"The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham"

While last night's episode wasn't as meaty as the previous one, I think "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham" was still pretty good. It was Locke-centric, which is always a good thing. So here is the recap (with a few of my thoughts interjected)...

The episode opens with New-Dude (Caesar) poking around what looks to be the Hydra station, finding maps, an old issue of Life magazine and a gun. {Lula interjecting here--my stuff will be in dark purple--hope this doesn't confuse. I wanna know why Caesar is getting gun happy. Like the rest of the island. And hiding the gun from Ilana.}

Marshallette (Ilana) comes in to say they found a man wearing a suit...Caesar asks if this man "disappeared like the others" but Ilana says he wasn't on the plane. They go back to the beach and it's revealed the man in the suit is none other than...

LOCKE!

{I'd like to out, for the sake of comedy, that wasn't it nice of the downed plane to provide our island some more "redshirts?" Totally disposable cast members. Love it.}

In the morning, Locke and Ilana banter back and forth... Locke asks, "Are those your boats?", referring to the canoes on the shore. Ilana replies that the boats were already here... and that there used to be three of them but the "pilot and some woman took one."

Who is the "some woman" that ran off with Lapidus? More on this later...

Ilana then tells Locke that nobody remembers him being on the plane... Locke tells her he doesn't remember being on it either, but he does remember dying!

We're then taken back to Locke and Christian being under the well... and Locke turning the Frozen Donkey Wheel.

Locke wakes up in...

TUNISIA!

{The barfing scenes are gross. Just sayin'.}

The same place Ben appeared when he turned the FDW at the end of last season. Anywho, it is nightfall before Locke is found and driven to some sort of clinic/hospital where a doctor there resets his leg (painfully, I might add!)... before Locke passes out, he sees Abaddon watching him.

Locke is then woken by someone who is at his bedside... who turns out to be...

WIDMORE!

Locke asks Widmore, "Do I know you?" Widmore tells Locke they met when he was 17 and reveals who he is to Locke. Locke says it's been 4 days since he walked into Widmore's camp and spoke to Richard... Widmore tells Locke that it has been 3 years since the O6 left the island.

Widmore then goes on to tell Locke that he was afraid Ben would "fool you into leaving the island", and that he was the leader of his people who protected the island for over three decades before being exiled by Ben. Locke says he chose to leave, and Widmore correctly deduces that Locke is there to bring the others back to the island. Widmore says he will help Locke do just that, because "there's a war coming" and if Locke isn't back on the island when that happens, then the "wrong side" is going to win...

Which side is the "wrong side"?!
{And here's where I started to trust Widmore, for the very first time. He seems so sincere, so genuine. But am I wrong to believe Widmore? Also, why did Ben exile Widmore and Co.? How did that go down? And doggone it, John Locke--why didn't you ask these pertinent questions when you had Widmore in front of you?}
Widmore also tells Locke "the island needs you - it has for a long time". When Locke tells him that Alpert said he was going to die, Widmore tells Locke he won't let that happen. He then introduces Matthew Abaddon to Locke, saying he is there to take Locke anywhere he needs to go and to protect him from anyone who would do him harm.

Locke is back in a wheelchair!

Locke and Abaddon travel all over, visiting Sayid, Walt!, Hurley, Kate, Jack... and also the grave of Helen Norwood.

{When Locke visits our Habitat-wannabe Hero Sayid, (Come on, you know you love that--a former torturer for the Republican Guard, now building houses for charity? Awesome!), my favorite Iraqi sates, "For two years I was manipulated by Ben. Who is manipulating you, John?" Briliant question, for sure. Because someone is clearly manipulating our dear Locke. Who's pulling the strings? Widmore? Ben? Both?}

When Locke is leaving Walt!, we see someone watching and it's...

BEN!

I think it's interesting the things that were said to Locke by those he visited:

Sayid: "Why do you really need to go back? Is it just because you have nowhere else to go?"

Walt: "I've been having dreams about you. You were on the island, wearing a suit, and there were people all around you. They wanted to hurt you, John."

Hurley: "You didn't make it? You're not the first person to visit me, you know?"..."Whoa, dude! What are you doing here?"... "Dude... be cool... don't look, but we're being watched... DUDE!" {I find it interesting--and very telling--that Hurley warns Locke not to trust Abbadon. Hurley, crazy as he may be, is usually spot-on with his personality assessments.}

Kate: "Have you ever been in love, John? I think about how desperate you were to stay on that island... it was all because you didn't love anybody."

