HIATUS WEEK TWO

HIATUS WEEK TWO: November 23rd, 2006

Bunnies (or “Rabbits I Have Known”)

This week’s article concerns some of the many references to rabbits and bunnies in the Lost world and some trivia concerning the number 8.

As a young man I remember reading “Watership Down” by Richard Adams. What struck me then about the book was the idea that rabbits, when trapped will always try to find a way out, even going to the extreme of a chewing a leg off to gain freedom. Now, many years later I correlate that story to the Lost Island and see that it fits nicely into what I have been saying for weeks. The premises for many works of literature are constantly being re-written and supplanted into the Lost episodes.

There are too many uncanny connections to recount in full but here are a few of my favorites. Adams created an entire culture for his rabbits, including a language (Lapine), proverbs, poetry and mythology. More than one chapter consists of examples of rabbit lore. Is any of this sounding vaguely familiar? The book opens with the runt rabbit Fiver foreseeing the destruction of the warren. We now see Desmond as someone with the power to see into the future. Albeit in tiny bits he still seems to have the ability. A dissatisfied group of rabbits want to leave the warren but the main group continues to hold on in the old ways. The two Lost groups are made up of those who wish to remain on the beach and seek rescue and those that wish to explore (push buttons, etc.) Both groups must face the problem of furthering their own society. The rabbits have no does to increase the warren population which will stagnate and die out without children and the Lost Islanders who, without hope of rescue, must build their own world on this small island. Many of the rabbit characters in the book have counterparts on the Lost Island. I’ve already mentioned Fiver and Desmond but there is also Hazel, the rabbit leader, who reminds me of Jack, General Woundwort, a tyrannical Chief Rabbit who is obsessed with control whose counterpart is none other than Ben Linus and Bigwig the strongest fighter of the group which I think represents Locke.

In the pilot episode of Lost Boone is seen reading “Watership Down” on Flight 815. Later, in episode 108 “Confidence Man” he notices Sawyer reading the same novel which leads him to believe that Sawyer found his bag which contained Shannon's asthma medicine. A great argument within the camp grows from Boone’s argument that because Sawyer had his book he also had the medicine.

Two articles by Jeff Jensen of Entertainment Weekly (October 31st, 2006) make a connection from the bunny number 8 to Stephen King.

The complete article can be found here:
EW Article

Doc Jenson’s slant:

“TELL ME ABOUT THE RABBITS, UNCLE STEVE...

In last week's episode of Lost, there was a scene in which Ben seemed to kill a bunny by shaking its cage so violently that the rabbit had a heart attack and died. If you saw the episode, you know that it was all a ruse; Ben was trying to get into Sawyer's head — to rattle his cage, so to speak — and to prove that the castaway con man was no match for the former Henry Gale in the art of psychological warfare.

Quick — what's the one thing you remember about that rabbit, besides its fake death? My assumption is that what you most vividly recall was the ''8'' that was written on its white fur. I'm going to make that assumption, because a better mind than mine tells me that that's the assumption most anyone would make. His name is Stephen King, and it turns out that the 8-branded bunny is a reference to his memoir, On Writing.

The passage can be found in the chapter titled ''What Writing Is.'' The first sentence of the chapter answers the implicit question, and from a Lost theorizing perspective, it's kind of a doozy. What is writing?

''Telepathy, of course.''

And he's serious, too. I think. Read the book and decide for yourself. In this short chapter, King tries to argue his point by painting a word picture. ''Look — here's a table covered with a red cloth. On it is a cage the size of a small fish aquarium. In the cage is a white rabbit with a pink nose and pink rimmed eyes. In its front paws is a carrot stub which it is constantly munching. On its back, clearly marked in blue ink, is the numeral 8.''

It's King's belief that upon reading that, and reflecting upon the bunny, we would all agree that ''the most important thing here... [is] the number on its back.... This is what we're looking at, and we all see it. I didn't tell you. You didn't ask me. I never opened my mouth and you never opened yours. We're not even in the same year together, let alone the same room... except we are together. We're close. We're having a meeting of the minds.''

Do Bunnies + Telepathy = Doc Jensen's Animal Magic Theory?

Station to station

But some other things about On Writing. Earlier in the brief bunny-referencing chapter, King refers to books as ''an escape hatch'' out of the ''purgatory'' of life. He also talks about the place where you, the reader, like to be when you read a book. He calls this place your ''far-seeing place, the one where you go to receive telepathic messages'' from an author via the broadcast frequency of the printed page. King describes his own ''far-seeing place'':

''I'm in another place, a basement place where there are lots of bright lights and clear images. This is a place that I've built for myself over the years. It's a far-seeing place. I know it's a little strange, a little bit of a contradiction... but that's how it is with me.''

Does that sound familiar to you? It should. You've been there before. And tonight, you're going to go there again.

You know it as The Pearl Station.”

****

Of Mice and Men Connection

This novel, written by John Steinbeck, is one that Sawyer is seen reading while in prison in “Every Man For Himself.” Both he and Ben quote the book to each other on the way to the Hydra Island Lookout.

The story is the tale of a simple and childlike but physically powerful man named Lenny who is befriended by George a smaller, weaker man with a quick wit. The ideal situation for both men, who are struggling to find work, is to save enough money to purchase a farm and live off the fat of the land. Lenny dreams of owning a farm with a few rabbits.

The dream collapses; however, as Lenny accidentally kills their bosses' son's wife, while she is talking to him about her own failed dreams. To save Lenny from what could only be a long and painful death in prison; George shoots Lenny and distracts him by talking about the bunny farm he always dreamed about.
(In the novel, the character Lenny has frequent dreams and visions of rabbits.)

***

Number 8

The Dharmachakra, a Buddhist symbol, has eight spokes
In tarot, card No. 8 is "Strength"
In numerology, 8 is the number of building, and in some theories, also the number of destruction Songs with the number eight in their title include the Byrds's Eight Miles High and the Beatles' Eight Days a Week
"Eight maids a-milking" is the gift on the eighth day of Christmas in the "Twelve Days of Christmas" carol
Using hyperbole, the Beatles sang about loving their addressee "Eight Days a Week". Also from music is the 8-track cartridge
Magic 8 Ball is a randomized process of predicting the future or answering various questions, packaged to resemble this ball and often sold as a fortune-telling device
The atomic number of oxygen.
In physics, the second magic number.
All spiders, and more generally all arachnids, have eight legs. An octopus has eight tentacles
Timothy Leary identified a hierarchy of eight levels of consciousness
As of 2006, in our solar system, eight of the bodies orbiting the Sun are considered to be planets.
The Noble Eightfold Path in the Buddhist faith has eight steps
The Eight Immortals are Chinese deities
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that humans are responsible for their actions by the age of 8. Before that age, children lack sufficient knowledge to commit sin and are therefore exempt from judgment for their actions.
There are eight bits in a byte
"Section 8" is common U.S. slang for "crazy", based on the U.S. military's Section 8 discharge for mentally unfit personnel
In Colombia and Venezuela, "volverse un ocho" (meaning to tie oneself in a figure 8) refers to getting in trouble or contradicting one's self.

The Alternative One
Kenosha, Wisconsin
Date November 23rd, 2006

P.S. I am looking for suggestions on what to include in next weeks Bonus Section. If anyone has any ideas or subjects you’d like me to discuss please feel free to e-mail me.

4 8 15 16 23 42

The Alternative One – dharmapoet@wi.rr.com

HIATUS WEEK ONE

HIATUS WEEK ONE: November 15th, 2006

Supplement to Episode 306: I Do

A running list of the number of “I do’s” from this episode:
* I do – Want to invest in marriage (Kate purchasing and buying wedding veil and dress)
* I do – Want to do it (Kevin to Kate in the opening scene and visa versa)
* I do – Want to get married (Kate to Kevin at the altar)
* I do – Want to kill Sawyer (Picket to Sawyer for Colleen’s death)
* I do – Want to do it (Kate to Sawyer – Cage love scene)
* I do – Love you! (Sawyer to Kate after cage love scene)
* I do – Want to know what killed Eko (Sayid to Locke)
* I do – Want to bury Eko in the jungle (Locke making the decision himself)
* I do – Want to stop running (Kate to Edward Marsh and Kate by committing to the marriage.)
* I do – Want to warn you (Alex to Kate – “They’re going to kill your boyfriend)
* I do – Have an answer (Eko’s Jesus stick – “lift up your eyes and look north”)
* I do – Want you to see the monitor of Kate and Sawyer (Ben allowing Jack to “escape” from his cell again.)
* I do – Want to “fix” you (Jack to Ben on his surgery, finally)
* I do – Want to leave the island (Jack to Ben for doing the surgery)
* I do – Want to live (Ben on his upcoming surgery)
* I do – Want Alex here (Ben to Juliet before the surgery)
* I do – Want Ben to die (Juliet during the operation)
* I do – Want Ben to live (Tom after Jack’s coup)
* I do – Want to play mind games (Jack to the Others during the coup)
* I do – Want to follow orders (Juliet to Jack before the surgery)

Bonus Section 1

Focus has changed from the Swan Station over to the Pearl Station this season. The Swan Hatch, now a large hole in the ground, is no longer a location of importance but the Pearl appears to be presenting a number of new questions. Because of that I have switched my attention to it and have prepared the following information.

The Pearl Station

A note about the Pearl Station: I have always believed that the sequence of events on the island in season two dictated that the Pearl Station was actually the Hatch depicted as the question mark “?” on the Blast Door Map as seen by John Locke in the episode “Lockdown.” Visual evidence seems to confirm this as Locke spotted the question mark in the ground under the drug-runners plane. We, as viewers, have also seen this image and there is no doubt that a question mark was found in the dirt near the plane wreckage. I am convinced that the Pearl Station is the “?” as depicted on the Blast Door Maps. However, a group of loyal posters and viewers maintain that the Pearl Station may not be the “?” If the question mark is not the Pearl Hatch then it remains an unknown Station to date and may play a prominent part in future events. Some believe that the eye patch man may be located in the “?” Station but I strongly disagree.

Locke and Eko located the Pearl Station when they went in search of the question mark using the Blast Door Map as a guide in the episode “?”. Locke was familiar with the area near the smuggler’s plane and lead Eko here. In a dream sequence Yemi tells Locke/Eko to climb the cliff next to the plane and when at the pinnacle views the circle in the vegetation near the plane. This circle, combined with the fallen plane, formed a question mark. However, the question mark was only formed after the plane fell from the cliff, which was after Radzinsky and Kelvin drew the blast door map. In fact, the station marked as "C4?" is likely to be the Pearl Hatch, as the word "The Pearl?" is written next to it on the map.

The function of the Pearl Station (DHARMA Initiative # 5) is to observe the inhabitants of the Swan Station using a “Remote Viewing” system. The purpose of the Pearl appears to be to study the movements and daily activities of the individuals located in the Swan Station. It is presumed that this activity may have actually been the experiment as the filled notebooks were found later in an abandoned heap elsewhere on the island. That it is a research facility primarily used for experiments in psychology there can be no doubt. The question is exactly who is being experimented upon?

The architectural components of the Pearl Hatch include an octagonal-shaped concrete vertical shaft leading down into the hatch with a metal ladder attached to the shaft wall and one large octagonal room at the bottom of the shaft. On one wall are nine numbered video monitors, which are currently being fed static. These presumably are to feed live surveillance footage of other areas of the island. On another wall is a table or desk, which contains a computer and dot matrix printer, a pile of computer-paper, and a stack of Dharma notebooks. A bookshelf or cabinet is also found near (or on) this same wall. A pneumatic tube for sending the notebooks out of the station is anchored to the wall. A working bathroom, which has a sliding pocket door, is located in another wall. There are two lounge type chairs with trays located in the center of the room facing the monitors. This station has sustained some damage, either through neglect or lack of use. The paint and walls appear to be warped and moldy, there are missing ceiling tiles and loose wires and there is a rather large rock in the room. There are no living quarters found in this station as it was intended for eight-hour shifts only.

Also, just as the pneumatic tube requires power to operate so do the monitors at the Pearl Station. While we are aware that all the Stations still have electricity we continue to wonder where the poser supply originates. Could the solar power generated at the Others village be piping electricity to the different Stations?

