LOST - Season 6 - DVD - Extra - Lost on Location - The Substitute

Thanks to http://llegaronparaquedarse.blogspot.com/ for the video.

Spoiler Accuracy Thread

One of our users, BookhouseBoy, from the Forum, has started to compile a couple of interesting threads.

These threads take a look back after an episode has aired and looks at all the spoilers that were posted for it and how much we knew and how accurate our spoilers have been. Thankfully so far it's been pretty damn good ;). All our sources for example all rated What Kate Does as the lowest rated episode out of the 8-9 episodes that they had seen, and this appears to have been the consensus of the fans if you look at the current polls/episode table.

Take a look at threads below. We'll be updating this each week so that those of you who do not follow spoilers can see what was spoiled about the episodes that have aired.

Episode 6.01/6.02 - LA X
Episode 6.03 - What Kate Does
Episode 6.04 - The Substitute
Episode 6.05 - Lighthouse
Episode 6.06 - Sundown
Episode 6.07 - Dr. Linus
Episode 6.08 - Recon
Episode 6.09 - Ab Aeterno
Episode 6.10 - The Package
Episode 6.11 - Happily Ever After
Episode 6.12 - Everybody Love Hugo
Episode 6.13 - The Last Recruit
Episode 6.14 - The Candidate
Episode 6.15 - Across The Sea
Episode 6.16 - What They Died For
Episode 6.17/6.18 - The End

Episode 6x04 -- Sympathy for the Devil - Recap by Anna

Note: Sorry for the delay once again. This was originally composed after the airing of 6x04, “The Substitute”, but became “trapped” sort of like MIB in a suddenly corrupted version of good ol' Microsoft Word. Thank goodness for the wonderful “Open Office”, the software That Has Saved (It) All.


INTRO: On with the Show

This week’s Locke-centric “The Substitute” was probably the best thing that could have happened to soothe all of the restless natives out in the LOST-iverse who cried “filler” after last week’s slow-but-steady focus on Kate Austen. I mean really, who doesn’t get a kick from Locke’s story? Even if he isn’t your favorite character, you have to admit that after all that has happened to the man, his tale is arguably the most epic of all of LOST’s characters. Now, in this final season, I feel somewhat saddened by the thought that this could very well have been the last episode which centers on this amazing man’s tale.

But enough of my mushy sentimentalizing. This is Locke’s time and there’s always more than plenty to cover in one of his installments. So let’s get to it!

Rain Fall Down

At this point I have totally lost count of how many times poor John has taken a fall or injured himself in the show. It wasn’t hard to guess what would happen in the opening scene as his wheelchair lift refused to lower him to the ground. I have a habit of trying to analyze whenever we see a form of water in the show, as it can symbolize so many different things depending on the situation. As Locke lay with his face to the earth and the sprinklers from his own lawn came on just at the right moment, I believe we were meant to be reminded of all the times on the Island when he was caught in the rain, or even predicted it, and welcomed it with his arms wide open. And just like those times before, he gave a little smile.

What I didn’t predict however was the fact that Helen would suddenly appear racing out of the house to his rescue. Seeing them together again might have been one of the happiest feelings I have had yet this season. Time-line X certainly has our characters in some very amazing circumstances, most notably Locke seeming to have a relationship with his father, and one that is positive enough to even have dad invited to their upcoming wedding. Say whaaaaat?

I suppose we can assume that Anthony Cooper is not responsible for Locke’s status as wheelchair bound in this time-line, and what did cause his disability is now a mystery. In fact, there are tons of questions to now ask about his “alternate” life here. Is Cooper still a con-man or is he now a decent fellow who was actually a part of John’s entire life? Or did Locke still share a kidney with his Dad when he needed it and they ended up bonding during this time? Was he still at some point, for some reason in anger management sessions, or did he and Helen meet some other way? No matter what the answers are I believe it is all just meant to show us that there are some things that still never change for our characters, as in some things will always fall into the category of that which is destined to be. Opposites. Black and white stuff. You know the deal.

John and Helen really are a beautiful couple, reminding me a lot of lovebirds Rose and Bernard. She really seems to support him no matter what the situation. In this iteration of their relationship, she is the one who seems to have more of a faith-based approach. When they discuss Jack Sheppard’s business card, John is somewhat dismissive as Helen reminds him that miracles do happen. This is almost directly opposite from the John we know from the original time-line who once said almost the exact same thing. The events that have molded him in time-line X must have somehow grounded him a bit more towards a logical approach to life. Perhaps it is because things have overall been a bit more positive for John, and he has not found such a strong need to believe in the intangible purely as a survival mechanism.

People in general tend to look towards faith the most when times are at their worst or when the unexplainable has occurred, as our brains have a strong need to make sense out of everything that happens to us. When they cannot, it is often chalked up to being the result of something higher than ourselves, or something outside of us and uncontrollable. Destiny and fate come into play at these moments and we look to our belief systems, our faith, as a substitute for a more logical, earthly explanation.

Then again, in this time-line John hadn’t (yet realized he had) been in a plane crash and awakened with the sudden ability to walk again, either. That would be enough to even turn Dr. Wizard, I mean Mr. Wizard himself into a believer I’m sure.


When the Whip Comes Down

However, we did learn that Locke is still a bit boxed in, literally, as just as in the original time-line he held a position at the box company under the management of one Randy “Douche-bag” Nations. As Randy immediately referred to Locke as “Colonel” we are let on to the fact Locke more than likely still enjoyed his war-games, and Randy still enjoyed teasing him for it. It is now safe to assume there's still a part of this version of Locke who on occasion turned to fantasy and escapism. Just as he pretended to Boone that he had been on a Walkabout, he tried to pretend to his boss that he had actually been to a conference in Sydney. And just like a typical micro-managing jerk-wad, Randy had checked up on John and caught him in his bluff. Poor Locke sat there trying to talk his way out of it, but Randy quickly fired him on the spot with a very cruel, sarcastic military salute.

Waiting on a Friend

“What are the odds of you just running into a spinal surgeon?”, Helen asked Locke earlier as he took a quiet bath. (More water, people!) Probably about the same as running into the owner of the company you were just fired from and learning that he feels the same way about your boss as you do. By the way, Helen's question was an exact mirror to what Ben once said back in season 3 in regards to Jack crashing on the Island right when he too needed such a specialized doctor.

But this time a sharp dressed Hugo was the man with the right info and the right attitude to give Locke the literal “lift” he needed at that exact moment. Just like the leader he had become in the main time-line, he gave John a new path and a new set of instructions. (Sound familiar? Like someone on the Island? Like, someone who used to live in a giant four-toed foot statue?)

Hugo's final words to John, “Chin up, it's gonna work out”, could even be the new, “Life up your eyes and look North.” And indeed Locke's frown was turned upside-down.

You Can't Always Get What You Want

It was great to see Lynn Karnoff, the fortune teller that Hugo's father hired in the original time-line, as one of Hugo's employees at the temp agency he owned, who attempted to “divine” what type of animal Locke most identified with. This was also one of the DHARMA Initiative “Octagon Global Recruiting” questions asked in the fan booth during the 2008 Comic Con.

But Locke would have none of that nonsense, and called over office supervisor Rose Nadler to see if she could get him an in as a construction site coordinator. Rose had always been the female counterpart to Locke on the Island. She too was healed, and she too carried a very mystical sensibility. I wonder now if we are starting to understand more about how she just knew without a doubt that Bernard was still alive way back in seasons one and two. Multiple iterations perhaps? Maybe...

