Lost - DVD Box Cover for Season 5, and a Blu-ray Release for Seasons 1-5 Posted by DarkUFO at 4/30/2009 10:54:00 PM View Comments Labels: Blu-Ray, DVD, Season 5

Here is some new Artwork for the Various Season 5 DVD and Blu-Ray Releases. These are not officially confirmed.

DVD
Lost - The Complete 5th Season: The Journey Back, Expanded Edition
Lost - The Complete 5th Season: Limited Edition Dharma Initiation Kit

Blu-ray Disc High-Def
Lost - The Complete 5th Season: The Journey Back, Expanded Edition
Lost - The Complete 5th Season: Limited Edition Dharma Initiation Kit

Source: TVShowOnDVD

Things I Noticed - "The Variable" by Vozzek69 Posted by DarkUFO at 4/30/2009 07:03:00 PM View Comments Labels: Recaps, The Variable, Vozzek69

Oh boy... commentary this week should be nuts! Winding down toward the finale, The Variable begins closing out the Dharmaville chapters of LOST and promises us the warmth and familiarity of our old "back on the beach" episodes. We're about to trade knowing what's going to happen next for the joy of being completely blind again, living in lean-to's, and running from invisible monsters (sorta). Congratulations to everyone involved with this great show on 100 amazing episodes. Things I Noticed:

'Sorry, but You're Gonna Have to Be a Physicist'... Performed in D-Minor

Finally, someone with mommy issues! Daniel's mom interrupts his future as a concert pianist to give him a lesson in destiny, and to encourage a lifetime of pocket protectors, razor-thin ties, and high-level mathematics. Either way, he's not getting the cheerleader. But hey, let's talk about destiny for a minute.

I've always thought destiny to be a fixed, predetermined future (in fact, wikipedia agrees with me). Destiny isn't something you can argue or bargain with - it's the fixed and unchangeable path down which you're meant to travel. Yet here's a young Ms. Hawking, once again trying to convince someone that they're destined to do something. She even tells us it's her 'job' to guide people along the right paths. Doesn't this contradict the very definition of a pre-determined future? If it's already Daniel's destiny to do the things he's supposed to do, why can't she let him play the piano for a while? Maybe even make him a sandwich?

Since when does destiny need deputies? If the universe always corrects itself, why does Hawking have to play time marshall?

If you want the answer to that, then here it is: because she's been bamboozled into believing this crap. Just like we've all been. Just as she tried to convince Desmond that he couldn't change anything (and he did), she's trying to convince Daniel that he needs to put down the metronome and pick up a math book. Growing up on the island and following the standard Others' playbook has brainwashed Eloise Hawking into spending the rest of her life 'putting people where they need to be'. I'm calling bullshit on that one.

Hawking is putting people where the ISLAND needs them to be. Plain and simple. All her life she's been too foolish to know it... at least up until the moment where she realizes she was wrong. I'm guessing that moment came somewhere between shooting her son and slapping Widmore in the face. I'm betting she put the O6 on Ajira as penance for her sins, knowing it might potentially change something. I also think that when Hawking helped Ben get on that plane, she knew full well it was something she wasn't 'supposed to' do - not according to the island, anyway.

This begs a much bigger question: just what the hell are the Others trying to accomplish? Think of all the hoops they've thanklessly jumped through... Widmore, Ben, now Hawking... to believe in something so strongly that you're willing to sacrifice your own kid(s) for it? Something has got the Others scared totally shitless... whether they've seen the end of the world or whether it's something more personal, we don't know just yet.

Whatever it is, I think it's up in the air now. It's no longer set in stone. In the past, I think they've allowed the loop to complete itself - this was the safe way of doing things. By allowing time to fold over on itself and endlessly repeat the same stretch over and over, they've effectively avoided the horrific ending they all seem to dread. But now, this time through, we're all going to see something different happen - the Others included. God help us all.


A Picture's Worth A Thousand Words - Or At Least A Really Quick Sub-Ride

Somewhere back at HQ in Ann Arbor, the editor of the Dharma newsletter is missing a initiation photo. Last week we knew Dan came back to the island for specific reasons, but this week we're shown the catalyst that put him on the latest sub: seeing that Jack, Kate, & Hurley somehow made it back to the island. Apparently this was unexpected by Daniel, and he's extremely curious as to how they managed to pull it off. It seemed to solidify what he'd been working to prove while grooving out in 70's Michigan these past few years: that things can, in fact, be changed. This is very exciting news to him.

So exciting in fact, that he's willing to arrive on the island mere hours before a catastrophic incident that he has full advanced knowledge of. Somehow Dan expects to convince Chang he's a time traveler, have him evacuate a hundred or so people (by sub, no less), gather up help from the entire 815 crew, meet up with his trigger-happy mother, and then find and detonate an atomic warhead - all in less than 6 hours. Yeah, good luck with that.

In fact, Dan is so bad at planning ahead that even master-tactician Jack does everything but slap his forehead and say 'doh!' when Dan strides into the hostile's camp with a hurried attitude and an ominous-looking pistol dangling from his untrained hand. But that scene is for later on.

I guess the important thing here is Dan's new attitude. Last time he was telling us that whatever happened, happened (WHH). But the new Dan has suddenly ditched his tie, changed his tune, and is ready to roll up his sleeves and do something. Up until he saw the photo he was only working on equations. But once he saw Jack's crew in 1977, it gave him the proof he needed - at least in his own mind - that the upcoming incident could be avoided.


Miles Is Putting on A Lot of Miles

As the official chauffeur for all the main characters, Miles drives Dan to Jack's house. This is partly because Daniel still believes him to be the leader, but mostly it's just a gratuitous excuse for another shirtless Jack scene. Dan tells Jack that his mother was wrong to send them back, and that they don't belong in 1977 (or even on the island) at all. We'll find out later where he believes they really do belong: arriving on time in LAX back in 2004. Holy crap that seems like such a long time ago.

This sends Jack knocking at Sawyer's door, where the whole Dharma jig is just about up. It was a little sad to see the disappointment on Sawyer's face as he finally gave up on his temporary happiness. Juliet inviting Jack inside was the final nail in that coffin; two episodes ago she'd already known the charade was over. It took Jim LaFleur a little longer to accept it, but as he calls a partial meeting of LOST's superpowers - while Phil bleeds all over his cabinetry - even he knows the lie is over. See you back at the beach.

At this point we're going to see Dharma fade back into the obscurity it once had when it consisted of a few hatches, ruins, and skeletons scattered across the island. It looks to me that after the incident, it will be modern times again. From a mental perspective, I find it interesting to note that everyone had to leave or somehow let go of Dharma before this could be accomplished. Just as the O6 had to let go of their off-island lives before they could return to the island, so do the Dharma newbies. And this time, Sawyer's the last one off the playground.


Good night, Future Boy!

Oh MAN I thought Chang was going to believe Dan at the Orchid station! But then Miles totally blew it for him. Which was kinda weird, because I would've thought Miles would back Dan up on the whole back-to-the-future thing. Perhaps Miles was still trying to keep up his end of the whole Dharmaville facade, or maybe he didn't want his dad to believe Dan. He already knows that Chang sends mom and baby Miles off island when he suspects something bad is going to happen, so maybe Miles is trying to change a little future of his own here... and keep the family together. Maybe Hurley rubbed off on him a little during all those van rides?

"I'm just making sure your father does what he's supposed to do". I'm not sure what Chang is supposed to do, but whatever it is, Faraday probably just planted the seeds that will cause him do it. Is this the way it always happened? Hehe. Could be.


I'm Taking My Son Out For Curry, No Vegetables

Not much new in this scene, except that we get to see pre-trippy Theresa and a whole bunch of Indian-themed decor. Hawking's only here to monitor Dan's progress and to keep him on the right path. She fully believes she knows her son's destiny, and it's always been her job to weed out annoying distractions like piano lessons, women, and apparently haircuts. But there's a causality clause in the conversation:

Hawking tells Daniel, "Your work will always come first". Daniel's response: "Only because that's what you've always pushed me to do".

Once again, was Dan's destiny really etched in stone? Or was his fate sealed only because his mother had preconceived notions of precisely what it needed to be? Was Dan's life nothing more than a self-fulfilling prophecy, orchestrated entirely by his mom - and later on, by his dad as well? Yup.


Party at LaFleur's House, BYOB

In what's probably our last calm scene in Dharmaville, all of the big kids meet up to discuss what their next move should be. This is a pretty far cry from the old days, where everyone would just grab a few guns and storm off into the jungle with a half-assed plan (but at least they had Sayid back then).

For most of LOST, the 815 survivors have worked toward getting off the island. But now that they've got a legitimate way to leave, they're actually looking to stay and finish things. Heading back into the jungle and starting from square one doesn't seem to bother anyone - there's not a rookie or a red-shirt left among them. As Hurley says, leaving now would be kind of wishy-washy. They're finally realizing that they're all here for a reason, and that nothing's going to get resolved until they figure out what that reason is. I think Locke would be proud.

Daniel explains that his mom can get them back to where they 'need to be', which I'm assuming is back in their regular time period. How or why she can do this is a mystery, but Faraday probably knows what he's talking about.


The Sunken Wreckage of Flight 815 and My Own Never-ending Stubbornness

Charles Widmore finally "reveals" he sunk the phony plane, which would seem to put this mystery to bed for good. But before we tuck it in, I'm going to slap it on the ass one more time. After this, I promise to leave this topic alone. This time for real. :)

First off, look at who Charles is talking to: Daniel Faraday. He conveniently shows up just as the 815 footage is being played on the television, then uses it as a cattle prod to get Dan on his freighter crew. So do we take what Widmore is saying at face value? First let's run down the steps someone needs to take in order to pull this off:

a) Purchase a retired Boeing 777: un-parted out

b) Paint it to look exactly like Oceanic 815

c) Fill it with dozens of rotting corpses you stole from a Thai cemetery

d) Sneak it out into the middle of the Indian Ocean, over the Sundra Trench

e) Somehow do all this without anyone (but your evil henchmen!) knowing

f) Dump it and then 'pretend to find it

Pretty slick, right? But hey Widmore has lots of money, so everyone naturally believes this can be done. Okay fine. So now let's examine the reasons why he'd do something like this:

1) To "throw off" the search parties looking for Flight 815. (Yeah, right)

2) To point fingers at Ben, convincing people he's evil (Seems like a lot of trouble, no?)

