EVIL PUPPET MASTERS

Okay, here are my notes from last night’s episode. I was burning up the Google and Wiki, I tell yah!

• I have never read the Dark Tower series by Stephen King, but I guess the time looping/deja vu/back to the future stuff is similar to what happens in that series.
• Numbers — 1:08 on Desmond’s clock. Delivery for 815. When the old lady is explaining to Desmond what his future has to be, she says it is 2 years before he joins the boat race and then he has 3 years on the island (23 is one of the numbers).
• Up close image of Desmond’s eye is a callback to many Lost episodes that started with just an eye, most notable one being the Pilot episode. Jack waking up in the jungle, we start with just a shot of his eye.
• Abstract painting in Charles Widmore’s office has “namaste” written backwards across the top and a polar bear, which Desmond notices.
• When Desmond sees Charlie in his alternate universe, he is singing Wonderwall by Oasis. Also, the sign says “Charlie Hieronymous Pace” — Hieronymous is the first name of Bosch, a 15th century painter whose most famous painting was “The Garden of Earthly Delights”
• Desmond’s professor friend is explaining to a student that you can run the same study 10 different times and get 10 different results. Is this a clue for theorists?
• At the bar, jukebox is playing Mama Cass’ “Make Your Own Kind of Music” which is what Desmond played on the turntable to open up the Season 2 premiere episode of Lost “Man of Science, Man of Faith”
• “The universe has a way of course correcting” is very much like the Final Destination movies.
• The only hit I got for Admiral McCutcheon was from a television miniseries adaptation of Jules Verne’s “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” — it was the name of a character whose ship, the Abraham Lincoln, came up against Captain Nemo. I wouldn’t even mention it, except for Charles Widmore’s “Admiral McCutcheon” story and that it involves ships and the sea…appropriate for Desmond.

That’s all I got for now. That whole episode was a mind-trip, in the literal sense of the word. Oh, and Hannah Tucker over at Entertainment Weekly posted a (lame) review, if you’re interested. All of the MEAT in that episode and she focuses on David Hume’s theory of combatibilism? *YAWN*

 EPM Podcast 1X06 [95:00m]: Download (883)

Listen to us pontificate about the “Fall Finale” of Lost, plus some news items related to Six Degrees and What about Brian, and Listener Questions!

The Associated Press has put up their video recap of “I Do.”

There is some crazy chick with glasses who throws in her buck-fifty regarding the “Fall Finale” of Lost.

Oh wait…that’s me

Here are my notes on last night’s “Fall Finale” for Lost. Feel free to comment and add things I may have missed

• Kate’s husband Kevin is played by Nathan Fillion, who may not be recognizable to the general viewing public, but is HUGE in the cult fanbase. He played Mal on Firefly (and in the movie Serenity), and is fondly referred to as “Captain Tightpants” by the fanbase. His character “Kevin” on Lost is a police officer with the Miami Dade police department (patch on his sleeve and logo on police car). He also mentions Tampa.
• NUMBERS — Not many. The only one I picked up on was when Kate was talking to her mother-in-law and she said she had four boys.
• Jack “grew a pair” and has taken the control away from Ben — but is Ben really the “Him” that has been referred to by The Others as who they answer to? A comment is made by Danny that “Shephard wasn’t even on Jacob’s list” — WHO is Jacob? Could he be the real leader? Could he be the guy with the patch we saw last week? (whom I like to call Patchman)
• Alex (who we assume to be Rousseau’s daughter) tries to help Kate and Sawyer escape by using a slingshot and rocks (Danny in the walkie - “How the hell did she get over here?” — So she is usually on the main island?). She says, “I wanna talk to Ben” and that they “killed my boyfriend” (who would be Carl who used to be in Kate’s cage). Later, as Ben lies facedown on the table before his surgery, he asks Juliet if “Alex asked about me” and Julies says “No, we took her home last night. I don’t know where she is now.”
• Kate’s choice seems to be Sawyer — they get busy in the cell (and were watched by Ben) and they exchanged “I love yous” kind of. Jack is crushed twice by Kate’s choice — once when he realizes that Kate asks Jack to do the surgery to save Sawyer and the second time when he sees them post-coital in Ben’s viewing room. Ben is obviously upset that Kate doesn’t break Jack (and admits to Jack later that he thought Kate would chose him), but is even more surprised when Jack agrees to do the surgery anyway.
• Jack takes control — he doesn’t take the tumor out (yet), but he doesn’t discreetly kill Ben either (for Juliet). Jack has become the hero (again?). He gave up the girl and intends to sacrifice himself in order to give freedom to Kate (and Sawyer?).
• Locke is mid-eulogy when he notices the words “Lift Up Your Eyes and Look North” — which partly comes from the scripture next to it: “Lift up your eyes and look north, south, east and west” (God to Abram, Genesis 13:14). The northern part of the island is probably where you can see the other island.
• In the scene when Juliet comes to get Kate, Danny is arguing with Juliet and says something like “supposed to be 2 weeks!” and “it’s stupid!” What was supposed to be 2 weeks? How long they kept Kate/Sawyer/Jack? Or was that part of Ben’s original plan on how long it would take him to manipulate Jack into doing the surgery?
• When the intercom wakes Jack up (and finds the door open), the voice sounds like Alex.