{And here's Lula's "Play On, Playa, Take Two" moment of that Beyotch's...um, I mean Kate. Please let me slap her. Virtually, at least. When John is telling Kate that he was angry and obsessed (over Helen), Kate replies, "Look how far you've come." Beyotch. Seriously? I hate her even more, and would love to knock those freckles off her face. End of rant.}

After Locke leaves Kate, he's taken to the grave of Helen Norwood and is told by Abaddon that she died of a brain aneurysm. Locke starts to say he and Helen could've been together, but Abaddon tells him Helen is where she is supposed to be, and that Locke's path leads back to the island. And then this happened...

DUDE!

{DUDE!}

This caused me to simultaneously gasp and say a bad word. {Yeah...me, too.} Someone shot and killed Abaddon! Locke manages to drive away, but ends up in a car accident and is taken to the very hospital Jack works at. When Locke tells Jack that it was fate that brought him to that very hospital, but Jack shoots it down, saying it was just probability.

Jack: Have you ever stopped to think that these delusions that you're special aren't real? That maybe there's nothing important about you at all... maybe you are just a lonely old man that crashed on an island? That's it."

{I believe this is the most important scene in the episode. Jack puts it out there for our man of Faith. Ben, Widmore, Jacob--all have been telling Locke how important he is, how he is integral to the future of the island and its history. But Dr. Shephard gives Locke the verbal smackdown, while forcing Locke's fears to surface. Could Jack's little summation mirror what Locke feels about himself? John Locke has said many times, "Don't tell me what I can't do!" Jack didn't tell Locke what he couldn't do. But his "lonely old man" speech just might reveal what Locke believes about himself, deep down.}


Locke then tells Jack that his "father says hello"... a very shaken Jack tells Locke, "we were never important, so you leave me alone and you leave the rest of them alone!"
Back in his hotel room, we see Locke writing his suicide note to Jack. As he attempts to hang himself, Ben bursts through the door and talks him down.

Now who could that be?!?

Ben admits to killing Abaddon, saying it was only a matter of time before Abaddon would've tried to kill Locke. Ben also says Widmore is dangerous, that he was the reason Ben moved the island. Locke tearfully says he is a failure, that he wasn't able to get any of them to come back with him. Ben tells Locke that he can't die, that he has too much work to do and he will help him... he successfully talks Locke down off the table.

Locke tells Ben that he can't go to Sun since he promised Jin he would not bring her back. And that Jin wanted him to tell Sun that he was dead, giving his wedding ring as proof.

What is up with the look on Ben's face when he hears Jin is alive?! And when Locke says he needs to find Eloise Hawking?!? {Yeah, what she said!}

And then what happened next... another explicative came out of my mouth!

BEN KILLED LOCKE!

Ben then stages Locke's suicide and takes Jin's ring... before walking out the door, he says to Locke, "I'll miss you John. I really will."

We're now back on the island... Locke finds Caesar back in the Hydra and tells him that he had spent 100 days on the island... but not sure how he got back.

Best lines of the episode:


Caesar: "How long ago did you leave?"
Locke: "The timing would just... confuse you."

{I'm adding mine:
Hurley, to Locke: "You didn't make it?"

Classic.}

Caesar explains that he saw a "big guy with curly hair" disappear... and that the pilot took the passenger list when he ran off... everyone is accounted for except "the people who got hurt." He takes Locke to where the injured are and finds...

BEN!

Of whom Locke says, "He's the man who killed me."


Cue the trombones!


Sheesh, for not being a "meaty" episode, there was a lot to recap!


I wanted to touch more on the "other woman" who ran off with the pilot... it has to be Sun, as evident by the promo for next week's epi (which looks totally awesome!). The promo shows Sun and Ben in the jungle... besides, what other woman would run off with the pilot? And she's the only other returning O6er who is unaccountable for. So why didn't Sun time-leap with Jack, Kate and Hurley???


I think Lula may edit this post to add her thoughts... so stay tuned to see what she has to say...

No editing from me--just interjecting my 2 cents. Seriously, Shannon and I were texting throughout the episode last night, then IMing...finally, I had to call her this morning and wail, "I cannot write the recap, because all I can wrap my head around is next week's episode! And I have three pages of notes!" Yes, I'm lame and I admit it. Anyway, hope this joint-effort didn't confuse y'all. I say "joint effort"--but let's call it what it really is: Shannon does the work, I intrude. Shannon, great recap...thanks for writing...and thanks for letting me get my blurbs in.

