This Place Is Death

Oh, where do I start? The reason I ask that is because my usual way of recapping an episode is from beginning to end. Chronologically, if you will. Seeing as how LOST has been anything but chronological this season, or perhaps any season, (ouch, just got a little pain in my head) I figure I can shit-can that pattern. For at least one episode anyway.




“This Place is Death” saw the end of Charlotte’s bloody time sickness as she died in the jungle with her island boy friend faithfully looking over her. I turn to Charlotte’s namesake C.S. Lewis for help putting this episode together. The writer of the famous Narnia books also wrote some other things. Namely, for our purposes of this episode, I want to look at the novel The Great Divorce. Not that it has anything to do with the episode other than the title itself for the story is about people that take a bus ride to get out of “the grey town” (which could be a representation of hell) and end up at the gates of heaven. As the story goes on, the people on the bus realize they are ghosts and that their trip has all been for their own redemption in order to get into heaven. See that doesn’t have anything to do with LOST. (Damn, there’s that pain again, a white hot searing pain in my head that causes everything to go white for a moment.)

For simplicity sake, divorce is described as “ the dissolution of a marriage”. A marriage, of course, is a union of two people in holy matrimony. “What God has joined together, let no man put asunder.”, indeed. This Place is Death had it’s share of “divorce” happening all over the place. Let’s look a little close at these dissolutions, and I don't even know if that is a word.

Rousseau and her crew plus Jin are trying to figure out their next move. Of course Jin’s plans don’t jive with Danielle and her crew. They want to find a radio tower to put out their distress signal and we know how that works out; while Jin wants to find his camp so he can find his wife. They all take off for the radio tower and are attacked by Smokey. Can we call this the “first” time we see Smokey in action? Either way, it was the one that gave us the most answers. Aside from Smokey pissing me off by killing the hot blond French chick first (maybe Smokey is a girl?), we have the same type of attack we have seen before. Those other two times I am referring to is when it killed Eko and when it tried to pull Locke down into the hole. Now we know what the hole was, sort of. Rousseau’s boyfriend or husband (it was never made clear what their relationship was, at least I don’t think it was) called it a temple. Or maybe it’s THE Temple that Richard and Ben spoke about before. Apparently Smokey is the guardian of the temple or even the island itself like Danielle described. Of course this could also be another example of the untrustworthy narrative that LOST likes to use as well.

Montand is pulled through the jungle and down into the hole and then … well, his arm was ripped off! Of his body! Entirely off! Wow! So even Montand had a disagreeable divorce with his own arm. At least it wasn’t a trial separation! Jin flashes but not too far forward. The only members of Rousseau’s group left are her and Robert. We still don’t know all of the story about what happened to them to cause Danielle to kill them but we know she did. I’m still not sure if she was right and they were sick or if it was the other way around but she was the only one who didn’t go into the temple after Smokey. I also think that there was something wrong with Robert as he quickly changed his tune and tried to shoot Danielle when her guard was down. He tried to shoot her with the same gun she had removed the firing pin from that Sayid tried to use on her back in season 1. Nice parallel in story telling there and it is because of those simple details that anything and everything can be brought into the time traveling story and actually mean something more than we thought. Rousseau violently “divorces” herself from Robert but right before we are shown her music box (the one Sayid fixed for her) with a bride and groom dancing together. Another cruel and ironic LOST moment.

Another flash later and Jin is reunited with Sawyer and the rest of the left behinds. Notice the joy of their reunion quickly turns as Jin asks Sawyer where Sun is. The mood was hectic while Jin is getting the news about the time flashes and Sun being alive but it was lightened a little by Miles when he tells Sawyer “He’s Korean, I’m from Encino.”. In a season where it’s difficult to say who the episode is centric to, this a Sun and Jin episode. Sun is show off the island to be just as concerned about her husband as Jin is about her.

Ben sees the O6 reunion dissolve as quickly as it was put together. Kate “divorces” herself from the group and Sayid does the same. Sun, Jack, and Ben leave together to get the proof that Jin is alive. Jack apologizes to Sun for not saving Jin and Sun asks Jack if he is saying this to keep her from killing Ben. Jack tells her that if she doesn’t do it he will himself for what Ben did to Kate. Ben literally slams on the breaks and throws a patented Ben hissy.

Charlotte is down and Daniel won’t leave her behind. As the rest of the group go off she tells them to “Look for the well” and we already know that Charlotte has been on the island before, we don‘t need TPTB to hit us over the heads anymore, hell some of this writes itself now. Charlotte says in her delusional mumblings; “Why can’t Daddy come with us?” and then goes on to say “You know what my Mum would say about marring an American.”, both a marriage and separation reference. Locke sees the well Charlotte spoke of and he prepares to “divorce” himself from the island.

