Episode Resources
Transcript: Pilot 1+2 (Presented by the LOST-TV Forum)
Wiki: Lostpedia
Basic Guide for Markings
* = Will be appended after future research
Background information will appear green.
Theoretical questions and information will appear orange.
Trivia will appear blue.
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The pilot episode of any show, if you didn't already know this, is what the network airs in order to test a show's viability. I am not sure if the LOST pilot was ever considered a test on-air, but apparently it was never re-packaged with a proper title. My assumption is that it was used in some fashion as a true pilot, either on-air or in focus groups.*
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Opens with a man's right eye, closed, which then opens suddenly. The eye is kind of a hazel with brown splash. It belongs to Jack, but we will not discover his identity until later.
(First eye, Jack's, right.)
What is the significance of eyes on LOST? As we know, the close-up-on-eye scene opener is a motif of the show. Most of the main characters and even some of the minor characters have been featured in such a way.
From this man's point of view, we find that he is flat on his back looking up from the ground in a bamboo thicket. The man is dressed in a coat and tie, and he has fresh scratches on his unshaven face.
(Note that in S5, when Jack returns to the island after having left, he also wakes in a bamboo thicket wearing a suit and tie, and the scene also begins with his closed right eye opening.) This, combined with the fact that Jack claims to have blacked out during the crash, has caused some to speculate that Jack did not crash either time, but that he flashed into the jungle in both cases.
He hears a noise nearby and looks around to see a yellow Labrador sniffing around, coming towards him. The dog whimpers once and begins to run, crossing directly over the man's forehead. We will learn later that this dog belongs to Walt Lloyd, the son of Michael Dawson. They actually stole the dog from Walt's adoptive father Brian Porter before they left Sydney on Oceanic 815.
The man struggles to rise and feels pain, then comes to realize he's sustained a major injury on his left side. He recovers slightly, then finds a miniature bottle of vodka in his jacket pocket. He walks, then begins to run out of the thicket. He emerges into some trees, and his pace increases. As he runs, we see a single white sneaker hanging from its lace from a tree.
It has long been a question: What's up with the shoes? Are they important, or just a strange factoid? Jack's father Christian Shephard (who was dead and in a coffin on the plane) will be seen like an apparition on the island, and he will occasionally be seen wearing white sneakers. It will be revealed in season five that Jack hastily put sneakers on his father's body because he couldn't be bothered to find him some dress shoes.
The man emerges from the jungle upon what at first looks like a quiet and deserted beach. But, as he looks around he begins to hear screams and mechanical noises, like engines revving. He turns toward the sound and then moves toward it. Finally we find that he is walking through the site of a plane crash, and panicked people are all around the burning wreckage.
We then begin to encounter people who we do not yet know are major characters.
A young bearded man (Charlie Pace) can be seen wandering by a fallen engine, turbine still spinning (that would ultimately suck up a passing redshirt and explode) indicating that for some reason, he is not sensing any danger there.
An Asian man (Jin Kwon) is seen yelling in Korean.
An African-American man (Michael Dawson) appears next, yelling "Walt!" (which is, amusingly, something that will become a running joke for many as the result of one of S2's main subplots). (First use of the name "Walt", 1.1, 3:29 - so the first character named on the show is, technically, Walt.)
A young blonde woman (Shannon Rutherford) appears next, standing in the middle of the wreck screaming at the top of her lungs.
A bald man (John Locke) is summoned to help the man from the thicket (Jack) get a man out from under a piece of the plane.
A heavily pregnant woman (Claire Littleton) is calling for help on the beach.
The man in the suit gives some instructions about how to handle the trapped passenger and rushes to help the pregnant woman, who is further toward the water. The woman is distressed, claiming to be having contractions. The woman is seen to be wearing a necklace made of an Asian character.* The man asks how many months along she is, and she says eight months. He asks how far apart they are as he surveys the area.
He spots a young man (Boone Carlysle) giving CPR to an unconscious African-American woman (Rose).
The pregnant woman says she doesn't know how far apart the contractions are. They only just began.
In the background we see the bald man and the redshirt have succeeded in freeing the injured man from the wreckage. At that point, one of the passengers heads across the front of the engine's turbine. The bald man is yelling at him to get away, but he can't understand the warning. He is then sucked into the engine, which causes a huge explosion.
More panic ensues, but the man in the suit keeps his head. He shields the pregnant woman from the burning debris and then tells her that she's going to be OK. She just needs to keep still. He's preoccupied with the young man giving CPR, so he summons a rather large man with curly hair (Hugo "Hurley" Reyes) to come and take the pregnant woman away from the fuel fumes and to look after her contractions. He gives the fat man a watch to time them, and then gives the man some instructions, but the man just says "Oh, you gotta be kidding me..." What is the significance of this watch? Is it the same watch given to him by his father on his wedding day?
The large man then yells after the man in the suit as he goes to see about the CPR, "Hey! What's your name?" to which the man in the suit replies "Jack!" (First mention of "Jack" 1.1, Approx 5:47 into the episode).
Jack tells the young man to stop what he is doing, for he is administering CPR improperly, blowing air into her stomach instead of into her lungs. The younger man suggests that they give the woman an emergency tracheotomy with a pen. Jack sends the young man off to collect pens (which is actually just busy work to get him out of the way so that he can have space to work on the unconscious woman). Jack begins to perform CPR properly and the woman revives. A noise is then heard.