But in this iteration, in this time-line, it would seem she indeed did still have the “Big C”. One could almost sense Locke's famous catch-phrase welling up when she suggested that working at a construction site was not the best idea for someone like him, meaning someone in a wheelchair. Instead however, he challenged her about being “realistic”, and that is when she dropped some hard knowledge on John in regards to how she learned to accept her illness and made the decision to live the rest of her life out the best that she could. It was then Rose who alluded to Locke's mantra by suggesting that she then would help him find something that he could do.


Something Happened to Me Yesterday

It was a nice touch to have Locke awaken to the sound of the Hatch countdown timer as his alarm clock beeping. As he faced himself in the mirror that morning, just as we had already seen with both Jack and Kate in this time-line, some kind of recognition seemed to take place. For a moment, John decided to call Dr. Sheppard’s office and actually give that miracle Helen mentioned a chance after all.

But then he froze, changed his mind, and hung up. Finally Locke began to confess to Helen that he had been fired from his job, that he had never been to that conference in Sydney, and that he had instead attempted to go on that Walkabout.

It is during this time when we were truly given a sense of how different this John Locke was from our “original” version. This John didn't want to continue to pretend he was something he wasn't. This John was tired of trying to fight the things he knows He Can't Do. This John no longer needed a suitcase full of knives to prove that he was any more of a man than he already was. This John was for once being realistic with his limitations, and being honest and open with both himself and the woman who confessed to love him for exactly who he already was.

With her black fingernails and her “Peace and Karma” shirt, Helen leaned in to give John one very righteous and much needed kiss of complete reassurance that she meant exactly what she said. It was truly one of the most heartfelt scenes between two characters since the phone reunion between Desmond and Penny in “The Constant”, and I personally became quite weepy-eyed by the end of it. That would be because the thing we learned overall here was that quite simply, John and Helen were each others' miracle.

Oh No, Not You Again

At last we saw Locke in the field it would seem that he was born for, substitute teaching. I loved how he was immediately shown to not only be coaching sports, but teaching biology, specifically the human reproductive system. The Locke we have come to know has always seemed to have a grasp on a large number of subjects, and this is why so many on the Island became much like pupils to him, most notably Boone, Charlie, and Walt.

But it wasn't until he found the teacher's lounge did destiny unknowingly kick him in the rear. Some whiny teacher was face to the wall jabbering on about responsibilities with the coffee machine. Time-line X John Locke, meet time-line X Benjamin Linus. I don't even want to begin to theorize how he ended up as a teacher off-island, but if anything, it was a fun and once again, fateful reveal.

Speaking of Ben, it's Island time now!


Sweet Black Angel

I just want to give quick a shout out to “Smokey-Cam”, one of the coolest effects I think I've enjoyed on LOST in a good long time. The smokiness around the screen edges were a nice touch, too. I hope to see more of it, because I was fascinated with viewing the landscape through the eyes of the Monster himself.

Lies

Good old Ben. Once a liar...well, he'll always have issues I believe. And really, why would he tell a mourning Illana that he was really the one who killed Jacob, which in turn led to her team's destruction? Ben was visibly still in shock and had gone into self-preservation mode, I believe. I don't think he was ready to admit that he was just conned after being so used to being the master con-man himself. It will be interesting to see what is done with his character from this point out. Ben was once such a HUGE force on the show, and now he has been reduced to the fool who may have just screwed everything up for everyone, including the Island he so desperately tried to protect for most of his life.

As Illana gathered up some of Jacob's ashes, I felt a bit of foreshadowing of a showdown to come with the Lockeness Monster, and really I can't wait. Illana is the only one left now of her group of “good guys”, and was specifically asked by Jacob himself for help when she was totally mummified in bandages at that strange hospital last season. One thing that I've always wondered is if he helped to heal her or not, as we were made sure to notice that he did not actually touch her as he did with the rest of our survivors.

In addition, after all of the talk about free-will, and how everyone involved had to want to return to the Island on their own accord, we had Sayid being brought on that fateful Ajira flight in cuffs specifically against his will after being caught in Illana's ruse. Um, Jacob, that was more than just a little push.

Finally, I just wanted to note the lovely, haunting theme that we have centering around Jacob that we hear whenever he now shows up in his non-corporeal form. Once again Michael Giacchino shows off his mad, award-winning scoring skills.


Tell Me (You're Coming Back)

How rude it was of the Beach Others to just up and leave Frank, Sun, Ben, and Illana for the Temple. They are such a pitiful bunch these days, reminding me a bit of the queen-less aliens from the film “District 9”. Without Jacob, or Richard, or any leadership at all it seems they are like aimless sheep who have now scurried off to save their own hides when they should have stayed behind to help protect any of the remaining potential “candidates”. Then again, if Richard didn't know about Jacob's plans, I suppose they didn't either.

But before the rest of the party could join them, Sun had enough courtesy and respect for the Real John Locke to suggest the bury the poor man. Frank called it when he said it was one of the weirdest damn funerals he'd ever been to, as a touching eulogy by Ben revealed his thought that Locke was a better man than he, and that he was sorry for murdering him. Yeah, Ben is definitely feeling like the guy with the dunce cap on these days. This could have also tipped off Illana to the fact that Ben might not be someone she should be trusting in regards to what really went down inside the foot statue. That was one strange look she gave the Benster. One thing I keep wondering is why Jacob has not yet come to visit her in his “dead but here” form.

We've seen a lot of funerals on the Island, but I believe this one happened for a major reason or two. For one, it reminded us how important it is to bury the dead, lest they be claimed as we have seen with some of the unfortunate bodies left above ground. Of course Christian Sheppard and Yemi immediately come to mind. From the WW2 soldiers, to Keamy's freighter team, to the Others, and even the DHARMA Initiative, it seemed that everyone made sure to put the no-longer-living into the ground as quickly as possible. I think that this pretty much sealed the deal on the theory that MIB can take the form of anyone who had died and had been left unburied. However, in this situation we already have him taking the form of our dear, dead Locke.

Therefore, I think this burial also served a second purpose. For those of us who had been hoping for some kind of true reincarnation of the Real John Locke, I believe those hopes were also now sadly laid into their final resting place.

By the way, did you notice how both men, Ben and Frank were in white, while the ladies Illana and Sun, wore black?


The Last Time

We also learned something quite interesting from Illana as the group had carried John Locke's body to the beach camp graveyard. Apparently MIB could no longer just change his appearance at whim like we had seen before, as I suppose he had been doing since season one starting with Christian. He's now “stuck” in the body of Locke. Well, stuck in that body but not without his ability to change into his Smokier-self. So what does this mean? Heck if I know, but I'm sure it has something to do with Jacob's death and the loophole that MIB used to kill him.

By the way, Illana also mentioned back at the foot statue that the reason MIB took Richard is because he is “recruiting”. Um, recruiting for what may I ask? An army? A dark army?! An ARMY OF DARKNESS?!?! Please, please tell me that Bruce Campbell is going to show up too, because that would just be way super cooooool!


The Spider and the Fly

I loved how Lockeness actually apologized to Richard for knocking him out and dragging him into the jungle. Apparently he had “always wanted” Richard to be part of his team. To me this not only suggested a much richer history between the two besides mere familiarity, but also that Richard might even be special to MIB in some yet unknown way. If Richard is very old as has been suggested, then perhaps they even knew each other once when they were more like, um, normal men.

