Bill’s Lost Site

Michael gives us the first look into the camp of the “Others”. The information below was provided by Michael and we can hope that it is truthful but I am very skeptical. Something happened to Michael and he is not his normal self.

— The Others sleep in canvas tents and teepees (a slight upgrade from our tarp town on the beach)
— The Others live off dried fish
— They walk around barefoot and in dirty clothes
— Michael did not see the boat
— The Others have a hatch with double steel doors - the doors are manned by 2 armed guards 24/7

We know that the Others dress down only to give the appearance of being shipwrecked on the island. The fact that Michael saw them this way could be a set-up … a plan to lure the Losties with a false sense of superiority.

Something or someone is definitely in the hatch. Michael mentions that someone is always guarding it. I wonder how long he staked out the place.

The fact that there was no boat leads me to believe that this is just one of many potential camps that the Others use.

My personal prediction is that the Michael we saw was not right in his mind. Something is going on which forced him to kill Ana Lucia. Why would he do that when he is trying to raise an army to get his son back? Going back to Prey I can’t help but think about the main character’s wife after she was infested with the nanobots. She looked normal, she acted fairly normal, but then she flew into fits of insanity. My guess is that Michael has been infested by the nanobots and is under their control. That would explain his killing of Ana as well as the potential betrayal to our Losties.

It appears that Jack has a sis, one that lives in Australia. Christian has provided some support to her mother as he mentions paying the mortgage on the home.

Is the daughter from a previous marriage or was she the by-product of an extra marital affair? My vote is for the latter as Jack made some crack to his dad about having an affair several episodes ago. See issue #9.

So, does Jack know that he has a sister?

How about this - we know of one young female Lostie who was living in Sydney. She is close to Jack’s age (within 10 years or so) and shares the same hair color as the woman Christian went to see. Wouldn’t it be interesting if Jack’s sis was Claire? With how connected everyone is I wouldn’t rule this out as an option - although it is a long-shot.

Henry has another conversation with Locke. This one has Locke scratching his head. With Henry we never really know what is sincere and what is meant to manipulate people. We don’t know if he is lying or telling the truth. Henry Gale is one slick operator.

— Henry tells Locke that he is one of the “good ones”
— Henry failed his mission - he was coming to get Locke before he was caught by Danielle
— Henry’s friends are not forgiving - failure in his mission means death
— Henry describes his leader (presumably “Him” that we have heard so much about) as a “great man”, a “brilliant man” but not a “forgiving man”

Referencing Locke as a “good one” reminds me of Goodwin talking about the “list”. The list contains the names of the good people. We still don’t know what qualifies one to be “good” or not. Nor do we know if Henry is telling the truth.

In season 1 Locke is caught by the black swarm that tries to drag him underground. I wonder if that was the first attempt to get Locke and this is now the 2nd attempt.

It sure sounds like Henry is describing Alvar Hanso. We know Zeke quoted the guy. Fair to assume that Hanso bank-rolled the entire operation and is still actively involved in it. That being said, killing Henry because he was caught in a trap seems a little extreme. I’m sure that violates some labor law, no matter where this island is.

While strangling Ana Lucia Henry wanted to get some stuff off his chest. Similar in fashion to Sawyers revenge quest when he shot the wrong guy - thinking it was the real Mr. Sawyer. Anyway, Henry mentions that:

— The others are “good people” - they only want to be left alone
— That Ana is really the killer - she has killed 2 of the “others”

His first statement is interesting as it continues a theme that we have seen throughout the show. The “others” might be misguided but they are sincere in their belief. They really do believe that they are the good people. That the action they take on the island is in everyone’s best interest. Think about Goodwin talking about the children being better off now and being safe. Ethan reassured Claire that the baby would be protected and cared for.

Now that’s not to say that the “Others” are actually good people but it is clear that they think they are doing what is right.

As for his second point, this one I am really confused. So far as I can recall Ana only killed one of the “others” - Goodwin. Ana has also killed Shannon while on the island. And in her flashback Ana killed that Jason guy. Am I missing someone? This could be huge.

*** EDIT *** Ana did kill two people - I forgot about the first one. On the 2nd night that the Others came to her camp Ana killed a woman who had a list of names in her pocket. Sorry for any confusion.

Wow - that’s all I have to say. What a great episode. I thought the beginning was great but it was nothing compared to the ending. PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU HAVEN’T WATCHED THE EPISODE YET! Here are my notes:

1. One of the big questions was how did Michael end up stumbling into Jack and Kate? Was he “dumped” there by the Others, did he truly just bump into Jack and Kate?

2. The cop cars in Ana Lucia’s flashback were numbered on the roofs 15, 16, 23 … sound familiar … our famous numbers.

3. The guy Ana killed was named Jason Aldery - or something close to that. Ana shot him around 3 in the morning.

4. Her mom, the police chief, knows Ana’s involvement in the murder. Did she turn her daughter in? Did she turn a blind eye to the crime because it is her daughter?

5. Look - I am not an advocate for violence of any kind, especially against women, but I couldn’t have been happier that Henry went after Ana Lucia. Ana ranks right up there with Shannon as the most annoying women I have ever seen.

6. When Henry is strangling Ana he mentions a few interesting things. Click HERE to read about the conversation.

7. Is it me or did Ana act the part of a TSA official perfectly? Those are some miserable people.

8. The bartender who serves Ana and Christian is Mike.

9. Too bad Christian is dead (or at least we think he’s dead) - Christian and Locke could spend hours talking about fate.

10. The fake names used by Christian and Ana Lucia are Tom and Sara.

11. Henry has another great conversation - this time with Locke. Click HERE to read about it.

12. Ana and Sawyer are a perfect match. Glad they could help each other out. On a side note - how did Sawyer not notice that Ana pinched his gun after taking a roll in the hay? Sawyer is very aware of his gun at all times.

13. So Jack has a half-sister it looks like. Christian tried to speak with her but didn’t get to far. HERE is a crazy idea on who Christian’s daughter might be.

14. Christian opens the door to get out of the car and hits Sawyer as he walks by.

15. Christian’s comment is very interesting. He tells Ana that “I can’t ever go back.” Is this just his pride speaking or is there something more to this?

16. Michael describes what he sees at the Others camp. Click HERE for quick run-down of his description.

17. Hurley’s comments about getting drunk so that he might remember where he knows Libby from is pretty funny. Of course Libby didn’t find it that funny.

18. Sawyer was reading the Bad Twin manuscript again.

19. Henry relays to Ana Lucia that Goodwin tried to protect her. He mentioned that Ana was “worthy” and that he “could change you”. Not sure what Goodwin was thinking at the time. Of course, Ana proceeded to jam a tree trunk through Goodwin a short time later. Guess Goodwin was wrong.

20. Ana says, “I couldn’t even kill him.” One would think that killing comes easy to Ana but for some reason it is now more difficult. Then she makes a comment that sounds like a plea for assisted suicide, “I can’t do this anymore.” The big question is what does she mean by “this”. “This” being your life, “this” being a tough person, “this” being … you get the picture.

21. The combination to the safe is 18R, 1L, 31R

22. Did Michael mean to shoot (and possibly kill) Libby? I don’t think so. He had a look of horror on his face. Libby appeared to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

That’s it for the summary. I’m going to be posting some additional thoughts later.

Filler episode in which we really didn’t learn anything new. It was nice, touching, and had a good feel to it but certainly the plot line of the island wasn’t advanced any. Here is my recap:

1. Building the pantry outside on the beach? Is that really the best place to store food? I would think something more substantial than tarps should be protecting their food supply.

2. Locke trying to draw the map was brutal. The guys saw it for about 20 seconds. I have looked at it for hours in detail. I still couldn’t draw the stupid map with any amount of accuracy.

3. Locke is no longer a man of faith. Henry has crushed Locke’s hope.

4. We finally get a flashback about Rose. It’s only taken almost 2 seasons to fit her in.

5. We find out that Rose and Bernard have only been married for a very short time - heck, they have only known each other for less than a year.

6. Bernard was 56 when he met Rose.

7. How great was Bernard’s proposal? He’s a terrific guy.

8. Were you really surprised that Rose was ill? I don’t know why but for some reason I always thought Rose was sick.

9. Do you have to be a wilderness survival expert to not miss the trap Kate fell for? Saw that trap a mile away. Wonder where Danielle found that doll?

