May 17th 2007 Josh Holloway on The View (Official Site)
May 21st 2007 Evangeline Lilly on Live with Regis and Kelly (Official Site)
May 21st 2007 Jorge Garcia on Jimmy Kimmel Live! (Official Site)
May 22nd 2007 Dominic Monaghan on The View (Official Site)
May 23rd 2007 Elizabeth Mitchell on The View (Official Site)
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Monday, May 14, 2007
Embrace Thy Nerdiness
Alright look. Ever since I started this blog, a lot of people have been pointing out what a dork I am. And they're probably right. It's kind of a wonder I don't have braces, live in my parents basement and play Dungeons and Dragons.
Here's the deal. I had to get a new wireless router last week, which meant setting up a new wireless network in my apartment, which meant renaming my router and thus renaming my whole wireless network. So on this list of available networks in my apartment complex, I have the coolest.
The proof:
Yeah that's right. My router is the Dharma router. I should secure that with "Smokey" as the password (get it!? Island security system/Wireless security system).
Wow.
Charlie.
Here's the deal. I had to get a new wireless router last week, which meant setting up a new wireless network in my apartment, which meant renaming my router and thus renaming my whole wireless network. So on this list of available networks in my apartment complex, I have the coolest.
The proof:
Yeah that's right. My router is the Dharma router. I should secure that with "Smokey" as the password (get it!? Island security system/Wireless security system).
Wow.
Charlie.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Some Light Afternoon Reading...
One of the best theories I have read so far. Enjoy! -M
Let's go back to shortly after the turn of the Twentieth century, the days of Einstein and other early theoretical physicists. This was the dawn of the age of quantum mechanics, which provided new understanding and insight into physics at the sub-atomic level. New mathematics described the behavior of the tiny particles that make up all of matter in the universe. The math was clearly described in terms of numbers, symbols, formulas... however the application to nature as we know it was strange, weird, bizarre. It was very difficult to wrap the human brain around many of the concepts of quantum mechanics, and the math alone was inadequate to explain the problems.
Thus, physicists and mathematicians turned to "Gedanken" Experiments, German for "Thought" Experiments. Applying the known concepts of quantum mechanics to situations in the "real world" allowed a conversation to take place in a way most anybody could (sort of) understand.
Before I lose you, here is an example. In the mathematics of quantum physics, time travel is THEORETICALLY possible. One of the most famous Gedanken Experiments is the Grandfather Paradox: If you could travel back in time, could you kill your grandfather?
Logic tells you that no, you could not, for if you did, you would not exist. (Pause here and consider why Locke insists that "he can't" kill his father, he needs somebody else to do it.)
The beautiful thing about Gedanken Experiments is that they are both scientific and philosophical, perfect fodder for a creative writer. In the case of the Grandfather Paradox, while they logic is clear, the actual experience of it is a mystery. Imagine actually standing there in the past, holding a loaded gun to the head of your grandfather... what would actually prevent you? "Something" would, some unknown mechanism of physics... and that is where the writers of "Lost" imagine for us.
"Lost" is a grand Gedanken Experiment, a test of science and philosophy. It asks the question, What if time travel were not only possible, but real, with technology developed in a manner as realistic and consistent with known theoretical physics as possible? And to make it even more dramatic, What if you could travel back in time, AND NOT KNOW IT?
The passengers of Flight 815 have done exactly that, and the writers have made the audience go along with them, sharing the same sense of confusion and mystery.
Let's talk about what we know about time travel today. We are not talking about cheesy movies of the past, where one can travel back to the age of dinosaurs or the middle ages. In fact, in the "real" science of time travel, a few things are known by the constraints of physics and quantum mechanics.
There is a conceptual model of a real time machine, and it works something like this:
A time machine must have two parts, essentially two portals, connected by a wormhole (or black hole or whatever you want to call it).
->Door #1 is built alongside Door #2. Door #1 is allowed to continue along the "present" timeline.
->Door #2 is encapsulated in a bubble within space-time, thus separated from the present timeline. This would require a great amount of energy and technology obviously unknown today... but thanks to the writers of "Lost," it has been solved by Dharma Industries.
The amount of separation would be only slight to begin with... say, 108 minutes. Since Door #1 exists in the present timeline, it can safely be located anywhere (Dharma headquarters?). Door #2, now operating in a different place in space-time, in the past, must be safely located in a remote location, for any type of interaction with it from the outside could be catastrophic. There is a very important concept in time travel here, which is that you can NEVER travel back further in time than the creation of your time machine; hence the impossibility of visiting the dinosaurs, etc.