3) To convince Daniel to get on the freighter (Hawking's prodding accomplished that just fine I think)

4) I can't even think of another reason.

No one can convince me that there'd be much of a search effort for a plane that disappeared "somewhere in the Pacific Ocean". And you also can't convince me that Widmore's "afraid of the public finding the island" when he's spent an unsuccessful 20 years trying to find it using his own vast resources.

Without going into too much detail, I'll say this: I believe we're looking at the actual wreckage of Flight 815. Just as there's an iteration of 815 laying in pieces all over our favorite beach, there's another iteration of 815 that crashed in the real world. This is why Daniel is crying - because I think deep down in his super-intelligent mind, he knows it.

The biggest clue, given to us a long while ago: the plane in the Sundra Trench is broken into the exact same three pieces that the original Flight 815 broke into. How the hell could that be possible? Widmore had no way of knowing this, and he couldn't have gotten that lucky. Nah, I'm not buying any of it. (I guess I'm not buying lots of stuff lately).


Oh NO he DIDN'T!

Sawyer calling Kate 'Freckles' made me cringe more than the Austin Powers/poison gas/Tempest station episode. And I loved Juliet's swift, immediate revenge. Sawyer you dumbass!


The Swingset Is My Constant

Scoring one for the WHH team, Daniel just can't keep himself from the inevitable scary-haired meeting with young Charlotte. His hopes that she'll leave the island in time are overshadowed by his fears that she won't. We also see a repeat of her last words to Daniel; she's not allowed to eat chocolate before dinner. In the mind-skipping right before her death, Charlotte must've flashed back to being on that swing, hearing herself speak those same words.


Shootout at The Motor Pool, and Radzinski Missed His Lithium

Not sure why, but I thought this scene was hilarious. A big messy shootout, ducking for cover, Jack shooting fuel barrels into fiery explosions... it felt like 1993 and I was playing DOOM all over again. Kate handing Daniel a loaded gun - wow, what a big mistake.

I think Radzinski's character grows increasingly awesome. He's on top of everyone at all times, showing up at the worst possible moments. I think HE probably should've been head of security. Then again he's so high strung it wouldn't surprise me if the Kurgan does end up blowing his head off just to get him to shut up.


Whatever Happened Happened...

... So long as there's an informed army of time-cops like Hawking, Widmore, Ben Linus, Abaddon, and God knows who else, dedicating their entire lives to guiding everyone along the right paths, at exactly the right times, putting them in exactly the right places, in order to ensure that destiny "succeeds".

Are you kidding me? No, really - go back and read that again. Destiny needs a pretty spectacular A-Team in order to make sure that predetermination is, well... pre-determined? I call time out for a minute.

Daniel seems to be under the impression that things can be changed, and this time he has mathematical proof. Don't believe me? Just look in his journal. Or check out the Wired magazine he's reading, which says "Forget Science Fiction... Here's the Science!" (yes, I'm being facetious). Faraday's whole variable speech to Jack and Kate seemed pretty convincing at the time, but then again, so did his WHH speech to Sawyer and company. So which is it?

Again this episode, there are arguments for both sides. The very act of Daniel getting shot by his mom seems to indicate that he's wrong in his assumptions. But just because he's killed, does that mean his equations and conclusions were incorrect? Or was he just a victim of poor execution? I mean, come on... even Jack could see that his plan for diplomatic relations with the hostiles totally sucked. And when Jack's making wincing faces at your plan... that's never a good sign.

Daniel's death points firmly toward the fact that whatever happened was destined to happen, just as Hawking predicted. But did she really predict it? Or did she cause it to happen... through years and years of planning... through a lifetime of manipulation in order to get him there? Couldn't I argue that Hawking is the actual variable in that equation? That she could've assumed any other value: one of a loving mother, a protector, a piano aficionado, instead of a cold-blooded deputy of the island willing to sacrifice her only son?

Sure I could. So then tell me: what makes all the island's protectors go to such great lengths to do the things they do, if they're truly convinced that WHH anyway? Why jump through any hoops at all? It's funny, but in all these weeks no one in the WHH camp has explained this one yet - at least not to my satisfaction. Admittedly, I first chose the Things Can Be Changed stance because I think it's just a lot more fun to believe the story will play out that way. But I think we're seeing more and more evidence, from both Hawking and now even from Daniel (the original WHH guy) that no one's destiny is truly set in stone.

To say that WHH, you're saying that the past is irreversible. But who's past are you talking about? How do you qualify the perspective of that particular past? Like Daniel tells Jack, "this is our present". To them, everything they're experiencing in Dharma is not something they've already experienced in the past. Which is why Daniel doesn't have a scar on his neck when Jack meets him.

Taking this into account, every day that dawns is a new future... but only for Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sawyer, Miles, etc... This new day is filled with potential possibilities for them because, unlike their past, it's not yet set in stone. They can change things, even if they don't yet realize it, which seems to be why people like Hawking try so hard to convince them that they can't. They ARE the variables. I can totally dig what Dan was saying this episode.

WHH works when you consider that the past "is the past". But although these people time traveled back to 1977, it's a 1977 where they weren't supposed to be (Daniel's exact words to Jack). This isn't the "true" past as it once happened. This is a new past, which becomes their present, which is filled with all new potential future possibilities. This allows for change WITHOUT changing the past. They're not altering the past, they're changing their future. You have to look at it from their perspective, not from the perspective of someone on the outside, like us, sitting here in 2009.


Umm, I'm Not Really Sure... Let Me Get Back To You On That One

I think Ms. Hawking not knowing what's going to happen next is pretty big. This seems to be an admission that something has already changed, and Desmond isn't even back on the island yet. Which means that if you're in the WHH camp and think Desmond is the only person who can change things (the only variable), then him keeping Charlie alive long enough for the freighter to get to the island has produced a timeline in which everything can run shit wild. Anyone can now do anything. It's Thunderdome!

Hawking's admission that she doesn't know what comes next seems a pretty big shock to her - very similar to what Ben's going through now. Desmond's changing of things has thrown them all in a tizzy. Eloise seems to know there are two possible endings, and she seems to have been working her whole life to ensure one of them will happen. Unfortunately, I'm thinking she's just now realizing that she was working for the wrong side.


See You In Another Show, Brotha!

"I'll never leave you again, Penny". Does this mean Desmond never goes back to the island? Or does it mean that Penny goes with him? It's entirely possible that (aside for some flashbacks) his job is done. By saving Charlie long enough to flip the jamming switch, Desmond set into motion a chain of events that allowed everything to be set up exactly where it is. He plugged the people/variables into the equation. The resolution of the equation, however it may turn out to be, will have been Desmond's doing no matter what at this point.

I've been saying that for a while now, but many WHH people have refused to consider it. They seem to need Desmond to do things by his own hand, or else it somehow doesn't count. I've talked doppler effect, I've talked ripples in a pond... everything was refuted. "No, no, no Vozzek, only DESMOND can change things". Yeah? Well I say take a look around - I think he already has.

Maybe I'll go one step further and say that Jacob's "list" of people is actually a list of variables that can change the end game. The Others were capturing them because they don't want things changed. Woooo!

Personally, I don't think Desmond's finished. And I'm definitely hoping he isn't. If anything, Desmond has to get back to the island the same way he came in: by boat.


How Kate Just Solved LOST

Alright, don't take me literally on that one, but something Kate said sort of blew my mind. She was pointing out the obvious paradox that would happen if they were to somehow prevent their own plane from crashing. Then she said "This is a mistake. He's talking about erasing everything that's ever happened to us, Jack".

Now, there are lots of people - me included - who've theorized that LOST ends as it begins: with flight 815. From S2 we've seen the story moving in one big circle, and as we approach the end of the show we all know that the finishing point of any circle is at its beginning. Hell, the show was even called 'Circle' before it was called LOST, from what I understand.

But it got me thinking: maybe that's why they're all on the island in the first place. Maybe they're LOST because through the very act of changing things, they're erased their very own existence.

Now I'm not claiming this is the solution, and I'm not saying I believe it, and I know it goes against everything the producers have said about the show. But... even if you hate the idea, just think about it for a second. If the main characters somehow prevent their crash on the island, then either their plane lands safely in LA, or it ends up at the bottom of the (Indian?) ocean. Either way, there's an iteration of each of them that still exists on the island itself. This iteration shouldn't exist at all, but somehow it does. Which explains why Charlie's "Where are we?" was so damned spooky in the first place. They're in a place that (according to Ben) God can't even see. They're LOST.

Maybe season 6 will be about them becoming un-LOST. :)


One Last Quick Thing

I think the whole finale reeks of bait-and-switch tactics, which is why I'm still on the Things Can Change side of the fence. But whether you believe like I do or whether you're a diehard member of the WHH team, I think we should all agree on one thing: The show has rocked our balls off this season. And for those viewers without balls, take my word for it: if you'd had them, they would've been rocked right off. (Andy, that's bullocks to you mate!)

Episode 5.14 - The Variable - Ratings News Posted by DarkUFO at 4/30/2009 05:13:00 PM View Comments Labels: Ratings, The Variable

Thanks to B3RT4 for the heads up, here are last nights ratings.


Source: TV by the Numbers

Here is ABC's spin on the numbers.
"Lost" (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
ABC's "Lost" beat out its non-"Idol" competition in the 9 o'clock hour by wide margins among Adults 18-49 (3.9/10), outdelivering CBS' original "Criminal Minds" by 18% (3.3/8) and NBC's replay "Law & Order: SVU" by 200% (1.3/3). In fact "Lost" marked its 100th episode, standing as Wednesday's No. 1 scripted TV show for its 13th straight original telecast in Adults 18-49.

* Coming off the prior week's clip-show, "Lost" was up week to week by 2.1 million viewers (8.8 million vs. 6.7 million) and by 34% in Adults 18-49 (3.9/10 vs. 2.9/7).

