Exposé

Oh my god. There are so many things wrong with tonight’s episode. But I loved it. I absolutely loved it. “Exposé” will, I predict, ultimately become a conversational litmus test for “LOST” fans: either you loved it, or you hated it, and either way, you’d be right.

Was it filler? Sure. It certainly broke the “island mystery” momentum. Was it cheesy and campy and full of shout-outs and knowing winks? Absolutely, about as subtle as a Mack truck. Did it feel more like a punchline to a joke with a three-month wind up than the usual “you’ll like them when you get to know them” song and dance? Maybe.

But as with many great TV shows (from “The X-Files” to the shortlived “Firefly”), sometimes the rare episodes that break the mold and get a little weird are the ones you remember the most. The creators, the writers, the cast… they all clearly had fun with “Exposé.” And that mutual enjoyment really came through.

Off the top of my head, I can think of only one solid “development” in island time: Sun learned Charlie was her kidnapper. We knew Sun would find out eventually, but I wouldn’t have guessed it’d be Charlie that told her… in a reflective, quiet conversation no less. The more Charlie “gets his affairs in order,” the more I’m doubting my assertion that his predicted demise was actually a guarantee of longevity.

So, compared to the feast that was “The Man from Tallahassee”? Story wise, “Exposé” was barely a nibble.

Everything else was a creative exercise. And one in which I can, again, find many things to nitpick. But with the episode opening in a strip club, with stolen orphanage money, and a Billy Dee Williams cameo, I was stunned out of my skepticism and dropped my guard completely. They had me at “razzle dazzle.” The whole conversation about guest stars, character deaths, and improbable reappearances was so over-the-top, I practically fell off my chair.

The care put into recreating scenes from earlier episodes, presenting them from another perspective with an almost childlike “they were there the whole time!” feel, actually impressed me. (Jen, not so much.) From the crash, to Jack’s “live together” speech, to their trek into the jungle, it was at once disorienting and heartwarming… like a little retrospective to remind us of those heady, early days. Like “The Other 48 Days,” but with a sense of joy rather than dread.

I got a rush seeing Boone and Shannon again. (And I guess Boone was finally outed.) I loved that Nikki and Paulo judged them, the same way a random airport couple once judged Sun and Jin. And having Boone emerge from the flames to ask Nikki for a pen was brilliant. A moment that was like a little gift to those of us who’ve been with “LOST” since day one.

It was great to see Dr. Arzt once again. And Ethan. And the drug plane, too. It has been quite a ride so far, hasn’t it?

But the big “gotcha” was revisiting The Pearl, and specifically the scene from Episode 3×05, “The Cost of Living.” When we first see Paulo come out of that bathroom, we were apoplectic at how ridiculous it is. It was so random, so awkward… well, of course it was a clue. Suddenly, they couldn’t have been more obvious.

Indeed, how perfect were the links between “Exposé” the episode and “Exposé” the soap opera? Right down to the twist ending. So, the much maligned Nikki and Paulo are dead. Or are they?

This whole madcap caper apparently unfolds as Jack, Kate, Sayid, Ben, Ethan and friends get down to business at the barracks. And I do hope we’ll rejoin them next week.

Notes & Notions:

  • Nikki’s belated acknowledgement of Thanksgiving was a nice touch. Christmas can’t be far ahead.
  • I expected Paulo’s splattered spider would draw more spiders to take down Nikki, but the “monster” sound that preceded their arrival had to have been significant.
  • Bookspotting: Sawyer was reading “Evil Under the Sun,” by Agatha Christie. Thanks, but… we’re going to need a few more literary shoutouts this season, considering we’re going to have to read even more as we wait for Season Four to begin in 2008.
  • Locations: The strip club was Club 939 on Keeaumoku. Of course we saw the Convention Center cum airport again (didn’t we?). Can’t place the dead director’s house, though. Could be anywhere.
  • “Exposé” discussion at TheFuselage.com and Lost-Forum.com
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90 Responses to Exposé

  1. Eric says:

    It was an interesting episode with use of a format not typical of Lost episodes. The lack of continuity bugged the heck out of me. While I enjoyed seeing Artz again i could have done without seeing Shannon and Boone again! I find those two characters as annoying as Nikki and Paulo. An episode with all four of them was just too much!!!

