LOSTCasts 25: S.O.S.

This latest podcast focuses on season 2 episode 19 of LOST, entitled "S.O.S." With a special guest host joining us, we discuss Rose & Bernard's backstory, the healer "Issac", Eko's church, Locke's "problems", Jack's attempt to set up a trade for Walt, and the return of Michael. As always, we end the show with LOST links, spoilers, and some thoughts about our next episode of LOST, airing on May 3rd.

Download podcast #25 here

Here are some links related to this podcast:
ABC offering free streaming of LOST
Wikipedia entry on Uluru (Ayer's Rock)
More about special properties of Uluru
More on "dream time"
Wikipedia entry on "dream time"
Discussion about Issac's wall
Images from Issac's wall
Video of the "ghost" behind Jack

LOST Links:
Cafe Press products featuring the numbers
Amazon page for "Bad Twin"

Spoiler Links:
Latest LOST Diary entry
Audio of Preston & Steve interview with Michael Emerson (Henry Gale)

Outro Music:
Otis Redding's "These Arms of Mine"

We've got a little bit of a break the next few weeks, so we won't be podcasting next weekend, but we'll be back the week after that with some more discussion on the blast door map, and speculation about what the end of this second season of LOST may have in store.

Stay LOST.

Comments

[Shonda]

Yay! I was about to burst if I had to wait any longer. *squealing-girl-bouncy-hugs-for-all*

[David]

"Cerberus"

Thank you :)

[Scott]

Dreamtime: some of your pics, etc on your links about dream time make me think of the movie "Donnie Darko" - you should check it out & see if it fits

[mike]

Best intro music EVAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[David]

Weather predicting events / reflecting moods is a literary technique known as "Pathetic Fallacy"

[Shonda]

Hey, ya'll. Great podcast! I liked Joy's input. I hope to hear more from her.

I'm so excited that ya'll mentioned my email! (And you pronounced my name correctly - much appreciated.)

FYI, IIRC, The arrow keys on the keyboard above the comma and period are just called less than and greater than. Like from math. They are also called angle brackets. (Not to be confused with the set type brackets next to the backslash key.)

For the record, I like the white on black layout of your site. It is very Lost-ey.

[David]

My Theory: Neil Frogurt is writing the diary.

[Matt Lafferty]

Just wanted to make a general comment before I sit down and listen to this weeks podcast: I think it's great how flexible John, Robert, and Brian are with simulateously doing their own thing for the podcast while looking for ways to change/tweak in favor of the fans.

A mom complains about some cursing, you guys don't curse; one or two of you can't be there, you've got awesome backups; weeks of breaks and nothing new to talk about, you bring in someone who hasn't seen the show before and watch an episode with him; some people are interested in a female point of view, and you get yourselves a female guest!

I was listening to one of your theory shows (maybe #19?) while working outside today (which, by the way, I recommend to anyone who will be feeling the pinch of no podcast OR episode this upcoming week!) and it's just a darn enjoyable show you guys do.

Any word on where the idea of doing a broad couple (or more?!) of episodes over the summer? We've followed you all through string theory and literary analysis and smart dust, and I bet most listeners would stick around for discussions on X3, graphic novels, and whatever else comes your way.

Keep up the great work!

[Cameron]

Agreed: Best intro music EVAR!!!!! Also - excellent podcast once again. Joy was great.

One clarification for fellow non-US Lost fans: the free streaming deal from ABC will NOT be available outside the US. This is to protect the foreign TV broadcast rights.

Like the US I-tunes store, if you have a IP address that is not associated with a US entity, you are plain out of luck.

Damn that sucks.

[Pirate Guy]

Hey guys, this would be a good thing to put in the next Lost Links section whenever the next podcast comes out. I was searching around on iTunes and I found this one recently released album called Red Tree by Moneen in which it's first song on the album is entitled: Don't Ever Tell Locke What He Can't Do. It sounds like the crappy kind of music I don't listen to, but for hardcore Lost fans, or for crappy music enthusiasts, it might be a good thing to check out. Hopefully this hasn't been posted yet, and if it has I'm sorry I wasted 30 seconds of your time. Well, that's about it. Stay Lost, and arrrrrrrrrr.

[sam]

love the intro music!!!! The podcast seems to be getting a little bit longer, which is nice because i get a little more, but just pointin it out.

[rubycalaber]

Australian Dreamtime scares the hell out of me BTW.

[Matt Lafferty]

A few thoughts about how the healing powers of the island could have "skipped over" some. Concerning the mortal wounds of Boone and Shannon (and everyone else who has died), I think they can be called that--mortal wounds. I'm reminded of a storyline X-Men did once where Professor X had a secret "Just In Case" file about the X-Men that had ways to kill them... you know, just in case. The info on Wolverine (who of course has healing powers) was that the only way to kill him was to cut his head off--and even that wasn't a guarantee, so his head needed to be removed from his body fast, before the healing started. My point is that what can fix Locke's legs, Jin's jewels, and Rose's cancer can heal those things while not being powerful enough to heal massive internal bleeding, a gunshot wound to the chest, drowing, Ethan breaking your neck, etc.

