JTHelms All American 4696 Posts user info edit post |
^ seriously? Look up two posts. 4/18/2007 11:30:20 PM |
Money_Jones Ohhh Farts 12521 Posts user info edit post |
great episode, Kate in her skivvies again always makes me , Jin telling the ghost story had me laughing hard as hell, and then Sanjia from american idol drops down,
Quote : | "Did anyone catch the "easter egg" in the bushes at the end of the episode?" |
what was it4/18/2007 11:41:55 PM |
kiljadn All American 44690 Posts user info edit post |
the hula girl dashboard thingy
the production company uses it as a logo
[Edited on April 18, 2007 at 11:43 PM. Reason : i think?] 4/18/2007 11:42:56 PM |
BeerzNBikes All American 3736 Posts user info edit post |
The lady from the picture/jewelry store is not the same actress as the lady that put juliette on trial. I brought up that point 7+ pages ago and it was shot down by someone who looked at the casting list and proved that point moot.
Very interesting that the same old lady was in the pic though: I missed that last night. Thanks yall. That means when the Monk said he was firing desmond and then hooked him up with penny indirectly, he really did KNOW that desmonds life was meant for greater things like he told him. Makes ya wonder how desmond got onto the street and just why(how) that monk found him and started him on this "path". They're all in cahoots! 4/19/2007 8:54:15 AM |
Panthro All American 7333 Posts user info edit post |
Quote : | "For me, Desmond's groan said it all. It came at the climax of last night's outing of Lost, prior to the awful choice the episode had been building toward: Should the time-scrambled Scot sacrifice Charlie's life for a chance at being reunited with Penelope, or should he put the Hobbity rocker's life and well-being ahead of his own self-interest and once again save him from predestined death? It was a damnable dilemma, and it gave rise to an existential growl congested with resignation, fury, self-loathing, and more. It spoke of being stuck between courage and cowardice, desire and duty, free will and fate — the clutch of tricky themes upon which Catch-22 was built. It also spoke on behalf of an episode heavy-laden with deep thoughts and ominous subtext encoded in Biblical and literary citations, comic book references, and perhaps the most provocative hidden clue in the show's history. It's enough to make your brain explode — or implode, as is the case on Lost. And it puts me in a catch-22 jackpot of my own: How far should I take this? Too far, and I risk generating unintended rancor toward a show that invites enough frustration as it is. Not far enough, and I risk not giving the show the engagement it deserves. What to do? What to freakin' do?
To be clear, this was one very amusing episode of Lost — that is, once you got past the opening sequence, in which Charlie tripped one of Rousseau's traps, took an arrow through the neck, gurgled up some blood and died in Desmond's arms while Hurley and Jin looked on in shell-shocked horror. I was totally taken aback by the violence but quickly recovered and realized that surely it must be a dream, which was sorta true — it was actually one of Desmond's precognitive flashes of the future, one that included glimpses of a blinking red beacon in the night sky, Jin (and then Hurley) pulling up a cable from the sand, and, most provocatively, a pair of legs dangling from a tree. Desmond's heart skipped — could this be Penelope, descending from the sky and bringing hope of rescue? Thus motivated to make sure that his vision would become a reality, Desmond began to round up all the participants that this scene needed. ''You been eating those mushrooms Jack warned us about?'' quipped Hurley when Desmond came to recruit him. Then the lumpy Lotto winner cottoned to the sitch: ''This is future crap, isn't it?''
It sure was. But the execution was far from shoddy. ''Catch 22'' did a fine job at capturing the experience of Desmond's flashes and clearly telling the audience how they worked. The former Hatchman explained that it was like ''a jigsaw puzzle, only I don't have all the pieces.'' Up until now, Desmond has been leveraging his inside knowledge of the infinite to frustrate Fate's obsessive interest in planting Charlie in Boone Hill. But this time, Desmond believed that saving the ex-junkie's hide would come at a price too precious to pay, namely a possible reunion with Penelope; apparently, if you alter one piece in this jigsaw picture, you risk changing the picture on the box. Hence, Desmond's double bind. Yeah, I know: kinda contrived — unless, of course, Desmond has good reason to believe Penelope would come looking for him. To wit: What if, in the new timeline that has been created by Desmond's quantum leap earlier this season, he jotted down as much of his Island experience as he could remember and arranged to have it sent to Penelope prior to embarking on his sailboat race?