    I don’t think Sun/Sawyer/Charlie plot line is over with. I think there will be more things to come for Charlie & Sawyer than just a slap in the face.

  2. George says:

    frank- About your continuity problem. Lostpedia has following excerpt in their synopsis that would explain your concern. “Ben and Juliet enter, thinking the door was left open by Tom. Ben tells Juliet to have Tom cover the hatch with the plane.”

    So the Others actually moved the plane after Paulo exited the Pearl the first time. Which explains away the dumb luck required for the plane to have fallen directly on top of the hatch.

  3. Fernando says:

    Julie, I think you are wrong.

    If you are right, that means there is another continuity error. Why? Because when Nikki filmed that Exposé episode (for the finale of season 4 of the show) Locke must have already been in the wheelchair. Remember he was, after all, in the wheelchair for four years!

    I do think he was watching Exposé because of the Cobra comment we hear coming out of the TV, but it must have been the first season.

    Jen, nobody else could have used better words to say what you did.

    Peace.

  4. frank says:

    That’s interesting; I’ll have to check the TiVo when I get home. But, didn’t we SEE the plane land where it did? And, if the hatch was uncovered by the plane until Day 49, that would mean that B/L missed it when they came upon the plane in Deus Ex Machina (despite the fact that, when N/P came upon it, it wasn’t even remotely hidden), AND S/C missed it when they were looking for Aaron in Exodus, even though they must have been pretty much standing on top of it (although, I’ll admit, they were in a hurry and a bit distracted at the time!).

  5. Nadia says:

    maybe paolo saw the other plane crash? the one with ecko’s brother? But that would have had made noise…unless paolo noticed happening far away….maybe that is why he didn’t want to go in the plane to look? but then again…those bodies discovered were pretty bad off…unless a lot of time went by…….or since he doesn’t tell anyone about anything he could have watched the plane go down and kept the secret to himself?
    anyway…i am still debating if I liked this episode. I do feel though if Locke had found nikki when she was saying “paralyzed” he would have gotten it right away….also the quote that Locke said “nothing stays buried on this island for too long” (or something like that) creeped me out when nikki and paolo “died” and then got buried alive (one of my worst fears..).

    By the way…spiders sometimes symbolizes the soul..or in asia the spider as a soul freed from the body….spider has been also symbolized as the counsellor of the spreme diety…or also has a role of a seer. (this is all in the peguin dictionary of symbols which is handy to look up key motifs).

    Diamonds…Plato discribes the world axis as being made of diamond. symbolizes the center. It can also be the symbol of universal sovereignty or incorruptibily and aboslute truth. (also from the same book).

    There are a lot of stuff buried on the island besides those who died…the diamonds, the virgin mary statues…..I don’t know.

    I also loved it when sawyer said “Who the hell is nikki?”
    And nikki saying “ashes are evidence…let’s not poison ourselves”
    I also like the newspaper section with the obituary called “This Life”
    Also after that shoe scene….of how did that shoe get stuck…what was sawyer staring at when he answered hurley “nothing”
    Why did nikki help Paolo “open the hatch” and then say no don’t go down?
    I also found it cool that the tv monitor where ben watches jack is the number 5. It also looked like the number 28 when paolo turned on the walkie talkie.
    Vincent tried to tell hugo and sawyer they are still ok…purposely uncovering them….and where did vincent come from again…and go?
    Shouldn’t paolo have woken up first?
    And again….buried alive thing just creeped me out…Again…love watching details.

  6. Mike says:

    I don’t know if anyone noticed it, but when ben and juliet were in the pearl, ben was wearing the same thing he was wearing when he got caught by rousseau’s net. i’m juliet could have released him, something is going on there.

