Last week’s preview told us that three questions would be answered. What were they?

1. The meaning of Jack’s tattoo’s? Not likely. We got the literal translation but Jack says that is not what they say not what they mean *plus* we are missing the top half of the tattoo’s meaning. Yes, we know what the five is, but what about the rest?

2. Where did the kidnapped survivors go. I don’t think that this was answered either. So what, we saw Cindy and the kids and we assume they are living in the Others village but it wasn’t answered. We know they are there to *watch* (assuming Juliet’s trial) but nothing else. Carl says the kids are given a better life but there were no answers to this.

3. Is Ben the leader. Just because he gave The Sheriff a note not to kill Juliet (if that was indeed her sentence) doesn’t mean he is in charge. For all we know Ben and Juliet have some sort of patriarchal bond that puts Ben in charge of her care and he has say over her.

So what 3 things do we know for sure after this episode that we didn’t know last week?

1. Sawyer still has the best dialog on the show, hands down. Captain Bunny Killer? Rolling with laughter!
2. Jack can’t build a kite.
3. Jack likes grilled cheese sandwhiches.
4. We know that Jack was in Phuket to *find himself* (still need to know why Sawyer was there unless he was also finding himself since he *is* an American in this strange land)
5. Carl doesn’t know who the Brady Bunch is. I don’t know that this labels him as an island *lifer* as my daughter barely knows who they are.
6. Ethan was a surgeon (now THERE is some information)
7. Jack isn’t as crafty as Sawyer (he didn’t figure out the food in the cage)
* OK, that’s more than 3 but you get my drift *

On with the show!!!!

1. It’s interesting that Mr. Friendly seems so surprised that Jack thinks they are going to kill him. It’s even better that Jack responds to his question about the kind of people they are… “the kind of people that would take a pregnant woman, hang Charlie from a tree, would drag our people out of the jungle, would kidnap children…” Zing! So what has Jack done that is so horrific that Mr Friendly suggests that he shouldn’t throw stones in a glass house. I’m thinking this is our sign we aren’t going to see the end of the Jack character just yet. We will see more of his *dirty* past. Plus we have to put up with more of this Jack-Juliet-Sawyer-Kate love story (blech!).
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2. Scott had a great suggestion. Give Mr. Friendly a flashback episode. ABC could hurry and film it and then replace it with the Ken & Barbie flashback that is coming up!
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3. I still can’t decide on Juliet’s motives. I want to believe that she is intrigued by Jack and thinks he can get her off of the island, but what if this was her plan in order to save Ben? What if she knows Jack’s past and that he is not a killer and would not kill Ben? She has put herself in harms way to get Jack to take care of Ben. He agreed to do the surgery because of her and he has agreed to take care of Ben because of Juliet. I think that her character is starting to really grow on me.

3. Psychological manipulation to put Jack in the cage where Sawyer and Kate were *ahem* intimate.

4. Was Sawyer right or wrong to head straight for shore? On one hand, he has been through the jungle (remember the tailies adventure?) and knows that the risk being taken. On the other hand, would they find the camp by circling the island or would they run a bigger risk being seen in the open water?

5. Wait! Kate asked Carl three questions with important answers:
* The island they were on is only where they work on *projects.* (like steal the kid off the raft project!)
* They live on the big island
* And, they give the kids a life better than theirs (the survivors)

Where these really three big answers to mysteries on the island though? *insert me making a rasberry here*

6. What is the big deal about Achura’s *gift?* She can *see* people. Oooh. And the big deal is……? What was the huge envelope of money for? I have trouble believing that her insight into people’s personalities is what is making her that kind of money. I’m more inclined it has something to do with those reeeeealy short dresses that she wears. No mystery there, huh?

7. That is some seriously waterproof makeup that doesn’t wash off after a swim in the ocean. She tastes salty? Ewww!
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8. More red flowers (look behind the boys). Hopefully they won’t bring on the hallucinations that they seem to bring for others here.
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9. Jack gets to ask three questions from Alex and what does he do? I was looking for something a little more meaningful and the most that he wants to know is where Juliet is? HUH? I was thrilled that Kate was getting some info from Carl, but hasn’t this been a problem from the start on this show, that no one seems to want to ask the right questions, or any probing questions for that matter? Remember when Danielle started poking around with the survivors and the monster was around and the only thing they know is that it’s a security system. *GG scratches her head here*. OK, you’ve got a people eating security system out in the woods and no one bothers to probe her for more info? You’ve got the daughter of who you think is the leader and you don’t bother asking her anything at all? Come on people!