And just because I think y'all need to see it again:



I'm so excited!

All These Things That I've Done

Thought you all might enjoy this:

"316"

After last night's episode ended, both Shannon and I declared, "I cannot wrap my head around all that just happened!" (We also told our respective husbands, "Best episode yet!") Upon viewing "316" for the second time, I realized what I loved about this particular hour of Lost was not so much what we learned, but what was alluded to. I'm a lover of literature and the Bible, and both were well-represented in this episode. Seriously, my head almost exploded. It. Was. So. Brilliant. Also, it's worth mentioning that I do believe every single frame of every single scene in "316" was of the utmost importance. There was not a single "filler" moment to be found. Clearly, this episode will stand to serve as a Very Big Deal in the Lost grand scheme of things.

Didn't the opening scene feel so familiar, yet so "off?" The very first scene of the very first episode of Lost was the close-up of Jack's eye, followed by the camera pulling back to reveal the neurosurgeon flat on his back in the jungle. We saw it again last night, but instantly I knew this was a different scenario. Still, the familiarity of this opening scene was like a warm, fluffy blanket. I was instantly cocooned and settled in for the journey.

Let's jump to the events that led to our gang's return to the island. When Mrs. Hawking mentioned the name of this off-island Dharma station, I didn't quite catch its significance at first. On my subsequent viewing, I realized the door she opened might as well have been a big ol' wardrobe door. As in a wardrobe door leading to Narnia. Because Hawking tells us we are entering "The Lamp Post." And I almost fell off my couch. I won't go into a review of C.S. Lewis' The Lion, The With and The Wardrobe, except to mention that a lamp post features heavily in the world of Narnia, as a light in the middle of the forest, shining day and night. Thrown down by the White Witch from a lamp post in London, this particular light becomes a living thing in Narnia's first days of creation, fashioned by Aslan to burn continuously. Just as Narnia's lamp post is a beacon in its woods, it seems Dharma's Lamp Post is the "light" our Losties need to guide their return to the island.

Whoa. I know, right? I wish y'all could see me jumping up and down right now, because this truly makes me giddy. No one can ever say Lost's creators and writers are not true genuises. 'Cause they are. Yep.

We enter the Lamp Post and yes, she's Ellie-the-Gun-Toter, Eloise-the-Mother-of-I Rock The Skinny Tie, Mrs. Hawking-the-Pawn Shop-Princess. Hawking appears to be many things to many people. She had one of my favorite lines of the night. Jack asks Ben, "Did you know about this place?" to which Ben resolutely replies, "No." Posing the question to Mrs. Hawking, "Is he telling the truth?" "Probably not!" is Hawking's smug summation. As per usual, we viewers are unable to pin down if Benjamin Linus is forthcoming with his information. (Also--did you notice how intently Ben listened to Hawking's explanation of the island...its movements, how it can be located, that a "brilliant man" discovered a way to achieve all this information? It appeared our man Ben might have been learning some of this material right along with us.)

Meanwhile our beloved Desmond's incredulity is escalating by the minute, and rightfully so. He's earned this complete disdain, dangit. Eventually he's all, "I'm done with the island--PEACE OUT!" Oh, snap! Desmond, brotha...I so adore you. But I also fear for your future, as well as Penny's and Baby Charlie's. The island is not done with you, Des.

After Hawking tells Jack that John is going to be the island's "proxy," I became giddy all over again. Texted my brother-in-law and a few of you ladies, saying, "It's getting all 'religuous' up in here!" Proxy? Substitute? Suddenly the title of tonight's episode takes on a new meaning. Of course we later learn that 316 signifies the Ajira flight our gang must soon board, but it may also reference the one Bible verse most of the world recognizes: John 3:16. "For God so loved the world He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." Just as I didn't delve too deeply in the world of Narnia's lamp post, I won't start preaching here. But I will say that John's role as the substitutionary atonement for our islanders? That his "death" paves the way for the restoration of the lives on the island, as well as the lives of the Oceanic 6? Whoa. I...well...just...WHOA! Admittedly, I cannot fully grasp this concept or its meaning in the overall scheme of this story.