It also seemed strange to me that Richard seemed totally oblivious to Jacob's Replacement Candidate System. The Temple Others certainly seemed to know about it. Heck, even Illana and her company knew about it. But here, Richard was surprised to even hear the word. I hope that he was just bluffing and protecting what he knew, perhaps in an attempt to protect the candidates themselves from Lockeness' prodding. Lockeness promised Richard that he would have never had kept him in the dark about such important matters, and that he would have treated Richard with respect. Yeah, I don't know about you, but I didn't believe a lot of what Lockeness said, as to me it reeked of manipulation. I think he was just telling Richard what he thought he wanted to hear, and needed Richard for some yet unknown reason. After asking Richard once more to join him, Lockeness made a statement that got right to the heart of not only one of the Real John's beliefs, but one of LOST's overall themes from the very beginning. “...People seldom get a second chance”, he said in response to Richard's defiant refusal to follow along.

Cue freaky boy with bloody hands suddenly standing in the jungle in a Christ-like pose!

It appears that even Lockeness can be spooked, but the boy was gone faster than Richard could turn around to see what had suddenly changed the expression on his nemesis' face. More on the kid in a bit.

Memory Motel

Sawyer has some killer taste in music! And yet another reference to the spinning record was revealed to us as Lockeness made James his next pit stop on the recruiting tour.

Sawyer also had some funky-stained drawers! But what did he care? He had his whiskey, his Iggy, and his memories of when his life was actually a happy one. One when he wasn't alone, in mourning, inside a home that now mirrored his own inner self all shattered and broken.

The fact that a dead John Locke walked in didn't even phase him, and without blinking he recognized the intruder as an imposter. In a bit of a cold exchange, Lockeness told Sawyer that house was never really his home, which added a bit of insult to his already drunken injury. Lockeness then used the same song and dance with Sawyer that he attempted with Richard in the form of the promise of answers. At that point it seemed that James was either a bit fogged by the drinky-drink, had a death-wish, or that he really was looking for some semblance of meaning to it all. Surprisingly, he actually agreed to go with Lockeness with the hope to find out exactly why he became stuck on Craphole Island in the first place.


2000 Light Years from Home

One of my favorite exchanges in the episode came during the trek that Sawyer and Lockeness made through the jungle, as James decided to strike up a little bit of small-talk on the subject of reading. We were given a clue here that MIB was quite old indeed, more than likely ancient, as when James mentioned his favorite book “Of Mice and Men”, Lockeness replied that one was before his time. That was the second time the famous Steinbeck story had been brought up on LOST in regards to Sawyer, as the first time was when Ben pulled a long con on the con-man himself. This time however it was James who attempted to pull a fast one in the form of a gun on the imposter leading his way. One could almost see Lockeness begging Sawyer to shoot at him, as that would have most likely allowed him to unleash his Smokiness, and some major raging would have certainly ensued.

Instead James was a bit flustered by the lack of fear from his companion, and asked once more, “What are you?”. In a quick soliloquy we learned a lot more about MIB, and how he had been “trapped” for a long, long time. He claimed he was indeed once a real man who had experienced all of the same emotions; pain, fear, love, and betrayal as someone like Sawyer had. This time I think I believed him, but I also still believe he has an amazing knack for telling people what they need to hear most. MIB could just as easily had been feeding off of his host, just as he seemed to know the mind of Locke and his final thoughts before his death. The overall intent of this reveal however was to put himself more on the same level as Sawyer, and gain a bit more of his trust in the process. Slowly but surely he was trying to lure James over to his side, but before the hugs and bonding could take place, cue Creepy Jungle Kid once again!

Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)

Three major occurrences happened in the scene with the Creepy Jungle Kid (CJK). The first is that we learned Sawyer could also see the little guy, which totally took Lockeness by surprise. I believe this is because Sawyer is special, as we learned way back in the day when he also saw Kate's vision of the black horse from her past in the jungle. The second thing that happened here was when Lockeness took off running after the CJK, then tripped and fell to find the kid just standing over him. Just like a disapproving parent, the kid muttered something about “the Rules”, which we have heard so many times on the show, and told Lockeness that he can't “kill him”.

If I am right in my assumption that this is a younger version or spirit of Jacob from a time when he and MIB once knew each other during more “human” times, then he was there to serve as a reminder that his crew of specifically “touched” survivors could not be directly murdered by his nemesis. This would refer to people like Sawyer, whom Lockeness was obviously trying to bring over to the dark side.

The final revelation, and my favorite, was Lockeness' response to the CJK as he walked away. Let's all now repeat in unison, “Don't tell me what I can't do!...DON'T TELL ME WHAT I CAN'T DO!!”.

Wait. Is it...? Could it be...? Is part of the Real John Locke somewhere in there, shining through without MIB even being aware of it, or able to stop it? I am willing to place bets that this might have related to the funeral. Remember John's words to Jack back in the “LA X” baggage claim? The “person” and the “body” are separate, and who knows where the “person” really goes when they die? We haven't lost Locke, we've just lost his body. And I believe right now that our dear, Real John Locke lives on somewhere inside this MIB-infected version, and is slowly-but-steadily beginning to reveal himself.

One more little thing needs to be mentioned here: Richard's sudden appearance out of the jungle as Sawyer waited alone for Lockeness to return from his chase. Richard told James that he must come to the Temple where he would be safe, and that MIB planned to not only kill him, but everyone he loved, everyone on the Island. Of course James refused, as he has already been to the Temple party and it was a dead-end of its own in his eyes. It was pretty evident that Richard was as terrified as a man could be, and upon MIB's return he disappeared just as quick as that first scene of the CJK.

Paint It, Black

Finally the dynamic duo reached a cliff-side and a very sketchy rope ladder down one very high ocean-facing wall. I loved not only the symbolic reference to “Jacob's Ladder”, but also how it was split into two sides, just like so many things in LOST. Once again I had some “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” flashbacks as Sawyer climbed down after Lockeness and the ladder suddenly broke apart and sent him slamming against the rocks and scrambling for his life. I think this may have been another part of Lockeness' plan, sort of like one of those trust-fall exercises, and he helped Sawyer gain his footing once again. Lockeness still needed Sawyer for something, and he was not just going to allow him to plummet to his death. Or at least, not yet anyway.

Once inside the cave, we were shown a set of scales with one white and one black rock on each side, in virtual balance. Lockeness proudly grabbed the white rock and then tossed it out into the sea. When Sawyer grumpily asked what that was all about, Lockeness simply replied, “Inside joke”. That statement was definitely made for the audience who has been seeing black and white stones since John Locke first explained to Walt the two sides in backgammon. And just like in that game, this one had a Light and a Dark player. It would seem the Dark Side had indeed now literally tipped the scales to his favor.

Shine a Light

Of course the greatest reveal of the entire episode came from deeper inside the cave, where Lockeness led Sawyer with torch in hand to a room with the ceiling and walls covered in some kind of writing. We were then shown that the writing was made up of the names of the very people we have come to know and love on the Island, and that each one in turn also corresponded to a number. Lockeness told Sawyer that these names represented the “candidates” that were in line to take Jacob's place as head honcho of the Island. Many of these names had been crossed out, possibly either because they had died, been claimed by MIB, or for some other reason had been proven unfit for service.

The six names left that were not already crossed out directly corresponded to THE Numbers themselves, 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, and 42. Apparently Jacob not only had a thing for lists but had “a thing for numbers”, as Lockeness put it. Even though I believe there is more to the Numbers that just this, I have a feeling this reveal of their meaning will probably go no deeper on the show.

