Quick Thoughts from a LOST-Occupied Mind

Yeah, good luck, students of room 219 - Mr. Husvar is not fully focused on you today!

Well, first of all, it looks like I can post again! It still says "scheduled outage at 4:00 PST" at the top of my page, but whatever.

I've had a number of thoughts (of course) all morning as my mind works slowly, and not at all surely, through last night's two episodes. Here is what I'm thinking about, and that I'd love to hear your thoughts about:

1. Desmond's "Dream": Was it, as Penny said, a dream of the island that Desmond had in "current time" (yeeeeah, I don't even pretend to know what that is anymore), or was it a memory? My opinion? It's a memory he never had - until Daniel Faraday forced him to open the back door of the Swan in the past and told him to find his mother (Whaaa???) at Oxford. Only then did Desmond wake up with this memory - a new memory, but of something that happened years before, that wasn't a memory until it suddenly happened in the past.

Faraday kept insisting that, no matter what, you couldn't change the past or future; what happens(ed) happens(ed). But if he never told Desmond to find his mother before, and only did it now, isn't he contradicting himself, and therefore time?

2. Speaking of Faraday's mother at Oxford, there are many people who are theorizing that his mother is none other than Mrs. Hawking, who we saw with Ben at the end of the show. I think I may be one of them...

3. Here's the big question I have, and I'm not sure if it makes sense, but here it is anyway: are they proposing that the Locke we have seen since Season 1 is the Locke we are seeing now? In other words, has he known all along, since the moment we saw him, what was going to happen because he had already gone through it once? Or has he been popping between the 2004 of the island and his future self who had already lived on the island, a la Desmond? I don't think this works because it would be a paradox - he would eventually run into his self that was on the plane, and that technically can't happen. So I don't know...

4. I love the idea of time travel, period, but I really love where the writers of LOST are taking it. I don't think I've seen it done in this way before. What they are doing is very bold and very risky - I'm wondering if they are going to be able to pull it off. They are opening up many cans of worms here, and they've said they will have no time paradoxes on the show, so I'm fascinated by how they are going to do this.

More to come...

Some Final Thoughts Before the Madness Begins

Hey Losties,

Before I get caught up in what I'm sure will be the all-encompassing, obsessive, mind-bending, confused, remember-it's-only-a-TV-show state of being and mind that is LOST (and love every minute of it), I wanted to take a moment to be reflective. To take a deep breath before diving in (or is it getting sucked in?) to what will undoubtedly be another wild ride.

A lot of people (even - gasp! - some I know and love) wonder what the big deal is with LOST. They ask, "Why would you want to watch a show that confuses you, where you don't know what is going on? That you have to work to understand? That you have to think about? Isn't TV a way to escape? An excuse not to think? To just relax after a long, hard day of work that fried your brain enough already and veg out? Isn't that the point of TV?" Well, judging by the quality of most shows on television *cough*American Idol*cough*, I can't say that they're alone in that opinion.

The thing is, they don't get it. And it's not that the show is too complicated for them, or that we're somehow smarter for understanding all of the island mysteries, interwoven plotlines, love quadrangles, character connections, hidden meanings, religious overtones, obscure historical and scientific references, corporate power struggles, walking and talking dead people, flash-forwards and flash-backs, and now time-travel, just for good measure. (Or maybe we are...) Honestly, we are confused about 90% of the time when watching the show, and for the 10% we believe we understand, we're probably wrong anyway. But that's just it: thinking about all of these things is fun. Getting into crazy philosophical discussions with co-workers the morning after is fun. Dissecting screencaps of the latest episode to find hidden clues is fun. And most of all, in my opinion, it's the chance to let your imagination run wild which is the most fun. Maybe it's not their kind of fun, but for anyone reading this, it's our kind of fun. It's a challenge. It's a game. They don't have to get that about the show.

But boy are they missing out.

After all, isn't LOST the ultimate escape? J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof, Carlton Cuse, and the other writers and producers of the show took the cliche locale of an exotic deserted island and expanded it into an entire universe that we love visiting every week. They turned the island into a playground where philosophy, human relationships, religion, science, reality and imagination both conflict and intertwine. Maybe that doesn't sound like a vacation, but it allows our minds (and sometimes our hearts) to escape the drab, sometimes truly difficult, everyday grind. Then again, maybe it reminds us to appreciate how lucky we are. I mean, if you thought you had problems, just walk a mile in any of these characters' shoes, both on and off the island! (Two words: smoke monster.) The characters are basically normal people in extraordinary circumstances, just as we find ourselves in sometimes, but their version of extraordinary is quite different than ours. And it's that extraordinary quality that draws us in, week after week, and defines everything about LOST.

So, no matter what it is you enjoy about the show, enjoy our newest glimpse into this incredible universe. I hope you enjoy it with friends, like the picture of the LOST Season 1 cast at the top of this post. And I hope you will come here after to discuss, think, and enjoy with your fellow Losties.

Namaste, Good Luck...
and Have Fun!

We're Just Hours Away!

As we all get ready for a pretty momentous event in history that is about to take place, I thought I'd share a few finds with you before things get really crazy.

You do know I'm talking about the premiere of LOST, right? I mean, what other big historical event did you think I was referring to? ;)
(In all seriousness, I am personally sooooo excited for the Inauguration, too!)

Anyways, a few last websites to share before our first new LOST episodes in a very long time. I will post again tomorrow with some final thoughts of my own, but for now, enjoy!

The Lost Time Loop Theory is an interesting read, if you can make your way through it. I don't think I believe that what he describes is what's happening (or that I completely followed it in the first place), but I think it's always fun to read other peoples' overall theories about what is happening on the show.