Illogical or otherwise, I decided to roll with it, and so did Hurley, Jin, and Charlie, although none of them were hip to the awful twist involved in questing to find this newcomer from the sky. En route to Charlie's date with destiny, a fine time was had by all. We saw this fab four whistling the famous tune from The Bridge on the River Kwai, sharing ghosts stories around the campfire, debating who's faster, Superman or the Flash — comic gold. Desmond's vision began clicking into place, the necessary events falling like dominos. They found the Cable, the super-size power line extending from an underwater sonar system to the now-destroyed Dharma station the Flame. And after a helicopter crashed into the ocean, they saw the red beacon, falling from the sky. Penelope's here, thought Desmond. In the jungle, a backpack was found containing clue fodder for theorists: a satellite phone with a seemingly of-the-moment menu (but it's 2004 in the Lostverse, not 2007 — right?); a copy of Joseph Heller's novel Catch-22, the darkly comic anti-war novel that coined the titular phrase — except that the book was in Portuguese (connection: the guys in the last scene of last season, scanning for electro magnetic anomalies for Penelope — they were speaking Portuguese); and inside the book, a copy of the picture snapped of Desmond and Penelope prior to their breakup (but only one copy of that picture is supposed to exist, and Desmond has it — right?).
And then, the moment of decision arrived. Charlie tripped the wire, Rousseau's trap activated, and Desmond issued his agonizing groan: ''Arrrghhh — Charlie! Duck!'' And with that, Desmond...leapt at Charlie, knocked him down, saved his life, and according to Desmond's personal Theory of Relativity, the future shuffled its cards anew and recast the parachutist they soon found hanging from a tree — a young woman named Naomi, according to the press notes provided by ABC. She wasn't Penelope, but since she did mumble Desmond's name; maybe she works for Penelope and has been searching for him. Perhaps she'll regain consciousness and tell us more. (And having already seen next week's episode, I can tell you that she will. And that what she has to say is pretty...well, deadly.)" |
4/19/2007 9:46:22 AM |
Panthro All American 7333 Posts user info edit post |
Quote : | "Why did Desmond ultimately choose Charlie over Penelope? Some illumination was provided by the flashback. Going into this episode, there was rampant speculation that we would learn about Desmond's days in the Scottish army. Instead, we got a story about Desmond's days at a wine-making monastery. Yup: It seems that prior to meeting Penelope, Desmond wanted to be a monk. He believed he had been given ''a calling.'' Reason to be dubious Number One: He received said calling after he woke up from a night of heavy drinking, in the middle of the street, with Brother Campbell standing above him. Reason to be dubious Number Two: Conveniently, said calling came one week prior to the day he was supposed to marry his then-girlfriend of six years, Ruth.
The early flashback scenes echoed with resonances to Lost episodes past. When Ruth accused Desmond of cold feet, I recalled how Jack struggled with jitters in the days before his wedding to Sarah. When Brother Campbell commended Desmond on completing his vow of silence as part of his monastery initiation, I recalled that Locke had a sentence of silence that was part of his reconnection process with the Island. And when Brother Campbell told Desmond that he was ''one of us,'' of course, I thought of last week's Juliet episode, entitled ''One of Us.'' All this in the wake of the most recent Desmond episode, in which his bid to get a respectable job with Penelope's father mirrored the almost-forgotten season 1 episode in which a smack-addled, post-Driveshaft Charlie tried to go straight by working for his girlfriend's Dad. Weird how this one character mirrors and twins a broad swath of others, from Jack to Locke to Charlie. Worth a future Doc Jensen theory, perhaps.
