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Recap, Weirdness Alerts and Analysis by Amy: #LOST 6.07 “Dr. Linus”

Previously on LOST:   [6.06 - "Sundown" Recap Here] Oh my — things were not so good when we last left our losties.  LA_X:  Sayid visited Nadia.  Turns out she’s his sister-in-law (whoops!).  He flip-flopped around before finally crossing over to the dark side and killing Martin Keamy (for extorting/beating up his brother, Omar). He finds/rescues “No English” Jin.  TEMPLE:  Sayid flip-flopped around before finally crossing over to the dark side killing Dogen and Uber-Hippie (dumping them in the spring).  Clairuso crossed the line with Mock Locke’s message: “Join me or die.”  Kate returned to the temple and confessed to Clairuso.  Smokey attacked at sundown. Illana and Co. appeared outta nowhere, retrieved Miles and escaped just in the nick of time.  When the dust settled, Sayid, Clairuso and Kate stepped over the dead (who chose not to “join”) and followed Mock Locke away from the temple.

EXTREME WEIRDNESS TO WATCH FOR:  Okay, remember those patterns of white lights I’ve mentioned before?  I said they almost look like constellations? I didn’t mention that? Well, there have been instances of unusual and repeating patterns of STATIC dots or white, star-like dots, or whatever’s handy: manhole covers at an LA intersection, Ana Lucia’s shooting practice pattern – stuff like that.  So far in Season 6, these patterns are 1) becoming more and more frequent and obvious and 2) clearly mean something important.  Why? BECAUSE, with VERY few exceptions, THEY ARE ALL CREATED DIGITALLY and INSERTED POST-PRODUCTION.

I’m mentioning this now because these patterns/”constellations” occur a LOT during this episode (LA_X and On-Island), and I’ll be noting when and where I see them.  Sometimes they are hidden (like at night in the jungle) and sometimes they are NOT hidden.  And NO. I do not think these patterns actually represent constellations – that’s just what they LOOK like.  My best guess is that they are some kind of code because, although I’ve seen more than one pattern, the same pattern seems to repeat around certain characters.  The best name I could come up with them was Dot Code (because I KNOW if I stay “constellation,” everyone will start freaking out.  FYI:  The ONLY stars we EVER see on the island are in the sky at the Oceanic 815 CRASH SITE—and guess what? Even those stars are oddly and carefully manipulated).

New term to remember:  DOT CODE

Okay. Let’s go.

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Begin Episode 6.07

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JUNGLE

[NOTE: The last time we saw Ben he was fleeing the pool room.]

A terrified Ben barrels through the dark.  He looks back and runs faster. He trips and lands spread-eagle. He raises up and gasps, looking even MORE terrified for a moment.

Weirdness alert: camera movement here could be interpreted as something unseen, low to the ground closing in on him OR as if HE is moving closer to where the POV of the camera (“us”) originates.  What I think has happened here is that Ben has hit a “barrier,” and, after falling down, crosses through it, like moving from one bubble to another.  It works like this: one moment he’s on THAT side of the barrier – whoosh move by camera (with appropriate gasp and terrified expression on Ben’s face during the transition)  — then he’s on THIS side of the barrier – where Illana and co. are.  Ask yourself: Illana and co. are walking PARALLEL to Ben with LOTS of firelight.  Why couldn’t he see them until after this moment? Why couldn’t they hear him before this moment?

If you put THIS 10 sec sequence together with other pieces of the puzzle, like:

• “Smokey’s POV island tour” sequence in “The Substitute” (right before Mock Locke cuts Richard down from the tree),
• How Jack and Hurley end up at the caves and find the lighthouse in “the Lighthouse”

with

• Jin’s fainting spell,
• The “red shirts,”
• The “constants” (like Shannon’s inhaler),
• The underground temple wall weirdness (when they carry Sayid in on a stretcher),
• The temple’s layout weirdness and
• Clairuso’s crossing the line of ash action for Mock Locke –

Put all of those things together and maybe toss in, say, the island weirdness we’ve seen since Jacob died, and the more extensive island weirdness now that Dogen is dead, you’ll soon see that Season 6 has already spelled out EXACTLY:

• What the island is,
• How it works “geographically,”
• Jacob’s and Dogen’s JOBS on the island,
• What Mock Locke is up to,
• What Jacob and Dogen are up to,
• Why NO ONE’S gonna end up replacing Jacob, and
• Why Mock Locke’s plan won’t work in the end.

[Cool, right?]

