I, for one, am all for the Grey’s Anatomy spinoff. As a huge Kate Walsh fan, I am thrilled that she is the one being given the opportunity to shine as the lead on another show. They’ve lined up quite a cast: Tim Daly (from ABC’s recently deceased The Nine), Taye Diggs (from ABC’s recently deceased Day Break), Merrin Dungey (from ABC’s previously deceased Alias), and Amy Brenneman (from CBS’ long gone Judging Amy).

I look forward to the 2-hour season finale of Grey’s in May, which will introduce us to the new doctors in Dr. Addison Montgomery’s world.

In light of disappointing recent developments on Grey’s Anatomy (i.e. the non-fatal drowning and the George/Izzie drunken debacle), fresh characters and storylines will be a welcome change.

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Step 1: You hide Locke’s dad in a box.

Step 2: You let Locke look in that box.

Now that was an amazing episode.  Daddy Island, indeed.

Locke used to work for a box company…voilà! Look, there’s your dad in a box!

John’s dad, Anthony Cooper, is the man from Tallahassee. Kate was buying a bus ticket to Tallahassee in a Season 1 flashback. Sawyer mentioned catching a disease in Tallahassee in a Season 2 flashback.  Other Florida connections: Juliet used to live with her sister in Miami, and Kate lived with her cop husband in Miami too.

I think John’s dad is the real Sawyer, the con man that Island Sawyer (James Ford) has been chasing his whole life, the one who killed Ford’s parents. So it will be very interesting if Island Sawyer comes face to face with him…

When Peter Talbot came to Locke asking why he gave his kidney to his father, Talbot said Locke’s dad name was Adam Seward.

Together, ADAM SEWARD & ANTHONY COOPER form the anagram: ‘Sawyer, the con man, a poor dad.’

Before the Swan Hatch imploded a few weeks ago (in Lost time), the Others had contact with the outside world and the submarine was able to travel to and fro. I believe Ben brought Locke’s dad to the island after Michael helped him escape from the Swan. He knows everything about Locke, is mesmerized by the fact that Locke was healed by the island when he himself was not, etc. Ben knew firsthand how easy it was to manipulate Locke, and so he knew to bring Locke’s dad to the island to use as a pawn in his overall game plan.

Richard Alpert, the guy who tried to recruit Juliet back in Portland, was the guy who untied Locke and brought him to see his dad last night. Is he Ben’s henchman? Did he deliver Locke’s dad to the island? Did they actually try to recruit or lure Locke’s dad to the island, or was he more than willing to go since he was on the run from the police?

Then again…Locke’s dad is a con man. For all we know, he is working in cahoots with Ben and the Others. He may not have been taken against his will; they’re just making it look that way to lure Locke into Ben’s trap.

Then again…are we being duped? Is that really Locke’s dad in that box? Could it be that the smoke monster has once again manifested itself into the shape of someone from Locke’s past (like Eko’s black smoke, Kate’s horse, Jack’s dad, Hurley’s friend Dave and Sayid’s cat)?

If it really is Locke’s dad, who’s to say who else the Others brought to the island to torment the survivors…Jack’s ex-wife, Charlie’s brother, Sayid’s Nadia, Sun’s dad, Claire’s ex-boyfriend/baby daddy, etc.

Why was Locke dry when he entered the submarine but wet when he emerged from it on the dock?

   

Locke’s dad was drinking the same rare brand of MacCutcheon Whiskey that Mr. Widmore was drinking in his office while talking to Desmond.  Which, of course, means that the two are somehow connected.

Why were Jack and Juliet leaving the island on the submarine, when Michael and Walt were set free on a boat? We saw a few episodes ago that the Others still have Desmond’s sailboat and also a large boat that Jack and Juliet were taking from the Hydra Hatch island back to their own.  Was Ben planning to send them to whatever Twilight Zone locale that Michael and Walt are stuck in now?