It's clear from the flashbacks that from an early age, Desmond has been driven by a desire for belonging and validation. At the same time, he also suffers from a profound case of ''I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For''-itus. I'd love to know in a future episode what role Desmond's early life played in the formation of this personality; in his last episode, we were told he was left to raise his bothers after the death of his father. What happened there? (And why do I have a hunch that the Lost-cited book The Brothers Karamazov — about four brothers and a dead dad — might have something to do with it?). Whatever the cause of his restlessness, Desmond seems chronically incapable of staying engaged, on mission, committed, for a prolonged period of time before something in him breaks down and spurs him elsewhere, usually into the bottom of a bottle. The lesson that Brother Campbell believed he needed to learn was the value of personal sacrifice, a lesson which the Liam Neeson sound-alike illustrated for Desmond by citing the famous Biblical story in which God asked Abraham to kill his son Isaac as an offering. Abraham was torn, but was willing to do it — and at the last second, got a deus ex machina reprieve from the Lord himself. Talk about mirroring and symmetry: You can find this Biblical catch-22 in...Genesis, chapter 22.
In the end, Desmond couldn't cut it as a monk. The God/Abraham story bugged him, and besides, he had serious doubts about his own character. And so it was that he got himself fired from the monastery/winery after being caught sampling the product. But Brother Campbell saw the bigger picture, too; he told Desmond that he was surely being called to something, but it definitely wasn't monkhood. Of course, we were left to question Brother Campbell's own character thanks to a blink-and-you-miss-it Easter egg of monumental significance. There, on Campbell's desk, was a picture of him and the woman we know as Ms. Hawking — the creepy antique-store lady with the ouroboros pin (a snake chasing its own tail) who, in the last Desmond ep, seemed to know all about his life, past, present, and Island future. What's the connection between the two? Has Desmond's life been orchestrated and manipulated from the very beginning? What was Campbell's true agenda for bringing Desmond into the monastic fold — to simply impress upon him a lesson about sacrificing his self-interest for the sake of other people, the greater good, or the higher power...
...or was it to facilitate his meet-cute introduction to none other than Penelope Widmore? Turned out that her father is/was a rather generous customer/supporter of the winery/monastery. Which begs the question: How much does Papa Widmore really know about Desmond? Is there some ''Secret Order of the Ouroboros'' at work, shaping the destiny of the world?
Speaking of snakes, I suppose we should talk about Sawyer and Kate playing beach blanket bingo, which I'm sure pleased all the SawKat 'shippers out there. It was exactly the kind of reconnection the con man has been aching for since the Hydra Station hanky-panky — especially after eyeballing Kate in her thong, a rousing sight which led to the hilarious request for some ''afternoon delight,'' and even more hilarious, his offer of making a mix tape to get it. However, Sawyer would eventually learn that Kate's late-night booty call might not have been all about him; earlier that evening, she had flirted with Jack to no avail, her oatmeal spoon seduction apparently not enough to entice the good doctor away from Juliet. This revelation put Sawyer in a double bind of his own: At what price nooky? Does Kate really dig him — or is he merely a consolation prize? And does he really want to know? In the end, he risked rejection and asked her to make sure she knows her own heart, and made his own feelings perfectly clear by giving her the next best thing to a mix tape he could find (or steal) on the beach: Bernard's copy of Phil Collins' greatest hits. (Bernard! He lives!) " |
4/19/2007 9:47:20 AM |
Panthro All American 7333 Posts user info edit post |
Quote : | "Now: If I were to stop there, I would have offered you a perfectly serviceable recap of ''Catch 22,'' minus some details here and there. (Don't flame me about Jack's tattoos — I asked the producers about it, and they claim they know nothing about any new arm art on the guy.) In the end, the episode was an intriguing, clever, altogether entertaining outing of Lost that didn't necessarily offer much in the way of answers or offer the same mythic wallop as last week's Juliet episode, but it did provide some revealing insights into Desmond and began to set the stage for the endgame of the season. We need not take it any further.
And yet, we could. We could take it wayyy further. For example:
The Superman/Flash Debate Could this be a clue that foreshadows future events or illuminates past mythology? Since the early '60s, Superman and the Flash have raced each other several times for charity's sake — and to paraphrase Jack's line from last night, ''sooner or later, something always goes wrong.'' In the first race, sinister crime syndicates kidnapped the Flash during the race and replaced him with an impostor. (I'm telling you: Someone — Jack, Locke, Charlie, Desmond, someone — ain't who they currently claim to be on this show. I know it!) In the second race, Superman and the Flash raced to ''the end of the universe,'' only to learn that it was an elaborate trap (''a long con,'' per Lost) staged by super-villains hell-bent on killing the Flash. (Poor Flash! He's like the Charlie of superheroes!) Speaking of the end of the universe...
