My heart is happy; my mind is not.

*I am intercepting Swan’s turn since I have had this thing written for a week and she has been left speechless, which I don't know if that means she loved it or hated it. I wrote the majority of this a few hours after the finale ended. A week later, I am feeling slightly better about it all, though I find myself talking about it to people who have moved on with their lives already. Some closing notes will follow. This is a long-ass blog post, by the way. Grab a drink and get comfortable.*



“This would be real touching if we weren’t all about to die.”



I am going to start and end on a good note; this is my promise to you. However, everything in between is going to be my honest opinion about the Lost finale—the negative and the positive.

This show is one of those special, few shows that will stand the test of time. It has brought people together, and there are only a handful of shows that can truly claim to have done that. It has one of, if not the, best casts a show could have, and there is only one other show in my lifetime I have been as dedicated to as I am Lost. I am grateful for its constant exercising of my grey matter, but not so much the constant tension in my shoulders and elevated blood pressure. I am so happy to have gotten the opportunity (thank you, Hyrdra) to write this blog, and in this journey getting to “meet” Swan as well as help develop this community. I am going to miss our discussions.

So, now here is the part where some of you will probably get defensive and pissed off at me, since I will now be telling you exactly how I felt about “The End”. It is my opinion. It is how I was left feeling when all was said and done. Some of it is happy; some of it is bitter. Despite the latter, I want you to know that I will always love this show and I will remain for quite some time sad that it came to an end.

I thought it was an amazing episode, in and of itself. It was poignant and character-driven—which is both its strength and weakness in my eyes. The fulfillment each character got to have in the end was wonderful to witness. It took me a while to process everything that happened, and once I did I thought it was pretty incredible. The Island is what actually happened to them; what was always meant to happen to them; involving everyone who was always meant to impact their lives to the utmost degree—especially their one special connection, or “soulmate”. The Flash-Sideways was how their lives would have been without the island; created for the purpose to show them that their destinies were always the island and to help find the closure they needed to move on to The Light. My theory on the characters not seen in the church: Miles, Lapidus, Daniel and Charlotte were part of a different gathering, since they were thrown together to be on that island. When they are ready, they will come together like everyone else did with each other. Ben couldn’t go on with everyone without Alex, and I also think he needed to forgive himself before moving on. I am kind of worried about Rousseau and Alex when they find out everything that Ben did on the island. They won’t be very cool about it, methinks. Richard’s life was always his wife, so I believe he became part of something else entirely; the same for Jacob and his brother—whom I believe he always loved. And then, you know, souls like Michael’s (whatever that means) get to whisper on the Island for eternity. Ouch.

I definitely teared up when Vincent lay down beside Jack so that Jack wouldn’t die alone. I love Vincent. I love dogs. I thought it was perfect that Hurley became the true protector and that Ben became his right-hand man. I guess he got to have dead people as company on the island as well. I wonder if he and Jack had some conversations during is reign? I know Desmond got to go home and live his life out with Penny and Charlie. I thought the reunions were incredible (Sayid and Shannon aside, ugh), especially Juliet and Sawyer’s and Claire and Charlie's. As much as I love Penny and Desmond, I think Juliet and James win out as favorite couple for me; they are too perfect. I was surprisingly very happy about Kate and Jack. The way he said "I love you" melted my heart. I thought it was kind of funny that when Juliet said "It worked" from the grave, it was actually her talking about the vending machine. There were so many touching, funny, and magical moments throughout. I got chills during most of it, and it was all so peaceful and joyous to experience.

As a season finale, it was great. As a finale for the characters, it was perfect. However (uh-oh), as a SERIES finale, as what was meant to tie the PLOT of the show together, I feel cheated. I feel like I am expected to be okay with it just because it gave me the warm and fuzzies at the end, and because I have been so so so so dedicated. It WAS a fantastic ending, but there are six seasons of things that we still don’t have any closure on.

I care about the characters immensely. How this show ended for them meant a lot to me, and they got a beautiful ending, which makes me so happy and satisfied for them. However, I also care about the mystery and science fiction elements that they presented to us throughout the entire series and as a loyal viewer I wanted closure on a few more of these aspects. I didn’t get that closure. I think being one of those people who constantly theorized kind of set me up for disappointment, though. I am left torn: I feel like the writers gave us an outstanding character-driven drama, but a horrendous mystery. Damon Lindelof said, "Lost is, at its heart and soul, a character study.” I can fully agree with that. Yet, you cannot introduce such complex plot devices only to abandon them for the characters. I have said since the beginning of this blog that I was never expecting to have all my questions answered, but I am also sick of hearing, “Well, it was all just left open for interpretation. Use your brain and figure it all out for yourself! You clearly just aren’t smart enough to get it.”

As a writer myself, I don't think an ENTIRE series should be open for interpretation. It’s kind of just an artistic way of being lazy. I think it's a cop-out, and kind of manipulative, to expect us as viewers to be okay with that. Before everyone starts assuming I don’t get the bigger meaning of the show, and how it was more about the journey for the characters and the overall theme of letting go and moving on…I get it. I got it. I am more than okay with that aspect of it. But you cannot just introduce 850 things in a span of six years and only address ten of them, and then expect hugs, smiles and a white light to gloss over the fact that we still don’t have any idea what is going on with that island. That island was where 90% of EVERYTHING happened. I am not going to sweep it under the rug because everybody found each other in the afterlife. I actually don't feel like they answered all that much. I feel like they gave us the idea that they did, but really all they did was explain what happened in the last season or two, not the last six.

It was an amazing episode. I can't stress that enough. From the character standpoint, I give it an A+. But from a plot/storytelling standpoint, I am giving it a D. Last night I would have given it an F, but I am feeling a little better about it now. Eventually I (hope I) will appreciate it 100% for what it was, but I just need more time. It wasn’t perfect, but despite everything I just said, and being really really mad about an hour after it ended, I think it was as good of an ending as we were going to get. It was not the best finale of all time, but it was far from the worst, and there is a great success in that.