  7. jake/yvon says:

    I was struck by the parallels between this episode and Tom Stoppard’s “Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead” (see http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100519/) in which two minor characters stumble through the classic “Hamlet”…

    –J

  8. Connie in Alaska says:

    It may be that Nikki and Paolo will come back in the much-hyped Zombie Episode referred to by Lindelof and Cuse in the Official Lost Podcast. I thought this was a good episode if not a little clunky. I liked finding out N & P’s backstory. My guess is that Paolo may have contacted the Others at some point or may have been an Other plant all along…we don’t really know how he hooked up with Nikki to begin with.

    Looking forward to a little “cat fight” action next week with Kate and Juliette. Meow!

  9. John Fischer says:

    How about the whole thing when Hurley was talking about the TV show Exposé. Hurley explained that Mr. LaShade turned out to be the Cobra in the show and how The Cobra was shrouded in mystery for four years. He seemed like a good guy but was really evil.

    Does this mean that in Season 4 we’ll learn that Jacob “the great man” who we know is the evil head of the Others is actually one of the losties we’ve known for years. Could one of our intrepid band of heroes actually be Jacob?

    If so who?

  10. cuedblu says:

    Just a quick thought about the timeline issue that everyone is discussing. Why was only one TV monitor on, and on static at that? As Nikki noted when she went to the hatch, ‘what about all the other monitors?’ Ben and Juliet didn’t seem concerned about the other monitors, and Ben made it a point to put the one monitor back to static instead of turning it off. Is it possible, given the already existing time-loop idea, that the monitor he is looking at is broadcasting from the future somehow? Given that we already know that the Swan station had something to do with the time-loop and given that the Swan monitor was the only one Ben and Juliet looked at, it may be a possibility. Stranger things have happened on ‘Lost’. This would also start to explain why B&J had to trek across the island to see Jack…. if Ben knows he is going to be in the Swan hatch (with foreknowledge of what will happen because of the time loop), but isn’t yet there. Ethan may have provided them with knowledge about Jack’s profession, and now B&J wanted to see what he looked like in order to be able to identify him.

    Anyway, that’s just one crazy explanation. I doubt that CC and DL would have made that much of a timeline error. I can’t wait to see what the explanation is for this one. I’m with Ryan – this is going to go down as a ‘classic’ episode; one of the quirky ones that gives a break to the serious part of the storytelling.

    PS: Ryan, in your last summary paragraph before the Notes & Notions portion, did you mean ‘Tom’ instead of ‘Ethan’? Or am I missing something here (admittedely I can’t think nearly as hard about the intircacies of the plot as most here – it makes my head hurt! 🙂

  11. MontaukJimbo says:

    I only caught Bits of this week but will watch tape tonight.
    just some random thoughts:
    -“Peter Talbot”-Was that not the name of the Wolfman Lon Chaney, No it was “LARRY Talbot”.
    -Where did Hurley get the Shovels?
    -Vincent is getting Fat
    -Jin will Totally go off on Charlie and James.
    -With all these Dead People and Animals(PolarBear)
    Ethan,Libby,Pilot,N+P,Boonie, shannon,Marshal Dude, RogerWorkman,AnaLucia,Mikhal,BlackLadyMikhalShot,Eko,three Guys Eko killed,Two guys Ana Lucia Killed, GuyJulietshot,Eko’sBro,JacksDad,MrScience,Artz (All those that died in crash) a Zombie Island Episode ..Even if it is a Dream, will be Awesome!
    I will have a more insightful comment Friday,sorry double OR/ER shift..
    …but I did see very End and beginning of “Expose” this week as I checked to be sure I got whole episode..
    don’t be Hatin’

  12. Dan says:

    Oh my God!!! all i dreamed about last night after the episode was spiders and being buried alive aaah!!! i wish lost wasn’t on right before i went to bed
    it was great when it was on at nine because i had an hour to debrief and get it out of my head

    oh well great episode!

  13. Roly says:

    This episode may be filler – or not. There is much speculation among the losties about who carried out the ‘murders’ of Paolo and Nikki and, I suspect, will set into motion suspicions among them (there was already some arguing about that – monster, Others, Sawyer) that may set into motion something we cannot yet know. I thought it was rather fun, actually, especially to get a sense of perspective of the time they have been on the island (80 days to them, 2 1/2 years to us) and what has happened in that time.