As for Shannon's asthma, what I'm about to suggest may sound crazy but I'm just stealing it from David McCullough's nonfiction bio on Teddy Roosevelt titled "Mornings on Horseback." Aparently there is evidence that asthma, particularly childhood asthma, can be caused BY the the sick person--they create their own attacks. McCullough cites a study where asthmatic kids were taken out of their home and put in a hospital room that was loaded up with dust from the home (dumb dust, not smart dust) and the child was fine. He, his medical references, and I aren't saying that kids purposely "fake" the attacks, but that it's a subconcious thing which is in no way connected to air quality. Hence, Shannon could have been having an attack that her mind started. Why wouldn't the island fix a mental condition like that, as has been argued for Libby (and perhaps others--though don't forget Hurley saw Dave)? This kind of asthma attack isn't a mental sickness per se--at least, that's my understanding from the Roosevelt bio. It's more like feeling scared when someone jumps out and says "Boo!"; the subconcious and/or uncontrolable part of your mind does its thing and you have an uncontrolable reaction.

"Mystery Island can fix most types of illnesses, but not gunshot wounds and certain types of asthma. Consult your doctor before going to Mystery Island."

[Michael Box]

i have to second the idea that the podcasts are getting a little lengthy....i love it, but the only time i can listen without interuption is on my way to and from work, so i burn it to a cd. 120 minutes tops is available on the cds...so i have had to cut the intro and outro music and some of the welcome stuff in order to get it to fit. not a huge deal, but if it we maybe cut into two 60 minute episodes it would be more convenient for everyone...just a suggestion.

[Matt Lafferty]

Michael Box:

Um... I guess this isn't technically safe or anything but I just listened to the podcast while driving... I just popped my MP3 player's headphones in and kept it low enough so, you know, honks and stuff would get my attention. I did it at night, but you could probably get away with it during the day if you had one headphone in, ala a cell phone headset.

And don't forget to buckle up too!

[Shonda]

I like the extra length of the podcasts. I find that the shorter podcasts are not very satisfying, with the official podcast being the least satisfying of all since it is so tiny and only lasts like 15 minutes.

Regarding listening while driving, there's all kinds of adapter thingies for iPods so that you can listen to them through your car's stereo. Probably a little safer that way.

[Matt Lafferty]

Yeah... probably MUCH safer!

[Sam]

ok, this is completely random. BUT, I was out to dinner at a chinese restaurant, and we got our fortune cookie at the end. Anyways, on he bottom where 6 numbers that read: 4 15 16 8 23 42. IT CREEPED ME OUT!!!! It was the numbers in a different order. I just thought that it was cool.

Now, onto the episode. At the end when Michael came out of the forest, I noticed two things. 1. Michael left with about 5-6 guns and some amo. Where were those? And 2. How did he get that torch? I mean, he left with nothing to make a fire and had nothing to make a fire on like the stick that he had in his hand. I was just puttin this out there. Also, don't you gusy think that Michael would do anything to get his boy back? I mean, he locked either Locke or Jack (can't remember) in the place where the guns were just to get some guns and run after his boy. He might be working for the others. Don't think that this is true, but as we all know, LOST is the essence of the saying "expect the unexpected."

STAY LOST!!!!!
Sam

[goat]

great podcasts! the longer, the better in my opinion. I have to ask -what kind of beer do yall drink during these shindigs?
Off topic, my elixir of choice has been Anchor Steam.

I don't know if anyone has made this reference, but many of the themes, as well as a lot of the imagery in Lost (in both the 1st and 2nd seasons) are very similar to a book titled, "the wind-up bird chronicle" by Haruki Murakami. The premises are vastly different, but the characters, relationships, and bizzare events have enough similarities to make a mention of this. I'll draw examples from the imagery later if anyone's interested.

Now, about the episode: I think S.O.S. was very important in terms of character development - we really saw the humanity of some of these losties, and Rose & Bernard's backstory was heartwarming. In terms of the sci-fi aspects of the show, the questions revolving around the mysteries of the island, etc. this episode didn't have much to offer. There was the obvious connection between the magnetism of the swan hatch with healing powers similar to ayers rock, but I think that was it. I don't think anything else such as the ghost blur behind jack or the pictures up on the healer's wall were meant to be read into. I just don't think they were significant - for an average audience to pick up on these background details as vital elements to the story they would have to've had more on-screen time, at least. The one thing that could be read into, using this logic, could be the large black rock at the "line you're not supposed to cross" - but even that is a bit far fetched, methinks. So, this episode was good for what it was, with relationships between jack and kate, rose and bernard, etc. (montage) but was lacking for all us theorizers. at least michael's back.

[Dharma Bum]

howdy dr giggles,
i have a thoguht regarding the healing powers of the island. i am begginning to think, because of the similar responses of the 'healers' of claire and rose (focusing and then looking shocked and saying they cant help them) that these healers are somehow connected to dharma or hanso and were in some collusion to get the certain folks who had the right traits ie weaknesses to be experimented on on the island. This means btw that sun and jins mercedes driving doc who didnt want his practice burned down is also one of these connected docs and hurleys shrink may be too. anyhoo once these certain mideal guniea pigs are on the island the crazy possibly magnetic healing begins. some of the collateral damage is that those who are on the island that wernt specific targets for experimentation arnt healable like the rutherfords or cant be subjected to these forces like all the abducted children. just my grand thought
ps love the long podcasts keep up the good work
pps who sent locke then, was it jacks dad? oooooo
("im sorry uncle locke i didnt know, lets go cry in the jungle")

[goat]

ps - is joy single? kidding. but it was refreshing to hear a female nerding-out to lost

[James Wicks]

Great show again guys!

BUT.... Not only does the comment section hurt my eyes, your new intro music hurts my ears :)

AND.... I was listening to the podcast on my ipod (via speakers) in the bathroom and cut myself shaving when you mentioned my name :)

Lostcasts are clearly bad for my health! Hehe

I'll try and make my next comment relevant to the show!

