Deleted from "Everybody Hates Hugo"
[Ana-Lucia is serving dinner (raw fish pieces) to other Tailies in the empty Arrow bunker. Jin, Sawyer and Michael (who are now released from the pit) are sitting on the other side of the room, wondering if they will be included. Ana-Lucia walks over and serves them the same ration as everyone. Sawyer and Ana-Lucia exchange very distrustful looks in silence, and then he takes the food, no dialogue exchanged.]
Description: Lostpedia
Monday, April 30, 2007
The Weekly Deleted Scene - Dinner Time
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Living Lost by J.Wood
I've had a lot of people asking me about J.Wood the writer of some recaps that I post here. J.Wood actually wrote a book about Lost, which I've not read personally but a couple of my friends have, and they highly recommend it. Take a look at the recaps that he writes and if you enjoy them you will no doubt enjoy his book.
Amazon Link
Amazon Link
Friday, April 27, 2007
The Season 3 Episode League Table
You can see all the Poll Results HERE
Things I Noticed - "D.O.C" by Vozzek69
D.O.C. zapped us with some very startling revelations this week, but at the same time it answered some longer-standing questions. We unraveled the mystery of Sun's pregnancy and probed the depth of Juliet's loyalty. And as we waited on Naomi's every word we found that she didn't say very much... but what she did was was mindblowing. Things I Noticed:
Juliet - One Last Scam
She got me. She really did. When Juliet mournfully explained Sun's predicament, I actually, for once, believed her. When she offered the secret midnight sonogram, I totally thought she was sincere. Juliet really seemed to be struggling, and I thought she'd finally made a breakthrough. FINALLY she was doing something for the benefit of someone else - something pure and good and not part of some vague and sinister master plan.
And then she opened that locker and pulled out the tape recorder. Damn.
I think however, that this is Juliet's last deception. The next scam she perpetrates will be against Ben. Although luring Sun to the medical hatch was part of Ben's grand design, I believe Juliet's motives were sincere. Unlike many of the main characters of the show, Juliet glances back into her pre-LOST life and sees wholesome things. Everyone's done bad stuff in their flashbacks and then come to the island to reconcile themselves, but Juliet's actually the opposite: the evil things she's done were only after she reached the island.
I was surprised at the way Sun opened up to Juliet, speaking her innermost secrets. I think Sun's trust overwhelmed her, causing Juliet's guard to drop. Sharing her past with Sun, Juliet once again gazed longingly back into her pre-island life. Leaving the message on the tape was perfunctory. NOT leaving the message would probably arise more suspicion. Ben's got a little mutiny on his hands with Juliet. Does he have the forsight to anticipate it? Hey... he's Ben. :)
Kate - Bun in the Oven
Maybe Kate's pregnant. Maybe she's not. It's impossible to say at this point, but we learned this episode that the Others are monitoring the situation a la Juliet. This is most likely why Juliet woke up handcuffed next to Kate a few weeks ago: she's on a deep cover urine quest. See ya in a week.
The important thing here is the reaffirmation of how badass Ben's plans always turn out to be. He administered just the right amount of deprivation, just the right amount of beatings, he left just the right-sized hole in Kate's cage to ensure dirty, needy prison-sex. And oops, hey look - let's kill two birds with one stone by 'accidentally' leaving the door to Jack's cell open, as well as the door to the monitoring station. Sorry, but the man's just unstoppable.
Mikhail - Version 2.0
Mikhail's back, running full tilt through the jungle in his filthy DHARMA jumpsuit as if blood never leaked from his ears a few episodes ago. Stumbling onto the 815'ers, his face was priceless - total shock. It's always exciting for us when things don't go exactly as the Others have planned, and it was especially awesome to watch Jin chase this guy down and beat the crap out of him Bruce Leroy style.
Patch-eye didn't care about or expect to see the 815er's, which can only mean he was chasing the fallen parachute. Yet he wasn't concerned about Naomi or any potential info she could give the main characters - if so, he wouldn't have allowed her to live. No, Mikhail wanted only one thing: the satellite phone. He knew it was there before even asking, and you're kidding yourself if you disbelieve that.
Logically speaking, Hawaii is one of the closest locations for a potential rescue mission to be launched. And Charlie/Hurley so desperately want this to be a rescue mission. Is it any surprise then, that one of them would find a hula doll? Nope. And the photo of Desmond and Penny? Desmond's doing, obviously. The Catch-22 book was a smug gift from the writers. Which leaves us of course, with the satellite phone... courtesy of our resident communications expert Mikhail himself. A man who has not been able to communicate with the outside world by any of his previous means. A man who would realize that a satellite phone (and ONLY a satellite phone) might be the answer to his communication problems.
Mikhail's smug grin makes a grand reappearance once he realizes they need his help. And after negotiating his release with Desmond (note the total lack of democracy here), he's more than helpful. Strangely enough, Mikhail once again offers more information than any other Other, hinting strongly toward the healing properties of the island itself. "She'll be fine in a day. It works differently here", he tells them. Every time he opens his mouth, it's almost like Mikhail can't help but give vital info. He's the island gossip. I'll bet Ben shipped him off to the flame station to keep him from flapping his gums.
Finally, Mikhail's apparent resurrection lends credit to the whole 'rebirth' theme on the island. I'm pretty sure Desmond died during the hatch implosion, waking up naked and reborn "in another life". I'm also certain that Mikhail was killed at the sonic fence. Taking this in mind, perhaps this is what happened with Klugh. Demanding Mikhail shoot her might've been her BSG Cylon-like escape hatch back to wherever the hell offed Others go. This would also explain why Mikhail thanked Locke for 'killing' him. Come to think of it, go back and watch the scene where Hurley's talking to Juliet about Ethan being buried "over there". There's a brief flash of a smirk on Juliet's mouth, almost as if Ethan's not really dead and she somehow knows it.
"Bah! Vozzek's saying that everyone who dies on the island is reborn!" No, I'm not. But there's definitely something fishy going on.