Continuing with the theme of religion and faith, Jack finds Ben praying (or was he plotting?) in the sanctuary of the church. Ben then recounts the story of the Apostle Thomas, and how he is not remembered in Biblical history for his bravery (John 11:16), but rather for his doubt of Christ's resurrection. Ben says that Thomas, "Couldn't wrap his mind around it. He had to touch Jesus to be convinced." Jack asks Ben, "Was he?" Ben replies, "We're all convinced sooner or later, Jack." Almost from the moment of their introduction, John Locke and Jack Shephard have been at odds due, in part, to their world views. Locke is our Man of Faith, of course, and we all know Jack is the poster child for Science. But oh, how Jack is quickly becoming a student of fealty and belief. Later in the episode he boards Ajira Flight 316, which is the ultimate act of faith for Jack...returning to the place he spilled blood, sweat, and tears to escape.

Oh, let's not forget that Ben's going to see an old friend, to "tie up some loose ends." Even before we see him bloody and battered the day of the flight to "Guam," I think it's safe to ascertain Mr. Linus was referring to his threat to kill Widmore's daughter. My mind, nor my heart, can go to that unhappy place right now. Discuss amongst yourselves, please.

Remember I said earlier that there was no "filler" scene in "316?" Do not think for one second that Papaw Ray is not going to figure prominently in the future. A former magician? Who wants to get away, where "they won't ever find me." Yes, sweet Ray, grandfather o' Jack, we will be seeing you again soon.

Our island's two leaders meet up once again. Kind of. Jack takes his father's shoes to place on Locke's feet. For a second I was waiting for Locke to rise up and shout, "SUCKA!" But no. He's still dead. Or whatever. But Heather has a brilliant take on the whole shoe scenario here, so I'm going to let her have at it in the comment section. Take it, Heather! (I warned you, at least!)

And then we have Kate's booty call. I refuse to waste breath and space on this, other than to say that Kate was horny and had to get one last bit of Jack-lovin' out of her system. Or, since she's apparently given Aaron over to his maternal grandmother (Claire's mom--that's my guess, at least), maybe now she wants a baby of her own, and Jack would be a good BabyDaddy. Or sperm donor. Whatever. I'm so over them, clearly. But I do wonder what made Kate change her mind? Who convinced her to leave Aaron behind and return to the island?

Later at the airport, Jack is amazed and relieved to learn that his peeps will be joining him on the flight to "Guam." Let's just call "Guam" what it really is: a window in time, whereby Jack and Co. will return to the island. Got that? Great. Moving on. We meet New Dude, who politely goes out of his way to offer condolences to Jack for the loss of his friend. Awwww, New Dude. We will most certainly see you on the island.

After boarding the flight the usual confusion and outrage ensues, because let's face facts...these are some messed up folks. Why is Sayid in handcuffs, chaperoned by a U.S. Marshall? (Shades of Kate, Oceanic Flight 815?) Who convinced Hurley to return to the island? (Charlie? Does this explain the prominently featured guitar case?) On a side note, do we love that Ben, Jack, Kate, Sayid, Hurley and Sun are seated in First Class? Of course we do. And...they're off!

My new favorite line from Ben occurs mid-flight, when Jack asks Ben what will happen to all the other people on this Flight of Destiny. "Who cares?" This, my friends, is why I love, love, love me some Benjamin Linus. And Michael Emerson, who deserves a room full of Emmys for his performance in this role. Who cares? Exactly, Ben. Rock on.

Also, I hate to bring her up again, but Kate's snarky comment to Jack was no aside. Jack's all high on faith and possibility, gushing about the Oceanic 6 (minus Aaron) being "together again." Kate puts on her game face and snaps, "We're on the same plane, Jack, but that doesn't make us together." Beyotch. Play on, playa. Yeah, I said that.

The return of my beloved Jeff Fahey was a highlight of this episode. Yes, I uttered an adult word when Lapidus was revealed as the flight's pilot...without his Kenny Rogers beard, as Sawyer cleverly bestowed upon Lapidus while on the island. I love that Lapidus is no fool. After seeing his plane's cargo he immediately realizes, "We're not going to Guam, are we?"

Why is Ben reading Ulysses? Oh, the headache this gives me. Thanks, writers of Lost, for throwing another clue our way. Everything happens for a reason. James Joyce, the author of Ulysses, is noted for revealing this about his ginormous novel: "I put in so many enigmas and puzzles that it will keep the professors busy for centuries arguing over what I meant." And we have now summed up the mysteries of Lost in one sentence. Amen.

Oh dear, this post is growing longer by the minute. Please forgive me. There was just so, so, so much to cover in this one hour of Lost greatness.