Source: ABC

The Episode League Table - Season 5 - Episode 5.14 Posted by DarkUFO at 4/30/2009 11:55:00 AM View Comments Labels: League Table, The Variable

Here is the latest table after the first 6700+ votes from last nights episodes. As you can see The Variable is currently the 3rd hightest rated Episode from Season 5. The average marks put Season 5 as the highest rated to date.

Season 3 Episode Average: 4.14
Season 4 Episode Average: 4.31
Season 5 Episode Average: 4.34 (to date)

Agree/Disagree with this or other episodes placement?

What did you think of Episode 5.14 - The Variable? Posted by DarkUFO at 4/30/2009 02:55:00 AM View Comments Labels: Polls, The Variable

Discuss/comment below.

Discuss this episode in our Official Episode Discussion Thread.

LOST Trivia : Sun Edition Posted by DarkUFO at 4/29/2009 11:43:00 PM View Comments Labels: Quiz, Sun

Here is UGO's latest Lost Trivia challenge.

Let us know how you scored in the comments.

LOST Trivia : Sun Edition

LOST: Showdown Round 3 Posted by DarkUFO at 4/29/2009 10:49:00 AM View Comments Labels: Polls

Don't forget to cast your vote in the next round of the LOST: Showdown! Round 3 begins today, so be sure to watch the video clips and vote for your favorite couple moment.

Click here to vote in the LOST: Showdown and let us know in the comment who you voted for.

Season 5 UK DVD Box Art? Posted by DarkUFO at 4/29/2009 09:23:00 AM View Comments Labels: DVD, Season 5, UK

Thanks to Josh for the heads up on what looks like the UK version of the Season 5 Box Art.

You can see the Amazon Page here

What do you think? Good/Bad/Ugly? Sound off in the comments.

Lost - The Complete 5th Season: Dharma Initiation Kit Posted by DarkUFO at 4/28/2009 10:05:00 PM View Comments Labels: Blu-Ray, DVD, Season 5

Thanks to Davi and Bo for the heads up on this DVD from Amazon which you can pre-order. It says it will be released on the 8th Decemeber 2009.

DVD - Pre-order
Blu-Ray - Pre-Order

Three weeks ago, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment officially announced the December 8th release of Lost - The Complete 5th Season on both standard DVD and high-definition Blu-ray Disc. Now, however, we've learned that these aren't going to be the only two releases of the 5th Season episodes!

The above two links are to the Amazon pre-order listings for the previously announced sets...listings which have been up since January, when the fifth season debuted. Overnight, however, Amazon has added two more pre-order listings, also scheduled for release on December 8th. The picture above, taken from this season's history-revealing ninth episode ("Namaste"), shows several new recruits being welcomed into the Dharma Initiative (don't worry, here at TVShowsOnDVD we'll try not to spoil the identities of those recruits, in case you're waiting for the home videos to view these episodes for the first time).

The Lost - The Complete 5th Season: Dharma Initiation Kit will be available in both DVD and Blu-ray Disc editions. These limited edition releases are apparently going to be specially packaged versions of the sets, possibly filled with Dharma-related goodies. No details are available on this yet, however...we've only got the info at Amazon so far.

According to Amazon, the DVD "initiation kit" set will have a list price of $119.99 SRP (compared to $59.99 SRP for the regular edition), and the Blu-ray version of the "initiation kit" will cost $134.00 SRP (compared to $79.99 SRP for the regular version of the high-def edition). In practical dollars, though, based on Amazon's discounted prices as of this writing (subject to change at their discretion, without notice), for DVD buyers it's $45 more for the Dharma Initiation Kit and for Blu-ray buyers it's $50 more.

These are obviously aimed at more serious collectors and fans of the show...which you can count us among! We're keeping a sharp eye out for any further details about what you'll get with these high-end releases, so stay tuned and we'll update you as soon as we can find out more!

Source: TVShowOnDVD

Lost Fantasy League: Week 12 Update! Posted by G-Man at 4/28/2009 08:40:00 PM View Comments Labels: Lost Fantasy League, Season 5, Some Like It Hoth

Sorry for the one day delay folks! Sometimes these videos just take longer to make. :-)

Check out all the glorious content below and grab your crash helmets as the final episodes of the season come hurtling at us! Don't forget to give us your suggestions for the Season 6 Lost Fantasy League, which is currently under construction!

If you've got any questions, consult the League rule book at the bottom of this post. If you can't find an answer to your questions there, shoot me an email at LFLquestions@gmail.com. I will do my best to get back to you as promptly as possible.

"Some Like It Hoth" in 500 words or less:
Kate and Sawyer leave the Hostiles behind and Kate heads back to Dharmaville. In Sawyer’s absence, Miles is let into the circle of trust and goes on a top secret mission inside Hostile territory. Trouble is, it disrupts Miles’ other secret mission- destroying evidence that he and Kate took Ben to the Hostiles.

Miles ends up in the middle of the jungle toting a dead body for Radzinsky while Juliet and Kate end up in hot water as Roger gets back and discovers that Ben is missing. Juliet comes up with the world’s worst cover story- “I don’t know”- and the proverbial **** is about to hit the fan.

Miles picks up a co-pilot in Hurley when they are both headed to the Orchid. Hurley is delivery food. Miles is delivering the corpse. Along the way, they come clean about their respective powers. Dr. Chang Candle isn’t thrilled to see Hurley along for the ride and we learn that Chang is actually the father Miles never knew (wait, father issue on Lost? You don’t say!). Kate can’t leave well enough alone and helps a self-inebriating Roger connect a few dots. Smooth move ex-lax.

Jack plays damage control as best he can and surprisingly doesn’t make matters worse for a change. Roger seems content to be drunk and surly. For now. Miles, Chang and Hurley take a joy-ride out to that secret project. Turns out it’s the Swan hatch. Cool and weird at the same time.

On the way home, Miles finds out that Hurley is trying to write The Empire Strikes Back but improve it so they don’t have to make Return of the Jedi and include the Ewoks. Hurley says he’s seen Empire like 200 times. If that were really true, then he would have known that Luke got his hand chopped off BEFORE Vader told him that he was his father. That and Ewoks don’t suck.

Jack tells Sawyer that he helped calm Roger down. Sawyer thanks him, shows him out the door and meets Phil at his doorstep. Phil has the tape Miles never got around to destroying and knows everything. Sawyer thanks him by punching his lights out and tying him up. Atta boy, sheriff!

Miles is content in hating his dad for leaving him and his mom when he is a baby but gets the warm fuzzies when he sees Chang reading to baby Miles in a very fatherly and involved way. Chang gets a call and he and Miles head up to the dock to pick up some new scientists, including Daniel Faraday!

Miles’ flashbacks showed how screwed up his life was but gives us nothing concrete about why he can talk to dead people. His past also includes an encounter with Bram, the muscle-bound dude from Ajira Flight 316. You know, the guy with all the guns. This ought to get interesting.

POINT RULINGS FOR EPISODE 5x13: “Some Like It Hoth”

1) Miles and Hurley get credit for a DHARMA logo on the fuel tanks. I haven't quite been able to determine just what it is yet, but on those oil barrels near the Motor Pool there is a distinctly different looking logo than anything else we've seen up to now. Others have earned points for this logo this season as well, so this is purely a continuity ruling.


2) All three of the dead bodies Miles encounters during the episode qualify for New Person points. Also, the body bag Horace gives him counts as new as it was part of an important errand Miles was asked to run.


3) Jack and Roger encounter the Swan logo. It's tricky to spot but it is on one of the aerosol bottles on Rogers cart. Thanks to a number of different screencap sites I managed to figure out what it was.


4) The man Miles lied to about his son (Mr. Gray) does not count for points. Nothing significant came out of Miles encountering this man. The scene was a setup for Miles to meet Naomi, who is worth points.


5) Miles and Hurley have both been to the Swan before so no New Place points are given. Miles visited the site of the Swan in its post-fail safe crater form earlier this season.

Season 5 Episode Scores

Episode 5x13 Scores

DETAILED SCORES FOR EPISODE 5x13- "Some Like It Hoth":

APPEARS IN THE EPISODE (+5): Daniel, Horace, Hurley, Jack, Juliet, Kate, Marvin Candle, Miles, Roger, Sawyer


ABSENT FROM EPISODE (-5): Aaron, Abaddon, Alex, Annie, Arzt, Bea, Ben, Bernard, Boone, Carmen, Cassidy, Charles Widmore, Charlie, Charlotte, Christian, Cindy, Claire, Clementine, David, Desmond, Diane, Eko, Emma, Ethan, Frank, Goodwin, Harper, Jacob, Jin, Ji-Yeon, Keamy, Kelvin, Libby, Locke, Margo, Michael, Michael's Mother, Mikhail, Mr. Paik, Ms. Hawking, Nadia, Penny, Rachel, Richard, Rose, Rousseau, Sarah, Sayid, Shannon, Smokey, Sun, Tom, Vincent, Walt, Zack


ENCOUNTERS A DHARMA LOGO (+5): Daniel (Swan, Star); Horace (Star, Arrow); Hurley (Chef, Star, Fuel Tank, Generic, Notebook, Swan); Jack (Generic, Swan, Star); Juliet (Generic, Star); Kate (Star, Generic); Marvin Candle (Star, Chef, Swan, Generic); Miles (Star, Arrow, Generic, Swan, Chef, Fuel Tank, Notebook); Roger (Generic, Swan); Sawyer (Star, Generic)


ENCOUNTERS A NEW PERSON, PLACE OR THING (+10): Miles (Dead body in apartment; body bag; dead Dharma worker; Naomi; dead body in restaurant; Bram and his cohorts)


EPISODE CENTRICITY (+25): Miles


FIRST LINE IN EPISODE (+10): Miles


FIRST PERSON ON SCREEN (+15): Miles


INFLICTS A MAJOR INJURY (-10): Sawyer (Knocks Phil out)


IS GIVEN A NICKNAME BY SAWYER (+5): Jack (“Doc”)


KISSES SOMEONE/GETS KISSED (+15): Marvin Candle (kisses baby Miles); Miles (kissed by Marivn Candle)


LAST LINE IN EPISODE (+10): Daniel


LAST PERSON ON SCREEN (+15): Daniel


MISCELLANEOUS FB/FF (+10): Miles


TRAVELS BY CAR (+5): Hurley (5 times); Kate (once); Marvin Candle (3 times); Miles (9 times); Sawyer (once)