  14. Ken says:

    I think John’s comment that “Nothing stays buried on this island” fore shadows what will be coming for Nikki and Paulo.

  15. Carly says:

    Nadia–Also after that shoe scene….of how did that shoe get stuck… Nikki took it off Paolo and threw it…

    Mike–Ben was wearing an orange polo and khakis when he was caught by Rousseau…

  16. Carly says:

    Also, speaking of which…I wanna know when we are going to see waht happened to Henry Gale, the real balloon pilot! I want to see this flashback and who killed him! I also wonder what happened to everyone living in the caves? Did they all move out after the hatch was discovered? just a couple of old thoughts…

  17. Tawl says:

    First Observation… dang! some pretty hot ladies on the Island. Kate, Shannon, and now Nikki! Wonderful eye-candy for us guys… and of course there is Sawyer et al for the women viewers. Great casting job!

    Second Observation.. if what we are seeing are variations of Time-Loops, this would easily explain time continuity errors (such as.. was the plane on the hatch or in the tree?). This would also explain why Sawyer is confused about not remembering Nikki (who are YOU?). In some loops, she’s there.. in others.. not there.

    Third Observation.. There’s “something” about Vincent.. he was awfully smart to pull the sheet off of the semi-dead bodies. I think that Vincent is worth watching VERY carefully in future episodes.

    Fourth Observation.. Locke is right.. nothing stays buried very long by the beach. I expect hot Nikki to be back, short shorts, halter top, and all!(thank you in advance, Lost Producers)

    Fifth Observation.. the Island has electricity, lights, modern toilets, a sewer system, water pressure, refridgerators, fresh food, video cameras, telecommunication, a running VW bus.. almost seems as if the Island isn’t as remote as we are being led to believe. I’m starting to think “Truman Show” in addition to “Groundhog Day”

    Last Observation.. watching this episode was a PURE guilty pleasure (proably like watching Expose)… i felt bad for enjoying something so much that others would call cheesy.. yet, I enjoyed the creativity, cleverness, and the fun that went into putting this diversion episode together. Kudos to the Lost product staff for being brave enough to constantly take creative risks! I’m hooked more than ever.

  18. Okay I saw Whole episode 3 times..
    -Again WHERE did Shovel(s) come from.
    -Nikki and Paola ARe EVEL.
    killed Zuckerman and at least Nikki was willing to Kill again for Diamonds..Yuck!1
    Eye candy or Not I hope they Stay Buried…..{but they won’t} Vincent will Dig them UP!!!!!
    Nopw the Losties Will evetually share ALL the Diamonds….Plus maybe more Treasure from Island…
    I think Poor Locke will remain on Island either as Corpse or CastAway.
    the Airport Scene from Kocke’s Vision Quest Slowed Who Will Make it and Who Will Not.
    -Still Think that James..Pocketed a few Choice Diamonds…as a Back-up.
    -We will see Billy Dee Williams again….
    I hope , Lando we still Love Ya’ Man!
    –Nikki and Paolo have a good and Better chance of Surviving due to their Slowed Metabolism and Body Functions …till a Creepy ,,..”Night of the Living Dead’-like walk down the Beach…..
    ,,Perhaps long enough for them to really kill each other…Too Intense..”I thought I would Lose You…Nikki” ……….yucko!!

    Dig Vincent DIG!!!!!!

  19. Nadia says:

    Carley….i know nikki threw the shoe…i was just wondering what sawyer was looking at after they found the shoe…he was sort of looking beyond the trees….i thought….

  20. Tawl says:

    My favorite RAZZLE DAZZLE moments!