Charlotte tells Daniel what we already knew, that she had been there before. Another quick reference to C.S Lewis is made when she tells Daniel that after she left the island with her mother that whenever Charlotte asked about the island, her mother would tell her that it was a fantasy world that she had created in her head. Something the children are told in the Narnia story. A short sidebar here, the story that Charlotte tells Daniel is something that was supposed to happen during the strike shortened season 4 and the writers had to scramble to scrap that episode but still keep the same points of the story for some later episode. This was that point in time. Charlotte goes on to tell Daniel that there was a man on the island when she was a little girl that told her to never come back and if she did she would die. She says that man was Daniel! Anyone see a version of Charlotte when she was a little girl on the island making an appearance in a later episode?

Locke says to Sawyer “Goodbye James.“, but he says "See you when I get back." to Miles. I won't dive deeply into that one but does Locke know about Miles’ ability to speak to the dead? And if Locke does make it back to the island but dead, Miles will be the only one who Locke can communicate with? Jin gives Locke his wedding ring (a symbolic divorce of sorts) and tells him to give it to Sun and to tell her that he is dead. You have to give some kudos to Locke for his blind faith, something that often causes him and those around him trouble and pain but to say the man has some courage is an understatement. Him going down that well and into the dark was as heroic if not more so than Sawyer jumping out of the helicopter last season. Sawyer asks Locke if he wants them to lower him down into the well, you have to just love the little laugh and the grin on Locke's face when he answers “Where would be the fun in that?”. The grin was even better this time than when he saw a young Widmore on the island. In another storytelling trademark of LOST, Juliette thanks Locke for doing what he is about to do even though she has no idea what it is he is going to do or if it will even work. Previously in this episode we see Ben telling Jack and Sun that if they knew what he had to do to keep them all safe they would never stop thanking him. Quite a different set of circumstances. All Ben wants is to be appreciated but gets none.

Another flash later and Locke falls like Icarus down the well and Sawyer is left holding the rope, notice the rest of the well is gone too. Sawyer, in his desperation to not allow another person leave him forever (like his parents and Kate did) begins to dig. Notice that they are putting a darker focus on Sawyer when they film him to show his many feelings of guilt, pain, abandonment, and sorrow all the while putting more light on Juliette, even to cast her in an almost angelic light. None of that means anything it's just an observation.

Charlotte’s last words before she dies are “I’m not allowed to have chocolate before dinner.”, is another nod at C.S. Lewis' Narnia. One of the boys is bribed by the evil witch to tell her where the rest of his siblings are. The item she uses to bribe him? A piece of chocolate called a “Turkish Delight”. I had a “Turkish Delight” before but it had nothing to do with chocolate and it also cost me a hundred and fifty bucks. Ouch, there’s that pain again and I just noticed there is a little blood on the keyboard. Where did that come from?

Back in the well, Christian Sheppard makes his season 5 premier and tells Locke that he was supposed to move the island and not Ben. He tells Locke to find Eloise Hawking and she will be able to tell him how to save the island. Christian is as always, the cold hand of God, or as close to it as we have on the island, as he tells Locke “I suppose that’s why they call it sacrifice.”; when John tells him that Richard told him he was going to die. Christian goes on to tell him that the wheel has slipped off of it’s axis and it needs him to give it a little push. Leave it up to Ben to forget to set the parking break on a whole goddamn island! Christian adds to the painful path Locke has to travel alone by not helping John get up. The man had a bone sticking through his leg! As Locke fades away, Christian tells Locke to say hello to his son. Locke doesn’t get the answer when he asks Christian who his son is. I don't think Christian could have told him even if he had the time. There’s just some things in this show that people are not allowed to do or know.

Back at the church, Ben tells Sun about Locke giving him Jin’s wedding ring. Just when I thought Ben was starting to come clean and be trustworthy we find out that he had seen Locke before he died. Seems it’s all about semantics with this guy. Then Desmond shows up. They all go into the church and meet Ms. Hawkins (or however you spell her name), who, as it turns out, is Faraday’s mother. Who saw that coming? We will wait to see if Desmond recognizes her as the time jumping antique dealer lady or not. She asks Ben where the rest of them are he tells her that this is the best he could do on short notice. She says it will have to do, for now. So do they need all six or not? What the hell? One other thing I wonder about after this episode is; if Ben wasn’t supposed to be the one to turn the wheel and Locke was, will the island allow Ben to come back seeing as how it looks like he wasn‘t supposed to leave in the first place? Maybe that is where we are headed with Ben's story. It also points to the fact that maybe Locke is just a pawn being used by the island. Or maybe since we know Locke has to die, maybe Ben is going to be allowed to go back since he was never suppose to leave and since Locke is “special” to the island maybe he will be able to be resurrected back on the island like Christian Sheppard is, sort of.

