I don’t know about you, but last night’s episode was easily my favorite of Season Three thus far.  We were fed more information than usual and I loved the intensity. I present to you, in no particular order, my random, long-winded and perhaps outrageously impossible theories and questions of the week:

 

* I now believe there are two very distinct groups of Others. The first are the Hostiles who live on the island where the plane crashed; the ones who steal children and walk without leaving footsteps. Kelvin referred to them in the Season Two finale. The second group are the ones who claim to be ‘good;’ Others living on a separate island in a Stepford community who seem to have taken control of the abandoned Dharma Initiative experiments…or at least are using the leftover equipment.

 

* So if the good Others really have contact with the outside world, why do they still use a VCR and outdated computers and television monitors? Why haven’t they received updated technology and medical supplies, such as new defibrillator paddles for resuscitating patients? Were the very modern washer and dryer in Desmond’s hatch meant for the Others and the drop landed on the wrong island? Nothing else in his hatch seemed to be from the last few decades.  

 

* If the Dharma Initiative is indeed defunct or was abandoned, why would Dharma food and supplies continue to be delivered to the island(s)? If the Others are in touch with the real world, couldn’t they request normal, unbranded goods?

 

* Did Juliet grow up on the island, as Ben claims to have? If so, how did she receive her medical training? Manuals and videos from the outside world?

 

* Pickett and (the now deceased) Colleen were the only obvious couple among the Others’ village. Were they trying to have children, using Juliet’s fertility services? Are the Others angrier than ever now because Colleen was one of their last hopes for carrying a child? Are all of the Others barren?

 

* Are the Hostile Others kidnapping children in order to keep them from the good Others? Are the two groups of Others unfriendly adversaries? Why didn’t the Hostiles take Walt when they had the chance? Why would the good Others use costumes and dress like their less stylish Other counterparts when confronting the Losties on their island…to appear more intimidating and less normal than they really are?

 

* Juliet’s assertion that she makes decisions separately from Ben reminded me of the time last season when Ben (as Henry Gale) was toying with Locke’s emotions, after which Locke revealed that he and Jack made decisions together.

 

* Juliet said she’s not used to death, and yet Ethan, Goodwin and various other Others have died recently…

 

* The good Others aren’t killers, as they have stated many times. Almost all deaths have been at the hands of the Losties: Sun shot Collen, Ana Lucia shot Shannon and also killed Goodwin, Kate shot an Other who was following the group in last season’s finale, Michael shot Libby and Ana Lucia, Charlie shot Ethan, and Eko killed a few Others during their first attempt to kidnap the tail section kids. The only Other who has killed anyone so far was Goodwin, who killed Nathan when Ana Lucia suspected he was the Other who wasn’t on their flight.

 

* If indeed there are two islands, don’t you wonder how is it that the Losties never see or hear boats in the dead silence of night? As I’ve said all along, I believe there is a vast underground transportation system that was built and utilized by the Dharma folks. If it was deep enough beneath the ocean (similar to the BART tunnel under the Bay Bridge between San Francisco and Oakland), that would explain how the Others travel back and forth quickly and stealthily. Don’t forget – Ben made reference to Alcatraz last night, a small island not far from the underground subway tunnel of the Bay Area. A train system of sorts might also explain the metallic ‘monster’ noises heard on the Lostie’s island (I believe we were given a clue in the Pilot episode, when Rose said the ‘monster’ sounded familiar, that she was from the Bronx). Also, last night the Others said that the ‘sub’ had returned with Colleen. While most will take that to mean that they travel via an actual submarine, I choose to think that they’re referring to the subway. I’d like someone to tell me where they would disembark from a submarine on their small island, let alone why they’re always dry.

 

* I think that the boat Ben gave Michael to sail away on was the Others’ only one, that Ben really wanted Desmond’s sailboat as a backup to the underground system (it’s also much quieter than the motor boat was).

 

* If Sawyer and Michael sailed in circles on the broken raft and wound up back on their island, how did Michael and Walt avoid the same situation? Were Ben’s specific directions, the set of coordinates to get them home, the only true way out? Is this the same portal that allows the supply transportation in?

