Didn’t see that coming. “LOST” returns after another agonizing hiatus with a bang. Several actually. What happened to Ana Lucia might not have been too surprising, but how it happened was. And the next two bullet victims left us reeling. Jen was even more disturbed by the preview for next week. Things are getting ugly really fast. While I think “Two for the Road” kick-started things nicely, on the whole it was a somewhat uneven episode, with shocking moments but muddled motives. And save for a reveal about Jack’s dad, the flashback was largely a head-scratcher.
So, Michael’s betraying the survivors for the Others, presumably still blindly motivated by his search for his son. His assessment of the Others’ capabilities clearly a lie, and several moments where it’s obvious he saw — and was subjected to — some horrific things. Jack’s ready to lead the charge, but underestimates the enemy, setting the stage for a messy showdown.
Ana Lucia, meanwhile, rushes us through an awfully contrived explanation of why she was in Sydney, a few now-expected flashback crossovers with other characters, jumps Sawyer’s bones, and gets a weak set of epiphanies (no longer running away, no longer killing for revenge) before getting dispatched with little fanfare.
The creators of “LOST” now insist that she was always going to be a one-season character, but her “resolution” seems so weak there’s no way you can’t connect it to Michelle Rodriguez’s real-world troubles.
Still, that Michael was the one to do it was a “holy crap” moment. And Libby? An even bigger surprise. (Recent Hollywood buzz notwithstanding.) That Libby was shot accidentally, in a panic, is reminiscent of how Shannon was killed. Of course, the fact that she was holding blankets in front of her has similarly sparked elaborate theories that she’s not dead. Jen’s convinced it’s curtains for her. I say she’s not dead… yet. I’ll bet her last words will be “Michael did it.” Bummer for Hurley, though.
Was Henry coming for Locke? Seems iffy to send one guy to get him, but then again, it’s fair to say Locke just might have gone willingly. Did Locke make the “good person” list? I’m not sure. We’ve already seen him get two different “verdicts” in his encounters with the “monster.” Everything else Henry has said was simply to mess with his head, so I don’t think this was any different. It’ll just further muddy Locke’s loyalties when the battle royale goes down.
So, Christian Shepherd has a daughter in Australia, and he’s been supporting her and her mother from afar. Jack’s made allusions to his dad being unfaithful, and it better explains Dr. Shepherd’s post-disgrace departure for Sydney. It’s interesting that Jack may have a half-sister, but even more interesting are the theories that she’s Claire. After all, Claire is the only Australian native on the island (if you exclude Cindy), and we know from her flashback that her father was absent (her boyfriend makes reference to all her “daddy abandonment crap”) and that her mother would disown her for getting knocked up. While some pre-crash connections between our survivors seem flimsy, this one would be pretty cool.
The fake Hanso Foundation commercial (pity they had to have the ABC disclaimer), and the spiffy new Hanso Foundation website, are pretty cool too.
Notes and notions:
- Jen was thrilled with the “Say Anything” reference. It’s one of her favorite movies. But I love her anyway. Jen brilliantly noted that “Say Anything” is also a story about “daddy issues.”
- When Michael goes on and on about the primitive nature of the Others, why do Kate and Jack not express a hint of doubt, considering they know about the fake beard and theater glue?
- Okay, so Christian Shepherd obviously didn’t need protection in Sydney, just a driver. Why ask a stranger in an airport bar? There wouldn’t be tough chicks in Australia? And why would Ana Lucia suddenly up and go with this random traveler, after sticking around in L.A. long enough to get a T.S.A. job? Again, it felt badly contrived. And it made Ana Lucia’s flashback feel more like his flashback, an awkward mix I don’t think they’ve attempted before. It’s as if this episode was going to be another Jack story before the word came down to dump Ana Lucia, pronto.
- Jen’s been waiting for another Tom to surface, and she got it in Ana Lucia’s alias for Dr. Shepherd. Odd that he picked Sarah — the name of his daughter-in-law, Jack’s wife — for her. Dr. Shepherd and Sarah? That, too, could explain a few things.