I thought all communications, including sonar, were destroyed when Locke blew up the Flame Hatch. Why would the submarine still be able to operate? Ben must have known that it wasn’t operable…I’m sure had Locke not shown up, Ben would have sent Jack and Juliet to the sub and pretended to be surprised to find out that it couldn’t leave. But Juliet should have also known. I love that we have no idea whose side she’s really on.

Why is it that the security system that killed Mikhail last week isn’t in place near the water? It seems that anyone can access the dock, boats and submarine. Why wouldn’t the Others or Dharma protect their only methods of leaving the island? The map that Sayid took from Mikhail seems to show that there isn’t a security perimeter anywhere except around the barracks, a.k.a. Other Village.

I still have no idea what Ben told Kate that first morning on the beach over breakfast or if this is still part of the two very difficult weeks he referred to, but perhaps her attempted rescue of Jack was part of it.

Is Ben really Alex’s dad, or did he take her as an infant from Rousseau, just as the Others have taken children? Was Ben really born on the island, or is he really Rousseau’s husband and they’re both original Dharma folks?  The Others are clearly aware that Rousseau is still alive/around, because the man guarding Sayid hit him when he started to talk to Alex about her mom.

In the last few episodes, they’ve been purposefully showing us meat in Others’ refrigerators…the slabs of unknown animal in Mikhail’s and the chicken in Ben’s. Why?

Jack told Kate that they were watching him and we saw the camera in the piano room. Tom motioned to Jack that they were listening in the game room when he went to see Kate. Is Sheriff Isabel the one monitoring all of this? And does it seem like Tom is on Jack’s side all of a sudden? Perhaps he has a crush on the doc…

So now we’ve seen two men get pushed out of windows: the guy Sun was having an affair with (who died), and now Locke (who didn’t die).

And this is a stretch, but worth a try…I’m not sure why he’d be in Florida, but in Hurley’s very first flashback in Season 1, when he was at his accountant’s office, his accountant was trying to convince him that ‘the numbers’ weren’t a curse, and at that very moment a body flew down past their window outside. Could it have been Locke?!

Is it just me, or was it strange to see Locke in the hospital after his accident without so much as a back brace on or in traction? If he broke his back, would they really be picking him up and putting him in the wheelchair like that?

I love the role reversals of power in this episode: Ben in a wheelchair and Locke standing, and Kate as a prisoner being interrogated by Jack.

NEXT WEEK (SPOILER ALERT)
If I had to guess, I think Sun will find out that Charlie abducted her last season, and Jin will kill Charlie. OR…since Charlie knows he’s going to die anyway (thanks to Desmond’s accurate premonitions), he might confess to Sun. Maybe she kills him.

The episode will be a Nikki and Paulo flashback. You might be saying to yourself, ‘who?’ Exactly. They are the two annoying new characters who’ve apparently been living on the beach among our Losties but have only made random appearances this season with awkward dialogue. The producers swear that they’re important to the overall story, and that next week’s episode will be a “game changer.”

 
AND, we might finally get to see the underwater hatch that I’m convinced is attached to that large cord Sayid found on the beach in Season 1. I have a feeling we’re about to be introduced to an entire new colony of island folk; the subterranean/underwater Others. Is that where the Hostiles live, or where all of the kidnapped Tail Section survivors and children are being kept?

Now, aren’t you glad you haven’t given up on Lost?! It just keeps getting better. If you’re reading this, you’re one of the faithful. I appreciate it. Thanks for reading.

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I am flying out of town tonight so my weekly LOST blog will be posted tomorrow. I appreciate your patience! 

Stay tuned for thoughts and theories about last night’s new episode, “Par Avion.”

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Dear NBC,

 

Without question, you really need to renew three of your new shows.  I realize that two of them are on the cusp, but stop for a moment to reflect how great your decision was to order more episodes of The Office that first year. Regardless of ratings, you knew in your heart that the show would gain momentum and succeed. For similar reasons (i.e. tremendous casts and smart scripts), I ask that you take a giant leap of faith, trust the fans, and grant a second season to the following:  

 

30 ROCK

Honestly, I did not like the pilot episode. But the show grew on me and is one of the few sitcoms I’ve enjoyed in years. I cringe at Tina Fey’s missteps and I laugh out loud at Jack McBrayer’s earnest naïveté. I appreciate how Tracy Morgan took it down a notch, and I look forward to every scene involving Alec Baldwin. The man is a comedy goldmine.