I still absolutely love this show. The journey with these characters has been outstanding. I am so happy for the characters, and I suppose I kind of need to be less selfish about the ending and focus on what they got and not what I got out of the show. At the same time, I feel like I have the right and reasons for being upset, but I am also fine with being in that group of people who were not completely satisfied, knowing that there are plenty of people who loved it for exactly what it was; it means the writers succeeded. It was definitely memorable and it has been a pleasure being a part of this.




*Closing Notes: I didn’t want to ruin my actual blog entry at the beginning with these final notes. I want to add that I have read several upon several blogs that were way more harsh than I was, which makes me feel less horrible about not being wholly satisfied with how this show ended. I seriously felt like the only person who was mad after it ended. Like I said, I am feeling better about it now. I kind of feel like the characters of the show serve as reflections of the viewers. Let me explain. There are those who will never move on from what happened, like Michael. There are those who, like me, who have a lot of figuring out to do, who are okay with parts of it, but won’t move on until they are ready, like Ben. And then there are those, optimistically a lot according to the last scene, which reflect those who felt complete peace with the ending. That is everyone on this blog but me, apparently. I still felt like the ending was really sweet, but in a cheesy and a bit cliché way.

I think I was too half and half to appreciate it. I cared about the characters as much as I cared about the story/plot, and got more of the former than the latter. I spoke to Arrow briefly about it—which I was absolutely shocked when I found out he loved it—and he surmised that the Men of Faith were happy with the ending, while the Men of Science were not. He’d taken the same journey as Jack, thus going from a Man of Science to Man of Faith. I agree with this, kind of. Except, in most cases I fall into the Man of Faith category, so it is kind of inaccurate to who I am. Then again, in most stories, I almost always prefer character-driven plots, so Lost is clearly a special case for me. I think I must have just taken a different journey. I was a (wo)Man of Faith who became a (wo)Man of Science. I got wrapped up in everything that was happening, instead of just letting it unfold as it should. I don’t feel any shame in this. When I was talking to my mom about it all (who also did not like it, and she is definitely a Woman of Faith first), she said that I have always dissected and analyzed things so as to better understand them, and that is why I didn’t feel completely satisfied with the ending. I am okay with this aspect of myself, even though it sometimes mean I over-analyze things way to often.


To sum it all up: My heart is happy, but my mind is not. *

Sorry for being the Bitch of the Blog, folks. Just know that I think you’re awesome.

The Pearl

Until the DVDs come out--on which I have been told there will be MORE answers--this comic has some answers I can live with for now.




You can find more of these at this twitter account.

Edit: Here is an old Blooper Reel!

Umm...

Since no one has posted after me yet, here is a picture of me as a polar bear getting shot by Sawyer!

Well, This Is The End

Alright, here it goes. I guess I should open by saying that I loved it. I thought it was great, surpassed all my expectations. Granted those expectations were lower than they were in February because I still think a lot of this season was sub par, but like I said two weeks ago, this team has never blown a finale. They really knocked it out of the park.

The stuff on the island was all pretty great. Particularly the AMAZING fight scene on the cliffs between Jack and Smokey. When that commercial break hit the entire room of people I was with went crazy.

The most telling sign that this episode was incredibly well handled was that I didn't throw anything at the television when Kate kissed Jack, I never thought I would have been on board with that. (Although I was terrified that she was going to have that exact same scene with Sawyer like five minutes later, luckily that didn't happen)

The cave was still an incredibly vague metaphor for life/good/actual light/I don't really know. But it did look pretty cool when Desmond pulled the cork (teehee?) and then Smokey started bleeding. "Looks like you were wrong too."

I really wish I would have blogged last week (sorry about that) because my theory all week was that Jack would die and Hurley would take over the protector role. Ahhh, I also said that Miles would kill Smokey though, so we can call those a wash. I thought it was great when Hurley recruited Ben to be his Richard, really nice. The one story I wish we knew more about after this episode is the Hurley/Ben administrated Island.

What else... OH. Vincent saved Desmond! We got a double dose of Vincent this week actually. But, know that he's the one that found Desmond was pretty awesome. "Bark, Bark," said Vincent. "What's that boy? Little Desmond got thrown in a well? Take me there we have to get him out!"

I'm sure I'm forgetting something awesome that happened on the Island but I'm going to switch over now to the LAX timeline.

So, here is my theory. This will be my last ever Lost theory, that is kind of sad. So, when everyone was having their moments of realization, it was not important so much if they remembered a little bit, like Charlie on the plane. Charlie didn't have his real moment until he was back stage with Kate and Claire. And that "real" moment of realization was not that we were on an Island and we know each other. The "real" moment of realization, as it was with Jack, was that I am dead. And you could tell the difference, once they realized they were dead, everyone got those goofy joyful grins on their faces. How adorable was it when Hurley first saw Charlie and was just so happy to see him? Then after they could accept that they were dead, they could help the others accept it and then they could all move on... to Heaven or Nirvana or Shang-ri-la or wherever.

Desmond was the first person to have the full realization which is why he, and not Charlie, went to task finding everyone. It's probably also why he didn't have any problem running John over with a car, I mean, we're all already dead.

This makes the scene between Hurley and Ben at the end really sad to me and also makes his apology to Locke really poignant. Ben still hasn't forgiven himself for so many of the things he's responsible for and won't allow himself to move on.

Of all the "moments of realization" I think my favorite two were Charlie and Claire's (when Charlie was crying and saying hi to Aaron... choked up a little) and James and Juliet's. All of the LAX time line stuff was sooooo sentimental and just total fan service until the last scene. And I am totally okay with that. I was just as sappy as the next guy last night.

This is the end. Probably not my last post... but the last reacting to a new episode. Really sad.

Love, Hydra

Preface

Hey all, just got home from watching. I think I'm going to go to sleep and wake up in the morning to write my post in order to give it the consideration it deserves. I'll see you tomorrow morning but just wanted to say that I'm liking more and more the more I sit with it. Talk to you tomorrow. -Hydra

"I get wonky around dead stuff."