- Ana Lucia and Sawyer? Really, what was the point? There was more sexual tension between her and Sayid. And I might be willing to accept that Sawyer was dense enough to get conned out of a gun for sex, but I can’t believe he could get his pants back on and walk back to the beach and only notice it’s gone when Jack confronts him.
- Sawyer’s “Midnight Cowboy” cameo in the flashback was pointless, but amusing.
- It took us forever to find out that Mr. Eko was building a church. How many episodes will we have to wait to figure out what Sayid’s hole is for?
- Numbers: Cop cars had them on their roofs. Michael counted 22 Others, which would be 23 if you add Henry.
- Music: “After Midnight” by Patsy Cline makes a repeat appearance.
- Books: “Bad Twin” comes back yet again. I’m officially annoyed.
Links:
- Damon Lindeloff: “Everybody is going to think we’re killing her off because she got a DUI.”
- The Hanso Foundation
- “Two for the Road” discussion fora at TheFuselage.com and Lost-Forum.com.
Final word (for now)
Someone asked who the two people Ana-Lucia killed were:
Goodwin and a female other – the one with the list of names
(My apologies if this has already been covered. There’s so much to read!!)
Regarding GPC… the JavaScript used there was not a part of any browsers that existed back in 1995. I used to work in web development from ’96 to ’98; that type of code did not come into existence until late ’96-early ’97. Not that that couldn’t have been adeed at a later date, but this is someone (? affiliated with the show or ABC, more likely just a prankster) making a phony site. (In my opinion, at least.)
Just saw Michelle Rodriguez on Regis and Kelly…and she confirmed that her character is dead.
I think it was the mention of tents that caused Jack and Kate to pass the glance. What will happen to Henry…will he escape?
Ryan I wanted to respond to a small part of your review. Although I found your critique of the Ana Lucia flashback well thought out I wanted to add that the combo flashback was intriguing and possibly a sign of the way future flash backs will be dealt with. Rushed and skeletal as it was, it still had a good flow to it in that it is about, on the surface at least, a couple of lifes “emotional” drifters at the potential end of their run. With this in mind the writers didn’t need to go into great depth about the “why.” Part of the draw is the, “Why not?”, attitude they both engage in as their paths “randomly” cross.
Thanks for all your effort. As with everyone else I miss your podcast and enjoy your thoughts.
I’m really disappointed in the turn Locke’s character has taken. He seemed to be a clear leader last season and now all of a sudden he seems weak and a little desperate. He openly sulks after a tongue lashing from Jack instead of holding his ground and making an arguement for his way (or simply doing things his way) as was the case last year.
COME BACK GURU LOCKE!!!
I found this on the Fuselage about the Hanso website and tried it myself.
“Ok if you go to the joop secton and talk to “joop” type in the numbers 4 8 15 16 23 42 then connect the dots and you’ll see something really interresting…”
MrPants: Yes, I saw that, too but not every link is about the bankruptcy. I decided Why not? Can’t hurt to send an email to it. Hasn’t bounced yet, BTW. And Minnesota Metallurgy is on the client list as well and has an interesting gallery, including pictures of a polar bear and drug vials among other things. That’s Henry Gale’s company, BTW. It also has a place you can send condolences or whatever message you like.
Another bizarro site from the client list is http://www.valenzettifoundation.org/ Don’t know about this one, though. Seems sketchy. It mentions Widmore and GPC as sponsors, but also has a link to a page about Milo Rambaldi, who is a fictional character from “Alias”. Maybe a fan site, but it also could be legit. “Alias” is on ABC, too, afterall…
Did anyone get a look at the manuscript Sawyer was reading? I’ve heard that the title of it was “The Bad Twin”?
Does anyone know if there is any truth to the rumour I heard this morning on a Chicago radio station that JJ Abrams has planted clues to LOST in his new movie, Mission Impossible 3?
Julie from Chicago – I get “Connection Timeout” when I try sending those numbers to Joop. Actually, I get that whenever I try any of the tricks mentioned in a number of posts here.
Libby is still alive, saved by the Hanso Foundation Kevlar Pillows(tm). However, when she regains conciousness, she will be back to her old psychotic self, and she won’t be able to blow Michael’s cover.
