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