Jack turns to realize that a portion of the plane's wing is about to fall on the pregnant woman and her hefty companion. He runs toward them, yelling for them to move. The wing collapses only moments after they get out from under it, and it sets off a huge explosion that detonates numerous other parts of the wreckage. Jack and the two others are blasted to the ground.
A large chunk of debris hurtles out of the air and smashes into the beach behind the bearded young man (Charlie Pace) and he is mildly surprised, but seems to have a less than frightened reaction to this. (The "best guess" is that he's either in shock or a very calm fellow, but we will soon learn that he's a heroin addict and is stoned at the time.)
Jack, the pregnant girl and the large fellow recover from the blast. (Hurley's first-ever utterance of the word "dude" occurs: 1.1, 7:22)
After most of the obvious emergencies are handled, Jack takes a moment to himself in a piece of the fuselage, where he breaks down somewhat from the stress and shock. (First time Jack cries like a baby: 1.1, 8:04)
The young man returns with a fistful of pens. Jack assures him that all of them are good, and thanks him. (Boone wears a ring on his left middle digit and a necklace of some sort on what appears to be a leather cord.)
Jack then searches in some luggage and finds a hotel style sewing kit. He retreats to a secluded place near some water and begins to painfully remove his jacket. When he does, we see a large gash, bleeding. He removes his shirt and we see plainly that it's a deep cut in need of stitches. That explains the sewing kit. We see also that Jack has tattoos on his left arm, on both the inside bicep and shoulder. (These tattoos were a matter of much speculation until they were finally addressed in S3, though only the Chinese characters on his outer arm were discussed there. There is also a number 5 with what appear to be clock-markings which would indicate the five seconds of fear Jack will claim he allows himself to feel before diving in and tackling a tough probloem. The 5 second story will be told in this episode. He also appears to have a tattoo on his left shoulderblade, but it is indistinct.)
As Jack is doing his best to inspect his wound, a young woman appears among the trees, walking in a half daze, rubbing her right wrist. Jack asks her if she knows how to use a needle. Though she balks at his request for assistance, she ultimately agrees to help him stitch his wound. We learn that Jack is a doctor in the midst of this conversation. (Doctor mention, 10:42)
The scene cuts to a shot of a scruffy looking man lighting a 'Quantus 500' cigarette. He takes a couple of puffs as he surveys the area, then flings the cigarette away as he strolls through the wreckage. Pregnant girl stands on water's edge, feeling her belly. Fat fellow stacks airline food in trays. Bald man sits on the beach looking at the ocean. The young lifeguard attempts to get a signal on his mobile phone. An Arab man is building a bonfire.
The Arab man asks the young bearded man his name, and the reply is "Charlie" (12:48). He asks Charlie to help him make the fire as big as possible, so it can be spotted from a long way off. Charlie asks the Arab his name, and the reply is "Sayid". (12:55)
The African American woman who was revived earlier is seen fretfully kissing a ring on a chain.
Cut scene to Jack having his wound stitched by the young woman. The 5-second story is told.
Cut scene to night time on the beach. Charlie is seen writing F A T E on the white medical adhesive tape on each of his left fingers. Sayid ponders the delay in rescue. (Charlie has a ring on his right middle digit.)
The young blonde woman is painting her nails. The young lifeguard arrives and offers her a candy bar. (The candy bar appears to be an Apollo bar, which we will later learn is a DHARMA Initiative product not available in the "real world". Is that what it actually is? If so: Where'd Boone get that?) The blonde refuses the food, claiming she will eat when the rescue boats arrive. The young lifeguard refers to the blonde as Shannon (16:04).
The fat fellow brings the pregnant woman some of the airline food. Asks if she's having any more 'baby stuff'. Gives her an extra plate of food as he departs.
The African-American man sits with the young African-American boy (assume this is Walt). Asks if he's warm enough. The boy doesn't reply, but nods slightly.
The Korean man now appears with a Korean woman. He explains to her in Korean that she is to stay near him at all times.
Jack and the young woman who stitched his wound examine an unconscious man from the plane. He has a piece of metal protruding from his left side. The young woman asks if the man is going to live. Jack asks if she knows the man, and she claims he was sitting beside her on the plane.
Jack and the young woman sit beside a fire and discuss the crash. Jack uses a model of the plane made from a large leaf. He speculates that they hit an air pocket at 40,000 feet and dropped into massive turbulence. Jack claims he blacked out at that point. The young woman says she was awake the whole time. Jack remarks that neither the cockpit nor the tail of the plane are on the beach. Jack mentions that if they could find the cockpit, they could recover its transciever and try to send a message for help. The young woman says she saw some smoke in the jungle, and says that if he's going for the cockpit, she's coming with. (First utterance of Kate's catchphrase: 1.1, 19:35)
Jack mentions that he doesn't know the young woman's name. She replies "I'm Kate" (19:52)
Suddenly, a strange noise comes from the jungle. The survivors all react, and begin to assemble together. The young African American boy asks "Is that Vincent?" (At this time, we don't know that the Yellow Lab is Vincent.) Whatever it is in the jungle is tearing down trees.
Shannon calls after the young lifeguard, who is heading to investigate the phenomenon: "Boone!" (20:36)
(The sound of Smokey if first heard: 20:38)
The scene cuts back to the airplane, where a flight attendant is checking in on Jack. She secretly gives him extra vodka, and he drinks one bottle's worth. The African American woman he revived on the beach is sitting across the aisle from him. Charlie bolts past down the aisle, pursued by the flight attendant.
Turbulence begins. The African American woman mentions that she has a husband.