I-tunes is offering the first chapter of “Bad Twin” for free. I just downloaded it. I’ll post about it as soon as I finish it.
i smeel brain washing and cloning michaels a clone i think the others are experementing in cloning and extended life and telecomunication
From what I read after entering the numbers in Joop’s corner, and connecting the dots, it was a secret document about Hanso doing gene experiments on primates and some sort of meningitis coming about that has crossed the homo-sapiens barrier (maybe the sickness that killed Rousseau’s people? They demanded Hanso stop and submit to inspections or risk having their Zanzibar facility shut down. Maybe the Island is in Zanzibar? Just a thought….
Sooo don’t get all the stuff about Hanso. What’s up with the guy in the shadow’s? And why put it in the middle of a commercial break? Took a while to figure out that it actually had a conection to the show.
(btw, i think it’s genius. just some other way to get people freaking out and asking “Why?”)
Hi guys, Frank here. I have to agree, WOW! I was also so shock at the whole episode. The most interesting thing to note is how much of an impact Jack’s father had on at least 3 or 4 of the Losties lives causing them to go on the plane. I think this will not be the last we see of Jack’s father. He appears to be the central figure in (so far) Jack’s, Sawyer’s, and Ana-Lucia’s decision for being on the plane. Yes the other castaways did run into each other directly or indirectly, but the one with the most impact was Jack’s father. There is a chance that Jack’s father could also be connected to the Island and everything involving the island. I wonder if Jack’s father could the man that “Henery” was talking about. Just a possibility because Jack’s father is not in the coffin anymore. Any thoughts?
About Mike . . . . . . . . . thats a hard one to pin-point exactly, but his motives are without a dought for him to get his son (unless his mind really was manipulated).
Also do not mind if I say this but I noticed that when ever one of the Losties falls in love or has sexual relations with another Lostie they wind up getting killed; Shannon, Ana, and Libby. Also when Charlie and Claire started to get together look at what happened there. Something is making this not happen to Jack. Maybe his father is doing something. Any thoughts? Just to bring it up.
OK guys can not wait for the next episode. I think the next one might be a Locke or Mr. Eko flashback. Or any other character or none at all, who knows. Just can wait. I would kindly like to have some feed back. I think it is fun talking to you guys.
Gotta go, BYE Guys!
As other people have pointed out, I don’t think Michael has been brainwashed. He’s very aware of what he’s doing, and he’s doing it for Walt (we still don’t know exactly what his orders are though). All he’s done so far has been for him and Walt, that’s all he cares about.
I’m not sure if killing Ana Lucia was part of his original plan, though. Actually, I think he was sent to kill Henry Gale but she happened to be in his way. I’d say that even if we haven’t seen it in this episode, Michael has killed Henry too. What he’ll be doing with the other losties from now on, I have no idea.
Finally, does the Henry-Locke conversation refute the theory that claims that Locke is actually a mole? If he was a mole, Henry wouldn’t have been sent to take him with the others, would he? Or was he just trying to confuse Locke?
i will like you guys to know that the USA Today has a half-page ad on THE BAD TWIN by Gary TROUP, it even gives a website that i have yet to check out completely, it is garytroup.net . hope it helps out, love the show
it is an actual website that takes you to different official website, it is insane. check it out garytroup.net.
If you look at the Mission Statement section of the Hanso site, did anyone notice that the old man in the far right corner (dancing with an old lady) looks like Goodwin?
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention – Sawyer ran into Christian in that bar, so I was kind of expecting him to drop in during that flashback. Especially when they pulled up to the bar.
Can anyone put up a link to the LOST experience? I’d like to get into it now so as not to fall behind during the summer.
does anyone have links to next weeks promo for 2.21 “?” and / or the ad that was aired…
@Dave: http://media.putfile.com/Lost-Preview-21
There ya go 😉
Hello. I just noticed in the preview clip that Michael is wearing a sling for his arm, which seems to reflect speculation that he shot himself to make it look as if he’d been attacked.
