"If you understood everything I said, you'd be me" - Miles Davis
"There is much pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge." - Bertrand Russell
"Take away the right to say fuck and you take away the right to say fuck the government." - Lenny Bruce
"Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true!" - Homer Simpson
Safety Warning. Not for use as a stroller. May contain parts. Manufactured in a facility where one or more of the following may be present: Peanuts, almonds, unfiltered water, oxygen, ultaviolet and infrared radiation, sunlight. Use only as directed by your legal counsel. Do not use during earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding or presidential election years. Use of handles may promote RSI, see your doctor or therapist before opening. May be flammable when exposed to open flame. Not for use as a stepping stool or adult seat. May cause injury if dropped from a height. Does not enable user to fly. Do not eat.
If erection lasts for over 4 hours call friends and brag. Persons attempting to find a motive in this blog will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot. We don't need no stinkin' badges.
Same-day service.
Unplug after use.
Slippery when wet.
Ignore this notice.
Use only as directed.
Consume in moderation.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
Your mileage may vary.
For external use only.
Don't try this at home.
No purchase is necessary.
You must be present to win.
Do not think of an elephant.
Other restrictions may apply.
Apply only to affected areas.
Part of a daily balanced diet.
No shirt, no shoes, no service.
You need not be present to win.
No user-serviceable parts inside.
Do not exceed recommended dosage.
Offer void where prohibited by law.
Do not remove under penalty of law.
You have the right to remain silent.
If swallowed, do not induce vomiting.
Valid only at participating locations.
Freshest if used before date specified.
Prices subject to change without notice.
Do not fold, staple, spindle or mutilate.
Contents may have settled during shipment.
Caution! The edge is closer than you think.
In emergency, break glass, pull down handle.
Product is sold by weight and not by volume.
Do not use if safety seal is torn or missing.
If condition persists, consult your physician.
Detach and include upper portion with payment.
Nutritional need is not established in humans.
Objects on screen are closer than they appear.
Satisfaction guaranteed; return for full refund.
Names have been changed to protect the innocent.
Anything you say can and will be used against you.
May be used as flotation device in case of emergency.
Please note locations of emergency exits upon arrival.
No animals were harmed in the production of this page.
Caution: Dates on calendar are closer than they appear.
Please leave as clean on leaving as you would like to find on entering.
Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
Do not use if you have ever had an allergic reaction to this product or any of its ingredients.
WARNING
Business is unpredictable and unsafe. The Internet is dangerous. Many blogs have been written about these dangers, and there's no way we can list them all here. Read the blogs.
The Internet is covered in slippery slopes with loose, slippery and unpredictable footing. The RIAA can make matters worse. Patent trolls are everywhere. You may fall, be spammed or suffer a DOS attack. There are hidden viruses and worms. You could break your computer. There is wild code, which may be vicious, poisonous or carriers of dread malware. These include viruses and worms. E-mail can be poisonous as well. We don't do anything to protect you from any of this. We do not inspect, supervise or maintain the Internet, blogsphere, ISP?s or other features, natural or otherwise.
Real dangers are present even on the Web. E-commerce is not the mall. It can be, and is, steep, slippery and dangerous. Web features made or enhanced by humans, such as firewalls and spam filters (if any) can break, collapse, or otherwise fail catastrophically at any time. We don't promise to inspect, supervise or maintain them in any way. They may be negligently constructed or repaired. The web is unsafe, period. Live with it or stay away.
Stay on trusted sites whenever possible. The terrain, in addition to being dangerous, is surprisingly complex. You may get lost. Carry food, water and an APU at all times.
Ads for things you don't want and other objectionable content can arrive from nowhere. This can happen naturally, or be caused by people around you that are being used as bots. Spam and disgusting images of all sizes, including huge images, can arrive, or pop-up with no warning. Use of spam filters is advised for anyone approaching the Internet. They can be purchased or rented from us. They won't save you if you get hit by something big or on a port you left open. A whole DOS attack might collapse on you and squash you like a bug. Don't think it can't happen.
Public opinion can be dangerous, regardless of the forecast. Be prepared with extra damage control, including press releases. Ticking off the blogsphere can kill you. The Streisand effect can turn a simple nastygram into a deathtrap.
If you make hasty comments about those in high places (making unsupported comments that reduce the image of a person, often posted quickly and without thinking) without proper thought and, or allow your employees to do so, you are making a terrible mistake. Even if you know what you're doing, lots of things can go wrong and you may be sued for libel. It happens all the time.
We do not provide rangers or security personnel. The other people on the web, including other visitors, our employees, agents, and guests, and anyone else who might sneak in, may be stupid, reckless, or otherwise dangerous. They may be mentally ill, criminally insane, drunk, using illegal drugs and/or armed with deadly malware and ready to use them. We aren't necessarily going to do anything about it. We refuse to take responsibility.
If you surf at work, you may become pre-occupied with it. This is true whether you are experienced or not, trained or not, equipped or not, though training and equipment may help. It's a fact, surfing at work is extremely dangerous. If you don't like it, surf at home. You really shouldn't be doing it anyway. We do not provide supervision or instruction. We are not responsible for, and do not track how much time you surf at work (although we could if we wanted to.) As far as we know, your employer may find out and send you plunging to unemployment. There are countless tons of loose management staff ready to be dislodged and fall on you or someone else. There are any number of extremely and unusually dangerous conditions existing on and around the Web, and elsewhere on the Internet. We may or may not know about any specific hazard, but even if we do, don't expect us to try to warn you. You're on your own.
Rescue services are not provided by us, and may not be available quickly or at all. Local computer geeks may not be equipped for or trained in hard drive recovery. If you are lucky enough to have somebody try to get rid of a virus or find that deleted file, they may be incompetent or worse. This includes your local computer store. We assume no responsibility. Also, if you decide to participate in a rescue of some other unfortunate, that's your choice. Don't do it unless you are willing to assume all risks.
By entering our site, you are agreeing that we owe you no duty of care or any other duty. We promise you nothing. We do not and will not even try to keep the premises safe for any purpose. The premises are not safe for any purpose. This is no joke. We won't even try to warn you about any dangerous or hazardous condition, whether we know about it or not. If we do decide to warn you about something, that doesn't mean we will try to warn you about anything else. If we do make an effort to fix an unsafe condition, we may not try to correct any others, and we may make matters worse! We and our employees or agents may do things that are unwise and dangerous. Sorry, we're not responsible. We may give you bad advice. Don't listen to us. In short, ENTER AND USE THIS SITE AT YOUR OWN RISK. And have fun!
Warning: This Product Warps Space and Time in Its Vicinity.