So, what answers did we get? Not a lot really, but is that a bad thing? We know that the tumor IS Ben’s (there was speculation that it was part of the ruse) and that there is someone named “Jacob” who seems to have made a list that Jack was NOT on. Ben’s premonition-type comment — “Whatever happens, it’s going to change everything.” Jack agrees. Kate and Sawyer can be controlled by threatening the other, but Jack has his own power over The Others now. Also, we have true hope that Kate (at least), and possibly Sawyer, will make it off Bencatraz — and that Locke is going to head North and SEE Bencatraz.

 EPM Podcast 1x05 [90:00m]: Download (879)

Here it is! I warn you, we both kinda liked this eppy

Yay! We’re famous again!

The Associate Press has put up it’s video round up for “The Cost of Living”, and not only do we get a shout out for the Bob Dylan video mention, but they also show a screen shot of the EPM site in the vid!

Entertainment Weekly has their review of last night’s episode of Lost up. It’s long, but it’s thorough, and hits on some things that I missed the first go ’round.

Wow. What an amazing episode! Gotta love those Alias writers Here are my thoughts:

• The Smoke Monster — Where to begin? Smokey the Monster seems to manifest itself into whomever (or whatever) the person encountering it is seeking judgment from. Jack sought the judgment of his father (”White Rabbit”) — which he STILL has guilt over and still seeks redemption over, so he has not been “judged” by the Monster yet. Locke sought the judgment of the Island (represented as a “bright white light”? — multiple episodes) — the first time he saw the Monster, he was spared because he was still seeking to please the Island in repayment for being able to walk again; but the next time he was confronted by the Monster, he was grabbed…because he was DOUBTING the Island and whether or not he owed it still. Eko sought the judgment of his brother Yemi (this episode and “?”) — when he first met the Black Smoke version of the monster, it seemed to “read” his memory, maybe to determine who he sought judgment from; as he followed the wishes of “Yemi” (building the church, pressing the button), the Monster let him live; but when he faced “Yemi” (in the Smoke Monster form) and REFUSED to repent his sins (those things which he believed that Yemi would have judged him for) — he paid the ultimate price. Judgment was the cost of living. Eko chose not to be judged anymore, so his life was forfeit. Now, if this theory is correct — what the hell did that Pilot do to make Smokey take judgment on him so quickly?
• [Related to previous]Is it really a “sickness” on the island? Or does Smokey invoke evidence of “guilt” in those it is seeking to judge?
• White tunics donned for the funeral. White = purity. Part of Ben’s ploy to manipulate Jack into believing that the Others are the “good guys.” Wants him to see them as pure. Wants him to see them mourn and invoke feelings of pity. Of course, Jack blew that out of the water by bringing up the X-rays.
• Locke taking the mantle of the Kinder, Gentler, Fearless Leader of the Lostaways. Asks if there are others who want to go on their trek to the Pearl station, and Hurley comments that Jack never asked — he just went alone or chose Sayid or Kate to go with him.
• “Don’t mistake coincidence for fate.” Locke says this to Desmond in this episode. This line was originally spoken by Eko TO Locke in the S2 episode “What Kate Did” — when they first meet in the hatch and Eko reveals that he has a missing portion of the Orientation film that was hidden in the Tailies hatch.
• Ben seemingly “confesses” to Jack that he had meant to break Jack, then get him “invested” in the Others, so that Jack would “want” to save Ben’s life (it’s Ben’s spinal tumor, by the way). But since Jack knows about the tumor already, now Ben is at a loss. He asks Jack if he believes in God. Jack doesn’t really answer yes or no — asks Ben why he asks. Ben claims that 2 days after he found out he had a life-threatening tumor on his spine, a spinal surgeon “dropped out of the sky” — then says “If that’s not proof of God, I don’t know what is.” Ben admits that is it “no coicidence” that Juliet resembles Jack’s ex-wife Sarah. That was part of the attempted manipulation.
• Juliet’s video is a play on the famous Bob Dylan video “Subterranean Homesick Blues”. You can find the video on YouTube, but it originally came from the “Don’t Look Back” documentary — which I HIGHLY recommend.