Question…any recommendations on the best up-to-date site to take us through the summer? Ryan and Jen..will your site be active? I enjoy reading the various inputs and speculations, even more when backed up with evidence, per se. I’m sure many of us will spend the summer downtime reviewing old episodes again. This is my first post. Just wanted to say thanks to all of you take the time to track down so much great information!
Wow. This is all getting very interesting. Thanks to everyone above who posted links to the mini-sites.
If you haven’t yet, check out http://garytroup.net/buy.php. There are actual links to purchase the actual book. There’s even a review on Amazon spilling the secret… the whole Gary Troup thing is a literary conceit/pseudonym. But it’s amazing how much of an alternate reality the Lost folks are constructing. It’s a fully integrated multimedia experience.
The Minnesota Mining site seems like an ABC-created site, as does the Hanso Foundation site (that ad featured a disclaimer saying it was paid for by ABC). The Valenzetti site seems like a fan site — it specifically says it’s not affiliated with ABC, and seems too tongue-in-cheek and poorly designed to be “official.” Still, nice work by whoever did it.
On Google — at least right now — there is no Hadron Applications site. The others on the GPC page are all real companies… except for something called “General Electric,” I think they made that up. 😉 (NBC must love that one.)
Very similar to the fake Oceanic and Driveshaft sites. Cool stuff. I just wish they didn’t do four-week hiatuses (hiati? as opposed to Haiti?) in order to slap the sites together.
Guys, if you want to see what all has been happening with the game keep an eye on http://thelostexperienceclues.blogspot.com/ They are compiling the clues that everyone is finding and sending in. Pretty good job so far. Also, if you’re interested in “Bad Twin”, you can buy that at a bookstore near you. I was looking at it at both Borders and Barnes & Noble, but I haven’t bought it yet. It’s been avaulable for quite a while now.
Also, the Oceanic site now has eight blinking red dots and the word “Ready” in a rectangle. It doesn’t appear to do anything …yet. Another thing, going forward I don’t think I’d dismiss a site just because it isn’t as professional as some of the others. I wouldn’t put anything past these guys at this point.
Dave-Melbourne: The Hanso site has the commercial on it. Feel free to view ad nauseum. =o)
Ready for another surprise?
If you thought that Michael shooting Anna was unpredictable.. what if Walt is really “Him?” Unbelievable?
Imagine that time is circular, relative, non-linear. Walt’s destiny is to become what He is on the Island, for a reason yet unknown to us. Walt’s psychic powers are amplified by the Island, what Walt “wants” he can make happen (polar bear, knife throwing, boat fire). Except that powerful magnetic fields around the Swan hatch create problems for all psychic powers.
Walt tricked Michael to going away from the Swan Hatch with a computer message. Not_Henry was sent to get Locke, Walt’s friend. By the time we see Walt again, he will look older, taller, because he continues to mature outside of TV Land. All “mysterious†changes for the show.
Why was Michael sent back? Who else could Walt trust (or influence) to do his bidding with the Losties. Is Michael brainwashed or under the control of someone else? I vote that he is under the control of Walt.
I haven’t figured out why Clair’s baby is untouched, or why the other children were removed. Ideas?
If you watch carefully.. the Lost story revolves around Walt’s character more than anyone else on the Island. By this I mean, “Walt†is the character that creates issues and motivates what happens on the island. Coincidence?
Tawl, what about the whole good people, bad people thing. walt didnt know any of the survivors before the crash yet the children and the “good people” were on a list the first night. walt has no knowlege of the tailies unless micheal said something to him after his capture.
and it could just as easily be said that the driving force for all the “issues” is the others. or the island, or the hanso foundation and the darma initative. walt is a major part of this thats for sure. but your circular time theory doesnt fit with the good vs bad aspect, and after reading about the hanso foundation’s projects, reading the hi def images of the map and notes on the lockdown door, and reading hidden documents via thehansofoundation.org its more likely whoever is in charge can manipulate the future by predicting it using numbers (possibly involving THE numbers). there is also genetic experimentation with animals which doesnt really fit with walt being in charge, and the whole wisp of smoke thing. we need to know more about the original occupiers of the island pre crazy.
im leaning more towards a religous cult headed by someone who has abilites some how involving the science done on the island (but some how doesnt know about the swan facility) 3 more episodes this season and you know that everything we think we know now will be flipped upside down before then. we will have all sumer to theorise and work our way through the web maze (might be a good idea to start a thread for that)
ps, anyone else talk with persephone, then try to send joop a comment?