    Paulo would hide diamonds in the water tank of a working toilet on the Island

    Nikki would knowningly eat out of a basket of poisoned food

    Nikki could paralyze Paulo by throwing a single poisonous spider at him

    Nikki would be attacked by other poisonous spiders, which quickly leave when Sawyer, Hurley and the gang arrive

    Nikki would be smart enough to know that a high school science teacher could draw projection maps of where things would land when falling out of a broken airplane

    The science teacher found enough empty jars to keep his insects in

    There were plenty of shovels to go around for everyone

    Ben (or someone) would leave a walkie-talkie behind

    Paulo would watch a stranger (Ben) turn on a TV set to watch Jack, and not act surprised nor mention it to anyone

    What I can’t believe is this..
    Sawyer would toss $8 million of diamonds into a shallow grave and walk away (so I suspect he will be back)

  21. Connie in Alaska says:

    Tawl re your 5th observation: I have previously speculated that they may be in some kind of “holo deck” a la Star Trek TNG where participants are in a totally lifelike and believeable yet artificial world in the middle of some sort of giant lab.

  22. Okinawa Tom says:

    Not sure what to think about this episode… kinda like/hate it.

    Am still having a hard time believing that Niki and Paulo were “there the whole time” and lately have been thinking more and more about the theories I’ve heard regarding implanted memories. Could the flashbacks from today be new memories being freshly implanted?

  23. Jo says:

    Nadia…I guess Sawyer was looking at the mound of fresh earth where Nicki had buried the diamonds?

  24. Julie says:

    Fernando – I just watched the episode again last night and realized that, yes, it must have been a Season 1 episode that Locke was watching because the timeline does not make sense otherwise. Plus, Hurley was suprised at reading the ending of the Expose script, so it really was filmed recently. So there you go. But still a fun connection.

  25. Dave says:

    The number of postings here reminds me of an old quip:
    Opinions are like [armpits], everyone’s got ’em, and they all stink.

    I didn’t love the episode, but I thought it was fun and kinda kooky. I give credit to the writers and producers for realizing that the Nikki and Paolo characters were just not going to work — you can clearly add new characters (see the Tailies and Desmond and all the Others), but you can’t just make Important New Survivors(tm) without upsetting fans — and choosing to correct their mis-step rather than subjecting us all to a failed experiment. Let’s also give them credit for playing off our attitudes in characters like Sawyer (“who the hell is Nikki?”) and the meta-theater of a gimmicky, cheesy episode that just so happens to kick off with a character on a gimmicky, cheesy show (reminded me of “V.I.P.”) involved in a gimmicky, cheesy story. A nice wink, wink, nudge, nudge to the fans. And it was well done and did make me appreciate both the characters of Nikki and Paolo and the actors who played them a bit more.

    I was NOT a fan of the callbacks, which looked as though they had been digitally edited. I WAS a big fan of the callbacks, however, with the nods to the obsessive fans (including pretty much anyone who would spend time reading this site) such as Boone looking for the pen.

    Just hard to argue with addition by subtraction. 😉

  26. Kopytko says:

    Dude there is NO freakin time LOoOP!!!

  27. Tawl says:

    Kopytko.. just curious if you are joking or not. But if you are serious, and the facts of Lost clearly dismiss the idea of a Time-Loop, could you tell us which facts push the Lost story away from some sort of Time Distortion.

    Desmond’s “Flashbacks” episode are the start of my proof that the producers/writers are indeed messing around with Time. And if this is true, that would explain a lot of inconsistencies on the Island, and the advanced knowledge of Locke (gettnig explosives from the Flame) and Ben (knownig how everyone is going to react).. in addition to Desmond.

    Sure, there could be another explaination that does not involve Time Distortion, but (for me) everything is pointing in that direction.

    (To anyone out there), what would keep you from believing that a Time-Loop is involved in some way on the Island? Anyone?