Back on the beach, the next morning, various survivors are discussing the phenomenon in the jungle. The African American woman, seen in the background, mentions that the sound they all heard seemed familiar to her.
Somebody suggests it was monkeys. Another remark is "Monkey Island". Another remarks "I don't know if we're on an island..."
Kate and Jack prepare to hike to the cockpit, but after witnessing the strange tree-ripping thing in the jungle, Jack is now feeling protective. He doesn't want Kate to go along. She insists that she's going. He says that if she's going along, she needs better shoes. (There is an inverse joke about this in the S5 episode 316, in which Kate tells Jack he needs to bring better shoes than the dress shoes he has sitting on the counter.) Kate finds a dead body with feet the same size as hers and takes its shoes (hiking boots). As she is taking the dead person's shoes, she looks over and sees the bald man looking at her. He smiles and reveals that he's been eating a slice of orange, and he's got the rind over his teeth. She doesn't smile back, so his tone changes, and he continues to chomp on the fruit.
Another group of survivors discuss the strange jungle phenomenon. The African American man says "whatever it was, it wasn't natural". The fat man suggests that something should be done about the bodies in the fuselage. Jack approaches, announces his trip to the cockpit, and gives Boone some instructions about tending to the wounded. Charlie volunteers to go along.
On the hike, Charlie and Kate chat. Kate thinks Charlie looks familiar, and Charlie reveals that he was in a hit rock band called Driveshaft, reveals that his ring is related, got it on their second tour of Finland. Jack's never heard of Driveshaft. A strange pan downward reveals the Yellow Lab watching them hike from within the shrubline.
A rainstorm begins. People run for cover. The Korean man refuses to share his space with anyone else. The bald man stays out and enjoys the shower.
The strange thing from the jungle appears again.
The hikers come across the broken cockpit, and then approach it to climb in. It's on a steep tilt, so they have to climb up the first class seats. (Note: There are only a couple of bodies in the first class section.) Jack breaks open the cockpit door with a fire extinguisher. The body of one dead pilot falls out. They make it into the cockpit, and find that the pilot survived, and is stranded in his seat, somewhat injured. Jack tells the pilot that at least 48 people survived. It's been 16 hours since the crash at this point.
Pilot reveals: 6 hours into the flight the radio went out, no one could see the plane, they turned back to go to Fiji, and realized they were 1000 miles off course. He produces the transciever.
Jack looks for Charlie, Kate finds him in the bathroom.
The strange noise made by the thing in the jungle sounds off outside the plane. Whatever it is, it's right outside the plane. A wide, dark shape moves past the window, but it's fogged over, so nothing can be clearly seen. Jack attempts to peer out. The pilot attempts to climb out the window, and the creature attacks him. Metallic slashing sounds can be heard, and then the pilot is yanked out of the plane. Blood splatters the windows. The creature bashes the plane, and causes it to fall flat. Jack recovers the transciever and they all run out of the now level plane section.
In a frenzied flight toward the beach, the three are first separated when Charlie gets his foot snared in a root and falls. Jack returns to help him, as Kate keeps fleeing. Kate makes it to a thicket of trees and looks around to find that she's alone. She begins to scream for Jack. Kate employs Jack's five second rule in order to calm herself and focus.
Charlie appears, but Jack is gone. (It was the original plan to have Jack die at this point, and to make Kate the 'hero' of the show. A great TV disaster averted!) They go and look for Jack. Kate spots the pilot's wing pin in a puddle, and then catches the reflection of the pilot's corpse stuck high in a tree above. The pilot appears to have been brutally killed by something. Charlie asks "How does something like that happen?" and the episode comes to a close.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
LOST Top Fives
I participate in a LOST discussion group. Started a top five list thread, but wanted to post some here as well. The compilation so far:
Top 5 Coolest Characters (Present Cast)
5. Eloise Hawking / Charles Widmore (tie)
4. Benjamin Linus
3. Miles Straume (earned serious cool points in 5.3)
2. James "Sawyer" Ford
1. John Locke
Sadly, Desmond has fallen to number 6, partly because he named his kid Charlie, and partly because he idiotically strode into Widmore's office, begging for trouble. He is bumped off the top five by Miles Straume's meteoric rise from near the bottom of the list to number three after the last three episodes. First, he may be connected to Dr. Pierre Chang. But most of all was the ultra-kewl identification of the fresh grave in 5.3.
Top Five Most Savage Sawyer Sayings
(That I can think of at 2:06 am)
5. "I'm a complicated guy, sweetheart." - Somewhat sets the tone in the early days of S1. Always makes me laugh, and wish I was still in good enough shape to be able to get away with speaking to women in such a way.
4. "How 'bout that... Sawyer's my name, too." An ominous utterance in the presence of his long-sought quarry. Cooper has no idea the pent up rage behind that smoothly delivered line.
3. "Shut it, Ginger, or you're gettin one, too." A recent hilarity. Since it's likely a tad inappropriate to show Sawyer actually smacking the hell out of a female, we get the next best thing: Her spindly womanesque semi-boyfriend gets smacked, and we get to imagine the rest. Sawyer gets the potential for taboo aggression without having to go through with it on camera.
2. "Got a band-aid?" Said, as you may recall, as he sits on a floating pile of rubble immediately after he digs a slug out of his own shoulder with his fingers, looks at it, and hurls it angrily into the ocean.
1. "I didn't believe him." Spoken immediately after point-blank blasting Tom Friendly on the beach. Tom had surrendered, Juliet protested... Sawyer kept his word when he said 'You and me ain't done, Zeke.'