10. Jack is a heck of a shot. Swinging net with his arm at an awkward angle shooting a rope that is quite a distance away. Wow!

11. The big question here is whether Rose was really sick. I don’t think so. This is all part of the memory implant process.

12. Was Kate being awfully petty? You don’t tell Jack about the discovery of a new bunker because he didn’t let you in his little club? That was just unbelievable.

13. Finally someone who saw Locke in the wheelchair. Why didn’t Rose speak to Locke about it earlier? I think over 2 months I would have found a few minutes to chat about their miraculous recovery.

14. If the island heals people then why have so many folks died of injuries? So far the only people who have been healed are those that were sick prior to coming to the island. Once they ended up on the beach they were healed. I will post more about this later.

15. It seems like Locke could remember the map layout better after he stretched his legs. I wonder why?

16. I really believe that Libby is crazy … she is still loving Hurley. She has to be a mole.

17. Was anyone that surprised that Michael stumbled upon the group? As soon as I saw the torch I knew it would be Michael.

*** Special Note *** - no new Lost episode next week

Looks like ABC continues to adjust their Lost schedule. Next week was originally supposed to be a re-run. However, it appears that it will be a new one.

There are 2 different interrogation scenes in this episode. The first one occurs between Sayid and Henry. The 2nd one is between Locke and Henry. Here are the general notes from the interrogations.

Sayid and Henry
Henry starts off by saying that he found Henry Gale stuck in the balloon with a broken neck. Sayid then points out that the story doesn’t make sense because of some notes that Henry made. The notes indicate that Henry landed on the island and was alive. The note is written to Jennifer or Jenny whom he has a close relationship with (Sayid assumes it is his wife).

Henry then says that it wasn’t him that killed Henry. Sayid presses him some more and Henry replies that he can’t say anything more because “What he’ll do” is pretty bad. Ana Lucia asks if “he” is Zeke - the guy in the beard. Henry’s response is that Zeke is “no one, nothing.” Then Henry refers to “he” again by saying, “He’ll kill me. You can’t do this - he’ll kill me.” Sayid would have killed Henry if Ana Lucia hadn’t stepped in.

Locke and Henry
At the end of the episode there is a short exchange between Locke and Henry. Henry makes a reference that God doesn’t know how long the “Others” have been on the island. “He can’t see this island any better than the rest of the world can.” Henry then says this bunker “… is a joke.” Finally, Henry states that he didn’t push the buttons - that in fact - the numbers don’t do anything. This is in line with the majority theory out there that the numbers are just an experiment. I don’t buy this theory at all nor do I believe that Henry is telling the truth.

Is the island “cloaked” somehow so that it remains invisible to radar/satellites, etc? Very interesting idea.

This looks like the drug that Hurley was taking. The information below comes from WebMd. Don’t see anything on here about hullicinations.

Uses:
Clonazepam is used to treat seizure disorders and panic attacks. It belongs to a class of medications called benzodiazepines which act on the brain and nerves (central nervous system) to produce a calming effect. This drug works by enhancing the effects of a certain natural chemical in the body (GABA).

Treats:
Panic Disorder, Epilepsy of the Lennox Gastaut Syndrome, Seizure with Loss of Normal Tone or Strength, Seizures with Irregular Muscle Contractions, Petit Mal Seizures.

Clonazepam Oral may also be used to treat:
Manic Bipolar Disorder Adjunct Treatment, Tourette’s, Tonic-Clonic Epilepsy, Simple Partial Seizures, Convulsive Seizures, Epileptic Fit

Side Effects:
Drowsiness, dizziness, blurred vision, muscle pain, excessive hair growth or loss, change in sexual desire, weight change, increased saliva production, sore gums, or cough may occur. If any of these effects persist or worsen, notify your doctor or pharmacist promptly.

Something the wife pointed out - Hurley and Libby are throwing the food around and making a huge mess. Yet when Sun, Jin and the others run right by where this all took place no one notices the packaging or the food on the ground. Also, Hurley and Libby didn’t have anything on them. Libby even wipes off her hand on Hurley’s shirt - only problem is that there was nothing on her hand.

That was an awfully big mess for no one to notice it.

Another good episode … not great but a very solid effort. Here is my recap:

1. Why destroy the food? Won’t folks get a little upset when a nice stash of food is found all over the ground?

2. I am a big fan of the idea that Libby is a mole. HERE is a previous post on the subject. Let me add a few new things. First, when Hurley is holding the shoe it appears that Libby looks right at it - later she says that she didn’t see anything. Libby also finds Hurley when Hurley hadn’t ran into anyone in quite awhile. Finally, Libby likes Hurley. Don’t take this the wrong way but seriously. Nice guy, yes. Crazy, absolutely. Good looking, no way. I just don’t buy it.

3. Hurley’s Dr. was Dr. Brooks. The institution was called, “Santa Rosa”. Hurley’s friend is Dave.

4. Hurley was in the institution at least 2 months.

5. It appears that Locke can definitely feel pain in his leg. Wonder when that changed? It was only a few weeks ago that Boone was killed. In that episode Locke couldn’t feel pain, but then lost the ability to walk, and then he could walk again. I don’t know what to think about this.

6. HERE are some of the interrogation notes from this episode.

7. What is Eko making? Why won’t he tell Charlie?

8. Clonazepam looks like the drugs that Hurley was taking. Click HERE for more information on it.

9. When Dr. Brooks takes Hurley’s picture something interesting happens. He looks in the camera and then says, “Why don’t you get a little closer together.” What’s interesting is that if Dave is imaginary why would the doctor ask Hurley to scoot in closer to him? How would the doctor know that Dave wasn’t sitting right next to Hurley?

10. Sawyer’s joke was classic about seeing the guy in the bathrobe. Hurley beating up Sawyer was even better.

11. 23 people were on the balcony that collapsed. The balcony was designed to hold just 8. Remember the numbers, 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42. Sound familiar?

12. I need to get a good look at the paperweight and file that the Dr. pulls off his desk when he shows Hurley the picture. There is something odd about that.

13. Dave’s story is very interesting. The basic concept is that Hurley is still in a coma and he needs to wake up. I wonder if this is a slight jab at those that believe the whole island experience is a coma for one or more people on the island.

14. Finally someone interrogated Henry. I don’t know about you but I would be down there 24/7 trying to get him to open up. Check out the link above for the interrogation notes.

15. Libby in the mental hospital was a nice twist. If you remember back a few episodes ago Hurley asked Libby if they had met. She looked very familiar to him. At the time Libby mentioned that Hurley stepped on her while boarding the plane. I wrote way back then that her story didn’t check out. HERE is the original post. What’s interesting is why Libby would have lied about it. Not that one needs to brag about being locked up but there is something very fishy about Libby.

Found this comprehensive review of Lockdown. I would definitely recommend it. Don’t agree with everything but the writer is money on much of it.

Click HERE to access the analysis.

People have speculated about this over at the Fuselage. I really couldn’t see it. Helen seems to be as genuine as can be.

I decided to rewatch the episode. This time really watching for clues that might support this theory. I have to admit upon reviewing the episode I am leaning more and more to the fact that she was part of the con.

There are several clues but nothing significant. We start with the fact that Helen is the one that notices Cooper is dead. When the bruisers come to check up on Locke at the house Helen is angry, not scared. Helen then shows up at the motel at just the right moment. Another minute later and she would have missed everything. Finally, when Locke tries to explain everything to her she just walks away.

Now I don’t want to diminish the value that Helen might have placed in Locke being honest with her but seriously … hear the guy out. There is a pretty darn good explanation. At the minimum she should at least be curious as to why the guy faked his death, why thugs are chasing after him, etc.

So, I can’t say for sure that she was part of it. But on the other hand I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if she ended up playing a major role in the con.

Here are some of the topics being discussed over at the Fuselage:

1. A great (and funny) overview of what we learned from this episode.

2. What was Jack doing in Thailand?

3. Was the food really dropped from a plane?

4. Did Henry enter the code?

5. Was Helen part of the con to get the money for Locke’s dad?

6. Is Locke’s dad the real Mr. Sawyer?

7. Is Henry really Kelvin?

8. Here are some thoughts from the writer regarding the episode.

9. Have we seen the Staff station? We think that was the station in Claire’s episode a few weeks back. HERE is a different opinion.