Maybe I'm just really busy finishing up my senior thesis by next week, or maybe I've been putting off writing this because I know once I post it we're that much closer to the finale and I don't want to admit that - but either way, it is now Sunday morning and I am only just getting my post up.

Pearl is right, we did kind of loose our groove on here the last few weeks, but I know that everyone is feeling emotional and a little confused today, and I want to let you all know that the remaining writers of You Blog, Everybody are here for you. Not to alienate our non-Harry Potter fans, but this weekend has felt reminiscent of when the 7th book came out. You didn't know whether to feel happy or sad, excited or depressed, curious or terrified.

The best part is that we all get to experience this together. We're all watching the last episode of Lost, we're all going to laugh and cry at the same parts, and tomorrow when we wake up? Everyone will felt like they lost a good friend. But think of the friends we gained, too. I know Pearl because of Lost. I've bonded with people I may have otherwise had nothing in common with because we both watched this show. I've had friends come and go from my life, that used to come over every Wednesday to watch Lost together, and yet 6 years later, this show is still here for me.

So I probably sound crazy right now, talking about this show as if it's a real living thing, but I can't HELP but grant it that right, looking back over all the ways this show has entertained me, brought me closer to people, and allowed for hours and hours of great conversation.

So now, since I am sure our next posts will be full of sap and emotion (I would bet money I'm going to bawl my way through the finale tonight because that's simply the kind of person I am) I will do my last "normal" episode reaction write-up.


First of all, I'm glad my little tantrum about Ben and Miles panned out. I was so happy to see them in this week's episode. In my notes I even wrote: "YES. Ben/Miles/Richard FINALLY."

I agree completely Pearl - Ben flying off the handle and getting back at Widmore for killing Alex was so jarring and kind of awesome. I've gotten used to a very passive, almost comedic Ben the last two seasons, but he really turned around this week.

The amount of matchmaking Desmond did with regard to the concert was actually really impressive. I love that both time lines are reaching very, very different climaxes at the same time, and if 5 years of amazingly mind-blowing finales is anything to go on, I have faith that tonight's episode will not disappoint.

I wonder if Desmond was REALLY going to hit Locke a second time, or if he knew all along Ben would come out and interfere. Because clearly beating the crap out of Ben's face was all part of the plan. I would like to point out that Desmond is an absolute nutjob right now, in the very best way.

I got a kick out of Kate and Sayid sitting in jail with Desmond. Not a very happy reunion. Especially since none of them are aware it's a reunion.

I liked learning that people were crossed off not because they somehow disproved themselves, but because life circumstances made them exempt from the duty. As much as everyone hates Kate (which I have never been as huge a hater as most) I thought it was sweet she was crossed off for becoming a mother.

A lot of people had a problem with Jack just stepping forward and becoming the new Jacob. I think people were expecting some sort of reality show-esque challenge with ropes courses and eating raw island animals to determine who was America's Next Top Island Protector, but I liked what Jacob said about them having a choice. And Jack knew - he didn't need to discuss it with the rest of them ("hey, guys, before I just take this, any of you want it first?") he just knew. And I thought that was awesome. And I'm glad that this scene happened now instead of in the finale, because this is not the climax of the show, and they very easily could have made it so. I'm hoping we get to see Jack in action a little bit before it's over.

I had a TeeHee moment too, Pearl! But MINE was when Rousseau said, "Even if we have to kidnap you." I mean, come on, Lost. Hahaha.


There are two more things I have to say about this episode before I sign off, go buy some snacks, and prepare myself for my Lost viewing party.

1. I loved when Jack's son said "Just don't get weird." I dunno. Jack's relationship with his son just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.

2. Was anyone flashing back to Avatar when Ana Lucia was the one to help them escape? It just made me chuckle. Once a badass, always a badass.

Good luck tonight, Losties!


Swan

So...What about Lapidus? And is Richard dead?

Sorry, again, guys. Ever since Arrow went missing (not literally), it’s been kind of all over the place on who posts when. Not to blame him, but we just simply lost our groove.

Although I didn’t state it outright, I hinted to the fact that I had faith we would get more pieces put together concerning the ambiguity of “Across the Sea”. And we did! More or less. There are still some questions, but I suppose in terms of what is important for what is happening now, we know what we need to know. It would be nice to know more, like where the island came from and such, but I think those are just things we will just have to learn to deal with not knowing.

Indulge me while I list everything out again. Things I am excited about/really loved:

1. Jack’s ex wife will finally be revealed. Will it be Juliet? They have been way too secretive about it all this time for it just to turn out to be Sarah. It has to be Juliet. We have yet to see Elizabeth Mitchell, and I know for a fact she filmed scenes for the finale.

2. Ben is still evil! I am not excited about this, per se, as I was very happy when it seemed as though he was a new man. However, when he shot Widmore and said, “He doesn’t get to save his daughter.” I was like, “Holy shit!” and literally moved to the edge of my seat.

3. A lot of people are going to be encountering each other at the Concert in the Flash-Sideways. I can only assume that James will wind up being Miles’ date. Desmond is match-making, clearly. Charlie will go with Desmond and meet Claire. Jack will go for his son and meet Kate (I guess). James will go with Miles and meet Juliet. Charlotte will be there and Daniel will confess his love to her. Sayid will . . . die alone, I guess, unless Shannon or Nadia show up. All assumption, of course.

4. I laughed out loud when Desmond turned on his car when Locke was crossing the parking lot. I just think it is hilarious how absolutely crazy Desmond is coming off to everyone.

5. It was nice to finally learn why Kate had her name crossed out. It didn’t quite make sense at first why Sun and Jin or Rose and Bernard were ever brought to the island, since they were married (one couple happily so) and therefore not considered alone. However, Rose’s cancer was cured on the island, thus allowing her and Bernard a chance to live a long happy life together (wherever they are now), and Sun and Jin developed a healthy marriage and had a daughter (that is now an orphan). I think Jin was the Kwon Candidate all along, since he was alone on the island and Sun had her daughter.

