Before I begin this week’s installment of overanalysis and conspiracy theories, I would like to state that last night’s episode ranks in my Top 5 Best Episodes of Lost Ever. Wow. It was unconventional and fantastic.

 

Just an FYI: some serious Lost fans reversed the audio during last week’s Clockwork Orange scene with Carl, and the phrase “Only fools are enslaved by time and space” is repeated. It’s creepy, and is not a hoax; clearly the Producers are aware of the tech savvy nature of their rabid fans and purposefully inserted that little Easter Egg.

 

As for last night’s episode…

 

Let’s start with the title, ‘Flashes Before Your Eyes.’ It’s not Flashes Before HIS Eyes, which makes me think that Desmond isn’t the only one who has time traveled on that island. Or does the title refer to the flashes that everyone on the island saw when Desmond turned that key beneath the hatch?

 

MOVIE HOMAGES

 

The scene where Desmond is talking to Pawn Shop Lady on the bench is quite similar to The Matrix Reloaded, right down to Neo talking with The Oracle on the bench and offering candy (Pawn Shop Lady offers Desmond some chestnuts).

 

When Desmond was with Pawn Shop Lady, they witnessed a man being crushed in an accident. Another Wizard of Oz shout out (remember that the witch was crushed beneath the house). And the dearly departed in last night’s episode was wearing red shoes just like Dorothy and her infamous ruby red slippers.

 

When Desmond woke up in the red paint and it looked like blood, I immediately remembered the scene in the Wachowski Brothers’ film Bound when Joe Pantoliano was shot on a floor full of spilled white paint [unfortunately, I could not find a screen capture of this online].

 

CHARLIE

 

Now that we know that Charlie is doomed, don’t be surprised if Sun finds out that Charlie was the one who assaulted her last season. Perhaps Jin plays a role in Charlie’s death…

 

When Sawyer returns to the beach after escaping Other Island, he won’t be thrilled with the fact that someone pillaged his stash. If he finds out that it was Charlie, add him to the list of suspects who may contribute to his demise. Or, for revenge, Sawyer could tell Jin that Charlie was the one who attacked Sun (Sawyer is the only person who knows about Charlie’s incident).

 

DESMOND

 

Did you notice that most of Desmond’s flashback was not accompanied by the usual Lost flashback sound effect? Right away, I knew were in store for something completely different.

 

It would be easy to say that none of what Desmond experienced actually happened, that it was a figment of his imagination while knocked out from the hatch explosion. It would also be too convenient to say that Pawn Shop Lady represented his subconscious. I prefer to think that the turning of that key and hatch implosion erased and/or froze an unspecified amount of time on the island; the results of which we will see unfold during the rest of this season. Remember, there is one fact that favors my theory – that Mittelos (the company that tried to recruit Juliet last week) is an anagram for Lost Time.

 

There are now at least three castaways that Desmond supposedly interacted with before the crash of Flight 815: Charlie (who was outside of Widmore Industries playing guitar for donations after Desmond’s interview), Jack (whom he ran into while jogging at a stadium), and Libby/Elizabeth (who gave him her boat for the race that ultimately brought him to the island). Is Desmond going to be the one who has connections to every last survivor from that plane?

 

It is not mere coincidence that Desmond woke up in the jungle disoriented in almost the exact same way that Lost began in the Pilot episode with Jack (in the same position lying in the jungle looking up). The focus was on Desmond’s eyes as he first came to, just as it was on Jack’s.

 

Just how far in the future can Desmond see? Will he continue trying to alter the fates of others (i.e. Charlie) on the island? Will this power last, or is it a temporary condition due to hatch explosion concussion? Will he be able to flash forward as well as back?

 

Will Desmond’s rescue of Claire lead to a new love triangle? She sure seemed interested in him after his heroic efforts. Oh, and she’s certainly had plenty of experience with psychics…

 

Love the appropriate use of Sarah McLachlan’s song ‘Building a Mystery’ after Desmond woke up in his apartment with Penny.

 

Back in Season One, Locke predicted rain before it occurred. Just like Desmond during his flashback last night in London.

 

Penny told Desmond she loved him because he was a ‘good man.’  Yet another reference to ‘good’ people, which the Others are quite interested in.

 

Locke, the island’s resident man of faith, will be thrilled – Pawn Shop Lady’s speech to Desmond was all about ‘the path of destiny’ and fate.  