This would be why I’m so irked when fans bitch and moan about Season 6.  Team LOST just told us what the ISLAND IS!  Why are they complaining about it?!! ACK!

WHOA!  We got way off track there!  Let’s try that again.  [RESET!  HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!]

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Mark Moring of Christianity Today believes he knows who will be the island’s Savior based on Henry Ian Cusick’s filmography. Cusick played Jesus in The Gospel According to John. What do you think?

Welcome To The Jungle

Before we begin, I feel obligated to make a few things absolutely clear.

I do everything I can to be positive and accommodating to all kinds of LOST fans online.  I think haters are completely worthless morons, and I refuse to be one in any way.  That being said, I’m pretty darn frustrated that fans are complaining that they aren’t “getting answers” in Season 6.  I’m even MORE frustrated that complainers quickly jump to the conclusion that the SHOW and its CREATORS are to blame.

[I won’t go into too much detail because I am actively trying not to single ANYONE out, so if you recognize yourself in the following statements, take them for what they are:  random observations.]

For example, I’ve heard fans complain (primarily about Season 6) that:

1. The flash-sideways (LA_X) storylines are “meaningless” and disconnected to what’s happening on the island.
2. The episodes offer few or no answers for the basic mysteries of the show.
3. The answers that are provided are anticlimactic, silly, contrived, confusing or unrelated to anything that’s happened in the show before Season 6 begins.
4. Characters’ storylines are not being resolved in any way.  Off-island events for characters don’t make any sense given the previous timeline/histories.

Remember, I am not a hater.  I have no intention of berating or embarrassing or insulting any LOST fan in any way.  My primary intention here is to offer possible reasons that fans are frustrated and observations from Season 6 episodes that refute every statement I list above.  If my comments sound snarky, please remember: 1) that snarky quality is something I’m afflicted with and 2) it actually makes things funnier as we go along.  Above all, please remember that just because I’m trying to point out things that you might not have seen in the show so far, it doesn’t mean I’m trying to prove that you or your theories are stupid.

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Recap, weirdness alerts and observations by Amy on LOST 6.06 – “Sundown”

Previously on LOST:  LA_X:  Jack spent a significant amount of screen time half naked and/or looking SMOKIN’ hot (and Amy was happy).  Jack makes amends with his piano playin,’ musical genuis son, David.  He lets David know that the “you’re not good enough for me” parenting method will never apply.  Jack’s mom finds Christian’s will.  She asks about Claire. ISLAND: Jin hooks up with Clairuso and realizes that 1) she’s thinks the temple peeps are holding “baby Aaron,’ 2) she’s a a homicidal wacko and 3) Mock Locke is her “friend.”  Jack and Hurley sneak outta the temple and skedaddle through the jungle to the lighthouse on Jacob’s recommendation.  Jack smashes the lighthouse mirror after realizing “He’s been watching.”  Jacob admits to Hurley that 1) Jack had to know how important he is and 2) a VERY BAD man is coming to the temple.

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Begin Episode 6.06

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LA_X

Sayid stares from a cab. Cabbie reminds him the meter’s running. He heads to a house. He rings the bell. Nadia answers (with a BIG OL’ engagement/wedding ring on her finger).  They hug.  Two kids coming running to the door. A man follows.

• Kids:  Uncle Sayid! Uncle Sayid!
• Omar:  Flowers for my wife, huh?
• Sayid: Some of us still have mojo, brother.
• Omar: Still a skank! Come in!

Weirdness alert: Nadia is Sayid’s sis-in-law? ALSO: Nadia is wearing a silver bracelet on her LEFT wrist. A bracelet that some fans have noted reminds them of Naomi’s bracelet (the groovy sat-phone toting, freighter chick Locke knifed back in Season 4).  HOWEVER, this bracelet could ALSO remind us of: Esla’s bracelet (“The Economist”), which she wears on her left wrist AND Dogen’s (right wrist). Also note: Nadia’s necklace charm changes after her husband appears.

Nadia pours tea.

• Kids: Whadja bring us? Whadja bring us?
• Sayid: Check my bag and see.
• Nadia: They missed you.
• Omar: Yeah, so you’d better keep coming up with decent presents on all your fancy–schmancy world traveling.
• Sayid:  I translate contracts for oil companies. It’s almost as boring as dry cleaning.
• Nadia: Omar’s opening up a new store.

Weirdness alert:  Nadia sips tea.  From Sayid’s angle, she uses both hands, but from Omar’s angle her left arm’s on the table.  Her bracelet changes during this scene, and her necklace too, from what I can tell.