Pearl Orientation Video

Mr. Eko discovered the Pearl Orientation videotape (U-matic tape) in a bookshelf while he and John Locke were exploring the Station. According to this orientation film (see transcription below), the initiates of the Pearl Station live for three weeks inside the station and monitor the occupants of the other stations in eight-hour shifts. After each shift they make their way to the barracks by way of the Pala Ferry. When an observation notebook is filled it is to be placed inside the pneumatic tube. A man who introduces himself as Dr. Mark Wickmund hosts this orientation video, however, he looks to be the same person as Dr. Marvin Candle from the Swan Orientation film.

Pearl Orientation Transcription

Dharma theme music plays

“The DHARMA Initiative

5 of 6 Orientation

The Pearl DHARMA Logo
Orientation - Station 5 - The Pearl

Hello. I am Dr. Mark Wickmund and this is your orientation film for station five of the DHARMA Initiative.

Station five or, the Pearl, is a monitoring station where the activities of participants in DHARMA Initiative projects can be observed and recorded, not only for posterity but for the ongoing refinement of the initiative as a whole.

As Karen DeGroot herself has written, “Careful observation is the only key to true and complete awareness.”

Your tour of duty in the Pearl will last three weeks and during this time you and your partner will observe a psychological experiment in progress.

Your duty is to observe team members in another station on the island. These team members are not aware that they are under surveillance or that they are subjects of an experiment.

Working in eight-hour shifts you and your partner will record everything you observe in the notebooks we provided. What is the nature of the experiment, you might ask? What do these subjects believe they are accomplishing as they struggle to fulfill their tasks? You, as the observer, don’t need to know. All you need to know is that the subjects believe that their job is of the utmost importance. Remember, everything that occurs, no matter how minute or seemingly unimportant, must be recorded.

Each time a notebook is filled with the fruits of your diligent observation, roll it up and insert it into one of the containers provided. Then, simply place the container in the pneumatic tube and… presto! It will be transported directly to us.

At the end of your eight-hour shift proceed to the Pala Ferry, which will take you back to the barracks to prepare for your next tour. On behalf of the DeGroots, Alvar Hanso, and all of us here at the DHARMA Initiative, thank you. Namaste and good luck.

© The Hanso Foundation
1980 All Rights Reserved.”

The Monitors

The monitor rack consists of nine screens configured in a 3x3 array and numbered one through nine.
1 – 4 – 7 This configuration represents the # 15 (diagonals 7,5,3 and 9,5,1
2 – 5 – 8 and centers 4,5,6 and 8,5,2) which is one of the numbers.
3 – 6 – 9
Each monitor has three dials in a vertical column. The upper two are of similar designs, but the third dial (lower) is very different and about twice the size.
0
0
O
In activating the monitors, Locke used the large dial to activate screens one through three and the upper smaller dial to turn on screen seven. Screen seven received a live video surveillance feed from the kitchen of The Swan station, showing Jack walking by. This image pans in another direction when John Locke next looks at it. The other six screens displayed only static. Screen five was used to display the Pearl Orientation Video. Above each bank of monitors, mounted on the wall, are three speakers (circa 1960’s). When working, these probably transmitted audio from the station that was being monitored at the time.

The Hydra Station has a small room with a similar group of monitors, which may be linked to the Pearl but are recording very different areas of the island.

It is revealed in the episode “The Cost of Living” that the Pearl Station is designed to monitor several different stations at once. While inspecting the wiring to the monitors, Sayid manages to patch a signal from a station, which appears very similar to the Swan Station. It is also revealed that the resident of this station, a man wearing an eye-patch and a jumpsuit with a Dharma logo, is aware that he is under observation.

The Computer

There is a Dharma brand computer present similar to that found in the Swan Station. There is also a dot matrix printer located next to the printer. The screen displays the message prompt “Print log? Y/N” when Locke first discovers it. When he types “Y” to the prompt the printer begins to print off a repetitive log that consists of a repeating series of numeric codes, interspersed by the word “accepted” and later “system failure.” (i.e. “accepted 922044:16 system failure”, etc.) The log numbers indicate the exact time the “Execute” key is depressed after entering the numbers into the Swan Station computer. It appears that everything that is entered into the Swan’s computer is logged. The Pearl's computer actually bears the logo of The Swan. In keeping with the rest of the vintage Apple hardware, the printer is an Imagewriter II, first produced in 1985.

The Pneumatic Message Tube

There is a still a working pneumatic tube in the Pearl station but because a pneumatic delivery system requires a compressor to force the air through the tube then there has to be power coming from somewhere. Where does the power supply for the pneumatic tubes in the Pearl Station come from? The personnel stationed at the Pearl were supposed to insert their completed logbooks into a message capsule and send them up the tube. Their logbooks would then be delivered to what was described as 'us' in The Pearl's Orientation video. The actual location turned out to be a dump where the tubes were simply piling up, without anyone of the DHARMA initiative checking on them. Locke took his sketch of the Blast Door Map and sent it up through these transport piping; it also ended up in an empty field, which was discovered in episode, “Live Together, Die Alone” by Sawyer, Kate, Jack and Hurley.

The Notebooks

The notebooks all contain the Pearl Station logo on the front cover and there appears to be huge number of them considering the large pile found by Kate, Jack, Sawyer and Hurley. It is evident that while a huge amount of daily activity has been recorded in the notebooks it is also apparent that no one is actually using or reading the information in them.

The Lounge Chairs

There are two leather lounge chairs each with a writing table and a magnifying viewing lens mounted on an adjustable arm assembly to the side of the chairs. There is a small bank of controls on the arms of the chairs. On the left arm of the left chair, a rocker switch similar to older style power windows can be seen. On the right arm of the right chair, Locke used the conventional stove dial to brighten the lights in the room. On the dial these words can be read, starting on the right and moving counterclockwise: “HIGH”, “MEDIUM”, “WARM”, and “OFF”.

The Alternative One
Kenosha, Wisconsin
November 16th, 2006

P.S. I am looking for suggestions on what to include in next week’s Bonus Section. If anyone has any ideas or subjects you’d like me to discuss please feel free to e-mail me.

4 8 15 16 23 42

The Alternative One – dharmapoet@wi.rr.com

EPISODE 306: I DO

S3E6 (306): I Do

Air Date: November 8th, 2006
Production Code: 306
Official ABC pre-air summary:
“Jack makes a decision regarding Ben's offer; Kate feels helpless when it looks like Pickett is going to make good on his threat to kill Sawyer; Locke discovers a hidden message that may help unlock the island's secrets.”

Episode Re-cap:

Flashback
Kate enters her hotel room after a shopping spree and opens up a box to reveal a wedding veil. There is a knock on the door and when she opens it there is a Miami policeman standing there. We find out that he is her fiancé.

Kate and Sawyer are still stuck in the cages and Sawyer throws rocks at the food button for a little light entertainment.

Jack examines Ben’s x-rays and tells him that in one week the tumor will be inoperable. Ben believes that Jack is going to perform the surgery but Jack refuses and tells Ben that he wanted him to know how he was going to die!

Flashback
Kate and her fiancé, Kevin, have just 12 hours before they are to be married. We find that Kate is using the alias “Monica.”

Locke, Desmond, Sayid, Paulo and Nikki discuss the events surrounding Eko’s death. Nikki asks if they should take Eko back to the beach for burial but Locke decides to bury him in the jungle reasoning that the Survivors have had too many funerals lately. Sayid asks Locke what killed Eko and he tells him that the “monster” killed him.

Kate, Sawyer and some of the others are working at the construction site when an alarm goes off. “Compound breached!” blares over the loudspeaker as Alex runs into the compound shooting a wrist rocket. The Others capture her and as they drag her off she yells to Kate, “they’re going to kill your boyfriend.” Kate and Sawyer are sent back to work but not before they witness Picket and Juliet arguing. Juliet hands Kate a burlap sack and asks her to put it on her head. Juliet tells Kate to come with her or Picket will kill Sawyer.

Flashback
Kate is seen in a vestibule of the church in her wedding dress prior to her marriage to Kevin. Her future mother-in-law gives her a necklace. Kate (as Monica) marries Kevin.

Kate is taken to the Hydra Station in the burlap hood to Jack’s cell. She tells Jack that he has to do the surgery on Ben or they’ll kill Sawyer. Jack still refuses to do the surgery. Ben is monitoring the conversation from his security room and is not happy.

Flashback
Kate is shopping at the grocery store when she takes a detour to a phone booth. She sets a timer and calls Edward Marsh, the U.S. Marshall that has been tailing her. She asks him to stop following her and that she no longer wants to run but he knows that she will continue to run and tells her so.

Danny Picket tells Sawyer to say his goodbyes to Kate.

Locke’s detour, prior to Eko’s burial, was to collect the Jesus stick. As they bury Eko Locke notices a new inscription on the stick. “Lift up your eyes and look north”, it reads.

Kate escapes her cage again and breaks into Sawyer’s cage. When she asks him to run with her he tells her about the second island and the futility of escape. They spend an intimate night together.

Flashback
Kate is surprised to receive two tickets for a honeymoon to Costa Rica from Kevin.

The communicator in Jack’s cell begins to issue static. Jack hears “try the door” and finds it unlocked. He searches through the halls and notices Ben’s security room and an armory. He takes a handgun from the armory and returns to the monitor room to witness Kate and Sawyer lying on the ground together in the cage. Ben enters the room and Jack tells him he’ll do the surgery if he’ll get him off the island. Ben agrees.

Flashback
Kate finds out that she is pregnant and tells Kevin about her past but not before she drugs him on her way out the door.

Jack and Juliet begin the surgery on Ben. During the surgery Picket and another man leave the observation room and take Sawyer out of his cage. Picket sets Sawyer on his knees and points a gun at his head. Back in the operating room Jack makes an incision in Ben’s kidney and tells everyone that he has an hour to live unless Kate and Sawyer are set free. Jack takes the walkie-talkie from Tom and tells Kate to tell him a specific story when she and Sawyer are safe.

I’ll be watching you!

Observations:

Kevin, played by Nathan Fillion of Firefly fame, worked for the Miami Dade Police Department. I think Kate may have become involved with a police officer in the hope that he might be able to help her with her present dilemma. But when Kevin calls her “Monica” that fragile house of cards came tumbling down for me.

Kate is pregnant so we assume another episode will flashback to this situation. At a guess I’d say the episode will be entitled; “And baby makes two” or something along those lines. Did anyone notice if Widmore Labs manufactured her pregnancy test?

The tickets to Costa Rica from Kevin to Kate for their honeymoon trip are on Oceanic Airlines. Obviously, this was the impetus that caused Kate to drug and confess to Kevin about her past. There was absolutely no way that Kate could get a passport and she knew it. Once this and the pregnancy occurred she had to start running again.

The new writing on Eko’s Jesus stick, “Lift up your eyes and look north” appears to be a definite clue to some secret of the island. Is it a clue to the location of the unknown hatch where the eye-patched man is located?

A new character is introduced tonight. While Danny Picket and one other Other are going out to Sawyer’s cage Danny says, “Shephard wasn’t even on Jacob’s list!” So who is Jacob and maybe more importantly who is on his list? And what is the list for?

It’s apparent that Danny Picket blames Sawyer for Colleen’s death but I still can’t figure out why. It’s possible that since Picket cannot hurt Jack, because of their need for him to complete Ben’s surgery, and Kate is a woman then Sawyer, by default, becomes the only Survivor left for him to blame and therefore punish. Obviously, this makes for good drama but shouldn’t he have been out in the jungle looking for Sayid, Jin and Sun? It seems to me his anger is misplaced yet Sawyer is, by far, the easier target.

When the communication device in Jack’s cell went off a voice said “try the door.” This voice sounded like Alex to me. But why would she let Jack out of his cell? Did she know that by doing so it would force him to see Sawyer and Kate in the cage and thereby force him to change his mind? If so then Alex is the smartest person on the island. Or is also being manipulated by Ben.

Having sex on the island has not been kind to the women of Lost. Here’s the list: Shannon and Sayid were intimate. The next day Shannon was shot dead by Ana-Lucia! Ana-Lucia and Sawyer were intimate (Ana-Lucia wanted his gun). The next day Ana-Lucia was shot and killed by Michael. And Libby was just thinking about having sex with Hurley and we all know what happened to her. Is Kate next??