10. I can definitely see Sawyer also visiting Phuket for a *vacation* and since Jack’s girlfriend distinctly resembles a prostitute local girl, I can see there being a connection there also with Sawyer. And Jack drinking from a paper bag? Classy!
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11. So now Juliet has been “marked” just like Jack was marked. Why put in on her back and not somewhere more prominent?
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12. Who is right about Carl? Sawyer in letting him go because he thinks he’s a target or Kate in that Ben doesn’t want Carl anywhere near his daughter? Doesn’t Sawyer know that Ben knows where the camp is anyway?

13. If the tattoo says “He walks amongst us but he is not one of us” shouldn’t they brand this very LARGE across Ken and Barbie’s faces? I’m just saying….

14. This shot makes this boat look almost like a yacht in the distance but closer up shots aren’t as terrific. But they still have a large boat. Where is the gas coming from? If they’ve lost contact with the outside how will they maintain food and fuel? If other boats can’t leave the island, could this one somehow?
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15. And what was up with the uplifting music at the end? Shouldn’t they be saving that kind of mood making music for when they are rescued?

16. Vincent is back next week! And he has a tasty treat, it appears. lol
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So we open this week with Desmond wandering through the jungle again like some Career Builder commercial (Run Dessy! They scheduled a meeting to train new characters how to try and blend into the scene). I’m giving this episode an A+, though, because overall I love the Desmond character and this flashback/flashforward idea is bar none the best on TV. Two down, 14 to go! *Fingers Crossed*

1. Surprise! Charlie is a thief! I was disappointed that Hurley was there even though he kept himself off to the side. Hurley tried to reason with Charlie but didn’t seem to be trying too hard to stop him did he? Maybe the promise of Dharlomars was just too enticing.
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2. “The island killed him.” Nothing really new here. I’ve read that Locke finds a whole new motivation on the island this season so I’m curious to see what he does with it.
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3. OK, so if Claire goes out for a swim every day, why was she fully dressed? And how exactly is she hanging on to Desmond if she’s dead? I’m just saying…
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4. “That guy sees the future, dude.” I guess I would have put on my swim trunks then, brother!
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5. Why does Hurley ask if they know any songs about drinking and fighting and girls with one leg? A very weird song request.
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6. Here is what flashes before Desmond’s eyes when he turns the key (note: it’s all on the island):

7. This is an interesting item to note that I found on another board. Notice the screenshot of Desmond’s eye. It’s identical from the first time we saw Desomond (when he wakes up to *Make Your Own Kind Of Music*) and then when he *wakes up* back home. Notice the reflection in his eye.

Here is when he wakes up in the hatch:
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Here is when he wakes up back home after falling:
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8. Desmond is a klutz.! Twice hit over the head in one episode! Who knows when he originally hit his head and found out he had precognitive abilities, but I believe that it became “clear” to him when he fell in his *flat* and woke up to Penny. I think that Desmond has probably seen flashes of events for much of his life but being taught, like we all are, to be pragmatic, he brushed the moments off as Deja Vue or just as premonitions and as his mind playing tricks.

So he wakes up with Penny and maybe while he was passed out he was seeing the future on the island (see the flashes above). I think all of the flashes that he sees from that point forward are moments in the future that have not happened yet. I think we were in the flashback but what was confusing is that we were seeing Desmonds premonitions. It became confusing because we have already seen the events happen, Desmond has not. To put it another way, we are watching his flashback just like any other character, only Desmond is special because he can see the future. We have seen that future so there is no time loop, just a convenient red-herring to throw us off in thinking that he is in some type of time loop.

I think that the jewlrey store lady does also see the future, but she also has been planted by Widmore to make sure Desmond breaks up with Penny. Remember Claire’s psychic? He was hell bent on getting her to stay off the plane, then suddenly changed his mind and wanted her to get *on* the plane? This lady shows Desmond that she has an ability (the guy getting crushed by the scaffolding) then tells him he must follow his destiny.

However, there is also the possibility that she is, as he questioned, his conscious. He is dreaming of her while he lays *unconscious* on the island. He knows that he could not change the past, as all of us have wished for at one time or another, and she is a manifestation and personification of the guilt he feels over his past choices with Penny.

9. Course Correcting. If it is true and the universe will make sure the a course of destiny is followed, then aren’t *ALL* of the survivors from the plane crash going to die? You are in a fiery crash and you live. Doesn’t that mean that the universe is going to course correct for them all, not just Charlie (or Claire)? Eko did tell Locke that they were next.