    So seriously, can anyone point me away from

  28. MontaukJimbo says:

    “The Pigs are Walking”
    The Pigs are Walking”
    Leslie Artz (Mr. Jr. High Science)
    a great character actor, a shame he blew up.
    OR DID HE?!?
    They Hurley Locke and crewe, Thought he was Blown completely away……….
    Razzle Dazzle,it could have been a rouse.
    Artz Discovered 8-9 NEW Species of insects ,
    This makes our Island even mor unique than previous believed, kinda like Galopagos Islands Isolated and hidden.
    and I truely believe that He(Artz), Bai Ling and and DAVE will return as Feature Players…. Okay Bai ling is wishful thinking,you got me.
    But the other Two….
    “the Pigs are Walking..
    “See you in another Life”
    and again DIG Vincent Dig!!

  29. Kopytko says:

    Tawl the answer is simple, there are NO facts that push the Lost story towards this sort of time distortion. Imo Desmonds flashbacks aren’t a good confirmation of this theory because he obviosly made a change by saving Charlies life which obviously would broke the loOp if there was any. If you do
    a change in a loop you’re breaking it right? Desmond saves Charlie and the story goes… it’ doesn’t go back so he has to save him again at the same time which he did before! Is that a loOp?The timeline in the show is very clear so i really don’t know why somebody could belive that someting is going over and over again and we are watching a diferent timeline in every episode. Blah! After hatch explosion Desmond gain ability to percept time diferent than other people or maby he always was this way, he can see the possibiities but what it has to do with any time lOop???
    Locke didn’t know about the explosives until he found them, Ben’s knowledge of peoples hearts and minds doesn’t come from knowing the future. he’s very smart thats all, what it has to do with a time loop? The island is full of mystery but i don’t think any time lO_op s are part of it.
    ps. sorry for my english 🙂

  30. Fernando says:

    Kopytko (and Tawl)

    I totally agree with Kopytko’s idea. If there ever was a time LoOp, it was broken the moment “Desmondo” saved Charlie.

    And I see that Kopytko’s refutation of the Time LoOp Theories deals more with logic and semantics than with anything else. I have interpreted other people’s postings about the time loOp as theories about Time Travel. And that is a different theory, which, BTW really disappoints me for two reasons: One, I expect the whole truth about Lost to be something much more interesting and fascinating. Second, I still want to believe what the producers told us back in season one: “there is no Time Travel involved in this show”. If it happens that NOW there is some sort of time travel, I would really like for them (the producers) to come up and explain how it is happening, and why they changed their minds.

    Peace.

  31. Tawl says:

    Kopytko, thank you for taking the challenge to disprove the Time Loop theory. You make clear, concise, and intelligent points.

    Here are a couple of specific reasons why I think there is “pre-knowledge of the future” on at the Island, which quite possibly means a Time Loop.

    Locke knew where the trap-door in the Flame Station was (under the carpet). How did he know that, and why was that the first place he looked? Doesn’t it seem as if Locke had been there before?

    Ben risked his life to walk into the Losties camp (he was shot in the back with an arrow) with confidence, almost as if he knew what would happen and how to resolve any dangerous situation. Why would Ben walk into a dangerous spot unless he “knew” was that possibilities were? Why would Ben lie about who he was, yet point the Losties to where the balloon and the bodies were (of the real Henry Gale) and allow the Losties to discover his lie? Ben has a plan, but this plan requires a lot of knowledge about the future and what everyone else is going to do, otherwise all you could say is that Ben is completely reckless and an incredible risk-taker as a leader (I vote for “future-knowledge”).

    Also, Charlie has been “saved” by Desmond at least 3 times, maybe more (the lightening strike, almost drowning saving Claire, and falling into the ocean trying to capture a bird for Claire).

    Remember when Desmond told Charlie that he doesn’t think he can keep saving Charlies life again and again? Why would he say that, unless the Time Loop has repeated at least 3 times, maybe more.

    Also.. wasn’t it odd that Sawyer would say multiple times to Nikki.. “who are you?” Don’t you think that Sawyer (and any other man) would notice Nikki in the short-shorts and halter-top? Unless.. sometimes she’s in the current time-loop and sometimes she’s not.

    A Time Loop doesn’t mean time travel (which would mean jumping to new places in time). The Time Loop could would mean that time is circling, and just maybe the Island is a center of all reality and time, the place to jump in and out of the loop.

