock, which acts as a kind of plug. The water swirls down like a drain, leaving a volcano-like explosion in its wake. This is clearly not the result Desmond was expecting or hoping for, and Flocke tells Jack he was wrong as they hear Desmond's screams.
As the island begins crumbling, Jack and Flocke start going at it, and - surprise! - Jack can inflict pain on Flocke. The fight escalates to epic proportions, and Flocke stabs Jack - right where we see his wound in the sideways world. As he's about to make the final plunge into Jack's neck, Kate saves the day and shoots Flocke. Jack gives him the final sendoff by literally kicking him off the island.
The rain stops with Flocke's death, but the crumbling continues. Jack tells Kate and Sawyer to head to the boat that can take them to the plane, saying, "Whatever Desmond turns off, I need to turn it on again." Hurley decides to go with Jack, but Sawyer and Kate agree to try to get on the plane. Ben says he wants to go down with the island. Jack and Sawyer seem to call a truce and shake hands, while Kate finally decides whether she's Team Jack or Team Sawyer once and for all - planting a huge kiss on Jack and telling him that she loves him. Jack returns the sentiment. Is it super cheesy? Yup. Did I love it anyway? You know it.
Pressed for time, Miles literally duct tapes the plane together while Lapidus tells Sawyer to hurry up if he and Kate want to get on the plane. Left with no other options, Sawyer and Kate cliff dive into the water. Washed ashore, they find Claire who finally admits that the island has made her crazytown and can't be a mother to Aaron anymore. But with a little coaxing from Kate, Claire agrees to join. Sawyer, Kate, and Claire board the plane just as it's taking off, and it's airborne!
When they arrive at the cave of wonder, Jack tells Hurley that he's going to sacrifice himself to save the island. Hurley protests, but Jack urges him to take over his position as the keeper of the island. Once inside the cave, Jack tells Des to get out since he's got a wife and son to attend to. Jack brings the light back, and Des is pulled up by Hurley and Ben. Once they realize that Jack is gone, Hurley asks Ben to be his right hand man, and Ben accepts.

And now for the ending!

Christian says he's dead and tells Jack that he's dead too. Christian says they are both real and that everything that has ever happened to him is real. And that everyone in the church is dead - but they all died at different times. There is no "now" but they all made a place together so that they could find each other. The most important part of Jack's life was the time he spent on the island with the rest of the Losties, and now it's time to move on. As we see this, we see that Jack is still alive, but is about to die. He limps around until Vincent finds him and we flash between the sideways world and the island. End scene on Jack's eye closing.

So the ending is obviously open to interpretation, but what's your take? I have about a billion questions, but as far as I'm concerned, the final takeaway that the Lost creators intended was that it's always been about the characters and their relationships with each other. Yes, we still don't really know why the polar bear was there or what Walt's special powers were, but the heart of the show has always been how the characters have affected each other's lives. And they are all together in the end. As for me, I think that Jack's sideways universe starts the moment he dies in the jungle, and he finally feels retribution when he's reunited with the Losties and with Kate. He did say on the island that he had nothing left in his life in LA. Jack found meaning and purpose with the island the people there, so that's what he chooses for his afterlife. His motto was "live together, die alone," and that technically proves to be true in the end - but Jack learns that he never really has to be alone, even after his death. What did you love or hate about the episode? Ready, set, break down! Photo copyright 2010 ABC, Inc.

Let's Get Lost: "What They Died For" Recap

BuzzSugar — Wed, 19 May 2010 04:00:00 PDT

It's coming! In case the finality of Lost hasn't quite hit you yet, this week's episode surely does the trick. While Flocke continues his vengeful rampage (more deaths!), Jacob returns to discuss matters with our four remaining Oceanic survivors - Jack, Sawyer, Kate, and Hurley. As the title suggests, he explains to the gang what Sayid, Sun, and Jin died for, which means we have a few explanations nicely spelled out for us. It was great to see the major players again after last week; plus Miles, Richard, and Ben are back on the scene after their hiatus.

I'm dying for this Sunday's finale, but before we get ahead of ourselves, let's try to fully understand this one. Just

