Resulting from its specific use in the book, the phrase “Catch-22″ is common idiomatic usage meaning “a no-win situation” or “a double bind” of any type.

1. Why does Desmond keep seeing visions of Charlie’s death? I mean, you could have visions of Locke catching boars, Sawyer reading, Jack making deals with the Others, but Desmond keeps seeing Charlie die. I would hate that. Visions of the future and all it is is the same person dying crazy deaths. And is Desmond somehow altering the future by saving Charlie? Or, could Desmond be having some crazy deja vu (they say that Catch *22* is like deja vu with the repeating number)? Maybe Desmond is seeing these visions because he is supposed to save Charlie. Maybe Charlie is going to save them all (probably through a series of misadventures with Hurley.

2. So far, the three psychics that we have seen have either been fakes or debunked. Claire’s psychic changed his mind about the baby (bought out by Dharma?). Hurley’s *seer* was bought off by his dad to make something up. Then Desmond’s psychic may have had some ability, but was using it to get Desmond to the island. So why would we believe that Desmond has any true ability given what we have seen the writers must think of psychics?

3. NOT that I want to discuss the love triangle, quadrangle, whatever… but I almost felt sorry for Sawyer. I think they’ve given this guy feelings for Kate! And truth be told I would rather see Kate be with Sawyer at this point. I think this guy knows his place on the island and is not afraid to stand up for it either. But when it comes down to it, he will leave the island in a second, would Kate?

4. Desmond believes that the only way the person who is coming can make it there is if the sequence of events as he sees them in flashes happens exactly. But… when we see the parachute being lifted to catch the person in the tree, Charlie is one of the people holding it. This is after the arrow *incident.* It doesn’t make sense because Charlie would have been dead by the time they found the parachute. Maybe Desmond doesn’t have as much control over these visions. Or, again, maybe he is supposed to save Charlie.
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5. Why did Jin have to come on the trip?

6. Did the others back on the beach hear the helicopter and see the beacon flashing, too?

7. Here’s a question. How could a helicopter make it to the island if it was very far away from land? Does anyone know how far a helicopter can go with a tank of gas? I wouldn’t think very far. I would guess that if the island was far, far away they would have had to have taken something bigger for the trip.

8. Here is another question, why did the helicopter crash? We are supposed to believe that the plane crashed because Desmond let the numbers go a wee bit too long, but there is no number pushing now. Maybe they have something in place in the sky much like the sonic fence around their village.

9. On a production note … Desmond is clean shaven with short hair in his flashbacks but is scraggly with a beard and long hair on the island. This means that either the writers knew way ahead of time his backstory and filmed all his scenes or this guy is wearing a wig.
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10. When did Charlie visit the Pearl to get a notebook? All the books that had been shot out I would have assumed were full. This one, if he was writing music in it, had to have been somewhat empty. A peace offering from Locke?
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11. By the way, I went back and watched “Dave” when Sayid reads the note on the $20 bill from the real Henry Gale. The note was written to “Jennifer” not Naomi (the new girl). I was suspicious at first that these two were related (him in a balloon) but it doesn’t appear to be so.

12. Moriah Vineyard 1995. From Wikipedia (regarding the name Moriah): …Classsical Rabbinical Literature theorized that the name was a …reference to the Temple, suggesting translations like the teaching-place…. the place of fear … Targum Pseudo-Jonathan interprets the name as land of worship, while the Samaritan Targum regards it as being land of vision.
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13. Desmond also says that Moriah was the mountain where Abraham was asked to kill Isaac. But God spared Isaac and this was Abraham’s test. Sound like anyone we know (Desmond saving Charlie?). Does he underestimate the value of sacrifice? He saves Charlie knowing it could alter the outcome of Penny’s arrival on the island? I knew that Desmond would not and will not let Charlie die if he can help it.

14. I still can’t make out what this is, but it is a very large tattoo or marking. Is there a Dharma symbol at the forearm area? Has Jack been branded as One of Them?
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15. Predictable. Kate will end up pregnant. Then she’ll need Juliet to help save her life. It happens at conception, remember?

16. The end of the show, as told by Desmond, “With enough money and determination you can find anyone.” Of course there will have to be twists. Maybe Locke’s obsessive button pushing will have something to do with it. “Push the button, don’t push the button. The button’s bad.” Maybe we haven’t seen the “bad” button yet.

17. I could be crazy here, but if you look at the top of the screen in this shot I swear it looks like a black cloud. I just noticed it when I was looking at screencaps. I don’t have the highest quality but there appears to be something there. It could explain why the helicopter crashes.
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18. Lots of religious symbolism in this one. Per Widipedia, the book of Ruth is about redemption. Fitting.
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19. OK, this line was just too good not to mention (though Sawyer had some good ones again. So did Hurley).
“So where’d you get the table?” “What, you don’t recognize it? It fell out of the purple haze when the hatch went blamo. If we don’t play every 108 minutes the island will explode.” I think Sawyer was just looking for someone he could beat. Jack beat him at cards and Hurley beat him at ping pong. The man’s got pride! Until he hears about Kate, of course.

20. Love the doll. Couldn’t be Danielle’s, as Charlie pointed out, or there would be a massive rock flying at his head right now. Oh, just wait Charlie! I think this solidifies that Penny was not the original pilot of the helicopter. Somehow I don’t think that kitschy is her style.
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21. Portuguese writing. The guys in the Antarctic hut working for Penny were Portuguese. I think this along with the picture pretty much solidify that Naomi was sent by Penny. Oh yeah, and she knows Desmond right off.
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22. Dude, give the phone to Sayid and quit messing around! Geesh, when will they get some sense!
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23. Just to back up for a minute. Can you imagine if you were really stranded here, the horrors you have been through and to hear that helicopter? The joy that would overtake you would be unreal.