Jack - is Wack
It seems that no matter what Jack does since he came back to camp, he's acting 'strangely'. I thought it was very old school Jack-ish for him to approach Sun with questions concerning how she was feeling. It was almost as if he were taking up a proactive role again. Yet Sun was smart enough to question his motives, and I think rightly so. The whole conversation could've been a vehicle used by the writers to pinball Sun over into Juliet's court for the hatch portion of the story, but it could also be something else.
I still think Jack is Ben's backup plan, even unknowingly. And although 'date of conception' is a legitimate medical term, the irony of those letters spelling the word "DOC" wasn't lost (pun intended) on me.
Sun - Tough, Smart, (and Responsible for Jin's Prediciment)
As a character, Sun has a lot of depth. Her little miss innocent demeanor on the island is always belied by the things we see in her flashbacks: lies, deceit, adultery, and now even death threats. Her flashbacks are always cool.
The graciousness at which Sun handled Juliet's help was touching. These two characters bonded closely in this one episode, yet not to the point of blind trust. Sun gets a lot of credit for creeping back into the hatch to overhear Juliet's recording. Yet I tend to think Juliet intentionally let Sun in on the tape recording thing as a way to keep the 815'ers in the loop. She gave a miserably feeble excuse to go back to the hatch alone. After what they'd been through I think she wanted Sun to hear it all, especially the part about hating Ben.
We can all agree that Jin's father was the sweetest man on the show so far - in stark contrast to his hellacious bitch of a wife. I absolutely loved the way Sun dealt with Jin's mom. You immediately knew she was deadly serious about the threat she made. Her handling of these two people mirrored that recurrent black/white type of contrast, the good vs. evil balance of the entire show. Also note there was a very prominent zebra cutout in the secret sonogram bank vault. Always black and white.
The big thing to take away from this week's flashback is the fact that Sun is responsible for Jin having to work for her father in a gangster-like capacity. Up until the loan was given, Jin was small time. Once indebted to Mr. Paik, he was signed on to darker things. I can understand Sun sparing Jin the shame of knowing that his mother is a blackmailing prostitute, yet she allowed him to fall into her father's web of violence rather than tell him? And not only that, but to subsequently cheat on him and almost leave him based upon the 'monster' he'd become... a monster Sun herself had inadvertently created? Sun's list of bad things grows.
Desmond - A Man of His Word
Once again, Desmond knows more about the island than he lets on. More specifically, he seems to be catching on to how the island works - his precognition being only a part of it.
Desmond tells Charlie "Seems to me you've killed more of them than they've killed of you". This is a very telling line. Not only is he right about this (which would technically put the Others closer in line to their label of 'good guys') but his use of "them" and "you" is exclusive. Desmond's still a loner. Either he slipped up phonetically or he doesn't truly consider himself a part of the 815's just yet.
Desmond also makes good on his deal with Mikhail. It's overly important to him that he does this. "I gave him my word". How many times have we heard this line on LOST? Ben especially uses it. Does he lie and utilize deceit to his advantage? Hell yes. But when he finally gives his word, is that some sort of jinxable island-bonded law?
Ben gave his word to Michael and kept it. He gave his word to Jack, and got let off the hook on a technicality. Although he indirectly helped Locke destroy the sub, he still didn't violate his 'word'. He also gave Juliet his word that no one had ever gotten cancer on the island. When he himself got cancer he was adamant to the point of physically shaking Juliet around in his kitchen that she understand he hadn't gone back on his word. When he gave it, he believed it was true.
Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but there seem to be some immutable island rules that the Others somehow have to follow. I've mentioned other examples in the past, and the "you have my word" thing might be just one more.
Naomi - Quinti-Lingual Genius
I'm going to bypass Naomi's vast linguistic knowledge and go straight to the most chilling line of last night's episode - the part where she explains that flight 815 crashed with no survivors. Hurley's "What?" was absolutely perfect, a nice break from the usual "Dude" (which I'm sure he could've made work).
Once again we're slapped in the face with an inexplicable inconsistency in time and space, and once again I'm 100% sure someone will come up with a conspiracy theory to explain it. Someone will invariably make the case for an 'Oceanic coverup'. Maybe Hanso did a clean-up job, scattering wreckage and bodies and calling it a total wash. Hell, maybe Naomi is just a filthy liar. Whatever the case, there will still be non-believers. And that's fine.
For everyone else, LOST is headed down the supernatural road... and I suggest you stop fighting it and just enjoy the ride.
Once last time I'm going to make reference to a great show called Land of the Lost that dominated Sid & Marty Krofft's lineup in the mid 1970's. Three people are rafting down some Class 9 rapids when they shoot over a waterfall to their apparent deaths. Instead of dying, they end up in the Land of The Lost, a limbo-like place where all kinds of crazy stuff is possible. After many strange adventures they are eventually shown an inter dimensional doorway where they learn their true fates: they DID actually die when they hit the rocks. Much the same way Naomi claims the 815'ers are already dead... in her timeline, anyway.
Assuming there were no survivors of flight 815, the entire show becomes an offshoot of the "true" timeline - the one Naomi just came from. Everything that's happened on the island becomes an alternate reality running concurrently with the world in which the Red Sox won the World Series. If so, this tangent timeline wasn't caused during last season's finale when the sky turned purple... it happened when Desmond failed to push the button the first time. Although who's to say it didn't happen AGAIN during the hatch implosion, thus causing the precognitive flashes Desmond keeps seeing. And if that's true we can no longer call them precognitive. They're now alternate timelines.
The journey between Australia and the island now takes on a different meaning, and Ethan's "it's a hell of a ride" line makes a lot more sense. But we have to also wonder if the island is in a concurrent timeline or if it's actually hanging in limbo. If it were nothing more than an alternate universe where people survived the plane crash, rescue would've seemed a lot more likely. But considering the lack of all physical contact with the outside world (not counting incoming transmissions, of which I have serious doubts to their validity), it's more possible that contact cannot happen simply because they are frozen in time. Frozen at the exact moment the plane broke apart. 90 days have passed on the island, but no time has passed at all. Which would of course make the grand finale of the show end up on the same day the show started.