USES OR ENCOUNTERS THE NUMBERS (+20): Jack (42 and 108 on periodic table); Miles (4 and 8 appear on vending machine keypad)


VISITS A DHARMA LOCATION (+5): Daniel (Barracks); Hurley (Orchid, Swan, Barracks); Kate (Barracks); Marvin Candle (Orchid, Swan); Miles (Swan, Barracks, Orchid, Swan, Barracks); Sawyer (Barracks)

We had 10 Fantasy Geniuses of the Week this week! Each of this week's expert pickers racked up 390 points from "Some Like It Hoth". Congrats to the following:

DANNY VEGAS' LOSTIES: Miles, Bernard, Hurley, Charles, Margo, Rousseau, Horace, Daniel

DEP Lostpedia: Miles, Rose, Hurley, Penny, David, Charlie, Horace, Daniel

The FLUBS: Miles, Bernard, Hurley, Charles, Carmen, Libby, Horace, Daniel

gypsymal56: Miles, Bernard, Hurley, Abaddon, David, Libby, Horace, Daniel

Morman's Profits: Miles, Jacob, Hurley, Frank, Ji-Yeon, Libby, Horace, Daniel

Shielders squad: Miles, Bernard, Hurley, Charles, Ji-Yeon, Libby, Horace, Daniel

stonelove's mighty crown: Miles, Bernard, Hurley, Charles, Rachel, Alex, Horace, Daniel

Team Hurley is almost as cool as Charlie was.: Miles, Jacob, Hurley, Abaddon, Ji-Yeon, Libby, Mr. Eko, Marvin Candle

TEAM PITT: Miles, Rose, Hurley, Abaddon, Ji-Yeon, Libby, Horace, Daniel

the phoenix: Miles, Rose, Hurley, Frank, Rachel, Charlie, Horace, Daniel

Characters

Groups

Table Toppers

Celebs

Episode Details

Full Table by Name: http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pQRGiOaQ-620XjXVC2exFcg
Full Table by MiniLeague: http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pQRGiOaQ-6226V6iTMHK-Ug

Downloadable By Name
Downloadable By Mini-League

WARNING: This section contains the title of the next episode and some conjecture on what it might mean. If you consider this sort of information to be spoilerish, then do not continue. If not...

The next episode of Lost (which we have to wait an extra week for!) is called "The Variable". It instantly makes me think of two things: math and "The Constant".

I was a math nerd through high school and college. I came THIS close to becoming a math major. Then I realized that, despite being good at it, I didn't want to do math for the rest of my life. "The Variable" is jogging all sorts of fun equations from the depths of my memory. With the reemergence of Daniel Faraday, I think we're in store for one of those catch-up episodes, where we learn what so-and-so has been doing all this time. Given Daniel's love of math and physics, this episode got include some pretty weighty stuff.

With a name like "The Variable", the Desmond-tastic episode "The Constant" comes to mind. Constants and variables are complete opposites. This makes me go "hmmm" even more. Could Daniel and Desmond be on opposite sides of the same equation? Do they cancel each other out? We'll just have to wait and see.

Come back next week to find out if "The Variable" lives up to its name and shakes up our standings!

Once again, here is the official LFL rule book. Happy reading!

Lost: A Journey in Time - Press Release Posted by DarkUFO at 4/27/2009 06:13:00 PM View Comments Labels: Press Release

THE OCEANIC 6’S RETURN TO THE ISLAND, THE VIOLENT SHIFTS THROUGH TIME FOR THE REMAINING ISLAND SURVIVORS, LIVING IN ‘70S DHARMA TIMES,
AND THE RESURRECTION OF LOCKE WILL BE EXPLORED, ON “LOST: A JOURNEY IN TIME,” MAY 13 ON ABC

ABC once again invites new and avid “Lost” viewers to take another look at one of the most talked about and critically acclaimed shows. “Lost: A Journey in Time” will explore the series in a way that will bring new viewers up to date -- but which current viewers will also find illuminating – in discovering how the Oceanic 6 were able to get back to the island, what happened to the survivors left behind during the three years after Ben moved the island, and the fate of Locke. “Lost: A Journey in Time” airs WEDNESDAY, MAY 13 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sayid, Sun and Claire’s son, Aaron – otherwise known as the Oceanic 6 – were rescued and tried and pick up the pieces of the lives they knew before the crash and perpetuate the lie concocted to hide the truth of what really happened. But Jack and Ben had to convince them to return to the island in order to save those left behind. Upon returning, Jack, Kate, Hurley and Sayid were reunited with their fellow survivors – but found themselves in 1977 Dharma times. But Sun and Ben were not transported back to the ‘70s. They landed back on the island in present time and discovered the fate of the other members. As for those left behind on the island after the Oceanic 6 departed, violent shifts through time were wreaking havoc on their lives. After Locke left the island under the guise of Jeremy Bentham to contact the 6, his actions helped end the time rifts, which left the survivors to fend for themselves in ‘70s Dharmaville. But Locke was murdered at the hands of Ben, who insisted on taking the body back to the island. Upon awakening after crash landing back on the isle, Ben discovered that Locke was very much alive. What are Locke’s intentions now that he has returned and re-claimed his position as leader of “The Others?” And will Jack's decision to put a plan in action in order to set things right on the island be met with open arms or resistance by those close to him?

“Lost” stars Naveen Andrews as Sayid, Henry Ian Cusick as Desmond, Jeremy Davies as Daniel Faraday, Michael Emerson as Ben, Matthew Fox as Jack, Jorge Garcia as Hurley, Josh Holloway as Sawyer, Daniel Dae Kim as Jin, Yunjin Kim as Sun, Ken Leung as Miles, Evangeline Lilly as Kate, Elizabeth Mitchell as Juliet and Terry O’Quinn as Locke.

”Lost” is broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC’s selected HDTV format, with 5.1-channel surround sound and Spanish audio via SAP. A TV parental guideline will be assigned closer to airdate.

This “Lost” special will be available on ABC.com the day after airing on the network for users to watch online.

Source: ABC

Sky One Poll - Kate vs Juliet Posted by DarkUFO at 4/27/2009 03:17:00 PM View Comments Labels: Juliet, Kate, Polls, Sky One, UK

Thanks to Louise for the heads up on this poll that Sky One are running.

Vote here and let us know who you voted for.

Nobody's Perfect by Luhks Posted by DarkUFO at 4/27/2009 11:53:00 AM View Comments Labels: Luhks, Recaps, Some Like It Hoth

With only three episodes remaining, the grand canvas of Lost’s fifth chapter is coming into view. Even after several months, the season premiere still seems like a fresh part of the collective consciousness. As with its season-opening predecessors, the first scene of Season Five established the overarching tone for the story that followed. Man of Science, Man of Faith began with button-pusher Desmond peering up from the Swan station at Locke and Jack above him. A Tale of Two Cities introduced trouble in paradise for Ben and Juliet in the Others’ village. The Beginning of the End highlighted the tenuous return to civilization for the Oceanic Six. Because You Left shifted the spotlight away from the core group of characters into the Chang family home. Nearly every element of that scene hinted at the story elements to be explored over the next few months: the inner workings of the Dharma Initiative, the ongoing war with the Hostiles, time travel, the famous Hitler hypothetical, dead characters reborn, uncovering ancient ruins, false identities, domestic tranquility disrupted by crises, mothers, fathers, and children.

Episode 5.13 Some Like it Hoth revisits that same family unit of Miles, Lara, and Pierre (and even finishes with the return of Daniel Faraday, the other principal character from the opening scene). Over the first half of this season, the Wheel at the Orchid station caused Lost’s temporal structure to fall out of joint like Chang’s beloved Willie Nelson record. After a period of uncertainty, the past four episodes have returned to the traditional single character-centric format, along with its steady rhythm of flashbacks. Compared to Sayid’s He’s Our You, Kate’s Whatever Happened, Happened, and Ben’s Dead is Dead, the melody of Miles' Some Like it Hoth sounds the most similar to classical Lost tunes. Like many seminal episodes from the first three seasons, this first-ever Miles episode provides a fresh look at the inner life of a character with a tough outer shell. Early in the episode, Miles speaks some words central to almost every character on the show: “I need you to tell me why I'm this way... how... how I do the things I do. And I need to know […] about my father.” (Later, Bram tries to recruit him to his team, by offering that same reward.) Miles does not obtain any easy answers to his questions, but his journey on and off the Island does give the viewer an understanding of how Miles evolved from the infant from Because You Left into the misanthropic hustler of Confirmed Dead.


After a streak of considerably self-referential episode titles, the name Some Like it Hoth derives its meaning from two films outside the Lost universe: the classic 1959 comedy Some Like it Hot, from Billy Wilder; and The Empire Strikes Back, the 1980 sequel to Star Wars. Lost is no stranger to Star Wars references, but it has acknowledged liberally the influence of the famous movie saga along the way. For people like Hurley and for the writers of Lost, Star Wars represents more than just a movie series, but a common point of cultural reference as useful as The Bible or The Odyssey. Three decades after George Lucas set out to bring his vision to the big screen, J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof approached an ambitious television project with many of the same objectives. The two works exist at the intersection of past and future. Both Star Wars and Lost seek to create an enduring cultural myth, within a science-fiction universe. The heroes still fit many of the same basic archetypes (the prodigy chasing his father's shadow, the martyred mentor, the reformed every-man-for-himself scoundrel, the bumbling sidekicks), and the basic religious and psychological roots remain the same. Whereas Lucas' films pushed the limits of technology in the film industry, Lost has experimented with narrative techniques. Working as a serial ensemble drama, Lost has been able to dig much deeper into the minds of its characters and the substance of its literary sources.