If you come across anything on the message boards feel free to post the link via comments.

Most exciting part of the last episode was when the Blast Doors dropped and the lights went out. Was it just me or was everyone pretty shocked to see what appeared to be a map on the door. Well, the ever diligent Sledgeweb has posted an enhanced image of the blast door along with cleaning up the text.

Click HERE for the original image. I would recommend right clicking the image and saving it to your hard drive. Once on your hard drive you can use various tools to zoom in and zoom out to see all of the stuff that is there. HERE is another version of the map. One more - this one from a magazine. It provides some commentary around several of the items on the map.

There are several Latin phrases which Sledgeweb has also translated. They read as follows:
Aegrescit medendo - The disease worsens with the treatment. The remedy is worse than the disease
Sursum corda - Lift up your hearts (to God)
Credo nos in fluctu eodem esse - I think we’re on the same wavelength
Malum consilium quod mutari non potest - It’s a bad plan that can’t be changed.
Cogito ergo doleo - I think therefore I am depressed
Ut sit magna, tamen certe lenta ira deorum est - The wrath of the gods may be great, but it certainly is slow
Hic sunt dracones - Here be dragons
Nil actum credens dum quid superesset agendum - Don’t consider that anything has been done if anything is left to be done
Liberate te ex inferis - Save yourself from hell
Mus uni non fidit antro - A mouse does not rely on just one hole

OK - now for my thoughts on the map …
1. The map is not drawn from an engineering perspective - whoever drew it most likely found those hatches or has general information about their location. I originally thought we would see something more like a blueprint. I would caution anyone about making assumptions regarding distance and specific locations based soley off this map.

2. The map shows a clear pattern of an octagon.

3. The stations all surround a central hub.

4. There are 4 Named Stations; the Swan (where Locke is), the Flame, the Staff (where Claire was taken to), and the Arrow.

5. There appear to be another 2 stations without a specific name; C3 and C4.

6. The Swan station appears to have 3 exits. So far we are only aware of 2.

7. Here are a list of abbreviations along with the appropriate context:
A. D.I.H.G (mentioned 4 times)
B. R.V.S “High potential for R.V.S. _____________”
C. KEV-4 “KEV-4? Or possible location of zoological research facility”
D. H.G “Site of the H.G. delegation inspection 12.07.81″
E. E.E.P. “No connection to islandwide E.E.P. network”
F: AH/MDG (mentioned 2 times) “Caduceus station believed to have been adandoned due to AH/MDG incident of 1985″ & “From following AH/MDG incident”
G: P.RD. maybe P.R.D. “P.RD. : every 6-8 months.”

8. There is very little doubt that the stations are connected together through an intranet system. However, not all stations may be directly connected to one another. Most likely, each station can connect directly to 2 or more other stations and would need to run through the center hub in order to connect to all stations.

9. There are many dates listed on the map. Here they are in order:
A. 12.07.81 “Site of H.G. delegation inspection 12.07.81″
B. 10.28.84 “Suspected shut down date 10.28.84″
C. 1985 “Caduceus station believed to have been abandoned due to AH/MDG incident of D. 1985.” it possibly continues with “or possible catastrophoc [sp] malfunction of cereberus system.”
E. 4.08.00, 8.15.01, 01.06.03 - no direct comments - may be related to “Complete shut down in effect”
This last date of 1/6/2003 occured approx 2 years prior to our Lostie’s ending up on the island.

10. There is mention of fatalities = 5. There is nothing to suggest how they died or if this is a total number of people or just relating to a specific incident.

11. What are the H designations? There are at least 3 areas on the map where they label a bunker or part of the bunker either H1 or H2 or H3.

12. There are several pathways that connect the bunkers. There is also mention of a subterranean conduit. My guess is that there is some form of navigating through the island underground.

13. There sure seems to be lots of problems. Most of the notes relate to system failures and shutdowns. This only emphasizes a few theories. The island is an extremely complex area. To think that pushing the button is just as an experiment seems foolish to me. The button does something! Along those same lines I am inclined to believe the orientation film when they mentioned a catastrophic failure prior to the film being made. Finally, my gut is telling me that while Dharma had intentions of staying in control of the situation, they have gotten in way over their head.

14. Finally, the map, along with the comments, all appear to be written by someone who has some knowledge of what is happening but definitely lacks the complete picture. Most of the notes make it sound like the information was gathered rather than experienced first hand. Did the original scribe capture an “Other” and get the information that way? Was this through discovering documents? I don’t know yet but I will go on the record and speculate that we will find out who the author of the wall mural is.

Now, please feel free to add comments or other things that you see in the picture that I may have missed. I will be very interested to see what you all come up with.

The big question from this week is what triggered the blast doors to drop (for a discussion on what was on the Blast Doors click HERE). I scratched my head for hours before getting with blog fan, Scott, who had this great idea.

Let’s assume that the island contains sensitive information in it. Experiments are being conducted that may not be for public eyes. In order to ensure secrecy and protect the experiments the island should have some form of a security system.

The concept of a security system isn’t new. Danielle mentioned that she thought the black cloud was part of that security system. My guess is that there are probably multiple layers of security given the secrecy around what is going on within the island.

The blast doors dropped at 47:00 left on the timer. Immediately before the blast doors dropped the speaker system started going haywire. I believe the speakers were warning the bunker occupants that the security system had been breached and that the hatch was going into lock-down mode. After the warning is played the hatch proceeds to shut down.

Once the security system is activated the hatch remains locked down for a period of time. Most likely the system is running scans to see if in fact there was a breach. Once it determines that everything is “all clear” the doors come back up and normality is restored.

Going back to the big question about what could have triggered the security system … How about a plane? We know that there was a food drop and it appeared to be recent (the location was between the bunker and the beach – a path that Jack had taken earlier that day). If you wanted secrecy for the drop doing it at night would provide a nice cover. It would make sense that the island security system would include some form of radar that could scan the immediate vicinity for aircraft or incoming missiles, etc. If breached the process begins of securing the bunker(s).

We may never know for sure what happened but I am putting my money on Scott’s terrific theory.

A tale of 2 episodes. The first 30 minutes was just a continuation of last week’s slow pace with nothing really interesting. And while it was fun to see Jack beat Sawyer in poker I need something more than that to keep me going.

But, the last 30 minutes, that was something special. Please only read this review if you have already seen the episode. I wouldn’t want to spoil it for you.

SPECIAL NOTE that all images that I have linked to come from the terrific site authored by Sledgeweb. Make sure you check out the site as it is the bomb!

Here are my thoughts for what they are worth …

1. Wonder how much time past between Locke’s most recent flashback scene and this episode’s? We know that he has at least changed jobs.

2. I thought a great quote was, “No one says anything mean about someone once they are dead.”

3. The blast doors dropped at exactly 47:00 on the timer.

4. Unfortunately, I don’t have my TIVO with me. Couldn’t tell what the speaker was saying. It sounded like Locke was being paged. I also thought that I heard what sounded like someone dialing on a speaker phone. Finally, I thought that I heard the words, “Please proceed …”. I will update this once I get a chance to re-watch the episode.

5. Real question is what caused the doors to drop down? For the best theory on that click HERE. For a great image of the blast doors along with a discussion about it click HERE.

6. The company Locke was working for was called Welcome Home. Locke is the owner of the company.

7. Did you all catch that it was Nadia (Sayid’s girl) who was getting the home inspection? I missed it the first time around. Click HERE for the screen cap.

8. We now know why Henry wanted Locke to protect him no matter what. While Locke did give his word to Henry I am not sure that is going to mean much. Of course, my guess is that Henry will provide a quasi-reasonable explanation for assuming Henry’s ID.

9. Let me go on the record and say thank goodness that the door didn’t come down on Locke where I thought it did. He already has bad legs … he didn’t need any further damage in that general area.

10. The safety deposit box number was 1516 … two of the Numbers.

11. Where in Thailand did Jack go? What was he doing there? My guess he went on a major binge after his split-up with the wife. For some reason I have a hard time seeing Jack getting a tat while sober.

12. Seriously, I am confused about whether Locke feels pain in his legs. From Season 1 we saw Locke get injured in his leg and not even know it. It did appear that Locke was in a lot of pain.