I better go the nosebleeds and the headaches are getting worse. Now, would someone come up here and serve these two Rustlers rare? Someone find Tara and tell her to take them out to their table, please. What am I doing at this computer? Leslie, can I go on break? Leslie?

The Little Prince

The Lie Before “The Lie”

The episode starts back on “The Searcher” before Jack’s “lie” is formulated. From Kate’s clues in the conversation the 06 have been on “The Searcher” for two nights. “It’s gonna take more than two nights for me to get used to sleeping in a normal bed.” So “The Lie” (which I am really getting tired of capitalizing and putting in quotes, by the way) took Jack a few days to figure out and present to the rest of the group. It took Kate less time to come up with her own lie about Aaron. Before she even asks Jack “What are we gonna do about him?”, she knows what she is going to do. She even goes as far as picking now as a good time to tell Jack that Claire was going to put Aaron up for adoption when she got to L.A. At first Jack doesn’t want to go along with Kate's story. He already knows how high the shits going to get and he doesn’t want Kate to climb on top and add a little princely crap to the pile. Kate tells Jack that after everyone they have lost, Michael, Jin, and Sawyer, she doesn’t want to loose Aaron as well. Jack points out that Sawyer is not dead but to her he might as well be. “No, but he’s gone.”, but only for so long. That is if the O6 make it back to the island in time. Jack asks for one more assurance that Kate has his back on the lie. When Kate told Jack, “I’ve always been with you.”, I almost yelled “Bullshit!”. For a moment it looked like Jack thought about saying it as well.

Momma Always Said Life Was Like A Box Of Chocolate

Flash Forward to Kate three years in the future (or to the present, damn this time travel shit is a bitch) and she is looking rather hot, I must say. Sun lends Kate one of the patented Sun power skirt suits in the obligatory color black. For all of Aaron’s “special-ness” he can’t manage to open his “princely” sized bottle of ketchup. Kate leaves to go deal with the lawyers and Sun gets a special delivery. In the package is a surveillance report and some pictures of Ben and Jack. The pictures seem to be from right after Jeremy Bentham’s funeral. So she’s either spying on Ben, Jack, or Ben and Jack. Apparently death is also like a box of chocolates. Especially when the second layer is a gun! Sun looks at the gun with her recently acquired icy stare. Looks like she was expecting it to be in there. It also she looks like she knows exactly what to do with it.

Back on the island, Charlotte is still out, Sawyer is antsy, and Juliette fills in as best she can for Kate as she tries to calm Sawyer down and shoo him away. Sawyer walks off in a huff to be with his new best friend Johnny Locke. Juliette gently interrogates Daniel about what is wrong with Charlotte. In what is quite possibly the worst medical diagnosis ever, Daniel says Charlotte has a really bad case of jet lag. Thankfully he’s a physicist not a doctor.

Let’s Make A Deal

Kate meets with Norton the lawyer and offers him a deal and he quickly shuts her down. He then goes on to mention “the exchange of custody” and instantly I thought his client has to be Claire’s mom. Especially since she was shown in the “previously on Lost” bit. In order for it to be a “custody exchange” it would seem it would have to be a blood relative. So who do we have? Claire’s mom, Claire’s aunt, Jack, Claire’s half brother, and the father of Aaron (Tom, I think his name was?) but he took off when Claire told him she was pregnant. To me Claire’s mom was the best choice. Kate’s nightmare comes true when Norton says; “You are going to loose the boy.”. Exactly what Kate needs to hear to get those running shoes out and dusted off.

S.N.A.F.U.

Locke tells Sawyer (he sure is getting called James a lot now a days, isn’t he?) that they need to go to the Orchid Station. He also tells him that Kate and the rest of the O6 made it off of the island. Sawyer really wants to believe him. When Charlotte wakes up and asks Daniel; “Who are you?” I asked my TV “What the hell?” But then she was OK. “Hooray, everything’s back to normal!”, Miles gets better every week. Sawyer agrees with Locke’s idea and gathers everyone up to go to the Orchid Station.