Warning: This Product Attracts Every Other Piece of Matter in the Universe, Including the Products of Other Manufacturers, with a Force Proportional to the Product of the Masses and Inversely Proportional to the Distance Between Them.
Caution: The Mass of This Product Contains the Energy Equivalent of 85 Million Tons of TNT per Net Ounce of Weight.
Handle with Extreme Care: This Product Contains Minute Electrically Charged Particles Moving at Velocities in Excess of Five Hundred Million Miles per Hour.
Consumer Notice: Because of the 'Uncertainty Principle,' It Is Impossible for the Consumer to Find Out at the Same Time Both Precisely Where This Product Is and How Fast It Is Moving.
Advisory: There is an Extremely Small but Nonzero Chance That, Through a Process Known as 'Tunneling,' This Product May Spontaneously Disappear from Its Present Location and Reappear at Any Random Place in the Universe, Including Your neighbor's Domicile. The Manufacturer Will Not Be Responsible for Any Damages or Inconvenience That May Result.
Read This Before Opening Package: According to Certain Suggested Versions of a Grand Unified Theory, the Primary Particles Constituting This Product May Decay to Nothingness Within the Next Four Hundred Million Years.
This is a 100% Matter product: In the Unlikely Event That This Merchandise Should Contact Antimatter in Any Form, a Catastrophic Explosion Will Result.
Public Notice as Required by Law: Any Use of This Product, in Any Manner Whatsoever, Will Increase the Amount of Disorder in the Universe. Although No Liability Is Implied Herein, the Consumer Is Warned That This Process Will Ultimately Lead to the Heat Death of the Universe.
Note: The Most Fundamental Particles in This Product Are Held Together by a 'Gluing' Force About Which Little Is Currently Known and Whose Adhesive Power Can Therefore Not Be Permanently Guaranteed.
Attention: Despite Any Other Listing of Product Contents Found Hereon, the Consumer Is Advised That, in Actuality, This Product Consists Of 99.9999999999% Empty Space.
New Grand Unified Theory Disclaimer: The Manufacturer May Technically Be Entitled to Claim That This Product Is Ten-Dimensional. However, the Consumer Is Reminded That This Confers No Legal Rights Above and Beyond Those Applicable to Three-Dimensional Objects, Since the Seven New Dimensions Are 'Rolled Up' into Such a Small 'Area' That They Cannot Be Detected.
Please Note: Some Quantum Physics Theories Suggest That When the Consumer Is Not Directly Observing This Product, It May Cease to Exist or Will Exist Only in a Vague and Undetermined State.
Component equivalency notice: The Subatomic Particles (Electrons, Protons, etc.) Comprising This Product Are Exactly the Same in Every Measurable Respect as Those Used in the Products of Other Manufacturers, and No Claim to the Contrary May Legitimately Be Expressed or Implied.
Health Warning: Care Should Be Taken When Lifting This Product, Since Its Mass, and Thus Its Weight, Is Dependent on Its Velocity Relative to the User.
"The most outlandish of these devices was the Rocket Drag Axle,
which connected mechanically to a car's differential and, when ignited,
surpassed the engine's motive force by upwards of a thousand horsepower and
launched the vehicle forward at a truly mind-numbing rate of acceleration. The
infamous Black Widow Volkswagen Beetle, a basically stock Bug fitted with a
Turbonique Rocket Drag Axle, instantly became a drag racing legend by leaving
Tommy Ivo's four-engine Showboat dragster in its dust with a 9.36 elapsed time
at 168 mph on Sept.19, 1966, at Tampa Dragway.
Built by tobacco heir Zachary Reynolds of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco fame, the
"Tobacco King" 1964 Ford Galaxie was as wild an example of a Rocket Drag
Axle-equipped car as one could ask for, and certainly reflected Reynolds'
daredevil personality. Playboy, pilot, Ham Radio enthusiast and all-around
enfant terrible, Reynolds specifically wanted a car that would terrorize
everyone with its appearance alone..."
"Never do I want to hear again from my conservative friends about
how brilliant capitalists are, how much they deserve their seven-figure salaries
and how government should keep its hands off the private economy.
The Wall Street titans have turned into a bunch of welfare clients. They are
desperate to be bailed out by government from their own incompetence, and from
the deregulatory regime for which they lobbied so hard. They have lost
"confidence" in each other, you see, because none of these oh-so-wise captains
of the universe have any idea what kinds of devalued securities sit in one
another's portfolios.
So they have stopped investing. The biggest, most respected investment firms
threaten to come crashing down. You can't have that. It's just fine to make it
harder for the average Joe to file for bankruptcy, as did that wretched
bankruptcy bill passed by Congress in 2005 at the request of the credit card
industry. But the big guys are "too big to fail," because they could bring us
all down with them.
Enter the federal government, the institution to which the wealthy are not
supposed to pay capital gains or inheritance taxes. Good God, you don't expect
these people to trade in their BMWs for Saturns, do you? "
Yawn. Nothing really happened this episode. Yea, Sun gave birth in the future, but that
hardly required any dramatic moral choices. And we learned that Ben's mole is the guy
everyone already guessed it was. And once again I was wrong with a prediction that
Charlotte worked for Ben.
Maybe what this episode needs is different theme music
What does Frank have to be ready (and not late) for?
Frank says he'll "be up", so it sounds like something on board, something unpleasant,
by the look on Frank's face. I don't think it's poker with the boys.
" Verne's 1875 diary of a shipwreck is told from the point of
view of one of the passengers. A plot element that Verne uses again and again
(and Lost picks up on) is the use of an international cast of characters, and
The Survivors of the Chancellor is no different, but the characters are
primarily from the British Isles, France and America. The diary follows a J.R.
Kazallon's account of the ship the Chancellor leaving Charleston, South Carolina
and heading out to the Sargasso Sea via the Bermuda Triangle (it can't be
avoided).
Eighteen days into the voyage, the crew discovers a fire in the cargo hold of
the ship; one of the passengers, a Welshman named John Ruby, was smuggling "with
characteristic Anglo-Saxon incautiousness" an explosive called potassium
picrate, which ignited in the hold. Things pretty much devolve from there. The
fire burns for days, the captain resigns, and the smuggler himself goes mad and
jumps through a hatch into the fire. The ship finds its way to a small volcanic
island and tries to make repairs, dumping much of its cargo and putting out the
fire. But not long after setting off again, it starts to take on water, and
after a number of days they're forced to make a raft and abandon ship. The
survivors limp south, and little by little, succumb to the pressures; some of
the crew get drunk and mutiny, some die, some eat the dead, one person dies from
poisonous water. A body even goes missing, like Christian Shephard's, and like
Regina, one crew member goes insane and jumps off the ship.
