Helter Skelter
"Lost: Confirmed Dead" (S4/E2) Recap / Daniel Carlson
My roommate and I discussed the various complexities and frustrations of “Lost” shortly before the second episode of Season 4, “Confirmed Dead,” aired the other night. He looked at me and said, “This show is really irritating me right now. … I don’t know. Maybe if I watched it more…” and then he trailed off into a communicative silence. I nodded in understanding, if not agreement. “Yeah, it’s a pretty demanding show,” I said, and it is. “Lost,” more than any other serialized drama out there, requires a pretty rigorous commitment to viewing. But it also requires a slight recalibration as to what constitutes progress or development or what have you. “Lost” unfolds pretty slowly, both to enhance the mindset of being stranded on a desert island and to let the mystery evolve at its own pace. And answers do come along every episode; it’s just that they always bring more questions.
“Confirmed Dead” opens with an undersea rover exploring the ocean floor while the remote operators chat over the radio. The camera’s POV comes across the fuselage of a jet that turns out pretty unsurprisingly to be the wreck of Oceanic 815, and it’s weird how undramatic the moment is. Didn’t Juliet or Ben (or someone) tell Jack (or someone) that everyone back home already figured the passengers of 815 were dead? Granted, seeing the wreck is pretty cool, but it only works in the sense that it makes you wonder who put the wreckage there, and why, since for some reason the wreck’s existence already seemed like a sure thing. Anyway: The action cuts to a Massachusetts household to where Daniel Farraday (Jeremy Davies) is watching news footage of the discovered wreck and weeping, though he admits to his wife/girlfriend that he doesn’t know why he’s crying. Aside from being the first time that title cards have been used to set the location in a flashback, it’s also a downright Tralfamadorian blast as far as timelines are concerned, since it’s a flashback to events (obviously) after the crash, which hasn’t happened that often. Soon enough, the story jumps back to Daniel on the chopper as it flies over the island, looking for a place to land. An electrical storm threatens to wreck the helicopter, so Daniel parachutes out and lands near Jack and Kate, who run up to meet him. He says to them, “I’m here to rescue you,” and that’s it. From a story standpoint, we’ve learned a little about Daniel, but we’ve only moved forward maybe 45 seconds in the total narrative. Them’s the breaks.
Jack and Kate march through the jungle with Daniel to try and find the rest of the chopper’s crew — three more people, including the pilot — when Jack notices that Daniel’s got a gun casually tucked into his pants. Davies is predictably unsettling in the role, and his casting is damn-near pitch-perfect: Everything about him is edgy and nervous, ensuring Jack and Kate won’t even get a few moments of peace with their supposed rescuer before suspecting him of sinister motives. (Which, of course, he kinda has.)
Locke and everyone that sided with him are trudging through a different part of the island where the sun has come out and it’s raining, and Locke uses his weird connection with the island to know when the storm will stop. Sawyer, last week’s moody statements about survival notwithstanding, has gone back to being a rifle-wielding smartass, and he pesters Locke to fess up about a plan, at which point Locke admits that his ideas came from Walt, who appeared to him while he was lying in a pit and almost dying from a gunshot wound to the gut courtesy of Ben. Locke lifts his shirt and shows the wound in his side to Sawyer, at which point everyone turns to glare at Ben, who’s still bloody and beat up and looks like he’s just going to get pummeled in every episode. Hurley slips and admits to knowing about Jacob’s Ghost Cabin With Teleportation Abilities, which makes Locke curious and Ben deeply wary. Ben will now probably try to kill Hurley or get info from him in the future.
Back on the beach, Sayid — who’s gotten royally screwed over as far as character development and screen time since the first season — hangs with Juliet and watches for the boat. She plays right into his fears about the rescuers, and tells him they should be ready. Back in the jungle, Kate, Jack, and Daniel find some gas masks and biohazard gear from Daniel’s chopper, which he tries and fails to lie about. He tells Jack the masks were a “precaution,” and when Jack presses, Daniel says, “Rescuing you and your people? Can’t really say it’s our primary objective.” This also isn’t much of a surprise, since Charlie in fact died to warn everyone that the boat was not, in fact, Penny’s. Again, the point isn’t so much what Daniel reveals — which is known — but that he reveals it, and it finally starts to sink in with Jack that things could turn out pretty poorly, which is par for the course on Hell Island. Daniel gets a buzz on the satellite phone that helps him locate Miles (Ken Leung), one of fellow crewmembers, but when they arrive at Miles’ location, they discover that Miles is one twitchy, trigger-happy little bugger. He pulls a gun on Kate and asks about what happened to Naomi, and Kate’s face pretty much gives up her knowledge of Naomi’s death. Kate absolutely sucks at lying.