Hurley And The Giant Orange Jumpsuit

Jack gets reprimanded by some woman who just can’t mind her own business. Wonder how long it is going to be before Ben, Sayid, or Jack stop dealing with these people and just start knocking them the hell out to shut them up? So Jack is officially suspended from the hospital. Kind of figured that one out but now we have verbal proof. Hurley calls Jack from prison and holy crap that was a huge jumpsuit! I hope after he gets sprung from the join the gets his shi-zhu shirt back. As Ben meets up with Jack at the hospital, Sayid is going all Kato on the fake orderly with his secret ninja moves. Chalk up one more tranquilizer dart toting bad guy for Sayid as he discovers it’s hard to get answers from a guy you are choking with an IV tube. The guy manages to tell Sayid that there is an address in his pocket. 42 (number) Panorama Crest (anagram for Romances Apart, that was the best one I could come up with, sorry) is Kate’s address. Now let’s think about that one for a minute; no way did Kate hire this guy. I don’t think Jack and Sayid thought that either but it did make them think she was next on the list. Which is why I think Ben hired the guy and gave him Kate’s address just to put a little fuel on the fire. There’s a reason they are using tranquilizer darts. They want them alive! Jack goes off to meet with Kate as Ben and Sayid decide to put their “dirty laundry” away for now and go after Hurley. We’ll get the “dirty laundry” story soon, that’s twice they have referenced it so there’s definitely a flashback in there somewhere. Wonder if it involves Sayid finding out Ben actually hired the guy who killed Nadia? Ben tells Jack to meet back at the marina at slip 23. Those numbers are still around.

I Heard My Momma Cry, I Heard Her Pray The Night Boone Carlyle Died

On the island we have flashed to the night Boone died, Aaron was born, and Locke was banging on the hatch door. John knows some of the rules of time travel, he can’t see himself. That would probably be bad as we know from the video of the two rabbits being in the same room. Some sort of weird paradox would probably make things go a little loopy. Or maybe even kill him. Miles gets a nosebleed and off in the distance we hear Claire screaming as she goes into labor. This was of one of the most heart wrenching scenes in the show that Sawyer has been in. And he didn’t say a word. He didn’t need to. The look on his face said it all.

Who’s Your Daddy? Who’s Your Mommy? Who’s Your Client?

Kate approves of the beardless Jack as she quickly fills him in on the lawyer and the paternity test. The two go off after the lawyer and follow him to the same hotel that Locke was at when he proposed to Helen. Jack and Kate watch the lawyer meet his client who is … Claire’s Mom! I was right! Jack gets out of the car and goes to talk to her and for one moment I thought Jack was going to go into the room with Claire’s mom and we would find out Jack was in on it. Jack tells Kate he is going to “fix it”. He was wrong and so was I. Claire’s mom wasn’t the client. She didn’t even know about Aaron. Then the client has got to be Ben. This is easily spotted since right after Kate asks Jack “Then who is it?”, they go right to Ben in the carpet van. Or is it a misdirection?

How Long Have You Been Here This Time?

Miles tells Daniel that he got a nosebleed and Daniel tells him it is from the amount of time he has spent on the island. Miles says that doesn’t make sense because he has been there less time than “those yahoos”. Miles goes on to say he has only been there for two weeks. Faraday asks him if he is sure about that. More support that he is Pierre Chang/Marvin Candle’s son? They get back to the camp and it’s empty. No beer, no food, no Rose, no Bernard, no Vincent, and no Zodiac raft. But there are two outrigger canoes. Sort of like the ones the others had over on the other island. I’m going to say we saw the left behinders flash to the future for the first time here. I’m putting my money on that those two boats belong to the O6 after they come back to the island and if we see them using Ajira Airlines to get back to the island, then that's exactly what it was. As Sawyer begins to tell Juliette what he saw in the jungle the other boat pulls up behind them and they open fire. First I asked myself why they were shooting at them if they were the O6, then I thought maybe they weren’t shooting at them to hit them but to get their attention and give them a message. Look close at the next picture,

I can almost make out the silhouettes of Sayid, Jack, and Kate. Can you? Look for this scene to be revisited in a future episode and if it is, we can see if Juliette actually managed to shoot someone on the other canoe. If she did, my money is on Sayid taking a bullet. A well timed flash comes to save them and Sawyer greets it with a hearty “Thank you Lord!” and then quickly takes it back when they jump to…

There’s Always A Loophole

Sayid and Ben pull into a parking garage for a quickie … err … I mean to meet with Norton who tells them they will be able to get Hurley out of jail in the morning. Ben answers; “That’s my lawyer.” when Sayid asks him who Norton was. I think we got our proof as to who the client really is.

You Got A Little Nosebleed On You There

Sawyer finishes telling Juliette about seeing Kate in the jungle and then he tells her she has a nosebleed. The nosebleeds coincide with how long you have been on the island. So what we know is Juliette has been on the island for more than 3 years but less than 4. The powers of deduction tell me that Miles, therefore, has been on the island before for at least 4 years. That leads me to believe that Charlotte, who had her nosebleed first, has been there, on the island before for the longest period of time. I’m guessing at least 5 or 6 years. Remember this just a little theorizing, don’t hold me to this to tightly. “Oy!”, Charlotte finds French stuff. So as I was saying - Sawyer takes back his thanks to the Lord for jumping them to… the night Danielle and her team crash on the island! Would’ja believe it?

I’m King Of The World!