Now, if the two doors of your time machine were separated by only 108 minutes at the initial "event", but then allowed to just sit there, then both timelines would progress at the same pace, forever separated by only 108 minutes. Traveling to the past, but only by 108 minutes, would not be very interesting. Much more exciting would be to keep Door #2 back at the original time of its inception, while Door #1 continues to move forward in time. You could do this by continually "resetting" the clock on Door #2. Over time, the separation between the two doors would grow and grow, from minutes, to hours, to days, to years.
If you actually had the technology to achieve time travel in this manner, there are MANY profound questions you would have to test and answer in order to be confident that you could safely operate the time machine without catastrophically altering the future.
The Grandfather Paradox is the most obvious, but actually only one of many questions.
ANSWER #1: What is the Dharma Initiative? It is the building and testing of a time machine, as described above. Door #1 is at the Dharma Headquarters, Door #2 is on the Island in the remote South Pacific. The question isn't, Where is the Island? The question is, When is the Island? The answer to that depends on how long ago, in the present timeline, the time machine was created... approximately 14 years ago, I believe.
ANSWER #2: Why must the button be pushed every 108 minutes? This "resets" the clock of Door #2 of the time machine, essentially holding it at the time of its inception in the relative past. If allowed to pass 108 minutes on the clock, then the time machine will lose the ability to reset itself. Why, then, must it be pressed by a person, and not just programmed to reset itself? This is because the controllers at Door #1 do not have control over Door #2 in the past, and should disaster strike, and nobody is left alive in the past at Door #2, it should be allowed to pass 108 minutes and no longer reset.
ANSWER #3: What happened when the clock was allowed to pass 108 minutes? Door #2 of the time machine lost the ability to reset, and will now continue to progress along a timeline into the future, locked at approximately 14 years separation from Door #1. What are some of the other critical questions, like the Grandfather Paradox, that must be answered when considering time travel? Here is a great one: What if a childless woman travels back in time and conceives a child?
ANSWER #4: A childless woman cannot travel to the past and conceive a child, because if she did, she would not have been a childless woman. In "Lost", both mother and child die before the birth, thus preserving the timeline and laws of nature. Perhaps the Others do not fully understand this, and brought in fertility doctor Juliet to see if they can overcome this obstacle. Consider another: What if a child travels back to a time before he or she was born? Perhaps nothing... but what if the child dies in the past, before being born? Again, impossible.
ANSWER #5: The Others abduct children on the Island to protect them at all costs, for they cannot allow the catastrophic violation of the laws of nature of a child dying before being conceived. And yet another: If you travel to the past, will you be the "you" of the present timeline when you arrive, or the younger "you" of the past, or some combination of the two? I do not know, but I believe this offers insight into why John Locke can walk on the Island despite being paralyzed.
ANSWER #6: Locke can walk not because the Island has powers to cure, but because he has traveled back to a time BEFORE he was ever paralyzed. He is somehow a blend of the Locke of the present and the Locke of the past.
Who is Ben?
I believe he is the creator of the time machine. The Others are his associates living in the time-space bubble around the Island and Door #2 of the time machine in the "past." They are managing it and testing the effects of time travel, and strictly controlling who exits this bubble into the outside world.
How does one arrive at the Island? There are two methods of traveling to the site (and time) of the Island.
->First is the controlled method via Door #1 at Dharma Headquarters. It is not via plane, submarine, or any other traditional method of transportation.
->The other method is in the accidental collision with the time-space bubble that surrounds the Island, as happened with Oceanic Flight 815, the Portuguese woman's helicopter, etc.
Despite the many theories that abound in online forums, the Others did not know that Flight 815 was coming or going to crash at the Island. It was a chance encounter. It was a disaster that created a paradox... what happens to a plane that crashes in the present, while entering the past?
This leads to the question of whether the passengers are alive or dead, answered by talking about a cat. Schrodinger's cat, to be specific. Again, quantum mechanics can be very strange. One of the strangest behaviors in particle physics is known as Superposition, which is the ability of a particle to occupy two different states simultaneously (like up and down, left and right, here and there, etc.). In the world we know, you cannot be both here and there, but in particle physics, a world of probability, chance, and duality, you can.
How can one imagine this? Another great Gedanken Experiment was conceived, as follows: Place a cat in a sealed, steel box, along with a bottle of poison. In addition, a radioactive element is placed within the steel box. The decay of this radioactive element triggers a hammer, which breaks the bottle, releasing the poison and killing the cat.
