LOST Season 6 Extras: Bloopers Reel

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

LOST Season 6 Behind The Scenes: Sayid's Spa Day At The Temple

Jorge Garcia gives us an excellent look at the temple markings. He even makes some speculations about "The Spring!"

LOST Season 6 Featurette – “A Hero’s Journey”

What is a hero? What defines a hero's journey?  These questions and more explored by Team LOST.

"A Hero's Journey," Part 1

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcqFQfciB4o[/youtube]

"A Hero's Journey," Part 2

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YebjjJnXOU[/youtube]

LOST Season 6 Featurette - "See You In Another Life, Brotha"

"See you. . ."

Team LOST explores and explains the Flashsideways world.

LOST Season 6 Extras: Behind the Scenes – “Happily Ever After”

Team LOST offers us an excellent behind the scenes peek at a pivotal scene: Desmond's first "flash" in the sideways world. [Also fascinating to watch Jack Bender direct actors underwater!]

LOST Season 6 Extras: Deleted Scenes – “Desmond’s Task”

Hello, lovely LOST readers!  Your old pal Amy has been busy, busy, busy figuring out a way to get this VERY valuable resource to YOU!

Below you'll find the MOST IMPORTANT deleted scene of Season 6 -- "Desmond's Task."

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTrPqtPA2Vk[/youtube]

LOST MAIL BAG – Amy Answers FAN Questions

YAY! It's time for MAIL BAG! [Where Amy finally gets off her tail and does the best she can to answer your questions about LOST!]

THIS EDITION OF MAIL BAG focuses on lingering questions after "The End."  The finale left a lot of LOST fans scratching their heads (and/or CRYING their eyes out like ME).  The good news is with the finale over, all the puzzle pieces are FINALLY in the box. The better news is: if you are one of those fans determined to figure out what happened, you are in luck!  Team Rewatch here at LOSTblog is all about going BAAAAACK to the beginning and re-examining the entire show in context. Be sure to check out all our recaps, podcasts and LIVE chats each week!

This is a special edition of MAIL BAG is dedicated to answering excellent QUESTIONS from groovy LOST fan, Diane.  Her questions and my answers cover similar questions many of my lovely LOST readers have been posting over the past three weeks.  I'll encourage all of you to read through them!

Diane wrote:

It's me again, Amy. I've re-read your recaps and some of the other articles you've written about your theories, and they are very interesting.

Thank you very much! I'm glad you are enjoying them!

Did you come up with this on your own?

I didn't start really digging into LOST until after the Season 3 finale (first flash forward), and even then, I spent very little time debating/discussion the show with other peeps on a regular basis.  I'm not the only fan (by FAR) who made a strong case that nothing on LOST taking place in a physical world well before the finale.  However, I've yet to find someone who syncs up 100% with what I'm doing, esp when we start getting into the Undershow -- I'll save that one for later! Unless I specifically note it, everything I post comes from my own head (disturbing, right?). All I can say is what I always say: I only follow the evidence.

Do most of the people on this site agree with your theory? Just asking.

Always feel free to ask questions!  We love it!  The simplest answer is: maybe.  LOSTblog was developed and set up to facilitate rewatch and post-finale activities, all based on the idea that this is supposed to be FUN. What's so very cool about rewatch, and about LOSTblog in general, is that the guess work is over.  Now is the time to TEST our theories against the show as a whole.  Everyone on LOSTblog is very excited and really digging in, which I LOVE!  If you've explored other writers on the site and LOSTblog peeps' discussions on our podcasts, then you know there's a wide spectrum of theories about the show represented here.  Right now, we are all at the "maybe" stage.  For the most part what I've heard is -- okay, so I can agree it's not physically real (since the finale made that pretty darn clear), so where does that leave us?  Now is the time to ask more questions. The best way to do that is to start from scratch and work together. That's what makes the show so cool in the first place!

Hopefully, you've also noticed that at LOSTblog we work very hard to keep our discussions friendly, fun and interesting without putting anyone down or making anyone feel "wrong" or "stupid" about their ideas.  LOSTblog is a hater-free zone *-- ALWAYS!   So feel free to ask your questions -- they are NOT stupid!

Did that answer your question?  All I'll say for now is that it's become a lot easier for other peeps on this site to "see" what I'm talking about. That is way cool in itself!

*FYI for all lovely LOST readers: Hater-free zone is exactly what it implies. Any and all opinions and constructive criticisms are welcomed here with open arms.  However, comments laced with insults, condescension and hurtful intent will be completely ignored and immediately deleted, regardless of subject or target (Team LOSTblog or other lovely LOST readers).  [Welcome to Rewatch, jerkies!!]

O.K. Here are a few questions. Please forgive me if they seem stupid, but I'm still trying to get my non scientific mind around this.

There are NO stupid questions when it comes to LOST!  And FYI: I'm an English Lit/Freshman Comp teacher! I'm right there with you!

The End of LOST, Doritos and Uncontrollable Sobbing

I posted my reaction to "The End" on my blog Catherine, Caffeinated today and below is the full text. Contains spoilers, but I'm guessing - hoping - everyone has seen it by now, and joined the 'How will I cope?' party...

My finale-watching didn't go so well first time round. I was, ahem, watching online as it aired on the East Coast of the United States, or from 2am on Monday morning. (Don't try this at home, kids, because it's technically illegal.) One hour in, the feed got cut by The Man and so I decided to have a short nap and watch it instead on Sky1 at five, which I did, even though a lack of sleep and an overnight diet of Doritos, sour cream dip, Coke (a-Cola) and coffee didn't put me in the best Lost-watching mood, and neither did having to watch the first hour twice.

But the cherry on top of my bad circumstances cake was my Sky Guide telling me Lost was on until 7.30am, when in fact it ended at 7.10. This meant that as Jack learned the true nature of the Sideways World from his father - a scene I can't even type about, as my tears would short-circuit my Mac - I thought we'd another 20 minutes of Lost love ahead. As the title flashed up with its trademark beat, I nearly choked on my toast. (I was onto toast by then; it was breakfast time.) What? That's it? That was the end?

Times Talk Live – Behind the Scenes of Lost –Videos

More Times Talk Live-Lost videos @ http://www.youtube.com/user/LateNightLetterman#g/u

 

 

 

 

LOSTalypse – What They Died For

I’m loving the wink-nudge greek chorus lines that have been happening at the beginning of the episodes this season, the classic example is last week’s, “Every answer I give you will only lead to more questions.”  I thought this week’s was more subtle, but still awesome:

David (representing audience): … You’re not gonna get all weird are you?

Jack (representing LOST): Why would I get weird?

David: Justdon’tget weird.

Jack: I won’t

Aside from that I’ve been proven wrong with just about every one of my theories that I blabbed on incessantly in the We Talk About LOST podcast last week.  Here is an off the top of my head list of my epic fails:

• Smoke Monster isn’t Jacob’s brother, but an embodiment of the evil/death/darkness on the island. MYTHBUSTED


• Miles, Richard, Ben will swoop down and save the day like Han and Chewbacca. MYTHBUSTED (but still has some hope as Miles survived, and I don’t think Smokie can kill Richard)


• The gather round the fire method of answer revelations/exposition sucks: MYTHBUSTED (though I technically I stated I didn’t like Locke’s fireside answers, so still technically unbusted)

Now here are some threads that are still valid, and can cling to tenuously as we go into Sunday.

• Everyone that Jacob brought to the Island was broken when he touched them.


• Redemption gets you crossed off the list, but doesn’t disqualify you from service to the island.

Aside from that, I have very little idea of what’s going on, and I’m gonna revel in that a bit.  But my brain, it needs to release some pressure.

• Ben always has a plan, and part of me thinks he’s allowing himself to get close to his enemy to serve his own purpose.  He’s not trusting Eff-Locke, but by keeping close to him, he at least can serve the island by thwarting his plans.


• Although I think Eff-Locke dispatched (not killed) Richard so he could continue to use Ben has his muscle, his sidearm/weapon to kill people that he can’t touch.  Like Widmore.  So Ben was possibly manipulated, but it was also some sweet revenge for Alex’s death (which was nicely foreshadowed in the sideways.)


• The concert?  Is Jack, David, Claire, Miles and Charlotte going to the same place.  Is Daniel going to be playing with Charlie?  Is that where Desmond is taking Kate in Hurley’s Camaro?  Where is Hurley taking Sayid? Is Desmond gonna lure everyone to the airport to commune around Christian’s coffin?  Who’s missing in the number of people that still need to ‘get it’?

Some things to remember, since I don’t think I’ll pre-hash this episode between now and Sunday night.  Some things going on in and around you are:

• #WRWW – We ReWatch Wednesday re-watches What They Died For in the chatroom at 8:30 CDT


• #WTAL – We Talk About LOST podcast live discussion at 9:30 CDT at talkshoe. (If the shoe gives you fits, you can dial in at Number: (724) 444-7444 Call ID: 76142 to listen in)


• Times Talks Live: LOST show in theaters with an exclusive interview with Darlton.


• #ThanksToLOST twitter-lanche all day Friday, say thanks to LOST if you can.


• LOST pilot re-airs Saturday


• Sunday is all LOST all night long


• Monday is the largest LOST-over ever – and LOSTblog will be tracking it.

Enjoy this final weekend of the most awesome hour of television, like Ever!

Namaste

What? You’re still here?  Well then, you should know that we’re gonna have to watch that again, that’s right #WFTB (Watch From the Beginning) will start again in June here’s the deets.  Also you can help support LOSTblog.com by buying DVDs from Amazon links on our sidebar, or anything from our CafePress shop.

Vidcast – Chris Seay GA2LOST Across the Sea

Amy Smashes Through The Looking Glass: LOST Disappointment – The ISLAND

[I've been getting terrific responses to my latest round of "What (TF) is going on on LOST" (keep it coming, lovely LOST readers!).  Many responses were in the same vein, so I've created a separate post to address the primary question.]

Question: "What you're doing with your theory makes sense, but one thing gives me pause.  How will Team LOST explain a complete backstory [of the island] like the one you outline here with only 4 hours left to go on the show?"

Answer: They won't.

I strongly advise we prepare ourselves accordingly.

The only way Team LOST can defintively demonstrate that the LOST world is like the one I describe in my posts (not physically real) would be to include a scene that shows someone working on or waking up OUTSIDE the system in the end.  Problem is, that ONE scene will make 99% of LOST fans across the  planet mad at Team LOST for all time.

There's no way ABC/Disney will let that happen.  My best guess is that LOST will resolve the current story line -- connecting, transferring and correcting everyone's personality in the "sideways" -- and that will be the only resolution we'll get.  Period.

In short, I think they have NO intention of explaining the island at all.

Evangeline Lilly on the End of Lost and the One Scene She Would Rewrite

 

My Q&A with a *really* candid Evangeline Lilly from Lost @Vultureblog

Spoiler section removed.

 

We're down to the last five hours of Lost: Four episodes, which includes the two-hour series finale. Tonight's installment, "The Candidate," is an ensemble-focused one in which everyone's favorite guilty-but-in-this-new-dimension-she's-innocent fugitive from justice Kate Austen plays a major part. Vulture spoke to Evangeline Lilly to discuss not just the future of Kate Austen but, because Lost has officially wrapped, the future of Evangeline Lilly as well. Also, she answers a few Vulture commenter questions.

Congratulations on wrapping the show. Is it weird that it's all over?
Yeah, it's surreal. It's exciting, but it's really strange. I've been preparing for it all year. I think I've been preparing for it for three years because we've known for so long — on our show we had the bizarre luxury of knowing in advance. I don't know if there's such a thing as ever having it feel normal. When you've been doing something for six years, then it ends ... it's surreal, but it's wonderful. Sad and wonderful, all at once.

Even though you know it's over, is there still a part of you that thinks, Okay, see everyone in six months for season seven?
Not so much. Mainly because we've been preparing for it for so long, so we knew that this was coming. I'm just not that person who, when I know something like this is going on, or I know something's happening, or I know a big moment in my life is coming, I generally tend to just not let it come and go without really giving it its due. I spent my first six months this season desperately savoring every last second of being with this crew and being in Hawaii and all of that jazz. And then, once I had reached that point of feeling like, "Okay, I've savored, I've enjoyed," I came to the last two months sort of just letting it go and looking forward and getting excited about what's next. And that's been wonderful, too.

So you enjoyed your time, but you're ready to move on.
Yeah, I think we all are. I obviously can't speak for the rest of the cast, but I think that's the general consensus across the board — from cast to producers to crew. People are excited to try on the next chapter of their lives. This show is all encompassing. We have had very little experience outside of the show during the last six years because it's just so demanding; it requires so much of us. So, it's exciting to have your freedom back, essentially.

And being in Hawaii, you were kind of stuck there.
Yeah, it's like having to ask the teacher to go to the bathroom in class. It's like, "Okay, that's the most natural thing in the world, shouldn't I just be able to go?" And that's sort of how it is on our show. There is this feeling ... not a feeling, but a literal rule that, in order to leave the island, we have to have permission from our elders — from our producers. And it would be nice to be an adult and have control of my life again and make those basic decisions on my own.

It's been reported that you're quitting acting. Is that blown out of proportion?
I'm assuming that story has been circulating for a long time because I've been talking about that for a long time. And, yeah, it's true, I'm definitely planning on taking a break for a little while. I consider acting a day job — it's not my dream; it's not my be all, end all. So I'll continue to read scripts and I'll continue to keep my mind open, but it's not something I'm pursuing with any kind of intent.

So acting is just another job for you?
It's been definitely very different, I think every job is very different, but I think this one is particularly unique. But, yeah, I do think of it in that way. I think of it as a job; that's what it is, it's a job. It's a job that's all encompassing, unfortunately. It's a job that has way too much effect on your life, which is one of the reasons why it doesn't interest me. Because I'm interested in having a job, I'm not interested in having an entire lifestyle governed by what I do for a paycheck.