Miles’ flashback, set in Inglewood, reveals him to be some kind of con-man/ghostbuster, though he’s really just a psychic and a douchebag. He visits a woman clearly grieving a dead grandson so he can exorcise the boy’s room, but once he’s up there, he just plugs a hand-vac into the wall, sits on the bed, and asks the kid where “it” is. A noise reveals a hole in the wall with a big wad of cash, which Miles pockets before promptly splitting. He gives some of his fee back to the grandmother, but still: Douchebag. Back on the island, he’s running around and screaming and looking awfully close to emptying a few rounds into Jack and Kate.
Back to the Lockies: Ben starts to screw with Sawyer’s head in re: Sawyer’s hidden love for Kate and his fears that she loves Jack, so Sawyer starts to beat the hell out of Ben, again. Locke stops him, Sawyer stalks away, Ben looks whipped. Meanwhile, Miles, Daniel, Jack, and Kate go to Naomi’s body, where Miles kneels and does some kind of whispery mumbo-jumbo that apparently lets him know that Naomi was indeed shanked by Locke. The phone buzzes again, but Jack and Kate refuse to go. Miles, who’s far too excitable, threatens to kill them, but Sayid and Juliet come out of the trees with guns blazing and turn the tables. It would’ve been nice to see Jack pistol-whip Miles for being an ass, but unfortunately, he keeps his cool.
The third flashback is easily the most incredulous: Charlotte (Rebecca Mader), also on the chopper, barges into an archaeological dig in Tunisia, where (a) the skeleton of a polar bear has been unearthed, and further (b) the bones come with a leather collar emblazoned with the Dharma Initiative logo from the Hydra station. And here I thought Walt was just manifesting the bears out of fear. How the hell a polar bear made it to Tunisia, and how the collar remained intact, is beyond me, but there’s so much going on with the rest of the story that I’m just letting this one go. Back on the island, Charlotte dangles from a tree in her chute before freeing herself and coming across Locke’s crew, who regard her with worthy suspicion in a great little mutual interrogation scene. “How many of you are there?” she asks. “Why do you wanna know?” Hurley responds before telling her what she wants to know. Locke cuts him off, but Charlotte keeps asking questions. Locke starts asking her the same questions — how many rescuers are there, where was the pilot trying to land, etc. — and though Charlotte seems to be doing okay, the rest of the islanders clearly don’t trust her. It’s a great “Lost” moment because everyone seems to be telling the truth, and most likely is, but that’s still not enough to make people trust each other. Locke decides Charlotte is coming with them, and when she argues that this will hinder the rescue, he says, “That’s the thing. We don’t wanna be found.”
Jack et al. march toward Charlotte’s presumed location, while Sayid tries to find out more about Daniel and Miles. Daniel admits to being a physicist, but Miles threatens to break Daniel’s fingers if he keeps talking to Sayid. Miles, I should repeat, is one angry little douchebag, and will probably pay the price for it; personally, I’m hoping the smoke monster gets him. The signal from Charlotte’s transponder gets closer, but it turns out to be tied to Vincent’s collar, as the dog bounds out of the woods toward Jack. (With no Walt or MercutioMichael in sight, the writers only remember Vincent is around when they need a handy plot device. If you see Vincent running around in the beginning of the episode, rest assured he’ll do something important by the end.) Jack just nods. “Locke’s got her,” he says, making Charlotte the 937th thing to come between Jack and Locke in their battle for island leadership.
Fourth flashback: Frank Lapidus (Jeff Fahey) is a pilot living in the Bahamas, and you can tell he’s a grizzled older man because he’s grown a scruffy beard and staggers around his office. He sees the footage of the Oceanic 815 wreck on the news, which features a shot of the dead pilot’s rotting corpse that’s easily too gruesome for daytime news but makes sense for the sake of the story. The camera lingers for an unusually long time on the corpse’s left hand, still propped on the plane’s steering equipment, and seeing it, I thought, “No wedding ring. I guess the real pilot was married.” Which, sure enough, is exactly the case, as Frank tells the operator on the Oceanic hotline when he calls to report that the wreck footage is wrong. How does he know this? Because — wait for it — Frank was supposed to be flying Oceanic 815 that day. No wonder he moved to the islands and started drinking.