 

So if Desmond really visited his past, wouldn’t that mean that his friend Donovan from the pub would know about the island and then tell Penny about it when Desmond went missing? And since Donovan is a physicist, perhaps that’s why Penny knew to put together a team to search for an electromagnetic anomaly…

 

Last week Juliet revealed that she’d been on the island for just over three years. According to Desmond during his flashback, he was on the island for three years. That would place their arrivals around the same time, which would be an interesting twist. We know that Desmond supposedly washed up on shore after his boat crashed in a storm, but they have not yet explained just how Juliet wound up there…

 

MR. WIDMORE

 

Nice polar bear on the painting in Mr. Widmore’s office, which looked suspiciously like the mural on the original hatch wall.  Oh, and the word ‘namaste’ (which is said at the end of each Orientation Film) is also painted backwards at the top of the painting. I’m starting to think that Widmore Industries funds all things Dharma and/or Hanso.

 

Widmore must also be an investor with Oceanic Airlines. Sawyer stole both a bottle of Widmore’s favorite expensive whiskey from the wreckage of Flight 815, and a Widmore Pregnancy Test (which Sun wound up using to confirm that she was with child).

 

Mr. Widmore is yet another manifestation of major Daddy issues. Sun’s dad was as mean to Jin as Widmore was to Desmond. Jack, Kate, Locke and Sawyer all had problems with their fathers too, not to mention Walt with Michael.

 

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All in all, I absolutely loved this episode. I simply do not understand those who have given up on Lost. As a true fan, I’ve never experienced a show that gets stronger with each season, let alone one that keeps me on the edge of my seat with such anticipation every week. It is very sad that the ratings have dropped, and I’m hoping that can be attributed to the large numbers of iTunes downloads and free ABC.com viewings rather than the loss of the Lost faithful.

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Apologies for the delay, my friends. Now that the show is on at 10pm, I will not be posting a Lost Blog every Wednesday night after each episode. I was exhausted at work today, and there is no way I can stay up that late on a ‘school night’ to write. So I appreciate your patience and readership!

 

Overall thoughts…I am thrilled that the show is back on for a very long run. I love Juliet’s character, and the dichotomy of her as a ‘mess’ in her prior life and as a woman of authority on Other Island.  

 

And as a huge fan of Deadwood, it has been fun to watch 3 actresses from that show appear on this one:

 

Robin Weigert/Calamity Jane: Rachel (Juliet’s sister)

Paula Malcomson/Trixie: Colleen (Other killed by Sun on boat)

Kim Dickens/Joanie Stubbs: Cassidy (Sawyer’s ex/con)

 

THOUGHTS

 

My first thought upon hearing the title of this episode was that it was yet another reference to The Wizard of Oz (i.e. ‘we’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto’). LOST is always referencing literary works, and this particular story seems to be a favorite among the writers (Dorothy’s Uncle was named Henry Gale).

 

The company that was trying to recruit Juliet, Mittelos Bioscience, is an anagram for Lost Time. It seems entirely too convenient, given that Juliet will be losing time with her sister once she is taken to Other Island. That and the obvious fact that the survivors of Flight 815 have lost time from their lives…

 

I would be willing to bet that the sonograms that the recruiter showed to Juliet were from her sister. She thought they were scans of a senior citizen, but he told her they were from a woman in her late 20’s. And he was well aware of her sister’s pregnancy. If the sonograms did indeed belong to Rachel (Juliet’s sister), that might explain why the Others are experiencing procreation difficulties…the premature disintegration of reproductive organs due to experimental medication.

 

The recruiter told Juliet she was ‘special.’ Walt was referred to as ‘special’ on many occasions. Juliet probably has unique abilities above and beyond her scientific capabilities. If her powers are psychic in nature, perhaps she had something to do with the bus that ran over her ex-husband…

 

But the producers seem to want us to believe that Mittelos is an offshoot of Dharma or The Hanso Foundation, and that they wield serious power. Causing a bus to crash doesn’t sound crazy when you think about the possibility of making an entire aircraft break in half and crash onto an island controlled by said company…

 

Nice pop culture shout-outs to Star Wars (Sawyer’s wookie comment) and A Clockwork Orange (Karl’s torture chamber).

 

Something tells me that this wasn’t the first time that the Others have subjected someone to brutal behavior modification techniques like the ones in the room where Karl was being held. I wonder if that’s what Isaiah Washington’s ‘rehab’ is like. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist…more thoughts on THAT debacle coming soon).