Rousseau's arrows; Ms. Hawking and her ouroboros; and Desmond's recurring commitment issues There is a notion in mythology and philosophy dating back to ancient Greece and Egypt known as eternal return, or what Friedrich Nietzsche called eternal recurrence. The idea: Time isn't linear, but cyclical (symbolized by the ouroboros), and everything and everyone essentially repeats the dramatic arc of their lives, over and over again, albeit in different ways and in different forms. For example: Desmond's broken relationship with Ruth + Desmond's broken relationship with Penelope + Desmond's catchphrase ''See you in another life, brother!'' = eternal recurrence. But here's where it gets interesting. It seems that recent theories about the birth and inevitable death of the universe allow for the possibility of time travel and various forms of ''eternal returns.'' These are complex ideas — ''Big Crunch,'' ''Time Reversal,'' and other notions advanced by Lost-cited egghead Stephen Hawking — and I'm not even going to try to summarize them. But they all utilize a few core concepts, including what physicists refer to as ''the arrows of time.'' Look 'em up.
The Bridge on the River Kwai and Catch-22 Actually, I have never seen the former, and never read the latter. But did you know that the famous whistling tune from Kwai actually had lyrics back in the day? It's true. Unfortunately, we can't print them, because they're all about...Hitler's testicles. Specifically, how Hitler and all his right-hand men either had only one testicle or no testicles at all. I could apply this to Ben and the Others, but in the name of good taste, let us note that Kwai and Catch-22 both share similar themes concerning the madness of war, and move on to...
The noodle cooker: Ruth and Naomi In ''Catch 22,'' the characters Ruth and Naomi have nothing to do with each other. But in The Bible, they are the stars of the Book of Ruth. Well, it just so happens that the book right before Ruth is the Book of Judges. The very last story in the Book of Judges is the story of a war among the tribes of Israel. The bad guy in this story: the Tribe of Benjamin. The war started over a murder that the other tribes believed needed to be avenged; it ended with the near-obliteration (''The Purge,'' perhaps?) of the Benjaminites. Here's where it gets creepy: In the aftermath, the people of Israel felt badly about wiping out Benjamin's people. So they decided to repopulate his tribe by forcing the women from another city to join the tribe of Benjamin. You know: to make babies and stuff.
What does this foreshadow for Lost? I think it means that war is coming to the beach. Castaways vs. Others. Survival of the species. At long last: Lord of the Flies time, people.
Or, to quote forebodingly from the bard himself, Phil Collins:
I can feel it coming in the air tonight...
Hold on...
Hold on...
Crang!
(That was a menacing guitar sound.)" |
OK, I know all of this was long, and many of you will find it worthless, but I thought it was interesting as hell. 4/19/2007 9:48:17 AM |
DonMega Save TWW 4201 Posts user info edit post |
I was just about to quote a couple paragraphs. I like the biblical references and the potential of the "war of the tribes" (Ben did say "we'll see you in a week" to Juliette).
I also liked the idea of switching someone with an imposter (Jack?) and that might be deceiving the beach dwellers. 4/19/2007 9:51:06 AM |
Saddamizer Suspended 5294 Posts user info edit post |
Another Jin or Sun episode is never something I look foward to, but with only 5 episodes left this year hopefully it is a little juicer than usual 4/19/2007 10:14:46 AM |
BeerzNBikes All American 3736 Posts user info edit post |
Thanks Panthro. I very much enjoyed the read and know many that will also enjoy it.
Who in here still thinks the show is boring and not worth your weekly watch now? Huh?