13. Looked like an Oceanic Airplane flying over the motel where John’s dad was staying. Also, how close was the runway to that fleabag joint Locke’s dad was staying at? Looked like the plane was going to land in the motel parking lot. I think they had to make the plane that big in order for us to see that it was an Oceanic. HERE is a screen cap of the plane.

14. Did Locke go back for the money? 200k is a lot of dough. That would be a nice tip for the maid.

15. Rejection hurts … Locke getting shut down by Helen was heart-breaking. That makes 2 times that his Dad ruined his life.

16. Henry asks Locke if he can stand. Seemed like an odd question as his leg was so jacked up. Then again, if he knew that Locke couldn’t feel much in that leg then it would be reasonable to ask.

17. Assuming that the food drop occurred via an airplane how did nobody see the plane? I would guess that the plane would have to be relatively close to the ground in order to drop the food within a relatively small radius. Was it even a plane drop or was it just a set-up to look like one?

18. Was the food drop supposed to occur at that location? Was it meant to be found by the Lostie’s? It was in a spot very close to their camp since 2 different groups stumbled upon it.

19. Here is a picture of Henry’s drivers license.

20. Did those two thugs really work for some retirement fund? I have a hard time imagining Edward Jones hiring hitmen to go out and beat/kill folks in order to get their money back. Those dudes were bad business - Locke’s dad was messing with drug dealers or something like that.

21. Is Helen running a long con on Locke with Locke’s dad? Didn’t think so at first but upon further review …

A real interesting article written over on the Lost Blog that discusses whether pushing the button is simply an experiment or if the button actually does something.

One of the better articles on this really important topic. The article can be accessed HERE. Here is a brief excerpt to give you a flavor for the excellent writing:

How to decide then? In decision theory, especially when faced with a decision to be made under uncertainty, the rational procedure is to identify all possible outcomes, determine their values (positive or negative) and the probabilities that will result from each course of action, and multiply the two to give an expected value. The action to be chosen should be the one that gives rise to the highest total expected value.

This was invoked by the famous French mathematician and philospher Blaise Pascal, in what has come to be known as Pascal’s wager. Basically, Pascal’s uncertainty was the existence of God. Belief or non-belief in God is the decision to be made. Pascal posited that the reward for belief in God if God actually does exist is infinite. Therefore, however small the probability of God’s existence, the expected value of belief exceeds that of non-belief, so it is better to believe in God.

And so on … give the article a shot. I think you will really enjoy it! Thanks Job for the great ideas.

For all those who are technically inclined we have a unique contribution to the blog from faithful reader Scott J.

To start - go to the Oceanic-Air website linked on the blog. There you can find a seating chart of the flight. The page contains a bunch of Flash files that are activated by clicking on certain seats. Scott was able to decompile the Flash files and extract the Images and Audio. Clicking on the file name you will see the image the Scott captured.

Easter Eggs I’ve found so far:

This text can also be found as a comment on the Track Flight page.

Thanks again Scott for your work on this. Please keep us posted with any future findings!

Just found this site - looks like a list of 35 of the top Lost resource sites. Your humble author has somehow managed to make the top 35 (number 21 to be exact - but who’s counting)! How about that?

But I digress … the site is actually really nice since you can quickly get to other Lost sites (official and non-official). Lost is all about information. You shouldn’t lack for information after visiting these other sites. However, please remember that this one is your favorite Keep checking back for updates and other great insight.

There is a great new site that I found hosted by Sledgeweb. I’m going to be adding the site as a link for the blog.

In the meantime here are some of the site highlights:

A very detailed timeline of events (pre and post crash) - you will be amazed at what has been compiled.

Comprehensive list of how everyone is connected prior to the crash.

Maps detailing events and where everyone is from.

There is just a ton of stuff on the site. Please take some time and check it out. Thanks Sledgeweb for all the hard work in putting this together.

One other site that I just came across that I enjoy is called “The Island of Lost”. There is a section on the site called “The Hatch” that has odds and ends type information that is very good.

I thought that I would bring to you some of the interesting topics that are being discussed over at the Fuselage. Clicking the hyperlink will take you to the posting.

1. Do the Losties ever talk to one another about what they see? For example, there was no mention in this episode about discovering another hatch or the fact that there were costumes, etc. This post explores those topics.

2. Do you think Henry Gale is lying about being a balloonist?

3. Why did Henry ask about the computer? Any significance there?

4. How much time has passed since Shannon was killed? A lot less than you might think.

5. Was the pregnancy test that Sun used one that she brought on board? I don’t think so but here is the discussion.

6. If you don’t like my theory as to how Sun became pregnant you could check out this thread for alternative views.

7. Where did Charlie find the gun? Did he get it from Sawyer or from someone/somewhere else?

8. Will the Lostie’s get ambushed while looking for Henry’s balloon?

I’ll add others if anything else interesting pops up.

Can’t find anything specific to hiking through jungle terrain but here is what I stumbled across.

An average hiker will go 2mph on flat terrain. Going up hills will slow you down to about 1mph while going down-hill will result in the same speed as going on a flat trail.

About a days journey is what Sayid estimated the trip to be. Most of the hike is relatively level and while the jungle could make things a little more difficult to cross our Lostie’s don’t seem to have any problems walking through it.

All this being said, I would guess conservatively they were walking around 10 miles just reach the balloon. What we don’t know is how close the balloon was to the other side of the island.

This leads me to believe that the island is at least 10 miles wide in a certain direction.

This will come as a total shock but I have discovered the only way Sun could have become pregnant - she slept with her husband.

If you don’t buy that theory then here are some others:

1. Sun cheated on her husband with either Baldy or someone on the island
If it was Baldy then she was pregnant for several months before realizing it. Possible but I doubt it. Baldy didn’t show any interest in her in the past and while I’m sure he found Sun attractive he had eyes for a girl he met at Havard. As for Sun being with anyone else on the island … nothing to support theory.

2. Doctor was wrong - she could always have babies
The opening scene sure made it seem like Sun and Jin were trying for a kid. Wonder why it didn’t happen. On top of that you have the issue with the doctor then having to make a mistake. While this is possible I don’t find it likely.

3. The Island got her pregnant
Something in the water … or over at the Fuselage someone posted about Dharma genetically modifying the fish that the Losties catch so that Sun could get pregnant. Wouldn’t bet on this theory being true.

Which leaves us with ….

Sun and Jin’s flashback being a fabrication. There is nothing wrong with Sun or Jin. By controlling their memories Sun and Jin now believe that there is a “miracle” on the island. Sound familiar? Remember Locke - from day 1 he was driven to understand the island because he really believed that he was paralyzed. Lands on the island and poof - his legs are working just fine.

So, while you are free to believe in immaculate conception I’m going with memory implants for my theory.

Found it interesting that neither Locke or Jack could hear Ana Lucia talking with Henry - even with Jack’s ear up against it.

In previous episodes Henry makes mention of hearing conversations that occured outside the room.

So, why can Henry hear what’s outside the armory but Jack and Locke can’t hear what’s going on inside? Is Henry receiving information somehow (think nano swarm or remote viewing) or is this nothing?

The shows goes to great length to zoom in on the brand name of the pregnancy test Sun is using. The name is Widmore Labs.

Over at the Fuselage some astute followers have tied a potentially major clue to this pregnancy test. In the episode, “Fire + Water” Charlie has a flashback scene where a building has the words “Widmore Construction” on it. By itself maybe it’s nothing. However, the podcast for that episode points out that that Widmore is important.

Now, let’s assume that the name is significant. Is it possible that Widmore Labs and Widmore Construction are owned by the same person? Is Widmore tied into the Hanso foundation? My guess is that the Hanso Foundation is just a company front for many different Hanso interests - probably from many different business areas - operating under many different names. We will find out that Widmore and Hanso are attached at the hip.

So, Jin can’t understand what Sawyer and Bernard are talking about. Gumpy5 over at the Fuselage reversed the audio and here is what they were saying:

Bernard: Well, how do you know?
Sawyer: I got my sources.
B: Aren’t you going to tell him?
S: Not my place.
B: You should tell him.
S: Hell no! Let Sunshine tell him.

For those interested - the thread is located HERE.

The real question for this is why reverse it? Was it just a cute trick or was there something significant about reversing the conversation? Let me know what you think.