10. I found this at another board, but the mural in Mr. Widmore’s office is the same painting as was in Claire’s apartment that was painted by the baby’s father, Thomas:
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11. Here is a screenshot from another painting in Mr. Widmore’s office. The polar bear is going to attack a buddha?
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12. Here is a link to a website that has screencaps of all the advertisements along the soccer field (that was on tv in the bar).

13. I found it interesting that we see Daddy issues coming up again. Jin was a *loser* that was trying to impress Sun’s dad by working for him, much like Desmond. Although, Desmond decided he didn’t want to work for her dad, he still faces the scrunity in not being *good enough* for his daughter.

14. OK Lord Of The Ring Fans… this HAS to be similar to imagery in that story. Help me out here!
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15. There is an overabundance of red in this episode. Remember friends what the significance of red is?
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So… if Desmond would have put on these shoes could he be home right now? He’d just need to click them together three times (there is three again) and repeat “There’s no place like home.” And does this make the jewelry lady the Good Witch Glenda?

Yeah, I know…. the episode was good. But you can’t stand before me *arms folded* in defiance because I’m still holding back the Lost parade until we see more like this.

1. Hey Juliet, I don’t think you’re in Portland anymore (helllooooo, another blatant Wizard of Oz reference)! I actually was very worried about a Juliet backstory but this was so well done that I am starting to see the possibilities of her on the beach. However, how much more can there be to her story beyond what happened once she got to the island? I’m actually much more curious to see her get back to her sister.

2. What a sick, twisted woman. She gives fertility treatments to her dying sister? Twisted! Maybe she has some sense of how sick this is (they show her crying on the beach back home in the beginning). Maybe she knows that Rachel won’t carry full term (as she said about the mice) and is giving her some hope for a baby (mind over matter = survival?).

3. Why was Ethan around Rachel’s room? Why did it look so much like the barracks on the island (just to trick us into thinking they were on the island?)? Juliet acted later like she didn’t know Ethan but surely had seen him around Rachel’s apartments.
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4. Meaning behind the name *Rachel* (Surprise! Another biblical reference): Rachel and Leah were two sisters married to Jacob. Jacob loved Rachel but Leah was the older sister, so he was tricked by their father into marrying Leah first, then later he married Rachel for love. Leah had many children before Rachel was able to conceive. She eventually had two sons, Joseph and Benjamin. She died in childbirth while giving birth to Benjamin. (Now we just need Leah)

5. The producers of this show must really hate CD’s because there are record players everywhere! I mean, you can get a decent CD player at WalMart for $20 yet they all play records.

6. Before I saw the front of this lamp I thought it was a Dharma symbol as it is the same shape. Then I found this screenshot. Ying and Yang. Symbolic of Juliet and her sister or more likely the two sides of Juliet’s personality?
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7. OK, I’m not a violent person but come on! If I had to see Sawyer get punched one more time I was going to have to…. well, I would do something! So I was relieved to finally see Sawyer fight back. I mean really, this is your tough guy and he just sits there when he’s being executed, no way! And banging Danny’s head against the electroshock button! HA!
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8. These are almost identical to the vials on the island. What I question is that if Juliet was using these to get her sister pregnant why give them to Claire who was already was pregnant to term. Why give her the drugs? What more is there to know about the fertility treatments? Perhaps because there were different colors of liquids (i.e. kinds of drugs) on the island they were injecting Claire with some sort of super-hormone that gives the baby superior intelligence or basketball skills. Just kidding. Trying to see if I lost you yet with this tangent.
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9. I question Juliet’s taste in men! It must be the perception of power that she likes. First this guy then Ben?
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10. I was glad that Jack ratted out Juliet to the Others in the surgery. I actually believed that she was shocked. Then, later in the show, I started rethinking this idea. Did Jack and Juliet set this scenario up? When Mr. Friendly tells her to stitch up Ben Jack jumps in and says she can’t, she’s not a surgeon. I don’t believe that Ben told her to help Kate & friends so why would I believe that Juliet didn’t know exactly what Jack was going to do? Jack *supposedly* makes another incision (ewww, spinal juice!) on accident and asks Mr. Friendly to help? He’s a genius surgeon, he doesn’t make mistakes like this. I think he was buying time for Juliet.
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11. I would say it’s safe to assume that this is just the experiment island and not where the Others live. This puts me in mind of the whole Jurrasic Park idea of the main island where the successes live and the *other* island where the experiments take place.