Kate's flash-sideways character doesn't seem much different from her regular-dimension self, except she claims she's innocent. We're assuming there's more to this?
You know, I was assuming the same thing. I was sort of watching and waiting to see what would be the twist in the Kate flash-sideways story. It never came. It was interesting, I feel like on the island she became the standard by which mediocrity ... not mediocrity [laughs] ... normalcy could be measured. Interestingly enough, that had not been the case for the first five or four seasons. She became more like a stabilizing character. You know, a stable character who wasn't off the wall and wasn't presenting all of these crazy theories or mythologies. I guess, in a way, she's sort of like a psychological anchor.

It sounds like you miss when the show was about a plane crash. It's not really about that anymore.
Oh, for sure! It was almost frustrating at times because I'm so not a sci-fi watcher. The mythology to me was not nearly as interesting as the emotional story of these characters. So sometimes I'd get frustrated and feel like I wanted to see more of that. I wanted to see these characters and their emotions and what they were going through. I was also very interested in the notion of the survival aspect of our show. And, again, that sort of became very secondary. I miss the days when just, "What are we going to eat?" was an issue. I guess it's a perfect parallel to mankind: very John Locke, very old-world capitalist philosophers. You go from the basic necessity of survival to the more complicated dynamics of culture and community. When it became more complicated than just the basics of survival, it was frustrating for me. I loved the simplicity. I'm the kind of person who, if I were living in another time, if I had to pick any time, I would probably be a pioneer. I just love the simplicity of what it means to work hard with your hands — to eat and survive.

We have some questions from Vulture readers. NYBelle wonders why you feel the writers had Kate flip-flop between Jack and Sawyer so much?
I think the writers used it as strictly a tantalizing tool. I really believe that was a strict manipulation of the audience to try to draw in the women, really. The female audience that watch soap operas are die hards, and they're valuable demographics. So I think our writers are looking to make sure those people who wouldn't normally be interested in the mythology would continue to turn in. [Laughs.] That's probably not the answer they want to hear.

Haunt Fox noticed that only Kate, Desmond, and Jack have showered on the island. How bad do you think the other islanders smelled.
So that's not really a question, right? [Laughs.] More a joke? I mean, obviously we're not islanders. We all smell like normal civilians who shower every day.

Though, those are the only three characters we've seen bathe.
Really? We've seen Sun bathe!

Ah, good point, yes we have. Okay, Lolo1450 was wondering if you have any real-life nicknames, like Kate has Freckles?
Sure. I probably have plenty if you were to survey the different people in my life. But I'm not telling anyone because they'll start using them and it will drive me crazy. There's nothing more frustrating than when fans use a nickname. That's like people you don't know using names from people that you're intimate with. Like if my mom has a nickname and a fan finds it out and starts using it, that's creepy.

Jerri_Blank wonders how you managed to steal your scenes in The Hurt Locker with very little screen time.
I didn't know I had! Well, thank you, Jerri. That's very sweet.

Alexandra Martell, Exotica, and many more want to know what you put in your hair. And they want to know brand names.
[Laughs.] Well, right now I use L'Oreal products in my hair. Hmmm, I should go look in my shower and see what they're called. I ought to know what they're called being I'm a spokesperson for them [laughs]. I always forget. Hang on ... I'm walking through my kitchen to the bathroom. So it's called Everstrong. Everstrong shampoo and conditioner.

CandiceMarshall is wondering if there is a scene involving Kate that you wish you could rewrite?
Yeah, there are. I often would have liked to rewrite some of the stuff that was passed between Kate and her beaus. You know, her romantic leads, her men. I have a hard time separating Kate from Evangeline. So, unfortunately, when they write things I think, I would never say that. Or, I would never do that. Or, that's ridiculous. Then, instinctively, I want to change it because I want to make it what feels real to me. Which is not acting, you know? That is trying to play yourself out onscreen. So it's kind of a ridiculous way to think, but, unfortunately, I tended to be that way.

There is this one scene that I stand by that if I could have chosen or written it, it definitely would have gone down differently: the scene where Kate watches Jack carry a meal over to Juliet at the survivors camp. They sit down together and eat and they're laughing and talking, and then Kate subsequently goes to Sawyer's tent and lavishes him. I feel like it was a cheapening of the character. I feel like she was always an emotionally confused women between these two men, but she was never that manipulative sexually, I don't think. I feel like that was something that if I could have rewritten it — and I tried to work with the producers on that one; I tried to change so at least it wasn't a cut. It could have been Kate seeing Jack then maybe a couple scenes go by, time goes by, and then you see her go to Sawyer's tent. It ended up being a direct cut and that she literally went in a snit, and was in a pout, because Jack was playing with another girl and she went and seduced Sawyer. I didn't dig that. I would have rewritten that.

By: Mike Ryan

Recap, Weirdness Alerts and Analysis of LOST Episode 6.12 – “Everybody Loves Hugo”

SEASON 6 Recaps

RECAP MENU

Previously on LOST [Recap for 6.11 begins HERE]: Desmond got kidnapped, zapped and wandered off with Sayid.   Flash Desmond picked up Charlie, remembered Penny, chatted with Eloise, Daniel and Minkowski and finally asked Penny out for coffee.

_____________________________________________________________

Begin Episode 6.12

_____________________________________________________________

MUSEUM

A man narrates a slide-show.  Fade-in to a smiling Hurley with a farm behind him.

• Chang:  In a world of conflict and strife, there is but one fact we can all agree upon. Everybody loves Hugo.

Pictures (synced with VO) show Hurley as a baby (CUTE!).

• Chang:  Born to humble surroundings, Hugo Reyes has always been a beacon of light for all who cross his path.

at Mr. Cluck’s Chicken, Mr. Cluck Chicken places with the Eiffel Tower, a snow-capped mountain, the pyramids of Giza.

Hurley in a black suit (white shirt) and yellow construction hat shakes hands with a small group of peeps, all in black with hats. A guy in a Mr. Cluck’s Chicken costume looks on.

• Chang:  Hugo's lifelong love affair with chicken led him to acquire and then expand the Mr. Cluck's chain into a worldwide phenomenon.

Hurley wearing a Humane Society shirt [HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!] holding a teeny dog.

• Chang:  The exponential growth of Hugo's success was startling. But financial success wasn't the end. It was the beginning. Hugo and giving became synonymous.

Hurley poses with 5 kids and Chicken Costume Guy [CCG] in front of Elephant in a zoo habitat [Get it? Habitat!  HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA] (That’s the Honolulu Zoo, btw.  They really need to update their elephant habitat!).  Hurley poses with SAME 5 peeps at a ceremonial “cutting of the construction tape.”  The 5 peeps, on with huge scissors, CCG [with the FACE blacked out!], and new guy with his hands in his pockets in front of a playground [Hurley not pictured].

Hurley poses in front of a big building.  Lookit all the RED. A sign reads “BOX” next to him.  Hurley cuts a big red ribbon w/same kids from zoo pic, same 5 peeps and CCG.

• Chang:  Parks, playgrounds, hospitals, the Mr. Cluck's House for Children... the philanthropy was unparalleled.

Hurley in a “FEED EVERYONE” shirt poses with CCG in front of farm with sign saying, “Mr. Cluck’s EXPERIMENTAL FARM.”  Final Image:  Hurley in a black suit tips his hard hat to the camera.

• Chang:  Which brings us to this evening and the opening of the Hugo Reyes Paleontology Wing at the Golden State Natural History [Think wrist/neck-wear: black and silver.] Museum. A lasting beacon of culture that bears the name of one of our city's greatest benefactors.

Dr. Pierre Chang at a podium in what looks like a dinner event thingy. Dr. Chang has not aged ONE day since we saw him in “The Incident,” which SUPPOSEDLY took place 30 years prior.

Spotlight on Hurley (red tie, blue suit) at a table with his mom, Carmen (in black and white dress accented with red. Cool red flowers in her hair).  She looks skeptical as she claps along with everyone else.  Hurley smiles and nods thanks as he gets a standing ovation.  Weirdness alert: From what I can tell, Hurley and his mom are the only ones in that room wearing any color.

Besides the fact that Dr. Chang hasn’t aged (not a continuity error folks because that’s NOT possible), his speech and a few of the pictures are pretty interesting.  Why are the same 5 adults and the same 5 children in every picture? What's up with the creepy chicken suit guy?  The "BOX" picture is VERY interesting.  It was implied in the speech that Hurley could be standing next to a hospital.  Do you know of any hospital that looks like this?

For full analysis of the BITCHIN' wordplay tricks Team LOST uses in this speech, please check out:

Amy Smashes Through the Looking Glass: Everybody Loves Wordplay

Museum front door. A dinosaur trophy [Hurley: "How do you know it's not a dinosaur?" Jack: "Because dinosaurs are extinct."]  Hurley and his mom exit with the crowd. Lots of black clothing here with a few touches of red. Red carpet!

• Hurley: Cool trophy, right? Gotta another one of these things next week. The Human Fund. [VERY important clue.]


• Carmen:  Trophy, schmophy. You need a woman in your life. Or a man. I'm not picky.


• Hurley:  Ma!  I’m too busy to meet someone.


• Carmen:  Your love affair with chicken - HA!  You ARE chicken!


• Hurley:  I am not!


• Carmen:  Good.  You have a lunch date tomorrow.  Your Grandpa Tito’s neighbor’s daughter, Rosalita. [Yay! Grandpa Tito’s alive! He keeled over on camera in “Everybody Hates Hugo.” Plus - Miles sets James/Sawyer up on a blind date. I'm still trying to wrap my head around THAT one!]


• Hurley:  What’s she like?


• Carmen:  Who cares! Hugo, I want grandchildren before I'm dead.  Don't worry so much!  She’s gonna love you! And if she doesn’t, I'm looking into other options.

Okay, how frickin’ funny is this?  First, I love and have always loved Hurley’s mom.  She’s the only mother on this show that acts like an actual mother!  The fact that Hurley is too CHICKEN to go for the girl is also pretty funny.  Even though everybody loves him, he’s still convinced no woman will.   Check out Carmen’s earrings – teardrop within a teardrop.  Hurley has a silver watch on.

_________________________________________________________________

BEACH GRAVEYARD

Hurley replaces a red flower on Libby’s grave. Weirdness alert: do you see that black smudge on the inside of his arm? At first, I thought it might be a tattoo, but turns out we’ve seen a mark like this before -- when Jacob drops in on James/Sawyer’s parents’ funeral.  After Jacob gives “James” a new pen (wood) to replace the pen that stopped working (silver/metal) and leaves, another guy shows up to take “Jim” to “say goodbye” and makes him promise not to finish the letter.  That guy has a smudge like the one we see on Hurley’s arm front and center on his shirt (it’s just a lot smaller).  Hurley’s shirt is brown – not RED.

• Hurley:  I wish I could talk to you.  People come and talk to me when they’re gone. It would be nice if you did too.


• Illana:  I’m off to get dynamite to blow up the plane. We’re leaving when I get back.


• Hurley:  You’re sure that’s the right move? [Get it? When you're playing a game (like chess) and it's your turn, it's YOUR MOVE. And you HAVE to move, you can't avoid it.]


• Illana:  It’s the only move we have.


• Hurley:  You’re the expert.


• Illana:  Whose grave it this?


• Hurley:  A girl. Libby. She was murdered on her way to our first date. Sucks right?


• Illana:  Yeah.


• Hurley:  What really sucks is I had a decent shot at her!  You know, before this place turned into "Wait For Your Death Island."

Illana leaves.  Hurley looks around as the sound of whispers fades in and whirls all around him. He peers into the jungle. Someone says, “Hey.”  It’s Michael [And Amy goes "AAAAAHHHHHHH!" Didn’t see that one coming! Wow!] Notice how Hurley stays pretty calm when Libby’s murderer shows up at her grave.

• Hurley:  What are you doing here?


• Michael : I’m here to stop you from getting everyone killed!

Hurley stares.

• Michael:  Are you gonna say something?


• Hurley:  No.


• Michael: That's not how this works.


• Hurley:  Why should I trust you?  You suck!


• Michael: That doesn't matter right now. What matters is you going across that island to blow up that plane. People are gonna die. A lot of people, and it's gonna be your fault.


• Hurley:  What?!  Why?


• Michael:  Because people are listening to you now, Hurley. [Who you listen to has been a big subject of debate for our leftover losties.]


• Hurley:  Whew!  I thought for sure you might say, Because you're gonna sneaky shoot them down in cold blood.


• Michael:  Ha ha.

Jack calls to Hurley as he approaches.

• Jack:  Who you talking to?  [Not LISTENING to. Hurley is the talker now.]


• Hurley:  Um – no one.


• Jack:  Come on. We’re leaving.

HOLD UP.  Illana says she’s on her way to the Black Rock to get dynamite and that “we’re leaving” when she gets back.  Three seconds later, Jack tells Hurley that “we’re leaving,” as in, we’re leaving NOW.  How on EARTH did Illana get to the Black Rock and back in three seconds?  I don’t care what kind of rationalization or speculation you come up with.  Even if she could fly back and forth, she’d still never make it that quick. [Hint: Michael shows us how at the end of the show when he magically opens the door to where Mock Locke is camped.  If Illana can do this same trick, ILLANA is an OTHER!]

I’ve heard thoughts that maybe Hurley shouldn’t trust Michael because he could be Smokey.  Two problems with that. Illana makes a point of telling us that Smokey/Mock Locke can NO LONGER take the shape of someone else.  (He’s STUCK that way”).  Check out the rows of sticks in the ground all around the graveyard.  When Mock Locke dropped in on Ben (digging his own grave),  he couldn’t cross a row of sticks like the ones we see here.  Michael is standing inside them.  Both these points make a pretty good argument for Hurley to trust Michael.  Plus, Michael is yelling at Hurley the way Ana Lucia yelled at him (when he was driving with an unconscious Sayid and she pulled him over).

Beyond that, it’s important to note that Michael appears only after Hurley THINKS about him and kinda talks about him (if Libby was murdered, her murderer exists too.)