Not a great episode in my opinion. What took an hour to go over could have been accomplished in 5 minutes. This episode had some serious Soap Opera moments that I could definitely do without.

Anyway, with that being said here is what I found to be interesting:

1. Jin does a nice job of trashing the food supply for the Lostie’s by throwing a fit when Sun wouldn’t go back to camp with him.

2. There is more confusion around dates. Bernard and Rose are disagreeing about what day it is. Click HERE for an earlier discussion on this subject.

3. Sun’s English is really poor at the beginning of the episode. I think the early flashback scenes took place several months before arriving on the island.

4. There is no shaving cream in the hatch? I wonder if shaving cream has a real short shelf-life. Since I use an electric razor I don’t have any idea. Why wouldn’t they stock the stuff in the Swan bunker?

5. Sawyer is reading a Judy Blume classic, “Are You There God - It’s Me, Margaret”.

6. Big Soap Opera moment when Sun confides in Sawyer, “I need a pregnancy test.” Music and everything - wow that was terrible.

7. In the hatch Locke is looking at the cover of the Geromino Jackson album. That was referenced in a previous episode.

8. Another Soap Opera moment when Henry tells Ana Lucia that he buried his wife next to the balloon because it was closer to being home. Gag.

9. Where is Hurley getting his contraband food? It has to be somewhere cold as his candy bars aren’t melting.

10. The pregnancy test was created by Widmore Labs. Click HERE for more on that.

11. What was Charlie’s comment about making a dining room table about?

12. It was at least a days walk to the balloon. That should help us understand what the minimum size of the island is. Traveling through a jungle is 10 miles reasonable or is it more like 3 miles? Will need to research that. BTW - for those interested - here is a nice screen cap of the map Henry drew. Thanks to Sledgeweb over at the Fuselage for this.

13. How did Charley get a gun? Guessing it came from Sawyer since he controls the stash. How long until someone links Charley with Sawyer in the whole kidnapping Sun deal? Are Jin and Charley going to have an altercation?

14. How pregnant is Sun? Since I am not a birthing expert I have no idea. Could she be 3 months pregnant or is it more likely that she is 3 weeks pregnant? How far along she is could have a huge impact on my pregnancy theory. Click HERE for a discussion on the Fuselage about it.

15. When Sawyer tells Jin about Sun, Sawyer and Bernard talk backwards. Click HERE for a transcript of what they say.

16. The Doctor who met with Jin and Sun was Dr. Kim.

17. I love the conversation Henry had with Jack and Locke about luring the group into a trap.

18. Interesting quote from that conversation was, “These people that you seem to think are your enemies …”. Sure makes it sound as if Henry is trying to drive home the point that the Others aren’t enemies - that they fulfill some other role. This is consistent with Goodwin’s comments about the children being better off after being taken. The “Others” do not view themselves as adversaries to our Losties’s.

19. The last line was brilliant. As Henry asks, “You guys got any milk?” The wife thinks there is more to it than just a snappy line. She felt he was saying something like, “You don’t even have milk? We do.”

Side note - next weeks episode looks terrific. They really need to treat us to something special after Wed’s episode.

Locke is seen giving Henry Gale some reading material. The book is Dostoevsky’s “The Brothers Karamazov”. From Wikipedia:

The Brothers Karamazov is generally considered one of the greatest novels by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky and the culmination of his life’s work. It has been acclaimed all over the world by authors as diverse as Sigmund Freud, Andrew R. MacAndrew, Konstantin Mochulsky, Albert Einstein, and Pope Benedict XVI and is often regarded as a masterpiece of literature and one of the greatest novels ever written. The book is written on two levels: on the surface it is the story of a patricide in which all of the murdered man’s sons share varying degrees of complicity but, on a deeper level, it is a spiritual drama of the moral struggles between faith, doubt, reason, and free will. The novel was composed mostly in Staraya Russa, which is also the main setting of the book. Dostoevsky spent nearly two years writing The Brothers Karamazov, which was published as a serial in The Russian Messenger, and completed in November of 1880. He died less than four months after publication. Click HERE for the full excerpt.

So, maybe there is a message in the text of this book that the writers want us to know.

However, folks over at the Fuselage have a different opinion.

It isn’t so much what Dostoevsky wrote that may be so important. Rather, the focus should be what is inside the book that Dostoevsky didn’t write. Did Locke smuggle something in to Henry through the book (ala Shawshank Redemption) or did Locke highlight certain pieces of text that would somehow assist Henry? Remember, just a few episodes before we saw Locke rifling through books - obviously looking for something. Did he find what he was looking for and share that with Henry?

We saw in this last episode that the medical bunker had a small door labled “Escape Hatch”.

Should we view the Escape Hatch a similar way to Emergency Exit? And if so, why didn’t they just call it the Emergency Exit?

Also, if it exits to the outside I don’t see the reason. The doors that Claire and the group walked through were about 20 feet away from the Escape Hatch. Seems awfully redundant to have 2 sets of doors leading outside that are right next to each other.

The Escape Hatch door was also very small, about 2/3rd’s of the size of a regular door. It almost reminds me of a laundry shoot - you open the door and slide down. Which actually brings me to my real point:

I think that the bunkers are connected underground. I also believe that there are additional points of entry/exit on to the surface of the island from these underground tunnels. That would explain why the “Others” don’t appear to leave tracks (they don’t travel on the surface very often). My guess is that they can travel pretty quick as well, meaning that the tunnels are wide enough for vehicles to be used.

Finally, the real reason why I believe this theory is that if the “Others” are screwing around with some disease that is air-borne my guess is that they would want a system that would allow them to live 100% underground if necessary. However, at this point it is all just speculation.

The mobile was playing the song “To Catch a Falling Star”. That song also happened to be the one that Claire requested that Aaron’s adoptive parents sing to him (way back in early season 1). It was a favorite from Claire’s childhood.

My guess - it wasn’t a favorite. Just another planted memory. But I digress …

In the 2nd flashback scene we see Zeke and Ethan having it out. Zeke makes a reference to the fact that “He” is going to have to change plans because Claire was abducted prior to the list being made up. Now we don’t know who “He” is for sure but we can assume that it is someone high up the Dharma foodchain.

Anyway, it wouldn’t surprise me if the original plan was simply to remove the baby and send Claire back or wait for Claire to have the baby naturally and send her back. However, that plan was scrapped for the more immediate c-section and die on the table approach.

Ethan goes out of his way to be nice to Claire. He explains the plan for taking the baby and sending Claire back. Why would he lie? Claire was so doped up that she wouldn’t have cared what was going on. Ethan could have said that they were going to leave her to die on the operation table and she would have giggled about it and said “OK”.

For the sake of argument let’s say that this is correct. What’s the significance? Well, my guess is that we will find out later that Ethan wasn’t really a bad guy. Misguided, yes. Duped, absolutely. Sincerely trying to do what he thinks is best - I think so. There is a common theme in several Lost episodes - “The Greater Good”. I think that when all is said and done, many of the folks at Dharma will fall into this misguided justification. Many will believe that while there are sacrifices being made that is really a small price to pay for the advancements Dharma is making.

Only time will tell if this theory plays out.

There was an awkward moment when Danielle entered the room where they were going to remove Claire’s baby. If you recall Claire notices the medicine cabinet is tipped over. She wants to lift it up in hopes of finding the vaccine. Danielle is in the room with her. Claire asks for help several times but Danielle is spacing out - looking at the room - oblivious to Claire’s call for assistance.

Danielle is kind of spacey to begin with so I didn’t really notice the significance of the scene. However, after watching it again, the wife came up with the answer. Danielle has been in the room before. She doesn’t know how or why or when but there is something very familiar about it.

Our guess, this is where Danielle lost Alex. Danielle was brought in - just like Claire. Alex was most likely taken from her womb - just like they were going to do to Claire. And remember, up until Claire was regressed she didn’t recall what happened while she was there. I don’t think that Danielle knows yet what happened - but I’ll bet that her memory will start coming back.

New reader Amber passed on some information from the Fuselage that I wasn’t aware of. Really great stuff Amber - thanks!

We all know that there have been times when we have heard whispers. Often difficult to hear and decifer the whispers haven’t really meant anything to me until now.

There is a great post at the Fuselage that I highly recommend you read. Two contributors, rvturnage and penyours are avid audiophiles. They have taken the time to break down each of the whispers. Please CLICK HERE to access their post.