 

When Jack inquires why the Others didn’t just take Ben to a surgeon in the outside world, Tom mentioned the sky turning purple. Timeline wise, that doesn’t make sense. When Desmond turned to key to implode the hatch, causing the island to shake and the sky to turn purple, the Others already had Jack captive. In fact, they let Michael and Walt ‘go’ just after it occurred.  So I doubt that the hatch explosion really affected their ability to leave the island or communicate with the real world.

 

Earlier this season, when Kate had breakfast with Ben on the beach after first being kidnapped, he told her the next two weeks were going to be uncomfortable. She returned from that meal looking miserable, with severely bruised wrists. My feeling is that most of these events were a set-up and all is going according to Ben’s master plan…Kate’s easy cage escape, Kate & Sawyer’s cage romp, Jack seeing Kate & Sawyer’s romp on a monitor, Jack noticing the spinal x-rays, Juliet’s video plea for Jack to kill Ben, etc.   

 

For all of their talk about being ‘good,’ these Others have sure proven to be anything but. See: guns, psychological manipulation, prison-like work-camps, torture.

 

QUESTIONS

 

Is Juliet really being held against her will on Other Island?

 

Who is the father of Rachel’s child? Is he involved with Mittelos/Dharma?

 

Last season, did Ethan inject Claire with the same drugs that Juliet stole for her sister? Claire was already pregnant when she was injected, but Rachel wasn’t, so that would be interesting.

 

Is Alex really Ben’s daughter, or did he just find her in the jungle as a baby and raise her as an adoptive father after Rousseau went crazy? How on earth can Rousseau not be aware that her daughter is still alive? Is she in cahoots with Ben? Does Alex know that her mom is alive? OR…was Alex a product of a fertility experiment conducted by Ben that led to Rousseau’s ouster and insanity?

 

Was Karl a rogue Other? Why would the Others subject him to such torture, especially if he’s dating the Boss’ daughter? What must he have done to fall out of their good graces? Have some of the other Others been brainwashed using this method?

 

Why didn’t Tom kidnap Jack the first time they met in the jungle, knowing that Ben had a tumor and Jack was a doctor?! Why also wait to take Kate and Sawyer captive, when they had the opportunity to do so during that same encounter with Jack?

 

We know now that there is yet another ‘they’ in the Others mix; someone above Juliet and Ben. Could the infamous Jacob be among this new group?

 

CRAZY THEORY OF THE WEEK

 

Tom has had an apparent change of heart and/or demeanor. He went from Zeke, the tough guy with the fake beard who tried to scare the castaways in the jungle, to a concerned friend introducing himself to Jack while overseeing Ben’s surgery. He has not left Ben’s side, and even told Juliet to leave at one point. And when he told Kate he wasn’t interested in her or her shower earlier in the season, my gaydar alert went into warp speed. So my theory is that Tom is…Ben’s partner. I don’t think the ‘history’ between Ben and Juliet that Tom referred to was romantic at all. As a matter of fact, I believe that the tension between those two is primarily due to the power struggle that ensued after Juliet was forced to work and stay on Other Island against her wishes.

 

POP CULTURE FYI

 

Both Matthew Fox (Jack) and Nestor Carbonell, who plays Mittelos Bioscience recruiter Richard Alpert in this episode of Lost, have small roles in the movie Smokin’ Aces. Interestingly enough, in the film, Carbonell kills Fox. Let’s hope that art doesn’t imitate…art.

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Finally! Lost returns this Wednesday and ABC will air 16 consecutive episodes without reruns. Remember to set your TiVO for 10pm, as that is the new timeslot.  This week only, however, they’re airing a Lost Survivor Guide at 9pm to remind us what happened during the first half of Season 3.

 

If you want to watch the last episode of Lost or any others from Season 3 thus far, they’re available for free on ABC.com: http://dynamic.abc.go.com/streaming/landing.

 

PREVIOUSLY ON LOST

 

* Juliet tried to convince Jack that she wanted Ben (a.k.a. Henry Gale) dead.

 

* We learn that Juliet is a fertility doctor.

 

* Kate begged Jack to operate on Ben, because the Others said they’d kill Sawyer if he didn’t.

 

* Kate and Sawyer finally consummated their island lust.

 

* Jack agreed to operate on Ben only if Ben promised to get him off the island.

 

* Before going under the knife, Ben only asked about Alex (the young woman who we all assume is crazy French lady Rousseau’s daughter).

 

* Jack stopped operating on Ben’s spine, demanding the release of Kate & Sawyer (but they’re on Other Island now, so their escape should be interesting).

 

* For the first time, we hear about something called ‘Jacob’s list.’ And that Jack wasn’t on it.