24. I guess Bernard made an indirect appearance. The so-called mix tape apparently belongs to Bernard. Yeah, maybe they will finally be back!

25. Did you hear that the monastary only bottled 108 cases of wine this year? They haven’t been throwing the numbers in as much lately.

26. Oh boy. I didn’t want to believe it but I think that the monk fired Desmond because of Dharma or whoever also put the psychic lady up to talking him out of marrying Penny. Why else would her picture be on the monk’s desk? There is a pretty clear shot of this picture, too, so we were meant to see it. Ironically Penny is there the day that Desmond is fired, too.
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Let me digress for a moment.  Ken and Barbie.  They are dead.  Face it folks, no one is going to get dug out by some golden lab and if Vincent should happen to be that industrious, how would they live being under a mountain of sand?  They’re gone.  TTFE!

1.  Cassidy.  This backstory ranks right up there with the dumbest, biggest waste of story time.  I kept waiting for betrayal.  Nothing.  Waited for the name Sawyer to come up.  Nothing.  Waited for Mom to do something cool and shocking (like show up in a magic box on the island).  Nothing.  Have I lost my imagination here?  I feel like I’ve eaten the forbidden apple and now my eyes are open to the reality of the nothingness that gets thrown into this show sometimes.  OK, a crossover, big time.  Big deal!  I’d rather have someone with a crossover actually realize it (remember when Saywer told Jack about meeting his dad?  Classic!). 

2.  Agreed to gnid gnid (see last post comments), Juliet has some skills!  But so does Kate so where in the world did Juliet train (anyone seeing Kill Bill images with me … more like Kill Ben!)?  Plus her shoulder has been dislocated four times before. 
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3.  Kate always has the same song playing in her flashbacks.  Is she going to finally go walking after midnight one of these episodes already?
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4.  So let me get this right.  There is a village, with houses and TOILETS and showers and they are just going to take a few things and LEAVE!!!??? Screw Jack as the leader.  Sawyer would be all over that village if he knew about it.  Plus there is a security system!  I love this show but come on!!!!  Leave a few people back at the beach in shifts to watch for rescue and live at the houses with beds!  And kitchens!  OK, you have a few hippies that probably like sleeping on the beach, but not people like me.  They have a rec hall and bikes.  Come on! 

5.  Here’s something to blog about… the gas is $1.32 and $1.81 for the *expensive* stuff!  Talk amongst yourselves…
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6.  I love it that Sawyer has it counted down to the minutes until he can use nicknames.  But check it out, he’s got a watch!!!  Again with the watches!
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7.  Where is Rosseau?  Simple.  She found her daughter and is not going to lose her again.  Which means she is following the Others.  Why haven’t we seen a backstory on her?  She is far and away more interesting than the You-Know-Whos (the one’s who won’t be named) and they got a whole episode.

8.  There is supposed to be a backstory coming up featuring (maybe) the Degroots.  The reason I mention this is because they were college hippies back in the 60’s and 70’s and there were a lot of riots going on back then and what did the cops wear?  Gas masks.  They threw the smoke bombs at the students to break up the riots.  I can’t say that I think that there were riots on the island but maybe they brought along gear from home just in case anyone tried to come to the island and disturb the compound.  I’m just trying to speculate why the would have this kind of gear on the island.
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9.  Lies, lies, lies.  Juliet asks Kate what happened and says she was making tea when they threw a canister through her window.  But then how did she voluntarily get handcuffed to Kate?  And not only does she know about Old Smokey, she looks at it like she knows far more than she is going to say.  Also, she knows the fence is off.  It doesn’t make sense.

10.  I think that The Others have another camp in the middle of the island. Remember when the Tailies were taking Sawyer & Co. back to the beach they avoided the middle of the island because that is where *They* came from.  I also think that there is still another group of Others that we haven’t seen yet.

11.  In this scene where Kate and Juliet are arguing and it starts raining, you can hear a loud squealing noise in the background three times.  I asked Scott if he heard it, which he did not (maybe because I was talking, lol) but I just watched the scene back now and there is definitely something there.  Then Smokey shows up for a little paparazzi action… so I wonder if there is some connection (remember the bird that said *Hurley* then swooped down on him?).
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12.  I wonder if a little picture popped out after this.  lol.  I guess this is another clue as to what the Smoke Monster is.  Security system that takes pictures.  Yeah, that’s it. 
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13.  The last time I remember Kate seeing the *monster* it had just pulled out the pilot and shredded him.  No wonder she’s so scared!  Juliet doesn’t seem nearly as frightened though, does she?  Smokey makes his loud *roar* and Kate tells her to run yet Juliet just sits there whining about her arm.  We know now that Juliet does know about Smokey yet she didn’t run.  Why?

14.  Well, he’s not as wrinkly as he was a couple of weeks ago.  Man, to be a fly on the wall in the writer’s room….
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15.  I think that it’s Hurley who is the real leader.  He can even get Sawyer to “join in” now that is a leader.  He is always trying to find a way to bring people together.  Golf, van and now working on Sawyer.  Who would seriously follow what Hurley said?  But then again, like Hurley said (ba dum pum) people need a leader and will follow Sawyer.  Hurley’s the Dick Cheney to Sawyer’s George Bush (only not as evil or dumb, and much more honest).

16.  Too funny to see Sawyer and the boar again.  Only disappointment is that I was expecting *something* to happen after all the hullabalo he had before with the boar.