Juliet’s placards tell Jack that Ben is a liar and that many in their group are looking for changes. She wants Jack to kill Ben during the tumor surgery, but make it look like an accident. She tells Jack that she will protect him. It is unclear whether or not Jack is going to go along with Ben or Juliet.

• After Eko commits murder in Yemi’s church, the villagers board the church up. Eko says it is Yemi’s church, and the villager lady tells him that Eko “owes him one church” — THUS why Eko was building a church on the island. This was part of him fulfilling the judgment. When Smokey the Monster grabs Eko and begins to beat him to death against the ground and trees — Eko is starts to recite the 23rd Psalm (which was the name of the S2 episode that was also Eko-centric).
• As Eko is dying, he whispers something in Locke’s ear. After he dies and Locke closed Eko’s eyes, Sayid asks what Eko said. Locke responds that he said, “We’re next.”

That’s all I got for now. Anything I missed? Let me know

On a personal note, I for one am going to miss Adewale. He has one of the most commanding screen presences I’ve ever witnessed and I hope to see him in many, many more television and/or film projects. He knocked my socks off tonight.

Entertainment Weekly’s resident Lost expert is at it again, dropping tidbits and doing the BEST kind of theorizing (which would be the kind that actually makes SENSE) in his latest commentary. Watch him draw a magic thread connecting Stephen King, a bunny, a Swan, a Pearl, the Island, Alvar Hanso, the Dharma Initiative, AND…Reality TV.

No, REALLY. Thank goodness there is at least one frellin’ critic out there who can review, analyze and critique — all while managing to keep his humor and wits about him.

 EPM Podcast 1x04 [90:00m]: Download (1119)

This HALLOWEEN edition discusses LOST 3.04 Every Man For Himself, a lot of vague references to Battlestar Galactica, the latest episode of What about Brian, and more Listener Questions.

Well, I guess I should have actually POSTED my notes about “Every Man For Himself” here, since Lauri from The Associated Press used some of them for that video round-up I linked to *NOTE: This is not EVERYTHING from that episode, but this is the stuff that I made note of during the episode and researched that night. Enjoy!

• Number 8 on the white rabbit — which, by the way, was a White Rabbit, which was an episode title from Season 1 (and should have clued you in that there was some sort of misleading going on). The white rabbit, in a cage, with the number 8 on its back is actually taken from Stephen King’s book “On Writing.”
• Desmond can see the future, but he can also ALTER it. Evidenced by his prevention of the lightning striking Claire’s tent.
• Kate says she loves Sawyer, then says she only said it to keep them from continuing to punch him, but then STILL stays in the cage, even though she can get out (and did, briefly).
• The X-Ray showed a spine, which led many fans to believe that it was Locke at first. But the preview leads us to believe that it is Benry.
• Ben says “the sub is back” which confirms that the Others have a submarine. That would allow them to get between the two islands undetected, and (to me) explains how Ethan was able to come from the water to kill Scott/Steve (still can’t remember which) without being seen coming.
• The cartoon they made Jack watch was “A Corny Concerto” which includes an early version of Daffy Duck, and is an Ugly Duckling story with war references. The Blue Danube is the main song in the cartoon. A Corny Concerto
• NUMBERS — Sawyer’s prisoner number was 840. The storage unit that the $10 million was put in was 23C.
• Clementine is the name of Sawyer’s (supposed) daughter. Also the name of an orange and is a very obscure reference to a scene in the Alias episode 5.01 “Prophet Five” where Vaughn and Sydney are discussing names for their baby. Clementine is mentioned, and Vaughn says that Clementine is a stupid name for a baby. Would have thought that was a throw away connection, except that Monica Breen and Alison Schapker wrote that episode of Alias, and they both now write for Lost — so maybe not such a throw away
• The prisoner who had the $10 million was played by Ian Gomez, who (in the Six Degrees of JJ Abrams) played Javier on Felicity.

The Associated Press has their new video round-up for “Every Man For Himself” out.

You may notice credit given to a certain site *coughTHISONEcough* for helping out with the Easter Egg Hunt in this Lost episode. Gotta keep the public informed, y’know?