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"Lost" Episode 8: "Flashes Before Your Eyes"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 11:00:22 -0800

Well, the creators of "Lost" promised a crazy new flashback device in last night's episode, one that would blow some peoples' minds but might turn other viewers away. I, for one, am intrigued. At this point, you couldn't pry me away with Eko's wooden stick if you tried.

The episode explores Desmond's experience of the island: details of what happened before and an explanation for why he has been behaving so strangely ever since he turned the key in the Hatch and it exploded (or imploded). If you have not seen the episode and don't appreciate spoilers, do not read on! But if you want to dive deeper into the symbolism, mysteries, and philosophies of last night's episode, read more

In the first episode after the hiatus, "Not In Portland," there were ample references to time bending, black holes, and "lost time." In this episode it was slightly more spelled out, at least in regards to Desmond's story: Desmond has somehow been traveling through time.

He traveled backwards to his past when he turned the key in the Hatch, and once he got back to the island, to "current" time, he regretted not having changed his past. Thus, he seems to have vowed to change the outcome of things whenever he can, and this has included saving Charlie's life more than once. He's starting to understand, however, that "the universe has a way of course correcting," and that whatever is going to happen to Charlie will simply happen anyway, just as it seems that Desmond's "destiny" is to be on the Island.

This also means that Desmond has already lived the present and come back from some future plane. Or, as some theorists have mused perhaps the island is "operating on a time-loop, and that Desmond's experience in the hatch may have thrown him outside of that loop long enough for him to see a complete revolution of that cycle 'flash before his eyes.'"

This brings to mind question about Desmond's involvement in previous episodes. For example, in Jack's flashback, when he meets Desmond while running in the stadium, Desmond says, "See you in another life, mate." Could be just Desmond's favorite line, or maybe Desmond was time traveling then, too.

Plot-wise, time travel is a slippery slope toward hokiness. It was done deftly enough in last night's episode, but I'll be keeping an eye on you, "Lost."

Here are some more musings on the many bits and pieces that made up this week's episode:

Symbols
In Desmond's "flashback," he glances at the clock, and it says 1:08. The numbers had to be entered in the Hatch every 108 minutes.

Delivery man at Whidmore Industries says "Delivery for" (or, 4) "8:15." The numbers entered in the Hatch started off 4, 8, 15... And, of course, the numbers come up plenty of times in the series. For example, their Oceanic flight number was 815.

Mr Whidmore's office has a painting which features a polar bear (polar bears have played roles in the show, off and on), as well as an upside down image of a Chinese statue, which was one of the images in the brainwashing scene from last week's episode. Also, there was the word "Namaste" painted backward in the painting.

Charlie in London, singing and playing guitar on the street, sings the lyrics from "Wonderwall": "You're gonna be the one that saves me..." just as Desmond walks up. "Wonderwall," was released in 1995.

You're a Great Man, Desmond Hume
There are tons of references to being a "great" man versus being a "good" man:

In the meeting with Mr. Whidmore, Desmond admits he's never served in the military. Later he passes a poster for the military: "Become a man you can be proud of."
Mr. Whidmore tells Desmond he will never be a great man.
Penny says, "You're a good man." Later, when Desmond is breaking things off with her and making it seem like it's her, not him, Desmond demands, "Being a good man isn't good enough?"
The jewelry lady says, "Pushing that button is the only truly great thing you will ever do."
Good man vs. Coward: Charlie and Penny call Desmond a coward.
Desmond calls Charlie a "good man."

You're A Good Man, Charlie Hieronymus
As has been seen before, but was prominently displayed on Charlie's cardboard sign this week, Charlie's middle name is Hieronymus. The most famous person with this name is artist Hieronymus Bosch, who painted famous triptychs about Earth, Heaven and Hell. According to Wikipedia:

Among his most famous is The Garden of Earthly Delights. This triptych depicts paradise with Adam and Eve and many wondrous animals on the left panel, the earthly delights with numerous nude figures and tremendous fruit and birds on the middle panel, and hell with depictions of fantastic punishments of the various types of sinners on the right panel. When the exterior panels are closed the viewer can see, painted in grisaille, God creating the earth.