One of the interesting points about the novel is that the narrator is constantly
giving their precise latitude and longitude throughout. This makes the novel a
bit more interactive than a regular book, as the reader can follow along with a
map and chart when and where the survivors ended up (not unlike what much of the
Lost audience does each week). Furthermore, this kind of interaction is one that
displaces traditional author/audience roles, where the audience only passively
receives whatever the author explains (and we know how active the Lost audience
is in its story). As such, it's fitting that the name of the ship, Chancellor,
describes an administrative official of high national office, and in some places
a leader. The leader, in other words, is crippled and brought down, while those
who were subject to the leader become self-organizing and self-directing, for
better and worse."
Kitchen trouble? Would Michael sabotage the kitchen?
Why is Frank coming from the copter with the bag of lima beans?
Lima Beans, aka Phaseolus lunatus:
"P. lunatus is a legume. It is grown for its seed, which is eaten as a vegetable.
It is commonly known as the lima bean or butter bean; it is also known as Haba
bean, Pallar bean, Burma bean, Guffin bean, Hibbert bean, Java bean, Sieva bean,
Rangood bean, Madagascar bean, Paiga, Paigya, prolific bean, civet bean and
sugar bean."
This doesn't lead anywhere, but then neither did this episode.
Beach
Uh oh, Sun is actually thinking about WTF is going on. This can't last,
so don't expect it in future episodes.
Sun and Jin actually want to know what's going on and Kate actually
tells them. Amazing.
Meow-Kate doesn't play well with the other girls. Especially if they've stolen
one of her men or clocked her over the head.
Freighter
Nitpick: Sayid should assume the room is bugged. Instead he blabs
away, telling potential listeners that there's a mole.
"Don't Trust The Captain": Brilliant, like anybody on Lost should
trust anyone. How about some useful advice, like "don't eat the tacos"?
Beach
Why does Daniel have the phone all taken apart? Did it get broken last ep
and I missed it? Or is he trying to hack it?
Daniel is still wearing that tie. I bet he strangled a hobo with that tie.
Great googly mooglys, Sun is asking direct questions and demanding answers!
Jin is wearing a red shirt. He's in mortal danger.
Sun has a goddamn plan, and nobody better get in her way.
Another direct question, this time from Juliet.
Hospital
All the hospital scenes are creepy-I keep expecting somebody to steal the baby.
Jin
Yes, Jin has a temper. Yawn
What drugs is the toy store guy on?
Beach
Nice map, it's like a third-grader drew it, not expert
tracker Kate.
If it's all she's got left, Juliet will resort to the nuclear
option.
I love the stunned look on Sun's face.
The first thing that goes through Jin's mind is "I gotta go fishing"?
Look, it's Bernard, the very definition of a 3rd wheel.
Freighter
"That sound is not mechanical"-I love Sayid. He and Desmond should get
their own spinoff. They'd be a great pair of cops who make their own rules.
That banging might be intended to be heard by a submarine.
Frank is on an "errand"?
Say goodbye to Regina.
Captain Gault is a
fictional sea captain created by English writer William Hope Hodgson.
"Captain Gault seems to be a captain for hire, and operates a
different ship in each of the stories. Some take place in England, some in the
United States, some in Havanna, and some in Europe. Gault himself is a morally
ambiguous character who follows the pattern of many famous fictional criminals:
although a law-breaker (he seems primarily interested in making money), he
proves also to have a strict moral code. As the series progresses, we learn
tantalizing bits of information about Captain Gault: he seems to be highly
placed in a secret society; he has occult knowledge about arcane religious
artifacts; he seems to be very knowledgeable about gemstones; he is a skilled
amateur painter. In general, he reveals himself to have surprising resevoirs of
specialized knowledge. Where he got all this knowledge is generally not
revealed; we get only these tantalizing hints at the character's
past."
Galt: "Some of my crew have been dealing with what might best be described
as a heightened case of cabin fever. I think it might have something to do with the
close proximity of the island". Something is screwing up the crew, and I don't
think it's time-travelling.
There's no reason to believe anything the Captain says.
What possible use is the black box on the freighter? It's only a cool looking prop
for the Captain's con.
Boom, one second they have to do an emergency c-section, the next
the baby's born.
Freighter
"He was surprisingly forthcoming"-Sayid didn't believe a word.
Frank mentioned that you don't want to talk to the Captain. The Doctor
warns about "never pissing him off". He was kind of intense, but I'm still
waiting for the scary side of the Captain.
Desmond: "This ship isn't moving"
Doctor: "If you say so"
Nice and cryptic, the way I like it.
Welcome to the suicide suite.
Mops aren't very good at wall cleaning.
Oh my god, it's Michael. What a surprise. I never saw that coming.
Nice poker faces.
Beach
Nuttin
Jin at Hospital
Yup, it's a flashback. Thug Jin is working for Mr. Paik. He needed the
panda for the Chinese ambassador.
Sun's house
She's only taking the ring out of hospital bag now?
Why is Hurley releaved that none of the other Oceanic 6 are coming?
For a second there I thought Hurley and Sun were going to start making out.
Now that would have been a shocker.
The tombstone says that Jin died the day the plane crashed.
Sun and Hurley either think Jin is dead or as good as dead.
"Everybody Loves a panda!!! Especially when you really, really need one. Because
that's when a panda is most likely to be there for you, right? Right. Because as
far as I'm concerned, the panda sure as shit wasn't there the first time around.
What the hell am I talking about? I'm talking about the fact that Jin can walk
straight up to a store clerk who happens to be standing in front of a giant
panda and somehow NOT see it. He asks for a panda and the clerk whisks him off
to an aisle of plush dolls to uncover the secret hidden 'last' panda. And after
Jin loses it in a Mr. Bean-esque series of trips, drops, and fist-shaking
mishaps... he returns to the store only to discover a second giant panda resting
next to a dragon on the shelf behind the clerk - right where a dragon (and only a
dragon) existed just a minute ago.
As so often happens on LOST, sought-after things are miraculously provided. From
Sun's pregnancy test to Charlie's guitar, from Jack's dynamite to Ben's spinal
surgeon... all things come to those who need them. The phenomenon goes by many
names: suggestive manifestation, the magic box - this time I think it's more
along the lines of course correction. Jin was in desperate need of a damned
panda and poof - there it was. Think I'm reading too much into this? Think I'm
talking out of my ass? 9 out of 10 people do. But then again, those are the same
people who still think the picture frame changes in Miles ghost-hunter flashback
can be chalked up as 'set error'.