6. Even though I have suspected for quite some time that Jack would be the new Jacob, it was really awesome to see it happen. It wasn’t quite as climactic as I was hoping—I guess I was expecting a slow 80s movie clap or something—but at the same time it happened so naturally that it was pretty much perfect when he stepped forward to take on the responsibility. I am so excited about this. I don’t know. I think I have always wanted Jack to come back as the hero ever since he went a little crazy, and that moment is here and it is amazing. I cannot wait.

7. We know why Desmond is so important to the island! Intense.

There was a TeeHee moment for me this week, guys. When Rousseau and Ben shared a romantic eyes-locking moment in the kitchen. Oh man. I giggled. That was silly.

I am sure there are eleventy billion other things I could mention that happened in this episode, but to be honest, I am in a hurry and didn’t know I was first this week so this will have to do for now. We will try and figure out something special to do for our last blog. We are also trying to think of some way to possibly keep this going, perhaps with another show or something. I just want to say that I really enjoyed this episode, and I am so so so so anxious about the finale this Sunday. I feel it all over my body and I cannot wait to share in the excitement/anger/sadness/bittersweet/awe with all of you when it all ends.

The Pearl

"The Island is all there is."

Before I even start theorizing and discussing this episode, I just have to say that baby smoke monster was SO much cuter than baby Jacob, and I think they totally did that on purpose. Okay. Moving on.

The lack of Ben, Richard and Miles has really been bothering me too, Hydra. If they don't come back tonight, I am going to be a sad Lost fan. You can't just dismiss BENJAMIN LINUS. And I still think Miles is going to be important in some way, otherwise he would have died last season like Charlotte.

Your comment about Desmond is so true, Hydra. He's off by himself in the jungle, clearly still alive, and everyone else is pretty much up to their ears in horse poop. Please, please save the day, Desmond. You're our only hope. xD

I didn't like that we were given the information about the light, but in turn, have SO MANY MORE QUESTIONS about what it is, how it works, why it exists, where it came from, how it grants magic powers, if its been stolen before, etc etc etc.

Pearl, I liked your discussion of whether or not Lost knows EXACTLY what they're doing. I really, truly hope they are chortling in their meeting rooms imagining our faces as we watch the Richard episode, the Jacob/Flocke episodes, the PLETHORA of John Locke/Jack wheelchair scenes... cursing them for wasting our precious episodes but knowing it all has a purpose that will become clear in the end. I mean, I want to have the faith in Lost that they knew exactly what they were doing placing this episode so close to the end. That only bringing up the PLOT in the LAX time-lines halfway into the season was all part of the plan. I have my fingers crossed.

There was a quote in this episode that made me laugh a lot: "Every questions brings me to another question" -- it's almost as if Lost was being self-aware.

I also liked when their mother said, "The island is all there is!"
I can only imagine how effed up you could get, being raised on that island with a crazy murderer mother telling you nothing else exists. If nothing else, this episode served to ground how intense and extreme Jacob and Flocke are. I mean, look at their upbringing.

My biggest question is whether or not Flocke BECAME the Smoke Monster, and the billowing black smoke and every body he possesses is still carrying the essence of this-episode-jacob's-brother -- or if his essence was essentially swallowed up BY the black smoke, and this-episode-jacob's-brother is gone and all that remains is a monster.

I'm inclined to think it's still jacob's-brother. Because he was determined to leave the island to prove his mother wrong, and that determination is still there today, years later. The monster itself wouldn't have as strong a need to leave the island (aside from I suppose causing darkness/destruction) so I'm just not sure.

Anyway. I had a minor freakout when I realized how close we are to being done with this. I am so, so not ready for Lost to be over. :(

That being said, do you readers have any suggestions or requests for what we should do after the final episode? We could just write normal blogs and then call it done, but if anyone else has any better ideas, feel free to let us know in the comments!


NERVOUS ABOUT THE END,

Swan

The Smoky God

Was this episode horribly cheesy? Yes.
Did it answer as many questions as we’d hoped? Well, no. It never does.
Was it vague and cryptic with the questions it did answer? Naturally.
Did Little Esau look like Zac Efron? Definitely.
Is Little Jacob (who looks strikingly similar to Big Jacob) the creepy kid we keep seeing? Mmmhmmmmm.

I’ll stop asking myself questions now and just say that this episode was not everything I had hoped it would be. However, I would not go so far as to say I was disappointed.

“Across the Sea” should have been more clear about a couple of things with only having 3.5 more hours to make us walk away from this show satisfied. Now, what does it require for me to walk away satisfied, you ask? Well, not a lot to be honest. I am not expecting for every question to be answered, especially since Darlton said they would not be answering every question. I recognize that the finale will not be presented to me in a pretty red bow, and I admire that about this show and would actually like some mystery—-every good relationship has a little mystery in it. Seeing as how I tend to liken this show to an abusive relationship, I’m not so sure that is a great comparison for my overall point, but...go with it.

Anyway, above all else, I want all six of these seasons to be cohesive. I want them to tell a complete story. I want to be able to watch an episode from Season Two or Season Four and have “aha!” moments that hinted to whatever happens in the end all along. Because that is good story telling. And since watching this show, I have claimed it as the most genius show in television history. I don’t want to have to take that back if I am left with the idea, intentional on their parts or not, that they had no idea what they were doing these last couple of seasons. I was talking to my mom about Lost yesterday, and she boldly stated that for the last season or so it has felt like they are making it up as they go along. In response, I told her that they had a plan, a four season plan, but then they had to stretch it all out to six seasons and maybe got a little lost along the way. Which I think is entirely possible, and understandable.

Now, could they be tricking us? Could they be testing our faith in the show (still)? Could they be laughing at us about how we were probably all “WTF?” after that episode, only to blow our minds in the finale? Probably. In fact, I would wager my mechanical pencil and a pack of Juicy Fruit that is the case. I, myself, have always been a bit of a Doubting Thomas because I over-analyze everything, so I am not going to bet what little money I have on this. However, I am choosing to not give up on this show only 3.5 hours to the end. Like Hydra said, they always deliver in the end, and I don’t think they are going to stop now.