 

* So if the bear cages are on Other Island, how did the polar bears (and black horse, etc.) get over to the main island?

 

* In Claire’s flashback last season, the medical hatch where she was taken and returned to is on the main island…not on Other Island. So how do you explain the clearly designated medical facility where Jack operated on Collen last night?  Stepford Hospital?

 

* Kate repeated the exact phrase that Jack first uttered last season: live together, die alone (which also happened to be the title of the Season Two finale).

 

* There were some similarities between the interactions of Jack and Juliet & Kate and Sawyer last night, all of whom established feelings in very blunt ways. Kate admitted that she didn’t actually love Sawyer, and Jack told Juliet he didn’t care about her.

 

* We know that Desmond was able to predict the weather due to his recently acquired psychic powers, but what was the purpose of his homemade antenna? Is he trying to capture electricity for something, or just to prove to himself that the lightning was coming?

 

* Desmond predicted the rain before it began, much like Locke did in Season One…

 

* If the island has healing properties (see: Locke’s legs, Rose’s cancer, Jin’s procreative abilities), why wouldn’t it affect/heal the tumor that Jack saw on the x-rays? Everyone is assuming that the x-rays were of Ben’s back, but I think they’re Locke’s!! Think about it…the Others have medical charts and inside knowledge about the Losties, Ben (as Henry Gale) told Locke last season that he was coming for him specifically, and the Others are clearly fascinated with special human circumstances (i.e. Walt). Also, Ben’s behavior has not been demonstrative of an ill man; he was dropped from a net suspended high in a tree, sustained extensive beatings, went on a long hike without so much as a drop of sweat, and threw Sawyer’s tough ass around with great ease.

 

* How much of what Kate is seeing and doing part of the difficult two weeks that Ben warned her about? Was Sawyer’s pacemaker experiment part of it? What about her lack of escape, regardless of the opportunity?

 

* If the Others really know so much about the Losties, why would Ben ask how much Sawyer weighs?

 

* While standing above Sawyer with the needle, the Others referenced ‘the movie.’ Clearly they were talking about the infamous Pulp Fiction scene with Uma Thurman. Was that one of the VHS cassettes included in a supply drop from the outside world?

 

* It’s not a coincidence that we find out Sawyer has a daughter in the same episode that Juliet reveals her background in fertility. Totally Out There Theories of the Week: Sawyer’s ex, Cassidy, got pregnant using fertility drugs and Juliet was her doctor. At some point in time. AND… we’ll meet young Clementine on the island in the near future.

Read More

Here are a few observations about last night’s episode, ‘Further Instructions.’

 

* The episode began the very same way that the Pilot episode did: opening shot on a man’s eye, the guy lying in the jungle, discombobulated and not sure how he got there.

 

* In Locke’s hallucination dream at the airport, he saw his fellow survivors in very distinct groups, and Boone offered some insightful statements about the situation that each is currently in: Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Ben (“there’s nothing you can do for them…yet”); Sayid, Jin and Sun (“Sayid’s got it covered”); Charlie, Claire and baby Aaron (“they will be fine…for a while”); and Desmond (“He’s helping himself).

 

* After the hatch explosion, Charlie had trouble hearing, Locke had trouble speaking, and we’re not sure about Eko yet. Perhaps we’re looking at a Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil, See No Evil triangle…

 

* Last season, Eko went 40 days without talking. Although his was self-imposed, there has to be a coincidence with Locke’s brief inability to speak.

 

* It seems that Desmond gained special telepathic abilities after the hatch imploded. Did the destruction of the electromagnetic anomaly have anything to do with it? Did it have anything to do with Locke’s temporary condition too? His was short-lived, so it will be interesting to see if Desmond’s new powers last…

 

* In the Incredible Hulk comic (which was referenced last night), a man is exposed to a nuclear blast that blows his clothes off and results in a major personal transformation. Sounds quite like our pal Desmond… 

 

* After returning to the beach, no one seemed to notice Desmond; not his odd behavior and not the fact that he was now wearing a Hurley dress. Is there a chance that he’s actually dead, a la The Sixth Sense? And if so, why can only Hurley see him?