I'll close with the episode's other "adult word" moment for me. JIN! In a Dharma suit!

The plane clearly enters a flash and we find Jack, Hurley and Kate reunited in the water. Where are Sun, Ben, and Sayid? Where's New Dude? Sayid's Marshallette? And not only do I ask where, but also, when? That VW van (blaring Geronimo Jackson tunes--I will stake my life on this!) comes roaring up to the water's edge, all shiny, bright, and new. You know, as VW vans looked well over thirty years ago. Toto, we are not in the 21th century anymore.

Let the discussing and sussing commence! I'm grabbing an aspirin, some Scotch, and a pillow. Just kidding. I don't drink Scotch. It will be red, red wine. Good times.

Check This Out!

Jorge Garcia, who plays our beloved Hurley (he's in my top 5--Sawyer, Des, Juliet, Hurley...and another I'll reveal later!), has a blog, Dispatches from the Island. I just spent an hour of my life reading through half his posts and lemme tell ya...I now love this dude more than ever. I think he should hang with us Lost Sussers...he is totally our people and would fit in well with our group.

Let's start the letter-writing campaign now: Jorge, please be our friend & hang with us on Sussing Out Lost. We love you. And we are not crazed, psycho stalkers. Like those creepy Twilight Moms. Ahem.
(If any of you are creepy Twi-Moms, I'm sorry if I've offended you. Not really. Just covering my bases.)


Go check out his blog...it's good times. And pitch a Hot Pocket...'cause that's just cool.


p.s. Thanks, Cara, for cluing me into this one. You are beyond awesome!

Lost's Sweetheart

Everyone loves Claire, right?
She's so ethereal and angelic looking.

So where is she?
What's she doing?
Why'd she leave Aaron?

Let's discuss.

"This Place Is Death"

Episode 5 was quite a doozy, don'tcha think!  There was a lot that happened, so I apologize now for the length of this recap!

Since the episode begins off-island, let's review that first...

While still in her car watching Ben and Jack, Sun gets a phone call from her mother, who wants her to come home.  Sun also talks to her daughter, Ji-Yeon, telling her, "I met a new friend for you in America.  His name is Aaron." (I totally thought Sun was going to pull a fast one, and try to keep Aaron for herself, but that didn't happen... whew!)

Anyway, Sun then goes to confront Ben and reveals she blames Ben for Jin's death.  Ben tells Sun that Jin is not dead and he can prove it.  Kate angrily leaves with Aaron... and Sayid leaves as well, leaving only Jack and Sun to go with Ben to find the person in L.A. who not only has proof Jin is alive, but can also help them get back to the island.

In the van, Jack apologizes to Sun for leaving Jin behind.  Sun wants to know if Jack is telling her this now so that she won't kill Ben.  Jack then says that after what Ben just did to Kate, "if you don't do it Sun, I will."  Ben then pulls the van over and berates Jack and Sun, telling them they have no idea what he's done to keep them safe (safe from... Widmore?)

The van finally pulls up to a church and the three get out.  Ben gives Jin's ring to Sun, saying Jin had given it to Locke.  Jack points out that Ben said Locke never came to see him, to which Ben replies he went to see Locke (does this mean Ben was the last person to see Locke alive?)  Ben says there is a woman named Eloise Hawking in the church who can help them get back to the island...

As they start to walk to the church, someone comes out of the shadows...

It's Desmond!  He asks Ben, "Are you looking for Faraday's mother, too?"... to which Ben looks a bit confused.  Inside the church, Eloise Hawking is lighting more candles, and wants to know why Ben only brought four of them.  Ben replies it was the best he could do on short notice... the episode ends with Eloise saying. "Well, let's get started."

Now, let's get to what happened on the island (which I personally find a lot more interesting!)...

Jin, while back on the beach with the Frenchies (Danielle, Robert, Montand, Nadine, Brennan and Lacombe), starts to flip out when he's told that the year is 1988.  He wants to get back to his camp to find his wife, but Danielle convinces him to first take her team to the radio tower, then they will go to Jin's camp.  

Making their way through the jungle, the team realizes Nadine is missing and wants to look for her, but Jin is adamant they continue to the tower.  While searching for Nadine, they hear a noise, which Jin recognizes.  A tree is uprooted and then Nadine's dead body falls to the ground!  The group runs, but the smoke monster catches Montand and drags him through the jungle and into a hole near what looks to be some ancient temple (remember when Smokey did the same thing to Locke?!  Drug him through the jungle and tried to take him down a hole, but he was saved by Jack?!)