Lost-Streams is a site where you can watch past and, I assume once Season 5 begins, new episodes, in case you don't have your DVD's handy or missed a fresh episode. It also has other content, such as DVD extras, promos, and interviews with the cast.

Wanna know what Evangeline Lilly (Kate), Naveen Andrews (Sayid), and Michael Emerson (Ben) listen to? This link will take you to their iTunes Celebrity Playlists. (You need to have iTunes to see them - the link will open iTunes and take you to the iTunes store.) It was interesting - I thought Evangeline Lilly's choices were much more obscure and "worldly" than Naveen's or Michael's were - and on a personal note, she had me at Portishead (one of my absolute favorite bands), which impressed me more than anything!

LOST As A Second Life

Some of you wonder if I have a life outside of LOST. (Thank you for your concern, by the way.)

Well, I do.

Barely.

But one of my new favorite LOST websites, SL-LOST.com was created in part to promote the fact that fans have created the LOST island in an online game called Second Life. I had heard about Second Life a few years back, and it's in the news occasionally because of some of the issues that have arisen from how various people have used it. For example, I remember hearing about a case where a married man had a Second Life "wife," and legal experts were debating whether or not it was considered adultery and grounds for divorce. Someone even made a movie about that case. Apparently some businesses are also using it as a recruiting tool and establishing their own locations within the game that interested parties can visit. The potential of a program like this is pretty amazing (if you ask a nerd like me, at least).

Anyways, Second Life is an "online world" where you can create your own character and interact with other "characters" (i.e. other people who are playing the game just like you). You can walk up to a character and chat with them, and you can even design and "build" your own area of the Second Life world, and it's 3-D; you can walk into and around it, like in modern video games. Some people have even created famous landmarks, like the Eiffel Tower, in the game, which you can travel to. Which brings me back to the LOST island in Second Life.

I think you know where I'm going with this.

You know I had to see it!

So, for the sake of the blog, and to provide you, dear readers, with all of the LOST-related fun I can possibly share, I registered this afternoon, downloaded the program, created my "character" (I just picked one from 10 pre-made characters they offered), and was all set to log in and walk around the island as "DharmaTeacher Zeplin." (Yup, that's my name - I got to choose my first name, so I went with the name of this blog, and I had to choose the last name from a list of bizarre and Lord of the Rings-sounding choices, so since I'm a huge Led Zeppelin fan...) I even had to update my computer's video card to be able to experience this incredible place. So what was it like? Did I climb the ladder down into the Swan station? Did I run screaming out of Jacob's freaky cabin? Did I hang out with Kate on the beach?

Um, no.

Second Life has suspended log-ins this evening due to "database problems." I have to say, I'm not very hopeful. It will have to wait. (I will give them credit, though - they have an update page that explains what problems they are having, and the updates are literally up-to-the-minute. That's impressive, and is more than I can say about my electric or cable company's efforts to keep me informed when their services are out. Second Life is free, by the way...)

But when I do get in and I can figure out how to take screenshots of what I see, I will definitely share them with you! For now, though, here and here are videos of what I can supposedly look forward to seeing when I do get to take a trip to the island.

And if I stop answering the phone and showing up for work, you'll know why.

Another Season 5 Promo (Spoiler-ish)

You can watch it here. Beware, it contains quick flashes of spoilers, so watch at your own risk.

I don't usually consider "official" promos from ABC spoilers, which is why I did watch it, but this one has some pretty revealing shots. Luckily for me, I don't really remember what I saw, so I don't really regret watching it.

By the way, I found it at a blog called Ben's Frozen Donkey Wheel, which I mention and will include in my blog roll solely because I love the title.

8 Days Left! And a Little Reminder of Where We Left Off

Just over a week until the premiere! Are you getting as excited as I am? I've been watching the Season 4 DVDs and reading the blogs (but not spoilers!) to get ready.

And speaking of which, I just saw that they are re-broadcasting the three-part Season 4 finale, "There's No Place Like Home," this Wednesday night. Thank God parent-teacher conferences are in the afternoon, right Chalk Hillers? ; ) Also, they are "enhanced" episodes, meaning they will be doing the pop-up video thing with notes at the bottom of the screen.
Go to ABC's LOST site to see the schedule.

Enjoy!

P.S. Spoiler - the island still disappears!

While I'm working on fun technical stuff...

...I found two interesting articles this weekend to share with you.

The first is not spoiler-y, but has me pretty excited. And not just because of the picture of Evangeline Lilly ; )

Evangeline Asks Fans To Be Patient

The key quote:

...the first half is very complicated… It’s like a puzzle...

The second, compliments of Doc Arzt, is kind of a spoiler; it gives a rundown of the first two episodes but without any specific details. In my opinion, it's definitely on the borderline between "just enough to not ruin anything" and "spoiler alert!" - it all depends on your comfort level with spoilers. If you completely, totally avoid all spoilers at all costs, read at your own risk.

Doc Arzt Reviews "Because You Left" and "The Lie"

If you are of the "spoilers are the devil" set, then Doc Arzt, the author of the article, gives a pretty good spoiler-free summary:

It’s hard after four seasons to stir the coals and try to find the same white-hot flame that Lost burned in season one. It would be cliche to say Lost has returned to form, or is continuing to live up to its own impossibly high standards-we hear these things all the time. At this point, it seems enough to say that I went into it full-out excited, and came out full-out satisfied. Things happened I absolutely did not expect, and the fog of between season speculation cleared in a way that was enlightening to how wrong we fans can be sometimes, and how brilliant the writers can be at out-guessing us. Lost still has it.