Whew. That's all I'm going to say this week. Season 3 is building toward an awesome climax, and I can't wait to see how it ends.
Juliet - One Last Scam
She got me. She really did. When Juliet mournfully explained Sun's predicament, I actually, for once, believed her. When she offered the secret midnight sonogram, I totally thought she was sincere. Juliet really seemed to be struggling, and I thought she'd finally made a breakthrough. FINALLY she was doing something for the benefit of someone else - something pure and good and not part of some vague and sinister master plan.
And then she opened that locker and pulled out the tape recorder. Damn.
I think however, that this is Juliet's last deception. The next scam she perpetrates will be against Ben. Although luring Sun to the medical hatch was part of Ben's grand design, I believe Juliet's motives were sincere. Unlike many of the main characters of the show, Juliet glances back into her pre-LOST life and sees wholesome things. Everyone's done bad stuff in their flashbacks and then come to the island to reconcile themselves, but Juliet's actually the opposite: the evil things she's done were only after she reached the island.
I was surprised at the way Sun opened up to Juliet, speaking her innermost secrets. I think Sun's trust overwhelmed her, causing Juliet's guard to drop. Sharing her past with Sun, Juliet once again gazed longingly back into her pre-island life. Leaving the message on the tape was perfunctory. NOT leaving the message would probably arise more suspicion. Ben's got a little mutiny on his hands with Juliet. Does he have the forsight to anticipate it? Hey... he's Ben. :)
Kate - Bun in the Oven
Maybe Kate's pregnant. Maybe she's not. It's impossible to say at this point, but we learned this episode that the Others are monitoring the situation a la Juliet. This is most likely why Juliet woke up handcuffed next to Kate a few weeks ago: she's on a deep cover urine quest. See ya in a week.
The important thing here is the reaffirmation of how badass Ben's plans always turn out to be. He administered just the right amount of deprivation, just the right amount of beatings, he left just the right-sized hole in Kate's cage to ensure dirty, needy prison-sex. And oops, hey look - let's kill two birds with one stone by 'accidentally' leaving the door to Jack's cell open, as well as the door to the monitoring station. Sorry, but the man's just unstoppable.
Mikhail - Version 2.0
Mikhail's back, running full tilt through the jungle in his filthy DHARMA jumpsuit as if blood never leaked from his ears a few episodes ago. Stumbling onto the 815'ers, his face was priceless - total shock. It's always exciting for us when things don't go exactly as the Others have planned, and it was especially awesome to watch Jin chase this guy down and beat the crap out of him Bruce Leroy style.
Patch-eye didn't care about or expect to see the 815er's, which can only mean he was chasing the fallen parachute. Yet he wasn't concerned about Naomi or any potential info she could give the main characters - if so, he wouldn't have allowed her to live. No, Mikhail wanted only one thing: the satellite phone. He knew it was there before even asking, and you're kidding yourself if you disbelieve that.
Logically speaking, Hawaii is one of the closest locations for a potential rescue mission to be launched. And Charlie/Hurley so desperately want this to be a rescue mission. Is it any surprise then, that one of them would find a hula doll? Nope. And the photo of Desmond and Penny? Desmond's doing, obviously. The Catch-22 book was a smug gift from the writers. Which leaves us of course, with the satellite phone... courtesy of our resident communications expert Mikhail himself. A man who has not been able to communicate with the outside world by any of his previous means. A man who would realize that a satellite phone (and ONLY a satellite phone) might be the answer to his communication problems.
Mikhail's smug grin makes a grand reappearance once he realizes they need his help. And after negotiating his release with Desmond (note the total lack of democracy here), he's more than helpful. Strangely enough, Mikhail once again offers more information than any other Other, hinting strongly toward the healing properties of the island itself. "She'll be fine in a day. It works differently here", he tells them. Every time he opens his mouth, it's almost like Mikhail can't help but give vital info. He's the island gossip. I'll bet Ben shipped him off to the flame station to keep him from flapping his gums.
Finally, Mikhail's apparent resurrection lends credit to the whole 'rebirth' theme on the island. I'm pretty sure Desmond died during the hatch implosion, waking up naked and reborn "in another life". I'm also certain that Mikhail was killed at the sonic fence. Taking this in mind, perhaps this is what happened with Klugh. Demanding Mikhail shoot her might've been her BSG Cylon-like escape hatch back to wherever the hell offed Others go. This would also explain why Mikhail thanked Locke for 'killing' him. Come to think of it, go back and watch the scene where Hurley's talking to Juliet about Ethan being buried "over there". There's a brief flash of a smirk on Juliet's mouth, almost as if Ethan's not really dead and she somehow knows it.
"Bah! Vozzek's saying that everyone who dies on the island is reborn!" No, I'm not. But there's definitely something fishy going on.
Jack - is Wack
It seems that no matter what Jack does since he came back to camp, he's acting 'strangely'. I thought it was very old school Jack-ish for him to approach Sun with questions concerning how she was feeling. It was almost as if he were taking up a proactive role again. Yet Sun was smart enough to question his motives, and I think rightly so. The whole conversation could've been a vehicle used by the writers to pinball Sun over into Juliet's court for the hatch portion of the story, but it could also be something else.
I still think Jack is Ben's backup plan, even unknowingly. And although 'date of conception' is a legitimate medical term, the irony of those letters spelling the word "DOC" wasn't lost (pun intended) on me.
Sun - Tough, Smart, (and Responsible for Jin's Prediciment)
As a character, Sun has a lot of depth. Her little miss innocent demeanor on the island is always belied by the things we see in her flashbacks: lies, deceit, adultery, and now even death threats. Her flashbacks are always cool.
The graciousness at which Sun handled Juliet's help was touching. These two characters bonded closely in this one episode, yet not to the point of blind trust. Sun gets a lot of credit for creeping back into the hatch to overhear Juliet's recording. Yet I tend to think Juliet intentionally let Sun in on the tape recording thing as a way to keep the 815'ers in the loop. She gave a miserably feeble excuse to go back to the hatch alone. After what they'd been through I think she wanted Sun to hear it all, especially the part about hating Ben.