The Questions:

1) Did Mr. Friendly seem to anyone overly concerned with Ben’s condition? Does he have feelings for Ben? When Jack performed his extra-curricular surgery Tom looked so shocked that he almost couldn’t believe that it was happening. And it continued through the whole sequence of events, which included the relinquishing of the walkie-talkie. It certainly appeared as if Tom was emotionally invested in Ben’s welfare. Am I over-analyzing?

2) Is Alex Ben’s daughter? Just before Ben has his surgery he asks Juliet if Alex has asked about him. When she answers no he seems to be very saddened by the news. Is Benjamin Linus the father of Alex? It appears that his concern is more than just passing and is paternal in nature. What does that mean though? Was Rousseau married to Ben? Is Ben part of the original survey group that got stranded on the island? Or is there a shadow story that has not yet been told? When Rousseau caught Ben in the jungle she did not seem to recognize him. Why then would Ben be so concerned about Alex? Something here does not yet add up.

3) Will Kate and Sawyer run? *** Spoiler Alert*** Don’t read this next section if you don’t want to know the answer to the question. I warned you! In the coming episodes trailer we see that Kate and Sawyer do escape. Kate gets a handgun from the Other in her cage and she and Sawyer are seen running in the jungle. Sawyer has the gun in his hand. I had to slow down the DVR to see all this but it is confirmed. ***Spoiler Alert Ends***

4) Will Kate and Sawyer escape? Since Sawyer already knows that they are on an island and has told Kate this there is only one thing they can do. They must find where the boat is docked (or the submarine but I doubt either could pilot it.) My guess is that they will try to find the dock and steal the boat back from the Others.

5) Will Jack finish the surgery and if he does will Ben survive it? Jack has gambled and is playing the odds. If Ben bleeds out and dies Jack can fall in with Juliet’s group and “be protected” by them. If Sawyer and Kate are allowed to go free then he will probably save Ben and may be sent home. At least Ben will look on him favorably since he saved his life.

6) And who is Jacob? Picket tells the Other he is with that “Shephard isn’t even on Jacob’s list.” I repeat, who is Jacob? This new entity is brand new and will, I am sure, be debated heavily on the forums. (By the way I do not frequent any of the forums and only use Lostpedia occasionally, so most of what you find here is from my own mind… and how scary is that!)

7) Was Jack’s escape engineered by Ben? I think it may have been. It looks like this was the plan all along. By allowing Jack access to the security room he could see that Sawyer and Kate had become intimate. I am certain this was Ben’s plan all along. It is why he had Jack separated from them in the first place. Jack’s isolation was an intricate portion of Ben’s plan!

8) Is the eye-patch man, seen on the Pearl Hatch monitor, the mysterious Jacob that Picket talked about? And by lifting up his eyes will Locke head north to find the newest hatch?

9) One last question that is out of place and time – this question really does not fit into this episode but I’ve waited too long to pose it. Perhaps the lengthy hiatus will give us more time to contemplate. Without further rambling… Last year when Ana-Lucia, Libby, Bernard and Eko were bringing Sawyer back to the beach on their make-shift stretcher a fifth member of the Tailies was present. When Cindy disappeared there were only two real conclusions that one could come to. Either she was captured by the Others or was one of them. We have since seen the Others’ camps and compounds and most of the people in that group. I ask now then, what ever happened to Cindy?!?

Quotes:

After Jack tells Ben that he won’t do the surgery Ben says, “I’m disappointed in your decision.” Jack retorts, “ You won’t be disappointed long!”

Kate to U.S. Marshall Edward Marsh: “I don’t want to run anymore!”

Alex to Kate: “They’re going to kill your boyfriend!”

Ben says, “See you on the other side” just before succumbing to the anesthesia. Is Ben a fan of Ozzy Osborn or Korn? Ozzy has a song named this and Korn an entire album. And I have to look this up later when I have more time but didn’t one of Stephen King’s characters say this once? Lawnmower Man? The Stand? The Dark Tower?

Bonus Section 1:

MIND GAMES – SEASON 3

From an idea by Kim

The term mind games refers to the passive/aggressive behavior used specifically to demoralize a subject while making the aggressor look superior. The objective of mind games is to induce high levels of anxiety, confusion, mental exhaustion and sub-optimal information processing. It is used primarily to cause mental exhaustion and ensure limited constructive problem solving.

During the first five episodes of season three of Lost we have seen our share of head-trips or mind games played by the characters. A loyal reader has asked us to expound on the many different psychological games that are being played. There are a lot and I’ll try to touch on at least one aspect of each instance we can bring to mind. Feel free to e-mail me or make a comment on the blogsite if you can think of others. Especially if you think they are important.

Mind games in Episode 301: “A Tale of Two Cities”

Early in Episode 301 “A Tale Of Two Cities” Kate is given a shower and a dress and taken to breakfast with Ben on the beach. When she asks him why he is treating her to clean clothes and breakfast he replies, “The next two weeks are going to be very unpleasant.” Ben has sent Kate a message that a certain amount of pain will be involved with her capture and captivity. Of course, we are not sure if it will be physical, mental or both but we assume it won’t be fun for Kate. This is, of course, a threat of future or potential future pain and a very effective method to control behavior. Will it work on Kate? It has been noted that Kate tends to run when cornered but in this particular case she has nowhere or no one to run to.

An interesting side note mind trip here is that during the shower scene Kate tells Tom (Mr. Friendly) that she won’t change in front of him. He tells her, “You’re not my type!” What does he mean by this? Is it possible that Tom really is “Mr. Friendly”? Again, we can only assume that this is another mind game played by the Others. We’re guessing that we’ll find out more concerning this statement as the story continues.

Sawyer is being held in a large animal cage and is introduced to Karl, a young teenage boy who ultimately helps him to escape. Subject escaped! blares over the loudspeaker as they escape in different directions but both Sawyer and Karl are recaptured quickly. (It all seemed rather concocted to me!) This was a pure mental experiment by the Others in determining Sawyers state of mind. Would he leave Jack and Kate and escape? Or would he hold back and try and find them? To me, the experiment is inconclusive. Sawyer may have tried to hide, assess the situation (numbers and positions) before attempting to find Jack and Kate (at least I like to think he would). Or he may have headed straight to Locke and the rest of the Survivor army! When they bring Karl back and make him apologize for including Sawyer in the escape it all seems to swirl about in a state of confusion for me. Why would they make one of their own apologize to captives? Is Karl an example? Are they trying to teach him while punishing him? Like a parent? Or like a warden?

There is also a very strange back-story flashback concerning Jack’s jealousy and obsession concerning his ex-wife’s “boyfriend.” The creators wanted us to know that Jack was flirting with an epic emotional breakdown. Why? Showing him at his most vulnerable here it appears that we are being set up for a future reversal of circumstances and that the strongest side of Jack has yet to be seen. However, when they portray Jack in a guise other than what we have seen in the previous two seasons we have to ask ourselves why they would have to go to such extremes.

We speculated last season that the entire island might have been a big Skinner’s box. We now think that perhaps only segments of the islands can be defined in this manner. This includes the Pearl Hatch (where the reward is information) and now Sawyer’s cage (where the reward may be survival)! Another example of a mind game in this episode centers on the idea of problem solving. In order to acquire food Sawyer has to solve a complicated puzzle once used for bears. This form of problem solving for reward is based on the case approach. The most effective way to learn something is to be placed in the actual situation. Being told before hand that the cage would electrocute Sawyer if he tried to manipulate it would not have been as effective as throwing him in the cage and letting him learn for himself.

The book club is discussing Stephen King’s “Carrie” which Juliet says is her favorite book. This is the story of a young woman with extraordinary powers who is ostracized by her peers and eventually snaps… Will Juliet be threatened emotionally in the future and explode? Juliet argues with Adam… this may have been an insertion of power on her part. Perhaps, this scene was produced especially for the viewing audience so that we could see that a clash was occurring or that factions within the hierarchy of the Others was taking place.

And why did Kate and Jack both have bandages on their arms? It is obvious that the Others want them to think that they either drew blood or injected them with something. But what purpose does this serve? Or did they really draw blood? Why?

Mind games in Episode 302: “The Glass Ballerina”

During this episode Sun’s father plays mind games with his daughter. The glass ballerina, which belonged to the family when Sun was a little girl, is a metaphor for her apparent willingness to see others hurt to protect herself. Even when she knows that the ramifications will be disastrous she lies to shelter herself from harm. The figurine is a representation of how lies can shatter lives and the fragility of both. This game when played as Mr. Paik plays it can be disastrous to fragile little minds. Whatever lesson he intended to teach was lost in Sun’s need to protect herself from retribution.

Kate and Sawyer are taken out to what looks like a rock-covered landing strip where many of the Others are laboring. Ben, it seems, plans on using Sawyer and Kate as free labor. (Experiment or lesson? Research or chain gang? Hmmm…) Kate demands to see Jack before she’ll do any work but Pickett zaps Sawyer with a taser shock for her insolence. That the Others would resort to pain stimulus as punishment to perform manual labor comes as no surprise. What is surprising though is that whatever this project is it is important enough that members of their own group are hard at work in completing the task. Or, this too may be a mind game to make Kate and Sawyer think that what they are working on is important to the community of Others.

Later in the story Mr. Paik demands that Jin “deliver a message” to Jae Lee as he has taken something important from him. By not telling Jin of the situation he has also asserted a future power over him. When Jin refuses to do Paik’s bidding and quits his job Mr. Paik appeals to his honor and tells Jin that their shame is shared. As a matter of fact, he is telling the absolute truth and Jin realizes it but not the depth of that truth. He relents and accepts the job after Paik calls him “son.” Appealing to his emotions and the need to belong Paik has deceived Jin into believing that he has been accepted.

Sun and Sayid attempt to play Jin by lying to him (or at least not tell him what is going on) but he catches on very quickly. Back at the Pala Ferry site Jin demands one of Sayid’s guns when he understands what is happening and explains to Sun that he understands English better than they think. When Sayid hands the gun to Jin he asks him if he knows how to use it and Jin surprises Sayid by checking the magazine in a manner that makes it clear that he knows exactly how to handle a handgun. Jin has been playing the non-understanding “foreigner” and Sayid and Sun both tried to deceive him.

Sawyer, on impulse, walks over to Kate and kisses her passionately when he is supposed to be working breaking rocks in the hot sun but his motives are dual in nature. A fight develops and Sawyer lands a few punches before he grabs a gun. Sawyer holds the Others at bay with the rifle but Juliet who is pointing her gun at Kate calls him James and tells him to put the gun down. When he does he is tasered once again. When Sawyer and Kate are returned to their cages he tells her that he was testing their strengths and weaknesses. Most importantly, he tells her that Juliet would have pulled the trigger without a problem. Ben observes all this on closed circuit television. Is Sawyer protecting Kate by telling her that Juliet was capable of murder? Or is he also playing mind games? This ploy seemed to me to be a way to keep Kate close to him. And Juliet called Sawyer by his real name in an effort to confuse and distract him.

Ben attempts to solicit Jack’s trust by apologizing and allowing him to know his real name. At the time we did not know why Ben would need Jack’s absolution but we have since found out why. Jack refuses Ben’s attempted reconciliation. Ben offers his hand and tells Jack that his real name is Benjamin Linus and that he has lived on the island all his life. Jack refused to shake hands. Ben then offers Jack a chance to go home telling him that he can make it happen if Jack only does what he asks at the correct time and place. To help convince him Ben tells him a number of facts about the end of 2004 including the date and that the Boston Red Sox won the World Series. When Jack is amused by the thought of the Sox winning the Series Ben shows him a television monitor. Ben repeats his offer, telling Jack that if he listens to him and trusts him, he will eventually take him home. There are a lot of head games happening during this exchange. Most we did not realize until we knew that the x-rays Jack saw were of Ben’s spine. When Ben tried to reconcile with Jack it was for selfish purposes and not to resolve open issues. Jack saw through this odd attempt to apologize and even though he did not know that Ben needed his help Jack’s refusal was a head-trip in itself. There is no doubt that Ben is panicking inside knowing that the only man who can save his life is a mortal enemy.