James

[Nasher]

The ultimate (Christmas) Theory

Dudes.. i think they have it! The monster is Santa Claus!

He judges who's been naughty and who's been nice and deals with them accordingly. If your nice he gives you the gift of healing or mind powers and if you are bad it gives you some coal by taking you underground to go fill your stockings.

The Island is Santa's hide away and the others are his elf army. Santa will do anything to protect his secret and sends his evil Oompa Loompa's out to keep the survivors from his toy making station with is transmission tower for collecting the transmissions of children's letters to him.

He had to magic reindeer to use to pull his sleigh but accidentally brought some polar bears through at the same time.

[Tilandra]

I remember reading somewhere that Matt Fox's "Eagle flies in unlimited skies" is actually from a translation of a chinese poem, or a famous poem. Don't ask me what the name of it is cause I read it a year ago.

[tracic67]

Hey guys, just wanted to let you know that the rain really doesn't have anything to do with anything. I was in Hawaii, up in the north short where they film and during the time of last episode and the next two, there will be a lot of rain. It rained it Hawaii for 40 days. Production couldn't help but keep their schedule. Sorry!

[Kane]

Isn't no one else is interested in the ley lines you talked about in your latest podcast? I tried to google it but couldn't find any clear ley line maps. Could we have some ley line map pictures? I thought that the latest lost ep was boring until I listened your podcast.

I've heard this a few times since lost started here in Finland: some ppl have said to me how boring lost is when you know that they are all dead. Can you understand how angry that makes a lost fan?!

Greetings from Finland - the land of polar bears!

[Lostaway]

Great podcast guys and congrats to your newest member Joy, it really gave things a fresh edge. Although, truth be told i wasn`t a fan of the intro music i`m afraid.

Anyway, anyone else think that, like you guys said, that the "bad" other are pitting the losties against the "good" others?. Lets put it this way-we`ve been hearing about a "bloody end to the season" but what if it`s referring to out losties killing many harmless "good" others. Wouldn`t it be unusual if, when they fight, that the "good" others, a poetential ally to our losties, were brutalised. Then the season ends with that revelation and our losties realising what they`ve done. It sure would put a good spin on things.

Anyway, keep up the great work!

[Katherine Chen]

Ever wondered what it was like to type the numbers in every 108 minutes? At www.lost-tv.com, you can download the Darma Initiative Countdown Clock where you have to input 4 8 15 16 23 42 every 108 minutes. It's a pretty neat thing to do whenever you're board. What happens when you don't input the numbers?... well you'll just have to find out. I don't know if anyone else has told you guys about this, but I just wanted to spread the word about it.

[Cihan]

Ok guys, I'll lay off Eko for the church thing, yeah its in character, but I was just hoping the writer's would surprise us is all. Your comments actually made me look at the situation in another way, when you said Zeke said its his island, etc. In a way what Eko's action reminds me of is exploration/colonisation of a new land, the first thing the Spanish or Portuguese did, for example, is set up churches and missionaries to convert the 'natives'.

[ryan]

love the podcast, but right now the server seems to be having issues! just shooting out the fyi.

[korrinn]

maybe hurley did step on libby"s foot, but maybe she was in the bathroom when they crashed, like bernard

and when i'm at home, i listen to the preston and steve show... and i know it doesnt mean anything, but they are on a Philly station, 93.3 wmmr...

it was nice having a female on the show too!

[thinbluemime]

I suspected the the barefoot ppl that Jin and Eko saw, were not part of the Zeke group. 2 discrete distinct, dirty "looking" groups, with NO direct connection is possible.

FIRST EVER SCREEN CAP OF MUNTANT OTHERS
AND THEY HAVE INFILTRATED THE CAMP!!!!

[Alex]

Looking at it, I don't think Michael can really be trusted. But I don't think he's working for the Others.
I think he's just crazy enough about getting Walt back to lie to the Losties and potentially endanger them...
But it's about time everything got stirred up.

[bill]

I liked it better with just the guys. Joy brought nothing to the table, she just laughed and swooned over Bernard's proposal. She sounded like that typical "news girl" on morning radio. Please, keep women off the podcast.

[BLinder]

Bill, it's asking a lot of someone to just come in and co-host. You don't get a sense for what kind of notes you need or how to sift through massive amounts of waste out there to get that one single interesting piece of info. It takes a couple times to start getting the hang of it. We went through the same transition ourselves(these casts started out at 30 minutes and it wasn't for lack of material, it was for lack of experience).

Also, John and I really like to talk and it's not easy getting a word in with us around (just ask Robert).

Considering all this. I think she did great.

And as for a policy to make Lostcasts a "guys only" club? We'll leave that kind of thinking to Alfalfa, Spankee and the gang.

[Cameron]

I would agree with Brian 100%. Joy did do great. I don't think we listeners really have a sense of how tough it is to put on/be part of a good quality podcast.

As I have posted here before, it you want to hear an example of podcasters who really should be sticking to their day jobs, try the official Lost podcast.

[thinbluemime]

Neil Frogurt Found!

Neil Frogurt=ELFIN TURGOR

http://users.newblog.com/thinbluemime/?blogcategory_id=218

PS: Love your PodCast
"Give Chicks A Chance"
Keep the Lady!!!

[mike]

The white letters on a black background is better for the eyes. With a white background its pretty much like staring into a lightbulb.
Keep up the great work guys.