17.  When Smokey is chasing Kate & Juliet the second time they come up on the fence.  Juliet yells to Kate twice that they are off, then grabs the key and unlocks the handcuffs.  Hello, McFly?  How does she know they are off?  How did she gets gassed but still had the key?  How did she get the choice to be with Kate anyway? 

18.  I don’t know if you can tell from this shot, but there are three distinct puffs of black smoke that come up and join into the one cloud that comes to the fence.  Plus other shots.
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Other shots:        Click any image to enlarge

19.  Why didn’t Smokey go *over* the fence?

20.  Then Kate comes up to Juliet all po’d and when Juliet admits they know about Smokey it turns out she was upset about the handcuffs! Wha…. let’s see, the importance of handcuffs vs the unexplained phenomena of a black cloud that floats around killing people.  Think, think, think.  What should Kate question first?

21.  Wow, Sawyer is sharing his beer.  The writers were right, we are seeing a side of him that I never thought we would see… a side that he had to eventually face.  Sharing his beer.
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22.  And the cheese stands alone, drinking water.
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23.  I saw at least two gas canisters on the floor in Jack’s house.  I guess that is why he was passed out for an entire day longer than Kate.

24.  OMG, when will they listen to Sayid?  Leave the woman behind Jack!

25.  One thought on Locke… remember folks, he runs his own agenda.

I know you think that I’m at home right now still doing the happy dance…

But this is what I want to remember about EVERY SCENE (except the last one, of course) that Ken and Barbie were in:

1. I wasn’t going to watch it but when I found out that Ken and Barbie were probably going to be a goners I just had to. Except now I have to send apologies to Scott because he has probably not heard such a constant stream of curse words from me ever (yet there was that one time…). Plus he probably wanted me to shut up already about the horrible acting and how I stayed up until freaking 10:00 to watch this and after last week how could they, blah, blah blah. You can all argue away with me but my feelings stand that I cannot stand Barbie as an actress and the big payoff of satisfaction watching them die was stolen by an entire HOUR of suffering having to stomach those two and their cheesy dialog. I’d rather watch Billy Ray Cyrus dance for an hour than suffer through that episode again. *blech!*

2. I truly think that the powers that be at ABC know that they made a huge mistake just plopping Ken and Barbie down on the beach and expecting fans to just accept them. So they had to hurry and clean up their mess = last night’s episode. Wasn’t there supposed to be some big mythological reveal last night? Maybe the revelation is that Ken isn’t the chronic pooper that we thought he was but rather just some tv-executive killing con man. I mean, were we really supposed to believe all the reshoots of the famous scenes in the show (plane crash)? “Oh, gee, guess I must have missed them the first time.”

3. I’m not going to post a shot from Nikki’s breakout role, but let’s just say my theory on why they *really* cast her was just reinforced.

4. “Plywood.”
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5. So is Boone supposed to be the gay character that was revealed? In the airport, Shannon says, “If you would quit flirting with random guys maybe we could actually get on the plane.” Yes, I know what you are thinking… but he slept with Shannon. Ever heard of bi? Maybe he had a moment of weakness. Who knows. But in our conservative society I doubt they are going to make a prominent character gay. But it’s on at 10 now so maybe they could get away with it. Hurley, Charlie, Desmond love triangle? Ew, creepy!

6. How ironic. In the airport Barbie makes Ken promise her that they will never end up like them (Boone & Shannon). Both couples are dead. Guess he didn’t keep his promise!

7. Yes, I know she was on the Cobra show and that is the same show Locke was watching last week.

8. There is a theory out there that when Desmond *went back in time* his decisions changed the course of time and somehow instead of Rose and Bernard on the plane, Ken and Barbie ended up there. That is why we haven’t see R&B and K&B just suddenly showed up. However, being the obsessive fan that I am I looked through my screencaps because lo and behold, Rose is getting CPR on the beach as Barbie runs around looking all sweet in her clean dress. So there, they *have* to still be on the island somewhere.
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9. Oh, like her acting wasn’t unbelievable enough, look how clean her dress is after surviving a plane crash and running all over the place looking for Ken. OK, so she has a little scratch on her arm. Boo hoo.
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10. Sawyer, “He wasn’t saying You’re Next about them he was saying You’re Next as in you’re all next.” Hurley, “Yeah, that’s not really better.” Crack me up!

11. Artz has been dead at least several weeks and all these bugs, especially the butterfiles because they are they only one’s that I’m remotely familiar with, are still alive?
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12. Now here is an interesting piece that might come back into play in the future. A walkie talkie from The Others.
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13. I found it interesting that Sawyer was so angry when he came back to find his tent ransacked yet he doesn’t waste a second going through K&B’s stuff.

14. The scene where Kate was arguing with Artz and Shannon was very out of character too, at least, it was not the Kate that I remember from Season One. Why would she be discussing the guns with anyone? I remember that she kind-of hung back from the crowd as they didn’t know that she was a fugitive.

15. Hey, the pigs are walking!
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16. OK people! So tell me that Ben and Juliet didn’t notice that the hatch was open when Paulo was down there hiding! Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt, let’s say he closed it to be extra sneaky. So wouldn’t they have noticed, then, that the dirt was off of the cover and the latch was really easy to open? Then, as Nate said in the last comment section, Ben just blurts out his plan? Ben? Remember Henry? Ben doesn’t reveal anything in black and white (he’s like an ethics professor!).

17. Good boy Vincent!
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18. Yeah, we haven’t seen the end of Sawyer and those diamonds. He’s a con man. He didn’t throw them all down there.