The French crew find Leonardo DiCaprio floating in the ocean on a piece of wreckage. No, it’s not Leo, it’s Jin! What a surprise! OK, maybe not so much of a surprise, his name was in the opening credits for the first time this season. C’mon people, you didn’t notice that? In another instance of a cruel twist of irony on LOST, Jin once again finds himself among a group of people whose language he cannot speak nor understand.

Hail, Hail, The Gangs All Here (almost)

Over on Pier 23 Jack tells Kate about the piece of paper with her address on it. Kate freaks a little but not as much as I expected her to when she first sees Ben. Jack tells her it’s OK, he’s there to help them. Ben even sounds sincere as he greets Kate, well as sincere as he can get, I guess. Notice the “Yeah this is weird!” look Sayid shoots Kate when she looks at him. Kate guesses that it was Ben who hired the lawyers to come after her and Aaron. For someone who has made a career of lying, and sometimes doing it pretty well, Ben sure does come clean with the truth fairly quick. Maybe this is an attempt to show he has turned over a new leaf and could have lied but chose not to. The cold Ben makes a quick reappearance when he says; “Because he’s not your son, Kate.”. All of this is being watched by Sun. Who has a gun. In the back seat is Claire’s sleeping former oven bun. Sun gets ready to have some fun. That was just to show you what it would be like if Dr. Seuss was writing these commentaries.

I Knew A Man With One Arm Named Montand. What Was The Name Of His Other Arm?

Jin is sun burnt like a Mo’ Fugger! The French crew hear the broadcast of the numbers on their radio for the first time and we were there to hear it with them! Told you it was going to get cool! One thing I have noticed is that with all of the French and Latin we have heard spoken the past few episodes there is a word in both languages that sounds suspiciously like the “F” word to me in both languages. So we see Montand with two arms. When are we gonna see him with only one? Danielle’s baby bump looks a lot like Claire’s did when she first got to the island. Prop department only had one baby bump prosthetic I guess. A classic LOST "WTF?" Look is on Jin’s face when he meets Danielle Rousseau for the first(?) time. Well, the first time for her anyway. Seems there is a little confusion as to when and where Jin has been during all of the flashes since the wheel was turned. Well, in truth, it doesn’t really matter but I’m guessing he’s been right along with Sawyer, Locke, and the rest of them. The only difference is he’s been floating unconscious on a piece of freighter wreckage. This is the first flash we have seen of Jin so this would be the first flash Jin is actually aware of. The look on his face shows that he has a lot of catching up to do.

Possession Is 9/10th Of The Law

There’s one other point I have seen people wondering about and that is why didn’t the boat they were in disappear when they flashed. I think it’s been established that if the flashers, (ha ha, I like that) are in possession of a certain item (like the bullet in John’s leg, the guns they get from Widmore/Jones and the guy who’s neck he breaks, I think his name was Cunningham) or even just in contact with the item, it will flash with them. It could be interesting to see what would happen if, as the flash was coming, someone was able to grab a hold of someone not flashing with them to see if they did indeed move with them during the flash. Or - What if when a flash is about to come, Jin grabs Montand by the arm, and just the arm and when Jin disappears so does Montand’s arm, and just his arm? Wouldn’t that be messed up!

Who Is The Little Prince?

The episode's title refers to the novel of the same name by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, a French writer and aviator. Mostly a children’s book, The Little Prince makes several points about life and human nature. Exupery was French, like Rousseau's science expedition, and met with disaster while traveling by air and disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Additionally, "Besixdouze" ("B612"), the apparent name of the expedition's lost boat (as per the wreckage on the beach), is a reference to the asteroid on which The Little Prince lives in the book. In the book, a young prince meets a fox which the essence of the book is contained in the famous lines uttered by the fox to the Little Prince: One cannot see well except with the heart, the essential is invisible to the eyes. Other key thematic messages are articulated by the fox, such as: "You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed" and "It is the time you have spent with your rose that makes your rose so important. " The story goes on to tell the tale of how the Prince goes exploring to asteroids that he numbers 325 to 330 (almost like the compass bearing people are told to follow). On each asteroid he meets one interesting person. See if any of these descriptions remind you of anybody:

The King - who can "control" the stars by ordering them to do what they would anyway. He then relates this to human subjects; it is the citizen's duty to obey. (Ben?)

The Conceited Man - who wants to be admired by everyone, but lives alone on his planet. He cannot hear anything that is not a compliment. (Shorten Conceited to just Con and who do you have?)