Even more interesting was the fact that each of The Numbers matched up with one of our main survivors. 4 was for Locke, who was quickly crossed off by MIB, since John was obviously no longer available. 8 was for Hugo. 15, Sawyer. 16 matched up with Sayid. 23 was for Jack, and 42 was for either Jin or Sun Kwon. Surprisingly absent was Kate's name, but I think she was on there somewhere not shown to us, as she too was “touched” by Jacob just as all these other folks listed had been.


Please Go Home

After Sawyer started to come to grips with this freaky realization that his name had been carved and numbered on the wall of this Island cave, the true mind-play began. Lockeness went on to tell Sawyer that he had been manipulated all his life by Jacob for the purpose of being brought to the Island, and that his whole life's worth of decisions could have very well been the product of Jacob's direct influence.

Finally, he gave Sawyer three choices. Lockeness said that he could just do nothing and see how things turned out. I think it was easy to tell that “seeing how things turned out” very well meant facing certain death. The second option was to take Jacob's place as leader of the Island. But then Lockeness told James that the Island wasn't special at all, that it was all just a farce, and that it never needed protecting in the first place. I think we all know that this was a big fat lie if there ever was one.

The third choice was to leave the Island, together. To go Home. I think this must be what the recruiting is all about. Wherever MIB is heading, he must also need some live and able bodies to come along for the homecoming reunion. And if it somehow actually involves the End of the World altogether, then the more souls along for the dark ride, the better chances he must have at succeeding with this overall plan. Lockeness was such the master at manipulating Sawyer in this scene, and so good at pressing all the right buttons, Sawyer finally agreed that “home” was exactly where he too wanted to go.

Let's hope that Sawyer was just playing along here, and is once more planning some larger con himself on Lockeness. Because I personally do not believe for one second that James Ford, con-men of all con-men, is going to so easily allow himself to be fooled EVER again.


CONCLUSION: Some Things Just Stick in Your Mind

The combination of the LOST writers’ incredible storytelling and understanding of the character and Terry O’ Quinn’s brilliant Emmy-winning portrayal has made John Locke without a doubt (in my humble opinion) the most intriguing man on the show. I am quite confident that he will probably go down in TV history as one of the most iconic characters to have ever graced the screen.

From his very first moment fresh from the crash of 815 on through to the present, John Locke has always been “special”; mysterious, wise, complex, emotional, and undoubtedly troubled. We have seen his heart broken, his body shattered, his confidence dissipated, his legs destroyed again and again, and his life totally taken from him, yet after all of this he still remains one of the most important, if not THE most important survivor of the entire series. This isn’t even taking into account the high level of mythology that surrounds him. He has taken the highest position as the faith-based Yin to Jack’s scientific Yang and is the very embodiment of the blind belief in destiny.

Sure, there are those of you who would debate this statement and defend Jack as the main character of LOST, and the one at the head of the line to become the ultimate “hero” of the show. But it was Locke who eventually triggered that change in Jack’s perception of his role in the grand scheme of things, gave him a new faith in destiny, and helped motivate him to take that Ajira Flight that brought him back where he was meant to be. Throughout the show John has always been the one most connected to the Island, and as the Man-in-Black-as-Locke put it, “…the only one of them that didn't wanna leave. The only one, who realized how pitiful the life he'd left behind actually was.”

It is difficult for me to think of Locke as no longer a man of faith, but this is exactly what he seems to have been revealed to be in this episode, or at least in this iteration. Instead, he is a man of acceptance, of realistic thinking, and as a result, a man of a much more balanced perspective of his life. His limitations only forced him to find his true calling, which seems to be teaching others. Overall, I really like the Locke of time-line X.

As Penny wrote in her letter to Desmond, “...all we really need to survive is one person who truly loves us.“ John Locke is not only happy, but he is loved, and that I believe is the most important thing of all.

Until next time,
a.N


*I write about LOST because I love the challenge of deciphering the clues and adding the pieces together. My thoughts are based solely on the show, the LOST Experience, and random research, as I try to avoid spoilers, promos, and even future episode titles. I love to guess what is going on, but I also like to do so in a way that leaves some of the conclusions still up to you. I do not know the answers and am often wrong. Whatever the truth turns out to be, it has been the journey that has meant the most to me.*

Posted By: The ODI

Things I Noticed - "The Substitute" by Vozzek69

THINGS I NOTICED - THE SUBSTITUTE

As many of you know, I recently lost my home to a fire. As far as life experiences go, I can honestly say I wouldn't recommend it.

Losing the tons of crap I'd accumulated over the course of my life really didn't hurt that much - it's the sense of displacement that sucks most. All the little things you take for granted each day are suddenly radically different, from where you have your morning coffee to where your head hits the pillow. In a single word, it's weird.

Luckily everyone got out unscathed, and that's all that ever really mattered. My family is adjusting well, and plans for the rebuild are moving 10x faster than they should be due to some very cool friends in some very influential places. I'm lucky. By summertime I should have a brand new home and a Tabula Rasa, and that's about the only corny LOST reference I'll be drawing to this whole ordeal.

At this point I'd like to thank every single one of you who has written, commented, or even called me to see how things are going. I've read some very thoughtful things written by some awesome people, and this has helped make things a lot easier. You guys are fantastic, and I can't express how deeply appreciative I am. The emails, posts, links from other sites, and people who've bought my book to show support have been absolutely amazing, and I feel very, very loved. :)
split=
The following recap may be a little short this week, but I wanted to get something out there. The Substitute was way too important an episode to just skip right over. Small disclaimer: I only got to watch the episode once, so don't ding me too hard if I missed stuff. Things I Noticed:


Join Us On The Ninth Green... Secret of the Pros
Ridicule, inadequacy, bastardization... the freefalling, kidney-swiping off-island world of John Locke has always been tough. His trusting nature and limitless gullibility has left room for cataclysmic failure in everything he's ever attempted to accomplish. In fact, life has left such a giant boot-print on Locke's ass that it was no big surprise to see his van platform's hydrolics fail in the episode's opening scene.

Once again, John pushes forward. Once again he fails. Yet as he falls to the grass and struggles like a turtle flipped onto its back, one big thing occurs before Helen comes out to help him: John's automatic sprinkler system just happens to kick on.

In LOST, everything happens for a reason. This was more than just a Happy Gilmore moment - more than a baptism reference or a slap in the balls by a sprinkler system trying to kick a man while he's down. Water, my friends, is important. Always has been... always will be.

For five whole seasons, we've seen people get wet at some VERY important times. We've seen John Locke call on the rain, and Walt seemingly call to stop it. Shannon's vision of a dripping-wet backward-speaking Walt ended up getting her killed in a torrential downpour, and Harper appeared (and disappeared) from out of nowhere to speak to Juliet during a similar storm. It rained when Charlie killed Ethan. It rained when Sawyer killed Frank Duckett. It rained when Desmond's boat ran aground on the island, and when Emily Locke was hit by a car. For a long, long time now, it's seemed that water has played an important role throughout LOST. And if you're asking me? I think it signifies - in very Matrix-like fashion - when something has for some reason been changed.

This is the point at which Helen walks out of the house, showing us that this time around things are markedly different. John Locke has a nice home and a loving, supportive fiance'. Although still proudly defiant of his condition, he's also realistic. His open-minded willingness to call Jack's number is tempered later on by his acceptance of his disability, and encouraged by Helen's acceptance of the fact that his condition isn't likely to change.