19. Opened her eyes just in time to see the dirt coming. I would think with a couple hundred pounds of dirt coming at you, there is no way to dig out of this one. Do you think that the actors will have nightmares about shooting this scene?
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I had to watch the episode twice but I actually found some charm in this one. It was *not* my favorite episode nor do I think we are back to previous quality, but there were some moments that had the feel of the *old* lost (Kate on her mission and finding Danielle, the boys in the van).

1. Let’s discuss one important flaw with this week’s episode right now. Someone finds a CAR in the jungle (on a semi-deserted island) and NO ONE except the *joke* of the beach is curious about it? Sure, if your 10 year old ran into the house and told you they found an old beat up car you’d probably have very little interest outside your child’s safety. But these people are on an island, sleeping on the ground, hoping to be saved and they have no interest? My questions would be what you could scavenge from the car (cushions to sleep on , gas, radio, shelter inside the body even if it didn’t run). I would wonder where the gas in the car came from. I would wonder if there were roads to drive on. I would wonder where the driver was. I would wonder what in the heck the car was doing there in the first place. So many questions. But no, the survivors are apparently too busy on the beach to be bothered with such things.

2. A lot of red in the opening scene with young *Hugo.* Probably signifying the death of his hope (when his dad leaves him). Red car, toolbox, cloth, handles on the tools and his shirt.
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3. Hurley puts one of the scary red flowers on Libby’s grave.
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4. I kind of missed the dog.
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5. Ironically, the key ring is a lucky rabbit’s foot.
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6. It was interesting that Charlie is wearing a Bob Dylan “Highway 61″ t-shirt. Accoring to Wikipedia, the road was a symbol to Dylan of freedom, independence and a chance to get away from his life. Highway 61 is known as the “Blues Highway” because it’s regularly mentioned in blues songs. There is also an interesting myth that one singer sold his soul at the cross of Highway 61 and Highway 49.
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7. Well, at least they have a couple of boxes of chicken left…
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8. Now we know that Hurley is from Diamond Bar, California. I found it interesting that in *real life* this city was founded on a Ranch but was purchased by a major corporation in the 1950s for the purpose of developing one of the nation’s first master-planned communities. Sound familiar?

9. I can tell you how the dart got in the middle of the jungle (that Sawyer stepped on). Hint: It had something to do with a huge implosion of a certain hatch.
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10. I agree with Sawyer. Maybe the survivors on the beach should explain why they didn’t go looking for them. *That* is a good question!

11. I also agree with Sawyer that he has nothing to be sorry to Kate for. Jack said leave him behind and that is what Sawyer did. Should he be concerned with Jack …. maybe. But wouldn’t it make more sense to get back to camp and get help then for the two of them, after living in cages for weeks, to go back for Jack? They have guns at the camp! They have trackers and more importantly, Sayid!

12. Here is my next HUGE bone of contention in this episode. Kate and Sawyer were KIDNAPPED by the Others and after returning to camp everyone is so happy and so not curious what happened to them. It’s like they have been on a little vacation and they are back. Yeah! No questions as to what happened, if they are being chased, where is Jack, what the Others are up to, on and on. Nothing. Just one little happy reunion on the beach. The end.

13. The lines they gave Ken and Barbie were enough to make me want to change the channel. Any more from them and I would have had to flip and see what was happening over on NBC.

14. Roger “Work Man.” Seems primitive. Could be that the Others assigned roles to everyone originally and so that everyone knew their place they had name tags of sorts. Could be some type of prison or rehabilitation again where roles are set up and so that others know your role you have to wear it (Scarlet A).
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15. The only person who I think was believable in the episode was Sayid. He was asking questions about the Others! Imagine! He wanted to know about the boat. He wanted to know about where they live. Questions that might be helpful not just to Jack, but to them all. Well, and Sawyer when he saw the beer. lol

16. You can see either a dharma station or the logo on the map. I think it’s as simple as they were making roads between the stations. This could be very useful and I have a feeling that Sawyer will be the keeper of the map and we will see it resurface again in the future.
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17. Another psychic we can’t believe. I think the writers are skeptics, what do you think? You make your OWN luck.
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18. “Let’s look death in the face and say, Whatever Man.” Hurley and Sawyer had some great lines this episode, I will give them that.

19. I could imagine that the van ride was probably the most normal the four of them (Hurley, Charlie, Jin and Sawyer) had felt in a long time. But did it restore their hope? Did it break the *curse* over Hurley and Charlie or is it as Hurley’s dad said and you make your own luck? Mind over matter. I almost felt sorrow for Sawyer at the end of this scene because Jin had Sun, Charlie was with Claire, Hurley was in the van and all he had was the beer.

20. FINALLY! Someone tells Danielle about Alex! Of course she’ll help, but isn’t there a lot of information that Danielle can give to them? She’s been on the island 16 years and has mapped it. Certainly even without the compass she knows where she is going.

21. This was not my find, but it *is* very interesting: Click here to link. Maybe all of the “recycling” that Sawyer referred to in the van was research on people and/or projects back on the mainland.
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What a fabulous episode. Remember how great this show was in the beginning? Well, it hasn’t *lost* (ba-dum-pum) anything since then! Viewers take note! The Great White Hunter is back!

One concern for me - once I watched the previews for next week I almost don’t want to watch more Sawyer torture. I’m done with The Others, their over-the-top head games and again, can someone please write in some vengence for Sawyer? ABC - GET RID OF THIS STORY LINE!

On with the show…

1. Opening with the eye, of course. Scene was remiscent of the very first ever opening of the show with Jack out in the jungle.
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2. Ironically, the Jesus stick falls from the sky onto Locke. A bit contrived considering what transpired from there, don’t you think?