 

* Did the Others let the polar bears out, perhaps as a security system? We now know that the bears ate some Dharma folks, and they’re certainly interested in our survivors…but not the Others.

 

* Undercover agent Eddie told John in the forest that he was a ‘good man.’ Ben (back when he was Henry Gale in the hatch) also told John that he was one of the ‘good’ ones. And both Eddie and Ben have told Locke that they were looking for him specifically. It was interesting that Eddie said ‘they’ choose him. I believe that the Others didn’t take Locke for the very reason Eddie stated: he doesn’t have a criminal record and is amenable for coercion (unlike Kate & Sawyer). There has to be a connection between Eddie and the Others…

 

* Locke came across a broken and dirty Tonka truck in the polar bear cave. So either some Dharma kids perished or lived in there.

 

* If the hatch imploded down and in (rather than exploding up and out), wouldn’t Desmond, Eko and Locke have been trapped down inside and died? There is no visible hatch debris from the explosion, only the Quarantine door that flew down and almost hit Claire and Bernard in last season’s finale. Something doesn’t add up…

Read More

THE DEPARTED

 

The Pros:

It is pure Scorsese, compelling and violent with an excellent story and cast. In my opinion, this is his best film since Goodfellas.  I am finally convinced that Leonardo DiCaprio is a damn good actor; his intensity is off the charts in this one.  The star power is overwhelming but none of the talent is wasted or over the top…except for Mark Wahlberg.  Vera Farmiga (who looks like a Sarah Jessica Parker/Robin Wright Penn hybrid), more than holds her own as the sole female lead among the big boys.

 

The Cons:

The editing is distracting. I realize that it is a Scorsese characteristic, but certain scenes and songs were poorly cut and did not transition well. I had the same issue with Gangs of New York (well, that and the casting disaster that was Cameron Diaz).

 

THE ILLUSIONIST

 

The Pros:

Paul Giamatti should be a shoo-in for a Best Supporting Actor nomination. He seems much more comfortable as a character actor; he has mastered the art of disappearing into his roles and inadvertently steals the show more often than not.

 

The Cons:

The movie is a rental, not an experience you need to see in a theater. The other film about magicians in turn-of-the-century Europe, The Prestige, comes out soon and will undoubtedly do better at the box office. Not only did it have more than double the budget of The Illusionist, but it reunited Batman Begins director Christopher Nolan with Christian Bale and Michael Caine. Oh, and two other folks named Hugh Jackman and Scarlett Johansson co-star. And some icon named David Bowie. 

Read More

Here are some belated theories and thoughts about last week’s Lost:

 

* Before getting shot on the boat, Colleen said that Sun wasn’t a killer, despite what she may think. Did Sun kill Jae Lee, the man she was having an affair with? When Jae came crashing down onto Jin’s car in an apparent suicide, he had the pearls he’d offered Sun in his hand (only Jae and Sun knew about those pearls). So my theory is that Sun was in the hotel room (unbeknownst to Jin when he beat Jae up) and she pushed him out the window herself. This is the woman, after all, that handled and shot a gun with surprising ease and agility on that boat. Could she have dropped and shattered Jae without remorse, like that glass ballerina when she was young?

 

* In typical LOST fashion, there has to be a connection between Jae’s string of pearls for Sun and the Pearl Hatch….

 

* If the Others are so interested in babies and know so much about the survivors, then why on earth would they shoot at a pregnant woman (Sun)?

 

* Something tells me that the Others will look to Jack to operate on Colleen. The value of kidnapping a doctor for their village is obvious (although there seemed to have been physicians of some sort in Claire’s flashback).  So why are they so interested in Kate and Sawyer? In Others’ terms, Kate and Sawyer are ‘bad’ people, both with criminal pasts…

 

* Why hasn’t Ben been to visit Sawyer? He’s spent time with both Jack and Kate.

 

* When Sun told Sayid that Jin knows she betrayed him, was she referring to her affair or lying to him on the boat about their plan?

 

* The survivors have been on the island for 69 days. Has that been enough time for Jin to comprehend and speak English as quickly as he has, or was he also secretly learning the language before the flight too?