[Ryan]

I made a molotov cocktail with a carlo rossi jug. Is that bigger then a gatorade bottle?

[FreshCHUD]

The whole Dream Time idea is kind of related to a character in the graphic novel "Watchmen" mentioned early in the LostCasts. One of the characters lives his life with time not being a one way continious stream. Dr. Manhatten.

[Ryan]

OK, I just finished the cast.

(by the way - i number these so they are easy to respond to)

1.) Gale only being signed on for a short time means very little. Jack was in a similar situation.

2.) Joy was a great addition. I can't believe you took our suggestion seriously! You guys work really hard on making this cast work, as fans we are very lucky.

By the way - what city are you guys in?

3.) The Showdown - I really hope this lives up to the hype.

4.) I never once questioned Micheal's intentions. Are you guys looking too far into him showing up again or am I nieve? Is what you meant when you said there was a new character not to trust?

5.) As for the episode as a whole, I feel like I learned more by the trailer for next week then I did during the entire episode.

Yes, we knew the Island healed.
Yes, we knew Micheal was out in the woods. Yes we knew Gale was manipulating the losties.
Yes we knew Jack likes Kate. (by the way - anyone else guess Jack and Lucia are not making out because of her off-screen actions? They can't kill off two love interests)
We knew there was a magnetic force on the island.
We knew Echo was building a church.

What did we really learn?

6.) Remember the show schedule talk? There is one other show I watch besides lost. What they did was divide the season in to two logical sub seasons. That way they were able to make two very long runs on story lines without interuptions.

Too bad the people who make lost aren't as in to listening to viewer suggestions as the makers of lostcasts. :)

[David]

I think it's really unfair to blame this on the creators of Lost, they've said numerous times that network demands a lot of these breaks. Plus to keep everyone in the dark episodes are written and filmed suprisingly close to the actually airing of the episode. (eg. Lindelof stating that they're just writing the season finale about a month and a half to two months before the episode is due to air.

[Matt Lafferty]

Ryan,

I just want to slightly disagree with part of #5, that we KNEW that the island had healing properties. In my mind, it took this pasBut episode to confirm it without a doubt.

Granted, since episode 4 or so from the first season when we learned about Locke being in a wheelchair, there's been the info that after the crash he could walk. But for those who think that they're dead, his walking could be explained by the island being pergatory/the afterlife. Same thing with Jin's jewels: before "S.O.S" it could have been Sun cheated or Michael's baby or whatever the theory du jour was for that.

If it was the "You're Magically All Better Forever Island" then they might be dead--but it's not: people can die from massive wounds on the island.

What "S.O.S." did for me was absolutely send the message home that you can be healed--and the writers threw in Rose's line about Locke not being on crutches for four weeks because "things heal faster here." The episode made it clear (to me anyway) that they must be alive and the island can heal you. Maybe this was a direction we were all leaning in anyway, but FINALLY we've got something solid!!

(Unless Rose is an evil Dharma plant. Just saying... we have to stay on our toes!)

[Challabuck]

Hey fellas,

Once again, a fine piece of analysis. Just wanted to clarify one point on the Eko church issue. I trust that Damon et al have more in mind that a simple prayer hut. I mean, it's GOT to be more interesting and less predictable than that. One of the things that makes Eko so compelling is the duality in his character -- the prayer stick as a skull-crushing implement, the coexistence of spiritial serenity and torrential violence within him. With the church, I'm worried that the writers are allowing him to slide too much in one direction, like he's at peace with himself and the island. Like he's giving up. I mean, the Others came for him once. Shouldn't he be concerned that they wouldn't come again? Like I said, I hope it's an armory. If not for weapons, it should be an armory for ideas. It just doesn't make sense that Eko would be at peace with himself given the brewing war. Or does it?

[gavin]

Does Anyone know what this website is all about?

http://www.dharmaindustries.com/

[Matt Jones]

I knew my Chi Chi Rodriguez magnetic wristband wasn't bunk!

[laurie]

just now listening to the most recent podcast... I like the idea of the island being a place of healing, with the power of affecting other places in the world; also being able to heal people both physically and emotionally...

one comment is this... when you were talking about Eko being the connection between the black-smoke-monster and the church, one of you commented that Eko may be successful in healing Charlie where Locke failed... I disagree with this line of thinking... first, no-one is going to heal Charlie except for Charlie; also as far as we know, Charlie is not using again - so I don't see the support Charlie has gotten as failed; and finally, I'm not sure that Charlie's behavior is any more odd than what we've seen in other characters: Hurley and Jack seeing people who were not there and chasing them through the jungle; sightings of walt; and, beyond visions of people, most people have freaked out in one way or another - Charlie's thing was just more 'public' because it was connected with Aaron, sleep-walking, and his despairation drove him to start a fire, rather than yelling at people, ordering them around, or kissing someone (i.e. Kate - Jack)!

[Matt Lafferty]

Gavin,

I'm pretty sure dharmaindustries.com is a flim-flam operation whereby someone orders a "premembership card" for $30.00 and someone on the other end gets the money and laughs and laughs and laughs because it's the easiest money they've ever made.

[Matt Jones]

The smiley face looking like the computer symbol wasn't my catch. Clockworkjones (no relation) made the connection.

As for people getting upset about Ecko's church - get over it. This will have major implications. Jack will try to rally an army to take on the Others, but Ecko will oppose it. Maybe the showdown will be between Jack and Ecko. Maybe Sawyers guns end up inside the church and they'll have to go through Ecko to get them.