3. OK, so Locke & Co. have been gone for a whole day and Charlie never alerted anyone of what happened there at the hatch? Man, if you told me I would be heading out there not only to see if anyone was hurt but also to check out what was left. And were Desmond, Locke and Eko knocked out cold all that time? Makes me wonder if there were Others involved in this blackout period.

4. I loved that Locke went into his “sweat lodge” for a little wacky paste and a magic carpet ride. I just wonder when the journey really ended because I’m not so sure that Eko was really talking to Locke about saving Jack.
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5. Ironically Locke needed to speak to the island but he couldn’t talk.

6. I was glad that Charlie was so reluctant to help Locke. The writers gave us, the loyal-obsessed fans, credit for remembering Fire & Water. They haven’t been friends since then and I wouldn’t blame Charlie. Why would you help someone who set you up and then beat you in the head repeatedly. Gee, I wonder why Charlie would hesitate. But Charlie *always* seems to be in the thick of things, doesn’t he?

7. There were so many funny lines in the episode tonight. I especially enjoyed Charlie’s little jabs at Locke like, “Oh yeah, I’ll stand guard in case you devolve into a monkey.”

8. In the airport scene I found it especially entertaining that Desmond was walking around with all the airline stewardesses. Probably true to life, well, the fictional lives of these characters.
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9. Since Locke was handing out apologies tonight, why didn’t he apologize to Charlie? He *did* hlep him but he also was wrong about Charlie as much as he was wrong losing faith in Eko. Will he continue to use and toss Charlie away?

10. What was the animal that chased Locke out of his tent? Polar bear? Spirit guide?
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11. Locke says that “They’ve got him,” meaning Eko. But the bear had Eko. Is he referring to Eko at this point?

12. What other bad things happen to people that hang out with Locke? Did we really see anything bad happen tonight beside the fact that he was duped by the cop back home? Boone died, I guess that is bad, but seems mostly bad things are on the island and he was the one getting the short end of the Jesus stick back home.

13. Jeronimo Jackson T-shirt. Cute.

14. I can see why Locke keeps losing his faith. First his mother tricks him into reconnecting with this dad, who in turn tricks him into major surgery and organ donation. Now we see that Eddie destroys the new family that Locke has found. How sad his life is!

15. Hatch imploded. Cool effect!
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16. Hurley almost bit it tonight thanks to Locke. “Dude.”
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17. Locke’s driver’s license vs. firearm paperwork. No conspiracy theory, just discrepancy. Birthdate on license 5-30-56 but on paperwork 11-15-46. Expires 5-11-02 which gives us a time frame until the plane crash (and obviously his handicap) and we know he is still in California. Maybe the cop *did* notice the difference but also recognized Eddie as a cop but didn’t want to mess up his operation. I’m going with this over prop error.
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18. Is it just me or does the commune that Locke lives in eerily resemble The Others commune here on the island? Will it be Locke that chooses to stay with them for that *family* feeling? Or does he have too much of a bond, or so he thinks, to the Losties? But the cop thought the farm was bad and they were just peaceful. Are we supposed to think now that maybe the Others are’t so bad either.

19. Polar bears are the “Einsteins of the bear world” huh? Funny stuff. What else does he know that might help them?

20. Eddie says that everyone at the commune wants a daddy. Goes along with the daddy issue of the show we have had so far. Interesting.

21. Charlie used Locke’s line tonight, “You don’t get to tell me what to do.”

22. So has Locke stumbled across some type of burial ground when he finds Eko? What is with the dump truck? And the dharma garb? No symbol in the middle so how old might these bones be?
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23. Does he or doesn’t he? I don’t think he does. I think that the Great White Hunter is too soft to kill this guy who he considers his friend and then leaves the commune in shame.
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24. Why didn’t Desmond implode and how can he tell the future now? Will he turn into the Hulk as Hurley predicted? And why did they make him into the Caucasion version of Jesus? Seriously, is there some time warp thingy going on that Desmond is wrapped up in? Where did his clothes go and why wasn’t anyone else naked?

25. I wasn’t crazy how they brought in the two new characters. They just wander on up and now we are supposed to accept them? Maybe in small bits, guys? Plus, don’t we have a few other story lines to contend with now instead of adding more? Doh!

26. Dude, nice legs! ha!
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27. Eddie was headed to the town of Eureka. Check out this link and read about the SciFi Channel’s show of the same name. Ironic, isn’t it? Too many similarities to not be something there. A secret town that no one will ever find. The Others town could potentially be a community of the best scientists and thinkers? Interesting.

28. The Jesus stick now reads, “Lift up your eyes and look North.” Remember that Michael headed North to find Walt. Also, Desmond told Jack, regarding Sarah’s surgery, that he needed to lift her up.

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29. Eddie gave the cop that pulled over Locke in the beginning a knowing look (when I watch it back now). Was he angry at almost getting busted right in the beginning? And what was up with the torrential downpour followed by an instant burst of sun? Just like the island.

29. In the airport sequence, why are Hurley and Benry the only two who work for the airline? Possibly Desmond, too, but I think he’s just wearing a suit, not a pilot’s uniform. I don’t want Hurley to be duping them somehow so I hope this is just a production choice, but no Others appear in this scene that we know of.

Initial thoughts.  Those two hours were JAM PACKED and it needs another *looksie* for more thoughts.

1.  Charlie is having serious post-traumatic issues.  He doesn’t seem to understand what happened.  He seems surprised Locke and Co. aren’t back yet when Bernard asks where they are.  He seems confused when Claire mentions the “violet sky,”  He is just way to jovial to not be in shock.