Later Ben tries to lay a guilt trip on Juliet. His statement, “You never made soup for me,” implies that either, Ben and Juliet had once been in a relationship, or less likely that Ben was once Juliet's prisoner. In either case, this statement is made to elicit a sense of guilt in Juliet. We are not sure what the relationship is or was between Ben and Juliet but we can certainly guess that it is falling apart. The flippant remark is to make Juliet feel regret concerning the current conditions. We do not know at this point whose is at fault for the falling out.

Juliet calls Sawyer “James” and Colleen calls Sun, “Sun-Hwa Kwon.” They obviously know more about the survivors then first realized. Calling someone by their entire or real name in a stressful circumstance is a form of adding familiarity and trust to an otherwise unfamiliar situation. This is a notably successful tactic in situations involving hostages where familiarity tends to make people believe in a fictional friendship. More head games… More head-trips….

Mind games in Episode 303: “Further Instructions”

Is the mysterious island itself playing mind games? Inside the sweat lodge Locke takes drugs and begins his internal adventure. His spiritual guide who appears in the guise of Boone soon meets him in this “other” state. He tells John that he was “the sacrifice the island demanded” and that John needs to bring the family back together. Their journey begins when Boone tells John that he must get back into the wheelchair. Boone then wheels John through an airport (with obvious Oceanic logos) and tells him “someone here is in danger.” The camera then pans to Charlie, Claire and Aaron in line for airline tickets. Hurley, the gate agent in this dream sequence, is entering the numbers into a computer terminal. Jin and Sun are standing in line with Sayid while Desmond walks by in a pilot’s uniform with three flight attendants. Kate and Sawyer, looking every bit the couple, are in security line as is Jack, who is alone. Ben is the security guard. Boone tells Locke that “they’ve got him” and that he needs to “clean up his own mess.” Locke is scared from his trance by the face of an angry growling polar bear in the fire. Has the island thrown a head-trip at Locke? While intentionally answering a specific question (where is Eko?) it also gives Locke a great deal of information to contemplate.

Locke believes that the island is an entity that can both reason and communicate. What he did not know was that it could (and would) also play mind games with him. His internal mental walkabout in the sweat lodge was done only to accomplish communication with the island. And the island responded! In the fire as John comes out of his trance he is frightened by the growling image of a polar bear telling him the exact nature of Eko’s trouble.

Why do so many episodes of Lost begin with the opening of an eye? This is a great scene device and very creative but I have often wondered if there was a deeper meaning. Since the eye is the world’s portal to the mind I presume that it may have something to do with mind control or psychological manipulation. The symbol of the “Illuminatus!” is the opened eye and the All-Seeing Eye is found in many eras and cultures. It is generally a symbol of the watchful and protective power of the Supreme Being. It appears on the Great Seal of the United States, and is among the many beautiful symbols of Freemasonry, where it represents the Great Architect of the Universe. It is also known as the Eye of God. Is the island God?

Mind games in Episode 304: Every Man For Himself

Ben convinced Sawyer that they had installed a pacemaker in him that would erupt his heart if overstressed. This head-trip was designed as a simple means to keep Sawyer in check. While Sawyer fell for this con it seemed a bit elaborate and irrational in many ways. That this tactic worked surprised me, as Sawyer appears smarter than that. A pacemaker is major surgery and requires a great deal of recuperation and has a slow and painful recovery time. Besides, a pacemaker would not do what Ben suggests but a defibrillator would. Again, this particular mind game was administered to keep Sawyer from attempting to escape the island.

Bearing the stretcher of Colleen’s injured body past Sawyer and Kate’s cage was designed to specifically give them a false sense of hope of rescue. By bringing an injured Other near, Sawyer and Kate were under the impression that a rescue attempt was being made. The loud noises and shouting may have given Sawyer and Kate the false hope that the survivors were on their way in making a rescue attempt. Another mind game played to create an emotional response… but why did they bother? And the burlap sack over Jack’s head is a recurring theme among the Others.

The Others placed Sawyer back in his cage even after they knew that Kate could get out of hers. This particular test was designed to assess Kate’s emotional attachment for Sawyer and whether or not she would leave without Sawyer or Jack. In this particular instance neither Kate or sawyer knew that mind games where being played as they did not know yet that they were being watched.

When Sawyer is brought in for his mock “operation” the communicator is left on in Jack’s cell and he hears Sawyer’s voice. The idea that he was being tortured was probably foremost in Jack’s mind. There are many reasons why this might have been done. Jack as a doctor would feel compelled to help an injured or hurt human being and his compassion and oath assured that he would be concerned for Sawyer’s health.

Jack is allowed to hear a conversation that stated it was a mistake to bring Kate and Sawyer “here.” This conversation fabricated in advance and designed to be overheard so that Jack would know that Ben had come for him. While Jack had no idea what Ben wanted from him it was obvious that Jack was the “one” that Ben wanted.

Jack is summoned by Juliet to perform surgery on Colleen. Juliet may have already known that Colleen was beyond help. However, no one but a doctor would have known this. Juliet’s summoning of Jack was so that he would see the x-ray of the spinal tumor. The Others run “a hooded Jack” past Sawyer and Kate's cage. This head game was designed so that Sawyer and Kate would know that Jack was alive but would continue to keep Jack isolated. The loud music playing over the loudspeaker was to insure that Jack would not hear Sawyer and Kate.

Ben made sure that Jack was handcuffed to Colleen’s gurney for quite a while. This may have been done for a number of reasons, including monitoring Jack’s emotional response to losing a patient. This is a recurring theme in many of the flashbacks that took place at St. Sebastian Hospital where Jack worked. It is also possible that Ben was giving him more time to observe the spinal x-rays and to examine the available medical equipment.

Later Ben admits to Sawyer that he conned him with the scheme of placing a pacemaker inside him. In the process this gave Sawyer information on just how smart Ben could be and at what lengths he would go to in being deceitful. A word of caution about Ben: There is very little that we can believe when it comes to Ben. He has done nothing but lie to the Survivors since he met them. Therefore the claim that they are on two different islands remains unfounded. Also, that the spinal x-rays are his may be suspect too.

Mind games in Episode 305: “The Cost of Living”

The Pearl Station may be part of a larger psychological experiment. In this case, the experiment would involve the observation of the “subjects” in the Swan Hatch. The subjects of the Pearl would be told, through their own Orientation film that they are to observe subjects in an experiment already in progress and are to record their observations in notebooks. They would not be told the whereabouts of the Swan experiment, however. The experiment would be monitored, as well, as described by the presence of cameras inside the station. It is not known where this experiment is monitored or by whom. There is still a possibility that whoever is monitoring it could also be the subject(s) of an experiment.

Jack’s attendance at Colleen Picket’s funeral is a definite mind game played by Ben to make Jack feel sympathy or guilt for her death. In the end this is a ploy to enlist Jack’s surgical expertise for Ben’s eminent spinal surgery. The white linen clothing was a nice touch too. Surgical, clean and without blemish…

It appears that Juliet has an agenda of her own and it doesn’t seem to include Benjamin Linus. Is she working to rid the Others of a tyrant or is she the usurper with a plan to take over? It looks like she may not be as nice as she pretends to be. Juliet tells Jack she is going to play To Kill A Mockingbird for him. What Juliet tells Jack and what she shows him on the “home movie” tell completely different stories. She tells Jack that Ben is a great man and that he deserves to live but her cue cards certainly don’t back up that notion. There is an apparent ruthlessness to Juliet’s plan as outlined in the cue cards. One thing to keep in mind, however, is that Ben is a skilled con man. Juliet’s behavior may be part of some elaborate plan on his part. Juliet’s animosity towards Ben could be a ploy. Juliet and Ben may know that Jack could never consciously harm a patient and by asking him to in an elaborate scheme to murder him may very well save his life.

Juliet’s cue cards read: “Ignore everything I’m saying”, “Ben is a liar”, “And he is very dangerous”, “Some of us want a change”, “But it has to look like an accident”, “It has to look like we tried to save him”, “And that’s up to you, Jack”, “It’s a complicated surgery. No one would ever know”, “And I would protect you”, and “Now tell me to turn off the movie.” Can we believe anything that Juliet says? Is she playing Jack for her own benefit? It is possible that Juliet wants Ben to die but why? What happened that would make her hate him so much that she would conspire to murder him? Juliet is definitely a character to watch and may be the one person who knows more than anyone else about what is happening on the island.

Juliet may be conning Ben. It seems to me that Ben had a plan set in motion to convince Jack to do his surgery and to make Jack think he wanted to. Juliet upended that scenario when she “mistakenly” allowed Jack to see Ben’s
x-rays. This was most likely done on purpose as we now see that Juliet would rather see Ben die than continue to lead the Others. Why is there so much friction between them? Does Juliet truly plan to remain on the island? Or does she have an entirely different agenda?

Mind games in Episode 306: “I do”

When Kate gets married under the assumed name of “Monica” she knows full well that someday she will have to run. Her “ideal” marriage is destined to fail since it is based on a lie and Kate is simply playing a mind game with Kevin. She may love him but there is no doubt that she run, even in her own mind. Why else would she have called Marsh?

(A note about Nathan Fillion who played Kevin in this episode – An interesting déjà vu moment occurred last night for me. When Nathan starred in “Firefly” in one episode he was drugged by his then newlywed wife, with a drug on her lips when he kissed her. In Lost his newlywed wife “Monica” drugged him with a Mickey in his drink. It appears that a lot of déjà vu moments are occurring, even across networks and writers/creators. Some I may not have even happened across yet. Since this is such a major recurring theme in the show I’ll keep you posted when I find others.)

Jack not only plays mind-games but he manages to achieve an entire coup on the Others. Ben is convinced that Jack will operate and save his life. Juliet believes that Jack is in her corner and that he intends to “accidentally” kill Ben. In either event Jack has set himself up pretty well. Consider this: If Ben bleeds out and dies he can fall in with Juliet’s group and “be protected” by her. If Sawyer and Kate are allowed to go free then he will save Ben and may be sent home. At least Ben will look on him favorably since he saved his life. I like the twists that this episode has taken but do not like the idea that I have to wait 90 days to see what happens next.

General Mind Games

Why do so many of the people have look-alikes? People who look like the Others appearing in flashbacks: The nun in Eko's flashback reminded some of Miss Klugh; the alter boy in Nigeria of a young Walt; some saw Michael or a Michael look alike in another episode; the guy in the hospital in Jack's flashback looked like Mr. Friendly (Tom); the leader of the "family" in Locke's flashback reminded some of one of The Others. I even confused Penelope with Juliet early in the premiere and I think that Adam (book club guy) resembles Ben. Of course, then there is Ben telling Jack that Juliet was chosen to try to manipulate him because she resembled his ex-wife. If the black smoke monster can take any form...what does that mean about the reality we've been seeing? Did it just happen that there was an individual in their remote and marginalized population who looked a lot like Sarah, or is nothing what it really “looks like” on the surface? (See our theory on plugging in or tuning in below.)

Bonus Section 2:

From an idea by Deb:
(Note: Deb was kind enough to write an article herself, which I’ve included below. And if you get a sense of déjà vu while reading it… well, don’t blame us!)

Déjà vu (or looking backward in a forward manner)

The term déjà vu is French and means, literally, “already seen.” Those who have experienced the feeling describe it as an overwhelming sense of familiarity with something that shouldn’t be familiar at all.

Beyond Desmond’s precognition, déjà vu, is the real theme of this season.
Charlie tells the same joke “you never call never write” to John that he told last year to Eko. “Boy, you bunk with a guy for 48 days -- now he doesn't call or write.” (Bernard to Eko in “SOS”). “You don't call, you don't write.” (Charlie to Locke in “Further Instructions”, and to Eko in “Live Together, Die Alone”).

The opening shot of Locke waking up in the jungle is a shot-for-shot replay of the scene in the pilot when Jack wakes up in the jungle.

There is even an instance when Hurley mentions Déjà vu: From Episode “Further Instructions” Hurley says to Charlie, “I just got hit with, you know, deja vu.” This after Desmond tells Hurley that Locke will say something specific in his speech, which hadn’t yet occurred.

We can even use the repetition of the numbers and other items (such as the many inclusions of polar bears and toys) as déjà vu. Hurley saw the same numbers he used to win the lottery on the side of the hatch. Walt is given a stuffed polar bear as a small child then sees a polar bear in the comic book he’s reading. Also, polar bears appear in the Swan Orientation film and on the island itself.

