Lost in Brainwashing

Season 2 episode 20 was okay but too strange for me. It's a whole lot of sex, killing and rock n' roll. First Anna Lucia has sex with Sawyer to get his gun. Then Hurly plans to play music for his "date" with Libby. Finally, at the end of the episode, Michael goes postal.

What caught my attention with this episode was the dialogue between Locke and Henry. Henry claims he was on his way to get Locke when the French Chick caught him in her net. Henry tells Locke that Locke is not like the other people on the beach, that he is one of the good people. It makes it sound as if the Other's are trying to weed out the good guys. First they kidnap all the kids from the back of the plane, then they kidnap Walt. Now it turns out they wanted Locke as well. Maybe it has something to do with innocence? If that's the case Claire's baby isn't that safe right now.

What completely annoyed me about this episode was the ending. Michael takes a shot at Anna Lucia, Libby, and apparently himself. Knowing how these situations usually pan out I can almost guarantee that Anna's and Libby's wounds are serious but not fatal. Many bloggers are saying that Michael finished the episode by killing himself. Look again. He points the gun to the side of his chest, not at it. It was like he was shooting at the wall. The only explanation that can be given for this is that he has been brainwashed by the Other's. It would be a good idea. if they can't plant one of there own in the group, brainwash someone who is already a part of it. Freaking strange situation. While I couldn't care less if Anna lives, it would be horrible to see Libby die. It's kind of funny that Anna may have been killed just weeks after Michelle Rodrigez (Anna) got caught drinking and driving on Hawaii and will spend a week in jail.

Lost in Product Placement

Okay, episode 2.19 was a bit boring, but it did have some interesting tidbits. The most obvious has to be that Apollo chocolate bar that was sitting in front of Locke while he was drawing the diagram. It's the same brand of bar that's been seen elsewhere in the series, most recently with Rose. Rose took an Apollo bar to give to Bernard. Any coincidence that both Locke and Rose have been miraculously healed from their ailments while on the island (Locke with his paralysis, Rose with her cancer)? There are no coincidences in this series. Something is up with the bar! I googled Apollo and found that it is a Japanese chocolate bar. It is also the name of a discontinued Hershey's bar. Given that there was no Japanese writing on the wrapper I'd bank on the latter. Now, with Henry. I think this guy is more important within the "Other's" than he is letting on. He claims to be a victim, but that evil face! Did you see him smurk when Locke was banging his fist on the door? This guy is bad news. If you look at the preview on the left hand side of the page you will see that Henry has knowledge that Anna Lucia has killed someone. How does he know that? Sure she killed Shannon, but she also killed the guy who raped her in The States. I really hope the writers will spoil us with some actual action during the last few episodes of the season.

Lost in Virtual Reality

Okay, I've decided to start posting again. Instead of just reviewing each episode I will give you my thoughts about what is happening. Some episodes provoke no thoughts while other's boggle my mind. I've said it once and I'll say it again: last season had a lot more meat to it than this season. A lot of the episodes this season have actually been boring! The episode that aired on April 5th was not a boring episode.

As we already knew from past episodes, Hurly used to be in a psychiatric hospital. In this episode Hurly hallucinates a man named Dave on the island. This is the same hallucination that Hurly used to talk and ineract with at the hospital. Dave tells Hurly that the island, too, is all in his mind. He tells Hurly if he simply jumps off a cliff he will snap out of it and things will be back to normal, with Hurly back in the hospital. As Hurly attempts to jump, Libby talks him away from the cliff by convincing him that the island and the events from the last 2 months are real. The episode ends with a flashback of Libby being a patient in the same hospital as Hurly.

While I don't believe that the island is simply Hurly's imagination, it did get me thinking. It got me thinking so much I think I've actually got this show figured out. In interviews the producers of the show have consistently said that, when all is known about the island, it will not be that far fetched of an idea. In otherwords, there is a logical explanation for the situation the passengers are in. While I was trying to get to sleep after watching this episode I had an idea: What if the characters on the show are actually involved in a virtual reality-type experience? Let's say that Dharma really exists and is involved with scientific experiments. They get people, either volutarly or against their will, to take part in said experiment. Each patient lies down on a bed and puts on the virtual reality helmet. The scientists then hook up the necessary wires to monitor the patients brain waves. In the VR helmet the patient experiences a different world, one that the scientists have created. While the patient seems to be interacting normally with the VR environment, they are actually still on the bed. The scientists would be in complete control of the VR experience.

In my opinion, this makes perfect sense. The black smoke, the ship in the middle of the island, the hatches, the other's, the polar bears; these types of things would not happen in the real world. Consider my idea for a second, and really, it does make sense. It could be that the scientists simply want to monitor how each character reacts to the situations.