I’m not going to (directly) talk about the episode anymore because:
a. Hydra pretty much list everything that we learned and everything that was vague that I felt was worth mentioning.
b. I made an interesting discovery that I want to share with everyone and it will already make this post ridiculously long.

So, my mom brought this to my attention. She found this book on Amazon.com (or something) whilst trying to find out all of Lost’s philosophical and mythological inspirations. I clearly get every geeky quality I have from my mom. She found the title, and I decided I would read/skim it for clues and research its premise on the always reliable and truthful wikipedia. Anyway, so Willis George Emerson wrote this fictional book in 1908, mostly centering on the scientific Hollow Earth Theory--that the Earth has a hollow interior with a potentially habitable service. It is called “The Smoky God”. I am not going to get into a lot of specific details about it, so if you want to weed your way through it, go for it. I am not saying that the show drew ALL or even most of its inspiration from this book or the Hollow Earth Theory as a whole, since it clearly draws its inspiration from A LOT of things, but I think there is as good of a chance as any that this could be a source for some of what we have encountered over the years, especially as of late. I will list a few things, mostly in direct quote format:

1. “It may be that the true home of Apollo was not at Delphi, but in that older earth-center of which Plato speaks, where he says: "Apollo's real home is among the Hyperboreans, in a land of perpetual life, where mythology tells us two doves flying from the two opposite ends of the world met in this fair region, the home of Apollo. Indeed, according to Hecataeus, Leto, the mother of Apollo, was born on an island in the Arctic Ocean far beyond the North Wind.”
2. “The distance directly across the space from inner surface to inner surface is about six hundred miles less than the recognized diameter of the earth. In the identical center of this vast vacuum is the seat of electricity -- a mammoth ball of dull red fire -- not startlingly brilliant, but surrounded by a white, mild, luminous cloud, giving out uniform warmth, and held in its place in the center of this internal space by the immutable law of gravitation. This electrical cloud is known to the people "within" as the abode of "The Smoky God." They believe it to be the throne of ‘The Most High.’”
3. It talks of people with peculiar feet.
4. It mentions whispers in the trees.
5. It is theorized that anyone who has ever gone missing has gone missing within the Hollow Earth.
6. In a supposed secret diary of a pilot named Admiral Byrd, he made a secret flight to the North Pole to find this land beyond the pole and he writes that as he looked down from his plane, he saw not snow or ice, but green vegetation, grassy valleys and mountains not shown on any map. This diary was found by the very Dharma-esque “Society for a Complete Earth”.
7. The symbol for the Hollow Earth is eerily similar to the Widmore Group logo.
8. …and potentially sooooo much more!

Anyway. It’s not a theory, per se, just something to think about. I am sure I am not the only one who has found all of this and its potential relationship to Lost, but I'd never really thought about it until now.

Now that I have clearly proven that I have nothing better to do than theorize and research about Lost, I’m going to go play with my bunny who only sometimes lets me pet her. She’s such a tease. Sigh. It just makes me love her more...

Proving She Doesn’t Have a Life With Every Post,
The Pearl

EDIT:
My friend Lindsay sent me this interview with Darlton concerning "Across the Sea".

The Jackyl Was The Best Part

My utmost apologies to everyone. I've been a horrible blogger the last week and a half. Anyway, I saw the last two weeks episodes on Tuesday night for the first time so I'll try and cover both in this post... that is daunting. But, here we go.

"The Candidate"

First lets talk about the dead. (It should be noted that Pearl posted that Jin and Sun had died on my Facebook wall before I had seen the episode, so, knowing ahead of time may have skewed my experience with it.) I had some real problems with Jin and Sun's death scene. First off, how the hell did she get trapped behind an elaborate lattice of metal? It just looked kind of ridiculous to me? Anyone else? It literally looked like the scene at the end of X-Men where Magneto had bent the metal around everyone in the Statue of Liberty. Second, for the life of me I don't know why this line wasn't said, "Ji Yeon Kwon needs a father, you have to leave me. Take care of our daughter, I love you." It really bothered me that Jin essentially committed suicide when he was the only parent Ji Yeon had left. And, the hands floating apart was way too Titanic for me, it's all I could see. I guess maybe I am heartless. It finally got to me a little when Hurley was sad, but other than that I thought it was a pretty lame death.

Sayid however went out like a bad ass. Not only did he not kill Desmond, he sacrificed himself to save the rest of the group (a sacrifice paid no mind to by Jin by the way). I'm glad he got a little redemption at the end of his story.

I suppose I think Lapidus is still alive? It's really weird that they didn't even mention him on the beach after the sub went down.

Remember when a few weeks back I said I'd be really pissed if they went back to a flash sideways that didn't connect with the Island... Ugh. I don't even want to talk about it. Just awful.

Big Questions After Seeing This Episode:

1. Where the hell are Ben, Richard, and Miles?
2. I hope Desmond knows what to do, because no one else has a plan right now.
3. I guess Flocke can't leave the Island until all the candidates are dead?

And finally, I thought it was really funny at the end of the episode when Claire had this moment of realization of "The evil smoke monster might not have my best interests at heart!" At this point it looks like Smokey v. Everyone Else, does he have any allies left at this point? Also, I am going to stick to my theory that since Miles is the only one that hasn't talked to him, Miles will end up killing Flocke. The guy who hears dead people "kills" the dead guy.

"Across the Sea"

WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?! AHHHHHHHHH. I am getting really damn frustrated. I don't think we really learned anything this episode. I'm not going to say the only good part of the episode was that any time I see Alison Janney I play this scene in my head, but it was definitely the best part of the experience. Seriously, watch that over and over, soo good.

But seriously, why would you possibly cast a known actress in that role? Every time she was on screen I thought "Hey it's CJ! Oh, wait, I'm watching Lost. Shit, so she's Jacob and Esau's crazy mom. Dammit I just missed 45 seconds of stupid pseudo mythology."