"Pere Ubu and the Brothers Quay present
the WORLD PREMIERE of Bring Me The Head Of Ubu Roi
In
two specially created performances for Southbank Centre's ETHER 08 festival,
expressionist avant-garage band Pere Ubu presents the world premiere of Bring Me The Head of Ubu Roi, an adaptation
of Ubu Roi (King Ubu), Alfred Jarry's landmark 1896 play that inspired
the band's name and is widely seen as the precursor to the Absurdist, Dada and
Surrealist art movements.
At the heart of Jarry's original production was
the use of various performance media, and Pere Ubu's show reflects this with a
unique visual staging by the enigmatic Brothers Quay, featuring intriguing
stop-motion animation, projections and imaginative stage designs. Singer David
Thomas will feature as Père Ubu, partnering Sarah-Jane Morris (ex-Communards) in
the role of Mère Ubu, and the production includes an original music score by the
band Pere Ubu and 10 new songs. Gagarin, aka London-based former Ludus, Nico and
John Cale drummer Graham Dowdall, will contribute minimal electronic
soundscapes."
From the press release:
"Well, it's pretty simple. If someone wants to work with me then
they have the right stuff. Working with me is guaranteed career endangerment,
not to be undertaken lightly. I had no idea of who the Quays were. Everybody
else seems to know but I don't watch films, tv or video unless a space ship or
baseball is involved. The Quays don't involve themselves with either. So how am
I supposed to know? I don't make the Rules. I obey. We met. We talked. We
immediately understood each other and the project and how it all would fit
together. I don't trust visual information of any kind. The Quays were clearly
men who were capable of taming the Eye Beast. I told them I'd be delighted to
stay out of their way and let them get on with doing what they feel most. They
sent me pictures. They were, as I knew they must be, perfect. No space ships. Or
baseball. But perfect nevertheless. Only people who don't understand need to
talk. We have no need of talking. Talking is for the weak, the uncertain... and
girls. Ha-ha! (I mean it.) We are men who stand in the moment and can deliver
the goods. So down to the process: Only work with people who are Masters, and
who Understand. If you choose to work with such people then don't get in their
way unless they appear to be set on a course that will break The Rules. Don't
make up the Rules. Don't work with people who feel the need to talk to you.
Don't work with children or animals. Don't run into the
furniture."
This was an average episode, saved mostly by it's focus on Juliet, the coolest
fertility researcher on TV. It also featured an incredible amount of sheer boneheadedness.
"Previously On Lost"
Is this the first episode to start with the "Previously On Lost" recap this season?
If she was originally with Dharma she
should be much older. It's possible that she is just impersonating the original
Harper Stanhope who died in the the Purge. She certainly isn't a very good
therapist.
Another of her diplomas is from the fictitious "Experimental Social Psychological Society"(ESP society).
Those eyebrows are EVIL. And that mole should be named in the credits.
Harper's name:
"Like Anthony Cooper, Harper Stanhope has a name resonate with
the 17th and 18th centuries; the 18th century Anthony Cooper was the Earl of
Shaftesbury, and the Stanhope name holds a few similar peerages.
For one,
Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl Stanhope (1753-1816), was both a politician
and a scientist who experimented with electricity. But he is known for, among
other things, writing a response to Edmund Burke's scathing 1790 essay
Reflections on the Revolution in France. Burke - whose namesake was Juliet's
husband - supported the American Revolution, but thought the French Revolution
devolved into mob rule. Charles Stanhope, however, was a supporter of the French
Revolution, and responded with A Letter to Burke, Containing a Short Answer to
His Late Speech on the French Revolution. A few years later, Stanhope stood in
opposition to the British Parliament's suspension of Habeas Corpus, which was
also occasioned by the French Revolution; Parliament used the revolution and
demonstrations by radicals to effect a sort of proto-Patriot Act, where
publications deemed to be seditious were censured, and people could be detained
without trial (rather like Ben has been on more than one occasion).
.A generation before Charles Stanhope, two of his
predecessors held some different ideological positions. James Stanhope, 1st Earl
Stanhope, and his relative Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, were both
instrumental in crushing the Jacobite uprising. Jacobitism, besides recalling
the name of our Jacob in the island shack, was a 17th and 18th century movement
to restore the Catholic Stuart kings to the thrones in England, Scotland, and
Ireland (but as these things go, it was a lot more political than religious).
The uprising was of particular importance in Scotland, where the Highlanders,
with their Gaelic clans and culture, were primarily Jacobites. The key battle
was the 1746 Battle of Culloden, not far from Loch Ness. At this battle, the
well-equipped and organized British forces managed to put down the Highland
Jacobites, spent the next week hunting down and killing other Scottish Jacobite
leaders, and that was pretty much it for Gaelic Jacobite clan culture as a
political force in Scotland. This is also the same clan culture that Arthur
Widmore, scion of the American Widmores, yammers on about incessantly in
Bad
Twin. So in that name Stanhope, we have connections back to Edmund Burke, the
Scottish background of the Widmore clan, and echo of Jacob in Jacobitism.
Lastly, there is an orchid species called Stanhopea named after the 4th Earl of
Stanhope, Philip Henry Stanhope (not to be confused with Philip Stanhope, 4th
Earl of Chesterfield).
Harper's first name is uncommon enough to warrant a second look. It didn't take
long before Lostpedia had two suggestions up: Karen Harper is the author of a
book called Empty Cradle, about a fertility doctor named Dr. Stanhope who steals
her patient's eggs for testing. There's also the echo of one of the more famous
Harper authors, Harper Lee. Although there doesn't seem to be any direct
connections with Lee's one novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, there is something else
to consider: Lee was good friends with Truman Capote, who based a character in
his book Other Voices, Other Rooms on Harper Lee. That book concerns a young boy
who has to live with his absentee father after his mother dies, which echoes
Ben's story."
Harper: "You feel that all eyes are on you"=eye reference
Jeez, Juliet hasn't even slept with her husband yet and Harper is already
slapping her down. Nice way to be supportive.
With all the talk about celebrity, TPTB made it seem as if Juliet was one of the
Oceanic 6, until Tom shows up.
I bet Tom had to shave his mustache so he could wear the fake beard. He loved
that mustache, no wonder he was so mean.
Tom: "That Harper's a piece of work. But you give her a week,
she'll have you cryin' about your daddy. I'm speaking from personal experience
here." Is there anyone on this show without daddy issues? I wonder if Ben
made Tom kill his father?
How does Ben know Juliet loves opera?
Beach/Jungle
Yea, Juliet used to have a nice two-bedroom house and now she's reduced to
a floppy beach shack.