2.  Michael is going to die.  Will he come back to help his friends first?  Who knows, but there is no way that they are just going to let him go that easily.  Maybe Walt will talk him into going back for the DAMN DOG and something will happen to Michael.  It would be cool if it was set up that Sawyer ends up being a foster parent for Walt.

3.  What was Desmond in prison for?  Seems he was set up by Penny’s dad.  Mr. Widmore sure doesn’t want his daughter with Desmond.  He goes so far to send him to this experimental island?

4.  How does Penny know about the island?  I loved the last scene, it was so X-Files-esque.

5.  I don’t think that Desmond, Locke and Eko are dead.  But I sure wish someone would go check out the hatch.  Especially after the Quarantine door came flying to camp.  Hello?

6.  Sayid will go and save Jack, Kate and Sawyer.  We could see Sayid back on the boat during the *incident* and I’m sure once he hears Hurley’s story he will find a way to save them.  Plus we are talking about the 3 main characters.  They have to be saved.  But it sure would be cool to see where The Others are going to take them.

7.  What was the look between Jack and Kate right at the end?  It seems they have something in mind but by the look on Sawyer’s face he was not part of the plan.

8.  Libby so set up Desmond.  She *HAD* to be put up to giving him that boat.  Did she have a deal similar to Michael - was she trying to get someone back and had to deal to help get all of the survivors on that island in order to get her loved one back?  Plus, she really looks crappy as a red head.

9.  I don’t believe that Desmond made the plane crash.  You are telling me that the magnetic force was so powerful that it pulled down a plane from the sky, but the cans of food on the beach only fell off of the shelves?  No way.  Yes, the instruments were probably messed up and yes, the people on the plane were meant for this island, but I don’t think that Desmond’s close call with the buttons was the cause.  I think that the pilot may have made errors because of the instrument malfunction, yes.  But there are too many connections not believe they are supposed to be there.  I think that the reason *The Others* wanted the list so badly was because they needed to know who survived the crash.

10.  Desmond knows about The Others, but how?  He refers to them as “The Hostiles.”  At some point he must have left the hatch and had some sort of encounter.  Desmond just has way too much story left to tell for him to be dead. 

11.  What was up with the $42,000 reward from the boat race?  42 is one of the numbers.  Coincidence?

12.  The big bird that flies down towards Jack and co.  I had read last season during my research that the Black *Roc* is a mythological bird.  Connection?  Does it have a connection to the *monster*?

13.  The big foot on the beach.  Four toes?  Where *is* the rest of the statue?  Was it destroyed in the last *incident*?

14.  Desmond’s story is so disturbing and sad.  It’s one of those life stories that makes you look back and say, “What if…”  What if Desmond had read Penny’s letter back in prison?  Would there have been a happy ending to his love story or would he have ended up exactly in the situation he is in?

15.  We hear the whispers right before Sawyer & friends get poison darts.  We assume it’s these Others but could it have been the “good” Others warning them that the “bad” Others were coming?

16.  There is much more to discuss…. will continue since we have *all summer* to go over this one.  But I thought this had to be the best season finale I have ever seen…. 

17. Still to discuss: Kelvin, rip in his suit, volcanic rock, Rudinski (I think that was his name), fabric softner paint, stuck in a “snow globe,” Mr Widmore, Desmond in prison, more on Libby, answer to riddle, Charles Dickens, Sawyer’s comment about aliens, Sayid praying, Hanso commercial, the original incident, the Swan key, the new incident, the hole in Kelvin’s suit, the boats, the ferry, Fenry, ah, and I’m sure there is much more!

After watching with the thought in mind that THEY want us to see these *specific* clips, here is my list I call

(insert creepy echo) “Thoughts and Questions”

1. Arrow on the hatch door where the Tailies were staying. What does it mean? We know the medical hatch had a caduceus so what is this?

2. *Orientation* video indicated that they were to stay in the hatch for 540 days. Desmond says he has been there 3 years. What happened?

3. L-O-V-E-D the Locke quote after watching the film. “We’re gonna need to watch that again!” Yes we are!

4. Ana recounts the number of tailies that were taken by the Others. What happened to them? Why chose them and not any other survivors? Why take so many tailies and so few of the mid-section-ers?

5. I still think that Kate poisoned someone in her past. I saw her getting Sawyer to drink and it reminded me of my theory. We have seen alot of clues leading us to this (poison to Michael (meant for Jin), drugging Jack to get him to sleep, etc…).

6. LOVE the scene where Eko comes out of the woods with Sawyer over his back. “Where’s the doctor?” Classic TV.

7. OK so the guys from the raft come out of the woods and did you see how happy everyone was to see them? Wouldn’t you be like, holy crap, there goes our chance to get saved? I would.

8. Hurley told LIbby she looked familiar. Did he forget?

9. Eko’s stick with the bible references, what was up with that?

10. Mike on the computer. OK, so you’re stranded on an island and your kid has been taken by seabillies. The computer that is used solely for “saving the world” suddenly lights up with an instant chat and you don’t say anything to anyone?

11. Sawyer has really gotten beat up on this island. He gets stabbed by Sayid, punched by Hurley and shot TWICE by The Others. When will he get his revenge or when will we see the tough guy? He told Zeke that it wasn’t over… can’t WAIT for that confrontation!

12. When Sun asks Kate if she ever took a pregnancy test she answers yes. Tom? The Marshall?

13. What is all being built at this point? We are told that Eko is building a church but what was Charlie and Sayid building? And when did Charlie become Mr. Fixer Upper?