VERY STINKIN’ IMPORTANT that people are “listening” to Hurley now.  Sound helps manipulated our losties: CHANG noise, Whhirrrr noise and the transitional whomp whomp.  We’ve been told how some folks have the ability to manipulate our losties with their voices  The concerns over who to “listen to” send Richard into the jungle and right into his flash (“Maybe we should stop listening to Jacob and start listening to someone else!”)

If “people are listening” to Hurley now, that tells us a LOT.  It means that Hurley, who was acting as Jack’s guide during his “walkabout” in “Lighthouse,” is ready to start leading our losties in the same vein that Jacob leads them.  If people are listening to Hurley, it also means that he is now on equal footing with Mock Locke, whose voice is also considered influential (“By the time he speaks, it will be too late”).

This is good news for our losties because Hurley is special.  He has abilities that Jacob doesn’t have.  He can talk to the dead. Jacob hasn’t been able to talk to anyone else besides MIB, Mock Locke and Ben (and only then right before he stabs him).  Mock Locke has not be able to shake off his duality.  Even in his current state, he yells at Creepy Blonde Kid, “Don’t tell me what I can’t do!” We've heard this line from John Locke several times and from Jack at least once that I can remember.

Hurley, however, has been the same Hurley from the pilot.  His confidence has grown, but his personality hasn’t radically changed like everyone else’s, and he is the same guy in his flashes that he is on the island.  Hugo Reyes and Hurley are SYNONYMOUS. These two identities are identical and interchangeable (which is why they coexist both on island and in his flashes).  This distinguishes him from EVERY OTHER LOSTIE who all have two or more identities to deal with [Sawyer/Jim LaFleur/James Ford; Ben/Dr. Linus/Benjamin Linus, etc.].  This will be really freakin’ important when we finally lay down exactly what’s happening on the island.

This is why, from now until the finale you can take it as fact:  Amy totally trusts Hurley.  So if Hurley believes Michael,  I'll assume we all believe Michael, too.

_____________________________________________________________

MEXICAN RESTAURANT

Hurley polishes off a bowl of tortilla chips. He sits alone across from an unused place setting.

• Waiter:  More chips while you keep “waiting?”


• Hurley:  She’s just running late.


• Waiter:  Uh-hunh.


• Woman: Hugo?

Hurley looks up to see Libby standing there [and Amy goes "AAAAHHHHHHHHH! II"].  Hurley jumps up and pulls out the chair for her.

• Hurley:  Nice to meet you. I wasn’t expecting someone like you – you’re so – pretty. [Amy’s heart melts. Will somebody just LOVE Hurley for cryin' out loud?!] Please have a seat (mumbles) <and fall in love with me>.


• Libby: I’m sorry?


• Hurley:  Nothing. Uh, you don’t look like a Rosalita.


• Libby: Oh good, cuz my name’s Libby.  I saw you from across the room.


• Hurley:  How’d you know my name? (mumbles) <you think I’m awesome>.


• Libby:  What?


• Hurley:  Nothing.


• Libby:  You’re gonna think I’m crazy.


• Hurley:  No I won’t! (mumbles) <don’t be crazy>.

Libby reaches out and takes both his hands in hers. [Hand touching magic works on the island. Not so much in this newly minted flash world.]

• Libby:  Do you believe two people can be connected? Like soulmates?  [HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!]


• Hurley:  As a matter of fact, YES I DO! Why do you ask? <be my soulmate >


• Libby:  You don’t remember me, do you?


• Hurley:  Not yet! But I promise I'll remember you eventually if you stick around!

Dr. Brooks appears outta nowhere.

• Dr. Brooks:  What are you doing, Elizabeth? Are you bothering this man?


• Libby:  No, Dr. Brooks! No – uh, he’s an old friend. [HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA]


• Hurley:  Dr.? <go away>

• Dr. Brooks: Let’s go – I'm sorry, sir.  She just wandered off.


• Hugo:  Wandered off from where? <go away>


• Libby:  Wait – Everything I said, Hugo, I meant it.


• Dr. Brooks: (leads Libby off)  Forgive us.  (to Hurley) You'll have to do a better if you want to message me subliminally! I'm a professional!

Hurley follows them outside.  He sees Dr. Brooks helping Libby into a white van marked “Santa Rose Mental Hospital.”  Hurley’s face falls.

• Hugo:  Figures.

_____________________________________________________________

LOST BEACH CAMP

Illana returns.

• Richard:  We’re set?


• Illana:  I got four sticks.  Enough to destroy the cockpit and all the instruments. [Wordplay: Instruments make SOUNDS. Instruments are tools. (surgical instruments, instruments of our destruction). Peeps can be instruments too, if they are instrumental (pivotal). You're on your own with "cockpit."]

She opens her bag.  Four sticks of dynamite completely encrusted with leached nitro-glycerin. [This is when Amy said: Well, nice knowin’ ya, Illana.]

• Richard:  That should do it.


• Illana:  We gotta get to Hydra Island before nightfall.


• Hurley:  You think that’s really such a good idea?  Blowing up the plane?


• Illana:  That thing won’t be able to leave the island.

She starts shoving water bottles into the bag ON TOP OF THE UNSTABLE DYNAMITE.

• Hurley:  Neither will we!  We’ll be stuck here with that thing, and it’ll be mad at us. That's stupid!


• Illana:  Jacob said Richard would know what to do. Richard says destroy the plane.


• Hurley:  Jacob never said anything to me about it.  What if Richard’s wrong?


• Illana: Hugo, I'm looking out for your best interests! All of you! Nothing is more important than this! That thing is evil! And God help us if it ever leaves this island! Because if it—

KABOOOM!!!  Illana is BLOWN away! Everyone falls to the ground.  [and Amy just hangs it up because this episode ROCKS!!  See how much more fun it is to avoid spoilers and be surprised?] Illana's demise tells me three things. 1) Richard IS wrong,  2) Illana was "done" on the island and 3) "that thing" may not be evil.

Our losties no longer need her protection. We already know this  because Mock Locke has no intention of harming any 'candidates.'  He knows he needs them and their cooperation in order to leave the island.  Illana can "go" now. Her job is complete IN THIS WORLD, so she moves on to the NEXT ONE ("The Last Recruit") JUST LIKE ARZT!

Since we already know that Illana's an Other (from her magical location hopping), this tells me that whoever's working the plan is WATCHING events very carefully.  "The Island" has to know exactly what's happening in order to time interference so well.  What does that say about its previous interferences?

FYI: I could be wrong, but I'm going on record:  This whole "candidate to replace Jacob" situation is total bunk. NO ONE is supposed to replace Jacob because he is working the plan to shut down the island and MOVE the Others and most of the losties over to the new world.  [Don't panic.] A candidate can be a candidate for a number of other things besides a job:  a clinical trial, a new and/or experimental treatment, an advanced degree, etc.  This candidate business is NOT what it seems. But you knew that because this is LOST! Nothing is what it seems!

_____________________________________________________________

JUNGLE CAMP

Mock Locke whittles a long stick. [Remind you of Mr. Eko's staff?  Eko carved Bible verse references on his staff.  One of his verses led John Locke to The Flame Station. Interesting.]

• James/Sawyer: That gonna be a spear?


• Mock Locke: Dunno, James. When the time is right, it'll tell me.


• James/Sawyer: You talk to wood now? [Hurley talks to "air." Miles talks to earth. The Others use fire to facilitate talking (I still can't totally figure out how it works). When more than one lostie to sees an Other, it's usually raining (Walt, Harper). The association of specific elements with specific peeps/groups is more than clear.]


• Kate:  Sawyer – [Ah HA! NOT James anymore. Not since James told cop Miles about Cooper.]


• Mock Locke:  Is there something I can do for you two?


• Sawyer:  Yeah! You can get off your wood-carving, do-nothing ass and rescue Jin!


• Mock Locke:  There’s a difference between doing nothing and waiting.  We’re waiting.


• Kate:  What are we waiting for?


• Mock Locke: You were only able to come back to this island because you all did it together. If we're gonna get on that plane and leave, it has to happen the same way. We're waiting for your friends to get here, Kate. Hugo... Sun... Jack. That's the only way we're ever getting off this... Godforsaken rock.


• Kate:  Well, I don’t see that happening.


• Mock Locke:  Let’s hope you’re wrong.

Did you see what just happened? This exchange is a LOT like Ben's chat with a shaving Junkie Jack. When Ben tells him Kate has to join the we-have-to-go-back parade, Jack says, "I don't see that happening." Then Ben says, "That's the spirit," which is probably on of the funniest lines on LOST EVER! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Mock Locke's waiting for Hurley, Sun and Jack to arrive? Hurley hasn't come up with that plan yet.  When he finally does, Hurley tells Jack he came up with it on his own - not Jacob or Michael.  AND he has no idea where Mock Locke is until Michael show him.  Since we are now trusting Hurley's leadership, and Mock Locke ALREADY KNOWS that they're coming, and he ALREADY knows all he has to do is wait for it to happen, it's logical to think that Mock Locke is 1) following the same plan Jacob is and 2) may not know it.  I'm not saying he's faking. I mean, if he's just pretending to be a bad guy, he's doing a pretty good job of it.  I'm still thinking Jacob and Co. are manipulating him more than he thinks they are.  I think he's in for a rude awakening in the end. [Keep in mind: Jacob's ace in the hole is Mock Locke's belief that Kate's participation is optional. ]

NOTE: The LAST time our little crew tried to leave the island by air, it didn't work! They ended up in the WATER and then Penny picked them up ("Penny's Boat!" At last!).  It was almost this exact crew: Kate, Jack, Sun, Hurley - but NOT Sawyer or Jin.  And once they got to L.A. they all went bonkers.  Jack says he felt "cut off" when he left last time, and it was a bad thing.  Maybe "you're not supposed to do this" means "you're doing it wrong" or "you're not supposed to do this yet." Could be. We'll have to keep an eye on that one.

I'm still committed to the idea that the "plane" everyone wants him to stay off of is not the physical one on Hydra Island. [Always watch the WORDPLAY.] Just for the record,  I'm also convinced that JIN is the "candidate" and that Sun only made it off the island last time because she was pregnant.

Okay - back to business.

Sayid returns.

• Sawyer: Where have you been?


• Sayid: None of your beeswax, blondie! (to Mock Locke) Can I speak to you in private?


• Mock Locke:  Absolutely.

They walk through the jungle.

• Mock Locke:  How’d it go? Did Widmore’s peeps see you?


• Sayid:  Yeah, but it doesn’t matter.  I got what I came for.


• Mock Locke:  You found what they were hiding in the submarine?


• Sayid:  I most certainly did.

He pulls greenery aside and reveals Desmond, cool as a cucumber, tied to a tree.

Weirdness alert: Notice how Desmond's face is no longer bashed up.  He magically healed overnight? Doubtful.  I don't remember Mock Locke telling Sayid to go fetch, do you? He told Sawyer he just wanted to know what Widmore was hiding.  Even here, he's surprised that Sayid came back with anything.  Another question - why was Widmore hiding him?  Why was it so important that nobody know he'd brought Desmond to the island?

_____________________________________________________________

LOST BEACH CAMP

Hurley finds a book and a purple bag among Illana’s things.  He peeks inside the bag, closes it and keeps it.  (We assume it's the bag of Jacob’s ashes). Richard empties a back pack.  [Geez! These guys are a buncha litterbugs!]

• Richard:  Let’s go. We blow up that plane or Illana died for nothing. [Not true!]


• Jack:  Maybe she died to tells us to stay the hell away from dynamite.


• Richard:  Meh.


• Jack: I promised Sun I’d get her off this island.


• Richard:  Too bad. Blame me.


• Hurley: Uh, I think Richard’s right.


• Jack:  Huh?


• Hurley:  Trust me, Jack.


• Jack:  Okay.


• Richard:  Good. Let’s get moving.

Ah, there it is. We now know Richard is officially out of the loop - if he was ever IN the loop to begin with!  NOTICE that Isabella's NECKLACE is nowhere to be seen! That tells me something pretty darn interesting about Richard's flash! Are you ready?  RICHARD is a game piece.  He's not an Other, and he's not a lostie. He's most definitely not an 19th Century shipwrecked slave.  He is nothing more than a tool, and he's being used to work the plan. That's why he "jumps" whenever the island changes channel ("skips through time"). He is part of the island, just like the trees, rocks and beaches. If he were actually connected to the island, he'd know that Illana's death already meant something.  It meant the island "let her die." It meant she was no longer necessary.  It meant that things are going according to plan.  Richard can't see that.

[Don't panic.]

Remember how Richard wanted to kill himself at the Black Rock, yet somehow that entire scene became Jack's pivotal leap of faith moment that polished off his transformation in "The Lighthouse?"  Can you think of any other way he could have had that (controlled) leap of faith moment with the dynamite?

Richard's ENTIRE flash in "Ab Aeterno" is fabricated. It didn't happen in the past.  It's NOT a memory.  For us, though, that's nothing new.  What's special about Richard's flash is that HURLEY is doing the fabricating.  HURLEY creates this journey for Richard as a TEST RUN - not for Richard. For HURLEY.  Michael tells him that "People are listening to you now."  Ask yourself this:  why now?  They weren't listening to him before. I think "Ab Aeterno" is why now.  He's passed the test.  He practiced on Richard because Richard wouldn't be harmed if Hurley couldn't do it right.

Yep! That means that the Jacob and MIB we see in Ab Aeterno are not what we think they are. Cool, right?

You have doubts? Then tell me this: Why isn't Richard wearing Isabella's necklace anymore? Why hasn't he noticed it's missing? Why isn't he upset about it?

_____________________________________________________________

MR. CLUCK’S CHICKEN

A sullen Hurley at the counter.

• Chicken Stooge: Wow! Mr. Rey—


• Hurley:  Shut up. Gimme chicken.

A pile of chicken bones.  Hurley gives up on the last wing (NOTICE you never actually SEE him eat anything).  Desmond, in line at the counter, puzzles at him.  He joins Hurley. [Man. Desmond looks good. Let's call him Metro Desmond.]