Even more important, LAX_John no longer has daddy issues. Unless he's forgiven an eight-story push, John's paralysis was caused in some other way. Maybe Anthony Cooper isn't a con man at all, which means that maybe James Ford's parents didn't bleed out all over the floor back when he eight years old. By this logic, "Sawyer" may not even exist in this timeline at all, and a whole host of other things are probably different.

The big thing to take away here, is that anything goes. Just because Claire's still pregnant and Kate's still a fugitive doesn't mean you can assume that the circumstances behind those constants will always be the same. This should unequivocally end the "If Widmore was killed when the island sank, then maybe Desmond never met Penny" arguments. Right now we can't assume anything happened or didn't happen - we can only watch as the story unfolds and accept things for the way they are now. That said, it's interesting to make a list of the universal unchangeables: Jack's father dying in Sydney, Rose having cancer, and here, John Locke struggling along with a broken back.


Answers and Respect... Courtesy of The Smoke Monster
Four episodes into the last season, we're finally starting to get answers to LOST's biggest questions. A few new mysteries shouldn't blind anyone to the fact that this new monster version of John Locke is all business and no bullshit, and we're getting big reveals as to his overall agenda.

For one, we find out that the dark man still needs help. When a terrified Richard asks what he wants, Flocke answers "What I've always wanted - For you to come with me". This is big: recruiting Richard has apparently been a long-term goal, which might make him an important piece of the puzzle. And although Jacob is seemingly dead, the dark man still hasn't accomplished all of the objectives needed for him to leave the island yet. To some degree, the game is still being played.

Richard's fear and dismay are genuine here, but so is his loyalty. Even when the dark man offers long-sought answers, Richard instantly refuses to go with him. This tells us two things:

First, Richard's loyalty to Jacob doesn't seem all that blind. Unlike Ben, I think Richard has seen and encountered Jacob. He probably even owes his immortality to him, which would make for some kickass future flashbacks. It seems a little more obvious to me that Richard hasn't been aimlessly pledging eternal allegiance to someone he's never met or seen before.

Second, Richard's distrust of the dark man runs deep. His brief moment of recognition before getting punched in the face seemed to infer a long history between these two characters, and it doesn't seem like a good one. Richard doesn't trust Flock as far as he can throw him, and probably never will. He recognizes him as an entity to be feared and avoided, right from the start.

The monster's assertion that he'd be seeing Richard "sooner than he thinks" was pretty ominous, but once again, free will plays a big role here. Flocke needs Richard to want to follow him - it's just the way things work. He can't force him, so he might not be able to kill him either. But unlike Sawyer (and us!), Richard isn't a playing piece that can be swayed or tempted by the promise of answers.


Can Someone Please Explain Illana's Deal To Me?
She's been around for quite a while now, and I'm still not sure of Illana's role. Sun's there as a S1 regular, and Lapidus is there to look wild and fly choppers. Illana however, has done nothing but burn down an empty cabin, slow down her expedition by carrying a 180lb body in a 200lb trunk, and most recently, mourn Bram's shitty plan.

Ben flat out lies to her, but no surprise there. It's still strange watching Ben play the helpless and confused role, and I'm hoping he pulls an ace from his sleeve soon. Old Ben kicked ass, but new Ben is getting to me. And don't even get me started on new new Ben...

This scene is necessary for two reasons only. First, it's somehow important that Illana saves Jacob's ash. If the smoke monster hated regular (volcanic?) ash, he's going to REALLY be unhappy with Illana's new version. The second main reason for this scene is so Illana can use the word "recruiting". Somehow, for some reason we don't yet know, the dark man needs to put an army together. This makes Widmore's words to Locke about an upcoming war seem much more prophetic.


Dead is Dead... Now Let's Do Some Shots
This was a very cool scene between Sawyer and fake Locke. Much like us, Sawyer is way past the point of being surprised by anything right now. Locke walking, talking, time-travelling... it's all the same to him. As Sawyer shoots whiskey and listens to tough music, it doesn't take him long to realize he's no longer looking at a living, breathing John Locke. Yet he pours him a drink anyway, because at this point, Sawyer could care less what happens to him next.

The place Sawyer chose to drown his sorrows is the only place he's ever really known happiness: the home he shared with Juliet. This makes makes Flocke's line about the place not really being Sawyer's house a lot more interesting and compelling. It stirs Sawyer up, and that's when the dark man offers him the one thing that just might get him to put some pants on: the finality of some hard answers.


Hurley - No Parking Spot, Even Though He's The Boss
The parking lot scene between Hurley and Locke was as funny as it was intriguing. Taking a closer look at some of the dialogue shared here, there's a lot to be said about Hurley's role - even in the off-island world of LAX.

First, Locke's wheelchair platform should've scraped the shit out of Hurley's Hummer. It didn't. And the reason it didn't, is because once again we're being shown that Hugo Reyes and everything he stands for is totally and completely untouchable.

"They were supposed to reserve a spot for me", Hurley tells Locke. "So... you know, I parked here". This one line pretty much sums up Hugo's existence on LOST. If you've followed past theories, there's a ton of evidence supporting the fact that Hurley was never supposed to be on the island in the first place, and therefore, is not a part of the game. He can park himself wherever he wants - Hurley will never be captured, shot, injured, tortured, beat up, drugged, or killed. Even his car is impervious to harm.

The fact that LAX_Hurley is the boss right now also mirrors the role he has (sort of) taken back on island as well. Miles words from a few episodes back: "Haven't you heard? Hugo's in charge now".


He's Gettin' Pretty Ripe!
Nice one, Frank.


The Mystery of The Disappearing Blonde Boy (Hmmm... Now Where Have We Seen That Before?)
Obviously, the little blonde boy running through the jungle is incredibly important. The fact that Sawyer can see him is even more so. Richard however, cannot... which makes it seem like only Jacob's chosen candidates have the special ability to see things that may or may not be there.

Quick tangent: let's go back to Kate and Sawyer's horse for a moment, during the middle of season two. Both of these characters were able to see the stallion, as unlikely as a horse standing in the middle of the jungle might be. I need to mention this now, because later on, the fact that Kate can see the horse is fairly important.

So who's the little blonde boy that pisses off Flocke so badly? My first instinct was that we were looking at young Jacob. Maybe not a real live Jacob, but the ghost of past Jacob come back to torment his nemesis for slaying him. The blood on his arms was an obvious representation of the blood the dark man now has on his hands, even though he used a loophole.

My immediate second thought: Aaron. So far, Aaron has played a very minor role in the show. For someone who seemed so monumentally important in the first season, and who was talked and dreamt about all the time, Aaron has slowly faded back into obscurity. If there was ever a time that Aaron's role should finally be fleshed out, that time is now.

A third and equally cool possibility brought up by Anil on the ODI Podcast this week: the boy is a referee or guardian come to remind Flocke of "the rules". The concept of outside forces or 'watchers' has been a common theme throughout the show, and it would make sense that someone or something is ultimately in charge of Jacob and the dark man's game. This would also lend new significance to Jacob's final words "They're coming". In this case, "they" might just be the people or beings responsible for setting up the gameboard itself, and making sure the rules are followed.

In any case, the short chase scene between Flocke and the blonde boy told us a great deal. As he trips over a convenient root, here we see the first real signs of weakness in the smoke monster's persona. In fact, for a brief instant his actions become almost suspiciously Locke-ish. As he fell, I was quickly reminded of John Locke trying to keep up with Boone in Deus Ex Machina. John lost the use of his legs in that episode, just as the dark man loses his footing in this very scene. Immediately afterward, he steals Locke's very own line, shouting "Don't tell me what I can't do!" - twice, no less.

