LOSTCasts 43: Not In Portland

Season 3 is officially back. In this episode of LOSTCasts, we take a look at season 3, episode 7 of LOST, Not In Portland. In this podcast, we take a look at Juliet's backstory, Jack's plan, Kate & Sawyer's escape, the brainwashing scene and much more. As always, we've got some great LOST links, and spoilers.

Download podcast #43 here

Links related to the podcast
Wikipedia: Edmund Burke
Wikipedia: Richard Alpert
Amazon: A Brief History of Time
Wikipedia: A Brief History of Time
Chapter Aldo is reading

LOST Links
Yahoo Answers: What is the monster?
Heroes/LOST connection
Video: Writers of LOST
Cracked Magazine LOST predictions - (from Lostimist)
Video: 80s LOST theme song

We'll be back next week with another podcast. Send us your thoughts via email, by posting them here, or send us an audio comment through our automated voicemail at 206-666-2278.

Stay LOST.

Comments

[Cameron]

Muchas gracias

[eye_of_the_island]

wooo thanks guys

[Phil]

Been looking forward to listening to this, thanks as usual guys!

[Cihan]

This is the rating system I go with for anything:

1=crap
2=mediocre
3=good
4=excellent
5=classic!

*continues listening to podcast*

[Cihan]

Lame observation of the day: Portland = port + land = land of ports = an island = lame observation of the day.

[Cihan]

You know, although everyone's happy that Pickett got the crap beaten out of him and then got shot to death, it is kinda sad that a dude and his wife died within days of each other. Although I'm surprised he survived this long with a name like that.

And also: LMAO @ "Ethan is a robot".

[Largento]

Okay, here's a thought...

Now that we know what we know about Juliet... What if the book club was actually just a cover for a meeting of the rebel Others (the ones that want "a change.")

That would be why she wouldn't have invited Ben and it would also add another layer to Ben's comments about it. Maybe he was suspicious?

[Phil]

During the brainwashing scene with Sawyer stopping and seemingly being affected Im wondering if he was actually stopping to watch more because he may have actually seen something like this before which we may see in a flashback.

[Jur]

Here is a bit of transcript from The Long Con.
Hurley is suggesting some Lost Time ?

HURLEY: Whoa, you hear how clear that is? It's got to be close, right?

SAYID: Radio waves at this frequency bounce off the ionosphere. They can travel thousands of miles. It could be coming from anywhere.

HURLEY: Or, anytime. Just kidding, dude.

[Cihan]

I think we should remember that the man-made structures on the island are Dharma's, and Dharma, those hippie hipsters with their hippy music, is now defunct. So in an attempt to analyse the significance of the trippy footage we have to take this into account (just who did Dharma scientists expect to watch that video? That smaller island is for animals isnt it?...).

The others dont appear to be the owners of anything on the island, they're merely using Dharma's stuff, so my assumption is that the video is merely a handy tool for punishment, not a specific trademark Others method of brainwashing.

I must say I really like the entire premise of the Dharma Initiative, the writers of this show have great imagination, the concept of a research project born in the 70's, relocated to an island, brought down by an incident and now only the broken down bunkers, with their weird training videos left as proof of their existence, is creepy and great. I'm playing Far Cry at the moment, and wandering around bunkers underneath an island with monsters and soldiers trying to kill me, makes me think a FPS Lost game would be...interesting.

[Phil]

Guys:
Seriously, lose the 'token broad' unless you can get someone who actually contributes. All Tasha does is giggle at everything and sounds worse than a high school tag-a-long-that-gives-free-bj's-to-anyone-who-asks-for-one.

Thanks.
-Phil

[Sobaika]

Whoa Phil, a bit too harsh on Tasha. She was fine, nothing spectacular, but fine. What happened to the earlier women that were brought on? They provided a different perspective and contributed as well.

[sam]

No offence to Tasha, but
Tashe=... um... *awkward laugh*
Still love you guys (and Tasha)

stay LOST

[Sobaika]

In terms of where Jack is at right now, I think he's their new captive doctor - as in, he's the new Juliet. She was the doctor doing their bidding and now for whatever reason, they no longer need a fertility doctor or need a spinal surgeon more and can let her go because they have him. So he can assimilate fully or he can be the disgruntled member of their group planning a coup a la Juliet. Just what I think is going on there.