    What do you think, Kopytko, Fernando.. anyone?

  32. NorCal Matt says:

    Tawl, you are way overthinking. Take a deep breath. Remember that Lost is a fictional story. It may seem unbelievable that Ben could do what he did. It would appear that Ben is the ultimate manipulater, that there is no way he could so accurately predict everyone’s emotional tendencies. But, you must suspend reality and just accept that, for the sake of the show, that Ben is just a really good manipulater. As for Sawyer not remembering Nikki, that’s all inside jokes, meta, wink wink, call it whatever you want. It’s the writers saying “yeah, we know it’s a little far fetched that these characters have been in the background this whole time, so let’s poke fun at this.”

    If the Lost producers/writers ever resorted to Time loop or time distortion or time travel or any thing related then all of their hard work over the past 3 or 4 years would immediately be discredited by the majority of Lost fans world-wide.

    The sooner everyone accepts minor timeline inconsistencies (no one’s perfect, this isn’t real life) and enjoys Lost for what it is — the smartest, most interactive show ever created — the more we will continue to be in island bliss.

    Can’t wait for tomorrow night!!!

  33. Fernando says:

    I Think that NorCal Matt summed up what I was about to reply to Tawl.

    But also, I was “overthinking” trying to come up with “evidence” to demonstrate that there cannot be a time LoOp, and I came up with the very existence of Alex and her growing up on the island being raised by The Others. Time LoOp, in Tawl’s terms, means a cicling, a pernnial repetition of the same events. If there was a LoOp, how come time has actually passed for Alex and she has been able to grow? We would have to consider the “length” of the LoOp, then and decide which is the starting point and how far back or ahead does it extend to.

    Ben as the perfect manipulator seems to possess future foreseeing abilities; but I also want to believe that he can anticipate other people’s reactions given the fact that he manipulates them, he knows them very well deep inside (how and why he knows them is a big mystery), and he uses that knowledge to manipulate them and make them believe they are doing things because it was their idea (He said it himself in Exposé, and Alex said it in The Man From Tallahasee). He is a great con artist, the ultimate villain.

    Sawyer might have “noticed” Nikki before (he never really flirted with Shannon or anyone other than Kate and Ana Lucia), but notice the entire context of when he says “who are you?” / “who the hell are you?” and you’ll understand he is being sarcastic, sort of meaning “do I know you? Why are you talking to me?”, with the kind of high school attitude we all experienced as teenagers. He is just being mean and rude to her, at the same time that his words represent our voice jokingly asking “where were you the last two seasons of the show”.

    Desmond is the only one that has “flashes” of the future, but we still do not know why or how this is happening. These flashes are NOT an alternate reality, a parallel universe, a different dimension or a time LoOp; they are just “flashes”; think of deja-vu in terms of pre-knowledge of the future, just like the one the Precogs from the movie Minority Report have. It is just a flash from the future.

    This Time LoOp discussion is really interesting and enjoyable. But I agree with NorCal Matt when he says we should just enjoy the ride and see where it takes us at its own pace. I would not be too concerned with the time LoOp challenge. I also think there are other interesting issues (and perhaps more relevant to the big island mysteries) such as Smokie (and/or The Magic Box), Christian’s dead body, Penny’s search team, and what happened to Michael and Walt. It is my hope that the remaining of the season will explore these lose ends.

  34. NuckinFuts says:

    Tawl…not coming down on you because like you I am a LOST freak and I am the first to overthink this stuff…but in addition to what NorCal Matt and Fernando said about this I wanted to point out that when Locke knew something was under the rug I thought perhaps it was because he saw Patchy’s cat clawing at the rug…as if trying to get down there….another animal with Vincent’s brain….

  35. cuedblu says:

    I think people are getting hung up on semantics on the word ‘loop’. Whether or not there is a loop happening, Desmond’s ‘return’ to Penny after turning the key in the Swan hatch did not seem to be any kind of premonition or ‘flash of the future’. His ‘flashback’ scenes showed his reaction as having traveled back to a place he was before being on the island. Contrary to the premonitions or flashes he gets now that he is ‘back’ on the island, the return to Penny/’the Oracle’/Charlie in London didn’t appear as flashes. Perhaps they were simply his brain playing tricks after receiving a concussion after the implosion, but that would still not fall into the category of ‘deja-vu’ or the types of flashes he now sees (eg. regarding Charlie’s demise).