The rest of the group manages to grab Montand's arm before the monster can pull him through the hole... but the monster wraps around Montand's arm and cuts. it. off! (Dude! was that not hardcore?!)  Montand then calls out, saying he is hurt and needs help.  The Frenchies decide to enter the hole, though Jin warns them not to.  He does manage to convince Danielle not to go.  As Jin and Danielle wait while the rest of the Frenchies enter the hole, there is a time flash.  

Jin finds himself alone outside the temple.  (Is this the same temple Ben has said was the "last safe place on this island?"... the same temple he told Alex to go to, to get away from Keamy?  AND what's with the hieroglyphics on the wall... they look to be the same that were on the countdown clock in the hatch...)

Jin makes his way back to the beach to find a small camp... he also finds the dead bodies of Brennan and Lacombe.  Jin hears voices arguing, and finds Danielle and Robert (her baby-daddy) both pointing rifles at each other.  Danielle says Robert has been "infected" by the monster, but Robert insists the monster isn't a monster, but just a "security system for the temple."  He convinces Danielle that he still loves her... but when Danielle lowers her rifle, Robert raises his and shoots!  However, his gun malfunctions... and Danielle shoots Robert.  When Jin sees this, he calls out... Danielle aims and shoots at him, saying he disappeared and must be infected, too.  Jin runs back into the jungle and another time flash...

Jin finds Sawyer... the two embrace (this was the best reunion of the whole show... other than Des and Penny, of course!) and Sawyer tries to explain to Jin about their time traveling.  

Here's one of the best lines from the show:

Sawyer is having trouble explaining to Jin what's happening... he turns to Miles, wanting Miles to translate.  To which Miles replies, "He's Korean.  I'm from Encino."

Turns out, Charlotte can speak Korean and tells Jin that Locke needs to get to the Orchid station in order to leave the island.  On the way there, time flashes occur twice, back-to-back and Charlotte collapses.  She speaks to Jin first in Korean, then English, warning him not to "bring her back" (her being Sun?  or Ji-Yeon?  or both?) because "this place is death."  Juliet and Sawyer both experience nosebleeds (Nnnooooooooooo!)  Daniel asks for help carrying Charlotte but Locke refuses, saying she'll only slow them down.  Daniel decides to stay with Charlotte while the rest head on to the Orchid.  Sawyer wants to know what they'll do if the Orchid isn't there due to the time flash... Charlotte tells them to "look for the well."  

On the way to the Orchid/well, Miles gets a nosebleed.  

The group finds the Orchid, but as soon as they arrive, there is yet another time flash... the Orchid has disappeared.  Locke then finds the well.  

Locke attempts to climb down, but Jin stops him to first make Locke promise not to bring Sun back to the island.  Locke agrees not to look for Sun, but what if Sun comes to him?  Jin wants Locke to tell Sun that he is dead and gives his wedding ring to Locke as proof.  

Meanwhile, Charlotte begins to tell Daniel how she grew up on the island, that she moved away with her mother and never saw her dad again.  Her mother would say the island was not real... and that is why Charlotte became an anthropologist, so that she could find the island again.  Charlotte tells Daniel she remembers a "crazy man" who told her "they had to leave the island and never ever come back"... that she would die if she came back.  Daniel says he's confused, why is Charlotte telling him this.  Charlotte's reply: "Daniel, I think that man was YOU!"

A few moments later, Charlotte dies.  

Back at the well, as Locke is descending the rope, there is a time flash and he falls.  Sawyer is left holding a rope that leads to solid dirt... the well is gone.  

Locke has fallen and broken his leg (anyone else wonder what is up with Locke's legs?  First he can't walk... he's had a hatch door shut on them, been shot in the leg by Ethan, now one is broken...)

Christian Shepherd appears and tells Locke he is here to help him the rest of the way and how to fix the donkey wheel so he can turn it, which he reminds Locke he had told him to do, not Ben.  Christian also tells Locke that dying is part of the meaning of sacrifice.  Locke finds the donkey wheel and turns it...

Christian tells Locke "say hi to my son."  Locke asks who is his son, but before Christian can answer, the room is engulfed by light.  

And here endeth the recap... now, let us discuss..

It's Why I Got Out of Bed This Morning.

I went to bed at 10:00 last night, y'all. At 7:20 this morning my husband made me get up so that I could have Libbey fed and ready for school, like a good mommy. I didn't want to get up. At all. I wanted to sleep until 10:00 am. I admit it. I fulfilled my good mommy duties, though. Sigh...