For the observer, outside of the box, you do not know when this radioactive decay happens. Because of the laws of Superposition, the radioactive element can occupy both states simultaneously, for the briefest moment. For that blink in time, the bottle is both broken and intact... the cat is both dead and alive, at the same time.
This is a puzzle of science, but more important perhaps is the philosophical question of what does it mean to be both dead and alive?
ANSWER #7: The passengers of Oceanic Flight 815 are dead at the bottom of the ocean. AND they are ALIVE on the Island. They are both dead and alive. Since they are alive in the "past" of the Island's timeline, can they return to the present in which they are dead? I guess that is the ultimate question that we will have to watch the show to find out.
A suggestion of an answer is found in Locke's/Sawyer's father. We were led to believe that he died in a car accident, and finds himself here on the Island. Of course he would think he's in hell! We believe that somehow Locke "willed" him here, but that was actually never said on the show. In fact, Ben said to Locke, "you brought him here." Perhaps what he means is this:
ANSWER #8: Locke's father did not die in the accident. I believe that we will find soon that Locke is going to leave the Island. The question that nobody asked Locke's father was when did the accident happen? See, Locke is going to return to the "present" timeline, and is going to pursue his father. He is going to find him, perhaps he is even going to cause his accident. He is going to drug and kidnap him, unable or unwilling to kill him by himself. He is somehow going to get him to Door #1 of the time machine and send him to the Island, where he already knows that Sawyer will kill him. Locke is going to "bring him here" to the Island... he just hasn't done it yet. When he is on the "outside" in the present, why is he going to do this? Because he has to, because it is destiny... for on the Island, it has already happened. You know Locke loves destiny. I could go on and on. Why is there a zoo with polar bears?
ANSWER #9: The animals are on the Island for testing the effects of the various paradoxes associated with time travel. Perhaps another reason is that by keeping and preserving endangered animals, like polar bears, within this bubble in the past, there is a resource for their recovery should they become extinct in the future. Consider it a Noah's Ark. How do the Others know so much about the passengers of Flight 815?
ANSWER #10: The Others have had perhaps years, with Dharma Industries in the present timeline at Door #1, to research each of the individuals, and transmit this information to the Island. To the audience and the survivors of 815, it seemed like the Others instantly knew about them. However, it likely required years of research to compile the files. There are still mysteries that remain, and stories that we do not know how they will play out. With this explanation, though, the behavior of the Others is understood. They must protect the timeline AT ALL COSTS. That makes them seem evil to the survivors of 815, but in reality their intentions are to prevent catastrophe.
Let's go back to shortly after the turn of the Twentieth century, the days of Einstein and other early theoretical physicists. This was the dawn of the age of quantum mechanics, which provided new understanding and insight into physics at the sub-atomic level. New mathematics described the behavior of the tiny particles that make up all of matter in the universe. The math was clearly described in terms of numbers, symbols, formulas... however the application to nature as we know it was strange, weird, bizarre. It was very difficult to wrap the human brain around many of the concepts of quantum mechanics, and the math alone was inadequate to explain the problems.
Thus, physicists and mathematicians turned to "Gedanken" Experiments, German for "Thought" Experiments. Applying the known concepts of quantum mechanics to situations in the "real world" allowed a conversation to take place in a way most anybody could (sort of) understand.
Before I lose you, here is an example. In the mathematics of quantum physics, time travel is THEORETICALLY possible. One of the most famous Gedanken Experiments is the Grandfather Paradox: If you could travel back in time, could you kill your grandfather?
Logic tells you that no, you could not, for if you did, you would not exist. (Pause here and consider why Locke insists that "he can't" kill his father, he needs somebody else to do it.)
The beautiful thing about Gedanken Experiments is that they are both scientific and philosophical, perfect fodder for a creative writer. In the case of the Grandfather Paradox, while they logic is clear, the actual experience of it is a mystery. Imagine actually standing there in the past, holding a loaded gun to the head of your grandfather... what would actually prevent you? "Something" would, some unknown mechanism of physics... and that is where the writers of "Lost" imagine for us.
"Lost" is a grand Gedanken Experiment, a test of science and philosophy. It asks the question, What if time travel were not only possible, but real, with technology developed in a manner as realistic and consistent with known theoretical physics as possible? And to make it even more dramatic, What if you could travel back in time, AND NOT KNOW IT?
The passengers of Flight 815 have done exactly that, and the writers have made the audience go along with them, sharing the same sense of confusion and mystery.
Let's talk about what we know about time travel today. We are not talking about cheesy movies of the past, where one can travel back to the age of dinosaurs or the middle ages. In fact, in the "real" science of time travel, a few things are known by the constraints of physics and quantum mechanics.