This total loss of control is uncharacteristic of Jacob's enemy - at least from what we've seen of him so far. It's also another example of the real John Locke shining through, whether Flocke wants it or not. Ever since his heartfelt conversation with Sun last season, I've wondered whether or not the true Locke lay buried somewhere deep inside his doppelganger replacement. Temporarily at least, it seems that the smoke monster/dark man isn't always in complete command.

Equally open to interpretation are the boy's words to Flocke: "You know the rules. You can't kill him". The word 'him' could mean Jacob himself, the boy reminding the dark man of the fact that neither opponent is allowed to kill the other. That scenario isn't likely however, because it seems as if Jacob is definitely dead... something he himself confirmed while talking to Hurley in episode one.

"Him" could also mean Sawyer, or even Richard since he was nearby. I like the Sawyer idea because it would mean that the dark man can't touch any of Jacob's chosen candidates. Anyone Jacob touched in The Incident flashbacks would be safe from the smoke monster's physical touch... but not necessarily safe from being conned into recruitment. That would make Locke's turning of Sawyer a simple case of "If you can't beat em, join em".

Finally, the "him" that the boy refers to could also mean someone entirely different: a person or player that we haven't seen yet. No matter what, the dark man is recruiting an army for some specific yet unknown purpose. Killing Jacob was definitely a goal, but there's still work to be done.


Sorry, But I Still Think Rose Is in on the Whole Thing...
Go back to any season of LOST, and you'll always see Rose in an advisory role. Here she plays a recruitment officer, opposite the on-island recruitment that's going on with Jacob's dark-shirted nemesis.

Rose's boss is Hurley, and according to her, she has to do whatever Hugo tells her to do. "If he said that, I can make it happen for you", she tells Locke, lending more importance to Hurley's overall role both on and off the island.

Finding out that Rose still has cancer might seem important, but I'm not too sure of that. What is important though, is her acceptance. "I had a hard time getting through it", she explains to John, "But eventually... I got past the denial part".

Overcoming denial and getting past self-made obstacles is what LOST has traditionally been all about. It's also what set Rose and Bernard apart from everyone else in 70's Dharma. This is why they were able to eke out a living on the beach, gorging on unlimited canned goods in that pseudo-blueprint of Jacob's cabin. They suddenly stopped running, ditched the guns, and flipped off the island's every threat. By the time Sawyer, Kate, and Juliet had caught up with them during The Incident, Rose and Bernard had already removed themselves from the game, totally and completely, and placed themselves firmly on the other side.

I'm pretty sure the same thing applies in the LAX universe. Literally, Rose is trying to get Locke to accept his role as a cripple. Instead of trying to prove himself by flying halfway across the world with a case of razor-sharp knives, Rose is urging John to stop fighting his disability. Figuratively, Rose is trying to help John wake up and realize the same thing she and Bernard have already figured out: happiness is right there in front of him, if only he'll look. We are the causes of our own suffering, and only fools are enslaved by time and space.


Of Mice and Men
Ever the con man, Sawyer is one step ahead of the fake John Locke as he slyly puts him at gunpoint. The dark man however, isn't the slightest bit interested in playing Sawyer's game. He's already demonstrated a complete lack of fear, and he knows he's got James right where he wants him. Sawyer can pull the trigger and go back to drinking whiskey, or he can plod ahead and hope for some promised answers. With nothing much better to do, Sawyer sighs and puts away his gun.

Symbolically, I think we're seeing the end of pistolpalooza. In this last home stretch of LOST, none of our bigger answers will come at the business end of a rifle. So many times the 815 survivors have used weaponry in an attempt to figure out what's going on - from the smallest knife all the way up to the biggest nuclear warhead. Yet throughout five years of gunplay, no one was ever really able to obtain substantial answers this way. Maybe Sawyer even realizes this as he lowers his weapon.

"I've been trapped for so long, I don't even know what it's like to be free". These are the dark man's words, and spoken through John's lips they have the bitter ring of truth. The dark man has been trapped - both on the island and perhaps even within it. "But before I was trapped I was a man, James. Just like you."
This is a pretty big revelation, here. Perhaps Jacob and his enemy aren't demigods after all, but men who were brought to the island just like everyone else. These men however, are bound here and locked in some eternal struggle or game. Until they figure out how to end such a game (or get someone to take their place...), they can't leave. How they got started, and who started them? These now become the real questions.

Weirdest Damn Funeral I've Ever Been To!
I think Jeff Fahey may be writing his own lines. If so, I'm all for it.

Before the first shovelful of dirt hit poor John's face, I realized the significance of burying him. Like everyone on the island, this scene was here for a reason... and in the end, I think that reason will turn out to be extra important.

Burial has long been an issue within LOST. People have gone out of their way to bury people on the island, and sometimes with little or no reason. A while ago I called Keamy's men out on this very issue, because it didn't seem necessary for them to bury Danielle Rousseau and Karl. As their mercenary killing machine mowed down anyone and everyone on the way to New Otherton, it seemed oddly out of place that they'd stop to bury two of their victims instead of just kicking their corpses off the path and into the lush jungle undergrowth.

If burial is important, maybe it's because the smoke monster can only possess the above-ground dead. Christian Shepherd... Yemi... John Locke... these corpses crashed into the island and never received a proper burial, which might be why smokie was able to manifest itself in these forms. If this theory holds true, what would happen to this already morphed version of Flocke as John Locke's funeral progresses? Now that he's buried, will the dark man lose some sort of power or control over him?

"He can't (change) anymore. He's stuck this way". Seems like Illana knows a hell of a lot about exactly how the smoke monster works. Maybe she should've shared this information with Bram, who went up against Flocke with nothing more than a rifle and a bag of ash. Assuming the dark man is stuck in Locke's body for the rest of the series, I'm betting that some of his power may have been inadvertently and unknowingly lost at the burial of John Locke. There was more to this out-of-place scene than just a simple funeral.


Broken Record Reference Aside, History Teacher Ben Just Plain Sucks
Not a big fan of tea-drinking Ben. If Benjamin Linus the whiny professor turns out to be the antithesis of Benjamin Linus the king of liars, I'm hoping this storyline dead-ends as fast as possible. Maybe you guys are into it, but the whole thing seemed over-the-top corny to me.


Randall Flag, Robz888, and the Candidate Cave
First, a quick shoutout to Robz888 who put out a rock solid recap on DarkUFO this week. Rob, I appreciate the kind mention as well.

Flocke and Sawyer's arrival at Jacob's cave was a pretty historic moment in LOST lore. For as long as we can remember, we've always wondered how our heroes arrived on the island, and what specific purpose they were brought there for. Here, we took a giant step closer to learning those answers, and even the numbers were assigned a partial meaning.

The scales we see at the mouth of the cave are nearly balanced with black and white stones. The dark man grabs the white one and hurls it defiantly into the ocean... and just like that, we instantly know who's represented by black and who's represented by white. Good and evil however, are still in the eye of the beholder. It was also cool to notice that the black side of the scale was slightly lower than the white, as if that side were currently winning.

Jacob has a thing for numbers, and in season one, so did we all. The names on his wall include names we're familiar with - characters we've seen all throughout the show. Each name is assigned a number, but the numbers that are important to us - OUR numbers - are assigned to some of the most important and vital characters within LOST.

Shephard, Reyes, Jarrah, Kwon, Locke, Ford... with the exception of John Locke, all of these are characters who have made it to the end of our story. These are Jacob's candidates, and maybe even his champions. They're the people he went back and touched, either as children or adults, in order to mark his playing pieces in the future game to be played on the island.