    I think that CC and DL have hinted a few times that ‘time’ on the island is not the same as time in ‘the rest of the world’. FWIW. Personally, I’m guessing the time issue is just one of many of the secrets/treasures/gifts of this special island our Losties have found themselves on.

  36. Tawl says:

    I appreciated everyone’s rebuttal to the Time-Loop explaination. I very well could be “over-thinking” the answer about what is happening on the Lost island. I’m taking a deep breath , and getting ready for tonight’s episode, waiting to see if the Loop theory will still hold up tonight, or get washed aside by new evidence.

    One thing for sure, Lost is never predictable.. that’s why I’m completely hooked.

  37. NorCal Matt says:

    You’re a good sport Tawl. Seemed like we were ganging up on you there. I find there are two types of Lost theorists. Men of science or men of science fiction. You seem to be in the science fiction camp. I’m in the men of science camp. Of course, I must accept the island has supernatural characteristics, but I deep down want a scientific explanation for everything. Lately though, I can’t see any science-based theory that will explain the smoke monster/manifestation scenes. As each episode comes and goes, I’m starting to think there can be no other explanation but that the smoke monster has manifestation abilities.

  38. MontaukJimbo says:

    So ,Tonite’s episode is all about this stupid “CatFight”
    Kate and Juliet,
    In the Freakin’ Rain. At least that is what ABC is promoing.
    Is that really needed?

    If I may predict, it too is a set-up by Ben he is playing them off each other to see which Alpha female prevails.
    It also appears that our man Hurly is taking more of a leadership tact, Refreshing and nice to see him fill the Vacuum
    left by Locke,Jack, Sayid, and Kate…It would be nice to see Rose Emerge as Island Earth-Mother -Ultra -AlphaMommaFemale.
    Sawyer is holding something back,either that of he is the most honest player on the Island, as he “yam what he Yam”

  39. Dave says:

    Cuedblu, I like your explanation. I think it is entirely possible that the Desmond “flashback” episode could just as easily be a dream or a hallucination. It’s a nice mechanism as to how to bring Penny back into the story and makes for entertaining TV. His “deja vu” with Charlie could simply be him *thinking* he knows that Charlie will get hurt and trying to keep him safe.

    It may also be that Desmond for some reason thinks that by saving Charlie he will break a loop of some kind. (Think “Groundhog Day.”) But that each time he saves Charlie, nothing changes. So maybe he just keeps searching for the “right thing” to do. Desmond seems to think there’s a loop, but that doesn’t mean there is.

    I agree with the folks above that it would be just too convenient of an explanation and an “easy way out.”

    One final thought. There is a scientific principle called the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. It states that by measuring a particle you affect the particle, so you can never truly measure how it would have been had it not been affected. It’s similar to the pop culture notion of the “butterfly effect.” Des and Charlie may be enacting something like this… it doesn’t mean it’s a time loop, it just means that they attribute greater meaning to even their trivial actions than there might truly be. And Des’s flashback seems to hint that there is NO “butterfly effect” — no matter what you do, you will hit the same outcome. It may be more a lesson in futility than a time loop. (Don’t forget, once Des learned that he brought down the plane — which was just before he turned the key in the season 2 finale — was when he developed his “premonitions.” He seems to place a lot of weight on everything having a reason and leading to an outcome. He may be a bit of a nutter regarding this.)

  40. Katie says:

    can someone pleeeeeeeeeeeeease tell me the name of the song that nikki pole dances 2 in her”expose” tv programme, iv bn lukin 4 it everywhere but i hav nooooooooo idea wot it is called and reeeely wanna download it. if anyone knows wot it is pleeeeeeeeeease lemme me kno, will luv u 4 it!!!! xx

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