• Metro Desmond:  I’m sorry -- I think you were on Oceanic flight 815? About a week ago – from Sydney? [Logic applies because they met in the airport. He never saw Hurley on the plane.]


• Hurley: Yeah.


• Metro Desmond: I was on that plane. I thought I’d seen you before. May I sit with you?


• Hurley: Be my guest. [Desmond just got PERMISSION to interact with Hurley.]


• Metro Desmond:  Binge eater by trade?


• Hurley:  Depressive episode.


• Metro Desmond:  Girl related?


• Hurley:  Oh, yeah.  She’s totally awesome and totally crazy.  She said she knew me before, and that can’t be right.


• Metro Desmond:  All women are a little bit crazy. And what if she somehow did know you before?


• Hurley:  I’d’ve remembered.  She was hot!


• Metro Desmond: Did you believe her? When she said she knew you before?


• Hurley:  Yeah.  Kinda.


• Metro Desmond:  Well there you go.  Go with your gut – er – don’t shut her down without all the facts. Find out where she might’ve known you from before.  You never know what can happen.


• Counter Chica:  42! Order 42!


• Metro Desmond:  Ah! That’s me brutha. Well, it was nice bumping into you.

Again we see the numbers. Interesting that, in this case, 42 is Metro Desmond's number in line. As he waits. To be called UP to the counter. Do you see it yet?  This speech smacks of the one Desmond laid on Jack at the stadium when he told him to consider the impossible (that he had actually fixed Sarah).  Interesting that Metro Desmond tells Hurley to investigate and follow his instincts.  He tells Jack the OPPOSITE - DON'T trust your instincts.

Notice how these two interactions with Desmond show how different THIS flash world is from previous flash worlds.  Sarah was heeled regardless of Jack's belief or even his participation.  Her recovery was decided by SOMEONE ELSE (call it fate if you're feeling dizzy).  Hurley must go after his memories with Libby.  And as long as he makes the effort, no one can stop him.  If he had not visited Libby at Santa Rosa's and asked her out, he wouldn't have gotten his island memories back.  Self determination, autonomy, following your 'instincts' -- these things are normal in this flash world.  That makes this world VERY special and VERY different from the flashbacks and flashforwards.

_____________________________________________________________

JUNGLE

Mock Locke stares at Desmond (who is very drone-like).

• Mock Locke:  Hey there.


• Desmond:  Hey.


• Mock Locke:  Sorry about the restraints. [Get it? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!]  Didn’t wantcha to run.


• Desmond:  No where to run to. [ba-by. No where to hide. Aaaaahhhh]


• Mock Locke:  (cuts ropes)  Excellent.  Let’s talk. [Uh-oh]


• Desmond:  Okay.


• Mock Locke:  Why did Widmore bring you back here? [What else does Mock Locke not know about Widmore's activities?]


• Desmond:  Dunno. He kidnapped me. [This would be a total and complete lie.]


• Sayid:  And had him under armed guard. [Watch your wordplay - Under armed guard can also mean being in protective custody.]


• Desmond:  He threw me into a wood shack and blasted me with a massive amount of electromagnetism.


• Mock Locke:  Well, that’s not very nice!  Um, did he tell you what he was blasting you with?


• Desmond:  No.


• Mock Locke:  Then how did you know?


• Desmond:  Experience. [Watch yer WORDPLAY. Could mean he's been zapped, could mean he's DONE the zapping.]


• Mock Locke: Do you know who I am?


• Desmond:  Sure, silly! You’re John Locke.


• Mock Locke:  Hm. We’ll meet you later Sayid.  Desmond and me, we need to take a walk.

Sayid leaves. Mock Locke pulls Desmond to his feet.

• Mock Locke:  There’s something I’d like to show you.

Talk, walk, something I'd like to show you? I've never heard anyone use all three in a row before.  Originally, I called this Desmond "Drone Desmond" because of how eager he was to get started on Widmore's plan and how easily he followed Sayid.  He seemed really he'd just follow anyone.  He obviously has zero free will.  He never fights back or mentions anything he wants to do.  He just waits for someone else to engage him and then he responds.  Weird.  He seems to lie about not knowing why Widmore kidnapped him, but I smell fish.  It's entirely possible that he doesn't know.  This discussion veers WAY off this recap, so I'll stop right now! [Behold my self control!]

I will say: notice how this Desmond knows what's happened TO Desmond before but not WHY or HOW Desmond feels about it.

_____________________________________________________________

JUNGLE

Our leftover losties trek single file.

• Ben:  Makes ya think, huh.


• Jack: What’s that?


• Ben:  Illana blown to smithereens.  Wherever she is, I bet she’s pissed.


• Jack:  What do you mean?


• Ben:  Hand picked by Jacob, trained her whole life and now she’s hamburger.


• Jack:  More like crispy pulled pork, actually.


• Ben:  The island was done with her. I wonder what’s gonna happen when the island’s done with us.


• Jack: (mutters) Whaddya mean ‘us,’ cheetoe –

Ben is as clueless as Richard.  He is not aware of the ultimate plan - probably never has been.

They arrive at the Black Rock.

• Richard:  Okay, I’m going in –


• Jack: Where’s Hurley?

Hurley comes at them at a dead run.

• Hurley:  Run! Run!  RUN!

The Black Rock explodes with a huge BANG and bursts into flames.  They are all knocked down by the blast.

• Richard:  What the hell were you thinking?!


• Jack:  Calm down, Frances Brown!


• Richard:  Great! We’re dead! We’re all dead!


• Jack: (mutters) Again with the we --


• Miles:  Warnings are just good manners, you know.


• Hurley: I did say “RUN.”


• Miles: Who told you to do that?


• Hurley:  Michael.  [Wordplay alert: Michael told him to tell the others to run because he was standing lookout and saw they had arrived and were headed into the ship. He didn't tell Hurley to blow up the Black Rock.] He’s one of the dead peeps that comes back and yells at me.  He said I had to stop you guys from blowing up the plane, so I blew up the dynamite supply. [Actually, he said if you attempted to blow up the plane, people would die.]


• Miles:  That happens a lot? Dead people yelling at you? And you just listen to whatever they say?


• Hurley:  Dead people are more reliable than alive people. [HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!]

So how did Hurley beat everyone to the Black Rock with time to spare without anyone noticing? Answer: He got to the Black Rock the same way that Illana did. The only difference is that he needed Michael to do it.

If Hurley says it, then I believe it.  Michael is reliable.  The reason I think that line is so funny is that we can't be certain who's dead and who's alive or even what "dead" means!  My question is why are alive people less reliable than dead people? My best guess is that once you are dead, your mind can't be manipulated the way it can when you are alive.  You're done. You are permanently set. You are FIXED.

_____________________________________________________________

NUTHOUSE MANAGER’S OFFICE

Close up of LARGE photo of a tropical island [HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!].  It hangs on the wall behind Hurley and Dr. Brooks, who chat over his desk. [HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Sorry! I'm still laughing about the picture!]

• Hurley: I’d like to see Libby.


• Dr. Brooks: I misjudged her condition. She has issues with reality, so I’m thinkin’ no.


• Hurley:  I’ll give you $100K.


• Dr. Brooks:  You’ll need a visitor’s badge.


• Hurley:  You want your subliminal message with cheese,  Jerky?


• Dr. Brooks: Yes. That'd be nice.

Oh, that picture makes me so happy!  Remember Penny's comment about how with lots of money you can find anyone?  Hurley uses his money here, but not to find someone who's missing or gone.  Like Penny did.

_____________________________________________________________

NUTHOUSE REC ROOM

Chalkboard: check out the bassinet with the butterfly! Peeps play Connect Four [HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!]. Hurley waits at a table.  Libby enters.

• Libby:  You remembered?


• Hurley:  No, but I’d like to know more about this whole, “I knew you before” thing.


• Libby:  It won’t make any sense.


• Hurley:  Try me.


• Libby:  One of your commercials came on TV, and the moment I saw you, it was like I was hit over the head. [HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!]  All these memories came washing back.  Memories of my life.  Only it was another life. [My OTHER life. Get it?  Not previous life or past life or ALTERNATE life.]


• Hurley: What kind of memories?


• Libby: There was a plane crash, an island, and you were there.  [Ah - notice how Libby does NOT remember any of the stuff between when the plane crashes and when Hurley's there. The scary stuff isn't handy.]  We knew each other. We liked each other.  And when I got here, I remember being here before, but I have a memory of you being here too. [WHOOP WHOOP WHOOP – did you see what just happened? HOLY CRAP!  She just remembered being in HURLEY'S FLASHBACK.]


• Hurley: This is the first time I’ve ever been in a mental hospital.


• Libby:  I can’t get you outta my brain! [HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!]  I only said something because if you remembered too –


• Hurley:  I’m sorry.  I wish I could, but I can’t.


• Libby:  That’s okay.  I’m crazy.


• Hurley:  Crazy’s a relative term. Can your kind of crazy get a day pass outta here?


• Libby:  Sure. I checked in here voluntarily. [Like Hurley did.]


• Hurley:  Think maybe you’d want to maybe go do something?  With me?


• Libby:  Like a date?


• Hurley:  Yeah.


• Libby:  I’d like that.

What's up with Libby's eyes? They are VERY green, and Libby's eyes have never been green. Also, her right eye is all funky lookin. [Is it wrong to SO VERY MUCH want Hurley to be happy?]

_____________________________________________________________

JUNGLE

Mock Locke leads Desmond through the jungle.

• Mock Locke:  You pushed the button how long?


• Desmond: Three years.


• Mock Locke:  And you’re back for more? I’d say this island has it in for you.


• Desmond:  Nothing special about me. This island has it in for all of us.


• Mock Locke:  Yes it does.

Mock Locke notices something he doesn’t want to see.  Desmond turns.  Creepy Blonde Kid [CBK] (except now he looks older/taller and his hair is dark) stares at them from the trees.

• Mock Locke:  Just ignore him.


• Desmond: Do you know that boy?


• Mock Locke:  I said ignore him!

CBK shoots a smug grin and leaves.

Anybody got any ideas? Because besides the fact that CBK really bothers Mock Locke, I got no idea what he's all about!

Mock Locke is wondering why ending up back on the island isn't bothering Desmond so much. He's right. It's weird.  In fact, Desmond is happy-go-lucky to the point where I'm wondering if he can feel anything at all (like Sayid).  Interesting that he specifically mentions that he's nothing special.  We know for a fact that's absolutely wrong.  Desmond is the key to every mystery on the island!  Now I'm wondering if Mock Locke has any real memory of Desmond and the hatch besides a list of facts.  Remember, the hatch was a really, really big deal, a turning point for John Locke.  This entire exchange between the two of them is just weird.

If you "have it in" for someone, you "want to cause trouble for someone because you dislike them" or you "hold a grudge" against them. If someone has it in for you, they are hunting or targeting you, it's a personal vendetta and when they find you, you will not be happy.  You will be victimized by them, usually according to some kind of sick master plan that destroys and demoralizes you -- kinda like your own personal hell.  After they've got you, they'll feel REALLY good about watching you suffer (I had a boss like that once).  Bummer.

_____________________________________________________________

THE LARGE CAMPFIRE FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE BLACK ROCK

Richard gathers his things.

• Jack: NOW where are you going?


• Richard:  Ben, are there still illegal goodies that blow up stuff at the barracks?


• Ben:  Yeah.


• Richard: (to Jack) We’re going to the barracks.


• Jack:  Hang on –


• Richard:  No time for chit-chat, Dr. Shephard, unless you know what we need to do.


• Hurley:  I know what we need to do.


• Richard:  And?


• Hurley:  We need to go talk to Locke.


• Ben:  Are you trying to get us all killed?!


• Miles:  Uh, that thing doesn't want to talk.


• Hurley:  It’s not my idea. (points at nothing) He told me.


• Richard:  Who?


• Hurley:  Jacob.


• Richard:  Uh – hunh. Prove it.


• Hurley:  I don’t have to prove anything to you Richard.  Either you come with me or you keep trying to blow stuff up. Your call.


• Richard: You’re lying. Jacob never tells anyone what to do. I'm going to make this simple. If that thing leaves the island, that's it. I-it's over.


• Miles: What’s over?


• Richard:  Everything. I’m going to destroy the plane.  Who’s with me?

Ben and Miles join him. Richard looks at Jack.

• Jack:  If Jacob says we go talk to Locke, we go talk to Locke.  I’m with Hugo.


• Hurley:  Really?

Jack nods.

• Richard:  Fine. Don’t get in our way.


• Jack:  All right, Hurley. Let’s go talk to Locke.

I really liked this scene because 1) it served its purpose by splitting the group into losties and Others and 2) Hurley takes the reins.  Oh, didn't I mention this already?  Miles is an OTHER.  Just like Charlotte.  (Of course I'm totally serious!) Notice two things:  Hurley gives Richard the CHOICE to believe him.  He doesn't try to talk him into it or threaten him (like Mock Locke tends to do when he offers a choice).  Hurley has already proven himself in "Ab Aeterno." He's a newly minted leader/guider on equal footing with Mock Locke.  Jack's backing him up is a big deal, btw.

Richard is WRONG, again! Jacob never orders anyone to do anything, sure, but he told Hurley to go back to the island when he gave him the guitar case, how to save Sayid, how to get Jack out of the temple AND how to get Jack to WANT to leave the temple.  Jacob never tells anyone what to do? Maybe in the old world order, but everything's different since Jacob's death.  Richard is also completely unaware that Hurley has graduated to "leader."

Given how Richard is nothing more than a tool the island uses to get things done, my best guess is that he IS supposed to try to "destroy the plane," but not for the reason he thinks he is.  Separating the Others away from our losties needs to be done in order for future events to play out.  Remember: Everything depends on the plan - the strategy - used by all the players.  It seems pretty clear that, for some reason, Ben, Miles and Richard need to be somewhere else. Fifty bucks says the barracks, aka Dharmaville/New Otherton, will not be as handy as they think.