There is a conceptual model of a real time machine, and it works something like this:
A time machine must have two parts, essentially two portals, connected by a wormhole (or black hole or whatever you want to call it).
->Door #1 is built alongside Door #2. Door #1 is allowed to continue along the "present" timeline.
->Door #2 is encapsulated in a bubble within space-time, thus separated from the present timeline. This would require a great amount of energy and technology obviously unknown today... but thanks to the writers of "Lost," it has been solved by Dharma Industries.
The amount of separation would be only slight to begin with... say, 108 minutes. Since Door #1 exists in the present timeline, it can safely be located anywhere (Dharma headquarters?). Door #2, now operating in a different place in space-time, in the past, must be safely located in a remote location, for any type of interaction with it from the outside could be catastrophic. There is a very important concept in time travel here, which is that you can NEVER travel back further in time than the creation of your time machine; hence the impossibility of visiting the dinosaurs, etc.
Now, if the two doors of your time machine were separated by only 108 minutes at the initial "event", but then allowed to just sit there, then both timelines would progress at the same pace, forever separated by only 108 minutes. Traveling to the past, but only by 108 minutes, would not be very interesting. Much more exciting would be to keep Door #2 back at the original time of its inception, while Door #1 continues to move forward in time. You could do this by continually "resetting" the clock on Door #2. Over time, the separation between the two doors would grow and grow, from minutes, to hours, to days, to years.
If you actually had the technology to achieve time travel in this manner, there are MANY profound questions you would have to test and answer in order to be confident that you could safely operate the time machine without catastrophically altering the future.
The Grandfather Paradox is the most obvious, but actually only one of many questions.
ANSWER #1: What is the Dharma Initiative? It is the building and testing of a time machine, as described above. Door #1 is at the Dharma Headquarters, Door #2 is on the Island in the remote South Pacific. The question isn't, Where is the Island? The question is, When is the Island? The answer to that depends on how long ago, in the present timeline, the time machine was created... approximately 14 years ago, I believe.
ANSWER #2: Why must the button be pushed every 108 minutes? This "resets" the clock of Door #2 of the time machine, essentially holding it at the time of its inception in the relative past. If allowed to pass 108 minutes on the clock, then the time machine will lose the ability to reset itself. Why, then, must it be pressed by a person, and not just programmed to reset itself? This is because the controllers at Door #1 do not have control over Door #2 in the past, and should disaster strike, and nobody is left alive in the past at Door #2, it should be allowed to pass 108 minutes and no longer reset.
ANSWER #3: What happened when the clock was allowed to pass 108 minutes? Door #2 of the time machine lost the ability to reset, and will now continue to progress along a timeline into the future, locked at approximately 14 years separation from Door #1. What are some of the other critical questions, like the Grandfather Paradox, that must be answered when considering time travel? Here is a great one: What if a childless woman travels back in time and conceives a child?
ANSWER #4: A childless woman cannot travel to the past and conceive a child, because if she did, she would not have been a childless woman. In "Lost", both mother and child die before the birth, thus preserving the timeline and laws of nature. Perhaps the Others do not fully understand this, and brought in fertility doctor Juliet to see if they can overcome this obstacle. Consider another: What if a child travels back to a time before he or she was born? Perhaps nothing... but what if the child dies in the past, before being born? Again, impossible.
ANSWER #5: The Others abduct children on the Island to protect them at all costs, for they cannot allow the catastrophic violation of the laws of nature of a child dying before being conceived. And yet another: If you travel to the past, will you be the "you" of the present timeline when you arrive, or the younger "you" of the past, or some combination of the two? I do not know, but I believe this offers insight into why John Locke can walk on the Island despite being paralyzed.
ANSWER #6: Locke can walk not because the Island has powers to cure, but because he has traveled back to a time BEFORE he was ever paralyzed. He is somehow a blend of the Locke of the present and the Locke of the past.
Who is Ben?
I believe he is the creator of the time machine. The Others are his associates living in the time-space bubble around the Island and Door #2 of the time machine in the "past." They are managing it and testing the effects of time travel, and strictly controlling who exits this bubble into the outside world.
How does one arrive at the Island? There are two methods of traveling to the site (and time) of the Island.
->First is the controlled method via Door #1 at Dharma Headquarters. It is not via plane, submarine, or any other traditional method of transportation.
->The other method is in the accidental collision with the time-space bubble that surrounds the Island, as happened with Oceanic Flight 815, the Portuguese woman's helicopter, etc.