The Star Wars trilogy has served as such a predominant influence on Lost, and the references in many episodes are so overt, that it is difficult to know exactly how far to extend the analogy. Hurley’s discussion of the famous ending to The Empire Strikes Back deserves special attention. Although Empire is the second film in the saga, it is officially known as Episode V. This reference might hold greater significance when the final segments of Season Five are complete. Perhaps the Empire (Widmore? Dharma?) will re-establish itself on the Island stronger than ever. Perhaps another character (Daniel?) is being set up for an “I am your father”-type revelation. Perhaps some other novel twist is in store to turn our perception of the Lost universe upside down. Despite Hurley’s attempts to change the past and to re-write the script, the climactic sixth chapter in this saga is also inevitable. WIth Hurley's editorial comments about Return of the Jedi, the writers of Lost make one difference abundantly clear: they feel confident that they can produce a more satisfying ending than Lucas did. A year from now, we can judge how well they lived up to that boast. For now, the new group of players led by Ilana and Bram operates more like Boba Fett and Jabba the Hutt, and less like the Ewoks. Hugo is not the only one trying to make some 'minor improvements' to his beloved saga.


Hurley also makes a direct analogy between the central father-son conflict of The Empire Strikes Back and the relationship of Miles and Pierre Chang. This comparison does not make much intuitive sense, but Hurley's heart is in the right place as he tries to encourage his friend to re-connect with family. In fact, the core elements of the relationship seem to be backwards. Luke led his life idolizing his dead father, with the false belief that Anakin died as a genuine hero. Lara Chang convinced her son to despise his father, by claiming that he abandoned his family for selfish reasons. Dr. Chang's heartwarming interactions with his infant son suggests the opposite. The ultimate revelation of this story is not the identity of Miles' dad, but the reversal of perspective on his true nature. Most likely, Pierre sent his wife and son away from the Island, because (much like Jin earlier in this season) he wanted to save his loved ones from certain death. The enigmatic Dr. Pierre Chang has concealed his true nature behind many different masks: Dr. Marvin Candle of the Swan, Dr. Mark Wickmund of the Pearl, and Dr. Edgar Halliwax of the Orchid. The most important role of his life is still to come: to do whatever is necessary to convince his wife to leave the Island forever, even if it means that she will hate him. Based on the Swan orientation video, the older Chang in the family (as opposed to the younger Skywalker) will lose a limb along the way.


This episode offers fewer connections to its other main cinematic allusion, Some Like it Hot. The film is widely regarded as one of the top comedies of all time. Hot's Lost counterpart mixes in plenty of similar story elements: music, booze, buddies on the road, and people living under false identities. The title phrase ‘some like it hot’ comes from a discussion of musical tastes midway through the film. Jazz musician Joe (played by Tony Curtis) disguises himself as a millionaire named Junior, in an effort to impress lounge singer Sugar (played by Marilyn Monroe). When she expresses her enthusiasm for hot jazz music, Junior takes the opportunity to look down his nose: “That fast music, jazz? […] Well, I guess some like it hot. I personally prefer classical music.” Lost’s Some Like it Hoth includes its own variation on this highbrow/lowbrow distinction. Here, Lara Chang’s appreciation for jazz (specifically Miles Davis) makes her appear more refined in comparison to her husband, a country music fan. This script has no aspirations of snobbery, but it is particularly concerned with embracing its populist roots: not only with Hurley’s opinions on Star Wars, but also some beer guzzling, jokes about foul odors, polar bear poop, diaper-changing, the circle of trust, necrophilia, fish tacos, use of the word douche, and a cumbersome pun on the little Dutch boy with his finger in the Doc. The emphatically unpretentious dialogue from Gregg Nations and Melinda Hsu more closely matches the tone of Kevin Smith than the films of Wilder or Lucas. Some Like it Hoth positions Lost about as far away from high-culture affectations as possible.

(On a personal note, writer/director Billy Wilder is my favorite filmmaker, and I could not resist giving his movies my highest recommendation. However, Some Like it Hot is actually my least favorite among his works. If you want to experience two Wilder masterpieces, then I suggest The Apartment and Sunset Boulevard. Those two films stand right alongside the first two Star Wars films among my personal favorites.)


Our familiar Lost characters might not be using humorous disguises and voices like the protagonists of Some Like it Hot, but nevertheless their cover with the Dharma Initiative is about to be blown. Despite an extensive résumé of cons and deceptions, and after fooling the entire world with the Oceanic Six Lie, the Lost team cannot match wits with an incompetent security guard and a drunk janitor. Dharma's other unfriendly father figure, Roger Linus, plays a prominent role in the episode. Mr. Linus might not be the world’s greatest dad, but even he tends to notice something amiss when his dying son disappears from the infirmary. Both Kate and Jack have some experience in dealing with a parent who has a drinking problem. Roger allows them to use those old dysfunctional habits once more. Kate decides to take pity on the poor guy and drink a Dharma brew alongside him. Jack first tries to cover for his inebriated co-worker, and then becomes confrontational when things begin to unravel. Interestingly, Miles is not the only person who has passed up a second chance to contact his dead father. The mainland is only a submarine ride away. James could be getting even with dad, or Kate could be making amends with Wayne, or Jack could be working with Christian rather than cleaning up after his fellow workman. For many people (including Back to the Future's Marty McFly), checking in on your parents would be the first thing to do if you were transported thirty years in the past. In Hurley's words: "It all could've been avoided if they'd just, you know, communicated." These Lost souls have decided to take their chances with Dharma and the Hostiles rather than confront their own personal Darth Vaders.


Moreover, this side plot exposes one of the central ideas of the overall 1977 Dharma storyline. Apparently, whenever someone sets out to try to do some good, they end up causing harm instead. When Kate makes an effort to ease Roger’s pain, his mind jumps from despair to angry suspicion. When Jack tries to defuse his fears, he amplifies Roger’s paranoia even further. Similarly, James escalates the growing crisis when he punches out Phil. Thus far, the group’s primary accomplishments have been to bring Ethan into the world and to corrupt the innocence of young Benjamin Linus. Their hearts may be in the right place, and even their heads as well, but the end results are pretty far off the mark. Hugo still clings to the naïve hope that the past can be rewritten, for something as minor as the Star Wars trilogy or as significant as global warming. If Faraday has returned to try to prevent future tragedies, expect the results to be nothing short of catastrophic. (The episode includes two other smaller images of failed efforts to alter history: Miles’ aborted attempt to delete the surveillance footage, and Jack’s interrupted effort to erase a lesson on ancient Egypt.) When Luke Skywalker tried to lift his X-Wing from the swamps of Dagobah, it sunk all the way to the bottom. Yoda's famous advice echoes Lost's fatalistic approach: "Try not. Do or do not. There is no try." On this Island, effort and good intentions lead to failure.


The Star Wars universe used the term 'the Force' (an energy field that connects all living things) to explain its fantasy aspects. The Island of Lost of course emanates its own powerful forces as well. Electromagnetism serves as a key element of Lost's science-fiction mythology, and a metaphor for the Island's overall power. In this episode, Alvarez, Dharma’s unfortunate ditch-digger, suffered the consequences of whatever unrestrained forces rest under the Swan construction site. Hurley offers a reminder that the Swan station pulled the Oceanic airliner out of the sky decades after it ripped out Alvarez’s filling. On a more symbolic level, the Island’s powers to attract and to repel include more than just metal objects. Oceanic 815, the Kahana freighter, and Ajira 316 all seem to be drawn in by the Island’s attractive forces. The Island follows its own rules of magnetism of human beings: it pushes away the majority of the world is pushed away, and it draws only a few special individuals toward it. The more such people gathered in the same place, the greater their aggregate charge becomes. Season Five has slowly revealed that Charlotte, Daniel, and now Miles were all children of the Island to different degrees. Looking back on Confirmed Dead, the energy surrounding the helicopter must have been off the charts.


This story goes to great lengths to explain the precise nature of Miles’ supernatural gift. His initial off-island flashback scene from Season Four implied that Miles could speak with the souls of the dead. This episode scales back his communication skills, into one-way eavesdropping on the deceased. The central contradiction of his character remains intact. As I wrote after episode 4.02: “Many other characters would rejoice at the chance to speak with the departed, but, in a true Lost reversal, the only dead people Miles cares about are the dead presidents printed on bills.” To put things delicately, Mr. Straume is not exactly a people person. The revised take on his powers offers some insight into how Miles’ colorful personality took shape. At the age of eight, he was already exposed to things far beyond his years. Unlike Hurley’s experience, in which friendly ghosts keep him company, Miles’ link to the spirit world amplified his loneliness. Spirits could not listen to anything he said to them, and his mother did not lend a sympathetic ear, either. His solution was to shut out the rest of the world as best he could. Hearing the unfiltered thoughts of the dead must have altered his perspective of humanity in other ways as well. In Confirmed Dead, Miles argued that there was no point in taking care of Naomi’s body: “What’s the point? […] It’s just meat.” This episode carries its somewhat nihilistic meat comparison even further, with Alvarez’s corpse delivered alongside a case of sandwiches, and Felix’s body examined inside the kitchen of a restaurant. Miles’ sixth sense causes him to view the body itself in material terms. He does not hear the voice of the soul, but only those thoughts physically stored in the brain at the time of death. A corpse is just a package, which might contain some valuable information. (Interestingly, Chang's examination of Alvarez's body is equally swift and precise. Pierre shares several elements of his son's personality as well, and perhaps the family curse.)


The flashback storyline highlights Miles' search for the truth about his own past. Miles could have waited until after his mother's death, and then learned all of the information from her that he needed. Instead, he made a point to ask those questions while he was still alive. Like the grieving father Mr. Gray, Miles might not have been searching for the truth, but for peace of mind. Later, when Bram's mysterious group gives him a second chance to learn the truth, Miles turns down the offer once more. In 1977, the Island offers him daily opportunities to interact with his dead father. Which belief would cause Miles more pain: thinking that his father never mattered in the first place, or feeling that he lost such a special person? The final sequence of the episode includes what is, in my opinion, the most poignant moment of the time travel story, and one of the best scenes of Season Five. The image speaks volumes on its own. The sight not only transforms his view of Pierre, but Miles will never be able to look at himself in the same way. Miles tried to believe that he never missed out on anything worthwhile. Now that Miles understands exactly what he lost, soon he will lose it all over again. All of us have a few holes in our hearts, but that empty space exists to remind us of the substance that once stood in its place.

LNG Update and Results 5x13 Posted by CJ Allan at 4/26/2009 05:55:00 PM View Comments Labels: LNG, lost numbers game, Season 5

The Big LNG Update
Sorry for the very late results (i know i'm terrible for keeping up to date). Below is the results from the last 2 episodes of LOST. We now only have 4 episodes left!!! Meaning every point counts. You can find the usual points break down below and the up to date league table.