The Drunkard - who drinks to forget that he is ashamed of drinking. (Jack does this after he leaves the island)

The Businessman - who is constantly busy counting the stars he thinks he owns. He wishes to use them to buy more stars. The Prince then goes on to define property. The Prince owns the flower and volcanoes on his planet because he cares for them and they care for him. Because one cannot maintain the stars, he argues, the Businessman cannot own them. (Could be either Widmore or maybe even Locke)

The Lamplighter - lives on an asteroid which rotates once a minute. Long ago, he was charged with the task of lighting the lamp at night and extinguishing it in the morning. At that point, the asteroid revolved at a reasonable rate, and he had time to rest. As time went on, the rotation sped up. Refusing to turn his back on his work, he now lights and extinguishes the lamp once a minute, getting no rest. The Prince actually empathizes with the Lamplighter, who is the only adult to care about something other than himself. (This has got to be Desmond.)

The Geographer - spends all of his time making maps, but never leaves his desk to explore (even his own planet), going on the pretext that it is the job of an explorer to do so. Even if an explorer were to visit the Geographer, the Geographer is very doubting of any explorer's character and would most likely disregard the report. He does not trust things he has not seen with his own eyes, yet will not leave his desk. Out of professional interest, the geographer asks the Prince to describe his asteroid. The Prince describes the volcanoes and the rose. "We don't record flowers", says the geographer, because they are only ephemeral. The Prince is shocked and hurt to learn that his flower will someday be gone. The geographer then recommends that he visit the Earth. (this may be a better choice for Locke)

It is in Chapter 16 that the Little Prince goes to Earth. You can find the numbers everywhere if you look hard enough.

In the spring of 2007, The New Adventures of the Little Prince was written by Katherine Pardue and Elisabeth Mitchell. How odd and somehow appropriate.

Pilot Wings?

This is a new hot topic theory out there right now. The following is a photo of the pin given out to airmen during WWII:


Here's a screen cap (thanks to the ODI) of the pilot wings Kate finds in the jungle in the pilot episode:



Also from the pilot episode Cindy has a pair of the same wings:

The pilot before he is pulled out of the plane by Smokey has on a set, the same set Kate later finds in the jungle, on the ground, under the tree where the pilot is lying dead:

This means one of two things: 1.) The produces put them there for a reason showing that just about everyone is involved in the 815 cover up and were all somehow working with the island, the others, Ben, or Widmore. The wings are WWII issued wings to pilots only and only during WWII. or 2.) We are reading way to much into it and the producers just wanted something to connect all of the flight crew and gave them all the same wing emblem pins to wear and the fact that they are actual WWII issued wings is because they are the easiest to get hold of. I have found several of them for sale on antique websites so they would have been easy for the producers to get matching sets for the flight crew.

Forsythe Pendleton Jones III

LOST, like other shows on television, has good episodes and bad ones. We've seen teaser episodes, filler episodes, and of course the legendary Nikki/Paolo fiasco episodes. We all know what makes a great episode: fast paced, character driven, dirty jungle action. That was Jughead, and I couldn't care less what the off islanders were doing, so all the people that complained and whined about where the 06 and Ben were can chill out, you got a great episode without them.

Finally, An Excuse For Charlie To Be Wearing A Diaper

As if Desmond and Penny's story wasn’t touching enough, they go one step further and name their kid after Charlie. Charlie Hume brings uncharacteristic hope and happiness to LOST. While the rest of the characters are having a pretty dismal time, Desmond's life is going along good. Is this because he avoids the real world, his boat functioning as an island all its own? Or maybe because Desmond isn't one of the people who were not 'supposed' to leave the island, marking him with immunity from the weird crap Jack, Hurley, Kate and everyone else has gone through. Flash forward to a three year old Charlie, as Desmond is about to hit the mainland for perhaps the first time since he left the O6. His dream/memory from last episode was a few weeks ago at best, because he wouldn't have waited very long to sail to Oxford. Guilt will eventually bring Desmond back to the island, and Penny knows this all too well. By the time the episode is over, Widmore also knows. He and Ben both share a sneaky way of guiding people along while allowing them to think they're still making their own choices.

You've Got Some Red Shirt on You

Miles didn't exactly need his special powers to see the tripwire, but those red shirts met one of the most spectacular ends since Arzt played with dynamite (nothing will beat Arzt). In reference to the mines, Ellie's later claim of "We didn't put them here you did" marks her as one of the Others, and also solidifies the theory that WWII soldiers somehow made it to the island. The presence of American soldiers explains many things we've seen throughout all five seasons: the M1 Garand rifles, the pineapple grenade Locke puts in Miles' mouth, the various WWII-era pistols and even Goodwin's Army knife. Apparently the Others make use of the weapons that find their way onto the island, which is why they attack with bows and arrows alongside grenades and rifles. The one thing this does NOT explain is why the captain of flight 815 wears WWII pilot's wings. This alone could be chalked up to nostalgia, but then so do the flight attendants, and so does Cindy. These wings were issued to airmen only during the WWII era, and were changed just afterward. There's no logical reason for everyone on board to have a pair. Watch the pilot episode again, the camera even focuses specifically on the wings when Kate finds them in the jungle. It’s been speculated that this was the thing the producers said that 'everyone missed' in the pilot (if it wasn't that unknown black tube next to Jack, which I still think was a dark piece of bamboo).