Back in the present, an injured Frank staggers out the bushes and runs into a cow — did Mikhail have cows? Someone remind me — before firing off a flare that’s sighted by Charlotte. Locke refuses to go check it out, and while everyone is arguing, Ben grabs Carl’s gun and puts two in Charlotte’s chest, leading to his second beating of the episode at the hands of Sawyer. Charlotte, however, was wearing a bulletproof vest, which is admittedly weird for a rescue mission, but it saved her life. Before Locke can ask about it, the action shifts back to Frank, who’s passed out in a field, where Jack and the rest find him. They ask about the chopper, and Frank points over the hill, where the helicopter is parked. Jack, Sayid, and Kate are too taken with the sight of the chopper and the potential of rescue to wonder how it could be in such good condition while Frank is badly cut and bruised. Did he land easily enough, then trip and fall down a cliff? What the hell?
Final flashback: Matthew Abaddon, the creepy guy who visits Hurley in the mental hospital in the future and who’s named after a demon from Revelation, is seen helping Naomi assemble the team that will eventually fly to the island. Naomi balks at the team, saying that they’re embarking on a “high-risk covert op in unstable territory.” She asks about finding survivors, and Abaddon shuts her down, though it’s clear they both know that people from Oceanic 815 are alive and (somewhat) well. “Don’t ask questions, just do what you were hired to do,” Abaddon says.
Back on the island, Sayid announces that the chopper is totally flyable, while Miles uses the sat phone to call somebody named Minkowski for help. Juliet patches up Frank, but when he learns her name, he yells out to Miles that Juliet wasn’t on 815. “She’s a native,” he says, causing Miles to completely lose it and run up to Juliet shouting, “Where is he?” Miles whips a photo out of Ben out of his pocket, saying, “I’ll tell you why we’re here. We’re here for Benjamin Linus.”
Meanwhile, Sawyer is about to kill Ben, but Locke insists on his right to pull the trigger. Ben starts to weasel out of an execution with a promise of information, but when Locke asks him to reveal the secret of the black smoke monster, Ben just says, “I don’t know.” However, just before Locke can pull the trigger, Ben rattles off a bunch of biographical information about Charlotte, which her startled reaction reveals to be true. Ben tells Locke he was right to suspect the rescuers, and when Locke asks just how the hell Ben knows all this — which is a good questions — this week’s kicker ending comes down: Ben looks back at Locke and says simply, “I have a man on their boat.” It’s the quintessential “Lost” plot point that provides information just as it leaves you waiting for more. Who’s Ben’s man on the boat? How long has he been there, and how did he get there? Is there anyone who doesn’t want to kill Ben? I have no idea where things will go from here, but I also know that it’s worth sticking with the show, demanding though it might be, to find out.
Daniel Carlson is the managing editor of Pajiba and a low-level employee at a Hollywood industry magazine. You can visit his blog, Slowly Going Bald.
Twelve Best Films You Didn't See, The | | The Hottie and the Nottie
Comments
Thanks for the recap, Daniel. I just started watching the show this year, and even though I try to pay attention, some of the bits and pieces fly right over my head, so its nice to get a second viewing, as it were. I think I'm hooked already.
Posted by: nancy at February 11, 2008 12:58 PM
Good recap. I always thought the cages from season 3 cemented the polar bears as actually physically existing on the island. Jeff Fahey was a great casting choice, he's got kind of a weird "schlub" presence that's great for unsettling horror/sci-fi (i.e.-Lawnmower Man)... pretty perfect, really.
Posted by: gmoff at February 11, 2008 1:04 PM
It was Naomi that told them that the wreckage had been found and they were all dead. Just fyi. God I love this show.
Posted by: Abbey Road at February 11, 2008 1:12 PM
Here's to hoping Billy Murray shows up and does some REAL ghost busting.
Posted by: Kevin Longrie at February 11, 2008 1:17 PM
Great episode. Lost is back!
Posted by: Kolby at February 11, 2008 1:25 PM
Sayid is possibly my favorite character. He's smart and never wrong. If I as on the island I would stick with him. Unfortunately, if he's ever wrong, he'll probably be dead.