I'm still on board with the idea that Mock Locke leaving the island will 1) shut it down and 2) not be a bad thing.  I think the problem here, and why Michael intercedes is that the TIMING for shutting down the island is critical.  Shut it down too early, everyone trapped there will die (and our losties will die with them).  Think back to the very beginning of the episode (and check out the wordplay in Dr. Chang's speech about Hurley HERE).  Somehow, with Hurley's help, these two sides have struck a compromise.  They are creating a "new world." (remember Darlton's comments:  Order v. Chaos is the primary struggle here) They are dismantling the OLD way of doing things and starting over with a NEW WORLD.

If there are people trapped by the island like Michael says, and if the people off island (in the flash worlds) will "simply cease to be" if the island is shut down, the only way to successfully shut down the island without killing/erasing everyone is to 1) create a new place that can exist independently from the island (as if the island were underwater or some other useful metaphor like that) and 2) transfer everyone into the new place BEFORE the island shuts down. TRANSFERENCE -- Get it?

That's why it's pretty darn important to keep in mind that NONE of this takes place in a PHYSICAL world.  AND Get this: the only way to shut down the island for good is to CUT OFF ITS POWER SUPPLY in a way that can't be reversed. Who's "only interested in power"?  Um - Widmore! Who was worried about losing his power?  BEN.

TA - DA! You have now been told exactly what (TF) Amy thinks is going on on LOST.  Congratulations!

_____________________________________________________________

JUNGLE

NIGHT. Hurley leads our leftover losties single file. Sun writes a note and shows it to Frank.

• Sun:  Did we make a mistake?


• Frank:  Probably.


• Hurley: (to Jack) What do you think we should say to Locke?


• Jack:  Something tells me he’ll do all the talking.


• Hurley:  Or he could kill us all.


• Jack:  That too.


• Hurley:   I didn’t see Jacob back there.  I just said it so everyone would listen to me.


• Jack:  I know.


• Hurley:  Then why did you come with me?


• Jack:  Ever since Juliet died – ever since I got her killed, all I've wanted was to fix it. But I can't. I can't ever fix it. You've no idea how hard it is for me to sit back and listen to other people tell me what I should do...but I think maybe that's the point...maybe I'm supposed to let go.


• Hurley:  Unless you’re letting go gets us killed! It was MY idea to go talk to Locke!


• Jack:  You told me to trust you.  This is me trusting you.


• Hurley: It’s a good thing you do, dude, cuz I have no idea where I’m going.

I LOVE Jack's little speech here.  The fact that it's KILLING him to follow and not lead struck a Season 1 cord with me.  This is the Jack I've been waiting for! Jack is back on track!  Only nudity stands between him and perfection!

The fact that he knew Hurley was lying and still backed him up is also pretty significant.  His taking responsibility for Juliet's death is a nice touch as well. That being said, what in the hell is he talking about? Since he "got her killed," which is up for debate, what exactly has he been doing to fix it? Um, nothing! After Juliet died, he took Sayid to the temple. Then he did the Dogen/pill/Hurley/lighthouse thing. Then he pow-wowed with Richard. He went to the beach, made a promise to Sun and now he's here.  Where in there has Jack been trying to fix anything except himself?

Maybe he "got her killed," maybe not.  When she went over the side and down the (rabbit) hole, he was out cold.  Plus, and I'm going on record here, when Juliet fell in the hole, the release of energy was over.  I'm fairly certain that what happened after was voluntary.  Juliet LET GO of Sawyer's hand.

Watch that scene again, and really pick it over.  Sawyer is yelling at her NOT to go, NOT to leave him. Juliet says goodbye ("I love you so much!") and lets go.  I think that, like Charlie and Michael and Desmond AND Jack's Incident Posse, she had to CHOOSE to sacrifice herself.  Remember, she wakes up bashed and bloodied, she LISTENS, then she crawls over to the bomb and smacks it.  Now consider that the bomb never went off. [There's absolutely ZERO evidence that the bomb went off, btw.]

When Juliet, through Miles, tells Sawyer that "it worked," she's not talking about the bomb OR the future.  We know the bomb DIDN'T work.  We know the flash world is a parallel world -- not a future one.  She's talking about her passing the sacrifice test.  She's proven herself, and now she's okay on the other side. That is, she's NOT trapped by the island! This also means chances of a flash world skate hookup are about zero. Sorry.

PREDICTION TIME!  We're gonna see Juliet again in the flash world, and she is gonna be happy as a lark to see James again.

Whispers echo from the woods around them.  Frank and Jack raise their rifles.

• Hurley:  It’s cool. I know what these things are. Wait here.

He enters the jungle with his torch held high.

• Hurley:  Hey, you around? Michael?

Michael emerges from the dark.

• Hurley:  You’re stuck on the island, aren’t you?


• Michael: (nods) Because of what I did.


• Hurley: And...there're others out here like you, aren't there? That's what the whispers are?


• Michael:  Yeah, we’re the ones who can’t move on. [Because the Others are DEAD!]


• Hurley:  Do you know where Locke is?

SHAZAAAM!  Out of the darkness, with a wave of his hand, DING! Michael points to a campfire down the way.

• Michael:  There


• Hurley: Is there anything I can do to – help you?


• Michael:  Don’t get yourself killed.


• Hurley:  Okay.


• Michael:  And Hurley – if you ever do see Libby again, tell her I’m very sorry.


• Hurley:  I’ll be sure and do that dude.

[Let me just break off here and say I was profoundly disturbed at the negative reaction to how the whispers were revealed.  Profoundly disturbed doesn't cover it, actually.  It downright chapped my ass!  LOST fans say they are irked about Season 6 because they want explicit answers to mysteries of the show that go all the way back to Season 1.  However, when that happens, like it does here with the whispers, are they happy?  NO. They complain about it!  What's that about?!  I'd like to propose a few possible reason for this negative reaction, one of which I can help them out with.]

If you HATED (and I mean HATE hate here) the way the whispers mystery was resolved in this scene, could be coupla reasons for your pain.  1) You were wrong about the whispers. 2) You weren't sure about the whispers, but you were not surprised what they turned out to be. 3) The whispers reveal debunked your primary theory about LOST. 4) You thought the whispers answer would answer more questions. 5) You've yet to dig out the HUGE reveals in this scene.

If you are 1) or 3), welcome to the club! Being wrong about LOST makes you just like everybody else! (I include myself in this club. I've got no idea if I'm right either!)  If you are 2) or 4), then you are in luck because I'm all set to help you with 5).  If that interests you, then you'll need to go to where I spell out the whispers reveal in detail:

Amy Smashes Through the Looking Glass: Whisper This! (Coming Soon to a blog near you!)

The other reveal here is how Michael magically shows Hurley the way. THIS is how the Others have been appearing and disappearing.  This is how they can snatch you out of thin air. They are able to "jump" from one place on the island to another, AND they can take you with them.  This is exactly what Michael has done!  This is how Illana got to and from the Black Rock so quickly!  Let that one soak in because it's really handy when we break down exactly what the island is.  I'll give you a hint:  MOSAIC.

Michael's apology to Libby is revealing as well.  Michael is trapped with the Others, but Libby ISN'T.  He doesn't have access to her/can't communicate with her.  She's in the flash world now.  Up till this point, DYING has been the ONLY way to get off the island and stay in the flash world.  However, HOW and WHERE you die matter.  Did you knowingly sacrifice yourself? Were you murdered as an innocent? Did you commit SUICIDE? Did the smoke monster bash your body to mush? What happens if you're eaten by a polar bear? I think it makes a difference if you died in the hatch, too.  I think that's why Juliet was supposed to die there.  It protected her somehow.

My question is this: If Christian told Michael he could "go" after he sacrificed himself on the freighter so everyone else could get away, then why did he "go" to "hell"?  Was that sacrifice not enough to overcome what he did to Libby? Is that why he saw her moments before Christian appeared?

Finally, I really like how Hurley made a point of forgiving Michael and letting Libby's murder go.  Wonder why he did that? Hm?

_____________________________________________________________

BEACH

Hurley unpacks a picnic lunch.  Libby stares out at the ocean.

• Hurley:  Something wrong?


• Libby:  Not wrong, just – off. [HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!]


• Hurley:  You’ve been here before?


• Libby:  No. This just all feels familiar.  Like a date we never had.  Geez! I sound like a nutbag! Why do you even want to be with me?


• Hurley:  Why do you want to be with me?


• Libby:  Cuz I like you.


• Hurley:  OR because you’re delusional.

Libby kisses him.  A series of flashes of Libby on the island ending with Libby kissing Hurley.  Hurley is stunned.

• Libby:  What’s wrong?


• Hurley:  I think I’m remembering stuff.


• Libby:  You mean I’m not crazy?


• Hurley:  No, I don’t think you are – (to himself) unless your kind of crazy’s catching.

Metro Desmond stakes them them out in his silver car.  He drives away.

Weirdness alert: Metro Desmond watching them bothers me.  Was he watching to make sure Hurley ended up with Libby? Or that Libby kissed him? Or that Hurley remembered her on the island?  Either way, Metro Desmond is obviously on a schedule and working a plan.  Question is WHO'S plan?

Think of how many (MANY) times our losties have recognized people, places and events without actually knowing why.  Libby says she feels 'OFF' - maybe that's why our losties always look perturbed when this happens.  It's an unnatural feeling that bothers them - everyone except Metro Desmond. (Remember how concerned Jack was when he thought he recognized Married Desmond on the plane? - Man! I can't keep track off all these Desmonds!)

Notice how Hurley get's HIS memories. If these were Libby's memories, he wouldn't see Libby, he'd see himself.  Here's the $64 million question: Did kissing Libby transfer Hurley's memories to him OR did it ACTIVATE those memories?  I'm guessing transfer (like Charlie did to Desmond), because if the object of the plan is to transfer the Others et al. to a safe "new world," then transferring memories would be the only way to do it.  Because you ARE you memories! [And the dead horse says, "OW!"]

_____________________________________________________________

JUNGLE

NIGHT. Mock Locke leads Desmond to an old, open stone well. [Well of souls! Get it? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!]

• Locke:  Here we go.


• Desmond:  What is it?


• Locke:  It’s a well. A very old, (tosses torch) but not very deep well.  Peeps who did this dug it by hand. God knows how long it took ‘em.


• Desmond:  That’s a lot of work just for some water. [Really Desmond? Cuz if you don't work for the water you won't have any and then you'll do something called DIE!]


• Mock Locke: They were looking for answers, not water. A long time ago places like the one we're standing at right now made compass needles spin. And the people holding the compasses needed to know why, so they dug.


• Desmond: Did they find what they were looking for? [We've heard this sentiment before!]


• Mock Locke: No, they didn't. The reason I wanted you to see this, Desmond, is because Charles Widmore is not interested in answers, he's only interested in power. And he brought you back to the Island so that you could help him find what he's looking for. After all, this isn't the only well.


• Desmond: And that's the reason you wanted me to see this?


• Mock Locke: Why aren't you afraid?


• Desmond: Excuse me?


• Mock Locke: You're out here, middle of the jungle, with me (and I make it my business to be pretty darn scary). Not a person on Earth even knows you're here. [Did you see what just happened?] Why aren't you afraid?


• Desmond: What is the point in being afraid?

Mock Locke smiles.  His face turns to stone. He pushes Desmond headfirst into the well.

• Desmond:  AHHHHHHHH!


• Mock Locke:  (shouts down the well) How's that fear coming?  Anything yet?

Oh, man! This scene gets me jazzed! Mock Locke just explained the history of the island!

What's that you say?  You need to know more? Excellent! I'm happy to oblige!

But not here.  Sorry.  Don't panic! I'm on a roll this week! [See Amy post. Post, Amy, post!]

Check out how irked Mock Locke is by Desmond's lack of fear.  FEAR is a HUGE theme on the island, is it not?  Wanna know why?  Fear is an instinctive/primal emotion that indicates you are AWARE of potential harm.  That is you recognize that you might be harmed or die (or get eaten) and your fear inspires you to "fight" or flee to avoid said death or harm.  There's only two reasons Desmond wouldn't see any point in being afraid of Mock Locke: 1) he's not aware he can die OR 2) he knows he CAN'T die.  Interesting.  However, how much you wanna bet he felt some fear after Mock Locke tossed him down that well?  Fear is one of the ways the island "wakes you up."

How Mock Locke uses fear and possible reasons why in:  Amy Smashes the Looking Glass: FEAR & Identity

_____________________________________________________________

JUNGLE CAMP

Mock Locke returns.

• Sayid: How’s our friend?


• Mock Locke: You don’t have to worry about him anymore. [Sayid was worried? I smell a BIG wordplay trick!]


• Sawyer:  Where you been?!


• Mock Locke:  I went for a walk, James.


• Sayid:  (to Sawyer) Possessive much?

Hurley steps outta the jungle.

• Sawyer:  Sonuvabitch! [Notice that he is the ONLY one who says this now.]


• Hurley:  Hey.


• Mock Locke:  Hello, Hugo.


• Hurley:  I don’t know who you are or what you want, but we have to talk to you.


• Mock Locke:  We? [Why does he sound so surprised at 'we?']


• Hurley:  I got my peeps, but I don’t want anybody to get hurt or killed.  So I’ll need your word you’re not gonna – do anything. That hurts or kills them. Or me.

Mock Locke hands over his big knife.

• Mock Locke:  You have my word.


• Hurley:  Okay guys! Come on out!

Frank and Sun emerge from the jungle.  Sun looks around eagerly, then looks disappointed.  The Jungle Camp peeps stare at them.  Jack emerges.  Sawyer does a double take of Kate.  Jack and Kate trade smiles. [Welp, Jaters. I hope that's all you needed -- cuz that's all you GIT!  BOOOOOO!! SSsssssst!]

• Mock Locke:  Hello, Jack.

Jack stares in horror at Mock Locke, who keeps going with the creepy smile.

Don't you love this new Hurley?  I do.  Notice that Mock Locke give his word.  That might be significant because he gave his word to Hurley, but if these are the peeps he needs to get home, he's not gonna hurt them.  Maybe Frank, but still.  This "promise" isn't very promising.