I've always thought Locke was damaged goods, but that doesn't mean he's not a great character. He reminds me of a black belt that has never really been in a real fight. He knows all the moves, but has never had to overcome getting punched in the face. Now that Locke has taken a punch we get to see if he has the onions to get back up and keep fighting. I think he will. He'll be back to Batman form in no time.

Joy was a nice addition. Hope you guys didn't nerd her to death.

[Courtney]

Yeah! I almost fell out when I heard you use my name on the podcast! But, I have to say, my bad- It was Eko and Jin that saw the barefoot others instead of Micheal. However, it is possible that he would still go to that side of the island to do his searching because he knows that some set of "others" were actively stealing people from the area where the other losties originally crashed.
Keep up the great work guys!!!! I love the longer podcasts!

[Matt Jones]

After reading the Diary entry I am now off of the Rose/Henry Gale connection bandwagon.

[Matt Lafferty]

Just a quick oddity... (besides the fact that I can't stay off this site on my day off!)... I checked out the IMDB profile of Michael Emerson who plays Not Henry Gale. It says that in 2004 Emerson was in "The Lost Season;" it is designated (V) which I'm 99% sure means it was released on video, such as direct-to-video, DVD extras, etc.

Here's the thing--in it, Emerson plays "Henry Gale," and everyone else involved with it apparently has only worked on "The Lost Season." I did a quick Yahoo search and couldn't find anything about something uniquely called "The Lost Season."

So... a little bit of wierdness for you all! Here are links to Emerson's profile and The Lost Season's profile on IMDB respectively:

http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0256237/

http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0483046/

Stay Lost!

[Cat]

The intro music sounds a lot like the Trogdor song from Homestar Runner... be sure to check it out, it's hilarious: http://homestarrunner.com/sbemail58.html

[Amanda]

Help! I kept hearing the lost Diary mentioned. I thought at first it was one of the books that was released and did not pay much attention. I went to the official website and saw the diary. But, it just shows the same first day of the crash entry every time. Where is the rest of the diary I keep hearing about? is it some thing you have to subscribe to? Can you go back and read previous entries? please someone help explain this. I'm lost. (no pun intended)

[Liz]

So I am currently listening to your podcast, and you are talking about tailies coming from the left and the ? place being to the right. I just visited www.theblackrock.org and they have the Blast Door Map laid over a map of the island. I dont know if this is an offical map of the island, or a map of some island that they think might be kinda like the island that they are on. But this might be an interesting Lost Link. There is the direct link http://www.theblackrock.org/module-ContentExpress-display-ceid-8.phtml

[daviboy]

Just a little idea or theory...Dharma/Hanso have found a qoute "fountain of youth" on the island since Locke, Rose and Jin are all healed. The "fake" Henry Gale is really Alvar Hanso who is growing younger just like other Dharma/Hanso foundation members who after being on the island for 20-30 years are now the "dirty feet" children that Eko and Jin spot in the jungle.

This is just an idea but something to think about.

Also, I'm sorry guys but I have to be different and disagree with everyone that your new intro music is the best ever. If Rikki Rachman from MTV's Headbanger's Ball was hosting it would be alright but this is LOST. If it aint broke, don't fix it.

You guys do a wonderful job and I would hate to see you guys changing everything now because you have so many new listeners.

Besides, this is really your first "season" as a LOST podcast and most successful shows don't change their intro music or design until the third or fourth season. Ha! Ha!

Can't wait to see where LOST and your podcast will take us next.

Peace!

[Kane]

I didn't see the wihte character behind Jack but after listening your podcast decided to find what ppl are seeing?

http://kotisivu.dnainternet.net/kairant//Lost/219/WhiteGhost/white_ghost_1.JPG
http://kotisivu.dnainternet.net/kairant//Lost/219/WhiteGhost/white_ghost_2.JPG
http://kotisivu.dnainternet.net/kairant//Lost/219/WhiteGhost/white_ghost_3.JPG
http://kotisivu.dnainternet.net/kairant//Lost/219/WhiteGhost/white_ghost_4.JPG
http://kotisivu.dnainternet.net/kairant//Lost/219/WhiteGhost/white_ghost_5.JPG

and here's some photoshopping: http://kotisivu.dnainternet.net/kairant//Lost/219/WhiteGhost/white_ghost_4_edited.JPG

For the record (I don't remember if you mentioned this in your podcast), Kate was on the other side of Jack than this character.

I am still waiting for someone to make a ley line map from a near fiji area.

[Scott]

2 things:
Are we getting a little carried away with the "2 groups of others" theory?? I mean... we really have no show credit for the existence of two groups of others. it seems like I hear a lot of talk about michael with the good others or Zeke's others, etc. etc. until LOST gives us a nibble, I don't think that theory holds up well - there's no evidence that says there's two groups vs. 1 group going in two different places

2 - why are we so hard on Michael all of a sudden... the poor guy just showed up in a preview for goodness sake and now all of a sudden, "Michael's an other" or "We can't trust Michael" - let's cut the poor guy some slack and hear him out in an episode... personally I'm just excited to hear him say ANYTHING other than running around screaming "WAAAAALLLLLLTTTT!!!!!" for 3 episodes straight!

[Fat Uncle Arber]

Hi Guys

Just a couple of comments. First all, thanks for a great Podcast: it's my favourite Lost podcast striking the right balance between hard infor and geeky fanboy speculation! And regarding the length, I'm in the longer is better camp. If it won't fit on a regular CD, burn it onto two! Don't make the podcast shorter. And I for one welcomed Joy onto the show: please make her regular feature. I'm sure that as she warms up, she'll be making better and better contributions!