Posted by: kelsy at February 11, 2008 1:28 PM
Watching Jeremy Davies is so discomforting. A brilliant casting choice for "Lost".
Yes, Mikhail had cows. I said the same thing when the cow popped up.
Charlotte is easily the worst of the rescuers. The actress playing her is quite awful.
Posted by: Alabamapink at February 11, 2008 1:33 PM
I still love Lost, though I am getting a little sick of someone asking a question and then just as the person who was asked is about to answer, something happens and interrupts them and the question goes unanswered and forgotten.
I do enjoy Jeff Fahey. Anybody remember "The Marshal"? I loved that show. Pissed me off when they canceled it.
Posted by: Slash at February 11, 2008 1:37 PM
Wow, you weren't kidding when you said that the show requires some dedication. So does Scientology. Coincidence? I like pudding.
Posted by: Manny at February 11, 2008 1:45 PM
Hey, this is great. I hope you plan on doing more of these Daniel. A weekly recap would help me get my head around some of the more obtuse plot points.
Posted by: the_wakeful at February 11, 2008 1:51 PM
Also: I believe Frank said he got struck by lightening when asked about his condition.
Posted by: the_wakeful at February 11, 2008 1:53 PM
For your thread-hijacking consideration:
Best uncomfortable Jeremy Davies role:
I say Rescue Dawn. Good lord, he is so so so skinny in that film! Werner Herzog actually told him to STOP losing weight because he was so "dedicated." I think it may take the cake for most uncomfortable weight loss by an actor for a role, even including Mr. Bale in The Machinist. If you haven't seen it, NetflixNetflixNetflix!!!
Manny, Xenu help you, honey.
Posted by: boo at February 11, 2008 1:58 PM
I thought the EXACT same thing about Vincent-- they had him on a leash and everything, I just assumed he ran off into the wild and became an island dog.
Posted by: artificialsweet5 at February 11, 2008 2:01 PM
Thank you so much for doing these recaps! I agree with the frustration. Never has a show had me so looking forward to, but also dreading, each episode. I know that we're going to learn a lot, but I'm going to be left wanting more at the end. And did this episode fly by or what? I couldn't believe that 40 minutes had gone by at the end.
Did it seem that Locke didn't want Hurley to say anymore about the cabin, or that Locke didn't know what Hurley was talking about when he mentioned it? Why would Locke want the knowledge hidden when he was leading the group there anyways? Maybe it wasn't actually Locke that Hurley was talking to at the cabin? Questions, questions.
Miles is bad, but Charlotte is worse. I can. not. stand. that. character.
I loved Sayid's interactions with Miles. "I collect soil samples." "Oh that's nice...". Great sarcasm.
So Ben doesn't know about the smoke monster? Great plot twist!
God I love this show. I'm so glad the writers strike is over. (What a rambling fan girl I am on this post. Geez)
Posted by: katy at February 11, 2008 2:03 PM
Great recap of a fantastic episode. And I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks Miles is an ass. I totally wouldn't mind seeing him get pistol-whipped. Or eaten by the smoke monster. Or maybe fill in for Ben the next time someone wants to pummel him.
Yes, Ben's creepy and Machiavellian. But despite myself, I'm actually starting to kind of feel bad for the guy.
And I agree with Kelsy. Sayid rocks my proverbial socks.
Posted by: ShinyKate at February 11, 2008 2:05 PM
Okay, I'm getting incredibly jealous. I wa son the fence about Lost for the longest time...but these recaps are making me realize that I may have been missing one of the greatest shows. I'm gonna have to steal my parents' season dvds and catch up this week.
Posted by: Shadows of Dakaron at February 11, 2008 2:26 PM
We all know Michael is Ben's man on the boat, right?
Here's a mini-diversion idea: the killing off of what character, if any, would make you stop watching the show? 'Cause I gotta say, things are picking up, but if they kill Sayid, I am DONE.
Posted by: Todd at February 11, 2008 2:29 PM
I never got into Lost and have never been able to figure out if that fat guy has been stranded on an island for 3 years now, why hasn't he lost any weight? Is he eating people? Making his own Soilent Green?