Top Five Items Never Requested at Sawyer's Trading Post
5. Deodorant
4. Toothbrush
3. Toilet Paper
2. Soap
1. Condoms
Seems like 5-4 explain 1.
Top Five Things LOST Actors Should Stop Trying To Convince Us They Can Do
5. Naveen/Sayid: Burst into tears
4. Emilie/Claire: Have a reasonable reaction to stress
3. Madison/Vincent: Go 108 days without leaving a turd on the beach
2. Jorge/Hurley: Prepare a HotPocket
1. Sonya/Penelope: Scream in agony
Top Five Most Unpleasant-to-Imagine Character Couplings
(Or in layman's terms: People we wouldn't want to see makin' out.)
5. Locke and Rose
4. Bernard and... umm... anyone.
3. Hurley and DHARMA Test Bunny
2. Ben Linus and Wooden Annie Sculpture
1. Tom Friendly and Arturo
HM: Walt and Vincent
Top Five Failed Jungle Survival Ideas
5. Naked Tuesday
4. Build fort out of DHARMA cereal boxes
3. Lick tree frogs for magical powers
2. Search luggage for ruby slippers, click heels (Frogurt's idea)
1. Let Jack Lead
Top Five Number of "A"s in the Name "Walt" in Season 2
5. 8
4. 15
3. 16
2. 23
1. 42
HM: 4
Top Five Acts of Pure Unadulterated Evil Committed by John Locke
(An olive branch extended to the Boobophiles)
5. The Smackdown of Sayid - Argue as we might for the importance of the ends, the means did leave something to be desired. I don't have a problem with his subsequent diversion, though.
4. Lying to Helen about Helping Anthony Cooper - And he paid for his misdeed, for Helen is nobody's fool.
3. Shoving Mikhail through the sonic fence - Sure, it was hilarious. But it was evil.
2. Tampering with Eko's own beliefs. He wouldn't tolerate that if someone got in the way of his own understanding, and so it was hypocritical and wrong of him to do that to Eko. Plus, his mania in that episode nearly got Eko, Charlie and Desmond killed.
1. Condoning the large-scale production of illegal drugs - Feeling like part of a family is not worth more than facilitating the potential sale of drugs to children. He also pointed a loaded weapon at a police officer and considered shooting him. /scold
Top Five Worst Characters to Center Episodes Around
5. Bernard - the most boring nerd in the cast. WHOOSH to Bernard's office, where Bernard reviews the xrays of his next patient. There seem to be way too many teeth in this mouth, and the front two top row incisors are remarkably similar to those of Bugs Bunny. WOW Moment: Kate waits in the chair, fiddling with the instruments.
4. Frogurt - worst actor to ever appear in... anything. He's the visual equivalent of an unreachable itch. WOOSH to a TCBY. Man orders a quart of White Chocolate Mousse with a half-pound of crushed Reese's on top. Pan back: OMG, Hurley!
3. Claire - Second only to attending a siren manufacturer's expo.
2. Charlie - We got it the first time. He's a has-been on heroin. Next Charlie episode: Shocking revelation: Charlie was not only a has-been on heroin, but he took heroin before he was a has been, THEN, he became a has-been.
1. Vincent. Even though I say this, I would pay to see a full episode from Vincent's point of view. Not in the main season, but some sort of special DVD episode. POV, dialog, everything. Have people speaking gibberish except words he would recognize, things characters would have normally said to him all the time, like "food", "boy", "Vincent", "Walt", "I play the same character no matter what role it is... Thank gawd for Liam Neeson" - And then, when Vincent would bark, you'd understand it, like you could speak dog.
Top Five LOST Uberfailures
5. Colleen Pickett attempting to use the Otherjedi mind trick on Sun
4. Walt attempting to appear the same age from season to season
3. Jack attempting to beat Sawyer to 'it'
2. Ben attempting to woo Juliet
1. Hurley attempting to plan a picnic (ooooops)
HMs since it's fresh on the brain:
Tom Friendly attempting to surrender.
Sawyer attempting to kill Sawyer (the first time).
Top 5 Coolest Characters (Present Cast)
5. Eloise Hawking / Charles Widmore (tie)
4. Benjamin Linus
3. Miles Straume (earned serious cool points in 5.3)
2. James "Sawyer" Ford
1. John Locke
Sadly, Desmond has fallen to number 6, partly because he named his kid Charlie, and partly because he idiotically strode into Widmore's office, begging for trouble. He is bumped off the top five by Miles Straume's meteoric rise from near the bottom of the list to number three after the last three episodes. First, he may be connected to Dr. Pierre Chang. But most of all was the ultra-kewl identification of the fresh grave in 5.3.
Top Five Most Savage Sawyer Sayings
(That I can think of at 2:06 am)
5. "I'm a complicated guy, sweetheart." - Somewhat sets the tone in the early days of S1. Always makes me laugh, and wish I was still in good enough shape to be able to get away with speaking to women in such a way.
4. "How 'bout that... Sawyer's my name, too." An ominous utterance in the presence of his long-sought quarry. Cooper has no idea the pent up rage behind that smoothly delivered line.
3. "Shut it, Ginger, or you're gettin one, too." A recent hilarity. Since it's likely a tad inappropriate to show Sawyer actually smacking the hell out of a female, we get the next best thing: Her spindly womanesque semi-boyfriend gets smacked, and we get to imagine the rest. Sawyer gets the potential for taboo aggression without having to go through with it on camera.
2. "Got a band-aid?" Said, as you may recall, as he sits on a floating pile of rubble immediately after he digs a slug out of his own shoulder with his fingers, looks at it, and hurls it angrily into the ocean.