LNG Return for Season 6
I am seriously considering running the LNG game again next season, under the idea that it will be less work now that i have everything in place from this season. How would you all feel about another LNG? Do you have any suggestions, what would you like to see change (points scheme, what points are awarded for?) Let me know at the STV Forums - LINK HERE.


Weekly Game - Finale Return
The weekly game will return for the finale in a few weeks, but the entry form will be released two weeks BEFORE the finale so that spoilers will not help out the spoiler peeps (not that i think they will). I can't promise anything but i will also try and sort some sort of prize with it again.

Below you can find the answers and results for episode 12 and 13.

LNG - 5x12 Answers

Episode Type: Flashback
Character Centric: Ben

4 Mins: Locke
8 Mins: Ben
15 Mins: Locke
16 Mins: Widnmore
23 Mins: Ben
42 Mins: Ben

LNG - 5x13 Answers

Episode Type: Flashback
Character Centric: Miles

4 Mins: Miles
8 Mins: Miles
15 Mins: Miles
16 Mins: Miles
23 Mins: Miles
42 Mins: Daniel

LNG Season - 5x11

Season Game - 5x12 Stats - Click Here

Season Game - 5x13 Stats - Click Here

Season Game - 5x13 Table - Click Here

You can now keep up to date in a number of ways in the LNG. You can sign up to the seperate RSS feed or you can join my Twitter account to follow updates and news regarding the LNG.

Follow my Twitter Account here --> http://twitter.com/cjsonic

Follow the RSS Feed Here -- > RSS FEED

If you need to contact me for any reason please feel free to respond via Twitter or my email: cjsonic.lng@googlemail.com

ODI LOSTcast 41 Part 1 - Episode 5x13 Recap Posted by The ODI at 4/25/2009 10:54:00 PM View Comments Labels: Hurley, Miles, Pierre Chang, Podcasts, Recaps, Season 5, Some Like It Hoth, Vozzek69

Hey All,
Once again thanks to all of you for being so patient for the podcast this week, but with the break we were able to work all of our schedules out to have DarkUFO join us once again this week!!

As always my podcast partner Karen and LOST recapper Vozzzek69 were both apart of the recap with their thoughts and theories. All four of us are big Star Wars geeks so we had a great time chatting about this episode in particular.

We cover all of the key scenes, with Hurley and Miles interaction, learning about Miles' ability, Pierre Chang being Miles dad, and much more!!

The podcast is available on iTunes, but if you can not access it there, below is a link to an audio player with a download link.

Hope you all enjoy!!

NOTE: This is indeed Part 1, but Part 2 is the Preview for Episode 5x14 and spoilers that will be posted in a few days once we have some more spoilers squared away.

http://the-odi.blogspot.com/2009/04/odi-lostcast-41-part-1-episode-5x13.html

Season 6 Lost Fantasy League Suggestion Box! Posted by G-Man at 4/25/2009 10:02:00 PM View Comments

Hey there Lost fans! G-Man here. If you’re wondering when I’ll post the scores for “Some Like It Hoth,” the answer is Monday. :-) We’ve got bigger fish to fry right now though…

With only three episodes left in Season 5, it’s time to start thinking about the Season 6 Lost Fantasy League. Attendance for Season 5’s LFL was over double that of the Season 4 League, nearly reaching 5,000 contestants. DarkUFO and I want to let you all know that we appreciate each and every one of you who are participating.

Whether you are taking part in the Season 5 LFL or missed out and plan on participating in the next (and last) season, here is your chance to have your voice heard! Below are the character groups, point categories and the rule book for the Season 5 Lost Fantasy League.

DarkUFO and I want you all to look over these characters and point categories and then we want you to tell us your suggestions for next season. We want to know:

-Which characters we should add/remove from the League
-What point categories we should add/remove from the League
-How you think we can improve or clear up the rules

Keep in mind, we won’t necessarily add or remove all the characters and point categories that are suggested, but in the coming weeks, DarkUFO and I will discuss your suggestions as we lay the groundwork for the Season 6 Lost Fantasy League.

If you have any suggestions for us, feel free to either leave them in the comment section or email us at LFLquestions@gmail.com.

Namaste and good luck!

Another Clip Show to Air Before Two-Hour Finale Posted by The ODI at 4/25/2009 09:14:00 PM View Comments Labels: Recaps, Season 5

Hey All,
ABC is planning another 3-hour event for this season's finale on May 13th. As most of you know the Season 5 Finale will be two hours including Episode 5x16 and 5x17. However, I was on Lostpedia and noticed that another clip show is scheduled to air before the two episodes.

This clip show is titled: Lost: A Journey in Time

Of course for most of us these recaps are not too helpful, but I guess it could serve as a good refresher and warm up to the finale.

Posted By: The ODI

Site Update Announcement Posted by DarkUFO at 4/25/2009 12:23:00 PM View Comments Labels: Announcements, Web Site News

Just to let you all know that I'm going to be off for a couple of days down in London to support the wife who is running her first Marathon. She's running in this years London Marathon which starts tomorrow morning at 9:30am.

The ODI will be looking after you guys and girls so if you have any news/scoops etc please fill out the submission forms or email him direct. All Theories/Fan Fiction submissions will be posted when I return on Monday.

Also note that the Twitter updates will not be updated but the RSS feeds etc will be, so you'll have to check the site manually for any new info if you relied on the Twitter updates.

See you all Monday and be good :)

Lost Clip Show - Lost: A Journey In Time Posted by DarkUFO at 4/25/2009 10:45:00 AM View Comments Labels: ABC

Thanks to zedman2 for letting us know that the Lost clip show for May 13 at 8PM will be titled Lost: A Journey In Time.

Source: ABC

Find Lost with Carmel: break-special edition Posted by DarkUFO at 4/24/2009 06:55:00 PM View Comments Labels: Find Lost with Carmel, Video

While ABC aired an oceanic 6 clip show I thought I'd do my own "mixed tape" with theories on key storylines left to explore by the end of this season. Since season 5 mirrors season 2 that ended with the blowing up of the swan, I'm pretty sure the incident will end with the first time the swan button is being pushed. But I have an original theory about the real purpose of the swan, about the fork in the outlet scene and about possible new storylines for Sayid that remain closely tied to Ben.
Let me know what you think in the comments section!

"Some Like it Hoth" Recap and Analysis, by Erika Posted by DarkUFO at 4/24/2009 04:45:00 PM View Comments Labels: Recaps, Some Like It Hoth

Here is the Episode 5.13 - Some Like It Hoth recap from Erika Olson (aka "e") from LongLiveLocke.com.

Some people undoubtedly recalled the 1959 Marilyn Monroe film Some Like it Hot when they heard the title of Lost's 99th episode. Others probably had Power Station's 1985 song stuck in their head for the rest of the day. (FEEEeeeeeel the heeeatttt! Burnin' you up -- ready or not!) However, nerds like me could only think of four words: The Empire Strikes Back. Growing up in the '80s with a brother five years my junior, I had no choice but to "play Star Wars" throughout my childhood. I mean, who else was going to be Princess Leia?

So when I hear "Hoth," I don't actually associate the word with the planet Hoth, which is where the Rebel Alliance built its Echo Base in Episode V; instead, I immediately think "Hoth Wampa," because we had a pretty sweet action figure of that thing (see pic to the right -- yeah, you're jealous). The Wampa was a Yeti-like monster who almost did away with Luke Skywalker at the beginning of Empire. That's why I figured this installment of Lost was going to pick up right where "Dead is Dead" left off, and that we'd be learning more about the Island's very own monster, Smokey.

Um, OK... so I was wrong. I never would've expected such direct shout-outs to the Star Wars saga in this episode, and by Hurley, no less. And Miles-centric flashbacks on top of that? Yahoo!

Let's kick things off with the first of those flashbacks, shall we?

(Since I know we have some new readers, here are two quick notes for those of you who've just joined us: 1) rolling over any of the graphics in my post will reveal a caption, and 2) I list out the songs I pull lyrics from for my headings in the comments section.)


THOSE WHO ARE DEAD
ARE NOT DEAD
THEY’RE JUST LIVING IN MY HEAD

The hour began with Lara—who's now most likely Pierre Chang’s ex-wife—considering an apartment to rent. From a check she wrote later in the scene, the year was revealed to be 1985; therefore, the newborn boy we saw in the season premiere must now be about eight years old. And guess what? It's Miles, just like everyone assumed it was after seeing this 2008 Comic-Con video.

The poor kid just wanted to get some freakin' Animal Crackers out of the vending machine, but nooooo. A dude who had keeled over in apartment #4 had to call out to him. We see that Miles doesn't like his ability to "hear the dead" in the slightest, and that this appears to be the first time his mom has learned of it.

But in the next flashback, which was probably at least ten years later, it's clear that Miles ended up fulling embracing his freakiness. Either that, or he was already preparing for his role in X-Men: The Last Stand. Anyway, he came home to visit his dying mother, and urged her to give him some answers about his childhood -- and particularly his father. At this point, I couldn't help but wonder if the Island was responsible not only for Miles' "gift," but also whatever illness befell his mom. I have a feeling we'll never find out, though.

Lara proceeded to tell Miles that his dad turned his back on the family when Miles was just a baby, that he had since died, and that his body was in a place that Miles must "never go." We all know how that worked out.


SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT

Next, we see Adult Miles in what's most likely 2007. He faked communing with a client's dead son in order to score some extra cash. Well, we learned that he was faking it later, but you get my point. What I thought was strange about this scene was that Miles said he needed a body in order to do his thing. Yet at the beginning of last season, we saw him find a hidden wad of cash in a room where there was definitely no dead person present (though he did have his dustbuster extraordinaire to assist him...). So I'm not sure why the writers had Miles make that point about needing a corpse... unless it will come into play later on.

Regardless, right after Miles was done scamming the guilt-ridden dad, Naomi (!!!) approached him with the promise of more business, and he followed her like an obedient puppy dog to... the back of a restaurant (?), where a most unorthodox interview went down. Miles had to tell Naomi as much as he could about Felix, who just so happened to be dead and lying in a body bag on a table where some unfortunate schmuck's chicken Marsala was probably prepared minutes later.