We can all agree that Jin's father was the sweetest man on the show so far - in stark contrast to his hellacious bitch of a wife. I absolutely loved the way Sun dealt with Jin's mom. You immediately knew she was deadly serious about the threat she made. Her handling of these two people mirrored that recurrent black/white type of contrast, the good vs. evil balance of the entire show. Also note there was a very prominent zebra cutout in the secret sonogram bank vault. Always black and white.
The big thing to take away from this week's flashback is the fact that Sun is responsible for Jin having to work for her father in a gangster-like capacity. Up until the loan was given, Jin was small time. Once indebted to Mr. Paik, he was signed on to darker things. I can understand Sun sparing Jin the shame of knowing that his mother is a blackmailing prostitute, yet she allowed him to fall into her father's web of violence rather than tell him? And not only that, but to subsequently cheat on him and almost leave him based upon the 'monster' he'd become... a monster Sun herself had inadvertently created? Sun's list of bad things grows.
Desmond - A Man of His Word
Once again, Desmond knows more about the island than he lets on. More specifically, he seems to be catching on to how the island works - his precognition being only a part of it.
Desmond tells Charlie "Seems to me you've killed more of them than they've killed of you". This is a very telling line. Not only is he right about this (which would technically put the Others closer in line to their label of 'good guys') but his use of "them" and "you" is exclusive. Desmond's still a loner. Either he slipped up phonetically or he doesn't truly consider himself a part of the 815's just yet.
Desmond also makes good on his deal with Mikhail. It's overly important to him that he does this. "I gave him my word". How many times have we heard this line on LOST? Ben especially uses it. Does he lie and utilize deceit to his advantage? Hell yes. But when he finally gives his word, is that some sort of jinxable island-bonded law?
Ben gave his word to Michael and kept it. He gave his word to Jack, and got let off the hook on a technicality. Although he indirectly helped Locke destroy the sub, he still didn't violate his 'word'. He also gave Juliet his word that no one had ever gotten cancer on the island. When he himself got cancer he was adamant to the point of physically shaking Juliet around in his kitchen that she understand he hadn't gone back on his word. When he gave it, he believed it was true.
Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but there seem to be some immutable island rules that the Others somehow have to follow. I've mentioned other examples in the past, and the "you have my word" thing might be just one more.
Naomi - Quinti-Lingual Genius
I'm going to bypass Naomi's vast linguistic knowledge and go straight to the most chilling line of last night's episode - the part where she explains that flight 815 crashed with no survivors. Hurley's "What?" was absolutely perfect, a nice break from the usual "Dude" (which I'm sure he could've made work).
Once again we're slapped in the face with an inexplicable inconsistency in time and space, and once again I'm 100% sure someone will come up with a conspiracy theory to explain it. Someone will invariably make the case for an 'Oceanic coverup'. Maybe Hanso did a clean-up job, scattering wreckage and bodies and calling it a total wash. Hell, maybe Naomi is just a filthy liar. Whatever the case, there will still be non-believers. And that's fine.
For everyone else, LOST is headed down the supernatural road... and I suggest you stop fighting it and just enjoy the ride.
Once last time I'm going to make reference to a great show called Land of the Lost that dominated Sid & Marty Krofft's lineup in the mid 1970's. Three people are rafting down some Class 9 rapids when they shoot over a waterfall to their apparent deaths. Instead of dying, they end up in the Land of The Lost, a limbo-like place where all kinds of crazy stuff is possible. After many strange adventures they are eventually shown an inter dimensional doorway where they learn their true fates: they DID actually die when they hit the rocks. Much the same way Naomi claims the 815'ers are already dead... in her timeline, anyway.
Assuming there were no survivors of flight 815, the entire show becomes an offshoot of the "true" timeline - the one Naomi just came from. Everything that's happened on the island becomes an alternate reality running concurrently with the world in which the Red Sox won the World Series. If so, this tangent timeline wasn't caused during last season's finale when the sky turned purple... it happened when Desmond failed to push the button the first time. Although who's to say it didn't happen AGAIN during the hatch implosion, thus causing the precognitive flashes Desmond keeps seeing. And if that's true we can no longer call them precognitive. They're now alternate timelines.
The journey between Australia and the island now takes on a different meaning, and Ethan's "it's a hell of a ride" line makes a lot more sense. But we have to also wonder if the island is in a concurrent timeline or if it's actually hanging in limbo. If it were nothing more than an alternate universe where people survived the plane crash, rescue would've seemed a lot more likely. But considering the lack of all physical contact with the outside world (not counting incoming transmissions, of which I have serious doubts to their validity), it's more possible that contact cannot happen simply because they are frozen in time. Frozen at the exact moment the plane broke apart. 90 days have passed on the island, but no time has passed at all. Which would of course make the grand finale of the show end up on the same day the show started.
Whew. That's all I'm going to say this week. Season 3 is building toward an awesome climax, and I can't wait to see how it ends.
D.O.C by J.Wood
Another indepth review of D.O.C by the always interesting J.Wood.
Mikhail Bakunin revolted against everything, even death itself.
"D.O.C.," the eighteenth episode of season three, can be read as a clear extension of "Catch-22." Desmond faced his own lose-lose situation, and now it's Sun's turn. This was foreshadowed in the opening scenes, which recalled "The Long Con" when Charlie bonked her on the head in her garden. Sun's dilemma is every bit as much a catch-22 as Desmond's; if she conceived off the island, then she'll live, but the baby isn't Jin's and she'll bring him shame. If she conceived on the island, the baby is Jin's, but she'll die like all the other mothers who conceived on the island (which is the case). When it comes to romantic relationships, both Desmond and Sun face nothing but bad news. And like Charlie, Sun is for all intents and purposes now living under a death sentence. This is the basis for the mirror-twinning occurring in this episode. As mentioned last week, Joseph Heller originally wanted to call his book Catch-18; Heller was Jewish, and the number 18 symbolizes life in Judaism. In Hebrew, each letter has a numerical equivalent, and the word for life, chai — think l'chaim — has the numerical equivalent of 18. (Heller's publisher made him change the title because of another book being published with a 18 in the title). It's ironically fitting that the shadow of Catch-22, with the idea of a missed symbol for life and the inability to escape death, hovers all over the 18th episode.