 

* We found out that fugitive Kate used to be married. To a cop.

 

* Sun shot and killed Colleen, an Other who was married to Pickett. Pickett was set on avenging her death by killing Sawyer, but he was stopped when Jack threatened to kill Ben.

 

* We still don’t know exactly how the hatch explosion affected Desmond and Locke, except that both of them seem to have new psychic powers.

 

* Claire and Charlie reconnected.

 

* Eko was buried. Locke is convinced that an engraving on Eko’s ‘Jesus stick’ will lead him to answers. 

 

COMING UP

 

2/7/07

Episode 3.7

“Not in Portland”

Flashback: Juliet

 

2/14/07

Episode 3.8

“Flashes Before Your Eyes”

Flashback: Desmond

 

2/21/07

Episode 3.9

“Stranger in a Strange Land”

Flashback: Jack

 

2/28/07

Episode 3.10

“Tricia Tanaka is Dead”

Flashback: Hurley

 

3/7/07

Episode 3.11

“Enter 77”

Flashback: Sayid

 

3/14/07

Episode 3.12

“Par Avion”

Flashback: Claire

 

SPOILERS

* Sun will find out that Charlie assaulted her

* Boone reappears in someone’s flashback

* Penny Widmore & her father are both in Desmond’s flashback

* We find out how Jack got his tattoos

* We find out why Locke was in a wheelchair

* Cindy the flight attendant reappears

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Here are my thoughts about Oscar nominations in the main categories.

 

ACTOR

It might be the first time in my history that I have not seen any of the films that these men are nominated for. That being said, although it is great to see that the very talented and underrated Ryan Gosling has been recognized, my money is on Forest Whitaker for The Last King of Scotland. DiCaprio was great in The Departed, and I’ve heard as much for Blood Diamond, but I don’t think the Academy is ready to reward him yet. Just a hunch. Peter O’Toole’s nod forVenus is an obvious vote of respect and sentiment, and Will Smith (The Pursuit of Happyness) was good but has been better.

 

ACTRESS

Helen Mirren has all but walked off with the golden guy already for The Queen. I really enjoyed both Mirren and the movie, but my favorite performance of the entire year was Kate Winslet in Little Children.  This is her record-breaking fifth nomination at only 31, so I have no doubt that a few of these statues will be on her mantle in the near future. As we all know, Judi Dench (Notes on a Scandal) is a beloved and seemingly perennial Oscar contender, but even she can’t top the year of Queen Mirren. I have not seen Volver yet, and although I’ve never been on the Penélope Cruz bandwagon, I hear she is damn good in this role. As for Meryl Streep, who is now the most nominated female of all time (14!)…she was fantastic in The Devil Wears Prada, but the fact that the film was a popular comedy may hurt her chances. Her international counterparts all tackled darker material, which may be interpreted as more challenging.

 

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Although I would love to see Alan Arkin win for Little Miss Sunshine, I believe he is the underdog in this category. I do not understand the logic behind the nomination of Mark Wahlberg (The Departed) over Matt Damon or Jack Nicholson. At all. His role was brief and memorable, but certainly not as meaty in terms of screen time and screenplay significance. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Eddie Murphy win for Dreamgirls, but I hope he conveys more surprise and joy and less indifference this time if he is indeed victorious (see: his acceptance speech at the Golden Globes). I was very disturbed by Jackie Earle Haley’s character in Little Children, but his nod is well-deserved considering that this film marked his return to the big screen 30 years after his big break with The Bad News Bears. Djimon Hounsou, who has already won several critics awards for his role in Blood Diamond, could be the one to steal the win out from under Murphy. Many were surprised that Hounsou didn’t win in 2004 for In America.

 

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Similar to Arkin, I would be shocked if Abigail Breslin won for Little Miss Sunshine. But she certainly shined in the title role, and this was the perfect role to jumpstart a long career (she stars alongside Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart in her next film, No Reservations). I already like her more than Dakota Fanning. But my vote is for Jennifer Hudson, who made her co-stars look like amateurs in Dreamgirls; an amazing feat considering this was her first acting role and she was discovered on a reality television show. Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi truly deserve their nominations for their work in Babel, but only Kikuchi poses a real threat to Hudson’s seemingly shoo-in win.

 

DIRECTOR

Bill Condon won an Oscar for writing Gods and Monsters, which I loved. Then he wrote Chicago and Kinsey (which he also directed), so I added him to my short list of favorite screenwriters. But I was less than thrilled with Dreamgirls on the whole. I am not surprised that Condon was denied a nod in this category, nor do I mind that Dreamgirls was shut out of Best Picture contention. The Academy is quite fond of Clint Eastwood (Letters from Iwo Jima), but my vote is for Scorsese (The Departed) or Iñárritu (Babel).