Our Weird Theory Concerning Mind Games and déjà vu
(As posited by The Alternative One and Amelia Crater)

We’ve come to the very strange conclusion that the island and the survivors are plugged in or tuned in somewhere and are being force-fed mentally all their Experiences. We believe that the memories and experiences are being culled from major works of literature, from music videos, from pop-culture and from history. Scenarios from major works of literature appear in various forms including many of the books from Jack’s bookcase and they repeat with frequency. Bob Dylan, the Who and other rock bands appear in veiled moments throughout the past few seasons, including an entirely fictional band known as Geronimo Jackson. Not to mention Mama Cass Eliot, Patsy Cline and Brenda Lee. Somewhere in the world our survivors (and perhaps even the Others) are in comas or stasis plugged into each other via a cable and given memories and interactions by an unknown puppet-master. The reason we, and the Survivors, are experiencing déjà vu so often, is because many of the memories are being recycled and reused. I can’t say that this theory has been totally fleshed out but we are constantly testing the validity of the idea and keep coming up with the same conclusion. Someone is feeding them all their Experiences… the only questions we have at this point are who and why?

For more theories see out Lost Theories website at:
http://thealternativecrater.blogspot.com/

Recycled lines and themes:

In support of our weird theory above we’ve compiled the following recycled lines and themes, which we have experienced (déjà viewed) a number of times times before before.

Recurring Lines

“Are you him?”
Desmond says this to Locke when they first meet in “Man of Science, Man of Faith”, Helen says it to Anthony Cooper at the Skyline Motel in “Lockdown”, and Kelvin says it to Desmond after he hauls in from the beach in “Live Together, Die Alone.”

“Don’t tell me what I can't do”
There are a number of versions of this saying but they all convey the same meaning. Locke says it to Randy, who was giving him a hard time about going on his walkabout. During a long monologue and tirade Locke says it to the travel agent who denies him admission onto the bus and Locke says it to Kate, all from the episode “Walkabout.” Jack says it to Sun when he is trying to save Boone’s life in “Do No Harm.” Claire says it to Charlie and Sayid in “Exodus, Part 2.” Jack says it to Desmond in “Man of Science, Man of Faith.” Locke says it to Jack in “The Hunting Party.” Jin says it to Sun in Korean in “The Hunting Party.” Eko says it to Locke when Locke tells him the button pushing task is pointless in “?”. And most recently Charlie says it to Locke in “Further Instructions” when he wants to go on the polar bear hunt.

"Every Man for Himself"
Jack's speech to the castaways in “White Rabbit” includes this line. Sawyer tells Jin this in “...And Found.” Sawyer says it to Charlie in “Dave.” And Sawyer says it to Kate on three different occasions in “Every Man for Himself.”

"Fixing"
Sawyer tells Jack that he gets to be a hero again by fixing everything up nice in “Confidence Man.” Jack tells Boone he can fix him and Sarah tells Jack that she’ll dance at her wedding because he fixed her in “Do No Harm.” Desmond asks Jack “What if you do fix her?” regarding Sarah in “Man of Science, Man of Faith.” Jack talks about fixing their marriage to Sarah and she tells him that he’ll always need something to fix in “The Hunting Party.” Rose tells Isaac of Uluru that she is going to tell Bernard that he fixed her in “S.O.S.” And Sarah tells Jack that he’s always had to have something to fix in “A Tale of Two Cities.”

"From the dawn of our species, Man has been blessed with curiosity"
This is an exact quote by Alvar Hanso (1967), as seen on the official Hanso Foundation website (2005) and spoken by Carleton Cuse in the Hanso Foundation commercials that aired during the Lost Experience (2006). Tom quotes the following to Jack in “The Hunting Party” – “You know, somebody a whole lot smarter than anybody here once said: ‘Since the dawn of our species, man’s been blessed with curiosity. ‘”

"Let go" or “Let it go”
Sawyer says it to Kate and then Jack in different circumstances in “Confidence Man.” Locke says it to Boone in “Hearts and Minds” and Boone repeats it to Jack in “Do No Harm.” Locke says this to Jack in “Exodus, Part 2”, as the smoke monster is pulling him into the hole in the ground. Desmond tells Kelvin that he’ll never let it go in “Live Together, Die Alone.” Christian Shephard tells Jack to “let it go” several times, including in whispers through the communication intercom in “A Tale of Two Cities.”

"Live together, die alone"
Jack also says this line in his speech to the Survivors in “White Rabbit” and establishes himself as a leader. Sayid quotes this line from Jack’s speech in “House of the Rising Sun” and Kate does the same in “Man of Science, Man of Faith.” Jack says it to Michael in “Live Together, Die Alone”, and Kate to Sawyer in “Every Man for Himself.”

"Not a killer" or “not murderers”
Hibbs tells Sawyer that he’s not the killing type in “Outlaws.” Colleen tells Sun that she’s not a killer just before Sun shoots her in “The Glass Ballerina.” Eddie tells Locke that he’s not a murderer in “Further Instructions.” Ben tells Sawyer in “Every Man for Himself” after revealing that the pacemaker threat was a con, “we’re not murderers.”

“See you in another life”
Nadia wrote this to Sayid on the back of a photo of herself, as read to Danielle in “Solitary.” Anthony Cooper says this to Locke shortly before surgery in “Deus Ex Machina.” Desmond says it to Jack in “Man of Science, Man of Faith.” Dave says it to Hurley before jumping off the cliff in “Dave.” And Desmond says it to Locke in “Live Together, Die Alone.”

“There's a line”
Christian Shephard tells Jack, “There's a line, son. You know it's there. And pretending it's not -- that would be a mistake.” in “The Hunting Party.” And Tom says to Jack in the same episode, "Right here there's a line. You cross that line, we go from misunderstanding to something else.”

“What did one snowman say to the other snowman?”
(A recognition password of some sort….)
Desmond to Locke in Man of Science, Man of Faith.
Kelvin to Desmond in Live Together, Die Alone.
Locke to Desmond in Live Together, Die Alone.

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Recurring Themes

Santa Rosa Mental Health Institute

There are multiple connections between some of the characters and the Santa Rosa Mental Health Institute. In flashback scenes several characters including Hurley, Libby, and Emily Locke (John’s mother) were shown to be patients at the Santa Rosa Mental Health Institute. Hurley was admitted after a deck he and 23 others were standing on collapsed under him causing the death of two people, which he insists happened because of his weight. Hurley's psychiatrist was Dr. Brooks and during his stay he befriended a man by the name of Leonard Simms, who was obsessed with The Numbers (which is where Hurley got his lottery ticket numbers). Hurley also had a friend named Dave during his stay. Dave would frequently encourage Hurley to eat which would eventually make him gain weight therefore extends his misery. Dr. Brooks explained that Dave was not real, only a figment of Hurley's imagination.

Also, it wouldn’t surprise us if St. Sebastian, the hospital Jack and his father worked, and Santa Rosa were affiliated in some way.

It is not known how or why Libby became a patient, but she was there during Hurley’s stay, without his knowledge. This explains his constant question about knowing Libby from somewhere. Emily Locke was admitted to Santa Rose several times, suffering from schizophrenia. She also believed that John Locke’s conception was immaculate.

Other Characters Undergoing Treatment

Ana-Lucia, after being shot and suffering a miscarriage, gets help from an LAPD counselor. He judges her fit to return to the force but her problems continue until she kills the man who shot her.

Christian Shepherd is in counseling with the Friends of Bill (Alcoholics Anonymous) for his alcohol abuse problem.

John Locke attends a support group where he meets Helen.

Characters

The repetition of the hunter and the farmer is seen a number of times. John is depicted as the hunter in both the commune and on the island (boar hunting, etc.) The members of the commune are farming hemp while on the island Sun tends her garden. Locke also builds a sweat lodge on the island similar to the one in the commune in California. Hurley continues to challenge his own sanity. The theme of a con repeats over and over again, mostly affiliated with Sawyer but there are other plans being hatched by many of the other characters.

Although Libby attended the Santa Rosa Mental Health Institute as a patient, she claimed to be a clinical psychologist on the island and actually used a psychological technique to help Claire regain her memory. And Hurley asks Sawyer on two occasions if he is hoarding psychotropic drugs.

The Stations

The Swan Station

One of the Dharma Initiative’s main fields of study on the island was, among other things, psychology. It was originally presumed that the Swan Station was part of a psychological experiment. In this case, the experiment would involve the task of pushing a button every 108 minutes. The subjects of the experiment would be told, through the Swan Orientation Film that failing to push the button would result in a catastrophic disaster. People in another DHARMA station, the Pearl, which the participants did not know about, would monitor the experiment. However, it is now clear that failing to push the button does actually result in an electromagnetic disaster, so it is unknown what role the Swan plays, if any, in any real psychological experiments.

The Pearl Station

The Pearl Station may be part of a larger psychological experiment. The experiment would involve the observation of the “subjects” in the Swan. The subjects of the Pearl would be told, through their own Orientation film that they were to observe subjects in an experiment already in progress and to record their observations in notebooks. They would not be told the whereabouts of the Swan experiment, however. The experiment would be monitored, as well, as described by the presence of cameras inside the station. It is not known where this experiment is monitored or by whom. There is still a possibility that whoever is monitoring it could actually be the subject(s) of an experiment.

The Hydra Station

Another example of Psychology is problem solving. This is shown when Sawyer is captured by the Others and in order to gain food, had to solve a problem of food acquisition once used on bears. (see B.F. Skinner) The Hydra Station may have been built to be used for experiments in communication and to study animals.

The Lost Experience

From The Lost Experience, we know that the H in DHARMA stands for Heuristics, a field of psychological study, which looks into how algorithmic learning develops. Lacanian psychoanalysis is a type of Freudian psychology pioneered by Jacques-Marie-Émile Lacan. A key feature is the definition of the self in terms of the Other. Lacanian psychology is highlighted as a useful pre-requisite for the job of Personal Assistant to Thomas Mittelwerk on the Hanso Careers Website (as part of the Lost Experience). The Vik Institute is the flagship psychiatric hospital of the Mental Health Appeal. It was run by Dr. Armand Zander, but instead of treating patients, The Hanso Foundation is secretly exploiting autistic savants in the basement to recalculate variables for the Valenzetti Equation.

Fear

Numerous fears have been portrayed by various characters in various situations during the show. There is:
* Fear of being taken (usually discussed by the tail section members).
* Fear of the sickness (especially by Danielle Rousseau).
* Fear of the end of the world, related to pushing the button (specifically by Locke, Desmond, and Eko.
* Fear of the smoke monster (or the Security System, "the black smoke", Cerberus).
* Fear of a returning or redeveloping illness or disease.
* Fear of relapse into addiction (by Charlie, and Claire and Locke for Charlie).
* Fear of the numbers (Hurley and to some extent Locke)
* Fear of the Others.
* Fear for he safety of Aaron (especially by Claire and Charlie).
* Fear of wild animals, like polar bears and boars.

Featured Guest Article on Dharma déjà vu by Amelia Crater:

Cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger…

Déjà vu isn’t just a passing fancy on the Lost Island these days. Not only do the islanders repeat themselves, or, spookier, repeat something they did not hear the first time it was said on the show, they’re also giving repeat performances or suffering from the kind of ongoing mind glitch that makes strangers look like someone you've met before.

I doubt that we can blame these dialogue do-overs on lazy writers:

Charlie tells the same joke, “you never call never write” to John that he told last year to Desmond.

Last year Eko said “Don't mistake coincidence for fate.” This year Locke said it.

Previously on Lost, in a flashback, at Shannon’s dad’s funeral, someone said, (I think it was Boone) “I hate funerals,” a sentiment apparently shared by Juliette who said it to Jack at Coleen's Viking funeral.

Then there are the oft-described cheeseburgers. Dave said it to Hurley in the Santa Rosa asylum: “Oh, oh, oh... can you taste that? That is freedom, baby. You know what tastes even better than freedom? Cheeseburgers.”

Last year when Locke offers prisoner rations to Ben(ry) he responds:

GALE: No cheeseburgers, huh?
LOCKE: No cheeseburgers. Bon appetit.

Jack had better luck in last week’s episode when Juliette went out and “killed a cow” and “rendered animal fat” in order to slack his cheeseburger cravings.