Haters STFU. If the nietchze stuff (cyclical over linear time theory) from that column turns out to be true, then this is truly one of the most philiosophically intriguing shows ever with perhaps the most outstanding directing I have seen on network TV (Catch22 directing was amazing, especially at the end). Yeah the casting isnt perfect, but what show is? (besides seinfeld)
I hope the show goes 5+ seasons and not 4. Squeezing too much into a season will kill the masterpiece they have created here. Its like the LOTR for true fans... 4/19/2007 11:00:16 AM |
mathman All American 1631 Posts user info edit post |
anybody else annoyed with the comercials for yesterdays episode, I wish they'd stay away from any details it ruins it. 4/19/2007 12:31:14 PM |
synchrony7 All American 4462 Posts user info edit post |
Quote : | "What was Desmond talking about when he said Penny looked for him for 3 years and said that "with enough money you can find anyone"? Was it a premonition?" |
That was in Desmond's first flashback (season 2 finale) when she came and met him at the stadium right before he ran the steps and met Jack for the first time (this time we see the scene from Desmond's perspective, not Jack's like in the season 2 opener).
Desmond was surprised to see her, asked how she found him and she said "with enough money you can find anyone". She asked him to come back with her and he said no, that he has to prove that he's worthy (or something along those lines).
[Edited on April 19, 2007 at 1:49 PM. Reason : .]4/19/2007 1:48:48 PM |
DonMega Save TWW 4201 Posts user info edit post |
ah, gotcha 4/19/2007 1:54:12 PM |
BDubLS1 All American 10406 Posts user info edit post |
so desmond is in another timeline? and in the previous timeline, he told penny how to find him...
that's the reason there is more than 1 photo....b/c there are 2 timelines 4/19/2007 4:31:27 PM |
Panthro All American 7333 Posts user info edit post |
Damn, I feel like I posted the answers to LOST up there.
that shit is crazy. 4/19/2007 4:52:32 PM |
DonMega Save TWW 4201 Posts user info edit post |
^^ unless she went back and got a copy from the guy that took the picture, but it was an instant picture so i don't know if he could make a copy 4/19/2007 5:24:52 PM |
Aristotle Suspended 2231 Posts user info edit post |
the dvd doesnt come out till fall. when will they be starting over reshwoing all the season 3 episodes from the very first one? 4/19/2007 6:54:38 PM |
BDubLS1 All American 10406 Posts user info edit post |
hmm dunno. how far do the episodes go back on abc.com? 4/19/2007 6:55:22 PM |
BeerzNBikes All American 3736 Posts user info edit post |
With the shows ratings tanking fast, I dont see them showing repeats. Likely they will fill that slot with something else and ponder bringing the show back at 9pm again next season. 4/20/2007 3:01:31 PM |
bigD ncsu Veteran 440 Posts user info edit post |
^I have heard that very thing, the show is suppsosed to move back to its regular time and ideally ratings will pick back up. I'll still watch regardless. 4/24/2007 3:58:26 PM |
synchrony7 All American 4462 Posts user info edit post |
I just listened to the official lost podcast, the writers said that there were two copies of the photo when it originally was taken, and the one in the book was a copy of Penny's copy. 4/24/2007 5:38:45 PM |
BeerzNBikes All American 3736 Posts user info edit post |
I hope they make 5 seasons! Im not in a such a rush to find out everything, the way they are letting the story and the characters develop doesent bother me, I like it! I will watch this damn show even if it comes on at midnight! 4/25/2007 2:52:00 PM |
spydyrwyr All American 3021 Posts user info edit post |
^x2... especially thanks to our good 'ol buddy Mr. DVR 4/25/2007 2:58:32 PM |
BeerzNBikes All American 3736 Posts user info edit post |
Yeah I wonder if the "ratings" take into account DVR recordings? 4/25/2007 3:00:33 PM |
BDubLS1 All American 10406 Posts user info edit post |
and those of us who still use VCRs 4/25/2007 3:10:23 PM |
Panthro All American 7333 Posts user info edit post |
**SPOILER**
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20036664,00.html 4/25/2007 3:43:07 PM |
LittleZZ Veteran 442 Posts user info edit post |
Quote : | "Yeah I wonder if the "ratings" take into account DVR recordings?" |
I did some research into the Neilson raitings and who could participate about a year ago. From what I remember, they have a special box that can only get information from baisic cable and over the air antennas. While technology exists, I don't think that digital cable and satelites are counted at all. Supposidly they are working with newer technology to get raitings from these systems, but they have not been added to the raitings. Its been a while though so I could be wrong 4/25/2007 3:56:00 PM |
SkankinMonky All American 3344 Posts user info edit post |
The spoiler states that Jin will do Kung-fu.