 

* Why was Alex (Rousseau’s daughter) hiding in the bushes to talk to Kate? Is she not part of the Others group that seems to be in charge of Jack, Kate and Sawyer (perhaps a different Other contingency that includes Mrs. Klugh from Season 2)? Was she another plant, a trap set up by Ben to see how Kate would respond? Ben was watching the entire thing unfold on his monitors, after all. Was she really interested in the fate of Karl, the younger guy who tried to flee the cage across from Sawyer?  

 

* They made a point of letting us know that Kate is wearing one of Alex’s dresses. Is Alex an Other outcast? Did they get all they needed from her and now she’s roaming freely as a rogue Other? And how is it that in 16 years, she and Rousseau have never found each other on that island?

 

* When Ben told Kate that the next two weeks were going to be very difficult, was she told that her every move would be under observation, that she and the boys were going to be put in various social and physical situations so that the Others could gauge their reactions? Putting Kate in that dress to do hard labor in the heat with Sawyer could have been a test for him…

 

* Is Ben monitoring activity in all hatches? If so, he would have known about the sailboat (by listening to & watching Desmond and Kelvin).

 

* If the Others really do have contact with the outside world, then they could have gathered information about all of the survivors from news reports about the disappearance of Flight 815.  

 

* Ben said that he’s lived on the island his entire life but has chosen not to leave. When he tells Jack that he can go home if he cooperates, does Jack make that same decision (is his loyalty to the other survivors strong enough to make him stay)? Is Ben grooming Jack to replace him so he can leave, much like Kelvin tried to with Desmond?

 

* Why was Ben so concerned with getting that sailboat? We were led to believe that no one can ever really leave the island (i.e. Desmond sailing in circles), but perhaps there is an escape route. Either that or he simply needed to replace the boat that he gave Michael and Walt…

 

* Random Thought of the Week: There HAS to be something to the fact that Jack, Jin, Kate, Locke, Sawyer, and Sun all have major issues with their fathers.

Read More

I just don’t have the energy to follow up my last blog with comments about the playoffs (yes, I went to both games in Oakland). Obviously I should never write about my favorite team again (I know there are larger forces at work than the simple superstitions of one fan, but I feel like my overly optimistic outlook somehow jinxed the offense and starting rotation).  

If you need me, I’ll be the emotionally exhausted girl at her desk, pretending to be positive about winning the next 2 out of 3 games to avoid elimination. On the road. In snow. 

Read More

I rarely write about sports or my beloved Oakland Athletics. But I am headed to the game tomorrow, and I can barely contain my enthusiasm. I originally penned the article below with print publication in mind, but in the interest of time, I wanted to share with other A’s and baseball fans in general…

I grew up one city over from Anaheim and even attended high school with two Blylevens and a Boone, but the Angels have always been my least favorite team. That is because I am a loud and proud Oakland A’s fan. Right now my freshly dry-cleaned white jersey with crisp green lettering hangs on the armoire in anticipation of Game 1 of the ALCS.

 

This year is different.

 

There is a palpable confidence that never surfaced when Oakland’s and postseason hopes rested entirely upon the shoulders of the Holy Trilogy: Hudson, Mulder and Zito. For the past five seasons, the fans were as cautiously optimistic and nervous during the postseason as the team appeared to be. This year we are feeding off of Nick Swisher’s energy, Milton Bradley’s passion, Frank Thomas’ bat, and the postseason dreams of veterans Kendall and Kotsay. 

 

This year is different.

 

On paper, the Athletics offense does not instill fear into the hearts of many, let alone opposing teams. But they find a way to get it done…unlike, say, a certain team from New York whose payroll is roughly $132 million more than Oakland’s.  Aside from the Jolly Green Giant Hurt, the rest of the batting order is grossly underrated. Look beyond batting averages - at the raw talent, determination and patience at the plate. Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to introduce you to Marco Scutaro. It would be a refreshing change if announcers outside of the Bay Area did their homework in advance and pronounced his last name correctly during the national broadcast of the ALCS: Scoo-Ta-Row. 

 

This year is different.