And that burger reminded us of the one Ben(ry) didn't get... and the conversation that he had with Locke that cheese-free day. Here's what they talked about:

GALE: Is that true -- what you said about Hemingway?
LOCKE: You have good ears.
GALE: You have thin doors.
LOCKE: You read Hemingway?
GALE: Sure, guy ran with the bulls, fought in the Spanish Civil War, stuff I can wrap my brain around. This is I can’t get through five pages of [indicating the Dostoyevsky novel].
LOCKE: Well, Dostoyevsky had his virtues, too. He was a genius, for one. Bullfighting isn’t everything.
GALE: So, which one are you?
LOCKE: I’m sorry.
GALE: Are you the genius, or are you the guy who always feels like he’s living in the shadow of a genius?
LOCKE: I was never very much into literary analysis.
GALE: I just don’t understand why you let the doctor call the shots.
LOCKE: No one calls the shots. Jack and I make decisions together.
GALE: Right, okay. My mistake.

[Locke leaves the armory, starts to do the dishes, and then loses his temper, swiping all the dishes on the counter to the ground.]

Huh? Didn’t Jack and Juliet have a similar face to face...about Ben(ry)? Oh yes, here it is from “The Cost of Living”:

Jack is watching cartoons in his cell when Juliet enters with a tray of food.

JULIET: How are you doing today, Jack?
JACK [sarcastic]: Great.
JULIET: You seem frustrated.
JACK: Am I going to keep watching cartoons or are you going to tell me why I’m here?
JULIET: I hope you like blueberry. If not, I can...
JACK: Should I talk to Benjamin?
JULIET: Sorry?
JACK: Should I talk to Benjamin? Because I’m starting to think that you're just the person who brings me my food.
JULIET: You can talk to him all you want. But he won’t tell you anything.
JACK: You work for him?
JULIET: No, I don’t work for him.
JACK: He’s in charge.
JULIET: Well, it doesn't work that way over here, Jack. We make decisions together.
JACK: Really? Because when I was holding that broken plate at your neck he seemed happy to just let you die. I mean, it felt like he made that decision on his own.
JULIET: You don’t know what you’re talking about. I don't answer to him.
[ Ben enters.]

That’s not the only time that Locke and Jack seem to be channeling each other. In the opening scene of “Further Instructions” Locke wakes up in the jungle we witness a shot-for-shot replay of the scene in the pilot episode when Jack wakes up in the jungle (see above). Ditto the scene in “The Cost of Living” in which Eko stumbles into the “garden” of red flowers to meet that carbon copy of his brother “Yemi.” Haven’t we tiptoed through these posies before? Yup, with Hurley when he was being led astray by island “Dave” in last year’s episode of the same name

These are mind games for sure, but there doesn’t seem to be any particular pattern to the madness, we don't know who is zoomin’ who, or to what end? One thing’s for sure, if the black smoke monster can take any form...we all might need a radical reality adjustment in order to keep up with reality we're seeing? Wasn’t that the season three teaser? The characters asking themselves “Who am I?” The announcer’s eerie intonement, “Find yourself on Lost.” Couldn’t we just get the cheeseburger, please?

Amelia Crater (A.K.A. Deb)

======

Note: The next episode will not air until Wednesday, February 7th, 2007. I will, however, continue to publish this newsletter every week. Please let me know if there is a particular subject you would like to see discussed. Until next week then…

P.S. For the non-observant viewer… I have included a number of references I feel came directly from literature, music or pop-culture throughout this newsletter. How many can you find? Now that you’ve found them can you identify the source? Have fun! By the way… that’s a challenge!

The Alternative One
Kenosha, Wisconsin
November 9th, 2006

4 8 15 16 23 42

The Alternative One – dharmapoet@wi.rr.com

EPISODE 305: THE COST OF LIVING

S3E5 (305): The Cost of Living

Air Date: November 1st, 2006
Production Code: 305
Official ABC pre-air summary:
“A delirious Eko wrestles with past demons; some of the castaways go to the Pearl station to find a computer they can use to locate Jack, Kate and Sawyer; Jack does not know who to trust when two of the Others are at odds with each other.”

Episode Re-cap:

Flashback
Eko and Yemi, as young boys, break into the food locker next to the church. They are caught by a nun and forced to confess and seek contrition.

Flashback/Dream Sequence
Eko dreams of the events that occurred during Episode 210 “The 23rd Psalm.” Eko is told by his brother Yemi that, “it is time to confess. I’ll be waiting.”

When Eko’s tent starts on fire Charlie and Hurley rescue him but when Locke asks for him they discover that Eko has disappeared.

Jack is doing pull-ups in his cell when Ben interrupts him. Ben then asks Jack to take a walk. He gives him clean new white linen clothes to wear. Jack confronts Ben about his “aggressive tumor” but Ben feigns ignorance. Down at the beach the funeral for Colleen Picket is in progress. The Brenda Lee song “I Wonder” plays over the loudspeaker.

Locke insists that he can find Jack, Kate and Sawyer if they can only get to the Pearl Hatch to use the computers. Desmond tells him that the computers were used for communication between stations.

Flashback
Eko is returned to the village church just after his brother has been shot and flown out of the country. He decides to replace his brother as the priest of the village and to continue his studies in London.

Eko stumbles through the jungle on his way to the site of the plane crash and his bothers burial place but is followed by the black smoke (Cerberus). He hallucinates about the militiamen that he killed in the church and the altar boy, who tells him to “Go fast.”

Flashback
Eko washes his hands in holy water inside the church. When told by the altar boy that it was wrong he responds by telling him that he was “washing away his sins.” When the militia aggravates the villagers Eko tells them that he is not afraid. The main militiaman shoots a woman to prove that he is not to be taken lightly.

Juliet brings Jack a cheeseburger but their discussion is interrupted by Ben who wants to talk alone calling it, “Doctor / Patient confidentiality.” Ben explains how his intricate plan to convince Jack to perform his spinal surgery was ruined when Jack saw the x-rays. Ben tells Jack that he wants Jack to want to save him.

Locke, Desmond, Sayid, Paulo and Nikki catch up to Eko on their way to the Pearl hatch. Eko attacks Locke when he asks if he is looking for his brother, Yemi.

Flashback
Eko brutally kills three militiamen with a machete inside the church after arranging plans to sell vaccines.

At the Pearl Hatch, Nikki watches the Pearl Orientation Film as Sayid, Desmond and Locke examine the electrical wiring. Nikki asks what the other TV’s are for and repeats from the film that there are six stations or projects. Sayid plays with the wiring and a static feed appears on one of the other six screens. They see a room full of working computers in the background and a terminal on a table. Suddenly, a man with an eye-patch over right eye enters the picture.

Juliet brings the video equipment into the observation room and tells Jack that she is going to play the classic movie “To Kill A Mockingbird” for him. Jack wants nothing to do with a movie and refuses but Juliet convinces him to watch. While outwardly and in front of the cameras Juliet tells Jack how wonderful Ben is and how it is imperative that he do the surgery the TV shows Juliet with cue cards that say exactly the opposite of what she is telling Jack.

Flashback
Some villagers are boarding up the entrance to the church. Eko is confused as to why. He is told that the church can no longer be used, as it has been rendered unholy. Anima, the woman from the clinic, tells Eko that he owes Yemi a church.

Eko sees Yemi in the jungle and follows him to field of red flowers. When Eko refuses to ask for forgiveness Yemi says, “You speak to me as if I were your brother!” The illusion is broken and the black smoke rises up out of the jungle and attacks Eko. When Locke finds Eko dying on the jungle floor Eko whispers to him and Locke seems very surprised by what he has heard. Eko then unexpectedly dies! When Sayid asks Locke what Eko whispered he replies, “He said, we’re next!”

Observations:

1) Episode 210 “The 23rd Psalm” played a prominent role again in this week’s episode. I think the creators were trying to give Eko as much airtime as possible as they knew this might be his last. In fact, Eko even repeats the words from the psalm, as he lies dying on the jungle floor. It is also engraved on Eko’s Jesus stick.

2) During Colleen Picket’s funeral a number of odd unrelated occurrences took place. All the Others, and Jack, were wearing white linen clothing which to me, at least, appeared Druidic. Then in the very same scene Colleen’s body is placed upon a funeral pyre on a straw (?) boat and lit on fire just before it is pushed out to sea. This is reminiscent of the Viking tradition of burning the dead at sea. About ten years ago my wife and I lived in San Diego County. Every once in a while we’d go by a place called Swami’s in Encinitas. For those of you who don’t know Swami’s it has a great surfing beach and was immortalized by the Beach Boys in a number of their songs. But I digress; the clothing worn at the funeral reminded me of the World Brotherhood group that has a temple at Swami’s. They too wore similar clothing and one of their major “philosophies” was called the Path of Self-Realization. This seems very apropos to our Lost storyline. Perhaps, self-realization is more important than we might think. A few last words… Swami’s was named after Swami Paramhansa Yogananda one of the first Swami’s to venture into the western world. Also, in many cultures, white is the funeral color, which might explain the white clothing. Embracing this Eastern practice would be in keeping with other themes associated with the Others (the Dharma Initiative for example).

3) It appears that Juliet has an agenda of her own and it doesn’t seem to include Benjamin Linus. Is she working to rid the Others of a tyrant or is she the usurper with a plan to take over? It looks like she may not be as nice as she pretends to be. During a discussion with Jack Juliet talks to Jack but her home movie tells a different story. She tells Jack that Ben is a great man and that he deserves to live but her cue cards certainly don’t back up that notion. There is an apparent ruthlessness to Juliet’s plan as outlined in the cue cards. One thing to keep in mind, however, is that Ben is a skilled con man Juliet’s behavior may be part of some elaborate plan on his part. Juliet’s animosity towards Ben could be a ploy.

4) Juliet’s cue cards read: “Ignore everything I’m saying”, “Ben is a liar”, “And he is very dangerous”, “Some of us want a change”, “But it has to look like an accident”, “It has to look like we tried to save him”, “And that’s up to you, Jack”, “It’s a complicated surgery. No one would ever know”, “And I would protect you”, and “Now tell me to turn off the movie”

5) There appears to be a strange dichotomy between Juliet and Ben. When Jack is not present Ben and Juliet treat each other as equals. However, when Jack is present Juliet takes on a subservient role. Is this part of her plan to look less threatening? This alone could make a strong case for the power struggle scenario that I formulated last week. No, Juliet is not nice!
6) We now know why Eko was building a church on the island. In the Nigerian village the woman who runs the clinic (Anima) tells Eko that killing the men inside the church renders it unhallowed ground and unusable as a church. She also tells him that he owes his brother a church. When he begins building the church on the island it is for his brother, Yemi, and to clear that debt.

7) Ben must have some connection to the outside world otherwise he would not know what Jack’s wife looked like. It begins to look like the large folder of information Juliet had on Jack is real and not fabricated at all. Does that mean they have dossiers on all the Survivors? They know Sun’s entire name and Sawyer’s real name so it is possible.

8) Eko is only the second person on the island to be killed by the smoke monster. The pilot of Oceanic 815 was the first. With the death of Eko only Bernard remains from the Tallies group on the island. It should be noted though that Bernard was officially a fuselage member and was only in the tail section because he was using the restroom. (Side note: The actor Greg Grunberg who played the pilot now plays Matt Parkman, the telepathic cop on “Heroes”.)

9) Eko’s last words may have been directed only to John Locke and not the other Survivors. Eko may have said, “you’re next” which Locke interpreted as “we’re next.”

10) When Locke and Eko remove the rocks from the entrance to the plane they are recreating an act from the Bible. When the rock was removed from Jesus’ tomb his body was also not found in the tomb. This would hold exceptional significance to a Priest like Yemi.

11) As part of a deception to hide her real message Juliet offers to show Jack the movie “To Kill a Mockingbird.” This Harper Lee novel is the story of young outsiders who are taught by their father to practice sympathy and understanding and that experience with hatred and intolerance should not discourage their faith in human goodness. Is this then a subtle hint by Juliet perhaps?

12) The scene in which Juliet displays her “cue cards” for Jack reminded me of the Bob Dylan video of “Subterranean Homesick Blues.” How absolutely appropriate this is in this circumstance! I’ve been calling the Hydra Station cells the subterranean area for weeks now and who could be more homesick than Jack! (Even if it is only for the island next door!)