Who's That Lady?
The jewelry lady? I have no idea. She can clearly time travel, just like Desmond can, or at least she has knowledge of everything that will happen and she knows that trying to stop it is futile, as "the universe has a way of course correcting."

After she spells out for Desmond everything he will do (the boat race, reaching the Island, entering the numbers, turning the key in the Hatch), she says, "And if you don't do those things, Desmond David Hume, every single one of us is dead."
Yikes!

Whidmore Like It
Penny's father is the powerful Mr. Whidmore, and when Desmond asks for Penny's hand in marriage, Whidmore proceeds to make Desmond feel as small as possible. The name Whidmore is all over "Lost" like a bad rash:

Whidmore Labs was on Sun's pregnancy test.
Whidmore Construction was on a sign or banner in one of Charlie's flashbacks.
Whidmore was on "Henry's" (Ben's) balloon.
Whidmore may have built the hatches on the Island.
When Desmond comes out of the building in this week's episode, it says Whidmore Industries.
Whidmore is like the Acme of the "Lost" world.
Libby's last name is, er, was Whidmore, though wasn't it her last name by marriage? Her husband had died, and she gave Desmond the boat he sailed around the world in, and which ultimately brought him to the Island.
Whidmore seems to have ties to Alvar Hanso himself.
In earlier episodes about the boat race, which Mr. Whidmore's company sponsored, there was something to do with the Dharma Initiative on the boat race brochure.

Hume-ongous Namesake

On "Lost," a name is rarely just a name. The jewelry lady says Desmond's full name: Desmond David Hume. David Hume was a great philosopher from the Scottish Enlightenment who was influenced heavily by John Locke. Particularly interesting are Hume's philosophies on cause and effect. From Wikipedia:

Hume coined the term 'constant conjunction.' That is, when we see that one event always 'causes' another, what we are really seeing is that one event has always been 'constantly conjoined' to the other. The reason we do believe in cause and effect is not because cause and effect are the actual way of nature; we believe because of the psychological habits of human nature (Popkin & Stroll, 1993: 272).

There is a lot more about Hume's philosophy, much of which can easily be applied to Desmond and the show itself. (See: The Bundle Theory of Self.) Then again, if you read far enough into anything, it can be applied to this show.

What do you think about this week's episode?

Hidden Messages in "Lost" Time

BuzzSugar — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 05:34:38 -0800

After last week's new episode of "Lost," I posted that crazy scene with Carl, and now the Internet is abuzz with this creepy discovery: If you play that scene in reverse, you can hear voices saying "Only fools are enslaved by time and space."

Hats off to the folks at SciFi2U for providing the clip of this scene, played backwards. How creepy is this?

Speaking of time and space, what was Aldo was studying when Alex, Kate, and Sawyer came upon him last week? To find out (possible spoilers ahead!), read more

Aldo was studying black holes! The book he's holding is Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time. Specifically, he is reading Chapter 7, "Black Holes Ain't So Black." This is the chapter in which Hawking explains how black holes can bend time and space.

Furthermore, in a recent Entertainment Weekly article, "Lost" producers promised there would be an anagram hidden somewhere in the Feb. 7 episode, "Not in Portland," that would "hint at a larger mythological mystery that will start to unfold later in the season." Theorists are insisting that the anagram is in Mittelos Bioscience, the organization that Juliet goes to work for. "Mittelos" is an anagram for "Lost Time."

Green Zone: Heavy on Action (and Preaching)

BuzzSugar — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:30:00 -0800

Meet Matt Damon, war hero. If the Bourne series is any indication, director Paul Greengrass knows how to get a pistol-whip out of the actor, and the two team up once again, bringing that same pumping adrenaline to Baghdad in Green Zone.