This could be awesome
or really lame. 4/25/2007 4:09:03 PM |
spydyrwyr All American 3021 Posts user info edit post |
^^I'm pretty sure they do gather this data. I don't know if it's automatically collected or if it's done via surveying like the old ratings data. I read an article talking about the new time slot and ratings, and they mention that since the switch, website episode viewing and DVRed episode numbers were up. 4/25/2007 4:54:50 PM |
firmbuttgntl Suspended 11931 Posts user info edit post |
I stopped watching this at the beginning of season 3 has it gone back to anything logical yet? 4/25/2007 5:16:31 PM |
Panthro All American 7333 Posts user info edit post |
4/25/2007 5:18:36 PM |
joepeshi All American 8094 Posts user info edit post |
kamsamneedah bitches. why didn't russo die again? 4/25/2007 10:13:35 PM |
kiljadn All American 44690 Posts user info edit post |
I THOUGHT THAT NIGGA WAS DEAD 4/25/2007 10:15:01 PM |
spro All American 4329 Posts user info edit post |
ok, glad i wasn't the only one
aha, jin's roundhouse was gangster
[Edited on April 25, 2007 at 10:20 PM. Reason : ] 4/25/2007 10:16:35 PM |
OneNighter86 Suspended 8017 Posts user info edit post |
they never checked his pulse 4/25/2007 10:26:06 PM |
joepeshi All American 8094 Posts user info edit post |
this episode would be good if sun kills juliette. 4/25/2007 10:29:28 PM |
Crede All American 7339 Posts user info edit post |
novostoso, russian dude. come on people. 4/25/2007 10:34:22 PM |
PirateARRRny All American 1260 Posts user info edit post |
So what'd that bitch say in whatever language she was spittin after they fixed her lung? "She said thank you." sounds like bullshit 4/25/2007 10:42:30 PM |
Crede All American 7339 Posts user info edit post |
"ARE YOU NOVOSTOSO???"
come on peple 4/25/2007 10:45:15 PM |
Shivan Bird Football time 11094 Posts user info edit post |
oh snap 4/25/2007 10:59:18 PM |
OneNighter86 Suspended 8017 Posts user info edit post |
^ hahaha
i was just about to say that
OH SNAP 4/25/2007 10:59:39 PM |
mathman All American 1631 Posts user info edit post |
well surprise surprise. I say they're in the matrix and Jack is neo to Ben's Agent Smith. 4/25/2007 11:00:19 PM |
spro All American 4329 Posts user info edit post |
the purgatory theory people are gonna come out of the woodwork now 4/25/2007 11:00:20 PM |
miska All American 22242 Posts user info edit post |
or it (the wreckage) was faked
like the moon landing.] 4/25/2007 11:01:51 PM |
OneNighter86 Suspended 8017 Posts user info edit post |
no, cause they can travel to and from the island. ^ ah beat me to it
they probably covered it up... some govt conspiracy shit
[Edited on April 25, 2007 at 11:09 PM. Reason : m] 4/25/2007 11:02:56 PM |
kiljadn All American 44690 Posts user info edit post |
^ yeah 4/25/2007 11:07:49 PM |
spro All American 4329 Posts user info edit post |
oh i'm not saying that it makes sense for the purgatory theorists to join in uprising - just saying that's what's gonna happen
but i would say a coverup sounds about right on target
the company that funded these people wasn't poor 4/25/2007 11:40:55 PM |
virga All American 2019 Posts user info edit post |
HOW IS HE ALIVE 4/25/2007 11:54:51 PM |
spydyrwyr All American 3021 Posts user info edit post |
^^and STILL funding. still droppin' food, supplying power/fuel, fuel for the sub, etc. It was cool to have a big reveal like that, that's what seems to have been missing, the big surprises like Mikael (sp?) comin' back, the big cliffhanger at the end. Despite the filler, I thought it was a good episode. The teaser for next weeks episode makes it look like it's gonna be a badass show.
[Edited on April 25, 2007 at 11:57 PM. Reason : ^] 4/25/2007 11:56:40 PM |
JTHelms All American 4696 Posts user info edit post |
is this the last season? 4/26/2007 12:05:52 AM |