"At some point in your life, James, probably when you were young and miserable and vulnerable, he came to you... he manipulated you, pulled your strings like you were a puppet."

Rob was 1000% right to draw a Randall Flag reference, because that's what's going on here. For those who haven't read The Stand by Stephen King, this is the way Randall Flag - also known as the dark man - spoke to his own potential recruits. Although thoroughly evil, Flagg presented his case strongly and logically, pointing out how he'd give his followers a choice rather than a predefined destiny. He also uses the same phrase Flocke used on Richard earlier this episode, describing how he'd never treat people in such a way that would keep them in the dark.

This is all stuff that James Ford wants to hear right now. The fact that Jacob brought him to the island is undeniable. There's no debating whether or not he had a choice in the matter, and leaving was never possible - not while Jacob still had an agenda in mind. All of these things culminated in what happened to Juliet, and in Sawyer's eyes this makes Jacob directly responsible. This is what puts Sawyer's interests directly in line with those of the dark man, and this is why he joins him with a "hell yes".

It gave me a shudder to think of how long that cave had been there... of how many times through LOST's loop it had taken Jacob to finally decide which characters were important to his ultimate goal. 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42 - it turns out they're just numbers after all, with no mathematical significance whatsoever. These numbers just happened to be the ones assigned to the people Jacob deemed necessary to achieve victory - dead or not dead, one or more of these playing pieces will be used to put his opponent into checkmate.

Sort of.

There's one person Jacob went back and touched that's decidedly absent from the names on his cave wall: Austin. Rewatching The Incident, you'll see that Jacob touched all six of the characters represented by the numbers... plus Kate.

Whether Kate's name is up there and crossed out or whether she's absent from the wall altogether doesn't make a whole lot of difference. The cool thing is that in a way, Kate now becomes Jacob's secret weapon. She's the one person his enemy is not aware of: because the dark man doesn't think she's a candidate, he'll likely gloss right over her. As an apparent non-factor, Kate still retains whatever power or importance she received from Jacob's touch. And at the same time, the dark man is busy recruiting and chasing after those other five names that he deems important or dangerous.


Protect It From Nothing, James. It's Just a Damned Island.
Although a lot of what Flocke said this episode had the ring of truth, this is where I think Sawyer's being conned. To Jacob's enemy the island may be nothing more than a prison, but one thing we can all agree upon is that it's most definitely more than just an island.
Even more ominous are the dark man's words regarding Sawyer becoming Jacob's successor. "You can accept the job. Become the new Jacob, and protect the island." Seems to me like this would be a shit job to have, but it also seems like it could easily be Jacob's ultimate goal. Imagine if LOST's end game was resolved by one of our biggest heroes (::cough::: Jack ::cough::) becoming the new Jacob, and one of our other heroes - possibly even John Locke himself - becoming the new dark-shirted nemesis. Imagine them sitting on the beach during LOST's final scene, hanging out, shooting the shit, arguing science vs. faith as they split a rack of wild boar...
Sorry this was so late. Happy LOST day!
-Vozz

ODI LOSTcast 51 - 6x04 Recap and 6x05 Preview

Happy LOST Day All!

Last week's episode 6x04 The Substitute the Locke Centric episode provided us with a big reveal of the Candidate Cave and many other moments with both MiB as Locke and the Alt-Timeline Locke.

We discussed the action at the Candidate Cave with MiB and Sawyer quite a bit but also provide you with our thoughts with who we think the mysterious blond boy is, the happier Alt-Locke who has accepted his potential destiny of being in a wheelchair and much more!

As always there is a preview of the upcoming episode and a round-up the recent spoilers that were revealed over the last week.

The podcast was posted on iTunes earlier today. So don't forget to subscribe to iTunes, but for those of you that do not use iTunes below is a link to the audio player and download link.

NOTE: Preview for Episode 6x05 and Spoilers begin at 128 Minute mark

Enjoy!

http://the-odi.blogspot.com/2010/02/odi-lostcast-51-6x04-recap-and-6x05.html

Find LOST with Carmel: The Substitute

Lost Fantasy League: Week 3 Update!

Double points? Double points? We don't need no stinking double points!

"The Substitute" rocked its way past "What Kate Does" in an impressive way. It still pales in comparison to "LA X" but a one-hour episode amassing over 1,000 points is impressive.

Check out all the gory details in the sections below and let me know if you think I missed anything! Also, I will be taking part in the upcoming DarkUFOlogy podcast. If you have any questions about what goes on behind the scenes for the Lost Fantasy League or the Character Cup or any other questions you may have for me, get them in quick!

Lost Fantasy Team Lookup Table | LFL on Facebook | G-Man on Twitter | Email G-Man

1) Richard loses points for when MIB drops him. Granted, it was only a 3 foot drop but MIB seemed to let Richard drop the rest of the way on purpose. That intent sold us on the injury factor.

2) The Kid does not count as an Island Vision (yet). I interpreted the Kid to be a real person who took off before Richard could see him. The fact that Sawyer could see him led me to this decision. Sawyer has not yet been shown to see visions like Hurley, so for now, the Kid is assumed to be a real person and only worth New Person points.

3) The woman at the temp agency is worth New Person points. She was the psychic that David Reyes took Hurley to back in Season 3. She has also been confirmed as playing the same character. Any character from the real timeline appearing in the Alt will be worth points.

4) Only the Cave counts for points. The Cave is a new place for sure. The cavern with all of the names in it is not worth extra points because it is an extension of the Cave. This is the same logic we used in determining that the Spring inside the Temple was not worth points. If any of the individual items within the Cave turn out to be very important, we can go back and adjust scores accordingly.

5) The memory snippets were not flashbacks but do count for points. These were very difficult for us to decide upon because the only other time this sort of thing has happened was the Season 4 premier at the dawn of the LFL. We determined that, since these scenes were not flash-oriented in nature but rather for the audience's purposes only, these scenes do not count for flash points but everything else occurring in them does count, as long as the events directly pictured in the events meet the requirements of our various point categories.

6.04 CHARACTER SCORES:

SEASON 6 EPISODE TOTALS:

GROUP 1

SAWYER (+170 points): Attendance; Encounters Jacob; Encounters a New Person, Place or Thing (3- The Cave, the Kid, Jacob); Encounters the Smoke Monster (twice); Encounters or Uses the Numbers (twice- appears on screen with a clock showing 4 and 8, appears on screen with 8 & 16 in the Cave); Gets a Minor Injury (Falls on cliff); Last Line; Last on Screen

BEN (+95 points): Appears in Someone Else’s Misc. FB/FF; Attendance; Encounters Jacob; Encounters a New Person, Place or Thing (3- Locke, the Lostie Graveyard and Jacob); Encounters or Uses the Numbers (appears on screen with a clock showing 4 and 8)

HURLEY (+80 points): Appears in Someone Else’s Misc. FB/FF; Attendance; Encounters Jacob; Encounters a New Person, Place or Thing (3- Locke, Jacob and the Guitar Case); Travels by Car

JACK (+40 points): Attendance; Encounters Jacob; Encounters a New Person, Place or Thing (Jacob)



GROUP 2

MAN IN BLACK (+90 points): Attendance; Encounters Jacob; Encounters a New Person, Place or Thing (The Kid); Encounters or Uses the Numbers (says 16 and 42); Inflicts a Minor Injury (Drops Richard); Last on Screen; Nicknamed by Sawyer (“Ghost of Christmas Future”); Says the Title of an Episode (“Numbers”); Visits a DHARMA Location (2- The Barracks twice)