Yes, Sir Monster. I’ve gotten through to the letters and now I’m trying to figure out the Mathematical page. At the top it talks about a country in Africa, but it’s scratched out. I’ve been looking at modern maps and also maps from 1996, since it says they’ve been working in said country for ten years and things change in Africa so much. So far I haven’t been able to find a country name with a capital name that will fit with what you can see around the scratched out part. Don’t know what good it might do, since there is only three visible hot spots and one hidden hot spot on the World Map at the moment.
“Walt is Him” theory
I appreciate your comments, Sir Monster.. about my “Walt is really Him” theory. Yes, you’ve discovered a few flaws, and you’re correct that in about 3 weeks we might be discussing something completely different as more events unfold.
The “Walt is Him” theory only works if we believe time is circular, and if we’re looking at a scenario similar to “which came first, the chicken or the egg.” In other words, was Walt involved in the initial Island experiments, gained his powers, and now can redo time in order to create a better outcome (for the world) of what happened the first time (or times) Something like the movie Groundhog Day.
I don’t discount the Hanso Foundation and the Island experiments that created this situation for Walt in the first place. These are important. But the “incident,†I believe, is when some unforeseen event happened on the Island (Walt). And that could that have been when his psychic abilities were magnified by the super magnetic properties on the Island, in other words, an unexpected interaction between Island experiments.
Some thoughts that might support the “Walt is Him†idea..
The “good and bad†people concept seems like a childlike comprehension of the world.
Walt was always a “special†and “different†child before he got to the Island.
If Walt could make things happen before he got to the Island, imagine what he must be like now.. in captivity, or maybe the Others are being held captive by Walt.
The reference to time distortion.. Sawyer is reading “A Wrinkle In Time.†I’m sure there are other clues.
What about things that are out of time sequence in the hatch (the washer and dryer are newer than everything else).
What about Walt talking “backwards†when he was briefly seen in the forest.
How about the 1940’s music that was heard on the radio, briefly.
Do you notice that dates are never mentioned in any flashbacks? (Although we do know when world events occurred, Gulf War, Boston winning the World Series, etc). Still.. which calendar year is it for the Losties? (OK, the writers could leave this out to keep the TV series timeless.. but then, why refer to World Events?)
Certainly there are holes in my theory. Walt could just be a side-story, or Walt could be the WHOLE story. And if he is, it would be the surprise that most of us would never have seen coming.
At the end of SOS, Michael returns to Jack and Kate with a burning torch and passes out just at their feet. Did anyone think where did he get the torch? He didn’t leave with it. He left with a gun and did not return with the gun. If Jack and Kate weren’t where they were at the exact moment when Michael collasped would the jungle have caught fire and we never see him again? I guess its that old question: if someone drops a torch in the jungle and nobody is around does the forest burn down? Its obvious from the start that Michael was “planted” at their feet by the Zeke & Co. Afterall, his torch did look exactly like the ones “the others” lite up in when Zeke confronted the three musketeers of flight 815. They all shop at the same torch store!
This is similar to a point Frank made earlier, but did you guys notice that apparently the punishment for non-married sex is for the female participant to get a bullet in the stomach? I love Lost, but I’m not appreciating that commentary. Esp. considering the death of 2 other strong female characters in Alias wed night too – why eliminate the female characters in shows that are already male-dominated?
Jeremy: Sawyer does indeed drop in the bar and have a chat with Christian Shephard. It’s the same bar from an earlier flashback, when Sawyer speaks of meeting a man (Jack) who fits the description of Christian’s son. One would assume that it’s just a disjointed narrative.
Bianca: Let’s not get too carried away by the fact that two female characters have been shot not long after having sex. Do Abrams/Cuse/Lindelof strike you as a bunch of judgmental Puritans? Are we going to read something into the fact that the single most violent act so far was committed by an African-American? It’s just a plot detail, not a “commentary”.