The mirror-twinned experiences between Sun, Desmond and Charlie are just two of a number of twinned instances in this episode's narrative: Sun's front story and flashback both deal with the theme of saving Jin from shame, yet approach them from very different angles. The identity of Jin's father, like Sun's baby up until this episode, is an open question because like Sun, Jin's mother slept with other men. Mr. Kwon raised Jin as if he were the father, not unlike Charlie does for Aaron. This also raises the question of who is Jin's real father; if you want to get morbid and go wild with the theories, check out Korean director Park Chan-Wook's film Oldboy.
Jin's mother menacingly appears out of nowhere, almost like Mrs. Hawking or the the Hawaiian shirt man in the airport restroom from "Exodus." She shakes down Sun into protecting Jin's (and the Paik family's) dignity by not revealing that Jin's mother was a prostitute. Sun — again like Jin's mother — blackmails Mr. Paik to get the blackmail money. We also find out that Jin, like Desmond, had military training; there was a photo of Jin in uniform on Mr. Kwon's wall. And if there was any doubt about Jin's fighting prowess (as if there should be), not only was there a martial arts trophy on Mr. Kwon's shrine to Jin, but Jin takes Mikhail hand-to-hand and subdues him in a rear-naked choke. Finally, Jin's assumption that Sun's pregnancy was a miracle turns out to be something quite different. Just as Catch-22 works to present multiple perspectives on the same theme, so are the episodes "Catch-22" and "D.O.C."
Speaking of miracles, we also have a walking, talking Mikhail Bakunin to deal with again. He defied the law of nature and wouldn't stay dead. Presumably, the Others' communication man was running toward the flare Hurley accidentally set off; was Bakunin expecting Naomi? Why was he running to the flare? And how dead was he in "Enter 77?" In his book God and the State, the burly anarchic philosopher states that man "obeys natural laws because he has himself recognized them as such, and not because they have been externally imposed upon him by any extrinsic will whatever, divine or human, collective or individual." It's fitting that, with a bit of help from the island, the Other Bakunin has refused to recognize the laws of death (which also suggests that Klugh is still alive).
When Bakunin takes care of Naomi's lung, he says that she will heal in a about a day, so it'll be at least one more episode before we get to hear what she has to say. He mentions that wounds are different on the island, which we've already seen, but we've also seen Charlie take a while to recover from Ethan's beat-down, Sawyer nearly die from a gunshot would gone septic, and Ben developed a tumor. Bakunin knows something the Lostaways don't, but we know something Bakunin doesn't.
But the satellite phone is our Chekhov's gun; it's obviously of interest, and may be something Bakunin's mirror-twin communications officer Sayid can get working. When Jin catches Bakunin stealing the phone, he tells Charlie, "How could you respect me if I didn't try?" Why is Bakunin at all concerned about gaining any of the Lostaways' respect? Again, we have an echo of the anarchist, who had a near hip-hop obsession with respect. He disrespected all political and theological authority, but in his paper "Rousseau's Theory of the State," Bakunin wrote that "even in the midst of the most violent and bitter, even mortal, combat [...] I must respect [my adversary's] human character. My own dignity as a man depends on it." For the philosopher, revolt against control was a natural human tendency, and an individual's humanity demanded respect, lest you lose some of your own humanity. An adversary's humanity, "no matter how monstrous his deviations might be, nonetheless really exists," and it is his "lifelong potential capacity to rise to the awareness of his humanity." Bakunin takes the phone because it is his natural tendency to revolt against control, and he would not be living up to his potential if he did not attempt to reassert control over the situation. He addresses his comment to Charlie, the most monstrous of the four Lostaways, and as suggested last week, Charlie is the one character who seems limited in realizing his "potential capacities" — hence the throat troubles, where the growth chakra resides.
As a sidenote on disrespecting theological authority, the philosopher Bakunin also mocked the idea of miracles as vestigial remnants of discarded religion; whereas David Hume and George Campbell might have some interesting things to say about Mikhail's resurrection, Bakunin would look only to the scientific answer.
The Mikhail discussion finally brings us back around to Naomi, who seems to have gone to the Berlitz Language Jump School. She speaks English, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, and Portuguese in this episode, demonstrating that she's either very well educated or has a savant knack for languages (as does apparently Bakunin). The Portuguese-speaking audience picked up that she did not tell Bakunin thank you for helping her, as he claims, but that she was not alone. Her biblical namesake appears in the Book of Ruth, the main theme of which is redemption — and as Hurley suggests, there is a specter of their being saved hovering around her arrival. However, she also tells them that Flight 815 was found, and there were no survivors. In the Book of Ruth, after Naomi's husband dies, she changes her name to Mara, meaning bitterness, and the news that the passengers of Flight 815 are dead is bitter at best.
This raises a conundrum: The passengers obviously aren't dead, and Darlton Cuselof have already declared that no, they're not in purgatory. Who is Naomi, who is she with, and what's this noise about there being no survivors? Recently, I suggested that each time Des saves Charlie, he's not only changing the future, but also the past and the present. After the implosion, Des experienced a Doctor Manhattan-like transformation that is allowing him to experience multiple versions of time, and his actions are possibly change other timelines. The island is somehow immune from the historical fluctuations, which may have something to do with its geologically-unique electromagnetism. Perhaps in one of his heroic moments, he altered history off-island, and Flight 815 crashed in some other way. If that's the case, what would their rescue mean? If the 18th episode is to be symbolic of life — and indeed both Naomi and Mikhail live — the mirror-twin narrative move is that they're all already dead.