14. Henry is so freaking good at manipulation. I bet the actor playing him is just loving this part and I love watching him. Good job bad guy!

15. OK, I SWEAR that tonight I heard the word “Lockdown” come out of the speakers during the scene when the weird sounds are coming out before the doors go down. Me thinks the producers cleaned this up a bit for us.

16. The map. I think that in 20 years when there is a recap of the greatest TV moments, the scene where the map on the door lights up will be in that countdown. I can’t wait to look back and remember the moment and to also have all the knowledge of what the show is really about. In the meantime I’m enjoying the ride!

I have a theory.  In this theory Rose and Bernard have just shown us the path to the rest of this show and the ending.  Here is where I see Lost ending….

In the book “The Lost Chronicles” JJ Abrams states (and I paraphrase here from memory) that this show will end.  They will not leave us hanging (of course, unless they jump the shark and ABC decides to kill it).  We will see what happens to the survivors.

Rose does not want to leave the island.  Much like Locke, she has found her peace, her Garden of Eden if you will.  Now that Bernard knows the WHY he is also OK with never leaving this island.  The stage is now set.

Sun … she is now pregnant.  A miracle.  Will she want to leave?  Will Jin want to go knowing that he wants this family so badly, he certainly doesn’t want to go back and face Sun’s father so why not settle here?

Claire.  She was warned that Aaron should and cannot be raised by another.  We know she doesn’t get along with her mother and Thomas (baby-daddy) doesn’t want anything to do with her.  What does she have to go back to?  Add the relationship with Charlie back to the equation and neither of them will want to leave.

Eko.  Building a new life as the priest.  Knows now the fate of his brother.  Maybe he will find his life here.

Hurley.  Hello??? Libby and Darmalars.  Need I say more?

Locke.  This is a given.  He is out of the wheelchair and is The Great White Hunter (to quote Charlie).  What does he have to go back to?  Helen is gone.  His dad betrayed him.  His mom is nuts.  He will be the pride of the pack here on the island.

At this point in the story we could argue that the rest of the characters that I haven’t mentioned have plenty of reasons to return home.  But we only know some of their past.  We didn’t know even one little bit about Rose last week and now we know that she will never leave the island.  Who knows what other revelations we might encounter over the next season or so.

So here is how I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to see Lost close. 

A Coast Guard ship spots the island.  The survivors see it coming.  As the boat approaches the shore the survivors are hiding in the trees, watching.  The soldiers on the boat are searching.  Maybe they see some of the remaining fuselage down the shore. 

No one is coming out from the trees.  Their hearts are beating fast, pupils dialated, palms are sweaty, yet no one moves out.  Minutes go by, maybe a soldier steps ashore.  Stillness.

Vincent comes bounding out from the trees.  He’s Sawyer’s dog now.  He is Sawyer’s companion (maybe he’s the only one who can stand him or he hasn’t isolated himself from).  Long pause.  Sawyer steps out from the trees.  Sawyer cannot stay here.  His life is the con and he craves it back.  Sawyer now looks like one of the so-called “Others” we have gotten to know.

The soldier is surprised and pulls his gun.  Sawyer puts up his hands and in his suave way calms him and explains who he is.  The soldier asks where everyone else is.  Sawyer pauses.  A long, long, thoughtful pause.  He is waiting to see if anyone else emerges.  Nothing.  Sawyer states two words, “They died.”

Soldier, Sawyer and Vincent board the Coast Guard ship.  Sawyer doesn’t look back as the boat leaves but lifts his hand in adieu.

Like any great show, we don’t have all the answers in the end.  What we are left to speculate is how the survivors who are now left behind will live their remaining days here.  Will they become the illusive “Others” to anyone else landing here?  At this point our survivors will know all the secrets of the island and may carry out many of the same actions we are now seeing from the current “Others.”  Nothing is told.  We just have to sit ….. and wonder.

THE END.

“Dude, I’m an amalgam.”

1. Dave is not real. If he were real, he would have a shadow, which he does indeed not. Unless he is a vampire then I would need to revise this idea, but since everybody knows that vampires aren’t real (duh) then he must just be a figment of Hurley’s overstuffed mind. Also, Dave’s appearances are much like those in the Sixth Sense. He walks around and talks to people, but if you watch the episode back the only two people that have any interaction with Dave are Hurley and Dr. Brooks. When they are at the basketball game Dave is yelling and waving his arms, but no one responds to him and in fact they throw the ball to Hurley. Also, don’t forget that Hurley saw the big chicken and Jin speaking English in the pantry. Hallucinations seem to be coorelated to the food.
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2. Libby. Let’s discuss why a “hot chick” (Hurley’s words, not mine) would like him. Is she a crazy stalker? The story about Jin seeing Hurley on the ledge (thus, how she found him) sounded pretty bogus. Plus the scary pix of her at the end watching him at the institution. Libby seems cuckoo for Hurley puffs. However, let me refer again to the idea that twins are playing somehow into the story (suggestion of Josh Holloway not mine). Yes, I can tell you are rolling your eyes at this point but bear with me. Is it possible that Libby in the loony bin is a different person that the Libby on the island, maybe her twin? The ladies will understand this, but if her hair were naturally brown (pre island) then if she colored her hair blonde (post island “do”) wouldn’t her roots have been showing by now? Unless Sawyer has some hair dye along with the pregnancy test this is a different chick.
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3. Isn’t it ironic that the *only* food left from the drop that wasn’t scavenged by the survivors were the fish crackers? They have to eat all that fish for months and these crackers get dropped to them. Maybe it’s a psychological thing, kind of like the last jelly donut that no one wants to eat even though nothing is wrong with it.
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4. OK, so check out the flowers around Hurley as he follows Dave. It’s just a weird, out-of-place item. Remember the field of flowers in the Wizard of Oz? They put them all, except the Scarecrow, to sleep. Not sure where I’m going with this but perhaps they are poppies or something with hallucinogenic properties. Thoughts? Do you think they’re just a pretty prop? A clue to viewers that he is hallucinating?
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5. We have the issue of the cliffs again. I’m going to do a post this summer and list of the references to cliffs over the past two seasons, but for now I just want to point it out. Seems we’ve had a few mishaps and near mishaps on the cliffs.
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6. Why does Hurley refer to himself as “sick?” He hasn’t seen Dave at this time and he means his food addiction. These are the words that are also on the mural, if you recall. Thoughts? Is he thinking that since his food addiction is back that he knows his “Dave” fantasy will also return?