Posted by: wsapnin at February 11, 2008 2:45 PM
Oh guys, I gotta disagree. They just spent 40 minutes introducing 4 new sort of implausible characters, one of whom is a GHOSTBUSTER, and another of whom is the indefatigably annoying Jeremy Davies, and "I don't know" was the answer to two very important questions. NO NEW INFORMATION!!!!! I'll keep watching, because I'm whipped, but I'm mostly pissed.
Posted by: anninenanners at February 11, 2008 2:48 PM
The actress playing Charlotte Lewis (whom Ben refers to as Charlotte S. Lewis - C.S. Lewis in yet another Lost philosophy/religion reference) is truly awful. Monotone and fake, through and through. Every line she utters was cringeworthy in its execution.
I think Miles = Dr. Marvin Candle's son. These 4 "rescuers" are old enough to be children of the original Dharma Initiative, if we assume that Dharma started in the early 1970's.
Posted by: eddie walker at February 11, 2008 2:48 PM
Did you notice the wall of pictures at the grandmother's house when Miles the Asian Ghostbuster was there? When he walks up the staircase, they focus on that picture of the little boy outside, and all of the pictures are in old, wooden antique frames. After the ghostbusting action, when Miles walks back down the stairs, they focus on the picture of the little boy again, but every picture surrounding it is different, and the pictures are all in modern, metallic frames. Also, the wall and staircase both look to be redone. Indicates some sort of time travel, but the grandmother is wearing the same clothes the whole time. So I am confused.
Also, I will probably be alone on this, but I think Miles the Asian Ghostbuster is kind of foxy.
One other thing to notice is that Charlotte's name is Charlotte Staples Lewis = C.S. Lewis. Also, Staples was C.S. Lewis's actual middle name. I think Miles Straum is a reference to Maelstrom, which is Scandinavian for an extremely powerful whirlpool.
I noticed that in the scene at the beginning when Daniel finds out about the discovery of the plane wreckage on the news, the camera follows his girlfriend walking around the apartment from the neck down only - "Eye of the Beholder" style - which leads me to believe that she is someone we have seen before.
Also, if you watch Season 1 Episode 1, the pilot is actually wearing a wedding ring. So Frank was right.
Posted by: Stephanie at February 11, 2008 2:57 PM
Great recap. It's amazing how compelling this show is to watch, but at the same time how much I seem to forget about what happens from week to week.
Just a couple of points about the plot and details:
a) I don't think the polar bear in Tunisia came from the island. Couldn't it just be another Dharma post there?
b) Ben's man in the boat (that sounds dirty) must be Fisher Stevens.
My favourite Jeremy Davies twitchiness can be found in Rescue Dawn, Spanking the Monkey, Ravenous and Solaris.
Posted by: kushiro at February 11, 2008 3:02 PM
Oh! Also, you know how on Microsoft-based programs, how you can press alt + a certain number and different symbols will show up? Like, if you wanted to put a little two (like, a squared symbol) you would type Alt 0178.
Anyway, if you hold down alt and type in the Lost numbers, you will get a Mu symbol. Now go Wikipedia the lost island of Mu. The story is similar to Atlantis.
Speaking of Atlantis, it is interesting how the polar bear remains are found in Tunisia, as that is where several geologists went searching for the remains of Atlantis in the early 1900's.
... I think this is the point where I get committed. I'll be hanging with Hurley soon!
Posted by: Stephanie at February 11, 2008 3:06 PM
I like that Ben seems genuinely disturbed/panicked that there is stuff on the island he doesn't know about (the smoke monster).
Personal issue with Lost - this finishing after 10 PM thing. Listen up ABC - I have no intention of watch Eli Stone, no matter what you try to do. I need to step out of the house at 10 and since the show doesn't end until 10:04, I need to wait until the morning to watch the last 5 minutes on your website. Stop it. Just end the damm show at 9:58 like normal people. I can't keep doing this, waiting for the next day to find out how the show ended, even for one of the few shows I am still watching on schedule.
Posted by: Brian at February 11, 2008 3:13 PM
Trafalmadorian? Nice toss to Vonnegut, there Daniel! I also noticed the pictures, and figured that Michael is Ben's "man" on the boat, AND that Charlotte's initials are CS Lewis. Anybody notice that Frank was creepily putting a little airplane in the bottom of his fishtank while watching the news coverage of the "recovery" of Oceanic 815? Pretty sick. But, I do love Jeremy Davies casting. He is so damn twitchy and creepy. He makes me itchy just watching him. You just know he is hiding something, and he is going to fuck up something HUGE! So far, this short season is off to a great start.