Omar’s cell phone rings.

• Nadia:  I thought we talked about no cell phones at the dinner table.
• Omar: (nervously leaving) Dinner’s over. This is business.
• Nadia:  Did you get my letters?
• Sayid:  Yes.
• Nadia:  You never wrote back.
• Sayid – no answer.

The kids return, thrilled with brand new boomerangs (HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!) and a picture of Nadia. Weirdness alert: it’s the picture the feds baited him with back in Australia (to go undercover and spy on his pal).  This makes no sense, right? ASK YOURSELF WHY this picture would so OBVIOUSLY be included.  Highlights the “doesn’t makes sense” nature of Sayid’s LA_X story, right?*  Nadia nervously fingers the picture. Across the room, a menacing looking Omar slowly snaps his cell phone shut.

[HINT:  The PICTURE is a CONSTANT.  ALSO: We've seen some serious cell phone weirdness in every LA_X story so far.]

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In a previous post, I outlined my idea that X-time, as some people are calling it, is actually the new history and everyone who needs to will end up being back on the Island, culminating in a set of events that are, for the most part, what we’re familiar with.  A few small changes will result in a different, and more favorable, outcome.  I like the idea of this as a story, and if it’s true, then I’m pretty sure I know now how things will change.

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Jack, Jacob & Christian (posted 7/22/2009)

This [edited] post is part of a LOST Rehab Theory I worked on after “The Incident” (LOST Season 5 finale).  I’m reposting part of it here because I think it’s necessary background info for  ”Lighthouse” (Ep. 6.06), the Jack-centered show which is now on of my FAVORITES because it is PERFECT in EVERY WAY!!

Background info on Jack and Christian is useful for my (forthcoming) analysis of “The Lighthouse.”  Enjoy!

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Let’s take a closer look at JACK (of course, since he’s my FAVorite).

Recap:

Jack’s solo surgery hits a snag (that darn dural sack), and he starts to panic. Christian, standing nearby, tells him to calm down, count to 5 and “fix her, before I have to fix her for you.” After surgery, Jack berates his dad for humiliating him because “They think I got this residency because you’re my father,” and “I know you don’t believe in me, but I need them to.” Christian quips, “Maybe I’m not the one who doesn’t believe in you, Jack,” and toodles off with this coffee.

Then Jack encounters Jacob. Jacob is holding out TWO CANDY BARS at first, and then holds out ONE CANDY BAR to Jack, touching his fingers during the hand off. Jack toodles off, looking much happier and amazed (maybe chocolate makes everything better?).

Review:

This event is recounted by Jack to Kate as she sews him up right after the crash. The story becomes his testimony to her about how to deal with fear. His solution, to “let the fear in” but only for five seconds, is his own – no mention of Christian’s participation.

The primary reason put forth to explain the discrepancy is that Jack lied to Kate to calm her down, to impress her (not really necessary after the shirt comes off, I’d argue), to befriend her, or to maybe get a cult going. The problem with this is the lack of evidence that Jack would just randomly lie. In Season 1 especially, Jack is a nuts and bolts guy who never lies and gets really upset when others lie to him (Kate and Locke especially).

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First things first, and I’m just gonna say it.  I think this Jack-centered episode is one of the best LOST episodes ever.  I mean best made, best edited, best written AND best acted (especially by Matthew Fox).  I know many disagree and might even accuse me of selling out to my imaginary lust for MFox, but I protest!  I think, if you let me show you what actually happened in “Lighthouse,” you’ll see it too.

Disclaimer:  I’m known for my “far out” theories, and they play a big part in what I’m about to do with “Lighthouse.”  However, don’t let this dissuade you.  In order for you to get the full effect, I recommend that you forget everything else – all the other shows – and consider “Lighthouse” as a “stand alone” story.

There are only two things we’ll need to cover before I prove how AWESOME “Lighthouse” is (Next post).  These elements of LOST storytelling can be tough to swallow at first, but I promise, you’ll like how it feels in the end. [So soft and comfy—ahhh--]

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Previously on LOST:  LA_X:  John made peace with his limits and earned Helen’s heart. STATUE:  Illana restocked on fresh ash from Jacob’s cremation pit, John’s corpse got a funeral (where Ben confessed to murdering him) and everyone heads for the Temple.  NEW OTHERTON/JUNGLE/GRAFFITI CAVE:  Mock Locke “recruits”/reboots Sawyer by interrupting his pity party, applying primal fear and giving him a personal tour of Graffiti Cave.  ISLAND:  Smokey gives us a bird’s eye view of HOW the island is put together (HINT: NOT geographically).  Creepy Blond Kid (CBK) scares Mock Locke (good to know he’s afraid of something!).