Heart-pounding blasts erupt as we open with Chief Miller (Damon) and his army comrades as they sniff out weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, circa 2003. A sniper is firing bullets from a tower and looters run through the streets kicking up dust, but Miller's unit discovers nothing. The government has been providing misinformation regarding the WMDs, and Miller takes it upon himself to figure out what's really going on.

To hear more about the film, read more.

When Miller questions army officials, they act like he's crazy - with the exception of one CIA member, Marty Brown (Brendan Gleeson). Brown confirms Miller's suspicions, and the two begin their own investigation. With help from a Wall Street Journal reporter (Amy Ryan), Miller learns of a mysterious source named "Magellan" who provided information to the press about WMDs; yet, the only person who knows Magellan is Pentagon rep Clark Poundstone (Greg Kinnear) who swiftly tries to shut Miller down at every turn. So what is Poundstone hiding? If you've ever heard the term "conspiracy theory," you can probably guess - but that doesn't diminish the film's suspense.

That's thanks to Greengrass, who uses his fast-paced shots to take us through alleyways and over fences. His on-foot filmmaking is full of shaky camera work that puts you in the thick of the gunfire for an authentic feel, but it also makes you a bit queasy. As we head toward an explosive finish, Damon launches into Jason Bourne mode, and believability goes out the window. Lack of plausibility is okay though when it's an action movie, right?

The problem is that Green Zone wants to be more than that. With a plot about Iraq and government conspiracy, you're bound to have anti-war underpinnings, and the script doesn't miss out on any opportunity to drive the moral home. This message is voiced by an Iraqi character named Freddy (Khalid Abdalla), who Miller takes in to serve as an informant and translator. Freddy doesn't help the US for a reward, he's doing it for his country, as he proclaims "it's not for you to decide what happens here." It's a thought that echoes through to the closing credits, and a worthy point at that - but in the midst of what amounts to countless chase scenes, for Green Zone it's a little out of left field.

If you'd like to review a movie you've seen recently, check out the Movie Reviews Group in community. I may even feature your critique on the site!

Photos courtesy of Universal Pictures

What to TiVo: Monday

BuzzSugar — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 23:50:00 -0800

ABC has The Bachelor: Jason and Molly's Wedding and is new with Castle
CBS is new with How I Met Your Mother, Rules of Engagement, Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, and CSI: Miami
FOX is new with House and 24
NBC is new with Chuck and Trauma
The CW is new with Life Unexpected and Gossip Girl
ABC Family is new with The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Make It or Break It, and Greek
Bravo is new with Kell on Earth
Comedy Central is new with The Daily Show With Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report
E! has Fashion Police: The 2010 Academy Awards
FX is new with Damages
MTV has a repeat of America's Best Dance Crew, and is new with True Life, The Buried Life, and My Life as Liz
Showtime is new with Secret Diary of a Call Girl
VH1 has repeats of Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp and Fantasia For Real
Late-night highlights include Simon Cowell on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno on NBC; Kelly Ripa and Lady Antebellum on The Late Show With David Letterman on CBS; Robin Wright, Bachelor newlyweds Jason Mesnick and Molly Malaney, and Corinne Bailey Rae on Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC; Evan Lysacek, Don Cheadle, AnnaLynne McCord, and J. Alexander on Lopez Tonight on TBS; Isaac Mizrahi on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson on CBS; and Abigail Breslin and Chris Parnell on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on NBC

Let's Get Lost: "Sundown" Recap

BuzzSugar — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 05:30:00 -0800

Alright, ABC, you got us. You promo'd this week's Lost as so incredibly shocking you couldn't even show us the footage. Well, it has its share of jaw-dropping moments (especially the last five minutes!), but mainly, it just serves as a nice connection episode, ready to set us up for when the real drama hits the fan. And boy, is it about to.