Despite the many theories that abound in online forums, the Others did not know that Flight 815 was coming or going to crash at the Island. It was a chance encounter. It was a disaster that created a paradox... what happens to a plane that crashes in the present, while entering the past?
This leads to the question of whether the passengers are alive or dead, answered by talking about a cat. Schrodinger's cat, to be specific. Again, quantum mechanics can be very strange. One of the strangest behaviors in particle physics is known as Superposition, which is the ability of a particle to occupy two different states simultaneously (like up and down, left and right, here and there, etc.). In the world we know, you cannot be both here and there, but in particle physics, a world of probability, chance, and duality, you can.
How can one imagine this? Another great Gedanken Experiment was conceived, as follows: Place a cat in a sealed, steel box, along with a bottle of poison. In addition, a radioactive element is placed within the steel box. The decay of this radioactive element triggers a hammer, which breaks the bottle, releasing the poison and killing the cat.
For the observer, outside of the box, you do not know when this radioactive decay happens. Because of the laws of Superposition, the radioactive element can occupy both states simultaneously, for the briefest moment. For that blink in time, the bottle is both broken and intact... the cat is both dead and alive, at the same time.
This is a puzzle of science, but more important perhaps is the philosophical question of what does it mean to be both dead and alive?
ANSWER #7: The passengers of Oceanic Flight 815 are dead at the bottom of the ocean. AND they are ALIVE on the Island. They are both dead and alive. Since they are alive in the "past" of the Island's timeline, can they return to the present in which they are dead? I guess that is the ultimate question that we will have to watch the show to find out.
A suggestion of an answer is found in Locke's/Sawyer's father. We were led to believe that he died in a car accident, and finds himself here on the Island. Of course he would think he's in hell! We believe that somehow Locke "willed" him here, but that was actually never said on the show. In fact, Ben said to Locke, "you brought him here." Perhaps what he means is this:
ANSWER #8: Locke's father did not die in the accident. I believe that we will find soon that Locke is going to leave the Island. The question that nobody asked Locke's father was when did the accident happen? See, Locke is going to return to the "present" timeline, and is going to pursue his father. He is going to find him, perhaps he is even going to cause his accident. He is going to drug and kidnap him, unable or unwilling to kill him by himself. He is somehow going to get him to Door #1 of the time machine and send him to the Island, where he already knows that Sawyer will kill him. Locke is going to "bring him here" to the Island... he just hasn't done it yet. When he is on the "outside" in the present, why is he going to do this? Because he has to, because it is destiny... for on the Island, it has already happened. You know Locke loves destiny. I could go on and on. Why is there a zoo with polar bears?
ANSWER #9: The animals are on the Island for testing the effects of the various paradoxes associated with time travel. Perhaps another reason is that by keeping and preserving endangered animals, like polar bears, within this bubble in the past, there is a resource for their recovery should they become extinct in the future. Consider it a Noah's Ark. How do the Others know so much about the passengers of Flight 815?
ANSWER #10: The Others have had perhaps years, with Dharma Industries in the present timeline at Door #1, to research each of the individuals, and transmit this information to the Island. To the audience and the survivors of 815, it seemed like the Others instantly knew about them. However, it likely required years of research to compile the files. There are still mysteries that remain, and stories that we do not know how they will play out. With this explanation, though, the behavior of the Others is understood. They must protect the timeline AT ALL COSTS. That makes them seem evil to the survivors of 815, but in reality their intentions are to prevent catastrophe.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Monday, May 7, 2007
What kind of a Lost Fan are you?
A throw-back to July 2006. Below is an article by Doc Jensen that was worthy of a revival.
THE OFFICE THEORY OF LOST FANDOM
I had the pleasure of interviewing ABC's head of marketing, Mike Benson. During our conversation, Mr. Benson explained that Lost fans can be divided into three separate categories. To paraphrase, they are:
1. Heavy, super-savvy Internet users. Their fandom is expressed (daily) at places like thefuselage.com. According to Benson, the smallest segment of the Lost audience, albeit the most conspicuous. (Certainly the most interesting, in my book.)
2. Casual to heavy Internet users; tech savvy but maybe not tech intimate. They might visit places like thefuselage.com, but they only lurk. Confession: While I aspire to be like the fans at the tip of this tri-level pyramid, Doc Jensen more often makes his home in this nebulous middle stratum.
3. The largest segment of the audience. The tech aptitude is irrelevant, as their Lost fandom doesn't extend to the Internet. Presumably, these fans aren't as interested or invested in what we would call the ''mythology'' of the show.