Episode 32: The Other 48 Days

I thought this episode was well written; look for a possible Emmy nomination. We learn about the first 48 days of the tail enders. The opening scene was pretty cool, with the tail end of the plane falling from the sky. We learn that the Others have ravaged this camp far more than the fronties. The Others have a list of names given to them by a spy within the camp. Each night they come to take more people from the list. Anna thinks the spy is Nathan (a Canadian) but it turns out it is Goodwin. Anna eventually kills Goodwin, but not before asking him some questions. This is the first time we see an "interview" with the Others. When asked why the Other's took the people they did, Goodwin says they only took the bad people and left the good ones. He also says that the children are perfectly fine. When the tailies take the trio to their camp, we see that is is also a Dharma station. This station is number 4: Zoological Sciences. This tells us that the island has at least two research stations. The fact this second station deals with zoological sciences could possibly explain the polar bear and other strange animals on the island. The episode ends where the previous one did, with Anna mistakenly shooting (and killing) Shannon.

Episode 31: Abandoned

For what it's worth, I think this episode was hyped up way too much. We were told 3 weeks ago to hold onto our hat's: this is the big one! Well it wasn't. The episode focuses on the relationship between Sayid and Shannon. The two get busy in the tent and, when finished, Sayid goes to get a drink of water. Shortly after, Walt appears in the tent, speaking gibberish to Shannon. Some websites claim if you play the gibberish backwards he says "They're coming, and they're close." Sayid doesn't belief Shannon when she tells him of Walt and she runs out of the tent crying.

In the flashbacks we learn that Shannon's dad died in a car accident and, when she is in the hospital, Jack walks by her. We also learn that Shannon's step mother doesn't like her and cut's her off from all financial resources.

Shannon gives Vincent one of Walt's shirts to smell. He then takes off into the forest with Shannon in tow. At the same time, Ana and her posse are trying to find the "fronties" camp. The two groups collide in the forest with Ana thinking Shannon is one of the "Other's". She pulls her gun and shoots her in the chest.

Personally, I'm glad Sawyer didn't die. Not because I like him (I don't), but because it would be so obvious if he did. We knew someone was going to die; even a 5 year old could tell Sawyer was playing dodge ball witht he Grim Reaper. The writers know that the viewers demand twists and turns. Shannon getting killed was a pretty good twist. Ironically it is now Boone and Shannon that have been killed off from the show. When Sawyid saw what happened with Shannon he was visibly shocked; not just because of her being shot but because he can see the people from the raft standing in front of him. It's also interesting that Walt appeared to Shannon right before Ana and her posse, including Michael, meet up with her. Michael and Walt missed each other by seconds.

Episode 30:...And Found

Literally a lost and found episode, where Sun looses her wedding ring and finds it. It's a Jin and Sun centered episode. In the flashbacks we find out how Jin and Sun met. Jin was working as a doorman at the Seoul Gateway Hotel when Sun and a suitor come in for lunch. Sun falls for her suitor but, it turns out, the suitor already has an American girlfriend. Sun gets upset and leaves the Hotel. At the same time, Jin allows a father and his son use the hotel washroom. When his boss sees him do this he yells at Jin. Jin then quits his job and takes a walk by the river, where he accidentally bumbs into Sun, who is also taking a walk by the river. I've read a few reviews on this episode and most are negative. People think an episode based on how Jin and Sun met does not keep up with the action and suspense we are used to. I agree the episode was slow, but there is still valuable information. I can almost guarantee that in future episodes that the "Suitor's" American girlfriend will somehow come into play with this series. They wouldn't have mentioned it if it wasn't important.

On the Island, Michael, Sawyer and Jin are taken by the "Backies" (from the back of the plane) to find food. It seems as if the backies have had more experience with "The Other's" than the rest of the survivors. When Michael finds out where The Other's usually hang out he abandons the group and goes in search of Walt. Jin and Mr. Echo follow suit. Mr. Echo senses The Other's in the area and hides with Jin in the bushes (Michael is farther ahead). While hiding we see the legs of The Other's as they walk by. The last of The Other's seems to be a small child pulling behind a teddy bear attached to a rope. Mr. Echo makes the point that The Other's never leave tracks.

Kate helps Sun look for her wedding ring. While talking, Sun is obviously concerned about Jin's safety. Kate comforts her, saying that he's fine (most of the castaways believe Michael, Jin, Sawyer and Walt are still on the raft). Sun tells Kate about the bottle from the raft Claire found in the last episode. As we know, Sun promptly took the bottle and burred it. When Kate and Sun dig up the bottle Kate is obviously upset. It turns out she never said "good bye" to Sawyer and feels bad about it. While digging up the bottle Sun finds her ring.

In the preview for the next episode (to be aired in three weeks) we learn that someone will be killed off from the series. In my opinion it may be Sawyer; he got shot by The Other's on the raft and is in a lot of pain. Of course, that would be too obvious. The show always leaves us wanting more; I think it may be someone we won't expect.

*In futre episodes look for references to the suitor's American girlfriend

*Kate seems to have stronger feelings for Sawyer than what were oringinally thought

*Jin is briefly attacked by a wild boar

*One of The Other's is a child, possibly Danielle's daughter. It can't be Walt (they were white legs).

*No reference is ever made to the hatch in this episode

*Claire says it's been 4 days since the raft left the island

*It was noted in the previous episode that there were 23 survivors from the back of the plane. It looks like only 5 are still alive.