The Questions:

1) Why did Eko die? It appears that the Island has risen up and killed Eko, or at least the black smoke has. But the smoke had looked into Eko’s mind before and did not harm him. And Eko did not seem frightened of it at the time. When Locke tells Eko it saw it once too and that it was beautiful Eko tells him that this was not what he saw. If the island had the ability to scan his mind it would have known where his heart lies. Did Eko die because he refused to confess? That would mean that the black smoke (or the island) knows right from wrong or, at least, has a sense of morality. There is more to this then we are being allowed to see. I confess to being confused!

2) Was the image of Yemi a manifestation of the Security System? Is the black smoke sentient? Is it sentient AND a moral confessor of some sort? Cerberus acts based on the actions of the individual that it comes in contact with. It recreates an image of some past act or person wronged in which forgiveness is sought. The black smoke refrains from attacking Eko until he refuses to apologize for what he did to Yemi. When Eko confesses to being proud of protecting his brother Cerberus attacks.

3) How did the eye-patch man in the other hatch know that he was being watched? You can’t see someone watching you on a camera pointed at you! Unless there is a bank of additional monitors in his hatch and the Pearl is being monitored I just can’t see how this could be explained. It should be noted however that the cameras in Jack's cell shows a blinking red light. This may indicate when the camera is in use.

4) And who is this guy? I want to call him Eye-Patch Man but that is so cliché. Should we call him “The Pirate?” (Argghh… or ARG for those Lost Experience players.) There is no doubt that he is wearing a Dharma logo jumpsuit very similar to Desmond’s and Kelvin’s. But at what station is he located? In the Episode 207 “The Other 48 Days” the Tailies finds a glass eye in their abandoned station. Perhaps it belongs to the Eye-Patch Man. And really, who is this guy?

5) Who among the Others is in Juliet’s camp? Does Juliet want to stay on the island? And Ben wants to leave? Why else would Ben want the boat so badly?

6) And why is Ben so dangerous? He must have a collection of Ethan’s and Goodwin’s following him. Mr. Friendly and Danny Picket are most likely in Ben’s camp but I’m no too certain of that either.

7) If the island has curative powers which we think it does (Locke, Rose, Jin, and Charlie have benefited from its restorative powers) why can’t it fix Ben’s tumor?

8) Juliet may be conning Ben. It seems to me that Ben had a plan set in motion to convince Jack to do his surgery and to make Jack think he wanted to. Juliet upended that scenario when she “mistakenly” allowed Jack to see Ben’s
x-rays. This was most likely done on purpose as we now see that Juliet would rather see Ben die than continue to lead the Others. Why is there so much friction between them? Does Juliet truly plan to remain on the island? Or does she have an entirely different agenda?

9) Despite Jack’s hatred for Ben I am not certain he would break his oath as a doctor to intentionally kill Ben, even under the guise of an accident or an act of God during surgery. At a guess, I’m going to stick my neck out and predict that Jack does do the surgery on Ben but it is successful and he lives. This would, of course, alienate Juliet but I think Jack may have a plan (or con) of his own up his sleeve. Juliet is also a doctor and presumably has taken the Hippocratic oath. Does she hate Ben that much that she would break her oath? What could possibly convince Jack to break his to help her? What is really at stake there?

10) What or who started the fire outside of the tent that Eko was recuperating in? Did the island also do this to get Eko moving towards the plane? Or did the island deliberately send Eko towards the black smoke security system known as Cerberus? Is the black smoke contained to only certain areas of the island (an electronic leash)?

11) How did Desmond know that the computers in the hatches were used to communicate between stations? Did he have another moment of precognition? And why did he feel it necessary to question Locke’s reasons for going to the Pearl Hatch?

12) And where are Michael and Walt?

Quotes:

1) Sayid asks of Eko, “What happened to him?” and Charlie responds, “Before or after we saved him from the polar bear cave?”

2) Locke: “Don’t mistake coincidence for fate!”

3) Ben: “Do you believe in God, Jack? Two days after I found out I had a tumor a spinal doctor fell out of the sky!”

4) When Locke sees the eye-patch man in the closed-circuit monitor he says, “I guess he’ll be expecting us!”

Bonus Section:

THE HYDRA STATION (ISLAND)

The first time I saw the Hydra Station logo my mind wandered to the idea of the many-headed organism of the same name. The Dharma logo itself (shown above) depicts six heads but in Greek mythology the number of heads deviated from five up to one hundred. While there are many versions of the hydra nine is generally accepted as the standard number of heads. With that in mind we must consider that there are a number of “heads” to the Lost Hydra Station. I can think of two major components to the Hydra: The Subterranean Area, which contains the aquarium tanks and cells and the Aboveground Compound, which contains the cages and shower room, etc. With that in mind I’d like to examine the known “heads” of the Hydra Station and their components.

The Hydra Station, or Hydra Island, appears to be an experimental facility, primarily for the containment and study of sea creatures like sharks and dolphins in subterranean tanks and for land creatures like bears in aboveground cages. Both the tanks and the cages appear to have been abandoned and in disuse for quite some time. While not pictured on the Blast Door Map the Hydra station is obviously a facility run by the Others and is used for specific operational purposes. It appears to act as some sort of command post for the leaders of the Others. The Hydra Station was probably excluded from the map in the Swan Hatch because Radzinsky and Kelvin did not know of its existence and because of its remoteness and distance to the hatch. At first, the Hydra appeared to be a DHARMA station (see Episode 301 “A Tale of Two Cities”) but was revealed later (Episode 304 “Every Man For Himself”) to be on a smaller second island next to the main Island. Jack, Kate, Sawyer and possibly Karl, an Other, are presently being held captive in various locations on this station. Its original purpose is yet unknown. There are no animals apparently present there now but both Tom and Juliet have mentioned animals in conversations regarding the station. There is no indication that an Orientation Film has been produced for the Hydra Station.

ARCHITECTURE AND LAYOUT:

The Hydra Station architecture and layout can be broken down into two key sections each with different sub-sections. The Subterranean Area is composed of 1) the Aquarium and its tanks and cells, 2) the Connecting Hallways and Exterior Hatches, 3) the Monitoring Station and 4) an unknown location for docking the submarine. The Aboveground Compound is composed of 1) the Cages, 2) the Locker Rooms and Walkways, 3) the Operating Room, and 4) the Work Site (landing strip work area).

The Subterranean Area is where Jack is being held captive and where Ben monitors at least six different (and probably more) locations on the Island. Kate and Sawyer are being held in the Aboveground Compound.

SUBTERRANEAN AREA

1) AQUARIUM / TANKS / CELLS

During Jack’s “interview” with Juliet she tells him that his cell/tank was previously used to contain sharks and dolphins. During the escape attempt by Michael, Jin and Sawyer on the raft, a shark with a Dharma logo was seen. This shark was most likely housed at the Hydra subterranean area at one time.

Jack’s cell contains a very old intercom system that Juliet says no longer works. But Jack has heard through this “broken” intercom speaker on different occasions random voices, the voice of his father, Christian, and that of Sawyer when Ben had him tied to a table for his “pacemaker” experiment.

This area also has electricity as Ben has used a television set and recording device to show Jack the World Series and cartoons. It also has a multi-channel mixing board. Presumably, this equipment is used to communicate or converse with the animals.

2) EXTERIOR HATCHES AND CONNECTING HALLWAYS

a) There is at least one exterior hatch that opens to the ocean. This is the hatch that Jack opened when he was trying to escape. Opening this hatch flooded the hallways with water, which was then emptied when Juliet had Jack “press the button.” A red emergency button in this area apparently activates a pumping system to flush water from the entire station. I find it odd that Jack would “press the button” without at least some explanation or an argument.

b) There is at least one exterior hatch from above that leads to the cage area above ground. Colleen comes down this hatch when she advises Ben about the sailboat. This may be an exit to the zoological compound above or may be connected to the operating room(s).

c) It seems that the hallways connect to the exterior hatches, cells/tanks and the monitoring station. There is a hallway between Jack’s cell and the monitoring station. This hallway also looks like it contains both the hatch to the ocean and the overhead hatch to the aboveground area.

d) There is some speculation as to what is found in the hallway beyond Jack’s glass enclosure. It seems logical that this is a hallway that connects to the other hallways in the area.

I also think that when the Subterranean Area was in working order scuba divers could come and go freely in the hallways and through the hatch that leads to the ocean. The Others may not have usable scuba gear, which keeps them from using the underwater hatch.

3) MONITORING STATION
(Ben’s Monitoring Room)

This room, located in the Hydra Station, first appears in Episode 302 “The Glass Ballerina.” It is seen being used by Benjamin Linus, who is observing a panel of six security monitors. They seem to be live feeds from security cameras, complete with sound, in a setup very similar to that of the Pearl Station. The cameras monitor, among other things, various rooms in the Hydra subterranean area and the aboveground cages.

Monitoring Station Video Feeds:

Benjamin Linus is monitoring six different labeled monitors with various locations of the island shown on closed circuit monitors:

1) The jungle area where Jin and Sayid are waiting for the Others near the Pala Ferry and their large bonfire. The images intermittently cycle and cameras #1 and #3 rotate between two jungle shots and two hallway shots in the Hydra.
2) Jack in the corner of his cell in the subterranean area in the Hydra Station.
3) An unknown jungle location with a person in the center of a clearing, which could be Alex. Cameras #1 and #3 rotate between two jungle shots and two hallway shots in the Hydra.
4) A strange compound location not yet seen. May also have a damaged feed, but could be observing the section Jack is held in, or one like it.
5) Sawyer in his cage at the zoo talking to Kate.
6) Kate in her cage at the zoo talking to Sawyer.

(The room may also be linked to the cameras in the Swan Station or Pearl Station.)

4) SUBMARINE DOCKING STATION

While we have not yet seen this area (and may never) the mention of a submarine means that they need to have a place to dock it. This is only a guess but there must be some place where they park their submarine. It is possible that the submarine dock is near the aboveground compound. The submarine explains how the Others were able to board Desmond’s sailboat and take it from Sun without being detected.

ABOVEGROUND COMPOUND

The aboveground compound contains several animal cages and other structures including the locker room and a canopied walkway. There is also an unidentified large building near Sawyer’s cage. The walkway leads to the locker rooms and operating room(s) in one direction and to the beach where Ben tried to feed Kate breakfast in the other.

1) THE CAGES

There are two cages in the aboveground compound that are located near the canopied walkway and the large unexplained building. Currently, these two cages are being used to detain both Sawyer and Kate. When Sawyer escaped, with Karl’s help, we saw that there were at least three or more additional cages in the compound. Two, for example, looked to be for the containment of birds.

a) Sawyer’s Cage

This cage is reminiscent of the Skinner box, which has been discussed here before. The conditioning actions resulted in the “reward” of food and water, which Sawyer figured out with relative ease by manipulating the buttons and levers. It was also revealed by Tom (Mr. Friendly or Zeke) that the cages used to house bears and that it took them only a few hours to figure out how to obtain the food and water. This cage probably held polar bears and the feed, fish biscuits and water were probably supplied to feed these animals.

There had to have been at least two bears in each cage because of the far-removed controls that had to be operated. There are three control mechanisms in the cage. The first is a large rust colored button with a knife and fork imprinted on it, the second is a foot pedal and the third a large lever. After trial and error and by manipulating all three mechanisms in a particular order Sawyer is rewarded with food. The most probable purpose of the controls in the cage is to study cooperative behavior between two or more individuals.

The “reward” music is “The Thunderer,” written by John Philip Sousa in 1889. Why polar bears would need reward music, or any type of music for that matter, is beyond me.

b) Karl/Kate’s Cage

This cage is a long thin cage (as opposed to Sawyer’s square cage) and has blocks of various heights and sizes. It should be noted that so far, everyone who has been placed in this cage has escaped. Karl escaped by picking the lock and Kate by squeezing out through the bars at the top of the cage. This cage looks like it may have contained large cats. Karl’s captivity is still under debate. Some believe that he was a plant for some reason and others that he is an Other that was being punished for unacceptable behavior.

c) Bird cages (2)

During Sawyer’s escape, which was affected by Karl we saw a number of other cages in the compound. At least two of the cages looked like large aviaries and probably housed birds. This could be where the large green bird that called Hurley’s name was housed.

d) Unknown Cage

Again, during Sawyer’s unsuccessful escape we witness a number of other cages. One cage was as big, or bigger, than the cage holding Sawyer and may have held larger animals like boar or horses.