 

Most of the media chose the Twins to win the first series, based solely upon one player, ace Johan Santana. And although the A’s swept Minnesota in the ALDS, taking the first two in their stupid home dome and defeating their impending Cy Young winner, the media immediately picked Detroit as the clear favorite for the ALCS. Oakland finally made it through to the second round of the playoffs, but the respect is blatantly lacking.

 

This year is different.

 

It is well documented that the Oakland starting rotation and overall pitching staff is very well-rounded and arguably one of the best in the majors. For crying out loud, the A’s have 16-game winner Joe Blanton in the bullpen. In the bullpen! AND they have home field advantage during this seven game series. So why are they the underdogs?

 

This year is different.

 

Yes, the Tigers are the feel-good story of the season. And yes, my in-laws are from Detroit. But I bleed green and gold, and I believe. This year is different.

Read More

* The episode was called ‘A Tale of Two Cities.’ We’ve been introduced to the first, a Truman Show-like village in the middle of the island. Is there a second city of Others, or is the title referring figuratively to the survivors’ beach as the other?

 

* When the electromagnetic anomaly caused the earthquake in the village, Juliet advised her book club members to get under the doorway. She must be from California. So is our friend Jack…

 

* After witnessing the plane crash, Ben quickly assigned Goodwin and Ethan to the fuselage and tail sections to integrate themselves as passengers and gather the infamous ‘lists.’ This is the first thought of a man with a plan, a man more concerned with weeding out the ‘good’ from the ‘bad’ than actually caring how many survived. We know this isn’t the first time that something has crashed on their island that needed to be contained; thus, the rush to action. The real Henry Gale from Minnesota, who was aboard that hot air balloon, wound up buried where it had crashed. Ben then assumed his identity and used it as an alibi to infiltrate Jack’s group as the fake Henry Gale.

 

* Ben either severely underestimated the survivors of the plane crash or overestimated the abilities of his henchmen Goodwin and Ethan, because both of them died at the hands our Losties.

 

* Does Juliet possess the same powers as Walt? Is that why she was able to appear in the jungle to shoot Sawyer seemingly seconds after being below in the Hydra tank with Jack? They probably kidnapped Walt in the first place because they were taking all of the children from the plane, but it was an added bonus and surprise that he was gifted (the Others did refer to him last season as a ‘special boy’). After Walt was abducted, did he provide them with detailed information about the remaining passengers under threat of harm to his father, Michael? I’m sure the only reason they released him to leave with his dad on the boat was because he’d given them everything they needed to know about who’s left on that beach.

 

* Ironically, Kate inquires about Sawyer before Jack, but Jack asks Juliet about Kate only.

 

* The relationship between Ben and Juliet is undefined but the animosity is blatant. When Jack holds the Taser to Juliet and threatens to kill her, Ben responds with a nonchalant ‘Ok.’ And then while trying to escape before the water deluge, Ben locked Juliet in with Jack. It will be interesting to see how this power struggle unfolds…

 

* Tom/Zeke told Kate that she’s not his type. Something tells me he plays for the other team. Either that or he’s just into ‘good’ girls, and we all know that Kate does not fit into that category.

 

* We see Kate put the handcuffs on tightly, per Ben’s request, but when she is put in the cage across from Sawyer, her wrists show signs of serious resistance and struggle. So whatever she was told about the next two weeks, she reacted and it probably wasn’t pretty. She is the queen of Fight or Flight, after all…

 

* When Karl, the guy in the cage across from Sawyer, escaped and then let Sawyer out, he was adamant that Sawyer run in the opposite direction…right into Juliet’s trap. Clearly this was a set-up.

 

* Could this new neighborhood of Others be the offspring of the original Dharma folks on the island? Is that why they are fascinated and obsessed with children? Perhaps none of them are able to conceive (due to testing or a virus or experiments). And if so, are they priming Kate to be The One Who Must Bear Our Children For Us? There’s nothing like cleaning up and putting a floral dress on a badass tomboy to get that ball rolling…

 

* Are the Hydra station and aquarium directly underneath the Zoo hatch? Are they one and the same?

 

* The Others were very interested in Claire when she was pregnant. Do they not have the same interest in Sun? Do they even know that she is with child?

Read More