Things we learned...
-Jacob and Esau were twins. (New information, kind of interesting but not important)
-They can't kill each other because their crazy mom said so. (But no mention of why or how she has these powers of gifting immortality and arbitrary rules)
-There is a "light" that must be protected, if it goes out on the Island it goes out everywhere. (That is the worst most vague metaphor I've ever heard, we don't even know what that means! Literal light will vanish from the earth? Good will no longer exist on Earth, if that's the case what is "good?" Is it the Sun? Will the Sun explode if someone finds it?"
-Whatever this "light" is, it turned Esau into the Smoke Monster. (How or why? Apparently not important.)
-The rocks represent a childhood game the two boys played. (This was actually well handled and the lone bright spot of the episode.)

The one main question I guess I've come away from this episode is this, if Esau's dead mother appeared to him before he turned into the Smoke Monster, does that mean that the Smoke Monster was around before he got thrown into the light cave? And, if that's the case, is the Smoke Monster in fact a combination of people that have turned into it, was there an original Smoke Monster? And if that's the case, I guess the entity that is the Smoke Monster is controlled or repossessed by it's newest inhabitant pushing the other victims(?) into it's subconscious like John Cusack at the end of Being John Malkovich?

Oh, and the biggest question, WHAT DOES ANY OF THAT HAVE TO DO WITH THE PLOT OF THE SHOW WE'VE BEEN WATCHING FOR SIX SEASONS.

I hate to say it but this was disappointing, real disappointing. The only thing keeping me sane right now is this fact; This show has never had a season finale that did not blow me away. As hit and miss as some episodes and arcs have been threw the years, they have never screwed up a finale. So, hopefully I am ignorant of their master plan and the next two weeks will blow me away.

Staying positive,

Hydra

Where was Lapidus?

I have been a terrible blogger and LOST fan this week.

First of all, while everyone was tweeting about crying after that torturous Jin and Sun scene, I said, "What happened on LOST is just starting to sink in - get it?"

I was trying to make light of a sad situation to make it not as sad (which, for the record, did not work), and I probably lost a few twitter followers in the mean time.

But I mean… it was kind of funny.

ANYWAY. Let's talk about this super intense episode, after I apologize for not posting until now (I was in Washington DC most of last week with unreliable internet and a full schedule working for Save The Children - I know, excuses excuses).

Pearl, I was the same way about Jin and Sun's deaths. I mean, the whole hands floating apart in silhouette with the flashing red light in the background thing was heart-renching enough, but seeing HURLEY cry was just - gah. Saddest episode yet.

And I felt a little bad for Sayid, I mean, crazy monster-thing he's turned into or not, he sacrificed himself at a moment's notice to save everyone else, and then his death was totally upstaged by Jin and Sun.

I hadn't thought about Lapidus being dead, actually. I assumed he just hadn't washed up yet. I do remember when they were walking on the beach after the sun exploded I said aloud, "Hey where the heck is Lapidus?", but as no one else (on the show) seemed concerned about him, either he's not dead, or they just never really liked him much in the first place. I hope it's the former.

I hate when a character dies on this show, because with them, dies a whole slew of questions centered around them. I still had questions about Boone, and Shannon, and Charie, and Libby, and Eko etc. etc., but once they died, there was very little chance we'd find out anything else about them. Not that I have many burning Jin and Sun or Sayid questions (and I suppose they are still alive in the LAX timeline so they're only half dead, really) but it still sucks a little knowing they're just gone. It's like every time someone dies, we find out their story was never really as important as the ones for the people who are still alive. Kind of like once your name is crossed off the list of candidates, no one needs you to be alive anymore.

Pearl, I am the same way about things I love ending. I get sad when a show I like, or a book series I enjoyed, or even a game I've been playing is over, because even though we still have the fandom and the community and the shared experience of having watched this show together in common with a lot of people, we'll never get to sit down and watch a new episode together. We'll still have things to theorize about, but we'll have to accept the fact that no new information is coming.

It's nice to know we have this blog, and lots of people going through this with us, but I think we're all allowed to be a little sad right now. And very, very excited.

I agree that the flash sideways was boring. I feel like if we don't see Desmond or Faraday, it's probably going to be boring. They were on SUCH a good kick, too, with the last few episodes, and then this one was right back to Jack-and-Locke-sob story I don't care let's see Desmond try to kill more people.

I've been wondering about what makes someone eligible to be a candidate. I wonder if someone already IS the candidate and they are just trying to figure out which one it is, or if no one is slated as the candidate, but the remaining names need to prove themselves. I also wonder if someone can BECOME the next Jacob while other candidates are still alive, or if it really is a "last one standing" sort of deal. I hope not.

Things I noticed in the episode and wrote down in my trusty notebook:

-Jack said to Locke in the LAX timeline (about the surgery): "You're a candidate."

-Sawyer stealing the gun made me loll.

-"I hope you find what you're looking for." I AM SO SICK OF THE REPEATED CATCHLINES. OMG LOST. WE DON'T NEED TO BE SPOONFED.

- Claire took that guy OUT. She is so badass.

-Sayid's death scene was pretty epic, aside from Jin/Sun's way more epic one following immediately after. I loved when Jack said, "There is no Sayid." Woah.


I can't wait for next week.

Swan.

No Hyperlinks

Ooookaaaaay. So Hydra still hasn’t managed to watch the episode and Swan is unable to post right now due to traveling. So. I guess it’s me again. Hey.


Three (or four?) deaths in one episode, guys. I didn’t take Sun and Jin dying very well. I got a little teary-eyed at first, but it was full on sobs once Hurley began mourning. I was in denial up to the close up of their hands letting go. All I could think of when they were the only two left on the sub (other than “Nooooooo!!!”) was, “What about Ji-Yeon?” It was a beautiful death for both of them, but Ji-Yeon never knowing her father and losing her mother is tough to swallow. Plus, they were JUST reunited. Sayid died nobly, which I appreciated. I am glad that he ultimately got to prove that he was good, not evil. I expected him to die, so I was prepared. I am disappointed that Lapidus didn’t get a more memorable death, though. This is assuming he is dead.