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Begin Episode 6.05 – “Lighthouse”

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LA_X

Jack’s apartment. A BADLY photo-shopped pic of Christian, Jack and Margo Shephard (in that order). Weirdness Alert: Christian’s suit looks like it’s been painted over with white-out.  Jack (lookin’ all of 18) is in a black tux and 80’s hair, and what’s up with Margo’s extra long arm?  Pan to pic of smiling Dr. Jack with his left arm around smiling Dr. Christian. Jack enters the apartment. Weirdness alert: He’s wearing a hospital scrubs top, running shoes and a SLICK, dark pair of jeans (?).

Jack [deliberately] puts his keys on a table and heads to the closet. Also on the table: a pair of sunglasses in some weird tray-lookin’ thing and a date book. A set of golf clubs leans near the closet door. Weirdness alert:  What’s with the 100 pair of slacks (half khaki, half black) hanging in the closet?  Jack pulls off his shirt. [And Amy is happy.]

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Did you do your homework?  What you didn’t know that Professor Jensen assigns homework, pft, and you call yourself a LOSTie?  Well, here at LOSTblog we do the homework and then draft out a little crib sheet to help you study up for the next episode.  (ed – this is the first prehash post. nevermind, just read ok?)  So here are some observations I’ve made about White Rabbit and All The Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues.

Wait! before we deep dive, we need to review.  The track so far in Season 6 has been trekking along with Season 1, What Kate Does fits along Kate’s arc started in Tabula Rasa.  The Substitute is along the same path of Walkabout.  We’re expecting that the X-time story will pick up threads left along the trail of White Rabbit and giving us a Jack sidestory.   We’ll see how long this trend continues, but I think along with my theory of the first 6-7 episodes being a combining of the threads left over from the last season, we should have Sun/Jin next, followed by Charlie, Sayid and then Sawyer, then release the hounds as far as X-time stories go, which will probably be an arc towards convergence, at least if my post LA_X thoughts hold up.

Okay, now in review, X-time we’re ready to pick up Jack’s story and the missing casket in LA, while the story on island will be tracking with the Templars, and probably take up the thread of Clairesseau after she captures Jin.  I’d be surprised if we saw Smokey and Sawyer this time, I’d expect more temple preparations for the war, and following Jack on a trek somewhere.  Note: I wrote that before reading the plot summary online.  I won’t leak it here for those squeamish with the slightest of spoilers.

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I say pshaw! to Jeff “Doc” Jensen and his awesome, yet flawed, allusion to Huey Lewis and the News as a soundtrack to LOST.  While I agree with Dan Snierson that ‘Fore’ isn’t even spelled right, and I love Rush, he’s also sadly mistaken.  I’ve said it before, and I’ll restate it here, The Spine (released in 2004) has my vote for the Unofficial Soundtrack of LOST.

While the unofficial tome of LOST greatness is indubitably LOSTpedia, I will be quoting seriously from the unofficial tome of TMBG (four letters compared to 19 letters) greatness, This Might Be a Wiki.

Before diving into the deep unsettling greatness of The Spine, I’m gonna settle in with TMBG’s 2008 release of Here Come the 123’s.  It’s masked as an album for kids, helping with numbers and math, very Schoolhouse Rock-esque with a punk back beat.  Two tracks come to mind, Apartment Four and  Figure Eight. The lyric “Just follow the sound, That’s where the four is found” reminds me of the smoke monster sound, and who is the smoke monster? Locke.  What’s his number? 4. I could close the case right here, n’est pas?  Continuing the theme, Figure Eight is a homage to the number eight, that when tilted to the side, or skated on the ice is the figure of infinity, repeating forever, loopy.  Remind you of a little game between say, number four (Locke, Smoke Monster, MiB) and his nemesis Jacob, the guy that sends his calling card (the Ankh, symbol of eternal life) in a guitar case with Hugo Hurley Reyes, who’s number is… 8.

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In case you haven’t heard, I think FRINGE is a very useful tool with which to examine LOST.  This clip, the very final scene of “Unearthed,” the Season 1 episode that wasn’t released until right around the LOST Season 6 premiere.