1. "I didn't believe him." Spoken immediately after point-blank blasting Tom Friendly on the beach. Tom had surrendered, Juliet protested... Sawyer kept his word when he said 'You and me ain't done, Zeke.'
Top Five Items Never Requested at Sawyer's Trading Post
5. Deodorant
4. Toothbrush
3. Toilet Paper
2. Soap
1. Condoms
Seems like 5-4 explain 1.
Top Five Things LOST Actors Should Stop Trying To Convince Us They Can Do
5. Naveen/Sayid: Burst into tears
4. Emilie/Claire: Have a reasonable reaction to stress
3. Madison/Vincent: Go 108 days without leaving a turd on the beach
2. Jorge/Hurley: Prepare a HotPocket
1. Sonya/Penelope: Scream in agony
Top Five Most Unpleasant-to-Imagine Character Couplings
(Or in layman's terms: People we wouldn't want to see makin' out.)
5. Locke and Rose
4. Bernard and... umm... anyone.
3. Hurley and DHARMA Test Bunny
2. Ben Linus and Wooden Annie Sculpture
1. Tom Friendly and Arturo
HM: Walt and Vincent
Top Five Failed Jungle Survival Ideas
5. Naked Tuesday
4. Build fort out of DHARMA cereal boxes
3. Lick tree frogs for magical powers
2. Search luggage for ruby slippers, click heels (Frogurt's idea)
1. Let Jack Lead
Top Five Number of "A"s in the Name "Walt" in Season 2
5. 8
4. 15
3. 16
2. 23
1. 42
HM: 4
Top Five Acts of Pure Unadulterated Evil Committed by John Locke
(An olive branch extended to the Boobophiles)
5. The Smackdown of Sayid - Argue as we might for the importance of the ends, the means did leave something to be desired. I don't have a problem with his subsequent diversion, though.
4. Lying to Helen about Helping Anthony Cooper - And he paid for his misdeed, for Helen is nobody's fool.
3. Shoving Mikhail through the sonic fence - Sure, it was hilarious. But it was evil.
2. Tampering with Eko's own beliefs. He wouldn't tolerate that if someone got in the way of his own understanding, and so it was hypocritical and wrong of him to do that to Eko. Plus, his mania in that episode nearly got Eko, Charlie and Desmond killed.
1. Condoning the large-scale production of illegal drugs - Feeling like part of a family is not worth more than facilitating the potential sale of drugs to children. He also pointed a loaded weapon at a police officer and considered shooting him. /scold
Top Five Worst Characters to Center Episodes Around
5. Bernard - the most boring nerd in the cast. WHOOSH to Bernard's office, where Bernard reviews the xrays of his next patient. There seem to be way too many teeth in this mouth, and the front two top row incisors are remarkably similar to those of Bugs Bunny. WOW Moment: Kate waits in the chair, fiddling with the instruments.
4. Frogurt - worst actor to ever appear in... anything. He's the visual equivalent of an unreachable itch. WOOSH to a TCBY. Man orders a quart of White Chocolate Mousse with a half-pound of crushed Reese's on top. Pan back: OMG, Hurley!
3. Claire - Second only to attending a siren manufacturer's expo.
2. Charlie - We got it the first time. He's a has-been on heroin. Next Charlie episode: Shocking revelation: Charlie was not only a has-been on heroin, but he took heroin before he was a has been, THEN, he became a has-been.
1. Vincent. Even though I say this, I would pay to see a full episode from Vincent's point of view. Not in the main season, but some sort of special DVD episode. POV, dialog, everything. Have people speaking gibberish except words he would recognize, things characters would have normally said to him all the time, like "food", "boy", "Vincent", "Walt", "I play the same character no matter what role it is... Thank gawd for Liam Neeson" - And then, when Vincent would bark, you'd understand it, like you could speak dog.
Top Five LOST Uberfailures
5. Colleen Pickett attempting to use the Otherjedi mind trick on Sun
4. Walt attempting to appear the same age from season to season
3. Jack attempting to beat Sawyer to 'it'
2. Ben attempting to woo Juliet
1. Hurley attempting to plan a picnic (ooooops)
HMs since it's fresh on the brain:
Tom Friendly attempting to surrender.
Sawyer attempting to kill Sawyer (the first time).
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Faraday and the "Rules" of Time Travel
Posted to J.J Abrams via the Fuselage:
I sincerely hope that the character of Faraday is written to be 'wrong' in his understanding of the 'rules' of time travel.
Otherwise, that would mean that the LOST writers have finally written something badly. Much can be overlooked in the minor subplot category, but this time travel aspect seems to be a significant investment in terms of the primary storyline.
The only hope you have, if Faraday is supposed to be correct, is to very convincingly sell the notion that the past can't be altered, which is something that Faraday himself has proved wrong by his own actions on two separate occasions.Either that, or Faraday must eventually learn that he's been mistaken.
To claim that Desmond is special and unique is a fairly feeble attempt to circumvent the supposed rules, which would be more or less physical laws, which can't have special circumstances if in fact they are valid. Compare gravity: How could one person by some loophole find themselves naturally unbound by the law of gravity? It has to be universal or it must be false.
What would make Desmond different than any other person? What made him unique in the first place seems to be the fact that Faraday's own past was altered by Faraday's future self giving instructions to a temporally unstuck Desmond, who yet proceeded to do things he'd never before done in 1996 (his past altered, too) in order to sort out his 2004 dilemma.