Episode 29: Everybody Hates Hugo

I think a better name for this episode would be "Changes." The idea that everyone hates Hurly is in his mind. Hurley is concerned that the opening of the hatch and discovery of food will change everything. His flashbacks related to the changes that happened when he won his 156 million dollars. The episode begins with Jin speaking English to Hurley, but we soon realize he is dreaming. Jin does not speak English beyond Hurley's dream. It was nice to see Hurly's friend in the flashbacks. He's the skinny guy from Road Trip. We find out that the captors are in fact passengers from the back of the plane. They lead Michael, Jin and Sawyer out of the hole and take them into the forest.

While in the hatch Jack and Sayid explore the "guts" of the hatch, that is the mechanical aspects of it. They find that the builders of the hatch used tons of concrete to build it. How on earth did they get concrete? I can just imagine a boat carrying all these construction vehicles landing on the island and leaving months later. Jack and Sayid realize that the center of the hatch has a strong magnetic field.

As the new found passengers lead Michael, Jin and Sawyer into the forest they are told that there were 23 survivors from the back of the plane. We learn that there are now about 10 left, one which includes Bernard, Roses husband. We don't know what happened to the rest of them. What's interesting is that the trio are led into what I think is the other side of the hatch. The passengers from the back of the plane are living in a small room with the "Dharma" symbol on the walls. This same symbol is found in the hatch and on all the food packaging. It refers to the "Dharma Initiative," the research group that built the hatch.

Hurley feels that if the other passenger find out about the food there will be chaos. It turns out he kept some dynamite and plans to blow up the pantry which, in all likelihood, would blow up the hatch, not just the pantry. I don't think Hurley would care if the the entire hatch blew up, given that he thinks the place is evil. Rose talks him out of it, and Hurley decides to just give out all the food at once. The episode ends with all of the passengers pigging out on the beach while, on a different part of the island, Bernard finds out that Rose is still alive.

*Desmond does not appear in this episode, however references are made to him

*The bottle that was thrown into the water in episode 25 is recovered and given to Sun

*It is Sawyer who says "If you hit me again, I'm going to kill you"

*Charlie was acting very strange in this episode, which led me to believe he cracked into his heroin supply

*Rose makes a return to the series. In the pilot episode I was led to believe she had an important role in the show, however I haven't seen her again until now

*There seems to be a large supply of "Appolo" chocolate bars in the hatch. Remember, nothing happens in this show without a reason. Hurley had never seen or heard of an Appolo chocolate bar. Rose, who is said to be in her 50's, has also never heard of it. She says her husband has a sweet tooth, which led me to believe she might have an idea of various candies. I think these mysterious Appolo bars will come into play in future episodes.

Episode 28: Orientation

Finally an episode with answers! More than that, we actually see a film which serves as an orientation to the hatch. The film is entitled "The Dharma Initiative, 3 0f 6 Orientation." It turns out the hatch, code named "Swan," is the 3rd of 6 research laboratories set up around the world. The Dharma initiative was created in 1970 by Gerald and Karen De Grute. It was designed to create a large scale communal research compound where researchers would be able to research meteorology, psychology, parapsychology, zoology, and electromagnetism. The original researchers were to be in the hatch for 530 days. The film goes on to say that not long after the experiments began there was an "incident" on the island. Because of the "incident," a new protocol was set for the laboratory. Every 108 minutes someone must type in the numbers (you know which ones!) on a computer and press execute. Once this is done a timer starts over again and counts down from 108. The film seems to indicate that there are only 2 researchers in the hatch.

Anyways, Kate accidentally blows a whole into the computer with a shot gun and Sayid is summoned to fix it (which he does). Jack seems to think the entire facility is a farce and expresses his concerns to John. John, as you can imagine, has complete faith in everything they have been told about the hatch. As we saw in the last episode, the guy in the hatch is Desmond, a man Jack met about 3 years ago. Jack recognized him in episode 27 but it isn't until the end of this episode that Desmond recognizes Jack. Hurly accompanies Sayid into the hatch and is awe struck at the amount of food in the pantry (funny stuff).

Jin, Michael and Sawyer are thrown into a hole by a group of people. In episode 27 I was left to believe that these people were "the other's". I now have a different idea. While the trio are in the hole a girl is thrown in with them. At first we think she is a prisoner but she is actually thrown in to steal Sawyers gun. She tells the trio that she was sitting in the back of flight 815. Until now it is believed that everyone at the back of the plane was killed. She does not believe that the trio are from the same flight. My idea is that the people that captured the three are in fact from the back of the plane. If this is the case, they may believe that the prisioners are members of "the other's." This opens up a big can of worms.

The episode that aired on ABC gave a peak at what happens next week. I am positive that the end of the preview has Jin saying "if you hit me again, I'm going to kill you." I watched this clip again and again and am certain it is Jin speaking. Jim is Korean and until now it was thought he didn't speak English. Even in the hole the only words he could say were "other's" and "blindfold." If Jin can in fact speak English this opens up a second can of worms. Wow.