7. Check out Dave’s hand. We think that there is something on his hand (a code, perhaps, or a cheat sheet of info to feed to Hurley?) but it also could be dirt. I wondered briefly if someone “is” on the island and it talking to Hurley, but it is not Dave. Could be someone who looks like Dave that maybe is playing the role and Hurley is projecting his visual image of Dave onto him?
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8. I think that the whole point of Dave telling Hurley that he is still in the institution and that all of the “events” that Hurley thinks brought him here, including the numbers, aren’t just a coincidence are the writers way of telling us, the viewers, that we are not going to find out in the end that this was all some type of dream or hallucination. I don’t think it’s a red herring at all, just them telling us to trust them that the events are “real,” or at least real in the sense a tv show is real.

9. It was weird when Dave jumped off of the cliff. He makes a splash in the water and we can see him until the end. Figures that Libby wouldn’t come up in time to see if there was a person with Hurley or not.
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10. Hurley talks about the “accident.” Remember Widmore Construction? Wouldn’t it be interesting if they built the platform that Hurley broke? So when we meet Hurley at the hospital it had been 2 months since the accident, 23 people were on it and it was only built for 8. I’m thinking that we are also going to find out that one of the 2 people that died are somehow related to another survivor.

11. I hope that the survivors thought to take the flashing light off of the food to either use as a signal on the beach or could come in handy if another raft is built.

12. Check out this audio clip. Someone at the Fuselage recorded the sound from the jungle, right before Hurley attacks Sawyer and played it backwards. Weird!

13. Of course no one was going to help when Hurley attacked Sawyer. I think that Sawyer likes this role that he has set up for himself as the outsider, yet needed for all the “goods” he keeps.
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14. To debunk a rumor going around the internet, I could not find an airplane in this picture. This is the picture that is hanging in Dr Brooks’ office (Hurley’s doctor).
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15. Henry. This so seems like religious symbolism. Like the image of Christ on the cross. But, if that *is* the image that the producers are sending, why? Christ was misunderstood but withstood the torture for what he believed was his purpose. Seems like shaky ground considering the conservative culture in America. But, this image does seem powerful for this character and where they are taking him (the writers, I mean).

16. Henry tells Locke that God doesn’t know the island is there any more than anyone else in the world. Can the magnetism coming from the island be blocking radar much the way it throws off a compass? Henry says this place is a joke. Could Henry be someone who has been through the stations as an experiment (like Desmond) and that this hatch is insignificant in the grander scheme? Could he be duping Locke so that he will let the timer run out to get another peek at the secret map?

17. Is it at ALL possible that pseudo Henry is HIM? Wizard of Oz clues could lead us to believe it. We are to think that there is the great and powerful Oz (aka HIM) but it turns out *just* to be a man. Henry is just so crafty at this game he is playing that you have to wonder who he really is. What was his purpose in being caught? Why is he aligning himself with Locke? Why didn’t he leave when he had the chance? What was he really up to when the hatch went dark.

18. The note on the $20 bill. Seems like Sayid really got him with this one. However, maybe not. Maybe Henry and The Others figured that the search party from the survivors would dig him up and this item is just a red herring to them. Or maybe it is meant to throw them off what is really going on there. Seems like nothing on this show turns out to just simply be “what it is” on the surface.
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19. Once Michael shows back up (yes, he IS coming back…see my Upcoming Episodes page), could he possibly fix the real Henry’s balloon to get off of the island? Michael is the construction guy and if he gets Walt back he is for sure, 100%, going to want to run like crazy.

20. How did Henry know who the “bearded man” was? When Locke comes into the armory to chat he asks if the bearded man is HIM. Henry responds by telling Locke that he is “no one.” So how does Henry know who Locke is even talking about if he isn’t part of Zeke’s group?

21. Libby says to Hurley on the beach that “it’s like the island doesn’t want you to lose weight.” What a strange thing to say, very Locke-esque.

22. Santa Rosa is the same mental institution that Locke’s mom was in. We learned this when Locke hired the private investigator.

23. I was happy that the producers answered the question about why they never showed the caves anymore. Seems according to Hurley that no one lives there anymore.

24. What is Eko building? You can take this for whatever you would like. Read the diary entries from the ABC website, but I have read that whoever writes these (in real life) is not affiliated with the writers of the show so I don’t know if this is real or not, but since it *is* at ABC’s website so it may also be right on.
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ABC Diary Link One
ABC Diary Link Two

25. Ah, love. Get a room!
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26. One more thing, another Desmond throw back. Right before Dave jumps off the cliff he tells Hurley “See you in another life.” This is the same thing Desmond said to Jack when they met on the stairs back in The States.