When the timer went down to zero with Locke frantically entering the numbers into the computer there where several whispers. The whispers are very sophisticated - they come in on different channels on your stereo (left, right and center) and at different speeds. The beauty is that you can download the audio files yourself and listen to them. Here is the link to the post. Thanks so much to those two for their work in preparing the transcripts.

From rvturnage here is the text:

Center channel
1. Let go of Henry(1.5 sec)
2. (Can we/Just?) abort (2.8 sec)
3. I warned him not to do it (3.2 sec)
4. Can’t do it from the shelter/south (can’t move him…?) (4 sec)
5. Hello( 6 sec)
6. Apparently they have done this before (6.5)
7. Time to get another (13 sec)
8. I’ve decided to go with this/I want to see it (15 sec)
9. We’ll decide (17 sec)

Center Channel - Fast Speed
1. Stop him
2. That’ll do/I’ll go (.5 sec)
3. I would have saved him but she ran into him (1 sec)*
4. We need a torturer (2 sec)
{silence}
5. Control of his buddy (7.5 sec)
{silence}
6. You’ve heard them fighting for control (10 sec)
7. All over (11.5)

Center Channel - Super Fast Speed
1.What are they going to do to Henry in there ( 0 sec)
{silence}
2. Plan something…he got busted (4 sec)
3. It’s not over (6 sec, this part was a different speed than the rest)
4. Obviously he knows something (8 sec it was sped up a little too fast)
5. Drop the (blast) door (12 sec)
6. It’s gone wrong (12 sec, in background)
6. Don’t set ‘em free (13 sec)

Left and Right Channel
1. You to tell him what to do (1.5 sec)
2. Is he crawling (or crying) (2.25 sec)
3. Why don’t you tell him who you are (3.5 sec)
4. Thought I could get you to them (5 sec)
5. It’s not over (7 sec)
6. Who called the doctor (12 sec)

Left and Right Channel Fast Speed
1. I don’t think he’ll be able to con them (2 sec)
2. Boy that makes you confident (4 sec)
3. Is that computer on (5 sec)
4. How long has it gone for (6 sec really meshed in with the music)
5. He’s fine (10 secs really meshed with music)

Left Super Fast Speed
1. Stand up so they’ll call it off (1.5 sec)
2. Who are you caring about
3. He don’t work (3.5)
4. We wanted to share it (4.5)

Right Super Fast Speed
1. Somehow we will go and reach him(.5 sec)
2. From here it wasn’t so great (4 sec)

Wow - that’s a ton of stuff that I didn’t hear at all. Sure makes Henry look like an “Other”.

It continues though. When Jack is pulling Sayid off of Henry the whispers start up again.

1 Too close (2.2 sec right after Henry says “I’ll tell you whatever you want”)
2. Don’t talk to them (behind he’s lying) (4.5 sec)
3. That guy’s stupid (5.5 sec) faint, behind “lying”
4. I’d never let them beat me (6 sec)
5. I protect my people (7.75)
6. What do you want to do (9.5 sec very faint)
7. Don’t let them break you Henry (10.25 sec very faint)
8. Who told you they’re gone (12 sec)
9. Think carefully now (13 sec)
10. How are we gonna save Henry (14 sec)
11. You can’t save him (16.5 sec)
12. I can hear you (18 sec)
13. What have I got to do (18.5 sec)
14. Try to save Henry/I can’t see you (20 sec)

Talk about some interesting stuff! It appears that the whoever is whispering can see what is going on inside the hatch. What we don’t know is if Henry can hear the whisperings? Is he somehow dialed in to what is being said? Is Henry affiliated with the whispering or are the folks whispering just following his progress?

Tons and tons of questions. Any thoughts - post your comments!

Looks like ABC switched some things around since last time I posted the upcoming schedule. Here is the most recent version I could find (thanks Amber for pointing out that the schedule was not up to date:)

The titles for the episodes are tentative. Also, an asterik indicates that the schedule has been changed from the previous post:

2/1 - Numbers (Rerun)
2/8 - The Long Con
2/15 - One of Them
2/22 - Pilot Rerun*
3/1 - Maternity Leave*
3/8 - Rerun
3/15 - Rerun
3/22 - Before the End
3/29 - To Have the Rainbow
4/5 - Episode 2:18*
4/12 - Rerun
4/19 - Rerun
4/26 - Epsiode 2:19
5/3 - Episode 2:20
5/10 - Episode 2:21
5/17 - Episode 2:22
5/24 - Episode 2:23-24 (2 hour finale)

This list is provided by Skyluelost from the Fuselage

For those that are new to my blog let me take a second to explain one of my general theories.

I don’t believe the plane crashed. I don’t believe in most of the flashback sequences. I believe that everything people recall are simply planted memories by the folks that run the island. For more background on this theory click the category called “Psychology” for my other posts on this topic.

Anyway, I was initially bummed out when I watched this episode. The first 2 flashback scenes really appeared to throw a wrench into my theory. The first flashback sequence appears to be Claire’s first introduction to Ethan. The next flashback has Claire asking about Charley.

Here’s the problem … in Season 1 Claire had dreams that coincided with what we saw as her flashbacks in this episode. Now, those dreams can be one of two things. Either they were memories of something that happened in the past or they are visions of the future things to come.

This episode tricked the audience into believing that Claire had some sort of view into the future. However, that is not true.

Claire’s first flashback scene with Ethan occurs BEFORE she was abducted. This initial meeting took place before they were placed on the beach after the “crash”. What Claire was dreaming about was a memory. Claire’s demeanor is totally different in the 1st flashback than it is in the next set of flashbacks.

However, the 2nd set of flashbacks do occur after she is taken by Ethan. Here she is heavily sedated and definitely under the influence of some serious drugs (on a side note - it would be interesting to see what types of drugs could someone who is 9 months pregnant take that would be that potent - my experience is that when the wife gets pregnant she can’t take aspirin without first calling the doctor).

Anyway, what started out as something that I thought was going to totally debunk my theory actually ended up solidifying it. Now, more than ever, I am convinced that Claire and the other Losties were never in a plane crash, that their memories are fabricated, and that they are being manipulated at every turn by Hanso.

*** Updated ***

I knew there was something else. Back in season 1 when Claire has her really weird dream she is led to a crib. Over the crib is a mobile. Guess what kind of mobile - yup - airplanes. Just like the one used in her dream. Again, either Claire can see into the future or she is taking aspects from her first encounter with Ethan and mixing them with fears/anxiety to come up with bizarre dreams.

There were 5 major flashback sequences. Below are my notes from each flashback.

Flashback #1
Ethan is playing doctor. He asks Claire about her last check-up. He asks why she is flying and Claire explains about the adoption. Ethan goes to the medicine cabinet and unlocks it with a key attached to a Dharma keychain. He says that he is getting “Medicine for the baby.”

For those paying attention you will notice that the medicine is labled exactly the same as the medicine that Desmond was using in his hatch. The name of the medicine does not appear … however, The Numbers are listed on each bottle.

Claire appears to be calm but not nearly as loopy as she is in her next set of flashbacks.

Flashback #2
Claire is injected again and appears to be much more out of it. Ethan decides to give Claire a special treat by taking her to the nursery. On the way to the nursery Claire walks by a short door labled “Escape Hatch” and then passes the bunker entrance that she later discovers.

In the nursery Claire asks about Charlie. This reference tells us that the 2nd flashback occured after Ethan took both Claire and Charlie. We don’t know for sure when the 1st flashback took place. Click HERE for more on that.

Claire then plays with a mobile of airplanes. It looks like all of the airplanes are replicas of the Oceanic Airlines planes. They carry the same general logo pattern and colors.

While Claire is playing with the toy planes Ethan gets a visit from clean shaven Zeke. Zeke has a couple of interesting comments.

First he says, “You were supposed to make the list and then bring her in.”

Next he says, “What am I supposed to tell him. You know what he’s going to want to do when he finds out.”

The “list” comment ties back to Goodwin’s conversation with Ana Lucia about having names on a list. As for “him” - I can guess that he is talking about Degroot (that’s if Zeke isn’t Degroot) or Hanso himself.