Jaters can still hold out hope! Sawyer's behavior here is a reaction to something he senses - a strong emotional attachment.  We learn this when he has the SAME reaction when Sun and Jin reunite in "The Last Recruit," and this time, he doesn't look at Kate.  When Jack and Kate see each other, he reacts the same way.

[Those of you interested in the undershow should know he chides Jack for this later.  When Jack gets back from his Mock Locke chat, he mentions it to her.  Something like, "It gets stronger every time."  That's because Jack and Kate are together on the outside, but they can't show it.  Here's something you'll like:  Jack is UNDER COVER.  When he ends up "with" Mock Locke in "The Last Recruit," it's where he SUPPOSED to be.  He's the spy.  I wouldn't be surprised if Kate had some kind of directive as well.]

Isn't Season 6 fun?

_____________________________________________________________

DR. LINUS’ SCHOOL

Metro Desmond stakes out the school parking lot. He spots John Locke struggling to roll uphill.  Dr. Linus appears at the window and knocks.

• Dr. Linus:  Hello there.


• Metro Desmond:  Hello.


• Dr. Linus:  You’ve been parked her and staring at the kids just long enough to make me wonder if you're a priest.


• Metro Desmond:  No-no.  I’ve just moved into the neighborhood.  I’m looking for a school for my son.


• Dr. Linus:  What’s your son’s name?


• Metro Desmond:  (to quick) Charlie.


• Dr. Linus:  Well it’s a wonderful school –

Metro Desmond notices Locke has finally rolled up to the parking lot.  He readies to leave.

• Metro Desmond:  Thank you for the information. Nice talking to you.

He drives to the parking lot.  Once John reaches the middle of the road, Metro Desmond guns it. Locke throws up his arm before Metro Desmond mows him down.  John smashes his head on the windshield, flies over the car and rolls to a stop [And Amy goes "AAAAHHHHHHHH! III"].  Metro Desmond keeps driving.  Dr. Linus comes running.  John is trembling, blinking and bleeding.  Dr. Linus rolls him to his back.

• Dr. Linus:  Call 911!  Mr. Locke? Oh my God. We’re gonna get you to the hospital, Mr. Locke. Can you hear me?

More on this in the next episode, but man! That was cold blooded!  [Did anyone see John's primal fear before that car hit?]

_____________________________________________________________

END Episode 6.12

_____________________________________________________________

HOLY CRAP!

NEXT UP: "The Last Recruit"

SEASON 6 Recaps

RECAP MENU

[Part 3] Recap, Weirdness Alerts and Analysis of #LOST Episode 6.11 “Happily Ever After”

SEASON 6 Recaps

RECAP MENU

Part 3 Recap of 6.11 - "Happily Ever After"

Part 1 Recap of "Happily Ever After" HERE

Part 2 Recap of "Happily Ever After" HERE

Supporting theory posts:

Memory Manipulation and Identity HERE
FEAR & Identity HERE

____________________________________________________________________


HOSPITAL

The MRI room.  On the table, Desmond freaks and presses the button - LOTS!

• Desmond: Get me out of here!   [To Widmore: Take me back there!]


• Tech: (unstraps him) Are you alright? [Same thing Kate asks Sayid; Same thing Mock Locke asks Kate after being attacked by Clairuso.]


• Desmond: I need to find the man I came in here with.  [Remember this line for later!]

A Nurse's Station. [Get it? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!]

• Desmond: His name is Charlie Pace. He came in an hour ago.  If you could just give me his room number. [Room and house numbers have denoted our losties as candidates -- I think, anyway.]


• Nurse: If you're not a relative, that's confidential information.


• Desmond:  We were in an accident together. [This line loaded too!]
  

A doctor retrieves a file from behind the desk. It's Jack, JUST EXACTLY like we saw him when Sayid and Nadia saw him on their way to Omar [<---this is VERY significant! Remember this for later too!].  Jack is doing the exact same task (looking over a file) and on his way down the exact same hallway we saw him go in "Sundown."

• Desmond:  I need to see him. [See him. Not TALK to him. Desmond is looking for a visual trigger.]


• Nurse: I'm sorry, sir.  There's nothing I can do.

Desmond recognizes Jack and stops him.

• Desmond:  Hey! Excuse me -- Um, we were on the same Oceanic Flight, yeah? From Sydney. [He is referring to the ONE encounter he had with Jack on the plane.]


• Jack:  Yeah-yeah, you were -- uh, you were sittin' next to me.  Desmond, right? [Why don't you ask him how he disappeared, Jack? Help us out!]


• Desmond: Yes. Listen, I wonder if you can help me brutha. I need to find someone.  He was on our plane.  He's somewhere in the hospital.


• Jack: He was on our plane, and now he's here in the hospital? [WHOA.  Did you see what just happened?]

_____________________________________________________________________

THEORY BREAK

Let me tell you a little secret:  There is MORE than one flash world in Season 6.

(Don't panic.)

Remember Jack's flash (and his smokin' HOT bod) in "Lighthouse?"  I won't try to cover "Lighthouse" here (Go to MENU for recap and theories), so don't freak!  However, I will remind you that Jack did not intersect with ANY other losties in his flash.  The only familiar peeps in his flash were his mom (Margo) his dad (in name only) and Dogen (drops in after his task is complete).

Are you sure you can handle the truth about flashes?  Get ready!

Jack does not connect with any of his pals in his flash because his flash is a contained, uncontaminated world unto itself (but not a PHYSICAL world).  Jack is on a specific path, guided by Hurley, generated or created by Jacob and watched by Dogen.  These three create a flash for Jack that specifically "fixes" him (allows him to fix himself).   I think the way Jack's flash world is set up and the way it plays out is the way the island is SUPPOSED to work.  I think the island, originally, was created to HELP people.

[I'm gonna assume that some kind of technology being used to make the island work because I'm having a hard time with a telepathic/paranormal solution, but that's just me.]

If you are completely confused, keep in mind: NOTHING we see on LOST takes place in the physical world.  Jack's experience in "Lighthouse" also tells us that his experience in the flash is subliminal.  Jack can't remember any of it (which doesn't matter because it HELPS him), but when he finally identifies with David at the auditorium, it specifically affects his emotional progression on the island. [Find links to more of Amy's posts about "Lighthouse" HERE.]

My point is, in order to understand these flash worlds, first thing to do is set Jack's "Lighthouse" flash world aside.  That flash is over and done with because Jack is healed.

That means [brace yourself] when we see Jack in the hospital hallway (in "Sundown" and here), that's NOT Jack.  That is a sliver, a representation of a Jack-like character and "doctorish" setting that's being used to complete this flash world.  It's like a stock set for a play.  As in:  Hey, Stu! We need a hospital scene here! Pull up "Doc Jack in the Hallway."

[Focus people! We're talking about Desmond here!]

I'm not gonna hammer the Desmond/Jack/Charlie Oceanic 815 connection here (cuz I'm doing it in an upcoming post), but when Jack says: "He was on OUR PLANE, and now he's HERE in the hospital?" it makes no frickin' sense whatsoever, right? But it CAN make sense if we are talking about a PLANE of existence and NOT an airplane.  I know -- I've said over and over again that nothing we see takes place in a physical world, but that doesn't preclude the idea that DIFFERENT PHASES OF THIS NOT PHYSICAL, GENERATED WORLD can be created simultaneously.

[I got this idea from Darlton on one of their podcasts.  They made a specific point of dropping the word PHASE at the same time I was digging around in how energy frequencies and sound frequencies can be used to manipulate human perception.  Now, that's what you call fortuitous!]

Try not to get hung up on mechanics, or physics or any of those things that math people like.  Let your thinking be grounded a la Lewis Carroll and Ray Bradbury -- anything is possible as long as you don't betray your audiences' suspension of disbelief by not following your own rules within the world you've created.  [This idea is brought up, btw, in a 4/19/2010 interview with Darlton for Wired Magazine.]

Just remember that this world that Desmond is chasing Charlie and looking for Penny is just ONE flash world, it's not a physical world and it's a manipulated world.  Also remember that Jack's flash world can/will NOT intersect with Des' flash world here.

Understanding the parameters of this flash world ties what happens to Desmond by the end of this episode to what he's up to in "Everybody Loves Hugo."

_____________________________________________________________________

HOSPITAL


A commotion down the hallway.  Charlie is at a dead run with hospital peeps right on his heals (and it's hilarious cuz he's in a hospital gown and hospital staff are chasing him down!).  He streaks past Jack, who tells him to take it easy, but doesn't try to stop or follow or TOUCH him.  Charlie and Desmond touch hands/arms as Charlie goes by.  Desmond chases Charlie down a stairwell.

Weirdness alert:  Two things.  Check out the overhead shot of the stairwell.  I see concentric squares, don't you?  When Charlie is at the bar, the bartender who pours him a drink has a pattern of squares on her sleeve.  These things caught my eye because we've seen concentric CIRCLES repeat many, many times in the past.  In particular, Nadia has a circle within a circle necklace on in "Sundown."  That doctor chic who gives Jack drugs in "Something Nice Back Home" also has a circle within a circle necklace.  If circles and squares are visual clues to distinguish these two flash worlds, that would be very handy, now, wouldn't it!

CHECK OUT: Charlie's hospital arm band.  Remember way back at ComiCon 2009 when Darlton released the poster for Season 6?  I read in two different interviews that the poster was carefully and specifically created with some cool Easter Eggs in it.  I tried to look over it, but I never got anywhere useful, BUT if you look at KATE'S wrist, she is wearing a WHITE wristband much like Charlie's here.  Possibly Kate's is a hospital band too?  THAT would be interesting to know.

If you look at that poster, you'll also see Ana Lucia has a thin black band around her wrist too.  On the show, we mostly see Kate wearing a wristband like that one (she sometimes uses it to put up her hair).  That thin black wristband is definitely worth noticing because it tends to appear and disappear.  It blinks in and out on Ana Lucia when she cries in Eko's arms, and it magically replaces a bracelet of black beads on James/Sawyer in "Recon" when he's drinking a beer and watching "Little House on the Prairie."

Visually on LOST, we've primarily seen TWO types of bracelets/jewelry.  Either the character is wearing a SILVER bracelet (Dogen, Naomi, Isla, and anyone with a silver WATCH on) or necklace or a BLACK BAND bracelet (or watchband) OR a black band NECKLACE.  Look carefully when Charlie runs down the stairs. He's got a black band on each ankle.  Weird right?

I think if we lined these up, we might see a pattern with our characters, and that would be cool.

SUPER WEIRDNESS ALERT: Notice how the blue-shirt stops chasing all together once she gets to the desk.  Also notice that no one else makes a move.  THIS IS IMPORTANT!  This sliver of environment, this "set" pulled out for this story includes the peeps in it.  They can't leave their little bubble.  [Don't panic. All will be explained. Think MOSAIC.]

Desmond catches up with Charlie on the second floor, and GO FIGURE. It's different from Jack's hallway (fewer peeps and it has wallpaper instead of pics on the walls).  Charlie still smacks into a cart!  [The carts might be like buoys in the ocean.  They could be markers between bubbles. Hm.] Notice how cart girl is nowhere behind Desmond as they talk.

They talk in what looks like a waiting area.  Weirdness alert: check out the super bright light AND how the vertical blinds look a LOT like bars on the windows.

• Desmond: Why are you running? ["You don't even know what you're running from!" Jack yells to Desmond]


• Charlie: Cuz no one here can help me OR find my clothes! Pervs! [Junkie Jack yells "You can't help me!" to the cutie pie doctor in this very same hallway Des chatted with Jack.]


• Desmond: Double check on that help thing, cuz you Crazy! You tried to kill me! Why?


• Charlie: No, I was trying to show you something.


• Desmond: Show me your hands.


• Charlie: What?


• Desmond: You heard me! Stick’em up!


• Charlie: You saw something didn’t you? In the water? What was it? What are you looking for?


• Desmond: Who’s Penny?


• Charlie: Dunno. Ah HA!  You felt it!  Didn’t you!


• Demond: I didn’t feel anything. [Sayid says he can't feel anything.]


• Charlie: Then why are you chasing me?


• Desmond: Time to go.


• Charlie: You think I’m gonna play a rock concert after this? This doesn’t matter.  None of this matters.  All that matters is we felt it. You wanna try and stop me, good luck!


• Desmond: Where are you going?


• Charlie: If I were you, I’d stop worrying about me and start looking for Penny!

This is a VERY familiar conversation.  Can you remember?  Locke and Boone have an exchange much like this, except Locke is waiting for Boone at the caves (after telling Jack he hadn't seen Boone all day.)  Let's recall this little scene from "Hearts and Minds." [Excerpt from transcript at Lostpedia]

Boone returns to the caves in a fury.  He attacks Locke and tells him Shannon is dead.

• BOONE: What the hell just happened to me out there?


• LOCKE: I don't know. I don't know, you tell me. [Locke pushes Boone off of him.] But your sister, Shannon. . . [we can see Shannon walk up with Sayid in the background]


• BOONE: She was dead.


• LOCKE: Is that what it made you see?


• BOONE: What made me see? That stuff you put on my head -- you drugged me.


• LOCKE: I gave you an experience that I believe was vital to your survival on this island.


• BOONE: It wasn't real?


• LOCKE: It was only as real as you made it.


• BOONE: I saw her -- I saw her die.


• LOCKE: How did you feel? When she died?


• BOONE: I felt -- I felt -- I felt relieved. I felt relieved.


• LOCKE: Yes. Time to let go. [Locke gets up and grabs his pack.] Follow me. [Christian tells Jack to "Let it go."]

Boone's experience was given to him by Locke?  Even if he drugged him, that's not really how it works.  Boone BELIEVES he was drugged, which is probably why he doesn't freak out a little more that Locke has the ability to "give you an experience."  The idea that Boone had control over how "real" his experience seemed is telling.  ["I think. Therefore, it exists."] That vital to your survival stuff -- that didn't work out so good, but Locke questioning Boone's emotional reaction sounds a lot like Charlie harping on feeling something "real" and "seeing the truth."  It's like the flip side. Hm.