I am kind of in denial of Lappy’s death based on the fact that Darlton didn’t mention it at all in a post-episode interview. They spoke of the deaths of Sayid, Sun and Jin, but did not even hint at the death of Lapidus. They even said there were [only] three deaths. So, either Lapidus is not actually dead—which I don’t see how that is possible given that a giant steel door slammed into him—or they are being complete jerks by ignoring his death. I realize he was not an original cast member, and not really considered a central character, so perhaps we are not supposed to “care” if he dies. However, he has been with the show for half of its run. Plus, he is a favorite character of a lot of viewers. I hope this is addressed in some way in the upcoming episode, which, by the way, is a MIB AND JACOB EPISODE!!!! We might get more answers, guys!!!! GET EXCITED!!

As far as those little questions we were hoping for . . . I think this is it. I don’t think those little questions will ever be answered. I think the finishing touches to the masterpiece are coming together. The reality that the show is ending is finally hitting me and I am getting incredibly sad about it. This is common for me, especially when I finish a book series. I sink into a depression after it all ends, because I am a geek who feels like she just had to say goodbye to some good friends. I hate goodbyes.

I feel like a bit of jerk for talking about Lappy’s possible death more than Sun and Jin’s actual deaths, since it was clearly the most shocking and emotional. I think that’s why I am unable to say much about it. There isn’t much more to say than that it was heartbreaking. Right?

The flash-sideways was boring, to me, this week so I don’t have anything to comment about it. EXCEPT I wonder if Locke being a pilot in LAX will somehow be relevant in the Island timeline. If Lappy is dead (sad face), he still needs a pilot to get off, amirite? Or is he just going to Smoke Monster his ass outta there once he’s in the clear? Just sayin’, I think it was a gem among pebbles in the LAX that might be important.

I still have a lot of questions for this show, but based on “The Candidate” I want to know just a few things:

1. Aside from death, how does one become ineligible as a Candidate? Does it all come down to the the last one standing, or is there more to it than that? Kate not being one was brought up twice (I think) in this episode alone, and she is clearly still alive. So why is her name crossed out? Is she going to serve another purpose? Please, God, let her serve some kind of purpose or just kill her. If Kate can become awesome again in these last few episodes, then I am okay with her living. For a second I thought she was actually going to die in this episode, but then I realized she will likely go out (if she goes out) way more dramatically than that.
2. So, I think Smokey is off to kill Desmond. This begs the question once again: WHY IS DESMOND SO IMPORTANT?! He is not a Candidate, but his being alive is not good news for Smokey and I want to know why, once and for all.
3. Where are Richard and Ben?!
4. What in the hell is Widmore up to? Seriously. I’m sick of his Tomfoolery.

There we go. I want to apologize for our delay once again with the blog this week. To make it up to you, I will post a picture of my NEW BABY BUNNY!!!! Her name is Talulah, and she is afraid everything.




The Pearl.

Just posting a quick note to let everyone know that a new blog will be up ASAP. I am just as anxious to talk about last night's episode as the next person. Hydra is first this week and his car decided last night would be a good night to stop working, so he missed the episode. In my excitement (for lack of a better word), and not knowing he had missed the episode, I also foolishly spoiled the whole episode for him when I commented on his facebook immediately after the episode ended. I suck, I know. Of all the episodes to ruin, it had to be that one. My guilt complex won't let me live that down for a while. Anyway, he will have his post up as soon as he manages to watch it. Hang in there, guys! Refrain from posting your reactions in this unofficial entry and save them all for Hydra's post, please.

Thank you!

The Pearl

I think this show is about aliens.

I haven't read Hydra or Pearl's answers yet, because I didn't want them to influence mine. So if there are repeats, it's out of pure coincidence. Or having similar tastes.

1. When did you start watching Lost?
I actually distinctly remember sitting down and watching the premiere of the pilot with my dad back when it aired for the very first time. I remember him telling me, "This show looks awesome and you should watch it with me. It's like Survivor, but better."

2. Favorite character?
This is tough. It was Charlie for a long time, and then it was Hurley, but now I would have to say it's probably Ben. Anytime Ben has a big part in an episode, it's going to be a good episode.

3. Would you have been in the front of the plane or the tail section?
You know, I think about this every time I get on a plane. For some reason, I am ALWAYS sitting right on the wing. And every time, I think to myself, "if this were Lost, I'd be dead." And yet, I never book my seats anywhere else, because I cant afford first class, and it takes too long to get off the plane when you sit in the back.

4. Favorite scene?
I really, really liked that one episode where everyone was all down and out, but then Hurley finds the blue Dharma van and takes all the boys on a joy ride. It was so fun and carefree in the middle of a really shitty situation, and I just liked that Lost allowed their characters to just have a little fun for once. And I also liked the scene where Charlie brought Claire peanut butter. So sweet.

5. Favorite Lost couple?
I really liked Claire and Charlie. Hence this.

6. Least favorite character?
I really, really disliked Ana Lucia. Which is funny, because I liked her a lot in Avatar, and she played a very similar character. I also just found Mr. Eko's scenes boring, though I know a ton of people would reprimand me for admitting that.

7. Saddest character death?
A toss up between Charlie and Libby. I mean, I was much, much more invested in Charlie as a character, but knowing how upset Hurley was when Libby died - gah. It's just too much.

8. Craziest theory you remember having?
I think after watching the pilot with my dad, and seeing all the emphasis they put on swaying trees and weird noises and "omg what's in the jungle" - we both were like, "I think this show is about aliens." And for the next few weeks, we kept waiting for the aliens to come out.

9. Least favorite Lost couple?
Sayid and Shannon. Just, what the hell was that?
Also, the Boone and Shannon undertones. So creepy. Probably better they both died early on.

10. Creepiest moment?
Maybe this wasn't creepy so much as unnerving, but that scene where the camera POV is down on the ground in the bush and you see the Others walk by, and then you see the children's feet and the teddy bear being dragged along. I don't know why, but that scene gave me the chills.