As I have considered Benson's analysis over the past several weeks, I found myself thinking about NBC's The Office. See, to my addled mind, the breakdown of Lost fandom can be translated like this:
1. THE DWIGHT TYPE. The loud and proud geek. At the annual office Halloween party, Dwights would probably come dressed as Dr. Marvin Candle. They know every word of the Swan and Pearl orientation films. Some have even made their own orientation films and posted them at youtube.com. If you think you're a Dwight, but resent being likened to Dwight, think twice before flaming me with complaints: That would totally be a Dwight thing to do.
2. THE MICHAEL TYPE. The fuzzy middle tier of the pyramid. At the annual office Halloween party, Michaels would probably come dressed as Locke: Season One Island Shaman Hero...though they may adhere more often to the Season Two Hatch-Dazzled ''I Was Wrong'' Fool. The Michael analogy might be a little harsh, but since I myself am a Michael, I do believe these Losties share one characteristic with the character: they awkwardly straddle two worlds. Their enthusiasms trend nerdy, but are wary of ''looking nerdy.'' If you think you're a Michael, but resent being likened to Michael, think twice about flaming me with complaints — that's just the kind of nerdy thing Dwight would do.
3. THE JIM/PAM TYPE. The broad base of fandom. At the annual office Halloween party, Jims and Pams come dressed as...Jim or Pam from The Office. Jims and Pams have seen every episode of Lost, but many of them might TiVo it in favor of American Idol during the spring. They are all certainly the type of Lostie who would look at Andrew Smith's ''Ultimate Lost Theory'' and roll their eyes like a non-fan. The worst thing about a Jim or Pam is that they're probably the type who still believes that Purgatory explains the show, despite the repeated memos from Damon and Carlton. But then, they may have no idea who Damon and Carlton are...
Unsolved Mysteries: My Top 5
One of the hallmarks of this show is its ability to leave doors open, while not losing (too many) viewers to frustration. If you look back at the first season of the show, we thought about the possibility of Others on this island, and wondered about it with the same intensity that we now wonder if Juliet is good or evil. In other words, look at how far we've come. Many decry the show's arrogant attitude toward viewers, claiming that they pose more questions than they answer, knowing that they don't have to answer to anyone because they won't lose addicted viewers. But that's the beauty of LOST. Not to go sound like a religious fundamentalist, but there is a master plan, a storyline, a point A and a point B. And the best part of "The Answer" is the journey we take to get there. As such, the writers make that journey all the more scintillating by carefully manipulating storylines and plot points, leaving some doors wide open, shutting some and throwing away the key, and leaving a few others open just a crack. And be glad they do because, like it or not, it's what makes this show so good.
With that said, there are a few questions that plague me still. The top 5 that give me fits and prevent me from getting to sleep are:
5. What happened to Jack?
Something happened. You don't just go from unadulterated anger to a Kennedy Family Football Game without something going on. Brainwashing? Possible, but that would've messed him up more. A deal with Ben? Also possible, but I don't think a mere deal (from a notorious liar such as Ben) would be enough to so drastically alter Jack's demeanor. I really just don't know, but I think all of it is part of Jack's new plan -- to fend for himself. Looks like the good doc is taking a page out of his new girlfriend's book. And that's interesting, coming from the man who coined the titular phrase of last season's finale: "Live Together, Die Alone."
4. Jack and Juliet's Plan.
Nobody would argue that there is a plan after last week's eerie ending, where the two coyly hinted at a hidden agenda. But what are they hiding? My Lost Sixth Sense tells me it can't be something too evil -- if it were, they would've done a much better job of hiding it instead of acting like a 3rd grader with a playground secret. I have a hard time believing their plan will hurt the Survivors, as they don't have a reason to do that (that we know of). Rather, I think it's a matter of them making good on their promise to each other to survive and get rescued... no matter what. But how do Naomi, the phone, the helicopter, Ben's ominous "see you in a week" warning and the rest of the survivors play into that promise?
3. How does Locke fit into Ben's plans?
Locke is unlike anyone Ben has ever dealt with. His connection with the island is stronger than anyone's, so much so that Ben seems to think it was Locke (and his powerful mind) that brought Cooper to the island. Someone as manipulative as Ben has surely put LOADS of thought into how to best use Locke to serve his purpose. But how will he do that? And, maybe a better question, what is that purpose?