The rules are in direct contrast to the actions of the characters and the impact of those actions upon history. Most of the recent storyline has been greatly aided by the fact that the past CAN be altered. So, where did this rule come from?
To pose a 'what if" - What if Locke had thrown a knife into Ethan and killed him on the spot as opposed to his attempt to convince Ethan he was his leader? What could have stopped that from happening? Time has no will - it isn't even sentient. It would not intervene. There is no means by which that death would have been prevented simply because Locke was in the past. There is no logic to mandate automatic failure simply because previously Ethan was present to kidnap Claire and die by gunfire, etc. He would have simply died, and then the events after the crash of 815 would have flowed in a different order, or at least with someone other than the now dead Ethan doing the Claire-abducting.
So, if Locke had decided to throw a knife and kill his attacker? Seems like the 'rule' might be false in that case. But it need not be a knife thrown - the simple fact that Ethan shot a random bald guy in the jungle that day instead of finding no survivors and reporting back is evidence that his/the past was altered by the presence of John Locke.
Even if the time-travelers do nothing but stand there breathing in and out, that is still oxygen that would not have been consumed at that moment in time had not the travelers arrived. It is impossible NOT to alter the past if you travel to it, for your very presence there is a change.
So, the choice must be: Faraday is wrong, or the writing is bad.
Hopefully, the former is the case.
I sincerely hope that the character of Faraday is written to be 'wrong' in his understanding of the 'rules' of time travel.
Otherwise, that would mean that the LOST writers have finally written something badly. Much can be overlooked in the minor subplot category, but this time travel aspect seems to be a significant investment in terms of the primary storyline.
The only hope you have, if Faraday is supposed to be correct, is to very convincingly sell the notion that the past can't be altered, which is something that Faraday himself has proved wrong by his own actions on two separate occasions.Either that, or Faraday must eventually learn that he's been mistaken.
To claim that Desmond is special and unique is a fairly feeble attempt to circumvent the supposed rules, which would be more or less physical laws, which can't have special circumstances if in fact they are valid. Compare gravity: How could one person by some loophole find themselves naturally unbound by the law of gravity? It has to be universal or it must be false.
What would make Desmond different than any other person? What made him unique in the first place seems to be the fact that Faraday's own past was altered by Faraday's future self giving instructions to a temporally unstuck Desmond, who yet proceeded to do things he'd never before done in 1996 (his past altered, too) in order to sort out his 2004 dilemma.
The rules are in direct contrast to the actions of the characters and the impact of those actions upon history. Most of the recent storyline has been greatly aided by the fact that the past CAN be altered. So, where did this rule come from?
To pose a 'what if" - What if Locke had thrown a knife into Ethan and killed him on the spot as opposed to his attempt to convince Ethan he was his leader? What could have stopped that from happening? Time has no will - it isn't even sentient. It would not intervene. There is no means by which that death would have been prevented simply because Locke was in the past. There is no logic to mandate automatic failure simply because previously Ethan was present to kidnap Claire and die by gunfire, etc. He would have simply died, and then the events after the crash of 815 would have flowed in a different order, or at least with someone other than the now dead Ethan doing the Claire-abducting.
So, if Locke had decided to throw a knife and kill his attacker? Seems like the 'rule' might be false in that case. But it need not be a knife thrown - the simple fact that Ethan shot a random bald guy in the jungle that day instead of finding no survivors and reporting back is evidence that his/the past was altered by the presence of John Locke.
Even if the time-travelers do nothing but stand there breathing in and out, that is still oxygen that would not have been consumed at that moment in time had not the travelers arrived. It is impossible NOT to alter the past if you travel to it, for your very presence there is a change.
So, the choice must be: Faraday is wrong, or the writing is bad.
Hopefully, the former is the case.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Things Missed on the First Viewing of 5.1, 5.2
Miles mentions that it took Charles Widmore 'like 20 years' to find the island.
Did Locke's encounter with Ethan influence Ben's decision to send him to the Losties' crash site (knowing what we know about his motive for sending Goodwin)?
Desmond receives the memory message from Faraday in 'real time' which is to say 2008, the present day for the Oceanic 6.
Ms. Hawking has DHARMA materials in her work station, which seems to be in the basement of a Catholic church.
Ben does seem to want to return to the island himself, in spite of the fact that he has said that whoever turns the wheel can never return.
Where was Ms. Hawking? If she's still in the UK, that would mean that Ben traveled from Los Angeles to England in a very short time. Otherwise: What's Hawking doing in Los Angeles?
Did Locke's encounter with Ethan influence Ben's decision to send him to the Losties' crash site (knowing what we know about his motive for sending Goodwin)?
Desmond receives the memory message from Faraday in 'real time' which is to say 2008, the present day for the Oceanic 6.
Ms. Hawking has DHARMA materials in her work station, which seems to be in the basement of a Catholic church.
Ben does seem to want to return to the island himself, in spite of the fact that he has said that whoever turns the wheel can never return.
Where was Ms. Hawking? If she's still in the UK, that would mean that Ben traveled from Los Angeles to England in a very short time. Otherwise: What's Hawking doing in Los Angeles?
Ponderings on Episodes 5.1 and 5.2
Things we learned, and questions these facts might tend to raise:
We learned that "Dr. Marvin Candle" (and other aliases) is referred to by DHARMA personnel as 'Dr Chang'. Why the use of multiple aliases, even within the DHARMA organization?