Then I remembered it was Wednesday. Another new episode of Lost. HOORAY!
It makes me happy.

If you have some free time today, I highly recommend heading over to Long Live Locke and reading e's recap from last week's "The Little Prince."

Also, Entertainment Weekly's resident Lost expert, Doc Jensen, has a couple of must-read articles. You can find them here and here.

I stay away from spoilers completely, but I did read that tonight's episode is a doozy. Be sure to hang with us tomorrow...Shannon will be recapping for us, and you don't wanna miss out on it.

Sorry, Daniel and Miles. Didn't mean to cut y'all off. And I'm too lazy to resize the picture. At least I got all of Sawyer in. Ahem.

Nosebleed theory...and then some...

The nosebleeders are all people who are "Others" or direct descendants of others....just sayin'. None of the O815-ers are getting nosebleeds.

Juliet's story about how she came to the island is starting to sound like it was made up.

Did anyone else just want to bust out the tissues when Sawyer saw Kate? I just love him. Hard exterior, mushy, gushy interior....

All these thoughts are just very random things I've been mulling over.....

Could this show possibly get any more twisted? Can't wait to recap with ya'll.

"The Little Prince"

Thirty minutes into last night's episode, I felt mildly sick to my stomach. I came thisclose to texting my brother-in-law, lamenting, "Lame. This is weak." But I didn't want to whine 'cause he was already threatening to stop watching. Like me, Robbie finds Jack and Kate b-o-o-oring. Our expectations were low, and by that point in the show we were not disappointed.

Lost always proves me wrong, which I love. Lost always brings the unexpected, which I love. What I thought was going to be a weak hour suddenly became rather powerful. It got strong. Really strong. So strong that I actually uttered an expletive, which prompted me to text Kristen and tell her, "I just uttered a 4-letter naughty word. A kinda slow episode just got good!" Thankfully Kristen loves me through my admission. And admit it--if y'all didn't utter a choice word or two, you were at least thinking it in your head.

We all know both Locke and Sawyer had crap-for-fathers. Let's just keep it real here. Both have had daddy issues in the extreme. While watching "The Little Prince" last night, I found significance in Locke's referring to Sawyer by his given name, "James." From the very first time we learned Sawyer's true identity was actually that of James Ford, no other character on the island (even Kate) has continually called Sawyer who he really is. Locke has been consistent in this manner. That little fact never meant much to me until last night. Our Man of Faith seems to be much like a father figure to Sawyer now. I think both are rising to their island leadership roles, and while I don't see either of them becoming cuddly, warm, & fuzzy in their relationship with each other, I do see somewhat of a father/son respect building between these two. I. Love. It.

Did you catch Locke's line to Sawyer? "I needed the pain of the past to get to where I am now." My heart lurched at this, because not only is this true in Locke's case (again--Daddy issues--Anthony Cooper, you sorry excuse for a human being), but it could well be the title of Sawyer's autobiography. I mentioned in my season 4 finale recap that no other islander has grown as an individual more than James Ford. His redemption has been found in loving someone more than himself and he is continually playing out his reluctant hero status.

My proof is in the pudding with this scene, which served two purposes:
I wish Saywer didn't love Kate, because she is unworthy. (More on that later.) Yet love her he does, as evidenced by his restraint at not revealing himself to in-the-past Kate and Claire.

I also think this particular scene answers the four season-long mystery of the whispers. It's been hinted at the past couple of weeks but I now believe we can say with certainty that all those eerie, ghostly voices we've been hearing over the previous four years are indeed the remnants of our people flashing back and forth through time. Awesomeness.

Let's discuss Kate. I don't want to, especially after this:
These two make me tired. The only reason we had to endure this rehashing of their "we have to lie" scene was for Kate to tell Jack, "I am always with you." I wanted to smack her. Again, she is unworthy of Sawyer's helicopter sacrifice, as well as his love. Go be with Jack always, Kate. I don't care.