The episode opens with a close up of Jack's eye - just like the pilot of the show did six seasons ago. We're in the sideways, and he walks over to the bathroom mirror (mirror reference!) to realize he's bleeding at his neck, exactly like when he was on the plane earlier this season. His son enters the room to mention his piano concert later that evening, and they go to eat breakfast where Claire shows up. Finally, it seems that Jack has some semblance of a family, which sort of made me all warm inside.
Jack receives a call that Oceanic has located his father's coffin, but - surprise! - it's Desmond on the end of the line. Desmond is trying to bring all of the passengers together, and he mysteriously knows exactly where each of them are going to be. Who is tipping him off? Or perhaps he knows because of his ability to time travel when he has a constant. He tries to run over Locke again in the school parking lot, until Ben intervenes. When he does, Desmond hits Ben until he has a flashback (or sideflash?), and he tells Ben that he wasn't trying to kill Locke; he was only trying to help him let go (the same thing Jack told Locke after his surgery). Once Ben relays the story to Locke (after staring in a mirror), Ben and Locke both start believing in these strange coincidences. Locke even returns to Jack at the hospital to tell him that he'd like to try the surgery.
Ben, Miles, and Richard are back! Were they really walking in the jungle this entire time? Seems so and Ben is leading them to the rundown camp where he says he's hiding C4 to blow up the plane. Outside of the compound, Miles starts hearing things, which Richard tells Ben is Alex. Spooky. Ben seems unfazed, and they enter his old house, where he's keeping the explosives in a secret closet...a closet that just so happens to have a mysterious passageway to summon the smoke monster? Then, Zoe and Widmore arrive on the scene. Widmore explains to Ben that he's carrying out Jacob's orders. Ben doesn't believe him, so when Flocke shows up, Ben leads Flocke straight to him (in return for Flocke's promise to later give Ben the island). Flocke kills Zoe (and chucks Richard into a tree), and then he asks Widmore to tell him why he's there; otherwise, he says, he'll kill Penelope. Widmore says it's to bring Desmond to the island because of his resistance to electromagnetism. He leans in to whisper further details to Flocke, but before we find out what they are, Ben shoots Widmore to get revenge for Alex's death, saying that Widmore doesn't get to save his owndaughter. Looks like Ben is fully on team Flocke now, as he offers to kill others for him, too.
Kate's still getting over her gunshot wound from the submarine, so Jack has to do some handiwork with a needle - again, a direct reference to the pilot where Kate sewed up Jack's wound with thread. They agree that they have to kill Flocke, so they set out to find Desmond. On the way, Hurley spots the young boy in the jungle again. The kid asks for the ashes from when Jacob died, so Hurley hands them over, but then takes off after the child. Once he comes to a clearing, we see Jacob by a campfire - Jacob is the boy, after all! He tells Hurley that his ashes are in the fire, and once it goes out, he'll be gone.
After Hurley's brief encounter, the entire group comes across Jacob later. He explains that he blames himself for how Flocke is, that he made him that way (no doubt, when he threw him into the water with the magical cave). Because of this, one of them has to take over for Jacob and protect the light at the center of the island. He says that he chose each of them because they were lonely like him and not leading happy lives. As for Kate, the reason her name was crossed off is because she became a mother to Aaron! Jack offers to take the responsibility as Jacob's replacement - yeah, like we didn't see that coming - and the two men walk off together.
Returning to the sideways, Desmond turns himself in for Locke's hit and run. Naturally, I presumed it was to get close to Sawyer to show him the visions, but I totally forgot that Kate and Sayid are under Sawyer's watch, too. Desmond gets locked up with both of them, and they move the three to a county jail. En route, Desmond tells them that if they do him a favor, he can help both of them get free. Thinking Desmond's crazy, Kate and Sayid agree, and the police van stops, the exit door opens, and Ana Lucia(!) is the cop letting them go. Desmond pays her off with Hurley's money, and Hurley shows up to help orchestrate the break. Sayid leaves with Hurley, and Kate with Desmond - to the same concert that Jack and his son are attending. Sounds like some major stuff is going to go down when we get to that recital in the finale. Any guesses as to where Sayid is going with Hurley though? Did they maybe find Shannon, and are taking him to her?!
Guess who else gets together in the sideways world - Ben and Danielle Rousseau! Alex offers to give Ben a ride home, and invites him to dinner with her mom. Danielle tells Ben that Alex's father died around the time she was born (just like on the island), and that Ben is the closest thing she has to a dad. Ben gets choked up, but I'm curious if we're going to see a romance between Danielle and Ben. The scene kind of hinted that it's a possibility, and we know that there's an unexpected romance in the pipeline. Or perhaps Ben was just staring intently at Danielle because he vaguely recognizes her from the island?
When Jack and Jacob are alone by the creek, Jacob goes into the same ritual we saw with his fake mother last week. He says a blessing over the water and has Jack drink it, then telling him "now you're like me" - the same thing fake mom said. Jack is officially the new Jacob, but I'm still wondering what will happen if the light does go out? We've had it somewhat explained, but the details are still unclear. Also, why can you only see the cave with the light if you've sipped the water (or if you're brought to it by someone who has)?
Flocke leads Ben to the well where he left Desmond. Only thing is, it appears that someone helped him escape. If it's not Jack and that group, who is it? Flocke is actually happy about this news, however. He reveals to Ben what Widmore whispered to him - that Desmond was a fail-safe in case Flocke killed all of the candidates. Flocke says he wants to find Desmond so he can help him do the one thing he couldn't do himself, which is destroy the island. My guess is this somehow involves electromagnets.

So there you have it - we got a few answers, but there are still plenty of looming questions left over for the finale this Sunday. Something tells me that we'll never learn the truth about everything, though (the show has to keep some mystery). Do you think Jack will succeed in killing Flocke? Or will he be stuck spending the rest of his days warding him off? As for the sideways, I can't wait to see his ex-wife. We know she's going to be at the concert, and this build-up for her reveal better mean that she's a huge surprise. Tell me what you thought about the episode in the comments below or in the Lost Fans group in the Buzz Community. Photo copyright 2010 ABC, Inc.

Let's Get Lost: "Across the Sea" Recap

BuzzSugar — Wed, 12 May 2010 06:05:00 PDT

This week's Lost is all about Jacob and the MIB. The upside: we get answers! The downside: it's all about Jacob and the MIB. What no shirtless Sawyer scenes? Come on!

I realize that an episode like this is necessary to take us to the finale, but without the usual Oceanic passengers, the show felt amiss. Throw in some weird period costumes, a primitive village, and a mysterious glowing rock, and sometimes, it felt like an entirely different series even. Oh, and as for those answers? They're not completely doing it for me, because I still have more questions to ponder. Time to pull together our brain power, and think over some of the big moments of the night when you

Well, hi there, Allison Janney, how did you get to the island? The actress plays a midwife of sorts to a shipwrecked woman giving birth to two boys - Jacob and...well, we still don't learn MIB's real name. The mother tells her that she only came up with one name, and hence, MIB's is never uttered. Then Allison Janney kills her. Oh, and Janney doesn't have a name either, so I'll be referring to her as Janney for the rest of this post.
Flash forward several years, and we see MIB and Jacob as boys being raised by Janney - MIB looks like a young Zac Efron, and Jacob looks exactly like that mysterious boy we keep spotting in the island's woods. MIB finds a game on the beach with two pebbles - one black, one white - and gets Jacob to play. Turns out, Janney left the game for him, because he's "special," seemingly favoring him over Jacob. He asks her what's beyond the ocean, but she insists that the island is all there is.
Young Jacob and MIB come across other men on the island, so Janney is forced to reveal their purpose there. She takes them to a creek with a glowing rock, explaining that the light is the same light inside every man; they must protect it, because if it goes out, it goes out everywhere. Sounds similar to the warning we already received about what will happen if Flocke is released from the island. Another item of note: Janney tells the boys that she's made it so they can never hurt each other. So that's why the MIB had to get someone else (Ben) to kill Jacob for him. But it all feels just a little too easy, doesn't it?
Later, MIB spots his dead mother in the woods, and she reveals the truth of how Janney killed her. She explains to MIB that Jacob can't see her, because she's dead (perhaps, another reason why Janney calls MIB "special" and not Jacob - so is MIB somehow correlated with Miles and Hurley?). She also says that she's their real mother, and that she came over to the island on a boat. MIB vows to get off the island to return to where he came from, hence why Flocke is always spouting about how badly he wants to leave.
MIB tries to take Jacob and leave Janney, but once Jacob catches wind of his plans, he beats MIB up until Janney shows up. She tells MIB that he'll never be able to leave the island, but he refuses to believe her, so he goes to live among the men on the other side of the island, while Jacob stays behind with Janney. She tells Jacob that she had to kill his birth mother, because otherwise, she would've taken the boys back to the other "not good" people. Quick theory: perhaps the reason babies can't be conceived and born on the island is because Janney put some sort of curse on outsiders to insure that the "not good" people don't procreate?
Decades later, MIB and Jacob are playing the same pebble game in secret from Janney. MIB tells Jacob that the men found something underneath magnetic pockets in the jungle that is going to get them off the island. Jacob tells Janney about this, so she shows up to find MIB at the old Orchid station(!). MIB is creating the Orchid's wheel, in order to get off the island using the light source Janney showed him. To prevent him from doing so, she tells him goodbye - and then slams his head against a rock. When he comes to, he's in the middle of the village, now burned down and the men murdered. One guess as to who did this, but did Janney commit the crimes as herself? Or did she perhaps transform into the smoke monster?
Janney goes back to Jacob and takes him to the glowing rock/cave, explaining that what's down there is "light, death, rebirth." She pours wine from the same bottle we saw earlier with MIB and Jacob, mumbles some sort of blessing (anyone able to translate it?), and hands it to Jacob to drink. She says that he's agreeing to protect the island, but also to find a replacement for himself. After he drinks she says, "Now, you and I are the same." Meaning that they're both protectors? Some sort of demigods? That they live on forever? She asks him to promise to never go down into the glowing rock/cave, claiming that it will be worse than dying.
Still fuming over what Janney did, MIB finds her and drives a stake through her. She tells him that she wouldn't let him leave the island, because she loves him. Then, right before she passes, she tells him "thank you." For what? Is it for killing her, because she slaughtered so many people? Or perhaps we only think Jacob took over Janney's role of protecting the island when it's actually MIB who she was setting up as the watchdog?
When Jacob sees that MIB has killed Janney, he drags him to the river and throws him into the water. MIB drifts into the cave of light, and then comes charging out - as the smoke monster! So that's how the smoke monster came to be. But that still doesn't exactly explain it. It does, however, answer why Janney told Jacob that going into the tunnel would be "worse than dying." But maybe she knew that Jacob would do this all along and wanted this to happen to MIB, so he'd be stuck on the island forever.
As Jacob mourns for his brother, he finds his human body in the river and carries it back to Janney's cave. He places them side by side for their final resting place, and there you have it - they're the two skeletons in the cave that we saw in previous episodes. So basically, MIB's body died, but he continued to inhabit it to appear to Jacob, Richard, and who knows who else. Also, of course he appears as the Smoke Monster, and later as Flocke.