Bonehead #1: Nobody is watching Charlotte and Daniel (henceforth known
as CD). Jack has undoubtably neglected to inform the beach tribe about
any pertinent facts that might alarm them, or more importantly, make Jack look
bad. And even though they have plenty of reasons to suspect CD, neither Jack or
Juliet think to keep an eye on them. CD didn't even have to wait until after
bedtime.
Jungle
It's night, it's raining, so you know some kind of shit is going to happen.
Harper: "I came to deliver a message... from Ben. The two people you're looking for--Faraday and Lewis... they're headed to the Tempest. And if they figure out how to deploy that gas... then everyone on this island is going to die."
Juliet: "Why don't you stop them?"
Harper: "Because Ben wants you to go."
Juliet: "How can Ben possibly know where they are when he's a prisoner?"
Harper: "Ben is exactly where he wants to be."(Doesn't answer the question and mirrors Miles' statement to Kate)
Juliet: "How am I supposed to stop them?"
Harper: "By pointing the gun and pulling the trigger."(Very strange syntax)
Jack: "Hey!"
(Jack comes up and cocks his gun.)
Jack: "Who are you?"
Harper: "I'm an old friend of Juliet's. I just told her where the people
you're looking for are headed. Maybe you and your gun can go, too."(More
strange syntax)
That wasn't Harper in the jungle. I don't know if it was Smokey, or
Jacob, or the Island, or something else, but it wasn't human:
Her appearance was framed by the whispers.
She was soaking wet, just as Walt appeared to Shannon.
She didn't talk like real people talk.
Her repeated references
to "guns" could be related to Jacob's distaste for technology.
She disappeared almost instantly.
If Harper was actually Smokey, why didn't she just go pound CD against some trees?
Other's Clinic
The storeroom was full of non-Dharma supplies
"You're Burke, I'm Goodwin" - What's with the last names? Ethan, Tom,
and Ben get first names while we don't know Goodwin's.
Why does Goodwin have to keep his chemical burn a secret?
So he works with dangerous chemicals, it's not like he's in charge of the Other's
stockpile of WMDs.
Jungle-Losties
Will Jack and Juliet discuss the most obvious topic-what the hell were those
freaking whispers and how did Harper just disappear? Oh hell no.
"There is no obvious, single source for the plot of The Tempest.
Instead, the play seems to have been created out of an amalgamation of
sources."
"The Tempest differs from Shakespeare's other plays in its
observation of a stricter, more organized neo-classical style. The clearest
indication of this is Shakespeare's respect for the three unities in the play:
the Unities of Time, Place, and Action. The play's events unfold in real time
before the audience, Prospero even declaring at the end of the play that
everything has happened in mere hours. All action is unified into one basic
plot: Prospero's struggle to regain his dukedom; it is also confined to one
place: Prospero's Island."
"TEMPEST
is a codename referring to investigations and studies of compromising emanations
(CE).
Compromising emanations are defined as unintentional intelligence-bearing
signals
which, if intercepted and analyzed, disclose the information transmitted,
received, handled, or otherwise processed by any information-processing
equipment.
Compromising emanations consist of electrical or acoustical energy
unintentionally emitted by any of a great number of sources within
equipment/systems which process national security
information."
Juliet: "What I need is for you to help me. Will you help me?"
Personally, Juliet could get me to eat sand.
Jungle-Charlotte and Daniel
Where did they get that map?
Sweet mahoney, that is a LOT of hair! I guess Kate took advantage
of the Other's supply of grooming products.
Miles is fine, he loves eating hand grenades
Seriously, Kate's hair is amazing.
Bonehead #2: Murderer, arsonist, international
fugitive, con-woman, bank robber, pickpocket - Kate has been around the block. She managed
to live by her wits and evade a federal manhunt for years. Yet even though she's suspicious
of CD and armed with a pistol she allows Charlotte to get behind her and knock her out.
One sign that CD aren't going to gas everyone on the Island is that they
didn't make sure Kate was dead.
I for one am looking forward to Smokey turning Charlotte into a fine puree.
Jungle-Losties
Juliet: "It's very stressful being an Other, Jack."
Clinic-Juliet/Ben
Juliet's explanation of the pregnancy deaths doesn't make sense. If your
white cell count plummets then your immune system stops working; it can't attack
a fetus.
Isn't a conflict of interest to counsel someone who's having an affair
with your husband?
Lockeville
OMG, Claire has a good idea. What does Locke has to lose from Claire
talking to Miles?
They can play good cop, bad cop. Maybe Miles has a soft spot for babies
or Aussie accents.
Why isn't Locke torturing Miles?
Not that I'm advocating it, but if he's willing to kill people to protect the Island
why isn'the up to even giving Miles a beating?
Claire uses the phrase "hostile"-this mirrors Kelvin's term for the Others.
Ben: "This rabbit didn't happen to have a number, did it?"
Time-travelling bunnies upset Ben's stomach, and an hour earlier he'll be hungry again.
Ben is surprised that Kate told Locke about what Miles wants. All Locke
has to do is wait a week and let Miles go. But if Ben has a plan to neutralize the
freighter what does he care?
Bonehead #3: Locke needs guidance. More specifically, he needs guidance
from someone who knows more than he does. If I were in Locke's shoes
I would be talking to 2 people who could tell me a lot about the Others and the
Island, namely Alex and Karl:
Alex and Karl have lived on the Island with the Others all their lives.
Well, at least we know Alex has. Karl's past is unknown.
Alex and Karl are Others-they may not be fully initiated members,
but they must know something, at least a first approximation.
Locke isn't their enemy; he was almost inducted into the tribe.
I'd ask Alex and Karl:
Who are the Others? Where did they come from?
Do they have a name for themselves?
What are the Others doing on this Island?
What's the deal with Jacob?
How did Ben get to be leader?
Do you know what the Smoke Monster is?
Do you know anything about people leaving the Island?
Did you know about Ben's secret room?
Do you know anything about the Dharma pallet drops?
Why did the Others want Walt?
Ben talks metaphorically about a "magic box". Do you
know what he's talking about?
The list goes on and on......
Revolutions aren't needed under good leadership.
Locke and Jack are facing dissent because both are wrong.
Other's Beach
Why is there non-Dharma wine on the sub?
Goodwin doesn't think Ben is ruthless enough to
cause him trouble.
What kind of work does Ben have Goodwin doing with lethal chemicals?
Otherville-Plane Crash day
Goodwin is very loyal-he's like a soldier. The Others
trust him with poison gas. Other justice takes the form of "an eye for an eye".
Knowing this, it's strange that he breaks the rules by cheating on his wife.
Jungle-Losties
Ah, the old "I'll go get some water and ditch you" trick.
Lockeville
"No Tricks" my ass
Ben implies that the Others no longer want him.