Finally, we also know that Juliet is playing some other game, and in a very un-Bakunin-like fashion, is seemingly allowing herself to be controlled. Perhaps this is for some future benefit, but she lets Ben know in her message that she hates him. But some in the online have recently found one of the more interesting easter eggs about Juliet's mark: The episode where we saw the symbol raised again, "One of Us," aired during the week of Easter. The symbol also appears on Cadbury Eggs, which really only come out at Easter. How's that for an easter egg?
Like Mr. Paik says to Sun, "We do not live in a world where there are no questions asked." Keep asking those questions, when next week we're apparently getting no flashbacks whatsoever.
Recap by J.Wood
Mikhail Bakunin revolted against everything, even death itself.
"D.O.C.," the eighteenth episode of season three, can be read as a clear extension of "Catch-22." Desmond faced his own lose-lose situation, and now it's Sun's turn. This was foreshadowed in the opening scenes, which recalled "The Long Con" when Charlie bonked her on the head in her garden. Sun's dilemma is every bit as much a catch-22 as Desmond's; if she conceived off the island, then she'll live, but the baby isn't Jin's and she'll bring him shame. If she conceived on the island, the baby is Jin's, but she'll die like all the other mothers who conceived on the island (which is the case). When it comes to romantic relationships, both Desmond and Sun face nothing but bad news. And like Charlie, Sun is for all intents and purposes now living under a death sentence. This is the basis for the mirror-twinning occurring in this episode. As mentioned last week, Joseph Heller originally wanted to call his book Catch-18; Heller was Jewish, and the number 18 symbolizes life in Judaism. In Hebrew, each letter has a numerical equivalent, and the word for life, chai — think l'chaim — has the numerical equivalent of 18. (Heller's publisher made him change the title because of another book being published with a 18 in the title). It's ironically fitting that the shadow of Catch-22, with the idea of a missed symbol for life and the inability to escape death, hovers all over the 18th episode.
The mirror-twinned experiences between Sun, Desmond and Charlie are just two of a number of twinned instances in this episode's narrative: Sun's front story and flashback both deal with the theme of saving Jin from shame, yet approach them from very different angles. The identity of Jin's father, like Sun's baby up until this episode, is an open question because like Sun, Jin's mother slept with other men. Mr. Kwon raised Jin as if he were the father, not unlike Charlie does for Aaron. This also raises the question of who is Jin's real father; if you want to get morbid and go wild with the theories, check out Korean director Park Chan-Wook's film Oldboy.
Jin's mother menacingly appears out of nowhere, almost like Mrs. Hawking or the the Hawaiian shirt man in the airport restroom from "Exodus." She shakes down Sun into protecting Jin's (and the Paik family's) dignity by not revealing that Jin's mother was a prostitute. Sun — again like Jin's mother — blackmails Mr. Paik to get the blackmail money. We also find out that Jin, like Desmond, had military training; there was a photo of Jin in uniform on Mr. Kwon's wall. And if there was any doubt about Jin's fighting prowess (as if there should be), not only was there a martial arts trophy on Mr. Kwon's shrine to Jin, but Jin takes Mikhail hand-to-hand and subdues him in a rear-naked choke. Finally, Jin's assumption that Sun's pregnancy was a miracle turns out to be something quite different. Just as Catch-22 works to present multiple perspectives on the same theme, so are the episodes "Catch-22" and "D.O.C."
Speaking of miracles, we also have a walking, talking Mikhail Bakunin to deal with again. He defied the law of nature and wouldn't stay dead. Presumably, the Others' communication man was running toward the flare Hurley accidentally set off; was Bakunin expecting Naomi? Why was he running to the flare? And how dead was he in "Enter 77?" In his book God and the State, the burly anarchic philosopher states that man "obeys natural laws because he has himself recognized them as such, and not because they have been externally imposed upon him by any extrinsic will whatever, divine or human, collective or individual." It's fitting that, with a bit of help from the island, the Other Bakunin has refused to recognize the laws of death (which also suggests that Klugh is still alive).
When Bakunin takes care of Naomi's lung, he says that she will heal in a about a day, so it'll be at least one more episode before we get to hear what she has to say. He mentions that wounds are different on the island, which we've already seen, but we've also seen Charlie take a while to recover from Ethan's beat-down, Sawyer nearly die from a gunshot would gone septic, and Ben developed a tumor. Bakunin knows something the Lostaways don't, but we know something Bakunin doesn't.
But the satellite phone is our Chekhov's gun; it's obviously of interest, and may be something Bakunin's mirror-twin communications officer Sayid can get working. When Jin catches Bakunin stealing the phone, he tells Charlie, "How could you respect me if I didn't try?" Why is Bakunin at all concerned about gaining any of the Lostaways' respect? Again, we have an echo of the anarchist, who had a near hip-hop obsession with respect. He disrespected all political and theological authority, but in his paper "Rousseau's Theory of the State," Bakunin wrote that "even in the midst of the most violent and bitter, even mortal, combat [...] I must respect [my adversary's] human character. My own dignity as a man depends on it." For the philosopher, revolt against control was a natural human tendency, and an individual's humanity demanded respect, lest you lose some of your own humanity. An adversary's humanity, "no matter how monstrous his deviations might be, nonetheless really exists," and it is his "lifelong potential capacity to rise to the awareness of his humanity." Bakunin takes the phone because it is his natural tendency to revolt against control, and he would not be living up to his potential if he did not attempt to reassert control over the situation. He addresses his comment to Charlie, the most monstrous of the four Lostaways, and as suggested last week, Charlie is the one character who seems limited in realizing his "potential capacities" — hence the throat troubles, where the growth chakra resides.
As a sidenote on disrespecting theological authority, the philosopher Bakunin also mocked the idea of miracles as vestigial remnants of discarded religion; whereas David Hume and George Campbell might have some interesting things to say about Mikhail's resurrection, Bakunin would look only to the scientific answer.