I think that just about covers it - anything I missed? Have a few theories now that even more has been revealed? Please share 'em in the comments, or head over to the Lost Fans group in the Buzz Community. Plus, don't forget to vote on your favorite Lost character in my bracket for the chance to win an awesome prize package! Photo copyright 2010 ABC, Inc.

Let's Get Lost: "The Candidate" Recap

BuzzSugar — Wed, 05 May 2010 04:00:00 PDT

Darn you, Lost for turning me into a weeping mess. I'm not sure if my emotions got the best of me because of my pure shock over what went down this week (three main characters died!), or if it's due to the fast-approaching finale being all the more real. All I know, is I just feel like I went through an entire catharsis, and I'm drained - but my mind is still churning.

Like, what does the change in Locke's backstory in the sideways reality mean? And is Flocke completely omniscient? I have a few theories (and I want to hear yours too, of course), so let's go over the big highlights and questions. As you may recall, the last episode concluded with Widmore taking Sawyer and his followers captive, while Flocke saved Jack. Let's pick right back up when you

The episode opens in the alternate world with Jack explaining to Locke that he could help him walk again, calling Locke a "candidate" for a procedure (let the allusions to the island begin!). Locke tells Jack that he doesn't want to be fixed. Also of note, when Locke is later sleeping in the hospital, he murmurs "push the button" and "I wish you had believed me" - a reference to the suicide note Locke left for Jack last season. So apparently, Locke can remember the island in a dreamlike state. His words also seem to imply that if the Oceanic castaways continued to press the button and stayed on the island as Locke originally wanted - instead of leaving as Jack wanted to - that this sideways wouldn't exist.
As Widmore puts his new captives in a cage, Sawyer grabs hold of a gun - so Widmore turns his weapon on Kate, saying that she's not on the list, so he doesn't need her. Sawyer knows what he's referencing, so he drops his rifle and explains the names to Kate. I'm curious as to why Kate has apparently lost her candidacy. In the third season Mikhail told her she's not the on the list because she's "flawed" - is it because of her past transgressions? But I digress, the smoke monster appears with Jack in tow, who then releases the group from their lockup. The entire group heads to the plane with Flocke leading the way.
Back in the sideways, Jack does some investigative work to understand why Locke doesn't want the procedure, and visits Locke's dentist: Bernard. After a quick chat, the two realize that they were both on Oceanic flight 815, and though Jack seems surprised, I'd argue that Bernard appears eerily knowing. He hands Jack the information he asks for - the name of the man who was in the accident with Locke - and says, "I hope you find what you're looking for." Perhaps like Desmond and Charlie and Libby, Bernard also knows about the island and is, in his own way, trying to help Jack along.
As for the man Jack's looking for, it's Locke's father Anthony Cooper. Jack tracks him down at hospital facility, where he's basically a vegetable, unable to walk or talk. In the sideways world, Locke had been flying a private plane with his father when it crashed, and Locke blames himself for his father's sorry state, which is why he turns down the surgery. Since the other characters' pasts have also changed, perhaps Locke had wished for his terrible father to be dead - which he basically is. Later, Jack tells Locke, "I wish you believed me" about getting the surgery, using Locke's words.
When Flocke and the gang approach the plane to leave, Flocke kills a couple of Widmore guards, and although they fire on Flocke, he appears to be unharmed. It never really dawned on me before, but I'm assuming Flocke can never be killed, only restrained, as with the wine bottle metaphor. When Flocke enters the plane, he discovers that Widmore has wired it with explosives, so he tells the group that they'll have to take the sub instead. The group climbs into the sub, as Widmore's guys open fire, wounding Kate. Jack shoves Flocke into the water, jumps in the sub to save Kate, and they push away from the land with everyone on board, minus Claire. Only thing is, Flocke planted the plane's explosives on Jack, which means they're trapped with a ticking bomb. Flocke must've known there would be explosives on the plane, hence why he knew to take the watch. I wonder if leaving with them was ever part of the plan (and if Jack just ruined it by opting to stay), or if Flocke wanted to kill them all along in order to be free.
Back to sideways, Claire shows Jack what Christian left for her in his will: a music box. It plays "Catch a Falling Star" (in season one, Claire tells Aaron's prospective adoptive parents that her father sang this song to her). Note also how Claire and Jack look into the mirror in the box together. It's just another mirror in the sideways - just think to when Jack looked at his appendix scar in the mirror or when Sawyer smashes the one in the police locker room. The writers seem to be using the device to hint more at the dual nature/reality of the characters.
As the bomb is about to go off on the submarine, Jack tells Sawyer not to panic, saying Flocke can't kill the candidates. Instead, Jack believes that Flocke is using the explosives to cause them to take out each other. Jack's logic makes sense - that's why Flocke needed Sayid, in order to do his dirty work. It's also explains why the mysterious boy in the jungle likes to taunt Flocke by telling him "you know the rules, you can't kill him."
Saywer doesn't trust Jack's theories, so he tries to disarm the bomb, but instead the clock counts down faster. Sayid grabs it, and runs to the other side of the sub, telling Jack about Desmond's whereabouts and saying, "It's going to be you, Jack" before it explodes. To me, this is a direct reference to Jack being the substitute for Jacob. Does this mean Flocke knows Jack is the substitute, too, and Sayid found out through him? Or perhaps Sayid just has a gut feeling. Alas, Sayid is dead now though, which came as quite a quick shock. At least he died a hero though, back on the good side.