11. Biggest "WTF?" moment?
Season opener down in the hatch (before we knew what the hatch was) when "Make Your Own Kind of Music" is playing and you just see vague shots of Desmond working out and stuff down there. I remember about a minute and a half in going, "are we watching a commercial or is this Lost? Oh wait, wtf, this IS Lost, rewind it!"

12. Favorite season?
Season 2. The one where we find out about the Dharma stations and the button and meet Desmond and the show suddenly gets literally three times as complicated.

13. Favorite episode?
This is hard. I guess I'll do a cop out and say "The Constant", though this recent episode with Richard (Ricardo xD) was pretty awesome too. I guess also the Season 1 finale, with the hatch and the raft exploding and Others taking Walt. Pretty badass finale.

14. Funniest moment?
Arnzt exploding. I'm sorry, but that will NEVER get old.

15. Lost Crush?
Hmmm. They ARE all so attractive. I'm going to do a three-part answer. 1. Charlie, because he's a musician and the hottest, 2. Sawyer, because he's just got that THING going for him, and actually kind of looks like my boyfriend, 3. Karl. Because he's an awkward cute nerdy guy and of all the people on Lost, he's probably most my type. Haha.

16. Based on what we know now, how do you WANT the show to end?
This is a super hard question, and I felt like this when people used to ask me how I wanted Harry Potter to end, too. I don't want Lost to end in any way I could theorize right now, because I want to be surprised. And if I'm not surprised, then they as writers haven't done their job correctly. So basically, here's how I want it to end. I want the writers to dream up something I couldn't possibly have come up with, and then make it even weirder. And then use that.

It's hard, because I want everyone to have happy endings, but to do that, people would have to end up in different time-lines from each other. Some people's happy ending is in LAX and some is on the island, and I don't feel like we can have both, obviously.

Only Stephenie Meyer can find ridiculous ways to write stories in which literally EVERYONE can get what they want in an impossible situation, and I don't want Lost to end up like Twilight. No imprinting on Nadia's daughter, Sayid. xD

17. Three things you want to know but will probably never know?
1. Why was Libby stalking Hurley in the mental hospital before the plane crash?
2. Did the actors who play Nicky and Paulo win some sort of contest, or was there something in the water at the studio that day and the writers forgot what show they were working on?
3. WHAT IS FLOCKE/LOOPHOLE/MAN IN BLACK/ESAU'S NAME?

See you next week!

Swan

Why Do I Love Crazy Claire So Much?

Survey Time! I haven't filled one of these out in a long time. I might have been on my Xanga page!

1. When did you start watching Lost?
-Well it was the summer/fall of '05 I think? Yeah, I had just moved in with my buddy Brandon and we tore threw the first season on DVD before catching up to the live episodes.
2. Favorite character?
-Charlie and Desmond. Especially in season 3 when the two of them were hanging out a lot and Desmond kept trying to stop him from dying. OH, and Faraday.
3. Would you have been in the front of the plane or the tail section?
-I like to sit right on the wing, so, I think the front. Most likely would have been dead.
4. Favorite scene?
-The one that pops to mind is in the season 3 finale when Hurley saves the day in Dharma bus! I was so happy he got to be the hero and it just kind of came out of nowhere. His radio call to Jack announcing his victory is my favorite part of the whole thing.
5. Favorite Lost couple?
-James and Juliet. Hands down, they were so great for each other. Everything that Jack and Kate is not (healthy, mutually beneficial, honest). OH, and Rose and Bernard.
6. Least favorite character?
-Kate. Totally useless other than reenacting the same romantic plots over and over and over again. Which is a shame because she started out so cool, a crazy hot fugitive from justice who knows how to track and play the boys against each other. Ugh, now she is just super lame. And, I didn't say Nikki and Paulo because I actually liked that episode. I blows me away that people hate it as much as they do.
7. Saddest character death?
-Charlie probably hit me hardest but I don't think it was the saddest, he died admirably and knowingly. The saddest I think would have to be when Keamy shot Alex. That scene is so intense and sad.
8. Craziest theory you remember having?
-Well, before this season I was adamant that Esau and the Smoke Monster were two separate beings. Way off on that.
9. Least favorite Lost couple?
-Kate and anybody.
10. Creepiest moment?
-Claire's skull baby springs instantly to mind. A lot of the stuff with the others at the beginning was really creepy, like, anything Ethan ever did.
11. Biggest "WTF?" moment?
-The first time we saw a Polar Bear, Arzt, also when the button didn't get pressed and John got caught under the door and saw the map on the ceiling, I had no idea what to make of that.
12. Favorite season?
-I guess one of the things I love about Lost is that it doesn't feel disjointed to me at all. It all feels like one story being told, up until this season. That is definitely one of the reasons I hated the flash sideways so much. Because that wasn't the story it was a completely different story that the one they had been telling for five seasons. So, I guess all that to say, I'm going to have to cop out and say I don't have a favorite.
13. Favorite episode (or top five)?
- "Through the Looking Glass" is probably my favorite. The shift to flash forward blew me away and the aforementioned Hurley saves the day aspect I loved. I really love that one. Also, "Greatest Hits."
14. Funniest moment?
-Sawyer's glasses.
15. Lost Crush (I had to. They are all so attractive.)?
-Way too hard. I think it's a toss up between Juliet and Crazy Claire. I'm pretty sure that means I will never be in a healthy relationship.
16. Based on what we know now, how do you WANT the show to end?
-I literally have no answer to this. Obviously the two timeline HAVE to come together in some meaningful way. If that doesn't happen I will be so upset.
17. Three things you want to know but will probably never know?
-Assuming that Walt is still alive off of the Island and assuming that Esau could only take the form of people who are dead, how did Walt appear to Locke?
-Who were Adam and Eve?
-Why was the Island underwater? For what possible reason could that have happened other than pure shock value?

There are my answers. One more question to add...

18. If Lost was just a very dramatic version of Gilligan's Island what characters would be who?
- My nominations are Skipper/Lapidus, Gilligan/Hurley, Ginger/Shannon, Mary Ann/Claire, Mr. Howell/Widmore, Mrs. Howell/Eloise, Professor/Faraday

-Hydra