Since this is a spoiler for FRINGE, I am not explaining too much about the episode here.  If you want to know more about what I’M thinking, you are welcome to visit my blog:  Putting It All Together, but be aware, the FRINGE post spoils the plot of several episodes (I use FRINGE to decode what’s going on on LOST).  However, if you don’t care about anything but LOST, take time to check out this clip which looks VERY familiar!  [Hint: "Pilot"]

Enjoy!

In What Kate Does, Sawyer leaves the Temple and says Jack isn’t his friend, after he says this the camera spends a a couple of seconds on Sayid. So the fact the smoke is searching out Sawyer at the start of this episode is no accident. Dogan said the darkness is taking over Sayid, so i think Flocke has his first recruit.

I know you’re probably thinking that we don’t know yet that MIB is the dark force as Jacob’s motives are appearing to become increasingly shady but the point of this post is tell you why I think MIB is in fact the dark player in this intriguing game of good vs evil.

I think Flocke is ‘conning’ Sawyer into doing something, i suppose the best conclusion is that he wants Sawyer on his side during the war. I don’t think he wants to leave the island at all & as Richard warned he is going to kill everyone. Here are my reasons: First of all we know he can turn into something that can fly so why doesn’t he fly off the island, he throws away the white stone in the cave & leaves the black one, he denies knowledge of the child in the jungle & if Jacob has left the island why can’t he?

This might all seem a bit thin but I think during this season more than ever clues that will lead to things that when we watch the season again knowing where it goes will smack you in the face are being given, much like the Locke/Flocke reveal last season. Remember watching this show is easy to do with eyes closed.

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I missed making this post last week, and the week before, but to refresh yourself on my plans read my first post here. The point of the LOSTalypse series is to “lift the veil” and some call outs to what I’m seeing as a general peering of truth through my own lens. This post and all posts of the series assume you’re up to date with your LOST watching.  So if you haven’t watched The Substitute, then go do that, now.

what Kate does is care for Claire and Aaron

Before diving deep into the Locke centric episode, I want to quickly rehash the Kate episode.  The X-time shifted events touch on something that Kate has done since the beginning of the show.  She’s always been a helper to Claire, and then even more specifically to Aaron.  She took care of Claire when she passed out from dehydration in White Rabbit, she helped Claire through her nightmares, she tracked Claire when she was kidnapped by Ethan, and she was there at Claire’s side when she gave birth to Aaron.  When Claire went MIA in Season 4, Kate stepped up to become Aaron’s primary care giver.  Her whole character arc is twisted around Jack’s half-sister and her progeny.  So while we skipped past any mention of Claire or Kate last episode, I’m preparing myself for a Claire/Kate confrontation this next episode.

smokie prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour

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This post is a theory as to why i think the 815ers have different backstories in the alternate time.

I would like to start this rather long theory by saying I think of the flash sideways officially as an alternate timeline. This post was formulated after I listened to Katy Gowland’s initial reaction to 6.4, I’m not sure weather she had put a great deal of thought into this comment but it flipped a switch in my head. She said that in the flash sideways for whatever reason Jacob never visited the losties as he did in the original time.

After hearing this I started to think about the differences Jacob not visiting Sawyer, Jack, Locke, Jin & Sun & Kate would have had & the ripples this would cause on the other people on the plane. I know he visited Hurley & Sayid but as this was post crash I don’t think it changes the characters life pre crash. In 6.4 Flocke says that Jacob manipulated & pushed the losties into coming to the island, so to clarify the alternate timeline is a world where Jacob never visited the losties. Another thing I need to mention is that the slightest difference in the characters lives in the alt time will change things & as all the characters have crossed one way or another the changes caused by the lack of Jacob in the core 6 will have rippled through to the rest of the alternate 815 survivors.

When Jack was visited by Jacob he had just had an argument with his dad & went to get a chocolate bar. Getting this chocolate bar I think would have calmed him down I know this sounds stupid but when you have an argument a drink or something like chocolate can be used as a way of calming down. So Jacob manipulated Jack by calming him down & ensuring he gets this chocolate bar & prevents him from continuing the argument with his dad re the interrupted operation. The irony being that the lack of a further argument with his dad in original time leads to him hating his dad where as in the alternate the fact he continues the argument with his dad leads to him having a better relationship with him & will mean Jack is a more intact person in 04 alternate. He will not force his dad to fall of the wagon like he did in A Tale Of Two Cities. The lack of Ana Lucia on the alternate plane leads me to think Christian was in Australia for a different reason.

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