Unless I'm missing an obvious link somewhere do you have a brief bio of you guys, because I'm curious to know more about the people behind the Podcast!

Anyway, the main reason for posting is to point out something obvious that I haven't seen mentioned anywhere else. Rose claims that she's cured, but we have no evidence other than what she says. Perhaps seeing Locke has had a psychosomatic effect on her, and she thinks she's cured. And as we don't yet know what caused Locke's problems with his legs, and that too could be a mental issue rather than a physical one. And although Sun *says* she's not slept with anyone, we know that she's already been less than truthful.

I guess what I'm saying is that after SOS people are jumping up and down and saying "See, the island cures people!" and while that might turn out to be the case, we don't yet have any real proof that it does. Rose could be the one who dies before the end of the season. If she does succumb to her cancer that would blow a LOT of people's theories out of the water.

I'll miss you guys next week. Remember: longer is better.

Fat Uncle Arber
pixelsurgeon.com

[Dark Piranha]

What if the magnet is of such a powerful force that it affects the supernatural/spiritual plane?

For example, you die, but your spirit is kept close to the island due to the power of the magnetic pull.

While this isn't "purgatory" per se, in effect it acts as the same thing because the dead's spirits can't leave.

This would sort of explain the (if true) examples of the Whispering, specifically the instance where Boone's voice seemingly said something like "Hey, sis" right after she died (this from the processed audio that someone did on the Whispering).

Just a thought....

[Dark Piranha]

Second magnetic-themed idea, similar to my last one.

Most recordable media uses magnetic-based devices. Audio and video tape== magnetic. Hard drives? Magnetic.

So what if they were trying to 'record' people's minds through the island's magnetic properties?

This would explain (kinda) Cerberus's ability to scan and playback images from someone's life. It would explain Hanso's plan for immortality (record your mind and transfer it to a new body.) It could explain ghosts on the island. Etc.

[Dark Piranha]

Third entry in my Magnetism Trilogy.

As everyone who ever had a 3rd grade science class knows, magnets have two poles.

What if the "good" and "bad" designations of people have something to do with their internal "polarity" ? Maybe being on one side of the island or the other is what causes the "sickness", if you go to the wrong side. Maybe after a while, it starts to mess with your brain and physiology.

Maybe the serum Desmond and Aaron were getting had something to do with allowing one to resist the negative effects of reverse polarity.

Maybe I need to stop thinking about magnetism so much...

[Anthony Martin]

Revisit the possible fake photo from February:

http://lost.cubit.net/pics/copenhagen/copenhagen.jpg

Notice the question mark is right where it would be with the map. Lucky guess or cannon?

[Dark Piranha]

I would say "lucky guess" since none of the other initials line up with anything on the blast door map.

btw, is there an official nickname/shorthand for the blast door map?

[Matt Jones]

Dark Piranha,

Love the magnetic trilogy.

Also, I think the short hand for the blast door map is "The Map." As in the big one.

Scott,

I for one don't think Mike has gone bad. I think he might be a pawn - a useful idiot for the Others' ends. Maybe their plan is to draw a large faction of the Losties out of camp so it is under-defended, then they can sweep in and take Henry without losing Walt. But, we do know that Mike is pretty irrational when it comes to his son. The idea that Walt could be used to manipulate him into betraying the Losties isn't all that far-fetched.

The two groups of Others is pure speculation. I think it's just an idea that people like. Having the Losties be caught in the crossfire of two opposing factions would make for good TV. But, you're right. There is no hard evidence to support it. Just a lot of what if thinking.

[Kane]

Like Dark Piranha said: "if you go to the wrong side. Maybe after a while, it starts to mess with your brain and physiology"

I'm starting to feel that it's true.
Locke never went back to the small drug plane after he learned how to walk the second time on the island.

And I liked the recording theory too...

Remember: the size doesn't matter

[Dark Piranha]

I think just about everythign associated with the Island is going to come down to magnetism. There are lots of legends and pseudo-theories about magnetism out there that can provide fodder for any number of occurences on the island.

It's also one of the least-understood forces of nature, at least as far as the maximum potential of what magnetism might be able to do. ie, some believe magnetism can heal.

It would be a great science to extrapolate on and veer over into spirituality.

Also, a fun project for us would be to figure out how many of Earth's great mysteries could be solved if magnetic control were a viable power. For example, how easy would it have been to build the pyramids, or Stonehenge, or the statues on Easter Island if someone had figure out a way to harness magnetism?

And to top it all off, I think that at the core of the island is a giant meteorite/lodestone that is the source of everything magnetic on the island.

(and a teensy part of me is still holding out hope for an ancient spaceship encased in the midst of this giant meteorite)

[Dark Piranha]

(editing my above post since I have no idea what this below statement said before I accidentally deleted part of it.)

It would be a great science to extrapolate on and veer over into spirituality.

----------

Okay... I think I meant to say that the science of magnetism lends itself well to extrapolation, especially if one wants to veer over into religion or spirituality or psychic phenomena and attempt to use Magnetism to explain things from those areas.

[Kane]

But how can we add the numbers and the magnetism together?

[Matt Lafferty]

Oh, and about the Issac's floating bridge picture of mystery and doom? It's a picture of the Golden Gate Bridge. Upside down. No balloon, no upside-down photoshopping. Upside down picture.