Now let's imagine what would happen if Boone had this exact same experience except this time, Shannon was nowhere to be found on the island because, maybe, she left on a helicopter, but Boone doesn't know that because he didn't see it happen.  Now imagine that instead of telling him that, yes indeedy, Shannon is safe and sound, just not here at the moment, Locke had told Boone what he'd seen was accurate.  How long do you suppose Boone would believe Shannon was dead?

THIS is EXACTLY what happened to Clairuso.  Mock Locke "gave her an enemy," and the way I'm guessing he did it, is he gave her the "experience" where she was "tortured" and her baby was taken by peeps at the temple.  When she "woke up," like Boone does, Mock Locke reinforces her belief that her experience is accurate.

From Boone to Clairuso, from Desmond to Jack, we must ALWAYS keep in mind that everything we see happen to our losties is suspect for accuracy.  Their flashes can be manipulated (as Jack's flash proved in "Lighthouse") and their experience on the island (specifically in the JUNGLE) can be manipulated.  If we as audience watched Shannon die and didn't know she wasn't actually dead until Locke cleared that up, then how many other events have we seen happen to our losties that weren't what they seemed?

Just roll with it!  Trust me, it will all work out!  But do keep this phrase in mind: "I want to show you something." Also keep in mind that in this flash world it's important for our losties to FEEL something powerful -- love in this episode -- but NOT remember island events.  In the end, Desmond doesn't remember anything but the idea of Penny.  He doesn't even remember her name.  He sees it on Charlie's hand.

ONE last thing:  Locke asks Boone, "Is that what IT made you see?"  Mock Locke has been called a THING and an IT a lot lately, right?

_____________________________________________________________________

HOSPITAL HALLWAY

Desmond's on his cell phone with Widmore.

• Widmore: You let him go?!


• Desmond: He’s nutbag who tried to kill me!


• Widmore: He’ll miss the concert!


• Desmond: He’s a nutbag who tried to KILL ME, Charles! It’s just a bloody rock concert!


• Widmore: Good luck explaining that to Mrs. Widmore, Chum!

NOTE: Four buttons on Widmore's jacket cuff.  Interesting that Widmore's primary objective for Desmond is to deliver Charlie.  Widmore's given Desmond a task: SOMETHING HE'S SUPPOSED TO DO.  Notice that Widmore is not sucking up as much as he was before.  ["When I give you a job, I expect you to do it!"]  Notice that when Desmond rings off and gets in the elevator, he's on the THIRD floor.

Weirdness alert: Notice how Desmond and Charlie ran down the stairs to the next floor which was "2."  That means Jack's hallway should be floor 3.  However, when Desmond gets on the elevator, it tells us he's on floor 3.  Problem is, it looks NOTHING like Jack's hallway.  If you'd like to rationalize and think that maybe Desmond walked upstairs and wandered to a different part of the third floor, called Widmore and got on the elevator, then so be it.  But do please take note of how the same people are used and reused in the background.  This is what happened when Sayid was at the hospital with Nadia.  These LOOK like continuity errors, but we are too smart to fall for that excuse!  These errors are made on purpose!  [I mean, it's not like they can't afford more extras for the background.  Non-union extras get paid like $100 for an 10-hour day.]

_____________________________________________________________________

FANCY OUTDOOR PARTY VENUE

The limo parks.  Minkowski opens the door for Desmond. UBER WEIRDNESS ALERT: Desmond's watch is BLACK!  Wow!  Dude! Check out all the DOT CODES in the bushes behind Minkowski!  ONE more VERY messed up thing. Watch the reflection on Desmond's window VERY carefully.  Minkowski's reflection is NOT there, and what is there, what MIGHT be Minkowski, is nothing more than a shapeless black blob that really creeps me out.  CHECK OUT THE BUILDING in the WINDOW'S REFLECTION.  It's a DOME that looks EXACTLY like the Swan Station Dome where those assigned entered the code into "micro-computer processor" and pushed "the button."  [I never figured out why they felt the need to make a DOME underground, did you?]

LISTEN.  The clicks for the car doors aren't right.  And when Desmond exits the limo, Minkowski makes an "ahem" noise that barely hides a "whoosh" noise.

• Minkowski: You ever met Widmore’s wife before?


• Desmond: No.


• Minkowski: (winces) Good luck. I won't leave the engine running.

I was wondering why everyone was so afraid of Mrs. Widmore.  Then I saw her hair!  Yikes!

A large white tent set up for a fancy outdoor dinner party.  A large "rock star" stage in the background.  Piano music.  We see Daniel playing.  Check the red carpet!  Mrs. Widmore, aka Mrs. Hawking bitches to a crew of servers over a fancy place setting. I'm really interested in Eloise's jewelry here.  Her ring is a diamond shape made up of "cells" (mosaic-ish).  Her earrings are shaped pieces of mirrors put together to form a pattern.  She's got two matching starburst pins on her jacket and a small mirror (circle shaped) on her long necklace.

• Eloise: It’s a BUTTER knife you ingrates! It goes THIS way, got it?!  Now GET OUTTA MY SITE!

I'm interrupting early, because I think this is VERY much worth noting.  After she shows the waiter guy where to put the butter knife (what she shows him is WRONG, btw), she turns to the lady at her elbow.  This lady is wearing a black and white (with bits of blue) patterned dress, a gold watch and her hair up.  She's holding a large black leather folder.

When Eloise turns away from the waiter she's bitching at, she SPECIFICALLY gives this lady the "NO" signal.  The lady nods, pulls out what COULD be a silver pen (it's not clear), closes her folder and moves in the waiter's direction.  WATCH how the guy in the blue shirt and tie moves when she does.  He MIRRORS her.  That happens ALL the time on LOST! Especially since Desmond turned the key!

Desmond approaches.  Check out the red flowers in the background. Also notice how Des is "buttoning" his jacket and smoothes his hair.

• Desmond: Mrs. Widmore?


• Eloise: WHAT!


• Desmond: I’m Desmond Hume. I work for your husband.


• Eloise: Ah, Mr. Hume. Charles has told me so much about you. It’s a travesty we haven’t met before now --- HEY! – excuse me dear – YOUR OTHER LEFT MORON! WHAT AM I PAYING YOU FOR?! -- sorry, where were we?


• Desmond: Uh – Mrs. Widmore –


• Eloise: Ah – ah!  Please! It's Eloise. ["Whirrrrrr" Noise]


• Desmond: Eloise –


• Eloise: Now what crisis forced Charles to send his best fix-it man into the bowels of charity balls – I SAW THAT! YOU WAIT RIGHT BY THAT CHAMPAGNE FOUNTAIN TIL I GET THERE!! – so, sorry –


• Desmond: DriveShaftsnotcominganditsallmyfaultpleasedonthurtme --


• Eloise: What do you mean?


• Desmond: I mean, they’re not coming – [Jacob said "They ARE coming." Eloise is prepping for peeps to come. Hm.]


• Eloise: No-no! Why on Earth would you think I’d ever hurt you? – DON’T YOU TOUCH THOSE FLOWERS! I JUST SET THEM RIGHT!! Rock stars are expected to be unpredictable. Whatever happened, happened. No worries – HEY! I MEAN IT! LEAVE THOSE FRICKIN’ FLOWERS ALONE!! [Wordplay alert:  "When one employs So-called ROCK STARS, certain UNPREDICTABILITY comes with the TERRITORY."  Ahem: rock? territory?  STARS?  This is a very loaded line!]


• Desmond: Uh, thanks very much. Enjoy your evening.


• Eloise: Thank you, Mr. Hume. [Watch carefully: her mirror necklace and the buttons on her jacket all flicker with light.]

I don't know about you, but it seems pretty obvious that Eloise is surprised to see him.  LISTEN to the sound when Desmond introduces himself.  Here's a question:  If Desmond is Widmore's right hand man, then how come this is the first time Eloise has met him?  [Answer: because Desmond has been Widmore's right hand man for about 20 minutes.]

Widmore's best fix-it man? Good grief!  How obvious is that?!  We've heard Jack's (stupid and selfish) ex-wife complain, "You will always need something to fix," (after he fixes her too! Ingrate!).  Jack tells Kate, "I can fix this," (Claire's mom) and "Maybe the island wants to FIX ITSELF," (Ben's gunshot wound).  Interesting.

Remember Ilsa? Sayid's chica in "The Economist."  She had an "employer" too, and she was literally at his beck and call (WITH A BEEPER!).  She told Sayid she her employer was an economist who "specializes in emerging markets," and that she was a "shopper."  Hm.

And what's up with this "bowels of charity balls" line?  It sounds like Eloise is describing something akin to "into the sewers" or some other place/work that's most unpleasant but unfortunately necessary.  WATCH CAREFULLY: When Eloise tells him not to worry about it, she does a little hand wave. The same 4 extras show up in the background over and over again (man! That' musta been a painful shoot!).

Desmond leaves as quickly as he possibly can without fleeing (actually, he unbuttons his jacket and strolls by with his hands in his pockets). Two worker peeps with large black folders (one in RED one in TAN) flank a worker peep in black reading aloud from a clipboard.

• Waiter: blahda, blahda, blahda, Milton, Penny, Solo –  [Milton? Again, Desmond is triggered by SOUND.]

Let's pause and pay tribute to the sneaky wordplay antics of Team LOST.  The word 'solo,' according to the online dictionary entry I accessed HERE, means

1. any activity that is performed alone without assistance


2. a flight in which the aircraft pilot is unaccompanied; or to fly alone (no-copilot)


3. a musical composition for one voice or instrument


4. to perform, the performance of a piece written for a single instrument


5. without anybody else or anything else

HOLY CRAP these guys are sneaky!  Let's tuck this factoid away too.  "Milton, Penny - SOLO"

• Desmond: Uh, can I see that list? I work for Mr. Widmore.


• Eloise: You may not! This list is confidential. [SAME as it is in the HOSPITAL!!!]


• Desmond: But –


• Eloise: (to waiters) YOU KNOW WHAT CONFIDENTIAL MEANS DON’T YOU? IDIOTS?! IT MEANS YOU DON’T READ THE LIST OUT LOUD FOR ANYONE TO HEAR! (to Desmond) Are you questioning me? [??Questions?? aren't a good thing in Eloise's business.]


• Desmond: Eloise – I just want to look at one name on that list, please.


• Eloise: No, dear. (to waiters) GET OUTTA MY SIGHT THE LOT OF YA!! (to Desmond) Come with me. [Daniel, in a groovy brat pack hat, takes notice]


• Desmond: Look, I’m sorry if I’ve overstepped my bounds – [Out of bounds. Get it? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! BOUNDARIES are the BIGGEST issues for what's going on on LOST - boundaries between environments, flash worlds, people and certain GROUPS of people.]


• Eloise: Stop talking, Hume. I've heard what you had to say, but now you listen to me. I want you to stop. [Richard ranted about listening to Jacob.  Soon we learn losties are listening to Hurley.  Watch the next few lines for wordplay in reference to SIGHT/SEEING.]


• Desmond: Stop what?


• Eloise: Someone has clearly affected the way you see things. This is a serious problem.  It is, in fact, a violation. So whatever it is, whatever it is you THINK you’re looking for, you need to stop looking for it.  [Wordplay Alert! What he's looking for is something "you THINK."  Desmond tells Charlie Penny is an "idea."]

If "someone" has affected the "way you see things," and it's a "violation," then we've just learned a few pretty darn important things about Eloise and this flash environment. This moment right here is when I noticed that Desmond's beard, which was clean shaven at the hospital, is starting to look noticeably scruffier. Hm. Remember HAIR is one of the identifiers of what's going on inside our losties!

• Do you know what I'm looking for?  [Kate tells Jack, "I hope you find what you're looking for."]


• Eloise: I don’t know WHY you’re looking for anything! ["Whhhhirrrrrr" Noise] You have the perfect life. On top of it, you’ve managed to attain the thing you’ve wanted more than anything – my husband’s approval – STOP RIGHT THERE MISSY! – Really, I must be going now --


• Desmond: How do you know what I want?


• Eloise: BECAUSE! – ahem -- Because I bloody do! [Juliet and the others were able to create detailed files on our losties when they landed.]


• Desmond: I need to see that list – or you need to tell me why I can’t.


• Eloise: You can’t because you’re not ready yet, Desmond (leaves) -- WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!


• Desmond: Not ready for what?

This scene RIGHT FRICKIN' HERE is where we learn the MOST about the island/flashes.  Desmond is in the flash that gives you your heart's desire.  Jack's been in this world, too (in "Something Nice Back Home") but it didn't take.  Think about all the others here in this world:  Daniel is a musician (his heart's desire when he was young).  Widmore has his son in his life and is "the most influential man in L.A."  Daniel isn't dead, which should make Eloise and Widmore happy.

Forever ago, Ben told Locke that the island would give you whatever you wanted "anything you can imagine," (as long as you gave something back to the island, like Boone).  Remember the title:  Happily Ever After.  I think Desmond might have landed in Happily Ever After land!

Don't let's forget: the LIST.  Jacob and the others are all about who's on the list.  My question is this:  if this (NOT physical) flash is a theoretical world RIPE with thematic metaphor - then WHO is Eloise preparing for?  She says "charity," but my best guess is that they're expecting a large group of "guests" and soon.  Who's coming?  Answer:  The people who made the LIST.  [Funny thing is, "charity" is another name for "love."]

Desmond returns, both hands in his pockets.  Minkowski opens the door. Desmond climbs in the limo. Check out Minkowski's reflection THIS time. It's VERY weird!

• Desmond: Is there any alcohol in this car? [Uh-oh.]


• Minkowski: Oh yeah, whatever you need. Where to Mr. Hume?  [A CAR that gives you anything you need? I need this car -- with Jack in it instead of Des.]

Desmond pours a drink from a VERY familiar SQUARE decanter.  A knock on the window. [Get it? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!]  See the reflection/silhouette on the window?  That image might be why Daniel is wearing that hat.