Posted by: dammitjanet at February 11, 2008 3:14 PM
Dang, Stephanie! You've got my mind working.
Posted by: Kolby at February 11, 2008 3:16 PM
Mini-diversion: I think if we lost both Sayid AND Hurley I'd be done. Since we've seen Hurley in flash-forwards though, I think I'm safe. Sayid's death would be pretty hard to take, though.
Stephanie: I'm a little too distracted by Miles's asshattery to find him attractive, but I can kind of understand where your coming from in a way....I've always thought Jeremy Davies was hot, and I seem to be alone in that. Then again, I tend to be drawn to vaguely creepy men, so...there's that.
Posted by: ShinyKate at February 11, 2008 3:19 PM
Stephanie: You have both my fear and my admiration. I'm sending all your ruminations to Mr. Pink to cook his noodle. Back when the map of the island painted in the hatch showed up, he poured over screen captures with serious dedication.
Plus, he works for the federal government and needs something to stimulate his brain during the work day.
Posted by: Alabamapink at February 11, 2008 3:20 PM
i actually liked miles, but charlotte got on my nerves. actually, kate gets on my nerves too, but she's not going anywhere anytime soon. i almost stopped watching the show last year when they killed mr. eko. i loved his character. then the 2nd half of the season started and i was hooked again...because of ben. ben, sawyer and desmond are the reason i watch "lost". and once again, i ask, where was desmond?
Posted by: kelley at February 11, 2008 3:21 PM
I agree with the consensus. Charlotte needs to go. That actress sucked on the Victor Garber (sigh) vehicle, Justice, and in the her bit role on The Devil Wears Prada. She reminds me of a piece of cardboard. That you can't do anything with.
Miles is an asshat, but at least he's interesting. Stephanie- I did NOT notice the stairway changing. I'm going to have to watch that part again! Great insights on the show.
I heard Walt and Michael are coming back. Anyone know any details on that?
Posted by: sarabelle at February 11, 2008 4:16 PM
wsapin - In "Lost" time the Scooby Doo gang has only been on the island for around 3 months (I think, it might even be less)which helps explain why Hurley hasn't lost that much weight. Coming from a girl who's as morbidly obese as Hurley is and it's taken me about a year to lose 100lbs, I can totally get behind the fact that he's still a chunky monkey. Plus it took losing almost 65lbs before anyone noticed that I had lost weight so it's feasible that Hurley could lose roughly 30 to 40lbs before anyone even said "Hey, have you lost a couple pounds?" Because while they don't have a lot of food they do have some and I'm sure Hurley's eating as much of it as he can get away with. ;)
Posted by: Elizabeth at February 11, 2008 4:19 PM
I didn't notice anything about the staircase, but I did think the pictures in the house Miles went to Ghostbust in/rob looked a lot like the picture of Echo (Eko?) and his brother as children-- they liked to pan in on that picture quite a bit while Echo/Eko was still on the show, so it stands to reason that there could be a connection.
Posted by: artificialsweet at February 11, 2008 4:35 PM
The Hurley weight issue was addressed in a previous episode. There are periodic, mysterious food drops made with Dharma Initiative logos on them. Why? We don't really know. Hurley was put in charge of the food, but his issues with food got the best of him and he still eats way more than he should. If you watched the show you would know this.
Posted by: katy at February 11, 2008 4:39 PM
Nice recap, not as funny as the ones in TVgasm, but still pretty good (and with better comments). I thought this was a good episode; the new characters seem OK (tough I hope they do something interesting with Daniel Faraday, I already like him); regarding Miles, I foresee a male Ana Lucia, he may be mildly annoying now, but he has potential to be a true pain in the ass in upcoming episodes. Charlotte and Frank are nothing special so far.
By the way, I agree with the "Michael is Ben's inside man" theory, seems plausible.
Also...is there any chance you can remove the Fair Game?-Hannah Montana pic, that thing is creeping me out...
Posted by: Radlum at February 11, 2008 4:44 PM
I kept waiting for the bereaved grandmother to be connected to Michael and Walt, since they were the only African-American characters on the show.
I can live with Ben's getting pummelled every week. I haven't forgiven him for torturing Kate and Sawyer while they were being held captive. Just don't kill him until he spills all of his information.