Let me backtrack and state that I do not watch Lost for the romantic aspect of it. I'm not a big shipper (big into the love relationships, that is) by any means, but I have said, since the season 4 finale, that I am digging the potential union of Sawyer and Juliet. They've both been jilted by the people they care for (Juliet, of course, had/has feelings for Jack, which she admitted to him last season...right before he planted a big smooch on her). They are both strong, physically and mentally, and I believe these two are worthy and deserving of each other. The scene with Sawyer and Juliet (whom I also want to add has also referred to him as "James" from their first introduction) on the beach, after being attacked (again) in the water (this time with guns, rather than flaming arrows or trip-wire bombs), was poignant. Juliet forced James to be forthcoming about his feelings, and we all know Sawyer is not a big one for revealing emotion. That scene was brilliantly played. Yeah, Josh Holloway is a vision to behold, but beyond his fabulousness he is a mighty fine actor. Amen.

Speaking of the canoe/beach scene, what happened before the ocean hijinks puzzled me all night long. The gang finds their camp destroyed, a big ol' canoe, and water bottle from an Indian airline? Perplexing. I couldn't even begin to sort that one out.

Until I found the above screencap and came to the realization that maybe this particular scene took place in the near future. Perhaps the Oceanic 6 flew on the Ajira Airline, once escaping Los Angeles. Perhaps they are now on the island, in this point in time. Perhaps I'm completely wrong, but it's the direction I'm leaning toward. Over the next few days DarkUfo, Doc Jensen over at EW, and LongLiveLocke will have their theories posted. We'll see...smarter minds will possibly prevail.

A few more observations:
I knew, the minute scrub-wearing dude sauntered through the door, that Sayid was gonna get his ninja on. He never disappoints. I say it again, as always--he is so badass. But who wanted to harm our former torturer? Ben? Widmore? Ben?

What about this?

Ben and Sayid's getaway van, which they took to meet with the lawyer Ben hired to harrass Kate. "Canton-Rainier." It's been pointed out over on DarkUfo that Canton-Rainier is an anagram for "Reincarnation." Chew on that one a while. 'Cause yeah, I cannot even go there without getting a headache.

Charlotte is probably not long for this world. But let's not discuss Juliet's brief bleed ('cause I refuse to believe she's going anywhere--she's been my favorite female character since season 2, and she has to make beautiful babies--that survive--with James.) and instead, let's discuss Miles' red-running nose.

Daniel explains the nosebleeds could be due to "overexposure of the island." Let's think that theory through. Juliet's been there three years, which seems like a long time, and she bleeds, but not before Miles. (And I will not discuss her nose again.) Then we have Charlotte's sniffer, which has been bleeding almost from the inception of the time flashes. Miles is feelin' the flow now. Witness this exchange:

Miles: Those yahoos have been here for months. I've never been here before two weeks ago.
Daniel: Are you sure about that?

Methinks Miles just answered the "mystery baby" question posed in Season 5's very first episode. It's looking like Mr. Ghost Whisperer is Chang's (et. al.) son. I think. Probably.

Moving on...

The instant I heard French being spoken, I knew...Danielle & crew are in the house! Er, island. Whatever.

Because the Lost world is fully populated with truly intelligent and investigative geeks, I know a translation will soon be posted on the net, and we will learn what Danielle, Montand, and the rest were shouting while surviving the storm. Anyone out there fluent in French? Give us a heads up!

A few final tidbits...

I'm glad we got to see Claire, even if it was only in a photograph.

I bestow my badass status upon Sun, because receiving a gun in a box of Godiva is completely hardcore.

I'm unable to determine if Sun is really after Ben and in cahoots with Widmore, or if she's really wanting Widmore's head on a platter and this is all a big act to protect Ben. It's delicious, though, regardless of her motives. We learned in season 1 that Sun has an evil streak in her (remember she lied to her father and blamed the broken ballerina on the maid?), and her pursuit of vengeance over Jin's death is building to a big showdown. I cannot wait.

Finally...who was thrilled to see Jin? Alive? But alive in the past? This opens a whole new can of worms, indeed. I love it. I love this show. Let's discuss...

p.s. I get my pictures from DarkUfo's screencaps page, and just found this:

The episode's title has nothing to do with little Aaron. Lost's writers have once again thrown in an Easter egg I'd never catch if it weren't for the uber-geeks who watch this show. I have no idea what any of this means, and I've never read The Little Prince. Looks like I'll be heading over to Wikipedia to do some sussing.

Topic For Discussion: Are Charlotte's Days Numbered?

Charlotte wasn't looking so good when we last saw her:

A January edition of TV Guide noted "by February, one character (other than the coffin-inhabiting Locke) will be dead".

It's now February. Charlotte is the only one on the island who is having nosebleeds, headaches and memory loss. Sorry, Charlotte... but me thinks you're not long for this world...

What do you think?