We've seen more than our fair share of off island agents. These are people who are "in the loop", that can be taken in more ways than one, and have been helping to guide the main characters through the current string of time. Take the butcher woman from last week. Now take the librarian from this week, who happens to be the very same woman (Jenna?) who Hurley hugs right before he gets on flight 815. She actually uses the phone and checks with someone named Hunter before letting Hurley on the flight, telling him that it's his lucky day. Was Hurley supposed to make the flight? The woman at the other counter didn't seem to think so. But Jenna helps get him on the plane, even after the jet way closed. By now we can agree that sheer coincidence can be blown aside. These characters have been implanting themselves at various points throughout time, showing up at the right moment(s) to help the main characters accomplish certain necessary tasks. Maybe some are Team Ben/Hawking, maybe some are Team Widmore. Much the same way Richard showed up for the birth of Locke (and after this episode we know why). Maybe every member of 815's flight crew was in on this, from Cindy and the flight attendants all the way up to the captain who took Frank's place that day. The only hole in that theory is that the captain seemed as shocked as the rest of the crash survivors, up until the moment he was eaten. But hey, it was day one, and maybe the whole story wasn't worked out yet.

Miles - Stealing Sawyer's Thunder

Miles’ lines are improving. He was always funny, but he's fast becoming the sarcastic wise ass we've needed since Sawyer went soft. Not to be outdone, I think Sawyer's feeling the heat. He's coming back with some nice lines this episode: "Hate to bust up the I'm an other you're an other reunion" And his "You told her?" line was great too. Note that Miles gets his vision of the four US soldiers when they walk over the 'fresh grave', meaning he can't just commune with the dead haphazardly. It seems he needs to be in proximity to the corpses, which explains why he asked to be led to Naomi's body. That doesn't explain him being able to contact the spirit of Mrs. Gardner's grandson in his flashback although Miles did specifically call for his spirit that time.

Others - Now With More Old School Than Before

Latin? Apparently all Others must learn the dead language in order to be able to communicate when the going gets tough (even though Patchy and Ms. Klugh yelled to each other in Russian during their standoff with the Lostaways in "Enter 77"). If we ever needed an indication as to how long the Others have been around, the fact they're speaking Latin is a good indication they've existed since the 4-toed statue. Props to Hastenfist, who last week pointed out the quick, innocent scene where Sawyer stepped on something in the jungle. Some infection, a toe amputation, and a couple of time skips later, Hastenfist theorized that maybe the statue itself would turn out to be a monument of Sawyer, built in tribute to him for something he does wayyyy in the past. Awesome idea, and I love it!

Maybe it's Maybelline

Not only is Richard's age a constant, his name is always the same too. Years, decades, even centuries pass, but Richard is always Richard. This is the Ying to the multiple names Yang (Dr. Candle for example) we've seen throughout LOST. And... somewhere... in the jungle... someone... air dropped... a whole crate... of mascara.

Love, Romance, and a Razor-Thin 80's Tie

Ellie recognizes Daniel as someone who "couldn't stay away". I'm sure we'll see that scene eventually. Danielle professing his love for Charlotte was a very sweet moment, and he means it. What's not romantic is ogling your mom! Daniel knows this, which is why when Ellie accuses him of staring at her and calls him a Romeo, Daniel states "far from it". Ellie is destined to become Eloise Hawking, who many of us have already theorized is Daniel's mom. And if you want to go a step further and hook Ellie up with a young and dashing Charles Widmore, Penny becomes Daniel's sister (or at least half-sister). Desmond becomes Daniel's brother-in-law, and Daniel becomes uncle to little Charlie. We're going out on a limb to make these assumptions, but the LOST family tree grows in twisted directions. So maybe it's not much of a stretch.

Nadia's Mugger and the Case of the Flaming Rats

Desmond arrives back at Oxford to find that the only thing standing between him and Faraday's laboratory is a fumigation sign and a very shitty lock. Pretty weak, unless he was meant to find that room. Funny how that guy shows up at exactly the right time, too. Dressed like the guy who mugged Nadia, he doesn't seem at all pissed off about Desmond being there. One informative and helpful conversation later he leaves Desmond to continue his quest to find Faraday's mom. Was this guy sent by Widmore, or was he an agent of Ben? You make the call because he certainly wasn't the janitor.