With the explosion, water bursts into the sub. Sun gets stuck behind a giant block of metal, Sawyer is knocked unconscious, and the entire ship is going down. Jack sends Hurley up to the surface with wounded Kate, while he tries to save the rest. Jin tells Jack to go with Sawyer, as he stays behind with Sun. Sun pleads with Jin to go, but he tells her he'll never leave her, and the two die with the sub. Yes, it was quite melodramatic, but it gave me total flashbacks to the scene of the old people in Titanic (you know the one I'm talking about), and I was a goner. I can't believe they took Sun, Jin, and Sayid from us in one episode. We really are nearing the end now.
Sawyer, Kate, Jack, and Hurley are now the only ones left (is Lapidus dead, too?), and they wash up on shore. But they're definitely not safe, as Flocke tells Claire that he's going to finish what he started. How does Flocke know they're still alive? Is it because if they were dead, he'd be free? Or is he just omniscient? And how can "finish" what he started if he can't kill them?

Whew, that's enough. Please weigh in with what you thought of the episode - did you cry as much as I did? And for the love of all things Lost, send a few theories my way. Just post them in the comments below, or head over to the Lost Fans group in the Buzz Community. Plus, don't forget to vote on your favorite Lost character in my bracket. You could win an awesome ultimate fan prize package! Photo copyright 2010 ABC, Inc.

Let's Get Lost: "The Last Recruit" Recap

BuzzSugar — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 09:25:00 PDT

To quote Flocke himself, "Well, here we go." Indeed, this week's Lost signals the beginning of the end, as more characters come together on the island and in the sideways world. We're gearing up for a war of epic proportions, if Widmore's heavy artillery didn't already tip you off.

I don't want to give too much away, so to recap the return of one character, the reunion of two others, and which one may just be dead (spoilers!),

So it was the Man in Black who disguised himself as Christian Shepard in the jungle! I suspected as much, but Flocke confesses his trickery to Jack, saying he only did it to help Jack. Yeah, right. It wouldn't be to manipulate Claire and the rest of the islanders, now would it?
Sun recognizes Locke! When she's taken to the hospital following her bullet wound, she spots Locke being wheeled out on his own stretcher, and cries to Jin, "It's him! It's him!" My guess is she recognizes Locke right away, because she almost died, much like Charlie and Desmond.
Widmore's lackeys come for what Flocke took from them (read: Desmond) and fire a warning bomb to prove their point. Flocke doesn't appear fazed, and instead orders Sayid to kill Desmond back at the well. Sayid goes to carry out his assignment, but when he arrives, Desmond starts appealing to his sensitive side by mentioning Nadia. We never see what actually goes down, but when Flocke presses Sayid, he tells him he went through with the murder. I think Sayid is bluffing, don't you? It hints that Sayid may be able to switch sides after all.
As he continues to bring the Oceanic passengers together in the alternate reality, Desmond "bumps" into Claire on her way to the adoption agency and convinces her to see his lawyer friend. Guess who? She's none other than Ilana who immediately registers that she knows Claire. Ilana says she's actually been looking for her, because (surprise!) Ilana is also in charge of Christian Shepard's will. Jack and his son show up for its reading, find Claire, and the truth comes out that she's Jack's sister. Perhaps Ilana is still somehow serving Jacob in the sideways by keeping tabs on Widmore and Jack Shepard as their legal help. But did Desmond know they were reading Shepard's will that day? And why do some characters only recognize certain others - like Sun with Locke, and Ilana with Claire?
Back in the sideways world, Sawyer brings Kate in for the feds, but she guesses what we already knew – that he doesn't want anyone knowing about his trip to Australia. Think he'll let her "escape" now, since she has something on him? Also, in a twist of fate, Sawyer captures Sayid for the deaths of Keamy and his men.
Of note: Desmond tells Claire regarding the adoption that she "could find herself in a situation that's irreversible." Perhaps this alludes to what will happen if she goes with Flocke off the island.
Best line of night: Sawyer refers to Lapidus as "that pilot that looks like he stepped off the set of a Burt Reynolds movie." Sawyer, you slay me.
Since he already made a deal with Widmore, Sawyer goes against Flocke's plan and rounds up Kate, Jack, Hurley, Sun, and Frank to sail to the other island. Claire realizes she's being left behind and aims a gun at the gang until Kate convinces her to come with. Just what they need - cuckoo Claire messing things up.
On the boat, Jack tells Sawyer that he thinks they're making a mistake, and raises a good point: perhaps Flocke wants them off the island, because they're actually supposed to stay there longer. Sawyer doesn't like that, of course, and orders him to go with them or jump off, so Jack literally jumps off after apologizing for Juliet's death (anyone else reminded of when Sawyer leapt off the helicopter?) Jack washes up back at shore where Flocke finds him. Big uh-oh, but even worse, Widmore's crew starts unleashing bombs.
Biggest moment of irony: Jack is called to operate on a man at the hospital, John Locke. Locke is totally vulnerable, putting his life in Jack's hands, but back on the island, Flocke carries Jack to safety from Widmore's explosives. I can't help but think, now more than ever that Jack will be Jacob's replacement and is the key in all of this. He's the one who recognizes that the island isn't done with them, taking on the role of the "believer." Flocke seems to know, too, immediately pulling Jack aside when he comes to his camp at the beginning of the episode. I wonder if Widmore is clued into it. He did call off the deal with Sawyer - could it be because Sawyer didn't deliver Jack?
Anyone else tear up over the Jin and Sun reunion? The two finally find each other on the other island, and Sun's English miraculously comes back. Was it just some psychological condition before?
I really think Jack's ex-wife in the sideways isn't Sarah (Julie Bowen), because the writers continue to tease us to set up her big reveal. Here's a theory: Juliet. Not only would she be a good twist, but since Sawyer and Kate keep coming together in the sideways world, Jack and Juliet could pair up, too.

Do you agree with any of my theories? Do you think Jack is the 'last recruit' of the title for Flocke, Widmore, or Jacob? How about sharing a few of your own below, and you may even see them in my latest comment roundup. Or join the Lost Fans group in the Buzz Community where you can chat about the show as much as you like! Photo copyright 2010 ABC, Inc.