We learned that Candle had a newborn child on the island. Did this baby 'originate' on the island? If so, does that mean that it was at one time possible for women to conceive and successfully deliver on the island? If that is the case, what changed? What impact did "the incident" have on the ability to reproduce on the island? Or, was what we observed taking place after the incident?
We learned that Candle was apparently of some importance in the DHARMA Initiative. He was personally summoned to the Orchid station to investigate a problem with its construction. What role does he play in DHARMA?
We learned that the Arrow station was used for intelligence gathering purposes. We also know that Horace, in spite of his profession as a mathematician, was affiliated with the Arrow.
We learned that the Donkey Wheel had not been used for a long while prior to the DHARMA presence. But, at some point someone managed to drill through to the wheel, install a ladder down to it, and so forth. Was that in contrast to Candle's orders?
We learned that Faraday was present during the construction of the Orchid. We can assume he got there via time travel given both his stunned look and the fact that he looked the same then as he does normally. What was he there to do? What if he was able to turn the wheel again? What if he was able to prevent DHARMA from accessing the Donkey Wheel?
Ben Linus claims to have had no contact with 'Jeremy Bentham' after Bentham left the island. This pertains to the matter of how Locke dies. If Locke is to die voluntarily, as part of a plan to save the island, does that mean the Others killed him, or will he have to die via actions he must take, or do Widmore's people kill him?
We seem to have evidence that the island is indeed within its own pocket of space-time. Faraday mentions a 'radius' of effect just after the island jumps. The island must move in both time and space. (Evidence for this, also, is the fact that it left ocean ripples when it jumped.)
We learned that the island, once the wheel is turned, jumps backward and forward in time. Living things on the island seem to remain in a more or less constant state of being, in their own 'present', while they shift back and forth along the island's timeline.
We learned, though, of potentially deadly side effects. Charlotte is having some serious health problems with the time-shifting phenomenon. She doesn't seem to be suffering from the 'unstuck in time' disorder, though she is experiencing physical symptoms in her brain. This also raises the question of what killed the boar Miles brought into the camp.
We learned that Ben's off-island network is significant. We also got a glimpse into the nature of the operation. It's old-school cloak and dagger. Operatives posing as shop clerks and so forth. Is this also one of the sources of funds for the operation?
We learned that Ms. Hawking is not just a random jewelry store clerk with future-prediction abilities, but is deeply connected to, it would seem, Jacob's tribe. This is a huge detail, believe it or not. Previously, it could be assumed that Hawking's connection was to Widmore – or more importantly, that Widmore's advance knowledge of Desmond's fate could have allowed Widmore to manipulate him. But now that we know that Hawking is connected to Ben, we have to wonder if it was in fact Ben's scheme all along.
Here's a big nasty possibility: Did Ben manipulate the murder of Alex in order to justify the vendetta against Penelope Widmore, given that his schemes (were he to be behind Desmond's various misfortunes) had already brought Penelope within his range? It's a wild stretch, true – but he could be using the vendetta situation as a means to accomplish what he really wants: The death of Charles Widmore.
We learned that Charles Widmore does seem to have significant influence at Oceanic. I have long hated the idea of Widmore owning Oceanic Airlines. That would just be too much of a simple out for the writers. The big bad guy controlling everything is much less satisfying as a story than a cunning villain who schemes and conjures massive conspiracies.
We learned that Sun considers Ben her enemy as opposed to Widmore. From this, do we learn that Sun is just setting Widmore up for a fall, or is Sun really that stupid? How does she figure that Ben is the cause of Jin's death? Furthermore, do we even know that Jin is dead?
Other questions:
Why does Sayid tell Hurley not to trust Ben?
Who were the military types threatening to cut off Juliet's hand?
Who was firing the flaming arrows?
Alpert tells Locke that the next time they meet, he won't recognize Locke. How far back in time will the island travel? If Alpert has done everything we have thus far seen in real time, that might mean that the island will travel back quite a ways. He's been checking in on Locke since the 1950s.
What's in the box Ben stashes in his bag?
Why did Hurley get himself arrested after Ana Lucia had specifically told him not to?
What was the apparatus Hawking was monitoring? What's the 70 hour window all about?
If the island is supposedly moving, will it not stabilize and come to rest at a new place and time? What's Locke supposed to be 'saving' it from?
We learned that "Dr. Marvin Candle" (and other aliases) is referred to by DHARMA personnel as 'Dr Chang'. Why the use of multiple aliases, even within the DHARMA organization?
We learned that Candle had a newborn child on the island. Did this baby 'originate' on the island? If so, does that mean that it was at one time possible for women to conceive and successfully deliver on the island? If that is the case, what changed? What impact did "the incident" have on the ability to reproduce on the island? Or, was what we observed taking place after the incident?
We learned that Candle was apparently of some importance in the DHARMA Initiative. He was personally summoned to the Orchid station to investigate a problem with its construction. What role does he play in DHARMA?
We learned that the Arrow station was used for intelligence gathering purposes. We also know that Horace, in spite of his profession as a mathematician, was affiliated with the Arrow.
We learned that the Donkey Wheel had not been used for a long while prior to the DHARMA presence. But, at some point someone managed to drill through to the wheel, install a ladder down to it, and so forth. Was that in contrast to Candle's orders?
We learned that Faraday was present during the construction of the Orchid. We can assume he got there via time travel given both his stunned look and the fact that he looked the same then as he does normally. What was he there to do? What if he was able to turn the wheel again? What if he was able to prevent DHARMA from accessing the Donkey Wheel?