The storyline focuses on Sayid as he finally confronts Dogen about why he's trying to kill him. A four-star fistfight ensues - seriously, Jason Bourne, eat your heart out - which kick starts another battle of good against evil, but this time, with Sayid as the pawn. Plus, in a nice flip to the sideways world, we learn more Sayid's family and the woman he loves. I don't want to give too much away, so let's get down to it. Relive the episode (and share your theories to some of my questions!) when you read more.

In the alternate reality, Nadia is alive! The downside: she's married to Sayid's brother. So why aren't they together? Sayid tells her that she's too good for him, which makes me question how his past has changed. He definitely still served as an interrogator, as his brother asks him to ward off money thugs whom he owes money to. Sayid declines, but when his brother gets mysteriously mugged, he second guesses his decision (note: remember Nadia once was mugged, too). The loan men show up - and they're the mercenary henchmen Martin and Omar! - and Sayid turns the tables by killing them all. Then in another twist, Sayid finds another man they were holding hostage, and it's Jin. I love the crossed paths between the characters, but I'm curious to watch how Sayid and Jin will come together. Got any ideas?
After last week's glimpse of Dogen in the sideways world, we hear more about his history. As I mentioned, he fights Sayid in the show's opening, but when he has the chance to take Sayid's life, Dogen turns him away instead while staring at a baseball. I don't know about you, but I immediately thought of Jack and his connection to his father and the Red Sox. Dogen later explains himself, saying that he once drank too much and picked his son up from baseball practice, killing him in a car accident. Jacob supposedly came to him in the hospital offering him his son's life back in exchange for working on the island, which Dogen obviously agreed to. I enjoyed this larger look into Dogen's life, but unfortunately all we get is a peek. You'll know why if you keep reading.
Interesting to note: Dogen's explanation of his test for Sayid. He says that for every man there is a scale - one side's good; the other evil - and that Sayid's tipped the wrong way. Perhaps that also plays into the scale that we saw in the cave?

Sayid strikes a deal. Dogen sends him to kill Locke, and Sayid attempts to do so - but OMG, Locke yanks out the dagger, and he's still standing. He explains the obvious: Dogen thought Locke would kill Sayid for him. Instead, Locke recruits Sayid, telling him he'll get the woman "who died in his arms" (Nadia or Shannon?) if he convinces the others to join – and if he kills Dogen. Sayid follows orders, drowning Dogen in the temple pool. Lennon walks in, exclaiming that Dogen was the only one who could save them from him (Locke, duh). Oh, then Sayid kills Lennon, too. Why do you think Dogen was the only one who could protect them? What is, er, was his role?
With Dogen dead, Locke turns into the smoke monster, storming the temple to kill everyone. It's a bloodbath, but from the mass of bodies, Claire, Sayid, and Kate emerge, along with a few others who've now changed sides. Why is Kate spared? Since her name isn't in the cave that Sawyer and Locke visited, I'm guessing she's not a "candidate" - so what does Locke want with her? And will Claire try to kill Kate for taking Aaron from her?
Another woman that has me curious: Ilana. We know she came to the island for Jacob, but towards the end of the episode she pops out of nowhere with Ben and Frank to bring them to safety inside the temple wall. And she actually knows which hieroglyphic to choose on the door. She just knows too much! So what is her story? And for crying out loud, what do those hieroglyphs mean?! Supposedly the one on the escape door is a Shen ring, which represents eternal life and dual concepts of time.

The episode closes with Locke having his new army of followers, as he ventures out into the jungle - no doubt looking for Jacob. It feels like we're revving up for a battle of epic-sized proportions, but till then, let's start swapping thoughts about "Sundown." I'm dying to hear your theories about Kate's involvement and Illana! Post them in the comments or head on over to Lost Fans in community to chat some more.

Tweet About Lost Tonight and You Might End Up on BuzzSugar!