12. This scene is where the writers/producers slip back into dumbing down this show. Kate grew up tracking (remember the story about her dad?) and we are to believe that she trips when running from the bad guys? Luckily Sawyer, the big strong man, was there to help her up. Plus, isn’t this soooooo cliche that the woman trips when running from danger. *ugh*

13.  Look to the right side of the screen.  It’s a sailing trophy.  What if Ed is Libby’s ex-husband?  Libby told Desmond that he was dead.  I’ve heard that Libby will be seen again in someone’s backstory.  Maybe here is the Libby-Juliet connection.
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14. Alex. She is quite a shot! Who is this kid? If she’s Danielle’s daughter AND Ben’s daughter, but Danielle said that the Others took her baby, WHO is Ben? Is Ben one of the
scientists that came with Danielle to the island and did not die from the sickness which leads us to believe that Danielle has the sickness. That would explain why Ben is so vehemetly opposed to Alex going to the *big* island…he doesn’t want her to meet Danielle and find out the truth of who she is. And why haven’t any of the survivors that have met Alex put this together? It’s an island, you are deserted, how many Alexes can you possibly come across?

15. So Ben wakes up during surgery. Who *is* administering the anestheia anyway? How could this happen? Another one of Juliet’s pre-planned events? She could come back later and say “Ben, you woke up and told me to save them” and how could he argue? She could convince people that he was out of it and told her to go and rescue them to save his life.

16. MITTELOS = LOST TIME We were told by Carlton Cuse that there would be an Easter Egg coming in the form of an anagram that would signify a theme on the show that will begin to take shape this season. I still question any type of time rip or time continum happening, but is it possible that there are places on earth that due to magnetic force (in our case) *time* could actually move differently? Maybe a day on the island could equal a year on the mainland. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Could they actually be going backwards in time (think of the music Hurley and Sayid heard on the beach)?

17. Is there anything real about this guy or his presentation? They “really are that happy” -meaning the people in the slides, and they arrange hiking, etc… trips every week (yeah, sure they do!).
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So very photoshop’ed (Not that I would know, hee hee!)

18. Could this be Sun’s test results? He says she’s only 26.
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19. Sawyer is obviously a Star Wars fan. He tells the “guard” (can’t remember his mane) that he fell for the old Wookie Prisoner Gag, calls Hurley “Jabba” and refers to Jin as “Chewy.” Is he representative of Han Solo? Ooh, who will be Darth Vadar – Jacob? lol

20. Carl. This scene was sooo disturbing. First, easy number reference, Carl is in room 23. My first thoughts were, and I said to Scott, it’s like A Clockwork Orange! Ironically, the main character of CO is Alex. Anyway, they use a technique called The Ludivico Technique to *cure* him of his violent nature. The scence in the movie is strikingly similar to this one. More info if you click here.

21. So what is flashing on the screen? Here are some screen shots. Click any to enlarge:

(there is a series with the squiggly light in them)

22.  I chose to put these seperately because you can clearly see the DeGroot guy in these:
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Could he be Jacob?

23.   Danny tells Juliet that Ben would rather die then let them go.  Is that why Juliet kills him?  She knows that he would tell The Others this.

24.  While Jack is doing the surgery back in the *hatch* he asks Mr Friendly (I like this much better than *Tom) why they didn’t take Ben to a facility if they can get off of the island.  MF starts to answer “Because… ever since the sky turned purple we…” and doesn’t get to finish.  I’m thinking they are stuck.  They mentioned in a previous epi that the COMMS were down, too.

25.  Too funny! When Jack is doing the surgery MR(Tom) is grossed out by blood.  So Jack holds up a bloody mass and says, “Then I guess you don’t wanna see this!”

26.  Loving the old Sawyer being back!  Carl says “Danny” and Sawyer turns around to find Danny pointing a gun at him.  THIS TIME (thank you very much) Sawyer has the “Ill kick your a$$ look” and heads straight for him.  Luckily Juliet kills him (that sounds weird) but no matter, at least he didn’t back down like before.
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27.  Portland, not just in Oregon!  There are two *Portlands* in Australia, too.

We saw that one coming… but Ed didn’t!

Sawyer and Jin? Yeah! It means that at least Sawyer makes it back.

Freaky Vincent!

Yuck, this is exactly why they are going to kill this show. How does this advance the story? I am hoping for this to be a flashback from when he got his tatoo.