Let's Get Lost: "Everybody Loves Hugo" Recap

BuzzSugar — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 07:51:34 PDT

This week Lost flips the alternate reality switch on Hurley with the episode "Everybody Loves Hugo" - a juxtaposition of the wording of season two episode "Everybody Hates Hugo."

While things certainly are different in Hurley's other life, the lines of the two worlds are starting to blur as some characters are becoming aware of another distinct life. Let's get down to business when you

In Hurley's alternate world, Pierre Chang is dedicating an award to Hurley and his great life. The paleontology wing is named after him, and we see his other charitable efforts, which include things like a hospital and an "experimental farm." His mom wishes the ladies loved cool H, though, and she sets him up on a blind date. It's Libby who appears, not as his date, but because she recognizes him. She asks him if he thinks people can be connected, and in soulmates, then says, "You don't remember me, do you?" as well as "I meant everything I said." She's just another in the growing list of folks in the alternate timeline who realize that they experienced the original timeline. Dr. Brooks (Hurley's old therapist) pulls her away before she can say more. Shaken, Hurley visits a branch of his famous Mr. Clucks. Among those there: Samm Levine! And Desmond, who recognizes him from the flight (orrr does he recognize him from their previous entanglement?). Desmond is intrigued by Hurley's tale of Libby, which I think is because he now believes.
Back on the island, Hurley is tending to Libby's grave when Ilana tells him her plan to get the dynamite to blow up the plane. Just after hearing the whispers again, he sees Michael, who tries to discourage the dynamite plan. Could Michael be on Flocke's side, having made a deal with him? Hurley takes the advice seriously and warns the group about the dynamite, specifically citing its instability. Ilana promptly blows up (!) in front of everyone (a Tricia Tanaka allusion?). Guess I didn't like her much anyway.
At Flocke's camp, Flocke says all the passengers have to leave together on the plane the way they came, just as Ben had told the Oceanic six in LA. Sayid returns and shows Flocke Desmond tied up, though there was no need - Des is there willingly. He doesn't know why he's been brought back by Widmore, but I have a feeling Flocke knows why. While strolling through the jungle, Desmond and Flocke see a young boy, and Flocke bristles as he did when that blond kid showed up and told him he couldn't kill Sawyer. Are these kids young versions of island inhabitants, or some sort of messengers? Was he going to tell Flocke that he couldn't kill Desmond?
In his alternate life, Hurley goes to the Santa Rosa Mental Institute, the same place he'd been a patient twice before. Though Dr. Brooks tells Hurley that Libby has "issues with reality," a quick payoff gets him access to her. In the room at the institute, we see a man playing Connect Four, as Leonard Simms once did. Also of note: there's a drawing of an island on the chalkboard with a large monster (a crocodile?) overtaking it. Libby says seeing Hurley on TV brought back memories of another life, and divulges everything from the "normal" timeline - the plane crash, the island, Hurley and her liking each other. He still has no recollection of her or anything she's talking about, but he asks her out anyway.
Back on island time, Hurley finds a book with a Russian title and a mysterious bag. The bag seems to convince him of something, and then we see what that is: he destroys the dynamite (Black Rock go boom), explaining to Richard, "I'm protecting it." It? What is it - the Black Rock, the island, the plane? Richard doesn't believe he's acting on Jacob's orders and refuses Hurley's suggestion to talk to Flocke. Miles and Ben join Richard, but new man of faith Jack believes in Hurley. And a long-lasting Lost mystery is revealed: the whispers! Hurley figures it out via Michael, who is one of the souls stuck on the island who can't move on because of what they did there. To that end, Michael asks Hurley to tell Libby he's very sorry if he ever sees her again.
On the real date they finally get to have, Hurley takes Libby to the beach (awkward choice, dude). He questions why she likes him, and when she kisses him, he gets flashbacks to the original timeline, like Desmond, Charlie, and Daniel had. Desmond is watching them, which I suspect is because he knows Hurley is connected to the weirdness with Penny, Daniel, and Charlie. But it could also be a Widmore directive, right?
At a well in the jungle (the well Locke went down during the flashes?), Flocke explains that the creators of the well were looking for answers, because it made compass needles spin (from electromagnetism?). The whole thing kind of parallels Locke's experience looking over the hatch with Jack. Just after he tells Desmond that Widmore is only using him and interested in power, he wonders aloud why Des isn't afraid of him. One creepy smirk later, Flocke tosses him down the well. To me, it's another indication that Flocke knows Desmond is a crucial element.
Hurley surprises Flocke by entering his camp to talk, and finally, the two sides meet. Tellingly, Jack and Flocke have a familiar rapport, but boy is that "Hello, Jack" foreboding. Anyone else notice that Jack has now assumed Locke's old man of faith role, and even echoes Locke's famous line when he says he doesn't like when people tell him what to do?
In the alternate reality, Desmond is watching Locke at the high school where he and Ben work. When Ben asks what he's doing there, Des says he's checking it out for his fake son (and uses his real son's name in the other world, Charlie). I did not expect what came next: Desmond brutally runs over Locke in his wheelchair! Is this a Widmore order, or is he flashing from the original timeline and exacting revenge on Locke just after Locke threw him down the well?

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Lost Fans

Let's Get Lost: "Happily Ever After" Recap

BuzzSugar — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 11:48:07 PDT

This week's Lost brought back one of my favorite characters (Desmond, brotha!). It was nice to see his familiar face, because frankly, I felt like I needed my own constant to navigate the time switching going on.

In the sideways world, we're finally seeing the characters come together and getting a glimpse at why the alternate reality is important. My head is still throbbing from all of the episode's reveals (and the many, many questions it raises), so let's start trying to dissect this mess when you