Bonehead #4: Locke hasn't thoroughly searched Ben's house?
I would have torn that place apart by now and put up my own KISS posters.
The "Red Sox" label indicates that Ben made this tape after Day 69 - Monday,
November 29, 2004 (today is Day 97 - Monday, December 27, 2004). Either
that or he labels all his tapes "Red Sox" just to fuck with people.
Locke: "Who's the man in the blindfold?"
Ben: "One of my people that had the misfortune to get caught."
Locke: "How does Widmore know about the Island?"
Ben: "I don't know, but he does."
Locke: "What does he want?"
Ben: "John, three months ago in Gainesville, Florida, the Virgin Mary seemed
to appear in a patch of mold on the side of an old housing complex. When the
word got out, over 5,000 people came to see her face for themselves. You've
survived an airline crash on this island. One minute, you're in a wheelchair.
The next minute, you're doing jumping jacks. If 5,000 people came out to see a
piece of mold, how many people do you think would come here to see you? Charles
Widmore wants to exploit this island, and he'll do everything in his power to
possess it."
I think Ben is playing Locke like a fiddle and either lying and/or not
telling the whole truth. He "always has a plan":
The Others will kill their enemies. If you can make a nice clear video of
Widmore beating one of your people you can just as easily shoot him.
This implies there is some reason the Others can't just kill Widmore.
Notice how Ben's little speech insultingly compares Locke to a patch of mold
and Widmore to a bunch of overly credulous Floridians.
At the same time he's flattering Locke
by implying that he is so special that people will come to Island just to see him.
Ben makes no mention of that metaphorical
"Magic Box" that can
produce whatever someone wants.
The painting of the woman in Ben's house has changed:
"Ep# 313-The Man From Tallahassee vs Ep# 406-The Other Woman
Her hair goes from in front of the shoulder to behind it.
Consider this along with all the picture frames in the haunted grandmother's house
changing and Penny's shirt in Desmond's photograph
going from white to black.
I find it VERY hard to believe that these are simple mistakes. The picture frame scenes
were probably all shot in a single set-up; so no need to redress the set. And it isn't just
one picture frame: first they are all wood and then they are all metal.
I can see why the woman changes in Desmond's picture; TPTB might not have even
cast Penny at that point. But you would have to be a blind photoshopper not to
notice that the shirts are the opposite (and symbolic) colors.
As for the painting-they would have to lose the original and then make an
incompetent copy.
I also don't think that TPTB are introducing obvious changes without a
plot-based reason. I have to conclude that on some level reality is shifting.
Jungle-Losties
Kate's hair is getting curlier and Juliet's is getting straighter. Hairwise
and manwise, they
are trading places.
Tempest Station
CD know about the Tempest but they don't know the door combination.
What kind of power plant is the Tempest? I can think of 3 possibilities:
nuclear, geothermal, or something exotic involving the Island's magnetic field.
Update: In the next episode, Ji Yeon,
Kate tells Sun that the Tempest wasn't a power station, just a poison gas factory.
I assume she learned this from Charlotte's tour.
There's an electrical panel marked
"Box Maker" in the Tempest. "Magic" box maker?
Ben's House
""Un bel di vedremo" (One Fine Day). The song Ben plays for
Juliet at dinner is from the opera Madama Butterfly (1904) by Giacomo
Puccini. In the aria, Madama Butterfly, a young Japanese girl whose American
husband left her after only one night of marriage (and who, unbeknownst to her,
has no intent to return), anticipates the day his boat might someday come back
to the harbor. Also, the first lines of the song refer to a plume of smoke ("One
fine day, we will see/Arising a strand of smoke/Over the far horizon on the
sea"). "
"Former FBI Interrogator Jack Cloonan explains that regular
interrogation tactics work well on even the worst terrorists, that there's no
such thing as a "ticking timebomb" scenario, and that waterboarding has done
much more harm than good. You can also see interviews with Jack Cloonan in the
Oscar award-winning documentary, "Taxi to the Darkside.""
No matter who the next president is, at least they will be able to speak in complete,
coherent sentences. And unless he's standing on a nice high window ledge, no one will
broadcast GWB's painful verbal spasms.
When you turn on the radio, you might think music all sounds the
same these days, then wonder if you're just getting old. But you're right, it
does all sound the same. Every element of the recording process, from the first
takes to the final tweaks, has been evolved with one simple aim: control. And
that control often lies in the hands of a record company desperate to get their
song on the radio. So they'll encourage a controlled recording environment
(slow, high-tech and using malleable digital effects). Every finished track is
then coated in a thick layer of audio polish before being market-tested and
despatched to a radio station, where further layers of polish are applied until
the original recording is barely visible. That's how you make a mainstream radio
hit, and that's what record labels want.
.....
"When old-school producers and engineers talk about modern music,
they're convinced that better recorded music would save the music industry from
itself. Producer Joe Boyd wrote of the Buena Vista Social Club album (4m copies
worldwide): "It's success is usually ascribed to the film or the brilliant
marketing. But I am convinced that the sound of the record was equally if not
more important." Beautifully recorded records by Norah Jones, Bob Dylan and
others have certainly shifted units. But the Red Hot Chilli Peppers' brutally
mastered Californication has sold 15m copies worldwide.
Why does most music sound the same these days? Because record companies are
scared, they don't want to take risks, and they're doing the best they can to
generate mainstream radio hits. That is their job, after all. And as the skies
continue to darken over the poor benighted business of selling music, labels are
going to cling to what they know more fiercely than ever.
So is that is? Have we arrived? Will records continue to increase in loudness
and homogeneity until literally everything sounds like Californication?
Optimistic engineers dream of a day when the world's music listeners
spontaneously rebel against over-processed music. The Loudness War will end and
people will stop buying Black Eyed Peas records. A new era of high-fidelity
recording will be born, and men in white coats will once again stride
confidently through acoustically-lively studios placing their vintage
microphones with care"
This episode doesn't open with a shot of an eye, instead it's Desmond's touchstone
(constant?) picture of him and Penny. Maybe it's not the seer but the seen?
Frank has a cheatsheet to keep him on the right heading.
Faraday's bearing cheatsheet changes from shot to shot:
Is this a mistake, the producers messing with us, or a sign that on some
level the basic reality of Lost is shifting?
Frank can't hold the heading of 305-get ready for the "side effects".
Eko carved "Lift up your eyes and look north John 3:05" onto
his "Jesus stick".
Ben told Michael to sail a bearing of 325, not 305.
Army Base 1996
Desmond wakes up in 1996 with the memory of being on the helicopter in 2004.