 

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

Coach Taylor and Counselor Tami and my favorite television couple right now; you will not find a more honest relationship on the small screen, and their performances on this show are Emmy-worthy. I love how you make us love and then hate Tim Riggins from one week to the next, how we at home feel awkward right along with Matt and Julie, and that it’s not actually a show about football at all.

 

STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP

This show is a dream for someone like me; I love watching behind the scenes of movies and television. I have never understood the backlash against this program, as it is original, compelling, funny and addictive. Every week I look forward to Matt’s misery, Harriet’s hypocrisy and Jordan’s power struggles. And Steven Webber is a very pleasant surprise; he is a perfect fit for the role and really stands out among the stellar cast.

 

Thank you for listening, Mr. and/or Mrs. Television Executive. You restored my faith in your network this year with Heroes and these other three new shows, so please don’t let me down. And while you’re at it, would you mind giving us just one more season of Scrubs?

 

Your target demographic and ideal set of eyes,

 

Jo

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Last night’s episode was refreshing; it felt like Season 1.

 

Thankfully and finally, someone actually asked questions. I have been yelling at the screen since last season, wondering why our favorite survivors haven’t been in a hurry to chat up the Others about all of the mysteries.

 

Here are some observations and theories about “Enter 77.”

 

Mikhail mentioned being stationed at a military listening post. Penelope Widmore has that team of Portuguese-speaking men at a listening post somewhere surrounded by snow, looking for Desmond via an electromagnetic anomaly. Oh yeah, and they were playing chess, just like Locke was on the computer in The Flame…

 

Mikhail said that his house, The Flame, was the communications hub for all hatches. Does that mean that The Flame is in the middle of the map that Locke saw on the hatch blast door?

 

Freakin’ Locke. He was responsible for the implosion of the main hatch, and now for the explosion of The Flame hatch. Sigh.

 

Then again, is it possible that Locke’s actions weren’t the reason that The Flame blew up? There were cameras inside, watching all of the action as they do in all hatches. And there was at least a minute delay between the time Locke pushed the numbers and went outside, and when it actually detonated. Perhaps someone in another hatch pulled the switch because they saw it had been compromised.

 

Now that The Flame is gone, are all hopes of communications with the outside world gone? The satellite dish is gone, and I assume that because it was the hub, the cables running underground to all other hatches will also be affected.

 

When Locke was pushing buttons on The Flame computer, as directed by Dr. Candle from the Orientation films, one of the options was to enable the sonar communications. This adds fuel to my theory that there is an underwater hatch…

 

Was The Flame the only hatch prepped with explosives in case of emergency/infiltration?

 

Why, if the Others are supposedly against killing people, would Mikhail shoot Klugh rather than let her be taken by the Losties?

 

So now we know there are 2 sets of Others: Ben’s group and the “Hostiles.” Mikhail said there was a ‘purge’ which resulted from a war between the Dharma folks and the Hostiles.  Obviously the Dharma folks lost the fight, as there are none of them left. Are the Hostiles the ones with dirty feet who walk without leaving footprints? And was the ‘purge’ the same thing as the ‘incident’ that the Orientation Films referred to?

 

Mikhail had a fridge full of meat. Was it cow, boar, or what?

 

Also, if they’re hungry and almost out of Dharma food, why on earth didn’t Kate and co. take the cow back to the beach with the other supplies they’d gathered?!

 

I don’t know about you, but Mikhail seemed to recognize Rousseau, or at least her name. That woman is SO not telling the truth…

 

Mikhail said that the satellite hadn’t worked for years, but Ben had a video of the Red Sox World Series, which took place only months earlier (remember that the show is currently taking place in late 2004).