Desmond is back on the island by order of Charles Widmore. He says Desmond must undergo a test, otherwise "everyone will be gone forever." The test: giant electromagnets. Widmore mentions that his son died doing the same thing, but he has hope for Desmond since he's the only one who has survived an electromagnetic event. He straps Desmond to a chair, turns the machine on, and Desmond is in anguish until (surprise!) we flash to the sideways world.
It's George from the freighter! The character reappears as Desmond's car driver, picking him up at the airport. Desmond is a business guy with a big-time boss - Charles Widmore. Yep, Desmond is Widmore's right hand (they even hug), and no, he's not married. In fact, there is no mention of Penny yet, but we do see Charlie again.
Desmond is given the task of bringing Charlie to Mrs. Widmore (who is actually Eloise Hawking). Seems that Widmore wants his son (yes, he's alive) to play with Charlie's band at a party. Rounding him up is easier said than done. Charlie spouts a story about seeing his love while choking on his drug bag on the plane. The woman in question is Claire, and to prove a point about his vision, he drives Desmond's car into the water. Here's a question: Did Widmore and Eloise want to get their hands on Charlie because they knew he had seen a glimpse of the alternate reality? To somehow squash his visions?
As Desmond pulls Charlie out of the car, Charlie puts his hand against the glass, mimicking when he was dying on the island. Suddenly Desmond pictures that moment with the writing "not Penny's boat." In the hospital post-accident, Desmond undergoes an MRI - paralleling Widmore's electromagnetic machine - and has visions of Penny. Even when the medical assistant mentions the panic button, it seems like Desmond is recollecting the button in the Swan. Knowing that he's uncovered something, he sets out to find Penny.
When Desmond confronts Charlie after running into Jack on duty, Charlie says "None of this is real." If so, then is the sideways reality just a preview of what happens if the MIB gets off the island?
Desmond goes to see Mrs. Widmore since he can't round up Charlie for her party. As for their son, he's Daniel Faraday, now Widmore, the musician. Desmond overhears the name Penny (with the last name Milton) from the party's guest list, but when he inquires further, Eloise tells him to "stop looking for it." Perhaps Desmond will strike a deal with the Man in Black (much like the other characters appear to be doing). It would help explain why Desmond now has Widmore's approval (which, Eloise comments, is what he wanted) and why she says seeking out Penny is "a violation." Are the Widmores some sort of go-between negotiators for the MIB and Jacob? I'm just thinking out loud here.
Daniel pulls aside Desmond, relaying a story about spotting Charlotte at the museum. The evening after his encounter with her, he supposedly woke up in the middle of the night and wrote advanced quantum mechanics equations. This coming from a musician who knows nothing about science. He suggests that perhaps this life isn't supposed to be their actual life - and that he thinks he set off a nuclear bomb to change the events.
Daniel tells Desmond where to find Penny, so he ends up at a stadium where she's running stairs and introduces himself (a throwback to when he first met Jack running stairs at perhaps the same stadium). He faints soon after and flashes to the island again, but once he wakes, they plan a coffee date. On a side note, who is Penny's mom? We know it's not Eloise, and I'm sure it must have relevance.
Whoa - from the looks of it, Desmond experiences his sideways reality while being knocked out from the magnets. He comes to on the floor and agrees to cooperate with Widmore. But as he marches into the forest with Widmore's minions, Sayid knocks out the group and gets Desmond to follow him. Strange that Desmond follows Widmore and then Sayid so willingly. Is he brainwashed? I almost wonder if unlike the other characters who seem to be choosing sides between the Man in Black and Jacob, perhaps Desmond will somehow remain neutral - much like he's remained the only character who wasn't part of the original Oceanic flight, and he's the only character who appears to travel through time with such ease. Is he Lost's Switzerland? Or is Desmond going with Sayid part of Widmore's plan to get the MIB where he wants him?
Toward the end of the episode, Desmond flashes between the island and the sideways at a more rapid rate. I wonder if Widmore knew the electromagnetic effects from the machine would cause Desmond to time travel, making him the only person who can manipulate both realities to Widmore's wishes.
Desmond asks George to get the flight list for Oceanic 815 for him, as he wants to show "them" (the rest of the passengers?) something. My guess is he's going to pull a Charlie to prove to each of them that the other reality exists. Funny though how George's role in both worlds is nearly the same - he works for Widmore, but he ends up assisting Desmond in discovering the truth (like on the freighter, when he shows Sayid and Desmond the communication room).
Fun fact: Widmore's office had a large painting of a scale with a white object and a black object. I'm dying to know what role he has with Jacob and the Man in Black.

That's enough theory spewing from me, so time for you to chime in. What do you make of the latest events? Any ideas to share? Sound off in the comments (you may even see yours in my roundup later!). Or head over to the Lost Fans group in community to chat more. Photos copyright 2010 ABC, Inc.

Let's Get Lost: "The Package" Recap

BuzzSugar — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 12:20:10 PDT

Lost visits one of my favorite of its themes this week: soulmates. The lovers in question are Jin and Sun, and we get a reunion of sorts in the mysterious sideways universe.

As has been the trend these last few episodes, we were treated to a few mind-boggling reveals and juicy tidbits, but you know I can't chat for real without revealing spoilers, so to get down to it, just

In Jin and Sun's sideways life, they're not married, but very much in love. A sum of $25,000 is confiscated from Jin at customs, and they go back to their hotel and separate rooms for a little stripteasin' and secret lovin'. Sun suggests they run away together - ironic since she originally wanted to run away from him. Also originally, Jin was allowed to marry Sun by disowning his father, so in the sideways timeline, has he just not done that yet, or did he refuse to do it? (BTW, his father actually suggested that Jin run off with Sun to escape Mr. Paik in a first season flashback). Anyway, the intended recipient of the money and the watch shows up, and it's Martin Keamy, alluded to in the earlier Sayid-centric episode. Keamy works for Sun's dad, and is angry about the money not being there. Korean-speaking Jin and Sun can't communicate with him, so Keamy gets his buddy Mikhail (from the Flame station) to translate. At the bank, Sun finds her account has been closed by her father, no doubt due to Keamy's big mouth about her romance with Jin.
Back on the island, the members of Flocke's camp are being surveilled (by Widmore, I presume). Speaking of spying, Claire creepily listens in on Flocke and Jin talking about candidates, and then asks Flocke if her name is on the wall of candidates. It's not. When she asks if Kate's name is there, he says it's not . . . anymore. So Kate's name was there before, but not now. Did one of her actions, like killing her stepfather, get her ousted from candidacy (remember her episode titled "What Kate Does")?
Jin tries to abandon the Flocke group, but a sudden attack by Widmore's army prevents him. He wakes up in Room 23 on Hydra island - where Alex's boyfriend Karl was once kept - and accidentally turns on the subliminal message tape. If you're curious, the flashes include images of Dharma founder Gerald Degroot, fireworks, images of a boat at sunset, doll faces, clay figures, tribal masks, a graveyard, a fluorescent bulb, the moon, a Buddha figure, a compass, a mannequin face, an early projector, and keyboards. Phew! If you didn't catch the text, it reads "THINK ABOUT YOUR LIFE," "we are the causes of our own suffering," and "Everything changes." (What does it all mean?!) Zoe (who reveals later she's a geophysicist) strides in, with maps of the island and its electromagnetism that Jin had signed while working for Dharma. It's not all friendly, though: she tasers him when he tries to leave.
At the beach camp, Ilana insists Richard will come back, but Sun is frustrated and disbelieving. After sulking in the garden she planted years ago, she brushes off Jack, only to be confronted by Flocke. He says he has Jin, but she doesn't trust him and seizes the moment to run. A tree stops her short, literally smacking the English right out of her. Of all people, Ben finds Sun and takes her back to the beach. Isn't he so sweet now that he's been absolved? Not being able to speak English is a real side effect, Jack confirms. Her knowledge of English was pretty key when she first came to the island, so I wonder if there is any significance.
Richard does return, to the relief of Ilana, and when he finds out that Flocke has been nearby, he tells the group his plan: to destroy the plane Flocke and his crew are hoping to leave on. (Snicker-worthy: when Sawyer finds out Locke wants to take said plane, and asks "Can't you just turn into smoke, fly your ass over water?") Sun hates the plan, though, and storms off in refusal.
Widmore and Flocke: they finally meet! Widmore claims to only know "Myth, ghost stories, and jungle noises in the night" about him, but Flocke scoffs at that, citing the pylons on the beach. What do those do, exactly? The meeting is not exactly successful, and Flocke declares that a wise man had once said a war was coming to the island, and it just got here.
In sideways LA, Keamy binds Jin while taunting him about Sun, saying that "some people aren't meant to be together." Later, Jin hears the shots of Sayid wasting Keamy and Omar, and like we'd seen, finds Jin taped up. Sayid gives Jin the razor blade to free himself, telling him good luck. Outside, Mikhail and Sun arrive, and surprise - Keamy isn't dead. Mikhail and Jin struggle, but Jin gets the better of the Russian and shoots him right in the eye (the same eye he wears a patch over on the island). Sun is hit in the crossfire - and tells Jin she's pregnant. A thought: on this show, taking another person's life seems like it may be one of the barometers for whether a person is "good," and now Jin has killed someone. If the sideways world is parallel to the current one, does this mean Sun is now definitely the candidate?
On Hydra, Widmore instructs Zoe to get "the package" from the sub and take it to the infirmary. He then speaks to Jin and shows him a camera of Sun's, which is full of photos of his daughter. It's the first time he's ever seen her - goosebumps, you guys! Widmore uses this to segue into the fact that he has a daughter too, and if either of them ever wants to see those children, they have to stop Flocke from leaving the island. So Widmore is on Jacob's side! This is kind of huge; now we know specifically why the Man in Black can't be allowed to go. It's not just a Pandora's box of evil that would be opened - the Man in Black escaping the island would cause the end of the world, according to Widmore. The other huge thing is that Widmore tells Jin about the package, and that it's not a what, but a who. We find out who it is when an amphibious Sayid swims to the dock: Desmond! I cannot express how psyched I am to see him, even barely conscious.