• Daniel: My name is Daniel. Daniel Widmore. We need to talk. [Add this phrase to our list along with "Something to show you,"  "Something to do/work to do," and "gives you what you want."]


• Desmond: Terrific.

Desmond and Daniel leave the limo behind.  PLEASE NOTE that instead of a big green field there's a HUGE FRICKIN' WALL next to the limo.  Now, I know. MAYBE they got in the limo and took a ride.  MAYBE they drove off to the "museum." But if this world isn't a physical one, and what Daniel's talking about is taboo or "a violation," MAYBE this is a safe place for them to talk.

On a city bench:

• Desmond: Look, Mr. Widmore –


• Daniel: Mr. Widmore’s my father. I’m Dan.

[<----Notice the last name changes. First names follow the peeps, but last names are ALL different - except for Widmore.  LAST names on the lighthouse dial and in Graffiti Cave.  Illana calls everyone but Richard by his/her last name.  I think the first names are the "costumes" and the last names are the "others," but there's not enough costumes to go around (I chatted all about this with Donald when I was on his podcast).  You are a candidate, and you have to make the LIST.  The OTHERS were obsessed with who was or wasn't on the list. Dogen too.]

• Desmond: Okay, then, DAN, I’m sorry about this thing with Drive Shaft –


• Daniel: Do you believe in love at first sight, Mr. Hume? [More references to SIGHT.  Charlie says: "Then I SEE her."]


• Desmond: Okay. I don’t know what’s up with me today – maybe it’s the whole metro thing I’ve got going on with the hair –


• Daniel: The first time I saw her, was walking through this museum, few weeks ago. [Notice that WE can't see the museum.  As far as we can see, they're on a bench in front of a wall.]


• Desmond: Ah. Her. Excellent then. Is she hot?


• Daniel: She works here. She was on a lunch break, eating a chocolate bar.


• Desmond: Eating a chocolate bar.


• Daniel: She had these incredible blue, blue eyes and red hair – [Let's just assume he's talking about Charlotte.  Charlotte and Miles were both working James/Sawyer pretty hard to remember/confess his vendetta against Anthony Cooper (He's got SOMETHING to DO - Find and kill Cooper).  It's not too hard to see, if Charlotte is working the system somehow, she would trigger these "FEELINGS" in Dan.]


• Desmond: Oh, yeah! I heard there was a slutty redhead working at the museum!


• Daniel: And just in that moment, it was like I already loved her. [Remember how Daniel loved Charlotte out of nowhere on the island? Maybe this is a hint as to why.]


• Desmond: But I’m sure it’s not her. Might be another museum I’m thinking of.


• Daniel: That’s when things got weird. [They weren't weird before? Look at yer mom's HAIR, Music Man!] (pulls out notebook) The same night after I saw that woman, I woke up and wrote this.


• Desmond: What is this? [This would be Daniel's constant - his connection to Mr. Physics/Oxford Daniel. His connection between worlds!]


• Daniel: It’s not music is all I know. I took it to my pal at CalTech, and apparently it’s some kind of super-genius, quantum physics math-type stuff you’d need a lifetime of study to understand.


• Desmond: Well, that’s not gonna help you get the girl, now, is it?


• Daniel: But I think what’s in this book helped me set off a nuclear bomb. ["Whirrrrrr" Noise. PAST tense - because it's already happened on the SHOW.]


• Desmond: And it’s lookin’ like you really NEED a girl, brutha!


• Daniel:  Just listen. What if -- this, all this -- What if this wasn't supposed to be our life?  [Muddled] we had some other life, for some reason, we changed things.  I don't want to set off a nuclear bomb, Mr. Hume.  I think I already did.


• Desmond:  Listen, mate.  Um, I don't know what any of this has to do with me. [DUDE! Desmond is CLEAN SHAVEN again!]


• Daniel: Why did you ask my mother about a woman named Penny? You felt it too, didn’t you?


• Desmond: I don’t know. I don’t know what I felt. [Wordplay alert:  KNOW what I felt.]


• Daniel: Yes you do. You felt love. [Again with the love. What is it with these guys? Geesh!]


• Desmond: That's impossible, because I don’t know anything about this woman, I don't know...I don't know where she is.  I don't even know if she exists. She's...she's an idea. [YES she is! If someone only exists in your memory, then "they never really leave you." We know this MUST be true because James/Sawyer heard it on "Little House on the Prarie."]


• Daniel: Wrong. She’s my half-sister. ["Whirrrrrr" Noise] And I can tell you exactly where and when you can find her.

Okay, that "Whirrrrr" Noise? I'm thinkin' it MIGHT be an indicator to US that what we've just heard is the truth.  In a place where manipulation is the name of the game, locating the truth should be pretty darn useful.  Let's keep an eye out from now on.

_____________________________________________________________________

FOOTBALL STADIUM

NIGHT.  Penny runs up and down the bleachers.  Desmond approaches.  She stops, checks her watch and towels off.  [Hang on -- Daniel said he could tell Desmond exactly where and when to find Penny.  Penny is clearly watching her clock and winds up stopping right in front of him. Does that sound a little hinky to you? Me too.]

• Desmond: Are you Penny?


• Penny: Yes.


• Desmond: Hello, Penny. I’m Desmond. [FIRST NAMES ONLY]

Desmond stretches out his hand.  Penny's palm touches his.

These are the bleachers (and the time of day) when Jack first encountered Desmond.  This is also where Penny "found" Desmond (cuz if you have enough money you can find anyone).   Desmond's encounter with Jack triggered his "miracle" experience with Sarah.  Desmond's encounter with Penny triggered his turning the failsafe key.  Wonder what this encounter will trigger?

Again - PHYSICAL touch makes "things" happen.

_____________________________________________________________________

THE EMF BOX

Desmond opens his eyes.  Weirdness alert: Wow. That first second he looks like a corpse or a photographs.  Very creepy.  He inhales.  He stretches his head up (and it looks a LOT like what John Locke did when he woke up after the plane crash).  He moves and looks at his right hand (kinda like John Locke did when he looked up and wiggled his right toe).  Geek Posse Leader, Zoey, Med Kit Girl and Widmore enter the EMF Box.  Weirdness alert:  Look at the floor right next to Desmond.  Those shadows and light patterns on the floor are very odd.  They look 3-D and there's white smoke floating near the coil.  Med kit girl drops her big orange bag by Desmond's side.  She listens to his heart with a stethoscope.

• Droog: Checking in now.


• Geek Posse Leader: He’s okay! Wow!


• Widmore: Of course he’s okay! How are you, Desmond? [Med Kit Girl shines a penlight in his eyes as he looks up at Widmore. Check out her big, black watch.] How are you feeling?


• Desmond: [He touches Med Kit Girl's forearm. She moves away.] Fine. How long was I unconscious for?


• Widmore: Just a few seconds. I'm really sorry we had EMF blast you, Desmond. But, your talent is vital to our mission. So, if you just let me explain...


• Desmond: No need. I understand. You told me you brought me here to do something very important.


• Widmore: Yeah.


• Desmond: When do we start?

Prepare yourselves, my lovely LOST readers because here it is.  This is THE moment where we are shown exactly what this machine does.  If that's true, and Daniel is right, this might be a pretty good picture of what started this whole mess to begin with.

This ISN'T Desmond, and except for how he LOOKS, there's ZERO proof that it's Desmond.  Ask yourself: WHAT did this machine do to him here and/or in the flash?  He still doesn't remember anything about Penny -- he just recognizes that he "feels" something in relation to her.  He makes a date for coffee [DING DING DING - Whose dying words were about coffee?].  That's it.  Desmond passed out at the stadium has ZERO memories of the ISLAND or of his life with PENNY.  All of the "hints" that you see AREN'T conclusive.

Just like NONE of the hints you see HERE are conclusive.  Put aside your assumptions.  Examine what you SEE before you interpret it.  We see Desmond's body. We see Desmond's body "come to life."  Desmond's body looks at his hand and asks how long he was out.  Then we hear Desmond's body feel no need for explanation or apology.  He remembers being told by Widmore that he'd been brought to the island for something important.  He's ready to get started.

This ISN'T Desmond's consciousness or ghost.  The Desmond we know, his ghost, has been stranded in the flash world with Penny.  This turkey -- this ghost who's just jumped into Desmond's body - this is some OTHER ghost.  Probably one of Widmore's droogs.  Even more likely, it's poor Simmons who's ghost was taken from his body when he got zapped.  Need visual proof? Freeze any frame of Des' face in this sequence.  Cover the RIGHT side of his face with your hand, thumb, a piece of paper, whatever.  Those of you who check out the screencaps I posted of Sayid and Jack remember this little trick?  Remember how you could see "something" not right in Sayid's face, and I told you being able to "see" the irregularity would be helpful?  THIS right here is why.

If you cover the right side of Des' face (HIS right - not YOUR right), you'll see SOMEONE else's face there.  That's how Team LOST is letting us know what's just happened.  That someone else is an OTHER.  A GHOST that has just set up camp in Desmond's head.  $50 says he'll mention something about a different last name, too.  You watch!

I'm sure most of you are freaking out, and I'm putting it all together, brutha, but before I can do that, you'll need to "see" it.  Desmond's body has been hijacked!  My guess is because Desmond's body has an ability that Widmore wants to utilize for his plan.  Think about what happens in "Everyone Loves Hugo."

Always, always remember - these worlds are NOT PHYSICAL.  That doesn't mean they aren't REAL.  They just don't exist in the physical world. That means anything is possible.  Even having your "ghost" zapped out of your body, sent to a false flash world and sent on a wild goose chase.  You could even implant your droog's ghost into Desmond's body.  Then since Desmond seems to be the ONLY LOSTIE who can flash and still remember everything cumulatively (flash and island), you can send your droog to the flash world you're actually interested in.  The one where he can mow over John Locke.

Don't panic!

Zoey and a droog walk Desmond through the jungle.  Jungle is always the "free space" on the island. If something weirdo is going to happen, it'll happen there.

• Zoey: That thing fried your brain.


• Desmond: Think?


• Zoey: Twenty minutes ago, you’d’ve killed Widmore bare-handed. Now you’re all “When do we get started.”


• Desmond: A lot can happen in twenty minutes.


• Zoey: Whatever, it doesn’t change that we’re gonna –

Sayid springs outta the jungle, snaps the droog’s neck and points a gun a Zoey.

• Sayid: Run.

And she does!

• Sayid: No time to explain. These people are very dangerous. We need to go.


• Desmond: Okay. Lead the way!

I only have one question for you.  How do you think Sayid knew that Desmond needed rescuing?  Mock Locke didn't tell him to do that because he had no idea Desmond was "The Package."  Sayid has that ONE encounter with Desmond on the dock.  I think that Desmond (before he got zapped) told Sayid he needed help with his "ability."  He did it with sound.  Check the recap for "The Package" for more info. SOUND affects and manipulates our losties on and off island.  The SOUNDS we hear and when we hear them matter.

And why does Sayid let Zoey live?  I'd've shot her ass!

_____________________________________________________________________

FOOTBALL STADIUM

Desmond’s on the ground. Penny stands over him.

• Penny: Are you okay?


• Desmond: What happened? [First words out of a newly reanimated Sayid's mouth too.]


• Penny: Well, I shook your hand and then you fainted. Musta had quite an affect on you! [That's the kicker.  How did Penny's touch affect him?  If Penny is his constant, and touching her does "something" she might have pulled Desmond into this flash world.  Remember, Daniel told him that to stay in one place, he needed a constant. Interesting. Again, Penny seems to be used to manipulate Desmond into doing something someone else wants him to do.]


• Desmond: Aye.


• Penny: Have we met before?


• Desmond: I think we’d’ve remembered, if we had.  [He does NOT remember meeting her before. He has NOT recovered his memories from the island or of Penny off-island.  We'd like to THINK that, but there's NO evidence that backs up that assumption. All we know is that Desmond and Penny are meeting for coffee.]


• Penny: Okay then. Nice meeting you.


• Desmond: Come have a coffee with me.


• Penny: I’m disgusting.


• Desmond: I just fainted like a weenie.


• Penny: Yes you did. (looks him over) Okay, then. I’ll meet you at the corner of Sweetzer and Melrose in an hour.


• Desmond: Okay, then.


• Penny: Okay – but don’t follow me cuz that’s not cool.


• Desmond: Absolutely not. See you soon!

Desmond climbs into the [magic] car.

• Minkowski: You survived! Excellent! Did you find what you were looking for?

This ENTIRE thing has been a set up.  When Desmond finds what he's looking for, he finds Penny.  When he finds Penny, his ghost stays put, leaving his body without one.  Remember what Jacob said to MIB: "if you kill me someone will just replace me . . . As long as my body's alive."  A body without a ghost on the island is prime real estate.  Since we know that the "others are all dead," and we know that ghosts are trapped but able to move around the island, hopping into a body is only a matter of finding one.  From what Jacob tells us, it may not even be voluntary.  And empty body, most likely, creates a vacuum, which is why it wouldn't be that hard to "replace" a missing ghost.  Mull that over, cuz I'm streamlining the entire mess in my next few theory posts!  However, this entire sequence sheds a lot of light on MIB's and Jacob's quandary.  The question is: Who is Jacob's body?

DON"T PANIC! :)

• Desmond: Yes, George. I did.


• Minkowski: Where to? I’m at your disposal.


• Desmond: Think you could get hold of the flight manifest for me? For Oceanic 815? Just the names of the passengers?


• Minkowski: Sure thing. Mind if I ask what you need it for?


• Desmond: I need to show them something.

That last line really creeps me out.  If what we've seen happen to Desmond is due to being "shown" something by Charlie, his showing "something" to (we're assuming) our losties may not be a good thing.  It might trap them in this flash world too!  Not cool.

_____________________________________________________________________

END Episode 6.11

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HOLY COW!  Thank you so much for your patience.  I hope you got more bang for your buck!

Amy's LOST Recaps - Season 6

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