BuzzSugar — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:00:53 -0800

Tonight we'll be treated to yet another (hopefully) exciting episode of Lost, and by the looks of the intense comments section of my weekly recaps, you guys are pretty invested in your show theories.

To add to the last season fun, I want to put your smarts to the test and challenge you on Twitter. During and after the show tonight, tweet about anything Lost-related (conspiracies, funny comments) and I'll pick the best ones and post them here tomorrow!

All you have to do is first start following me on Twitter, and then preface your tweets with @heybuzzsugar so I see them. Be clever, and good luck!

What to TiVo: Monday

BuzzSugar — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 23:50:00 -0800

ABC is new with the season finale of The Bachelor and The Bachelor: After the Final Rose
CBS is new with How I Met Your Mother, Rules of Engagement, Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, and CSI: Miami
FOX has a repeat of House and is new with 24
NBC is new with Chuck and Law & Order
The CW is new with Life Unexpected
A&E is new with Hoarders
ABC Family is new with Secret Life of the American Teenager, Make It or Break It, and Greek
Bravo is new with Real Housewives Top 25: The Early Years
Comedy Central is new with The Daily Show With Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report
FX is new with Damages
MTV has repeats of America's Best Dance Crew and True Life, and is new with The Buried Life and My Life as Liz
Showtime is new with Secret Diary of a Call Girl, Tracey Ullman's State of the Union, and the season finale of La La Land
VH1 has repeats of Tool Academy 3, Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp, Fantasia for Real, and Let's Talk About Pep
Late-night highlights include Lindsey Vonn, Jamie Foxx, and Brad Paisley on the return of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on NBC; Bill Murray and Ludacris on The Late Show With David Letterman on CBS; the 2010 Bachelorette and Dancing With the Stars contestants on Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC; Dax Shepard and Nicole Eggert on Lopez Tonight on TBS; Lauren Graham on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson on CBS; Robert Pattinson and Judah Friedlander on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on NBC; and Eli Roth and Daniel Merriweather on Last Call With Carson Daly on NBC

Got Lost Theories? Share 'Em in the Buzz Community!

BuzzSugar — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 09:30:00 -0800

The huge, highly anticipated season six premiere of Lost is just two weeks away, and I am pretty much counting the nanoseconds. I always love theorizing, analyzing, and breaking down every episode, but why wait for the season to start?

If you've got recaps, polls, predictions, or just want to share your excitement, then I've got the perfect forum to dish with other fans of the show - in the Lost community group! I'm always looking for an exciting new theory or a great rundown of seasons past, and you just might find your original content right here on the BuzzSugar homepage for all the world to see.

All you have to do is check out the group here and get participating!

Let's Get Lost: "Lighthouse" Recap

BuzzSugar — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 05:30:00 -0800

Where to even begin? Lost was so chock-full of surprises and little clues, I think the biggest question might be how they managed to squeeze it all into an hour-long show. This week, we switch focus from Locke and Sawyer, as we go back to the temple where Hurley and Jack are still camped out. Oh yeah, and Hurley is still seeing Jacob.

Jacob actually gets a nice dose of screen time this episode, along with another familiar face: jungle Claire. Finally, we discover what she's been doing for the past three years - and just who she's been talking to. But one of the biggest shockers of the night actually happens on the mainland. I don't want to give too much away, so let's dive right in (needless to say, there are spoilers!). Just read more.