 

BEST PICTURE

Based upon last year’s unfortunate victor (Crash), I have a feeling that Babel will win. I liked the film but I think The Departed has all of the elements in place to earn this one: stellar cast, script, direction and execution.  It is fantastic that Little Miss Sunshine has traveled the long road from Sundance to the Academy Awards, but I don’t believe it will earn this top honor. The Queen is a very good movie, but I didn’t leave the theater thinking that it was the best of the year. And I have honestly never aspired to see Letters from Iwo Jima in the theater.  

 

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Little Children absolutely deserves to win. I’m frightened that Borat might, and frankly it would be a disappointment considering the amount of improvisation. My gut feeling is that Notes on a Scandal will prevail, but The Departed is as deserving.

 

 

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AN AMERICAN CRIME

 

There’s nothing quite like watching a disturbing film about child abuse at 8:30 in the morning. But because it was premiering at Sundance and I had been in line for it for two hours already, I was prepared. An American Crime is a chilling tale based on a true story about an overwhelmed, ill mother who mentally and physically abuses a child on her watch. The dark subject matter may not translate into box office success, but the performances alone are worth the discomfort and price of admission. Last year I wrote a blog lamenting the sight of Catherine Keener in big budget movies (The 40 Year Old Virgin, The Interpreter), because she seems a more natural fit and shines in independent film (Capote, Being John Malkovich, Your Friends & Neighbors). Watching An American Crime, I honestly could not think of any actresses other than Keener who could have pulled off such a controversial and gut-wrenching role. Her performance is Oscar worthy, and I hope the distribution deal reaches wider than just art-house theaters.  

 

Believe it or not, 19-year old actress Ellen Page has a more physically and emotionally arduous role than Keener in An American Crime, and this is hardly her first venture into scandalous territory (see: Hard Candy).  She is as talented onscreen as a young Jodie Foster or Reese Witherspoon. Keep your eye on this one; I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

 

BABEL

 

ba•bel [bab-uhl]: 1. (usually lowercase) a scene of noise and confusion.

 

People who disliked Babel must not have ‘movie patience.’ It is a beautiful, compelling film that weaves in and out of four stories about the consequences of making poor decisions and the lack of communication. In my opinion, Babel deserves all of the accolades, although I am disappointed that Cate Blanchett was not nominated for Best Supporting Actress (she did garner a nod for Notes on a Scandal, however). Her role is small but pivotal; Blanchett is on my short list of those I would watch in absolutely anything (along with Bening, Linney, Streep & Winslet). And frankly, this is the first time I’ve ever been impressed by Brad Pitt. Misery, age and heartache seem to work for him now onscreen.

 

Although I did not let it affect how I felt about the film, seeing Babel happened to be the worst movie-going experience of my life.  To give you insight into my anger, I wrote a letter, borrowing a tactic from the very funny Jennifer Eolin, who writes letters to stupid people on her blog...

 

Dear Rude Lady Sitting Behind Me on Tuesday:

 

It was a weeknight. You could have saved yourself $20, stayed at home and talked out loud for as long as you liked. But no, you chose to come to the local theater to explain every scene to your husband. While I appreciated your attention to detail (i.e. when Brad Pitt had his wallet and you said ‘look, he has his wallet’), I was not thrilled with your running commentary. Not only did you ignore the many occasions when I whipped my head around to glare at you with evil stink-eye, but you whispered loudly throughout the entire 2.5 hours. Your husband was not wearing any hearing devices and was not a senior citizen, therefore you have absolutely no excuse for such disrespectful behavior.

 

You are worse than cell phones and frequent trips to the bathroom. Please do not attend movies anymore.

 

- Jo

 

 

NOISE

 

Quite simply, this movie had a lot of potential and buzz at Sundance, but it fizzled out completely for me. The entire audience was left scratching their collective heads due to an abrupt ending with no plot points tied together whatsoever. I won’t go into too much detail because I seriously doubt that it will be coming to a theater near you.  

 

 

PRIVATE LIFE

 

While at Sundance last weekend, we attended a brunch at the Queer Lounge, and had front row seats to view this wonderful short film from the UK. Private Life, which is a period piece about two working-class women in England who are forced to hide their relationship in 1952, was rewarded the Grand Prize at the 8^th Annual PlanetOut Short Movie Awards.

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