Flashback #3
Ethan takes Claire out for a walk. Claire again is very loopy. Ethan gives Claire something to drink. Claire comments that it is sour. Ethan does not drink out of the canteen. Immediately after drinking the “water” Claire’s baby kicks. Was there something in the “water” that is designed to get Claire’s baby active?

Ethan says, “I’m going to miss you. I wish you didn’t have to go.” Claire suggests that maybe she doesn’t have to go. Ethan’s response was something like, “You know there is not enough vaccine for you and the baby.” Ethan then tells Claire that once the baby is born she can go back to her friends at camp and hopefully she won’t get sick. How sweet.

The weirdest part for me was Ethan’s insistence that Claire consent to giving up the child. He makes it sound like it is her choice. Not sure why Claire’s imput matters at all. It was almost like he had to have her consent in order to legally take her child. Hmmm. “You have a choice” was Ethan’s exact words.

Flashback #4
Short flashback with what I now think is Alex - Danielle’s daughter. Alex wakes Claire up and tells her that she has to leave - that they are going to take the baby out tonight. He comment was “He’ll kill you. You’re going to die.” I wonder if that is the same “him” that Zeke referenced? Next thing we know Claire is outside asleep.

Flashback #5
Last one. Claire is just waking up when Danielle stumbles upon her. Claire wants to go back to Ethan and give him her baby. Danielle is trying to shut her up as the “Others” circle in closer. As a measure of last defense Danielle clobbers Claire with a rifle butt and drags her back to an area near the caves where Claire is discovered by Boone and Locke.

Great episode tonight. We finally got some answers to questions from Season 1. I, for one, was blown away by some of the revelations. Here is my recap:

1. When Claire had the dream about someone wanting to harm her baby back in Season 1 was she remembering something that had taken place already or seeing into the future. I will have an entire post dedicated to this crucial topic. Click HERE for that.

2. Aaron became sick. Not sure if it was the infection that Danielle saw in her team. There has also been speculation that Charlie and some of the other Losties are sick. However, if they are sick they do not share the same symptoms of a feaver and rash.

3. When Claire was upset about Aaron being sick Danielle was right there. Danielle sure seems to be hanging around their camp a lot.

4. Our Losties have been on the island for 2 months. Henry Gale claims to have been on the island for 4 months. If Henry is telling the truth how could he have not know about the plane crash. The island isn’t that big and it happened in the middle of the day.

5. There are a series of great Flashbacks. I have an entire post dedicated to the Flashbacks. Click HERE for that.

6. Echo chops down a tree. It was one that he had previously marked with an “X”.

7. Is Danielle suicidal? Kate puts the gun to Danielle’s chest. Danielle asks Kate to kill her. Is Danielle just tired, crazy, or testing Kate.

8. When they get inside the bunker we see that Zeke is not the bearded dirty guy that we have been introduced to. Rather, his beard and clothes are all just a costume. Anyone see the movie the Village? Similar idea.

9. Why was the bunker trashed and the baby stuff taken off the walls? It is assumed that the “Others” still use the bunker based off the clothes left in the locker.

10. Danielle asks/states something interesting. She says, “If your baby is infected I hope you know what must be done.” Knowing that Danielle whacked her entire research team because they became infected one can only assume that Danielle would look for Claire to kill her own baby.

11. When Echo is talking to Henry we get a good luck at Henry’s face. Man did Sayid put a whoopin on Henry.

12. Echo talks about regretting and asking for forgiveness. At the time I was sure that he was going to kill Henry. However, he was asking Henry for forgiveness. The only thing I can think of is that Echo knows Henry is an “Other”. Since Echo killed 2 of Henry’s friends or associates Echo feels it his obligation to confess to Henry. Very strange though. Also, when he cut his beard there were two tuffs of hair. I am assuming that each one represented one of the men he had killed. However, there may be something else to it.

13. Henry has already started to drive the wedge between Jack and Locke. Not that they needed any help but you can definitely see Henry angling for the division.

That’s it. Looks like no new episodes for a few weeks now. However, check your listings to be sure.

I have to fess up by saying that I am not a hot air balloon expert. However, a little research can go a long way.

During the interrogation Henry mentions that when his balloon is in the air that it contains 550,000 cubic feet of helium and 100,000 cubic feet of hot air. Is he bluffing? Seriously, those numbers sound good. But do they jive with typical hot air balloons?

Over at thinkquest.org they have a section on balloon dimensions. If I am reading this right it appears as if the capacity for a balloon that would carry between 1 and 5 people would be between 14,000 and 32,000 cubic feet. That is way off from the numbers provided by Henry.

But … I found an article describing Steve Fossett - the nut job who tried to fly around the world in a balloon solo style (I can’t recall if he did finally make it). Anyway, here is a description of his balloon:

Fossett will fly a helium and hot-air balloon combination, known as a Roziére. The balloon envelope will be much larger than the one used in his August 1998 flight - containing 550,000 cubic feet of helium, as opposed to 450,000 cubic feet before, and it contains 100,000 cubic feet of hot air. The balloon envelope is 140 feet tall and 60 feet wide. Click HERE for the link.

So this matches up exactly with what Henry was saying. Did he have a similar balloon to Fossett? Did he simply use Fossett’s dimensions for his bogus trip story? Hopefully we will find out soon.

OK - so we know the counter hit zero. We also know that the numbers changed into pictures. However, I couldn’t find a good screen cap until now. Here is what it looked like.

The word over on the Fuselage is that the images are really hieroglyphics. We can clearly make out 4 of the images - the 5th one never cycled through clearly enough to tell for sure what it is (although some people believe it is the symbol for a child).

There is endless debate over the translation of the hieroglyphics (if that’s really what they are). However, the consensus seems to be that translated the message is something like, “Cause to Die” or “You Will Die” or “Go Die”. The excellent post at the Fuselage can be accessed HERE. I have to warn you, at the time of this writing the post was already 38 pages long. It would take a solid hour to read everything but it is a good read.

So, assuming that it is hieroglyphics and assuming that the translation is correct I have a problem. Why use hieroglyphics? Why not just say, “Your Screwed” or something to that effect. If you are going to give a warning it seems odd that you would use Egyptian symbols to convey that thought. Also, when the symbols were appearing there were other symbols that we see for just a second. The best analogy that I have read is think of the clock like a slot machine. It cycles through many options - the numbers 0 through 9 and some symbols. For some reason the clock set to the symbols in the picture posted above.

What does it all mean. Well, if the translation is correct then it doesn’t sound like good news for our Lostie’s. I guess time will tell.

Coming from the Fuselage …

Henry Gale is an interesting name in a couple of ways.

First, Gale is used to describe the blowing of wind at a relatively high rate. Out of all the ways Henry could have ended up on the island he came via a balloon that was pushed off course, most likely through an unexpected gale of wind.

Second, the name Henry Gale will be familiar with the fans of the Wizard of Oz. That would be Dorothy’s uncle’s name. Of course Dorothy is taken up in a tornado (again wind) and is taken to this magical land (similar to our island?). Oz is special in that people can develop character and do things they never before dreamed of doing (Locke and his hunting). Oz could also ruin people through trials to test their courage, strength, etc. Most importantly, Oz was a controlled environment. The Wizard pulled all of the strings.

Sound familiar … I think so.

Not a pilot by any stretch of the imigination but I did a little research on ADF Beacons.

ADF stands for Automatic Direction Finder. Once activated they send out a signal that others can pick up on and navigate to. This type of equipment is very common on boats and on planes. It would be logical that Henry would carry something like this on his plane. That would also bolster his story about why he stayed on the beach so long. If he really used an ADF beacon then there is some hope that it might get picked up by a receiver.

We all wondered what would happen when the timer reaches 0. I’m not sure that we got an answer but here is what we do know.

Locke missed deadline and the timer did hit 0. Locke continues to try to enter the code after the fact. We don’t know if the system accepted the code after it hit 0 or if what happened would have happened anyway - even if Locke didn’t enter the code.

Once the timer expired you could definitely hear that something was happening. To me it sounded like a door was opening. I envisioned a missle silo that is opening up prior to an attack. However, since I have neither seen or heard a real missle silo as it prepares to attack I would not count myself an expert on the subject.

Anyway, at the same time the numbers are replaced with symbols or pictures. The first picture to appear is on the far right side. The image is clearly a bird. However, the other images that appear are less clear. One looks like it could be a rocket or missle, another looks like an arrow. The 4th one we just barely see and didn’t really look like anything to me. We never see what the 5th number turns into. I have a new post on the subject with pictures. Click HERE for that post.