It turns out that Felix met his demise while en route to deliver papers about empty graves and an old airplane to none other than Charles Widmore. I'm sure some people are still debating this point, but I'm definitely convinced now that it was indeed Widmore who faked the Oceanic 815 wreckage, just like good ol' Zeke (sniff, I miss him!) explained to Michael in "Meet Kevin Johnson." [Note: I wrote most of this post before "The Story of the Oceanic Six" recap special aired. That recap confirmed that Widmore was behind the 815 wreckage.]

Naomi informed Miles that he'd passed her test, and offered him $1.6 million to travel to the Island, where he could put his skills to even better use. What was particularly interesting to me about their exchange was how Naomi worded her description of the Island: "This island has a number of deceased individuals... residing on it, and as this man [Ben] is the one responsible for their being deceased, we believe they can supply invaluable information as to his whereabouts."

At first I was just like, "Yeah, there are tons of dead people buried on the Island... all Miles would have to find is the Skeleton Pit to learn all he needed to know about Ben." But then I got hung up by how Naomi said that the deceased were "residing on" the Island. That made me think more along the lines of Zombie Dad... like the dead that Naomi was referring to were actually still functioning in some manner. But I wouldn't consider Ben to be the one responsible for Christian Shephard's death, so maybe I'm just reading too much into things... again. Of course, the eerie thing about all of this is that -- once on the Island -- Miles ended up having to "read" Naomi's body to ensure that the 815ers were telling the truth about how she died.



AND YOU SAY,
"STAY"

In perhaps the most unexpectedly funny scene of the night, in Miles' next flashback he gets swept into a van by hooded (again with the hoodies!), partially masked men, yet all he cares about is losing his tasty fish taco. Bram -- the same guy who ends up on Alcatraz and appears to be in cahoots with Ilana -- is in charge of the team in the van, and attempts to talk Miles out of going to the Island. But since Bram offers up absolutely no money, Miles is having none of his spiel, and summarily gets tossed back out onto the street.

There were two main things I took away from this flashback. The first was pretty obvious: Miles has assumed that Bram works for Ben. Why else would Bram want to dissuade him from going to the Island to catch Mr. Linus, right? So Miles asked Bram for $3.2 million in order to stay put -- double what Naomi offered him to board the Kahana. And because Miles thought Ben controlled Bram's Van o' Thugs, that's why he repeated his request for $3.2 million in "Eggtown" (in exchange for falsely reporting back to Keamy's team that Ben had been killed).

Now, Miles' thought process was a perfectly valid one -- you can't fault him for jumping to the conclusion that he did. Other reasons why it makes sense to believe that Ben is managing the likes of both Bram and Ilana (as they were definitely working together on Alcatraz when they captured Frank) include:

- They didn't stop Ben, Locke, Sun or Lapidus from leaving with the outriggers
- Ben and Ilana shared a quick but cryptic exchange about the mystery crate
- Ilana and Bram waited until it was fair to assume that Ben was safely over on the main Island before pulling out their guns and attempting to open the crate on Alcatraz
- It's kind of late in the series to introduce yet another group of people who want to control the Island

But then again... some of us watching the show (including myself) weren't quite as convinced as Miles was that Bram was a part of Ben's off-Island posse.

Which leads to the second thing I took away from the van scene: there may be a third party at work -- controlled by neither Widmore nor Ben. Actually, this isn't exactly the first time the idea of yet another mystery contingent has come up. In fact, in my "Ji Yeon" post in early Season Four I wrote: "I have a sneaking suspicion that there is a third party involved in the battle for the Island, and that this organization is playing Ben and Widmore against each other while advancing its own agenda in the process." At that point in time I thought that perhaps "the Economist" was heading up this other group. That still may be the case, but there are a few other interesting theories floating around about this group that deserve consideration.

But before I go any further, I have to name this possible third party that's aligned with neither Widmore nor Ben. Let's call it the SOTS group, for "Shadow of the Statue," since that seems to be what they like asking each other about. Right now, the only people we know are in this group are Bram, Ilana, the two other Ajira passengers helping them with the crate on Alcatraz, and the whoever else was in Bram's van.

Who could they possibly represent?



TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER

Here are the main theories floating around:

1) The New Dharma Initiative
This is the theory I'm subscribing to at the moment. I mentioned in my last post that at Comic-Con last year, the Dharma "recruiting centers" were most likely a hint that that the organization would reestablish itself (on the show). And when I heard all of Bram's sappy talk about how Miles could never "fill the empty hole inside" of him with money, the first thing I thought was, "those Dharma hippies are at it again!" Seriously, who says that sort of thing? Plus, Bram and Ilana have that big ol' crate they're working on opening... and we all know how much the old Dharma liked to drop supplies by the crate-load back in the day. Finally, Bram promised Miles information about his father... and Chang was of course a part of the original Dharma.

2) Friends of Richard
If anyone has the right to be pissed off about how things have turned out on the Island, it's Ageless Richard. He's like, "I'm sick of everyone ripping on my eyeliner, being jealous of my sweet outfits and time traveling all over the place! I need to bring in some reinforcements and wipe these idiots out once and for all." We know that Richard has left the Island before (to visit Locke throughout his life, to recruit Juliet, etc.), so who's to say that he hasn't been building an army to call in when he just couldn't stand dealing with those pesky humans anymore? Plus, who else would know "what lies in the shadow of the statue" besides the ageless guy who was probably one of the only people around when the statue was actually tall enough to have a shadow? (An offshoot of this theory is that the SOTS group is made up of other "original inhabitants" of the Island, like Richard.)

3) Team Hawking
Ellie's gone rogue! Think about it -- she was on the Island in 1954 and seemed to be one of the Hostiles, along with Richard and Widmore. She was still there in 1977 and apparently in some position of authority, as some of the Hostiles were worried because Richard didn't clear taking Little Ben to The Temple with either her or Charles. Somewhere along the way she gave birth to Faraday and left the Island (not sure in what order)... and now she's in an old (but still functioning) Dharma station, from which she helped Ben and the O5 return to the Island?!? She may just be the most mysterious character on this show behind Jacob. Perhaps she's assembled a team to recapture control of the Island for herself and show the men who's really boss? I consider this the least likely possibility, though; Eloise may be a somewhat solitary figure and not necessarily aligned with Ben or Widmore, but that doesn't mean she wants to rule the Island. However, stranger things have happened, and it's not like I would be disappointed if Hawking shoved her Grrl Power in everyone's faces... For the Win!

4) Other Randoms
Maybe The Economist is behind the SOTS crew? Or Jacob somehow organized a team of humans back on the mainland? Perhaps Abaddon didn't really die and he's behind this group? Let's see... what other names could we toss around? Annie? Waaalllt? Kate's stepfather? Cassidy? Claire's old boyfriend Thomas? I know... VINCENT is controlling the SOTS team!


Regardless of who is backing the SOTS group, I'm pretty certain about two things: 1) they're part of "the war that's coming to the Island" which Widmore warned Locke about, and 2) one of them will probably end up getting shot while chasing down the time travelers in the outriggers. So let's hope they don't take Frank out to sea with them...

OK, enough with the flashbacks. Time to return to 1977.



IT'S ALWAYS BEEN A MATTER OF TRUST

Sawyer and Kate made it to the outer limits of Dharmaville after leaving Little Ben with Richard somewhere in the middle of the jungle. Miles, who's at the Security HQ, helped them cover their tracks by erasing the videotape of Camera #4 (or so he thought). Shortly thereafter, Horace decided to bring Miles into the "circle of trust" (shout-out to Meet the Parents) as LaFleur was nowhere to be found. He gave Miles a package and instructed him to drive out to Hostile territory to meet Radzinsky... and then return with another package. So our suspicions have been confirmed: Radzinsky was freaked out about presumed-Hostile Sayid seeing his plans for The Swan because Dharma was being very naughty by building it in a forbidden area.

In addition to learning that Dharma is involved in some dubious activities outside the bounds of its truce-approved land, Miles discovered (once seeing that "the package" is a corpse) that workers are falling victim to really bizarre deaths at the construction site. A filling through the brain? I don't think that's how anyone would ever expect to meet his maker.

On that note, the first thing I thought when I saw Dead Alvarez with what looked to be a bullet through his skull (even though it wasn't) was that his was one of the skeletons Locke encountered in the Skeleton Pit. Remember, there was one that clearly looked to have a bullet hole above its eye socket? Many of us thought this was suspect back in Season Three; here's what I wrote about it in my "The Man Behind the Curtain" post: "One final comment about The Purge... all we saw were Dharma members being gassed. But how come one of the skulls in the Skeleton Pit had a gunshot wound in the forehead area?"

However, the holes don't appear to be in the same place... see for yourself:




So I'm not cooking up any weird theories about Alvarez being in the Skeleton Pit just yet.

However, it was supremely strange that Horace told Miles to take Dead Alvarez to Chang at The Orchid. That's not the first place you'd think of to bring a body, huh? Add to that Chang's response when Miles asked where the corpse was taken: "What body?"

What in the heck are Chang's people doing with anyone who dies at the work sites? Running experiments on them? Cremating them? Aren't friends and family members of the deceased getting suspicious? Something shady is going on!

The last errand Miles ran was to take Chang from The Orchid over to The Swan. There, we saw the infamous numbers (which showed up in a ton of other places in this episode, by the way) being branded onto the hatch's lid.

This scene raised two major questions in my mind:

1) Earlier in the episode we had already figured out that The Swan was being built on Hostile territory. But now that we actually saw what a huge construction site it was, I just don't know how we're expected to believe that Richard and crew somehow weren't aware of Dharma's intrusion onto their land? It's not like Radzinsky and two other guys were taking turns quietly digging a hole in the ground with a spoon or something. This was a major production. So all I can figure is that the Hostiles did in fact know what was going on, but let Dharma get away with it for a reason that will become clear in a later episode.