The Mikhail discussion finally brings us back around to Naomi, who seems to have gone to the Berlitz Language Jump School. She speaks English, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, and Portuguese in this episode, demonstrating that she's either very well educated or has a savant knack for languages (as does apparently Bakunin). The Portuguese-speaking audience picked up that she did not tell Bakunin thank you for helping her, as he claims, but that she was not alone. Her biblical namesake appears in the Book of Ruth, the main theme of which is redemption — and as Hurley suggests, there is a specter of their being saved hovering around her arrival. However, she also tells them that Flight 815 was found, and there were no survivors. In the Book of Ruth, after Naomi's husband dies, she changes her name to Mara, meaning bitterness, and the news that the passengers of Flight 815 are dead is bitter at best.
This raises a conundrum: The passengers obviously aren't dead, and Darlton Cuselof have already declared that no, they're not in purgatory. Who is Naomi, who is she with, and what's this noise about there being no survivors? Recently, I suggested that each time Des saves Charlie, he's not only changing the future, but also the past and the present. After the implosion, Des experienced a Doctor Manhattan-like transformation that is allowing him to experience multiple versions of time, and his actions are possibly change other timelines. The island is somehow immune from the historical fluctuations, which may have something to do with its geologically-unique electromagnetism. Perhaps in one of his heroic moments, he altered history off-island, and Flight 815 crashed in some other way. If that's the case, what would their rescue mean? If the 18th episode is to be symbolic of life — and indeed both Naomi and Mikhail live — the mirror-twin narrative move is that they're all already dead.
Finally, we also know that Juliet is playing some other game, and in a very un-Bakunin-like fashion, is seemingly allowing herself to be controlled. Perhaps this is for some future benefit, but she lets Ben know in her message that she hates him. But some in the online have recently found one of the more interesting easter eggs about Juliet's mark: The episode where we saw the symbol raised again, "One of Us," aired during the week of Easter. The symbol also appears on Cadbury Eggs, which really only come out at Easter. How's that for an easter egg?
Like Mr. Paik says to Sun, "We do not live in a world where there are no questions asked." Keep asking those questions, when next week we're apparently getting no flashbacks whatsoever.
Recap by J.Wood
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Ratings - D.O.C - Official Nielsen Ratings
"Lost" (10:00-11:00 p.m.) : Building on its lead-in by 7.8 million viewers (11.6 million vs. 3.8 million) and by 250% in young adults (4.9/13 vs. 1.4/3), "Lost" took the top spot in Wednesday's 10 o'clock hour for the second week running in Total Viewers (11.6 million) and across the adult demographics: Adults 18-34 (4.2/12), Adults 18-49 (4.9/13) and Adults 25-54 (5.4/13). In fact the ABC drama has won its hour in the key Adult 18-49 sales demographic on all 12 telecasts since entering its new time slot.
* ABC's "Lost" defeated CBS' "C.S.I.: NY" in both Total Viewers (11.6 million vs. 11.2 million; +4%) and Adults 18-49 (4.9/13 vs. 3.2/9; +53%). In the process, the ABC drama outdelivered the CBS series for the first time ever in Total Viewers, while equaling its largest margin of victory among young adults with originals.
* "Lost" improved the hour for ABC over the same night last year by 4.2 million viewers and 75% in Adults 18-49 (7.4 million & 2.8/7 on 4/26/06).
Source: Nielsen Media Research (Fast Affiliate Ratings)
* ABC's "Lost" defeated CBS' "C.S.I.: NY" in both Total Viewers (11.6 million vs. 11.2 million; +4%) and Adults 18-49 (4.9/13 vs. 3.2/9; +53%). In the process, the ABC drama outdelivered the CBS series for the first time ever in Total Viewers, while equaling its largest margin of victory among young adults with originals.
* "Lost" improved the hour for ABC over the same night last year by 4.2 million viewers and 75% in Adults 18-49 (7.4 million & 2.8/7 on 4/26/06).
Source: Nielsen Media Research (Fast Affiliate Ratings)
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
'House' and 'Lost' Show Greatest Gains From DVR Playback, Nielsen Reports
Thanks to Travis for finding this.
NEW YORK, April 25 -- The Nielsen Company today released the first look at the most "timeshifted" broadcast network television programs in the U.S., with FOX's House and ABC's Lost showing the most lift in audience due to playback with a Digital Video Recorder (DVR) within seven days of its initial airing.
For the week of April 2 - April 8, the most recent week for which ratings for seven-day playback are available, House pulled in an additional 2.74 million DVR viewers after its April 3rd airing, while Lost pulled in an additional 2.47 million viewers after its April 4th episode. The April 3rd episode of American Idol on FOX was third with 2.45 million viewers.
On a percentage basis, The Office had the highest gain in viewing with DVR playback, increasing viewership by more than 31%.
Starting immediately, The Nielsen Company will make this ranking available to media reporters every Monday on its online Press Room.
Top "Timeshifted" Broadcast Network TV Programs by Absolute Viewers For the Week of 04/02/2007-04/08/2007 (Persons age 2+)
Rank Program Network Day Aired Live Viewing (000's) Viewing in Playback (000's) Gain (%)
1 HOUSE FOX 4-3-07 19,024 2,740 14.4
2 LOST ABC 4-4-07 10,831 2,474 22.8
3 AMERICAN IDOL-TUES FOX 4-3-07 24,741 2,458 9.9
4 CSI CBS 4-5-07 20,894 2,172 10.4
5 24 FOX 4-2-07 10,022 1,946 19.4
6 SURVIVOR: FIJI CBS 4-5-07 12,338 1,906 15.5
7 OFFICE NBC 4-5-07 5,774 1,821 31.5
8 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES ABC 4-5-07 15,056 1,626 10.8
9 AMERICAN IDOL-WED FOX 4-4-07 24,931 1,436 5.8
10 PRISON BREAK FOX 4-2-07 7,407 1,358 18.3
Note: Data from April 2, 2007 - April 8, 2007, comparing Live and Live Plus 7 Days of DVR Playback
Top "Timeshifted" Broadcast Network TV Programs by Percentage Gain For the Week of 04/02/2007-04/08/2007 (Persons age 2+)
Rank Program Network Day Aired Live Viewing (000's) Viewing in Playback (000's) Gain (%)
1 OFFICE NBC 4-5-07 5,774 7,595 31.5
2 LOST ABC 4-4-07 10,831 13,305 22.8
3 24 FOX 4-2-07 10,022 11,968 19.4
4 PRISON BREAK FOX 4-2-07 7,407 8,765 18.3
5 30 ROCK NBC 4-5-07 5,049 5,935 17.6
6 SCRUBS NBC 4-5-07 4,646 5,424 16.8
7 FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS NBC 4-4-07 4,936 5,746 16.4
8 SURVIVOR: FIJI CBS 4-5-07 12,338 14,244 15.5
9 7TH HEAVEN CW 4-8-07 2,051 2355 14.8
10 HOUSE FOX 4-3-07 19,024 21,764 14.4
Note: Data from April 2, 2007 - April 8, 2007, comparing Live and Live Plus 7 Days of DVR Playback
Source: Nielsen Media Research
NEW YORK, April 25 -- The Nielsen Company today released the first look at the most "timeshifted" broadcast network television programs in the U.S., with FOX's House and ABC's Lost showing the most lift in audience due to playback with a Digital Video Recorder (DVR) within seven days of its initial airing.