For 12 seconds we wait between when the timer hits 0 and when it resets. At the end of the 12 seconds it sounds like whatever opened or was engaged is shutting down. Once the timer resets everything returns to normal.

What it all means I have no idea. However, it was very interesting … and it will be worth watching out for to see if anything has changed or was triggered by allowing the timer to drop to 0.

*** UPDATE *** I have added a new post about whispers being heard while Sayid “interrogates” Henry. Great stuff. Click HERE to go to the post.

Here is the information that Sayid was able to extract from Henry. Keep in mind that I think Henry is full of it so trust nothing he says but here goes:

Name: Henry Gale
Lived in: Minnesota
Wife’s Name: Jennifer Murphy (Maiden Name)
Crash Date: 4 months ago - maybe longer
Location: North side of the island? That is where the cave was that they lived in.
Equipment: Emergency Transmitter - an ADF Beacon (click HERE to learn about this)
Wife’s Status: Dead
How Did She Die: She was sick. She developed a fever and 2 days later she became delirious
Balloon Description: 140’ High., 60’ Wide, 550,000 cubic feet of Helium and 100,000 cubic feet of Hot Air (click HERE to read about hot air balloons)
Business: Sold – owned Mining operation – mined non-metallic minerals
Rich: Was rich … no longer though

Couple of other thoughts. First, I think he is definitely an Other. While being interrogated he appeared to be less afraid than a man should. Sayid had pliers out and was ready to break/rip fingers off and yet the man was calm. He then started to probe Sayid about who he lost on the island. He was in control of the situation.

Second, the man asked no questions about the group. He wasn’t curious at all? Stuck on a deserted island for 4 months and you finally meet people. You don’t have anything to ask? He doesn’t need to. He already knows more about them than they can imagine.

Third, why did he run. I know that Danielle is loopy an all but seriously. Sayid cuts you down and appears to be a good guy. Sayid has the gun. Why run – why not find out what is happening. To me the escape and Danielle’s shot seem to be a set-up.

But then again I could be wrong.

I am not a big fan of the idea that people just happen to end up on this island. I think the folks here are all supposed to be here. I also doubt that anyone crashed on this island.

If we assume that the guy caught in Danielle’s net is an “Other” then we have some problems. Was he really caught? If so, why was he walking alone? Why did nobody come to rescue him? Why was he dressed nicely - he had shoes and looked presentable. The “Others” - the ones that we weren’t supposed to see have all been ragged looking and barefoot.

So, I think you can make one of three conclusions - either he was sent in to infiltrate the group pretending to be a survivor of a balloon accident and was caught by Danielle. Option 2 - he really is a survivor of a balloon accident and was caught by Danielle. Option 3 - the whole thing is a con. By having Danielle “capture” the guy and turn him over she wins trust with the group. Trust that could prove to be valuable down the road.

Things are improving. Loved the episode. Here is what stood out:

1. Sayid’s flashback is from Desert Storm (appx 1991)

2. Where did Sayid learn perfect English? Nobody else in the room spoke any English. My guess is that Sayid’s family is wealthy … more on that later.

3. Danielle went to get Sayid to tell him about the captured Other. She mentioned that she was going to get Sayid in his tent at night. Yet, she is milling around the camp many, many hours before nightfall.

4. Related to #3 - is Danielle in on this? Was the capture a set-up? Click HERE for my thoughts on this.

5. I am not a frog expert but I am willing to guess that the frog is very specific to a certain region of the world. That might help us understand that we are talking about somewhere in the South Pacific or possibly an island off the coast of Africa.

6. How could Sawyer be surprised that Jin doesn’t like him any more? Is Sawyer really that dense?

7. Salad dressing is good for 7 years. It would stand to reason that Dharma was planning on repleneshing the hatch at least every 7 years. Maybe not though.

8. Our captured buddy - where was he walking through the jungle for 2 days? What was he hoping to do? Also, his clothes sure looked neat. He had an undershirt and then a nicer shirt over that. Maybe he found another hatch with a working Neptune Washer/Dryer set-up.

9. The man’s name is Henry Gale from Minnesota. Click here for more details that were extracted from the confession.

10. Danielle is a really good shot. To take the guy down while he was running - to hit him in a place that wouldn’t kill him but seriously disable him - wow. Not bad for a scientist.

11. Why didn’t the American interrogate Sayid’s commanding officer?

12. Sayid’s father was “a great hero”. Again - I bet this translates to wealth or opportunities which led to Sayid being trained in English.

13. Man Sawyer is a jerk. Why not give Hurley the frog. It’s not like I’m from PETA or anything but seriously - let the thing live.

14. The numbers went down to 0. Click here for my thoughts on that.

15. The soldier that is dropping off Sayid looks at a picture of what is presumably his daughter. Low and behold - it is a picture of Kate.

— BONUS —

Normally I don’t write about the previews for the next episode … but this one looked good and there were a couple of images that flashed that caught my eye.

1. We see doors in Claire’s flashback with the words “Escape Hatch”. What in the world has an escape hatch.
2. The Dharma logo is associated with the medical logo - the snake around the staff. Is Dharma’s fundamental research related to medicinal studies? Or is just this particular hatch?
3. It shows Claire on a table with a long needle being poked in her very pregnant tummy. Claire is awake during this and looks to be very calm.

I found some great screen caps from the preview. You can clearly see each of the items I highlighted above. Click HERE to view the pictures. Thanks to the blog The Tail Section for the pics.

Can’t wait to see what happens next.

*** Update *** Click HERE for a transcript of whispers in this episode.

From the Fuselage …

It appears that the call letters for the radio station that Sayid and Hurley picked up are WXR.

What’s interesting about the station is that it dates to 1945. The station broadcast out of Alaska and was ran by Coast Guard Radio.

There is a website that someone posted that describes this in more detail. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to bring up the site. Here it is though.

The Glen Miller band was the group that produced Moonlight Serenade that Hurley and Sayid picked up on the short wave radio.

Glen Miller’s band was the biggest of the bands in his era. He was a patriot to his country, serving in WWII.

However, the real interesting thing about Glen was how he died.

Traveling from England to France his plane disappeared. It was never found. The assumption was that it crashed and all occupants were killed.

Sound familiar?

For a quick bio of Glen Miller click HERE.

This is the book title that Locke is shaking upside down in the latest episode. The story is pretty interesting and was eventually turned into a Twilight Zone.

The basics are this (as I recall - I read the story years ago):

Man is believed to be a Confederate soldier in the Civil War. He is captured and taken to Owl Creek Bridge. Union soldiers wrap a noose around his neck and push him over the side to hang him. Only problem is that the rope breaks and the man falls the ground below. He manages to survive the fall and dashes off to the safety of his home to be reunited with his wife. Happy ending - The End.

Well, actually the end is him swinging from the bridge with the rope around his neck. The rope never broke. The entire story took place in a matter of seconds and was completely in his mind.

For those interested you can read the short story HERE.

Now the question is … did the writers throw this in here as a clue or red herring?

So, there does appear to be a book set for release called Bad Twin. You can pre-order it now on Amazon. Here is the link: Bad Twin

Off the Amazon page here are the details about the author:
Bad Twin is the highly-anticipated new novel by acclaimed mystery writer Gary Troup. Bad Twin was delivered to Hyperion just days before Troup boarded Oceanic Flight 815, which was lost in flight from Sydney, Australia to Los Angeles in September 2004. He remains missing and is presumed dead.

What does this tell us? First, folks that are on the island did in fact get on a plane in Sydney. Second, the plane presumably crashed (or is missing). Finally, the story takes place now. Since the intro states that the plane crashed in 2004 we can assume any sort of time-travel/time-warp theories are not correct.

Very interesting plug here by the writers.

Another side note on this Bad Twin manuscript. We know that Lost writers love their anagrams. Ethan Rom is arranged into “Other Man” as an example from Season 1.

Well, Gary Troup can also be re-arranged into the most dreaded theory of all, Purgatory. I think the writer’s have a very sick sense of humor.

Thanks to the Fuselage for pointing this out.

Finally, there is a story in the LA Times that discusses this situation. It can be accessed at: LA Times