All the cages in the aboveground compound look to be abandoned and have not been used for quite some time. Whether or not the Others have ever used the cages for anything other than confining prisoners remains to be seen.

2) THE LOCKER ROOMS AND WALKWAYS (CANOPY)

Near the cages where Sawyer and Kate are imprisoned is a large building that contains a locker room and shower stalls. This is where Kate first wakes up after being taken to the Hydra Station by the Others. This facility seems large, contains a number of shower stalls and locker banks and has hot water. Like the cages the locker room and shower stalls look like they have not been used in quite some time.

The walkways seem to separate different areas of the compound. It is also likely that the operating room(s) may be found inside the same large building as the locker room and showers.

3) THE OPERATING ROOM (S)

During Jack’s stay in the operating room I got the impression that there is more than the one operating room. This is only a guess but seems logical. I assume that these are veterinarian operating rooms and used entirely for surgery on animals. This room was revealed when Jack was asked to perform surgery on Colleen after being shot by Sun. It also seems probable that there is an x-ray machine in the facility as x-ray images are shown near the operating rooms. This room may have been for observation or teaching during veterinary operations.

One caveat should be given here as the monitoring device and medical tools, which Jack used went un-remarked during the surgery. I am not a surgeon but do believe that the surgical implements and monitors used for humans are different from those used for animals. Jack would have mentioned it if the tools were not the same type he was used to using.

4) THE WORK SITE (Landing Strip?)

Close to the Hydra compound is an area where a great deal of manual labor is taking place. Sawyer and Kate are taken here and forced to work at taser-point. Both Lostpedia and Wikipedia indicate that the work site is a small rock quarry where the Others are working to clear the area for some kind of construction. I maintain that it is a landing strip of some type and that they are removing rocks and leveling it for a future landing. Danny Pickett appears to be the project supervisor and is nearby during every scene at the location. Of importance is the fact that many of the Others are also working on this same site. This would indicate that it is not an experiment or test but being readied for some real and tangible reason.

HYDRA – What’s in a name?

* The Hydra, which lived in the swamps near Lerna in Argolis, is a terrifying creature from Greek mythology with several serpent-like heads (the number of which deviates from five up to one hundred.) When one was cut off, three more would grow back in its place. It was also said that no weapon could harm it. This is one of several references to Greek mythology from the show (see also: Persephone, Apollo, Penelope and Cerberus).

* Hydra viridissima - The Hydra is a freshwater invertebrate capable of regenerating amputated tentacles. Hydras are predatory animals and biologists are especially interested in them because of their regenerative powers. Hydras have two main body layers: An outer layer and an inner layer. (Perhaps the Lost Hydra Station resembles the animal?) It has often been assumed that hydra are unique among the animals in that they don't undergo senescence (aging), and so are biologically immortal.

* Mother Hydra, is co-ruler of the Deep One race and consort of Father Dagon in the fictional Cthulhu mythos by H.P. Lovecraft. (The Deep Ones are a race of frog-like, ocean-dwelling creatures with an affinity for mating with humans.)

* Hydra is also the third moon of the now dwarf planet Pluto. It was named after Hydra, the monster that guarded the waters of Pluto/Hades's underworld in Greco-Roman Mythology. He abducted Persephone and her mother Demeter.

* Both Cerberus and Hydra were monster offspring of Typhon (had 100 heads) & Echidna (half maiden - half serpent), and both were killed by Hercules as part of his 12 Labors.

* The Hydra is also the largest of the modern star constellations. (The Arrow and The Swan are also constellations.) The constellation Hydra resembles a twisting snake, and features as such in some Greek myths. In Greek mythology, a crow serves Apollo. It is sent to fetch water, but it rests lazily on the journey, and after finally obtaining the water in a cup, takes back a water snake as well, as an excuse. According to the myth, Apollo saw through the fraud, and angrily cast the crow, cup, and snake, into the sky.

*HYDRA is an evil terrorist organization in the Marvel Universe bent on world domination. Despite the capitalization, the name is not an acronym, but rather a reference to the mythical Lernaean Hydra. The organization's motto references the myth of the Hydra, proclaiming that if a head is cut off, two more will take its place, proclaiming their resilience and growing strength in the face of resistance.

Animals of the Lost Kingdom
(This is not an advertisement)

The Hydra Station may be where all the animals on the Islands originated. It is possible that during some cataclysm (an electromagnetic anomaly, for instance) the animals that were being kept at the Hydra Station escaped into the wild. There is also supporting evidence to the contrary since a large body of water separates the two islands.

1) Juliet tells Jack that his cell was one used to hold sharks and dolphins. The sound equipment present here leads to two conclusions: a) that the equipment was used to control aquatic animals (like a radio-controlled shark) or b) used to communicate with sea creatures and perhaps attempt to understand their languages.

2) There may also be more animals still loose on the islands. When Tom mentions the bears to Sawyer and Kate, Sawyer asks, "How many were there?" only to get no response. The additional cages we’ve seen support this idea.

3) Tom tells Sawyer that “the bears” (plural) figured out the food mechanism in two hours. Therefore, there were at least two bears, if not more.

4) The name “Hydra” suggests that the station might specifically be for making animals more resistant to the environment or more recuperative upon injury. (The mythological Hydra being very difficult to kill). This fits the Hanso Foundation image seen in the Lost Experience and might explain what polar bears are doing in the temperate jungle.

5) The animals that were on the island prior to the crash of Oceanic 815 are: two polar bears, boars, a large green bird and a black horse. Whether they all came from the Hydra Station remains to be seen.

Correction to Newsletter 304: Every Man For Himself

In the last newsletter I misidentified the cartoon Jack is being shown in Episode 304 “Every Man For Himself.” It is not a Heckyl and Jeckyl cartoon but a Merrie Melody cartoon called “A Corny Concerto.” This is a two-part cartoon featuring “Tales From the Vienna Woods” and “The Blue Danube.” Jack is watching “The Blue Danube.” The below italicized section is from the Wikipedia entry for this cartoon. (Thanks to Lobster Johnson for the correction!) After the Wikipedia article is a bit of Lost interpretation by yours truly!

“A Corny Concerto
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Merrie Melodies series

A Corny Concerto is a 1943 Merrie Melodies cartoon made by Warner Bros. The cartoon was directed by Bob Clampett and written by Frank Tashlin. It features music that was composed by Johann Strauss, and was intended as a parody of Disney's Fantasia and so displays a great degree of timing with the music.

The Parts
Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
The cartoon is narrated by Elmer Fudd, who is constantly trying to control his tuxedo (specifically, his shirt) as he introduces the two pieces about to be shown (This adds to the parody of Fantasia with Fudd as the maestro). In the interlude, he winds up ripping his shirt off in an attempt to keep it in place.

Tales from the Vienna Woods

Bugs in the middle again.
Set to the tune of Tales from the Vienna Woods, Porky Pig and his hunting dog (who is unnamed) are hunting for Bugs Bunny (with Porky holding up a sign saying, "I'm hunting that @#$! rabbit" and the dog holds a sign of his own simply saying "Ditto", in keeping with the non-dialogue of the cartoon). Bugs, dancing to the time of the music, manages to continue outwitting both Porky and his hunting dog. At one point, for example, the dog points to a bush where Bugs is hiding. Bugs then holds up a sign, "It ain't polite to point!" and scampers off.

Towards the end, a single gunshot goes off, with all three characters thinking they got shot. Both Porky and his dog look and see there's no damage. Bugs looks, and acts like he's shot, falling to the ground. Porky and the dog start mourning Bugs, with Porky trying to undo Bugs' fingers around his chest. However, once he does so, Bugs reveals he has a bra underneath! He screams as if he's a woman, knocks Porky and the dog to the ground, and dances off.

The Blue Danube

Set to the tune of The Blue Danube, this cartoon tells the tale of The Ugly Duckling. In this case, a mother swan is leading her children along a river, when a small black duck (Daffy Duck, according to later historians) tries to tag along with them. The mother duck shooes the duck away. When the black duck tries again, with his underwater bubble tactic, the mother duck gets angry at the duck that's the cause of the bubble mess (himself encased in a bubble), and sends him back to the water.

A large vulture hangs in the distance, spotting the troupe. At one time he sprinkles salt and pepper on one of the ducklings, but too much pepper causes the duckling to sneeze. Then, one by one, the vulture picks off the baby swans, and at one point he picks up the black duck, but returns him, labeling the duck with a "4F" (unfit for military service). The mother swan sees the ducklings missing and goes into a panic, not knowing where her children are (at one point, picking up the black duck as if he was an inanimate object). The black duck sees the vulture, and immediately becomes angry. Flying off (for a few moments resembling a P-40 Warhawk fighter), the duck chases after the vulture, who turns yellow and drops the baby swans, who each have a parachute which lets them drop safely. The duck chases after the vulture, who gets knocked out. He then hands the vulture a drum of TNT and drops him from the sky, causing the vulture to die and play a harp in heaven. The cartoon ends with the black duck finally being allowed to tag along with the swan and her children - with only the duck's shadow having a hard time keeping up with the rest of them.”

An Alternative View of the Blue Danube and The Lost Connection:

This may be considered an exercise in stretching… If you replace the vulture with the Others and the “swans” with the Survivors on the island you’ll begin to see the correlation. The Mother Swan is, of course, John Locke the protector. The black 4F duck is most likely Desmond (not fit for military duty – kicked out of the military). The underwater bubble may be a representation of scuba gear or the submarine.

So re-written, using the scenario above, The Blue Danube cartoon sounds like this:

The Others hang in the distance, spotting the Survivors. At one time The Others try to capture one of the Survivors, but their plan fails. Then, one by one, the Others pick off members of the Survivors, and at one point The Others pick up Desmond, but return him, labeling him with a “4F.” John Locke sees that the Survivors are missing and goes into a panic, not knowing where the captive Survivors are (at one point, treating Desmond as if he was an inanimate object). Locke sees the Others, and immediately becomes angry. Locke chases after the Others, who turn yellow and drop the captive Survivors, who return safely. Locke chases after the Others, and knocks them out. He then hands the Others a drum of TNT causing the Others to die. Desmond is finally allowed to tag along with Locke and the Survivors - with only the Desmond’s shadow having a hard time keeping up with the rest of them.

Breakdown:
1) “The Others hang in the distance spotting the Survivors” – Obviously, Ben and his monitoring / observation cameras.
2) “The Others try to capture one of the Survivors” – This would be Ben’s unsuccessful attempt to capture Jack but he is caught himself in Rousseau’s net and imprisoned.
3) “The Others pick off members” – The deaths of Ana-Lucia and Libby, the capture of Kate, Jack, Sawyer and Hurley and the release of Michael and Walt.
4) “The Others pick up Desmond” – Remember Desmond is one of the few people on the Island that has been injecting himself with the serum on a regular basis.
5) “labeling him with a “4F”” – This may have dual meaning. Desmond was removed from the Scottish Army thus removed from or unfit for military service. The second meaning may be that Desmond is unfit for the experiments the Others are conducting.
6) Locke goes into a panic when he finds some of the Survivors are missing – Obviously, the hunter will be going after the Others very soon.
7) Locke treats “Desmond as if he was an inanimate object” – Locke used Desmond to close off the Swan Hatch and lock Eko out.

The rest of the scenario is based on speculation, as the events have not yet occurred:

8) Locke becomes angry and chases after the Others.
9) When he does the Others panic and release the captive Survivors.
10) Locke destroys the Others.
11) Desmond becomes a full-time member of the Survivors.
12) Desmond’s shadow is probably Penelope who is following him and trying to find him.

The Alternative One
Kenosha, Wisconsin
November 2nd, 2006

P.S. I am looking for suggestions on what to include in next weeks Newsletter (and yes I will be sending a newsletter each week during the hiatus.) If anyone has any ideas or subjects you’d like me to discuss please feel free to e-mail me.

And good news for you “Firefly” and “Serenity” fans: Our good Captain Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) will be appearing in the next episode of Lost (306 “I Do”) as someone from a Kate flashback.

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The Alternative One – dharmapoet@wi.rr.com