Other random stuff: When Keamy is tying up Jin in the restaurant, it sounds like he says he's doing it "just in case you figure out what's about to happen to the island." Did anyone else pick that up, or were my ears playing tricks on me? Also, there's a very short scene with Miles and Lapidus playing cards, and Miles says "Play your card, Captain." It seemingly had no significance, but I'm wondering if Miles's line is a wink at something Lapidus will do in the future. As usual, there are a ton of questions that need to be answered, and I am so ready to discuss with you. Tell me your thoughts in the comments below and you may see your theories in my comment roundup later! Photo copyright 2010 ABC, Inc.

Let's Get Lost: "Ab Aeterno" Recap

BuzzSugar — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 05:30:39 PDT

Consider my mind blown. I knew I would enjoy this week's Lost since it centers on Richard Alpert, but I didn't expect to get so many answers in one hour. The title "Ab Aeterno" means "from eternity" in Latin, or in other words, since the beginning, and we really do go back a long, long way (it also seems to reference the fact that Richard has eternal life).

It finally feels like we're getting a clear picture of exactly where the writers are headed in the coming weeks, and while some of the intrigue is gone, it does make me curious to watch how everything goes down. I can't even begin to discuss the evening without giving away oodles of spoilers, so let's cut the gabbing, and head straight into the jungle when you

Why has Ilana been tapped as Jacob's right-hand woman? The episode opens with her bandaged in the hospital - which we've already witnessed - but this time, we get more deets. Like, how the six people she's supposed to protect are candidates, and he tells her to seek out Ricardus, who will know what to do next.
Of course, Ricardus is Richard/Ricardo, who announces to Jack and the rest of the people at the beach that they're not on an island - they're in hell. That doesn't seem as probable as the episode continues, though I have to admit that he had me going. Soon we're thrust into his backstory (specifically the Canary Islands in 1867) where his wife, Isabella, is dying. She gives him her gold cross necklace to pay a doctor, so he goes to get medicine, but accidentally kills the doc. By the time he returns, Isabella is dead, and Ricardus is on death row, only to be saved by a man, Whitfield, who buys him as a slave to Magnus Hanso (the forebear of Alvar?), owner of the Black Rock.
The significance of Luke 4:37, which Ricardus reads in jail: it's the story of Jesus coming out of the desert (after being tempted by the devil) and finding a man with a devil-like spirit inside him, which he commands to come out. Could this "man" be an allusion to the Man in Black?
As the Black Rock approaches the island in a storm, we get a glimpse of the Taweret statue in its full form, as one of the ship captives exclaims that the land is being guarded by the devil. Sounds reasonable, although if you think about it further, the statue Taweret is usually associated with good. Full disclosure: I'm taking this straight from Wikipedia, but Tawaret is "seen as one who protected against evil by restraining it." After this episode, it kind of makes sense that Jacob lives underneath it, doesn't it? The ship crashes into the statue, leaving the foot, of course.
When Ricardus comes to, Whitfield comes down to the slave stowage to kill them one by one - that is, until the smoke monster intervenes. The only person it spares: Ricardus. By the by, did anyone notice a very fake-looking blue butterfly flying through the ship? It's odd enough for me to assume it may be significant.
Still in his chains, a delirious Ricardus has a vision of Isabella, and she tells him that they're both dead and in hell. She also says that the smoke monster is the devil, until it appears and takes her, too. The Man in Black appears shortly after, breaking Ricardus from his shackles in return for a favor - he must kill the devil. Here, M.I.B. proceeds to give him the exact speech Dogen told Sayid when going after Flocke, by telling him to drive the dagger (yep, the same dagger) into the devil before letting him speak. Also worth noting: the Man in Black tells Ricardus, "It's good to see you out of those chains" - which is obviously the same phrase Flocke quoted to Richard when Jacob had just died.
Side note: the Man in Black tells Ricardus that the devil betrayed him and took his body and his humanity. So are we to believe that the body that the Man in Black inhabits is another person he possessed, like he did with Locke? Perhaps the Man in Black is just carrying out the "devil's" wishes, and he actually used to be a human being, too? Or of course there's the very probable case that he's just lying.
Per his assignment, Ricardus finds Jacob, who immediately tries to knock him out. Ricardus tells Jacob that he thinks he's in hell, which Jacob tries to disprove by nearly drowning him. Did you notice that Jacob tells Ricardus that no one goes inside the spot under the statues unless Jacob invites them in? Does this mean that he actually wanted Flocke and Ben to come in and kill him?
Huzzah! A quasi-easy explanation: Jacob shows Ricardus a wine bottle and compares the wine to evil and the cork to the island. In a nut shell, the island (and Jacob) are the only thing keeping the Man in Black from unleashing his evil on the world - which is precisely why Jacob needs those replacement candidates. He goes further, discussing how the Man in Black believes every man is corruptible, so Jacob brings people to the island to prove him wrong. Seems obvious, but isn't it nice to hear it from Jacob's mouth?
Jacob hires Ricardus as an intermediary for the people he brings to the island, and since he can't bring back Isabella or absolve him of his sins, he offers to fulfill Richard's third request: eternal life. Richard actually asked for it? All along I sort of assumed Jacob bestowed it on him, just so he could carry out his duties.
Ricardus returns to the Man in Black with a white rock from Jacob (remember the scale with the black and white stones?), and in turn, the M.I.B. tells Ricardus he can see his wife if he ever changes his mind, handing him Isabella's cross, which Richard promptly buries. Richard does, in fact, change his mind in the current time, and he races back to dig it up. Hurley shows, admitting that he's talking to Isabella (hence, his Spanish ghost before) and that she says Richard has to stop the Man in Black from leaving the island or they're all going to hell. This does raise one question in my mind: when we see Isabella on the Black Rock, is she just a vision in Ricardus's mind? Or can the Man in Black actually appear as ghosts, too? It might explain why we saw Christian Shepard before.
Notice Richard does not have a flash sideways, suggesting he may not exist in the other time. Is this because he's from the 1800s and would therefore be long dead if not for Jacob's gift of eternal life - if the incident in the '70s isn't what prompted the sideways reality?