2. The Corporate Overlords.
Maybe I watch this show too much. Maybe I'm too liberal. Maybe a little bit of both. But I find myself unable to part with the idea that there is a connection between corporations like the Hanso Foundation, Paik Industries (Sun's dad's company) and The Widmore Corporation (Penny's dad's company). All of these corporations leave their mark all over the show; from Widmore-brand pregnancy tests to a Paik Industries banner hanging from the building in the background of a Charlie flashback to the explicit mention of the Hanso foundation in the Pearl Station's Orientation film. It's hard to imagine what kind of a common thread there might be here, but my guess is that the leaders of these corporations are in some sort of concord. Apart, they are mere faceless corporations. But together, they could pose a much more sinister threat, with the ability to do something like, ummm, I don't know, stage a plane crash? (Cue that melodramatic "Duh duh duh" music.) If there is a tie, it's importance can't be understated (hooray for conspiracy theories!).
1. The Other Others.
We've been told (those of us who nerd out and listen to interviews with the writers) that there are, indeed, two groups of "Others" (and I use the term "Others" loosely). Patchy alluded to a "purge," in which Dharma scientists were pitted against some sort of insurgency (if I remember correctly, Ben's crew is comprised of said insurgency, or at least remnants of it). But why? What led to conflict? Who's good, who's evil? Who's left? Who really won? And what effect does "The Purge" have on the current island structure. I think this is something that will be at least touched upon, if not thoroughly addressed, in this week's offering: "The Man Behind the Curtain," a Ben-centric episode. An enormous lingering part of this mystery: Jacob. Who is this man that Ben fears so much, and who seems to have some sort of omnipotent presence? I could talk more about that, but what would I write in Wednesday's preview? (That, my friends, is a tease. See you Wednesday).
Far too much time on my hands,
Charlie.
With that said, there are a few questions that plague me still. The top 5 that give me fits and prevent me from getting to sleep are:
5. What happened to Jack?
Something happened. You don't just go from unadulterated anger to a Kennedy Family Football Game without something going on. Brainwashing? Possible, but that would've messed him up more. A deal with Ben? Also possible, but I don't think a mere deal (from a notorious liar such as Ben) would be enough to so drastically alter Jack's demeanor. I really just don't know, but I think all of it is part of Jack's new plan -- to fend for himself. Looks like the good doc is taking a page out of his new girlfriend's book. And that's interesting, coming from the man who coined the titular phrase of last season's finale: "Live Together, Die Alone."
4. Jack and Juliet's Plan.
Nobody would argue that there is a plan after last week's eerie ending, where the two coyly hinted at a hidden agenda. But what are they hiding? My Lost Sixth Sense tells me it can't be something too evil -- if it were, they would've done a much better job of hiding it instead of acting like a 3rd grader with a playground secret. I have a hard time believing their plan will hurt the Survivors, as they don't have a reason to do that (that we know of). Rather, I think it's a matter of them making good on their promise to each other to survive and get rescued... no matter what. But how do Naomi, the phone, the helicopter, Ben's ominous "see you in a week" warning and the rest of the survivors play into that promise?
3. How does Locke fit into Ben's plans?
Locke is unlike anyone Ben has ever dealt with. His connection with the island is stronger than anyone's, so much so that Ben seems to think it was Locke (and his powerful mind) that brought Cooper to the island. Someone as manipulative as Ben has surely put LOADS of thought into how to best use Locke to serve his purpose. But how will he do that? And, maybe a better question, what is that purpose?
2. The Corporate Overlords.
Maybe I watch this show too much. Maybe I'm too liberal. Maybe a little bit of both. But I find myself unable to part with the idea that there is a connection between corporations like the Hanso Foundation, Paik Industries (Sun's dad's company) and The Widmore Corporation (Penny's dad's company). All of these corporations leave their mark all over the show; from Widmore-brand pregnancy tests to a Paik Industries banner hanging from the building in the background of a Charlie flashback to the explicit mention of the Hanso foundation in the Pearl Station's Orientation film. It's hard to imagine what kind of a common thread there might be here, but my guess is that the leaders of these corporations are in some sort of concord. Apart, they are mere faceless corporations. But together, they could pose a much more sinister threat, with the ability to do something like, ummm, I don't know, stage a plane crash? (Cue that melodramatic "Duh duh duh" music.) If there is a tie, it's importance can't be understated (hooray for conspiracy theories!).
1. The Other Others.
We've been told (those of us who nerd out and listen to interviews with the writers) that there are, indeed, two groups of "Others" (and I use the term "Others" loosely). Patchy alluded to a "purge," in which Dharma scientists were pitted against some sort of insurgency (if I remember correctly, Ben's crew is comprised of said insurgency, or at least remnants of it). But why? What led to conflict? Who's good, who's evil? Who's left? Who really won? And what effect does "The Purge" have on the current island structure. I think this is something that will be at least touched upon, if not thoroughly addressed, in this week's offering: "The Man Behind the Curtain," a Ben-centric episode. An enormous lingering part of this mystery: Jacob. Who is this man that Ben fears so much, and who seems to have some sort of omnipotent presence? I could talk more about that, but what would I write in Wednesday's preview? (That, my friends, is a tease. See you Wednesday).