SUN (+60 points): Attendance; Encounters Jacob; Encounters a New Person, Place or Thing (Jacob); Encounters or Uses the Numbers (appears on screen with 8 and 23 on the cargo box)

JIN (+40 points): Attendance; Encounters Jacob; Encounters a New Person, Place or Thing (Jacob)

SAYID (+40 points): Attendance; Encounters Jacob; Encounters a New Person, Place or Thing (Jacob)



GROUP 3

LOCKE (+240 points): Attendance; Encounters Jacob; Encounters a New Person, Place or Thing (5- Hurley, the Psychic Woman, Jacob, Rose and Ben); Encounters or Uses the Numbers (2- appears on screen with a clock showing 4 and 8; appears on screen with his watch showing 4 and 8); Episode Centricity; Misc. FB/FF; First Line; First on Screen; Gets a Minor Injury (falls off of platform); Goes in the Water (sits in a bathtub); Kisses Someone or Gets Kissed (twice); Says the Title of an Episode (“Walkabout”); Travels by Car

ILANA (+40 points): Attendance; Encounters a New Person, Place or Thing (The Lostie Graveyard); Encounters or Uses the Numbers (appears on screen with 8 and 23 on the cargo box)

RICHARD (+20 points): Attendance; Encounters the Smoke Monster; Gets a Minor Injury (Dropped by MIB)



GROUP 4

JACOB (+115 points): Attendance; Encounters a New Person, Place or Thing (8- Ben, Jack, Hurley, Sayid, Jin, Sun, Sawyer and Locke); Encounters the Smoke Monster; Gets Killed/Dies

FRANK (+40 points): Attendance; Encounters a New Person, Place or Thing (The Lostie Graveyard); Encounters or Uses the Numbers (appears on screen with 8 and 23 on the cargo box)



GROUP 5

ROSE (+30 points): Appears in Someone Else’s Misc. FB/FF; Attendance; Encounters a New Person, Place or Thing (Locke); Says the Title of an Episode (“I Do”)



GROUP 6

SMOKE MONSTER (+90 points): Attendance; Encounters Jacob; Encounters a New Person, Place or Thing (The Kid); Encounters or Uses the Numbers (says 16 and 42); Inflicts a Minor Injury (Drops Richard); Last on Screen; Nicknamed by Sawyer (“Ghost of Christmas Future”); Says the Title of an Episode (“Numbers”); Visits a DHARMA Location (2- The Barracks twice)

This week there were 10 different Fantasy Geniuses of the Week! A perfect pick would have yielded 735 points but no one managed this feat this week. Everybody forgot about Rose for some reason. Anyway, here are your Geniuses for this week, each with a score of 705 points!

agarrista: Sawyer, MIB, Locke, Jacob, Aaron, Smokey, Charlie
Castiel: Sawyer, MIB, Locke, Jacob, Aaron, Smokey, Charlie
Cucos del Rock: Sawyer, MIB, Locke, Jacob, Walt, Smokey, Charlie
The Golden Cheese: Sawyer, MIB, Locke, Jacob, Aaron, Smokey, Daniel
I'll be back...John Locke: Sawyer, MIB, Locke, Jacob, Vincent, Smokey, Charlie
Pecas Team: Sawyer, MIB, Locke, Jacob, Walt, Smokey, Charlie
Satine Team: Sawyer, MIB, Locke, Jacob, Aaron, Smokey, Daniel
Sawyer 4ever Team: Sawyer, MIB, Locke, Jacob, Charlie Hume, Smokey, Charlie
Tito Dupuy: Sawyer, MIB, Locke, Jacob, Aaron, Smokey, Daniel
ZERO_TEAM: Sawyer, MIB, Locke, Jacob, Aaron, Smokey, Charlie

Click on the thumbnails to view the full image.

GROUPS:


TABLES TOPPERS:


CELEBS:


EPISODE DETAILS:


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It's still far too early to tell if anyone else can be written off as a lost cause but there are definitely some League Characters that continue to flirt with disaster.

GROUP 1
Even without the double-points factor, Kate would still hold a comfortable lead over Jack. Sawyer has broken back into the discussion with a strong showing in "The Substitute." A few more episodes like this and Sawyer will be a true contender.

Right now the weak link is Ben Linus. Three episodes in and he is trailing the likes of Arzt and Claire! Oh and not to mention that a dead guy currently has nearly three times his score. Ben needs a big break. His appearance in the Alt makes me think that we're going to get a Ben episode this season. This is good for two reasons- Ben episodes typically rock and Ben needs the points. Ben's Alt self seems pretty harmless too, which is a plus. To really contend for the Group 1 title though, Ben is probably going to need his centric episode to fall during our next double-points episode. If we get a Ben-centric episode before 6.09, Ben could hold your team back the rest of the way out.


GROUP 2
Sun did a good bit to improve her chances this past week. She's still only got roughly half of Sayid's score but I still like her chances. MIB also managed to claw his way out of the negatives with a well-behaved performance. As long as we keep seeing him and he lightens up on the violence, he could steadily work his way up in the ranks after all.

The biggest worry I have right now is for Miles. Only 16% of you picked him but he has become something of a 'Mr. Irrelevant' this season so far. This is a real shame after his breakout performance last season. He doesn't have the DHARMA logos and car rides to pad his stats like last year but that doesn't mean he should just sit in the corner and watch the cool kids play. If he doesn't step it up over the next two episodes, he could be one of the first major characters you can write off.


GROUP 3
You might be thinking that Locke has this thing won, right? Not so fast. I think that Locke's amazing performance so early in the season will put him in a great disadvantage the rest of the year. With 26% of you picking Locke, these are serious implications.

Locke's Alt story appears to be over. He has accepted his disability, so there will be no visit to Jack in his Alt-flash, which is bound to happen eventually because Lost wouldn't be Lost without a Jack-back each season. Also, if Locke appears in a Ben Alt-flash, his role would be minor. Locke did phenomenal for a dead person, nabbing centricity and all, but he has also left far too much time for everyone else in Group 3 to catch up. With Locke dead and buried on the Island and his Alt story fairly wrapped up, I suspect Locke will be a no-show for much of the rest of the year.


GROUP 4
Juliet aside, this group still has a lot of potential to be shaken up. It will depend on how much more of Claire, Frank and Jacob we see. Penny, Eloise, Charles and Christian haven't shown up yet and I'm starting to think that the longer they take to make the first appearance, the harder it will be for them to make up the difference. I will be bold and say that, while I'm not ruling out a surprise run to the top, the Group 4 winner will come from one of the three characters already on the board.


GROUP 5
This group is still wide open, though Rose did do herself some good by picking up 30 points this week.


GROUP 6
With a few more bountiful episodes, Smokey could actually contend for the title here. It will depend on whether or not Cindy or Ethan reappears. There is still time for some of the others in this group to do some damage but I think the DHARMA folk are now all but irrelevant.


GROUP 7
Who would have thought Arzt would be so dominant? No one showed up from Group 7 this past week, so Arzt is still reigning as the master of Group 7. We'll see how long it lasts though, as one or two more appearances by Boone, Charlie or anyone else could leave the good doctor on the outside looking in.


I think things will be quite a bit clearer after episode 6.06. Once we get six episodes into the season, the pace will have been set and we'll be able to start writing off a few people. Maybe not in Groups 5-7 but definitely in Groups 1-4. So we'll see how the next two episodes pan out and go from there.