I think the castaways found a huge cache of Dharma foods, so Hurley has probably not missed too many meals.
I don't think they could kill off anyone and cause me to stop watching. As infuriating as this plot/storyline is, I am totally hooked.
Posted by: rlr260 at February 11, 2008 4:50 PM
Oops, I forgot about Eko as a Black character. I guess I forgot him since he was not in the first season.
Posted by: rlr260 at February 11, 2008 4:54 PM
re: rlr260
Mr. Eko is black, but not actually African American.
Where you are mistaken about Michael and Walt not being the only African Americans is in regard to Rose.
Posted by: Ernesto at February 11, 2008 4:58 PM
Here's a mini-diversion idea: the killing off of what character, if any, would make you stop watching the show?
That would be Locke.
I love John Locke. I 'bout near cheer out loud every time he appears on the screen. I want Locke to wind up the hero--Jack is a whiny bitch.
I do agree with you about Sayid; I feel great affection for that character. But Sawyer's gettin' interesting lately.
I was seriously bummed when Boone died. I admit that his character did nothing to advance the story; but Ian Somerhalder was just the purtiest kitten-faced boy ever, and I just enjoyed getting to look at him once a week. Here's hoping he shows up again in another flashback or two.
Posted by: Jerce at February 11, 2008 4:59 PM
I think that the polar bear in Tunisia is another great example of evidence that proves the mirror matter theory.
In case any of you hardcore Lost fans have missed it, here is the link:
Posted by: Agent Scully at February 11, 2008 5:05 PM
I think I would stop watching if Sawyer were written out. A lot of the interpersonal dynamics on the island have something to do with him.
I've noticed that, for me, the whole split of the island population into two groups has run along the lines of likability for me. I like everyone on the the "hide to survive" group, while the "let's get rescued" team members irritate the hell out of me (except for Sayid). Anyone else have thoughts on this?
Posted by: kushiro at February 11, 2008 5:09 PM
Confirmed dead is how I feel about this show.
Posted by: Phat girl at February 11, 2008 5:16 PM
Thanks, Ernesto, I did forget Rose.
Posted by: rlr260 at February 11, 2008 5:53 PM
Good to see Jeff Fahey working again. I love that dude. And after reading the mirror matter blog, I am really sold on the theory. I'm reading Foot's book on Google Books.
kushiro: I have the exact same feelings, right down to the Sayid exception. I figure the writers must have gathered all them together on purpose. An almost pathological inability to make the a good choice would be my guess.
Posted by: ohgrl at February 11, 2008 6:04 PM
Yup, kushiro. I'm completely with you on that.
And whoever first brought up the theory of Michael as Ben's inside man~ of course! That makes such total since I can't believe it never crossed my mind. You gave me my forehead-slapping moment of the day. So, um...kudos?
I totally missed all the telling visual details in the grieving grandmother's house. I really need to start paying better attention to those things. (hangs head in shame)
Posted by: ShinyKate at February 11, 2008 7:12 PM
I read some of the mirrormattermoon stuff, and it sounds interesting.
However...here's the thing:
I used to read a lot of Lost theories and boards and whatall, and after a while I got a bit tired of the whole thing. There would be a minor plot development or prop or phrase or character name, and inevitably someone would post an in-depth description of whatever Greek/Norse/Indian/etc mythological, literary, philosophical, quantum physical, astronomical, pop psychological, genetic, cinematic, or any other of a thousand concepts that may have possibly informed that particular tidbit, and then go on to explain how that tied in to the whole plan of Lost and its creators and writers.
Am I supposed to believe that this handful of people, a great deal of them being people who've spent a lot of time writing one or two TV series, movies or comic books (though, admittedly, having some input from various people with knowledge of various fields), were somehow able to take these intricate concepts (which some academics spend entire careers trying to get their heads around), ingest, understand, and synthesize them together into an extended convoluted plot with multiple characters, and all within the few months that it took from planning to scripting the first season, despite the well-publicized changes in direction that have occurred since day one?
I'm not saying that a good portion of these details aren't intentionally included. But how deep do these ideas run? Does naming various characters after philosophers necessarily mean that the beliefs and ideas of those philosophers inform the underpinnings of the showrunners' strategy? If we see polar bears and there are mentions of experiments, does that mean that Abrams, Cuse et al possess a mastery over bioengineering? Can they have possibly read every book, watched every film, studied every discipline hinted at in some fleeting moment of every episode?