For the week of April 2 - April 8, the most recent week for which ratings for seven-day playback are available, House pulled in an additional 2.74 million DVR viewers after its April 3rd airing, while Lost pulled in an additional 2.47 million viewers after its April 4th episode. The April 3rd episode of American Idol on FOX was third with 2.45 million viewers.
On a percentage basis, The Office had the highest gain in viewing with DVR playback, increasing viewership by more than 31%.
Starting immediately, The Nielsen Company will make this ranking available to media reporters every Monday on its online Press Room.
Top "Timeshifted" Broadcast Network TV Programs by Absolute Viewers For the Week of 04/02/2007-04/08/2007 (Persons age 2+)
Rank Program Network Day Aired Live Viewing (000's) Viewing in Playback (000's) Gain (%)
1 HOUSE FOX 4-3-07 19,024 2,740 14.4
2 LOST ABC 4-4-07 10,831 2,474 22.8
3 AMERICAN IDOL-TUES FOX 4-3-07 24,741 2,458 9.9
4 CSI CBS 4-5-07 20,894 2,172 10.4
5 24 FOX 4-2-07 10,022 1,946 19.4
6 SURVIVOR: FIJI CBS 4-5-07 12,338 1,906 15.5
7 OFFICE NBC 4-5-07 5,774 1,821 31.5
8 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES ABC 4-5-07 15,056 1,626 10.8
9 AMERICAN IDOL-WED FOX 4-4-07 24,931 1,436 5.8
10 PRISON BREAK FOX 4-2-07 7,407 1,358 18.3
Note: Data from April 2, 2007 - April 8, 2007, comparing Live and Live Plus 7 Days of DVR Playback
Top "Timeshifted" Broadcast Network TV Programs by Percentage Gain For the Week of 04/02/2007-04/08/2007 (Persons age 2+)
Rank Program Network Day Aired Live Viewing (000's) Viewing in Playback (000's) Gain (%)
1 OFFICE NBC 4-5-07 5,774 7,595 31.5
2 LOST ABC 4-4-07 10,831 13,305 22.8
3 24 FOX 4-2-07 10,022 11,968 19.4
4 PRISON BREAK FOX 4-2-07 7,407 8,765 18.3
5 30 ROCK NBC 4-5-07 5,049 5,935 17.6
6 SCRUBS NBC 4-5-07 4,646 5,424 16.8
7 FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS NBC 4-4-07 4,936 5,746 16.4
8 SURVIVOR: FIJI CBS 4-5-07 12,338 14,244 15.5
9 7TH HEAVEN CW 4-8-07 2,051 2355 14.8
10 HOUSE FOX 4-3-07 19,024 21,764 14.4
Note: Data from April 2, 2007 - April 8, 2007, comparing Live and Live Plus 7 Days of DVR Playback
Source: Nielsen Media Research
Monday, April 23, 2007
The Weekly Deleted Scene - "Scene 1:Smoking"
One of the biggest requests I get is from people asking for Deleted scenes video etc, so I thought I'd start to add them to the site. Each week on a random day I'll post a new deleted scene from my collection.
I think I now have enough scenes that hopefully will take us up to the start of Season 4 in Jan 2008.
Deleted from "Pilot, Part 1"
[Sawyer smokes a cigarette at the wreckage of the plane. Charlie walks up to him.]
CHARLIE: Are you sure you, um, excuse me, are you sure you should be smoking near the plane? ...And stuff? [Pause]
SAWYER: Yup.
CHARLIE: OK. Excellent. Just thought I’d ask. [Begins to walk away, but returns] Can I have one of you cigarettes? [Sawyer gives him the cigarette he is smoking.] Thanks. [Sawyer lights a second cigarette. Charlie walks away.]
Transcript thanks to Lostpedia
I think I now have enough scenes that hopefully will take us up to the start of Season 4 in Jan 2008.
Deleted from "Pilot, Part 1"
[Sawyer smokes a cigarette at the wreckage of the plane. Charlie walks up to him.]
CHARLIE: Are you sure you, um, excuse me, are you sure you should be smoking near the plane? ...And stuff? [Pause]
SAWYER: Yup.
CHARLIE: OK. Excellent. Just thought I’d ask. [Begins to walk away, but returns] Can I have one of you cigarettes? [Sawyer gives him the cigarette he is smoking.] Thanks. [Sawyer lights a second cigarette. Charlie walks away.]
Transcript thanks to Lostpedia
Sunday, April 22, 2007
All Feeds and Subscriptions
Due to the huge numbers of emails from people wanting the info on Feeds and Email Subscriptions, I decided to build a single post containing them all. This will also be available in the HELP section shortly. If you have any problems or issues with the feeds/email subscriptions please let me know via email or by leaving a comment.
Note: Currently over 5000 people subscribe to the various feeds and email subscriptions.
Note: Currently over 5000 people subscribe to the various feeds and email subscriptions.
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