Helicopter
1996 Desmond is now in the head of 2004 Desmond.
Beach Camp
Juliet is one smart cookie-she read Charlotte like a book.
Nitpick: Charlotte is a cultural anthropologist. She's been highly trained to
insert herself into strange social groups and observe them, paying close attention to
how her presence might effect their otherwise normal behavior. Despite this, she's
arrogant and annoying with the Losties, the very people she should be ingratiating herself
with.
Daniel: Your perception of how long your friends have been gone, it's not
necessarily how long they've been gone.
I don't think Daniel means that the time difference between the Losties and
the helicopter is only a matter of perception. The helicopter gained a day
compared to 20-30 minutes Island time. That's a ratio of around 48:1.
If the Losties were perceiving 30 minutes as 24 hours they would have
certainly noticed changes in the physical world.
Helicopter/Freighter
Two helicopter pads.
Frank lies about Desmond being a flight 815 survivor.
"Why did you bring them back?"-that doesn't sound good.
Frank gives Sayid the nod to let the goons take Desmond to sickbay.
Good thing too, otherwise things might have gotten unpleasant.
Desmond: "I'm not supposed to be here!" With all the talk of fate and destiny
and course corrections who is where they're supposed to be?
Maybe Nitpick: Does it seem like the Freighter is a little disorganized?
Only 2 unarmed (or at best lightly armed) goons greet the returning helicopter.
For all they know Ben has sent 7 kamikaze Others back with AK-47s and C4 underwear.
Army Base
Fellow soldier Billy seems awfully curious about Desmond's "leaving".
Disorganization(3): Sayid is left alone on the stern.
Sayid: "We took off at dusk and landed in the middle of the day".-
I'd like to know what Frank knows or thinks about this. I think the helicopter
leapt forward a day and half because of going slightly off-course.
Sayid trusts Frank enough to trade his gun for a phone. I hope this isn't
what Ben referred to at the end of "The Economist".
The phones can only call each other, at least until Sayid can open one
up and use a toothbrush and a paperclip to unlock it.
Daniel: "Has he recently been exposed to high levels of radiation or electromagnetism?"
-And Jack just gives him a dumb look. Of course, this is Lost, why would anyone
tell him about Desmond being inside the Swan when it went all purple and kabloeey?
Daniel: "Going to and coming from the Island some people become....a little
confused".
Sick Bay
What a friendly doctor.
"What the bloody hell is going on!"-Say it with me, brutha!
It's tempting, but I don't think Desmond's timeshifting is Rousseau's
"sickness".
Does the doctor shining a light into Desmond's eyes trigger a timeshift?
Desmond thinks so later. Minkowski mentions a flashing light in the radio room.
Does this have anything to do with episodes starting with a shot of an eye?
Army Base
Desmond is in 2004 for a couple of minutes, but it's only been a few
seconds in 1996.
Sick Bay/Beach
Desmond is in 1996 for a minute or two, but a gone a much shorter time
in 2004. It looks like the time Desmond is "gone" doesn't match the time
he is "there".
What the hell was Jack going to do?
I love this, Daniel is arranging his own in-show easter-egg.
At Camp Miller, Desmond is about 370 miles from Oxford.
Quick and dirty research indicates that taking the train would take
at between 6 and 7 hours. Conveniently, Desmond doesn't
have a flash during the trip.
I don't think Desmond ended up in the brig for going to Oxford.
He told Penny on the phone that he had 2 days leave coming.
Daniel forgetting about Desmond's visit to Oxford prevents a paradox.
In "Flashes Before Your Eyes," when Desmond
realizes that something strange is happening to him, he seeks out his friend
Donovan, who is also a physicist, and who is also giving someone a hard time
about their work when Desmond approaches.
How does Minkowski know the calls came from Penelope? How does he know
that Penelope has a boyfriend named Desmond?
Nitpick: What kind of magic "calls" are Penny sending? The freighter would have
to be monitoring her frequency to even know she's transmitting a radio signal.
Why have a flashing light tell you there's a "call" you aren't allowed to answer?
Oxford
Desmond was gone from 1996 for 75 minutes. Daniel said he wasn't going to
train Eloise for an hour. Could Daniel have trained a rat to run that big maze in
15 minutes? He better have, or we have a paradox.
It's getting harder for Desmond to return to 1996
Eloise only jumped once, and only jumped an hour into the future, yet
she's dead from the stress? Desmond's head should have exploded by now.
According to
Lostpedia's Timeline, the radio room was
sabotaged after the copter4 left the freighter.
If Ben's "man on the boat" wrecked the radio,
this puts the kibosh on my
theory that Charlotte is Ben's mole, unless he has more than one.
Who unlocked the door, the mole or Frank?
Auction
The Black Rock set sail from England in 1845 enroute to Thailand.
The first mate's journal was found on the
island of Île Sainte-Marie,
a former pirate haven off of Madagasgar. The main town on the island
is named "Ambodifotatra", which is like the best name ever.
We can assume the seller, Tovard Hanso, is related to Alvar Hanso, but
why would he sell the journal?
How did Desmond know where to find Widmore?
The item after the journal is something of Charles Dickens-Desmond's
favorite author.
Widmore is jerk, isn't he? But his sadism leads to him telling Desmond
Penny's address so that she can hurt Dez more.
I've noticed that all of Desmond's meetings with Widmore have
involved liquids:
Whiskey that Widmore thinks Desmond isn't good enough to drink
The torrential downpour when Desmond is released from prison
Widmore taking a leak / Leaving the sink running
In fact, water shows up a lot in this episode:
Constant rain at the army base
The painting of the Black Rock on the ocean
The running sink
The water pipes in the stairwell Desmond collapses in
Freighter
The freighter was waiting for orders for some time.
Minkowski:"When the Captain finds out I feel sorry...".
The Captain doesn't know that the radio was trashed 2 days ago? Why hasn't
anyone told him?
Sayid:"After your call someone has to tell me precisely what is going on".
This is why I love Sayid: He not only wants to know WTF is going on, but he tries
to find out.
Of course Sayid can fix the radio. By season 5 he'll be able to raise the dead
with nothing but a toilet-paper tube and wad of gum.
I think the flight out threw the copter a day and half, 2 days into the future.
In any case, there isn't a huge difference between on and off-island time. Unless
the calendar is a plant.
Is there any significance to the different colored x's on the calendar?
Penny's/Radio room
Desmond:"I know it's too late to change things".
As the phone rings both Desmonds are awake and in their rightful times.
Penny thought she might be going crazy.
When Penny picks up the phone I just lose it. I think even Sayid got
a little sniffly.
Xmas eve (freighter)=Xmas eve (London)=Same Day
I wonder if you could make your constant someone you hate?