 

As soon as I saw that satellite, I expected Sayid to head right for it. He has been the island’s communications guru. After Mikhail told him it wasn’t working and that it could contact the outside world, why didn’t Sayid try to fix it??

 

We’ve now met two ex-military people who were recruited by Dharma and lured to the island because they had a chance to ‘save the world’ – Kelvin (Desmond’s old hatch mate) and Mikhail.

 

Kelvin’s first hatch mate, Radzinsky, apparently shot himself to death. What if he didn’t succeed; what if it is Mikhail and that’s why he has the eye patch? Remember that it was Radzinsky who drew the map on the hatch blast door in the first place, so had he lived, he would have known where to find and/or take over the hatch hub…

 

Sayid lived in Paris after escaping from the Iraqi Republican Guard. Isn’t Rousseau French?

 

I’m not sure if Sayid admitted to torturing that woman in the hopes that he’d be released, or if he really did do it. Although he claimed that he never tortured women, in his Season 1 flashback he was supposed to do so to Nadia before realizing her true identity.

 

Although Sayid had the opportunity to kill Mikhail, he didn’t. Just as the woman’s husband chose not to kill him in the flashback. Mercy, mercy me.

 

Add Sayid’s cat, Mikhail’s cow and Mrs. Klugh’s horse to the growing list of animals that have appeared on the island.

 

Obviously the cat Nadia was meant to represent Sayid’s long lost love, Nadia. Remember that when she escaped the prison with Sayid’s help during his flashback in Season 1, she wrote the following on her photo for him: “You will see me in the next life, if not this one.” Thus, the cat.

 

As we saw when Eko died earlier this season, it seems like the Black Smoke takes many forms, as manifestations of people’s pasts and memories. So was Nadia the cat another version of the Black Smoke?

 

On the map that Sayid took from The Flame, there is a place called The Barracks. Is that where Other Village is?

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Here are the Top 12 Reasons I Heart Heroes, in no particular order:

 

1. The catchphrases. “Save the Cheerleader, Save the World” and “Are You On the List?” are not cheesy to me; then again, I am a network executive’s dream demographic and am sucked in by that kind of promotion.

2. The ‘wow’ moments. This inaugural season reminds me of Lost’s freshman year.

3. I met Milo (a.k.a. Peter Petrelli). He was unbelievably nice.

4. Peter Petrelli’s hair. It has never distracted me, unlike most devotees.

       

5. Claire’s indestructibility. Last week when she emerged from her house as a veritable charcoal briquette and then morphed back into Cheerleader Claire before our very eyes, my jaw was on the floor.

       

6. Sylar and those eyebrows. Creepy good. An awesome TeleVillain.

       

7. Greg Grunberg (a.k.a. Matt Parkman). From Felicity to Alias to this. The man is golden, and I will continue to follow his yellow brick road of a career.

       

8. Beaming Beeman, the official Blog of Director/Producer Greg Beeman. 

9. Jack Coleman (a.k.a. Mr. Bennet/HRG). When I was younger I used to watch him as the very blonde Steven Carrington on Dynasty…which ended 19 years ago. What a triumphant, welcome return to the small screen.

 
      

10. The mythology and the mystery. This show is as strong as The X-Files and Lost when it comes to those two categories; each episode is ripe for conspiracy theories and rampant speculation. There are clues, answers and Easter Eggs throughout. I love it.

 

11. Suresh. He’s pretty, he’s smart, and he’s a scientist. Ergo, I like him.

      

 

12. The symbol. Much like the Dharma logo that appears in almost every episode of Lost, the Heroes symbol (which is one half of a double DNA helix) shows up on Isaac’s paintings, on Jessica’s back, on Hiro’s sword, on The Haitian’s necklace, etc. 

      

 

FYI: Did you know that Radioactive Man Ted Sprague (Matthew John Armstrong) is married to Mrs. Bennet (Ashley Crow) in real life?! And, both actors also appeared on the now defunct series American Dreams…as did Milo Ventimiglia. For a time, they weren’t the only Armstrong and Crow duo (Lance and Sheryl)… 

      

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