[jg]

I agree with Scott there is no evidence that there are 2 groups of Others. Goodwin and Ethan: 1) killed without hesitation, 2) were both efficient at killing, 3) both were involved with taking people into their "care" without consent. The Others that stole the "Tallies" were silent. The Others strolling though the woods were silent. They are one group. The Others seem to emphasize that they are "good". The Nazi's and Khemer Rouge thought of themselves as good too.

The Island seems to heal some people, i.e. those with chronic disease. It couldn't heal Boone or Ethan because they got sick and died too fast. Death for most people is the end game of a chronic disease process. The infirmities of old age are also chronic disease states that the island can presumably heal.

The Island heals the Others too. Some of the others are very very old. Certainly some of the crew or cargo of the "Black Rock" survived.

Imagine an immortal Kurtz (The Heart of Darkness). "The Heart of Darkness" explores the change of a man's point of view. Apart from the niceties of western civilization coupled with privation and even starvation a brutal approach to life can emerge as it is the most efficient way of getting things done. An ancient Kurtz could develop a society to fit his personality. The Dharma Initiative blundered into this and is now entangled.

[Amber]

Another awesome podcasts dudes and dudette! I'm pleased with the addition of a girlie to the show. :)

[Amber]

This isn't Lost related at all.. but all the talk about magnets reminded me of this trip I took to Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. We went to this place called Magnetic Hill, where you can sit in your car, take your foot off the brake and your vehicle rolls uphill. It's supposedly Canada's third most visited natural attraction.. and it really did work!

[Kane]

Borrowed your style.css and added a counter.
(Same white ghost pics that I posted before)
http://kotisivu.dnainternet.net/kairant/Lost/

[Ryan]

Dark Piranha: magnets don't record anything on hard drives or tape drives. The magnets line up little bits of stuff to be a 1 or a 0.

The point being realy big hd or tape drive would still have a smallish magnet. There would just be more tape.

[Ryan]

"As for people getting upset about Ecko's church - get over it. This will have major implications."

I'm not sure why people are so against spiritual themes.

It's this whole freedom FROM religion thing that is gaining steam in the US. Even though it's the freedom OF religion that the constitution really gives us. Since none of it provable anyway you think people would be a little more forgiving of other people’s beliefs and perhaps even realize that even atheism is a religion.

Ethan and Goodwin and perhaps Gale are/were 100% in the same circle. They were too similar.SImilar plain clothes, similar sinister deneanor. Same infiltration missions.

As to why they keep thinking that they are good people, there is the quote "The greatest thing the devil ever did was to convince people he didn't exist." Maybe they are just trying to confuse the losties.

Or, would an evil person actually think they are evil? Or, would they think they are on the right side of things.

That Christopher Walken flick with the scary angles (quoting that movie AGAIN) and the Devil's Advocate did a great job of this.

[Dark Piranha]

Ryan: Very true about the specific technical relationship between magnets and recording media. But I think you missed my point. This is a sci-fi TV show we're talking about here. You take some known quantity about something, magnetism's involvement in the recording process for example, and expand that concept out to the Nth degree. What would be the most extreme thing you could 'record'? A person's life.

Just like in real life, getting bitten by a radioactive spider could never result in someone getting spider powers. But for the purposes of a sci-fi movie, we go with it.

[mikeyboy]

Check out this MASSIVE SEASON 2 FINALE SPOILER.

Looks legit to me..

[mikeyboy]

Oops. Heres the web link.
http://www.losttv-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17892

[Matt Jones]

jg,

I freaking love the Kurtz analogy. I've always thought of "Lord of the Flies" as a sissified version of "Heart of Darkness." It would be cool if the latter was more of an ispiration to the writers.

I'm positive that Dharma does not hold the answer to everything in the island. I think they stumbled into a situation that's way over their heads. Combine that with daviboy's fountain of youth theory and you've got some interesting implications.

Could "Him" be the captian of the Black Rock? Could a mutiny among Dharma's Black Rocker test subjects explain why the Other's don't seem to have complete mastery of Dharma's Island assets?

[Challabuck]

Sure -- atheism, or better yet, science, is the ultimate religion in a lot of interesting ways. But my point about the church (and this is the last time I'm going to mention it) is not a critique of religion. I'm just laying it out there that Eko is a lot more interesting as a character when he's working out his own demons internally. Something tells me there's a lot more for him to work out.

[ken]

I just thought i should bring this up because the podcast didn't mention it but in Dave when Locke talked to Henry, Henry said GALE: This place? This place is a joke, John.

LOCKE: What are you talking about?

GALE: I crawled through your vents and I stood at your computer as the alarm beeped. And you know what happened? The timer went all the way down to zero, and then some funny red pictures flipped up in its place. They looked like hieroglyphics, but I'm no expert. And then things got real interesting. There was a loud clunking and a hum like a magnet -- a big magnet. It was really very frightening. And you know what happened next? Nothing happened, John. Nothing happened at all. Your timer just flipped back to 108. I never entered the numbers. I never pressed the button.

This made me think that maybe Henry has to push numbers in his hatch but he thinks in his something big happens but in the swan hatch nothing happens

[mark b]

Same SPOILER as mikeyboy posted but this time with some scanned document allegedly from the production team. Not sure if this makes it more or less likely to be true.

http://themisfitishere.blogspot.com/2006/04/season-2-finale-revealed.html

[jg]

Matt,
I agree "The Heart of Darkness" has more powerful implications than "Lord of the Flies". It also makes one examine your own soul deeply and consider its darkest possibilities. That's why its a Classic and why it really still is a good read. I believe "Lost" can have similar appeal.