What did you think of the episode? There's a lot of ground to cover, so give me all your best theories in the comments, or head over to Lost Fans in community to chat some more. Photos copyright 2010 ABC, Inc.

Let's Get Lost: "Recon" Recap

BuzzSugar — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 05:30:43 PDT

This week's Lost features the sideways life of one of my faves: Sawyer. The clever title is a nod to both the recon Sawyer does on the other island at the Hydra station, and a con-man reference to his alternate path in LA.

Naturally, there were a lot of big and little mind-blowers, so let's get to it when you

Sawyer's sideways life is, I would say, the most different of anyone else's that we've seen so far. The ep opens with him seeming to be repeating his classic con, but surprise: it's all a setup and Sawyer is a cop! I absolutely, positively did not see that coming. In LA, he goes by James Ford, and (squeal) Miles is his partner and BFF, just like in the Dharma Initiative in the '70s (he also calls him "Jim" now, just like he did there, too). For some reason, Sawyer utters "LaFleur" to the woman he's just set up before the other cops burst in. Thoughts on that?
James Ford/Sawyer is still obsessed with finding Anthony Cooper, the original Sawyer who incited his parents' deaths. It seems to make sense, since Sawyer's father killed himself and his mother in 1976, whereas the explosion on the island happened in '77. It makes even more sense that he'd still be pursuing Cooper, because when Jacob touched him at his parents' funeral, he gave him the pen that would finish his infamous letter. Jacob enabled him, then, to keep trying to seek revenge. Why? And if Anthony Cooper is still a bad guy, then why did it seem Locke was on good terms with him in his sideways life?
In Flocke's group, Claire acts bizarrely toward Kate, holding her hand and being overly sweet - until she attacks Kate. She wants to cut her for taking Aaron, which she was only pretending to be OK with. Shockingly, Flocke literally slaps some sense into Claire, who eventually apologizes and thanks Kate for what she did for both her and her son. Let's rewind real quick, and discuss the first ever Claire-centric episode, "Raised by Another." When she was pregnant with Aaron, a psychic told her that she had to raise Aaron, and no one else could. So since Kate has been raising him, are we finally seeing what the psychic warned Claire about? It certainly seems so, because Flocke tells Kate that he had a crazy mother (read: look how he turned out), and adds cryptically that Aaron also has a crazy mother in Claire. Because of Flocke's concern for Aaron/Claire, I now think that Aaron is Flocke's "chosen one." And maybe Jacob, knowing this, sabotaged Claire's mental state by sending Christian Shepard to spirit her away - thus abandoning Aaron and plunging her into craziness. Phew, are you still with me?
Back in Sawyer's cop life, Miles sets him up with a gorgeous archaeologist: Charlotte. They have instant heat, but when she "accidentally" finds the Sawyer file, James tosses her out into the night in a bed sheet. Now, that seemed like more than a girl rifling through the stuff of the boy she likes to make sure he's a keeper - she was full-on snooping, right? She was born on the island and must have left sometime, so it all seems awfully fishy.
Sawyer is sent by Locke on a recon mission to the other island and the Hydra station, where he finds the Ajira plane, completely intact - and a pile of dead bodies. A sunburned survivor, Zoe, finds him and says she's the last one, but the con doesn't last on Sawyer, and he calls her out. Joke's on him - her gun-toting buddies snag him and take him to Widmore's sub. He makes a deal with Widmore to bring him Flocke in exchange for safe passage off the island, but reveals the plan to Flocke afterward.
Kate just keeps popping up in every timeline of this Sawyer-focused episode. First, he lingers on the cages where they hooked up long ago (past), then comforts her by the fire (present), and, finally, chases after her and tackles her (!) when she commits a hit-and-run (sideways). They just can't seem to escape each other . . .
The books on Sawyer's nightstand were Lancelot (about the famous knight of the Round Table), A Wrinkle in Time (deals with time travel), and Watership Down (an allegorical tale that references the end of the world and the same book Sawyer read on the island after stealing it from Boone). PS, that's quite a change from the reading material Sawyer brought on the plane, which Ben commented on last week.
Who else random crosses Sawyer's path in his alternate life? Charlie's brother Liam! He's come to check on his brother, who'd been arrested on the flight. With so many crossovers in Sawyer's life, I was shocked to not see Ana Lucia, who had also been a cop with the LAPD.
I have kind of a major math question: Originally, Sawyer has always said he was 8 when his parents died, but in the sideways reality he tells Miles he was 9. Goof? Or did this timeline shift, and Sawyer lost his parents to Cooper's con in '77, the year of the explosion, rather than in '76?

Final questions: Who killed all the other Ajira passengers and then dragged them to a mass grave? And how did it manage to land perfectly? Who gave sideways Sawyer the lead in Australia about Cooper? Is Charlotte working on island recon in the sideways world? Tell me your own thoughts and theories about this week below! Photo copyright 2010 ABC, Inc.