Daniel on the beach
Why would Daniel care enough about Desmond to make him his constant?
Final Thoughts
Rose had radiation therapy for her cancer. Has she travelled in time?
Who Flew Naomi? What heading did they use?
I guess Frank didn't want Faraday talking to Minkowski because Minkowski was
suffering from time-shifts.
Let's say your future body dies while your future self is in your past body; can
your future self stay alive in your past body?
We've established that your mind can go forward or back in time and inhabit
your body. Is it possible for your mind to inhabit someone else's body?
How did Dharma avoid this? They must have had scientists who had been
exposed to electromagnetism or radiation. How would Dharma know the correct
bearing?
"Let's bring back Robert Anton Wilson: In Prometheus Rising, RAW
breaks down Timothy Leary's Eight-Circuit Model of Consciousness (and remember,
Leary got his start with Richard Alpert, the namesake of the ageless Other who
brings Ben into the fold). Unlike the eight-fold path, the path to righteousness
through the eight beatitudes, and the eighth sefira on the Tree of Life, Leary's
model isn't so much a yellow brick road to transcendence or a promised land, but
rather a map of what's already there, either experienced or uncharted by the
individual. And as RAW points out, the eight circuits are only a convenient way
of mapping consciousness — and the map is not the territory.
The eighth circuit in Leary's model is the Non-Local Quantum Circuit, which is
imprinted on the consciousness "by Shock, by 'near-death' or 'clinical death'
experience, by OOBEs (out-of-body-experiences), by trans-time perceptions
("precognition"), by trans-space visions (ESP), etc. It tunes the brain into the
non-local quantum communication system suggested by physicists such as Bohm,
Walker, Sarfatti, Bell, etc." Recall that the non-local refers to the software,
or consciousness itself. Not to discount the Buddhist, Christian or Jewish
models, but of all the eights, this one seems to map onto Lost more accurately
than the rest. Just take Desmond as our test rabbit: He had a near-death
experience in the Swan Station; his software was shaken loose from its hardware
and is free-roaming across time, creating out-of-body-type experiences; he's
certainly had precognitive moments (like every time he saved Charlie); and what
were his flashes in "Flashes Before Your Eyes" and "The Constant" if not
trans-space (and trans-time) visions? But again, as RAW is quick to point out,
the model hardly represents the whole system. "
"The tone of the show is now more along the lines of "Ah, screw
it! Yeah, the guy really talks to ghosts. And there's a polar bear in Tunisia,
plus Jacob's cabin can magically teleport. Oh yeah, and Jack's dad is inside and
talks to Vincent when he wants to. And let's not forget about the DHARMA station
with instantly duplicating bunnies. Time on the island is out of sync with the
outside world, someone filled a Boeing 777 with 300 dead bodies and pretended it
was Oceanic 815, Ben has billions of identities and Sayid works for him in the
future, Kate is raising Claire's baby, Charlie still exists in some fashion, and
we'll toss in some more time travel just because we can! Woo-hoo! THIS IS
FUN!!!"
I for one am happy the bottom has dropped out and the series has become a
free-for-all of sci-fi and supernatural shenanigans, plus the entirely new
storyline introduced in the flashforwards. This isn't to say there is not some
internal logic at work. I am sure there is. I'm just happy that we are finally,
finally, finally getting to the meat and bones of this story. After three
seasons of introduction, the final three seasons act as the story's end
game."
"The real Minkowski of this episode, though, is Hermann
Minkowski; the scientist who theorised about the oneness of space and time. Fret
not, I'll be keeping this simple. Before this brief explanation is done you'll
probably realise how it equates to Desmond. See, what Hermann Minkowksi figured
out was that there wasn't really such a thing as time. Rather the whole universe
is like a photograph, just in 4-D. Everything happens/is happening/happened at
once, in an instant.
That's hard to imagine, right? Which is why we require a sense of time. Of one
thing following another. We experience event after event in a linear fashion.
Our brains can't cope with the 'everything happening at once' concept. But
working on the principle that everything is all happening at once, then
Desmond's experiences (in Flashes Before Your Eyes and The Constant) are that of
a consciousness breaking loose of the linear rationalisation of time and gaining
awareness of the oneness of space and time.
"Your perception of how long your friends have been gone is not necessarily how
long they've actually been gone." - Daniel Faraday
Unfortunately, as George Minkowski and a white rat can attest, cramming that
level of awareness into a human brain is like trying to pour an ocean into a
thimble - it doesn't fit. And so what we saw here was Desmond trying to
re-connect with a linear view of time by completing the mental circuit of his
'past' and his 'present' by the one constant, Penny, before his brain
overloaded. Thankfully Desmond succeeded, but it wouldn't have been the case
were it not for one man: Daniel Faraday. More specifically a younger, less of a
"head case" Daniel Faraday."
"Most episodes of Lost explore the conflicts that speak to the
very core issues of the human experience: good and evil, past and present,
present and future, science and faith, fate and free will, life and death. Lost
has the audacity to suggest that every one of these dichotomies might be a false
one, and instead only a matter of perspective. Consider the title of the most
recent episode. Daniel Faraday borrows the term 'constant' from the language of
the mathematics: "All this ... this is all variables. It's a random scale. Every
equation needs stability, something known." As Daniel explains this concept to
Desmond, he instantly interprets it on his own terms, in the language of the
love: "This constant ... can it be a person?" Only the combined efforts of
Daniel's head and Desmond's heart (as well as Daniel's heart and Desmond's mind)
could find salvation from this predicament. The unlucky lab rat Eloise lacked
either one of these human characteristics, so she could not survive the journey.
Our short-lived newcomer George Minkowski seemed to possess enough mental
faculties to understand what was happening to him, but he could not find the
emotional grounding necessary to get back to reality. The Constant not only
appeals equally to the hearts and minds of its audience, but the story also
suggests that those two forces (much like space and time) cannot exist
independently from each other."
Great use of Talking Heads for paragraph headings:
The Same as it Ever Was
And You May Find Yourself in Another Part of the World
And You May Ask Yourself - Well, How Did I Get Here?
This is not my beautiful house. This is not my beautiful wife.
Letting the Days Go By
And You May Ask Yourself, Am I Right...Am I Wrong?
"Tell me, you go over a man's house for the first time, do you
take off your shoes? Do you put your feet up on his coffee table? Do you walk in
the kitchen, eat food that doesn't belong to you? Open the
door to rooms you got no business opening?"
Doesn't this sound like what Locke and his group are doing?
The
trawler-like ship that the Others used to leave Hydra Island is still out there
somewhere.
"The Constant"
rocked, and more than made up the lackluster "Eggtown".