I hope they don't overreach though. The religious subject matter does bring far deeper implications than any other plot device they could use. I fear that even "Lost" won't be able to treat this subject with anything but typical taudry Hollywood superficiality. But its definitely more interesting than another cache of guns.

The Captain of the "Black Rock" was also my first guess as "Him". A slave or prison ship captain would bring a certain intelligence, ability and point of view that would make him suitable for the role of "King Other", but another diablical genius could be revealed.

[Cihan]

Today I'm thinking that NotHenry really didnt push the button, but that doesnt mean the button does nothing. Maybe his inaction has already caused an event on the island that we will see in someone else's flashback. Mike or Walt's maybe, it would be cool, considering Walt said the button was bad, so NotHenry might have inadvertantly helped free Walt somehow, temporarily or whatever.

I dont think NotHenry knows what the button does, sure he's smart but I just dont get the sense that he knows everything thats going on in the island. The way this show is working is like a game, we're slowly going up the food chain, starting off with small fry characters like Ethan, and moving up slowly...towards...Him...?

[Bill Hess]

You know what I just realized?

What if notHenry used the computer to communicate with the others?

[Matt Jones]

Is the Walt button translation confirmed? I always thought he could have said:

"Don't push the button. No button is bad."

As in, "No button does anything bad." Like he was telling them not to get suckered into the button pushing bit.

I'm not saying I'm right, just that Walt's warning is still open to interpretation.

[Dark Piranha]

I'm still convinced that NotHenry is going to turn out to be the Big Bad. He's all about manipulation. His evil smile cinched it. He knows exactly what he's doing, and I'm sure he had himself placed in their custody precisely to better manipulate them.

His whole "maybe they will capture your friends and use them to trade for me" comment was intended specifically to plant that thought into their minds, and it worked. Now they are going to trade Michael for FakeHenry, but in reality, Michael has gone all Lando Calrissian on them and is planning on betraying them. Because the trade was "Jack's" idea, they will be much less suspicious of Michael than if Michael had just waltzed back in on his own.

FakeHenry is the main bad guy, but we won't find that out for quite some time, I think (or in the season finale, whichever comes first)

[WeakLemonDrink]

Now then, chaps, I just thought I'd drop you a comment. I've only recently discovered your Casts (and in length fit of geekery, listened to every last one) so thought I'd share some thoughts with you.

I'm a little disappointed with the way you guys are talking about Locke. It seems you're desperate for him to be the Action Man Locke from the first season all the time, but don't you think bringing his flaws into sharp focus has the potential to be far more interesting that keeping Locke as an all powerful, all knowing being. Just my thoughts, anyway. My prediction is that he'll be back in bad ass mode all to soon, he just needs to make his peace with a few of his demons.

Anyway, keep up the grand work - you're the definitive resource for the discerning LOST fan!

[Dave Blahut]

Hey Guys.

For those who have Gmail accounts, check out GOOGLE CALENDAR. From the calendar, if you search for "Lost" in the public calendar search, you can add a "new lost episodes" calendar. It's complete with episode titles and brief synopsis.

I've never missed an episode yet, but I sure won't miss one now!

[mollyh]

Hey Joy:
I'm so glad that there is now a female perspective on the podcast. You really have inhanced our podcast listening experiance. Thanks for speaking for us gals out there. Stay lost!

[Ryan]

If that mega spoiler(foiler) is true I will freak out.

---

I never count science in there becuase it's usually more concerned with how, then why.

---

True about the magnets. Also true that there could be a matric/vanilla sky thing going on magnets or not.

[Phi]

Can't handle the intro music. I guess it's just personal taste, but I'm gonna have to fast forward right by that in the future.

[Blinder]

Phi
That intro music was never going to be a regular thing. We just wanted to play it because we found it entertaining. Kind of off center, like us. We got a lot of intro clips from folks with our eye on one imparticular that we really liked. So stay tuned, and ease your mind, the death-metal was a one hit wonder.

[Kane]

Ryan. I think that Matrix and Vanilla Sky theories aren't used here because they are used in so meny other places. I think that latest Hurley episode proofs that.

[ken]

on the podcast you talked about the rain and how you think the others control it, i have noticed the rain too but i think it is just a writing technique used by the writers called pathetic fallicy. Pathetic fallicy is when the writer makes the weather coinside with the mood of that scene. For example when the losties were playing golf it was sunny but when Sun got kidnapped it was raining

[Ryan]

Kane: yeah, I could do without them.

One option I have heard little of is the losties did die, but the island braught them back to life. I prefer that to the matrix/vanillasky or the dead theories.

[WeakLemonDrink]

I think it's certainly possible that the reason the LOSTies didn't die in a big heap broken limbs was because of the unique healing propeties of the island. Obviously not everyone was 'worthy' of being protected by the island (or, more likely, the people who died on impact had injuries beyond repair).

Something I did love about this episode, though, is that they finally brought the issue of the Island healing powers into sharp focus. Before now, it's only been an unmentioned phenomenon but now we know it's an issue that will be addressed in the future. This is good.

[WeakLemonDrink]

As for the rain - it could tie in nicely to the 'They're Just Lab Rats' theory. The 'overseeers' of the experiment could be manipulating the weather and events, so that all bad happenings occur whilst it is raining, to see if the LOSTies start to fear the rain by association.

[David]

ken, i mentioned the technique of "pathetic fallacy" right at the start of the comments (just to let you know :p)

Though I think at least some of the rain may be due to the location being Hawaii and a tight filming schedule : )