Did Michael shoot himself at the end of the show? If not, what was he shooting at? Seems strange that he would kill himself if he was doing it all to be reunited with his Son by letting Henry go.
willF, beleive it or not you can shoot yourself and not die. he shot himself in the shoulder, as the preview for the next episode shows him with a sling.
ps, he probably let henry go and will blame the anna, and libby’s death on henry.
Maybe Michael killed Ana Lucia because she said she couldn’t kill anymore, and he won’t tolerate anyone who won’t help him fight the Others? We don’t know if Henry got out, or maybe Michael shot him, too.
The http://www.oceanicairlines.com/ has changed again and now has the word “reset” followed by “?” then “8:15.” Any thoughts as to what this all might mean?
It also says “time is up”
http://persephone.thehansofoundation.org
106 98 111 32 117 98 115 32 114 115 110 102 32 102 118 32 102 118 101 71 32 49 32 108 110 90 32 116 117 98 46 83 69 71 32 103 110 32 111 118 32 116 98 73
This is what I found when I went to the site Hanso.org posted as a response to their system being down….
I am continuing to be impressed with your website and its material. I keep wishing that you will resume your podcast one day not too far off in the future.
about the hanso stuff on the website. if you go to the newletter stuff and put in that password it takes you to this whole other screen with 2 documents from the world health organization. both of them were on the first hanso website that linked off of the abc oceanicflight815.com website. both of them make me believe and have believed for awhile this island is not in the south pacific but off the coast of africa, those documents talk about tanzania. hmmm, wouldn’t that be crazy?!
i don’t think that first hanso website was as popular as this one is looking to be, plus this is all part of the game that’s going on this summer. from what i understand the game can be played by all even if you aren’t a die-hard fan and will give you a deeper understanding of some of the overall issues on the show. from what i can remember alvar hanso was mentioned once on the show, in the orientation film so it’s not surprising this is the first look at hanso for many people… i do love how they are tying a television show together with the internet and beyond (telephone numbers, etc). it’s pure genious.
I agree with you on the bit about sawyer not noticing the gun was missing, until
Jack asked for it. other than that it sounds like your really bitter about something.
Get a grip its just a TV show. People take this way too serious, your picking it apart as if you think you could do something better. Well lets see it!
Why did you kill Ana off the show? She brings alot of charactor to the show. She is my favorit on lost. My whole family watches the show. All of us agree that Anna should not have been shot off the show. Try to bring her back.
Number One fan,
Dolores
…. dolores, you are aware this isnt run by anyone affiliated with the writing on lost right???
ATL, they ended the episode with micheal shooting himself in the shoulder.. why would he do that other than to create a coverstory to let henry go. if he wanted to shoot henry, why shoot anna and libby and himself?
Sorry if this is a repeat comment, but…
Has anyone noticed each one of Hanso’s “Active Projects” corresponds to one of the multiple hatch locations on the island?
Back to the purgatory idea,
In the final scene with Ana Lucia and Michael, she finally had a realization or turning point in her life that she couldn’t kill again. The flashbacks and opening preview had almost totally centered around her killing the man who shot her, and the aftermath of her emotions. Even the Australian flashbacks showed she was deeply troubled with recent past events that she has incurred. Her mission in the episode was to seek revenge on “not Henry Gale” for attacking her in the arsenal. She went and got the gun from Sawyer and was in perfect position to enact her justice to the man that hurt her, just like in L.A.
She couldn’t commit the murderous act again therefore finally becoming at peace with herself and “Dharma”- not the group on island, but the idea of being in harmony with nature and all living things! Once her soul has achieved this status it therefore can ascend to another place. The other losties that have died have also had life changing realizations.
It really seems like the island means different things for different people and the losties are not all totally there for all the same reason or reasons.
P.S. Love the site and the Quality of everyone’s feedback and theories. It is very interesting that different people from all over the world and from different backgrounds can interpret the same TV show in so many different ways and from so many different angles! Keep up the good work everyone!
Gary Troup = purgatory
I personally don’t think that they are IN purgatroy, but they all are dealing with issues in their pasts that need to be resolved, before they can be at peace with themselves.