Daniel Faraday... Making Girls Sick since the Mid-90's

Teresa Spencer has a bad case of the Minkowskis. The recycled librarian would have Desmond believe this was Faraday's fault, but it has to have something to do with Charles Widmore. Faraday's experiments would have been limited only to his rats especially if Teresa was the girl in the photo and he was romantically involved with her (the guy must have a thing for redheads). But no, somehow something went accidentally wrong or Widmore, desperate to find the island again, pushed Daniel's research too quickly. This resulted in Teresa's sickness, which is one of the reasons why Widmore is financially supporting her. The other reason is to keep that avenue open, hoping that Daniel (or Desmond) comes back to see her. He can't be supporting her too heavily though, because her sister still works at The Quick Mart. This is why Daniel is so adamant about NOT letting the sickness happen to Charlotte. He knows what she's going through and knows the end result. Pack on the guilt for what happened to Teresa, and the burden on Daniel's shoulders seems heavier than ever. Maybe that's why he pauses three seconds before every sentence.

You Think he Knows This Island Better Than I do?

This was an ultra cool fade in to Locke overlooking the Others camp. Let's think about Locke for a minute, as he slowly gathers returning memories/knowledge this season, Locke seems to know the shortest paths, he shows up at crucial moments to toss knives with expert precision and rescue people. Locke's "coming into" his role more and more with each passing episode. "He's one of my people", did Locke have a memory flash there, or is he acting on the assumption that since Jones (Widmore) was an Other, he must one day be led by Locke? Locke self-touting himself as Jacob's chosen one has a nagging echo of falsehood to it. When he said those words to Richard, it’s almost as if such a conclusion were too obvious for LOST. Remember how disappointed Richard was when young Locke couldn't pick all the correct items that belonged to him. Locke should have known the compass was his because Richard had given it to him, time and time again, in past loops. Locke failed Alpert's test, and from that moment on Richard knew Locke wasn't destined to be their future leader. Richard still needs Locke though, because Locke must leave the island to bring back the O6. Unfortunately for John Locke, perhaps his only destiny is to be a sacrificial character. It’s just theory folks, go easy.

You Dropped A Bomb On Me, Baby!

Back at the atomic warhead, Ellie is nagging (motherly?) and persistent enough to get answers out of Daniel. This is frustrating, considering he spent most of last season denying the 815'ers any kind of answers whatsoever. Even Sawyer was disappointed; "You told her?" Daniel's mention of concrete may have solved yet another old mystery as well: Jughead could very well be what's behind the concrete wall of the Swan hatch. Sayid said something about the wall being warm, and the instability of the radioactive material could explain why a button needs to be pushed every 108 minutes. This also reinforces why a Geiger counter would be in the Swan hatch. Would the timer counting down to zero or the turning of the fail safe key set Jughead off? Maybe. Or maybe 50 years later enough degradation had occurred to keep the bomb from exploding. Jughead certainly ends up somewhere fifty years from now, and the Swan hatch is as good a place as any.

Namaste, You Neck-Snapping Maniac!

One of the highlights of the episode was Locke's huge "You've got to be kidding" grin when he learned Jones' true identity. Now it makes even more sense why Locke didn't shoot Jones when he escaped in the jungle - he literally couldn't. The gods of time travel wouldn't let him. Now the fact that Charles Widmore was on the island is no big surprise, but to see a younger version of him in 1954 was. As that storyline plays out we should find out how and why he ends up leaving the island, which will probably be involuntary. The island is Disneyland compared to the normal, mundane world but young Widmore must obtain some sort of power or happiness on the island that he doesn't have on the mainland which is what makes him want to go back. Something that no amount of money or power could ever buy him. Older Widmore seems unconcerned with keeping or holding Desmond, but that's because he has an interest in Penny's well being. He knows that Desmond is with her and will always protect her. In a way, Desmond is a great insurance policy. He's the game changer, meaning there's no one better when it comes to keeping bad things from happening to his daughter. Widmore urges Desmond not to get involved. But then he says "Deliver your message". What message? How does he know Desmond has a message? Widmore slipped up there. He already knows what Desmond's doing, where he's going, and why. He must approve of it because instead of stopping him he actually helps out. It's obvious that Widmore is working to guide Desmond back to the island, probably, he hopes, without Penny.

Penny Has a Finely Tuned Bullshit Detector, and Desmond Just Buried the Needle

Desmond really sucks at lying. Yet Penny loves him anyway, and now they're going to LA, setting themselves up for a reunion with the O6. I just hope Penny stays away from Ben or there could be drama.

The Days Of Future Passed

If you are like me, you are psyched to see more time flashes! I want to see the distant past: the temple and the statue and the Others all speaking Latin with Juliet having to translate everything they say while Sawyer and Miles make sarcastic comments. I want to see the birth of the smoke monster, the origins of the Black Rock, Danielle and her lunatic crew. Even better, I want to see a flash of the future; maybe the horrible, terrible future of the island (and the world?) that Ben and Hawking are trying so desperately to avoid. LOST has been given the license to do unlimited cool stuff and these next weeks should absolutely rock.