Jack had his appendix removed when he was a kid?! At least, that's what his mother says back on the mainland, but he appears to have no recollection of it. If you recall, his appendix previously required emergency surgery on the island, so does that mean that Jack's history had to change in order to exist with the events that took place on the island?
Huge spoiler: Jack has a son! In this new reality of his, he's father to a boy named David who is quite the piano whiz. Jack has trouble connecting with him (paralleling his relationship with his own father), but shows up to David's tryouts for a conservatory. So is Sarah David's mother? Would seem like the obvious answer, though we never get a glimpse of her. If you want to dig even deeper, the sheet music that David has on his desk is "Fantaisie Impromptu in C-Sharp Minor" by Chopin - which Daniel also plays as a boy and in 2007 in the episode "The Variable."
Did you notice that David is reading The Annotated Alice? The Lost writers love to incorporate Alice in Wonderland references in the show via episode titles (e.g. "White Rabbit" and "Through the Looking Glass"), but Jack also reads Alice in Wonderland to Aaron as a baby. This time, Jack mentions two characters from Through the Looking Glass, Kitty and Snowdrop. In the story, Kitty is Alice's black cat, Snowdrop is white - and they're supposedly versions of the Red and White Queens. Yet another good versus evil parallel for us to dissect.
Back on island time, Jacob instructs Hurley to bring a new person to the island by going into a secret temple tunnel - but only if he takes Jack with him (side note: I'm dying to know what the hieroglyph on the door means!). Jacob tells Hurley to convince Jack by saying "You have what it takes," and Jack is stupefied by this magic phrase, since his father always told him that he didn't "have what it takes." Dun, dun, dun!
If an animal skeleton in a crib isn't proof enough, Claire is not exactly Claire anymore. She saves Jin from her metal claw trap, but takes one of the Others as a hostage, later killing him because she thinks the Others have Aaron - even though Jin tells her Kate's been taking care of him. Jin later backpedals, saying the Others do have Aaron, after all. Good thing, too, because Claire was ready to kill Kate.
When Claire is explaining to Jin what she's been doing the past three years, she mentions spending time with her father and a "friend." Who is the mystery man? Smokey Locke. You know what that means: bad things are about to go down at that temple.
Dogen, the mysterious "Samurai" guy as Hurley calls him, is on the mainland in parallel world, too! He pops up at the piano tryouts for Jack's son as the parent of another child.
The lighthouse! As Jack says, "How have we never seen it before?" Per Jacob, Hurley leads Jack to the tower where there's a set of mirrors. Hurley is supposed to turn them to a certain degree, but as we get a close-up we see that each degree has a corresponding name. Ah, so the numbers are degrees! Jack notices too, turning the lamp toward his, where he gets a glimpse of his childhood house in the mirror. Enraged, he smashes the glass. I was yelling at my TV over Jack's stupidity, but Jacob assures Hurley that it's part of his plan. Sure, but who the heck is Wallace - the name at 108 degrees that the lamp was supposed to be pointed to?!

Whew, I'm exhausted from trying to wrap my head around all of that, but I'd love to hear your theories. Did you catch anything that I missed? Please share in the comments below, or head over to Lost Fans to chat some more!

What to TiVo: Monday

BuzzSugar — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 23:50:00 -0800

ABC is new with The Bachelor and has a repeat of Castle
CBS has repeats of How I Met Your Mother, Accidentally on Purpose, Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, and CSI: Miami
FOX has a repeat of House and is new with 24
NBC has Winter Olympics: Figure Skating, Freestyle Skiing, Ski Jumping
The CW is new with One Tree Hill and Life Unexpected
ABC Family is new with Secret Life of the American Teenager, Make It or Break It, and Greek
Bravo is new with Kell on Earth
Comedy Central is new with The Daily Show With Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report
FX is new with Damages
MTV has a repeat of America's Best Dance Crew, and is new with True Life, The Buried Life, and My Life as Liz
Showtime is new with Secret Diary of a Call Girl, Tracey Ullman's State of the Union, and La La Land
TNT is new with Men of a Certain Age
VH1 has repeats of Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp, Fantasia for Real, and Let's Talk About Pep
Late-night highlights include John Travolta, Shaun White, and Ben Harper and Relentless7 on a repeat of The Late Show With David Letterman on CBS; Mel Gibson on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC; and Parker Posey and Tom Everett Scott on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson on CBS