I have nothing against theories and speculation, but, my God, if these guys know so much, and are able to tie it all together so well, then please please please, make them quit the show and get to work on solving our problems.
Sorry it this is all too harsh, but it's been bothering me for awhile.
Meanwhile, let's see more Vincent!
Posted by: kushiro at February 11, 2008 8:40 PM
Michael might be the guy on the boat; I've heard that from several people. But I don't understand why internet chatter seems to treat the theory as so self-evident.
Supposedly the islanders lost communication with the outside world when the sky turned purple, and that was the exact same time that Michael and Walt left. Nothing about Michael's and Walt's departure would indicate that Ben had anything else in mind for them or that Michael would be willing to give Ben anything else. (He had already given him quite a bit with the whole betrayal-and-murder thing.)
Posted by: Darth Corleone at February 11, 2008 11:20 PM
jerce, i'm with you on that. i love everything locke. he is hands down the GREATEST character.
i, too, wish that sayid had a more prominent part - they've turned him into jack's bitch when really it should be the other way around because jack just plain sucks. he's always pissed me off, he's so damn hard headed and will never admit when he's wrong.
thanks for the recap dan. i kept missing bits and pieces of the episode as i was preoccupied with other matters at the time.
Posted by: citizen_cris at February 11, 2008 11:23 PM
I'm a bit with you Kushiro. While I do think there is a clever story going on, I also believe a lot of the references are thrown in to keep the avid fans busy. I think the "extras" are a part of the show experience, shall we say, but not necessarily things that will all be tied up within the story. They likely didn't have these tidbits all planned to be incorporated. After all, the producers have admitted the character of Ben was supposed to appear only for a limited story arc. Because both they and the audience were so taken with the actor/character, he has now somehow become central to the storyline - which must have mutated along the way.
Posted by: Cindy at February 12, 2008 7:51 AM
this show has got me in a co-dependant relationship - It needs me to keep watching it, and I need my LOST fix to keep me diving headlong into crazy plot tangent speculation
Still what bugs me is if that for every one answer we always get at least 10 new questions
I hope this season we get back to the core characters and not off on new rescuer flashbacks
Posted by: tinman at February 12, 2008 11:09 AM
I LOVE this show and really enjoyed last week's episode. I thought the premiere was a bit weak and anticlimactic to be honest. "Confirmed Dead" had much more momentum and I felt satisfied after watching it. I think we need to have these little recaps each week as I don't know anyone personally who watches the show to discuss it with.
On a slightly related note, last night at my church we were watching a movie clip of Jesus and his disciples at the Last Supper in conjunction with our Lent series and lo and behold, who is playing Jesus but "Desmond"! I kept waiting for him to say, "I'm sorry, brother" in that lovely accent of his.
I don't think killing off one particular character would make me stop watching. I'm too invested in the show at this point to not find out what happens. This is literally the ONLY show I make an appointment to watch each week.
I'm with many of you on the Sayid love and think he needs more involvement in the story this season. Locke is fascinating, too. Hell, I like most everyone. I was quite devastated at the loss of Mr. Eko--he brought a fresh dimension and spiritual balance to the show for me.
OK, I can tell I need to make a friend who I can talk to about this show.
Posted by: prairiegirl at February 12, 2008 4:52 PM
Classic episode. Had me going 'wow' all through it, and that hasn't happened in awhile. However it's a pity that Jeremy Davies seems to play the exact same wimpy character in everything I've seen him in. Are we ever going to hear him say something like "Keep your hands off of my wife, motherfucker!!"
Posted by: Matt at February 12, 2008 8:15 PM
Regarding incredulous: I do not think it means what you think it means.
Posted by: Ann at February 12, 2008 8:17 PM
inconceivable!!
Posted by: ldini79 at February 14, 2008 2:44 PM
If you wiki the name Faraday (Davies' character's name):
"Faraday studied the magnetic field around a conductor carrying a DC electric current, and established the basis for the magnetic field concept in physics."
Posted by: Steven at February 14, 2008 4:52 PM
Very funny pictures hotel and flight packages cheap panama city beach hotel deals ijrqhh
Posted by: Chscbyix at July 2, 2008 10:15 AM