Far too much time on my hands,
Charlie.
ABC sets end for LOST
What you need to know:
LOS ANGELES, California (Hollywood Reporter) -- ABC has set an end date for "Lost."
The Emmy-winning adventure series will run for 48 more episodes over three seasons. Each season will consist of 16 episodes, which will air uninterrupted.
"Lost" executive producers/showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, who have been vocal about setting up an endgame for the show, have signed on to stay for the remainder of the series' run. Their separate new eight-figure deals with "Lost" producer ABC TV Studio include their services on the show as well as multiyear development pacts set to kick in when "Lost" bows out during the 2009-10 season.
"Due to the unique nature of 'Lost,' we knew it would require an end date to keep the integrity and strength of the show consistent throughout and to give the audience the payoff they deserve," ABC Entertainment president Stephen McPherson said.
Lindelof said having the end point in sight was "incredibly liberating. Like we've been running a marathon and we actually know where the finish line is for the first time."
Lindelof and Cuse said they've had "a road map for the series with all the major mythological milestones and the ending in place" for awhile.
"What we didn't know was how long we had to play the story out," Cuse said. "By defining the endpoint we can now really map out the rest of the series in confidence."
There will be some puzzle play, too.
"We sort of view 'Lost' as a mosaic," Cuse said. "Now there are only 48 more tiles that go into that mosaic, and we're figuring out, along with all the other writers, exactly where they all go."
In January, Lindelof and Cuse said that they envisioned the endpoint for "Lost" around episode 100. The agreement with ABC will bring the total number of episodes to 120.
Lindelof wrote the pilot for "Lost" with fellow executive producer J.J. Abrams, and Cuse joined the series in October 2004 shortly after the show debuted to big numbers.
In addition to its instant commercial success and large following, "Lost" has enjoyed strong critical acclaim, capped by a best drama series Emmy in 2005 and best drama series Golden Globe in 2006.
While the show's ratings have softened this season -- it is averaging 15.1 million viewers to date -- it is the most recorded show on TV, gaining 18 percent more viewers through DVR viewing. It is also a popular draw for streaming replays on ABC.com, iTunes downloads and DVDs.
- Three more seasons
- 16 episodes per seasn
- Episodes will air uninterrputed (January - May)
LOS ANGELES, California (Hollywood Reporter) -- ABC has set an end date for "Lost."
The Emmy-winning adventure series will run for 48 more episodes over three seasons. Each season will consist of 16 episodes, which will air uninterrupted.
"Lost" executive producers/showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, who have been vocal about setting up an endgame for the show, have signed on to stay for the remainder of the series' run. Their separate new eight-figure deals with "Lost" producer ABC TV Studio include their services on the show as well as multiyear development pacts set to kick in when "Lost" bows out during the 2009-10 season.
"Due to the unique nature of 'Lost,' we knew it would require an end date to keep the integrity and strength of the show consistent throughout and to give the audience the payoff they deserve," ABC Entertainment president Stephen McPherson said.
Lindelof said having the end point in sight was "incredibly liberating. Like we've been running a marathon and we actually know where the finish line is for the first time."
Lindelof and Cuse said they've had "a road map for the series with all the major mythological milestones and the ending in place" for awhile.
"What we didn't know was how long we had to play the story out," Cuse said. "By defining the endpoint we can now really map out the rest of the series in confidence."
There will be some puzzle play, too.
"We sort of view 'Lost' as a mosaic," Cuse said. "Now there are only 48 more tiles that go into that mosaic, and we're figuring out, along with all the other writers, exactly where they all go."
In January, Lindelof and Cuse said that they envisioned the endpoint for "Lost" around episode 100. The agreement with ABC will bring the total number of episodes to 120.
Lindelof wrote the pilot for "Lost" with fellow executive producer J.J. Abrams, and Cuse joined the series in October 2004 shortly after the show debuted to big numbers.
In addition to its instant commercial success and large following, "Lost" has enjoyed strong critical acclaim, capped by a best drama series Emmy in 2005 and best drama series Golden Globe in 2006.
While the show's ratings have softened this season -- it is averaging 15.1 million viewers to date -- it is the most recorded show on TV, gaining 18 percent more viewers through DVR viewing. It is also a popular draw for streaming replays on ABC.com, iTunes downloads and DVDs.
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