2) Are we going to get to see the first run of the Countdown Timer o' Doom? I really hope so. The prevailing theory is still that Jughead's buried somewhere around the construction site for The Swan, and that if Dharma goofs up and runs into it, they're going to have to build the timer to help control the extreme magnetic energy emanating from the site or else the world will end... or at the very least, planes will start crash-landing on the Island. (No, I don't know how any of that would technically/scientifically work, either, but I'm rolling with it.)


REGRETS,
I'VE HAD A FEW

Despite Miles' protests, Hurley ended up joining him in the Dharma van and helped carry out Horace's orders. Hurley quickly discovered the dead body... and then learned (at the same time we did) that Miles knew that Pierre Chang is his father. I, for one, was seriously wondering if perhaps Miles would never become aware of this knowledge during his time spent with Dharma in the '70s. I'm glad the writers chose to fill him in... and particularly loved how he found out: "Third day we were here, I was in line at the cafeteria, and my mother got in line behind me. That was my first clue."

As soon as Hurley realized that Miles had no intention of spending time with his father, he became intent on convincing him what a mistake that would be. He shared how his dad ran off when he was only ten, and that he was happy he forgave him and ended up forging a tight bond with him in the three years after he returned from the Island. (As a side note, was this line ominous, or what: "...and although I may never see him again, I miss him." Hmm.)

Hurley warned Miles that he'd regret it for the rest of his life if he didn't attempt to make some connection with Daddy Chang before it was too late.


OH, FATHER
YOU NEVER WANTED TO LIVE THAT WAY
YOU NEVER WANTED TO HURT ME
WHY AM I RUNNING AWAY?

We have yet to see whether or not Miles will actually follow Hurley's advice... but I was so thankful that he at least got to see a few seconds of his father fawning over his three-month-old self. There's no shame in my game -- I definitely teared up at this scene. This was also the point in the episode where I realized that Miles has really grown on me. I couldn't stand his character during the first half of Season Four, so bravo to Ken Leung for pulling a Juliet/Elizabeth Mitchell on this unsuspecting viewer (I didn't like her until recently, either).

So here's the deal: never for one second did I think that Chang was a bad guy -- even before the touching scene with him reading a polar bear story to Baby Miles. From the same Comic-Con video I mentioned earlier in this post, I think it's clear that Chang is going to find out about The Purge -- most likely from Daniel -- and is going to do whatever he can to make sure his son and wife are nowhere near the Island when that craziness goes down. In fact, he's probably going to try and get them back to the mainland as soon as possible, even if that means acting like a complete jerk so that his wife voluntarily leaves him. Which of course makes the whole thing infinitely more tragic.

But last year's Comic-Con video isn't the only one that may be coming into play this season. Remember the Orchid video that debuted at the same event a year prior? The one with two number 15 bunnies? The one where Chang was freaking out about what would happen if two versions of the same living being touched each other? Yeah, that one. Well, Miles has now seen a younger version of himself (destroying my theory from earlier this season that this would never happen)... but will he go so far as to come into physical contact with Baby Miles? Will he, like Hurley suggested, change his own poopy diaper or feed himself a bottle? Though millions of us would probably die laughing if that transpired, I don't think we'll see it. (But, to be fair, I should probably mention that there is a theory floating around that perhaps the two versions of Miles will touch, and that will be "the incident" that wreaks havoc on the Island, causing the need for the Countdown Timer o' Doom.)

SETTLE DOWN
DON'T SETTLE DOWN
WITHOUT ME
NO, NO

Elsewhere in Dharmaville, Ben's dad was getting wasted because his kid had disappeared and everyone else was like, "Hmm... no idea what happened. Sorry, bud." Well, except for Kate, who Roger was no longer googly-eyed over once she started acting all fishy (or fishbiscuity?) and saying things such as, "I just have a feeling he's gonna be OK."

Then Roger vented to Jack, who totally had the opportunity to squash Roger's suspicions...

JACK: I think, Roger, that, uh, that you've had a hell of a day, and that... it's given you a very good excuse to go out and get drunk. Maybe that's put some--some crazy ideas into your head.

STOP, JACK! STOP RIGHT THERE!!!

Awww, crap...

JACK CONTINUES (now all up in Roger's face): I know that woman--Kate. She's my friend, and she would never do anything to hurt your son.

Yeah, that didn't help the situation. Roger stormed off, probably even more convinced of a conspiracy than he was before.

And he wasn't the only Dharmite who smelled a rat. Phil discovered that Sawyer had something to do with Little Ben's disappearance, and marched up to his home to confront him. I don't know about you guys, but as soon as Sawyer asked if Phil had told anyone else about the videotape evidence, I knew Phil was getting a beat-down. And sure enough, it came. Nighty-night, Phil.



The 815ers have gotten themselves into quite a mess, huh?


CHEWBACCA!
CHEWIE!
OOHHHHH, WHAT A WOOKIE!

(If you don't care about Star Wars, you can skip down to the paragraph that begins, "OK, so back to Lost.")

I could've easily written an entire post about the parallels between the Star Wars saga and Lost... but in the interest of time I'm going to hold back. However, I must at least mention a few things on the subject. First off, my brother emailed me shortly after "Some Like it Hoth" ended and said, "Hurley got the timeline wrong. Luke didn’t get his hand cut off because of the “father” reveal. Luke got his hand cut off and then Vader revealed the truth to Luke as Luke was hanging on the pole thingy. Then Luke chose to fall and slid down the tube and was rescued by Leia and Lando in the Falcon."

So there, Hurley! Dude, how could you have messed that up?

Also, for the record... unlike Hurley, I liked the Ewoks. One of my most vivid memories is of my family standing in line for Return of the Jedi, and my brother and I each had our Ewok stuffed animals with us. He had Wicket, while I had the much lamer Princess Kneesaa. But dammit if I didn't love that thing when I was nine years old. And who can deny the awesomeness of the Ewok village playset?

Finally, I just have to mention one other Star Wars-related thought that has to do with the planet Hoth. Did anyone else have the Tauntaun action figures? The ones where the belly opened and you could stick Luke in there to defrost? Those were the best. And guess what? The uber-nerds over at ThinkGeek.com ran an April Fool's joke this year and claimed to have a Tauntaun sleeping blanket, so that dorks' kids could "slumber in the belly of the beast." Well, they had such an overwhelming response that they're now actually trying to work with Lucasfilm to bring the product to a toystore near you. I would totally buy one... and would sleep in it myself.

OK, so back to Lost. The two Star Wars connections that might carry some weight are:

1) Luke's "daddy issues"
There are too many Lost characters to list that can relate to Luke Skywalker's convoluted relationship with his father -- Miles is the latest in a long line. But is it a good idea for Miles to attempt to get closer to his father if he knows his fate (death by Purge) is sealed? Wouldn't that just make it all the harder to bear? There won't even be any Ewoks around to cheer him up...

2) Hurley "rewriting" The Empire Strikes Back
First off, I must bring to your attention this hilarious screencap my friend and fellow Lost blogger Karen was quick enough to capture right after "Hoth" aired. Seems that -- at least for a brief moment in space-time -- Hurley's script DID reach George Lucas. Click here to see for yourself.

But in all seriousness, was Hurley's attempt to change the future a hint to all of us that there's still the possibility that whatever happened might not continue to happen?

Especially since the one and only Daniel Faraday is...


BACK IN BLACK

I must admit that I did not expect Faraday to climb out of the sub. I totally thought that we were finally going to get to see Gerald or Karen DeGroot -- the founders of the Dharma Initiative -- in the flesh. But no, it was Daniel, and he seemed very confident and at peace with himself, didn't he? Maybe after spending some time in Ann Arbor he has reason to believe that there is a way he can save his beloved Charlotte?

Also, just to clear up some confusion I know is out there about the timeline... when we saw Daniel in a tan Dharma jumpsuit at the beginning of this season, that had to be at some point after he returned to the Island via the submarine in 1977. Because remember, Chang had left Baby Miles behind with Lara as he went to film one of the orientation videos and was then interrupted and called to The Orchid (where we saw Daniel). The presence of Baby Miles in that scene means that it couldn't have taken place before 1977.

So all I can figure is that Daniel left the Island shortly after the time traveling group came to rest in 1974. He spent three years with the head scientists of Dharma in Ann Arbor, and is now ready to put his skillz to work on the Island. And come on, if deep in his gut he truly believed that there was no way to change the future, why would he go through all of this trouble?

I'm thinking we're about to learn that Daniel might have been telling some white lies all along...


BEST LINES OF THE EPISODE

There were so many awesome exchanges between Miles and Hurley that my original draft of this section was about as long as the rest of this post. I think we all agree that this episode had several brilliant lines, so I've decided not to paste in half of the script below. Instead, here are "The Best of the Best Lines," if you will.


ROGER: I'm going to security.
[The door slams as Richard leaves.]
JULIET [to Kate]: Well... here we go.




HURLEY: That's how it works for me.
MILES: Great. I'm happy for you.
HURLEY: You're just jealous my powers are better than yours.





HURLEY: Dude, that guy's a total douche.
MILES: That douche is my dad.




MAN IN VAN: Miles, my name's Bram.
MILES: You owe me a fish taco.



MILES: My dad didn't leave when I was 10. I--I was a baby. I never knew him. And I don't want to. It's not happening.
HURLEY: That was Luke's attitude, too.
MILES: What?
HURLEY: In Empire, Luke found out Vader was his father, but instead of putting away his lightsaber and talking about it, he overreacted and got his hand cut off. I mean, they worked it out eventually, but at what cost? Another Death Star was destroyed, Boba Fett got eaten by the Sarlacc, and we got the Ewoks. It all could've been avoided if they'd just, you know, communicated. And let's face it. The Ewoks sucked, dude.



... BEFORE YOU GO-GO

- A huge "thank you!" to Ryan at Zap2it, and to everyone else who joined our live chat on the 22nd. It was an absolute blast and reminded me why I love Lost so much. The transcript will remain here... just scroll down to the chat window and press "Replay" to read it.

- There are no new updates to pass along about "the Seanie B situation." I'm fine with everything for now as the videos that incorporated my (and others') copyrighted content are offline. Thanks again for all of your support.

- The next episode is the series' 100th! Did you see the pictures of the huge cake that the Food Network show Ace of Cakes created for the occasion? Pretty cool, eh?

Here's hoping that the 100th episode is one to remember...

Until next week,
- e