Ben Linus claims to have had no contact with 'Jeremy Bentham' after Bentham left the island. This pertains to the matter of how Locke dies. If Locke is to die voluntarily, as part of a plan to save the island, does that mean the Others killed him, or will he have to die via actions he must take, or do Widmore's people kill him?
We seem to have evidence that the island is indeed within its own pocket of space-time. Faraday mentions a 'radius' of effect just after the island jumps. The island must move in both time and space. (Evidence for this, also, is the fact that it left ocean ripples when it jumped.)
We learned that the island, once the wheel is turned, jumps backward and forward in time. Living things on the island seem to remain in a more or less constant state of being, in their own 'present', while they shift back and forth along the island's timeline.
We learned, though, of potentially deadly side effects. Charlotte is having some serious health problems with the time-shifting phenomenon. She doesn't seem to be suffering from the 'unstuck in time' disorder, though she is experiencing physical symptoms in her brain. This also raises the question of what killed the boar Miles brought into the camp.
We learned that Ben's off-island network is significant. We also got a glimpse into the nature of the operation. It's old-school cloak and dagger. Operatives posing as shop clerks and so forth. Is this also one of the sources of funds for the operation?
We learned that Ms. Hawking is not just a random jewelry store clerk with future-prediction abilities, but is deeply connected to, it would seem, Jacob's tribe. This is a huge detail, believe it or not. Previously, it could be assumed that Hawking's connection was to Widmore – or more importantly, that Widmore's advance knowledge of Desmond's fate could have allowed Widmore to manipulate him. But now that we know that Hawking is connected to Ben, we have to wonder if it was in fact Ben's scheme all along.
Here's a big nasty possibility: Did Ben manipulate the murder of Alex in order to justify the vendetta against Penelope Widmore, given that his schemes (were he to be behind Desmond's various misfortunes) had already brought Penelope within his range? It's a wild stretch, true – but he could be using the vendetta situation as a means to accomplish what he really wants: The death of Charles Widmore.
We learned that Charles Widmore does seem to have significant influence at Oceanic. I have long hated the idea of Widmore owning Oceanic Airlines. That would just be too much of a simple out for the writers. The big bad guy controlling everything is much less satisfying as a story than a cunning villain who schemes and conjures massive conspiracies.
We learned that Sun considers Ben her enemy as opposed to Widmore. From this, do we learn that Sun is just setting Widmore up for a fall, or is Sun really that stupid? How does she figure that Ben is the cause of Jin's death? Furthermore, do we even know that Jin is dead?
Other questions:
Why does Sayid tell Hurley not to trust Ben?
Who were the military types threatening to cut off Juliet's hand?
Who was firing the flaming arrows?
Alpert tells Locke that the next time they meet, he won't recognize Locke. How far back in time will the island travel? If Alpert has done everything we have thus far seen in real time, that might mean that the island will travel back quite a ways. He's been checking in on Locke since the 1950s.
What's in the box Ben stashes in his bag?
Why did Hurley get himself arrested after Ana Lucia had specifically told him not to?
What was the apparatus Hawking was monitoring? What's the 70 hour window all about?
If the island is supposedly moving, will it not stabilize and come to rest at a new place and time? What's Locke supposed to be 'saving' it from?
Monday, January 5, 2009
Unanswered Questions 1
As we close in on the S5 premiere, I have been scanning the previous four seasons for as-yet-unanswered questions and other quirks I feel need some explanation. Some of these will be less important than others, naturally. A loose end is not necessarily fatal.
But loose ends and possible answers are what LOST geeks live for! ;)
This will be the first post on the topic, and after the seasons are fully screened, I hope to categorize the questions and prioritize them according to plot significance, with the final result being a clearer picture of what is likely to occur in the remaining seasons.
---
When did Sawyer quit smoking?
Who were "Adam and Eve"?
Why is Hugo called "Hurley?"
Where did the "others" come from?
What is the whole story of the "Black Rock" and its crew?
What is the whole story of Danielle Rousseau's science expedition?
What is the 4-toed foot and what does it signify?
What is the relationship between Benjamin Linus and Widmore.
What is the Temple? Was it DHARMA or is it older?
What is the full story of the Hanso family, its foundation, and the establishment and purpose of the DHARMA Initiative?
Who is Richard Alpert?
If Richard Alpert is one of 'the others' how did he travel back and forth from the island to the mainland without DHARMA?
Who is Matthew Abbadon?
What are Walt's abilities?
How did Walt age so much in 108 days?
Is Widmore good or evil? Is Ben good or evil? Or, are they all evil?
(continued soon)
But loose ends and possible answers are what LOST geeks live for! ;)
This will be the first post on the topic, and after the seasons are fully screened, I hope to categorize the questions and prioritize them according to plot significance, with the final result being a clearer picture of what is likely to occur in the remaining seasons.
---
When did Sawyer quit smoking?
Who were "Adam and Eve"?
Why is Hugo called "Hurley?"
Where did the "others" come from?
What is the whole story of the "Black Rock" and its crew?
What is the whole story of Danielle Rousseau's science expedition?
What is the 4-toed foot and what does it signify?
What is the relationship between Benjamin Linus and Widmore.
What is the Temple? Was it DHARMA or is it older?
What is the full story of the Hanso family, its foundation, and the establishment and purpose of the DHARMA Initiative?
Who is Richard Alpert?
If Richard Alpert is one of 'the others' how did he travel back and forth from the island to the mainland without DHARMA?
Who is Matthew Abbadon?
What are Walt's abilities?
How did Walt age so much in 108 days?
Is Widmore good or evil? Is Ben good or evil? Or, are they all evil?
(continued soon)
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