[RR]

Could you post a link to the audio of the Clockwork-orange-brainwashing-video being played backwards? Please? Thanks..

[Jonathan]

About the whole Jacob thing.

Jacob was one of the forefathers of the Jewish faith, he was the son of Isaac, the father of the twelve tribes of Israel. His name was changed from Jacob to Israel by God and he went by both names thereon. What I think is interesting is the story of him and his brother. Jacob had a brother named Esau. They were twins, but Esau came out first with Jacob grabbing onto his heel. By right, Esau had the birthright and all the blessing from their father Isaac, therefore, the promise that God told Abraham, that he would make a nation out of them, would go on to Esau, not Jacob. Jacob eventually stole Esau's birthright and blessing and Jacob became the Israelites, God's chosen people, while Esau became the father of the Edomites who were destroyed. It is possible that Jacob is not a real person, but it means people of faith, "good people", or something along the lines, because according to the Bible, the Israelite covenant was spread to Christians after Jesus died, people of faith.. Just my two cents, I find it interesting.

[Ahren]

Hey guys!

Great podcast! Just thought I'd get this in. I was the guy who wrote in to LostCAST 43, "Not in Portland" about the Stephan Hawking chapter reference. This isn't a big deal or anything, but I thought I would get the pronunciation of my name out there in the open.

My name is spelled A-H-R-E-N but pronounced just like "Aaron" (air-in). And yes, I am a guy. :)

I doubt anyone cares about this, I just wanted to get that out there in case anyone was wondering.

Keep up the great work with the podcast guys. Stay lost!

[Kathy aka Fangirl]

If you're going to have someone on (male or female), they should be able to contribute in some form. Otherwise, there isn't really a reason to have them there.

Otherwise, great podcast as always.

[Alex in Dallas]

Great show, as always.

Just thought I'd add a couple of observations:

1. With Juliet having been on the island for three years, two months and 28 days, that puts her arrival date roughly around 9/11/2001. I wonder if that catastrophic event might have been seen as a sign of impending doom by Dharma and convinced them to get more aggressive in their attempts to alter the Valenzetti Equation. Resorting to such drastic measures as -- oh, I dunno -- downing planes, stealing children and acting like total psychos?

2. In the Clockwork Orange-like brainwashing film, we see the image of a staircase, juxtaposed with religious-sounding rhetoric. A "stairway to heaven," if you will. Led Zeppelin's song "Stairway to Heaven" is infamous for (supposedly) having used backward masking to hide Satanic messages. And as we've all heard, this brainwashing film also employs backward masking to hide its message. Hmmmmmmmm.

3. Tasha is cool. Ease off, people.

-- Alex in Dallas

[my-2-cents]

Hey guys, great podcast once again. Here's my Monday-morning-quarterback (inside sports?) response to your "Not in Portland" podcast. Five-and-a-half minutes in, you mention Juliet's status as a captive being a great story twist. That actually shouldn't be such a surprising development since the interactions of Ben's Others
and the Lostaways will continue to follow the general plot line of Watership Down in Season 3 - by design. Cuse and Lindelhoff are clearly having Jack’s character play out the role of the rabbit Hazel while Juliet is like Hizenthlay. Just like Jack is stuck on Ben's Island with Juliet as an apparent ally, the rabbit Hazel is seemingly inducted into General Woundwort's police-state warren halfway through the Watership Down story only to escape with the female rabbit Hizenthlay. So, predictably, Jack and Juliet do make it off the island together and rejoin the Lostaways. Eventually Ben's Others go after all the survivors just like General Woundwort's rabbits eventually hunt down and ambush Hazel's rabbits. Woundwort is led into a trap where he's killed off by the vicious guard dog from the barn, just like Ben Linus and his hordes will eventually be led into a trap and killed by the 'Cerberus' black smoke monster. The "heartwarming but tragic" series ending referred to by Cuse and Lindelhoff in 2006 will almost certainly mirror the end of Watership Down's story where the protagonist / hero dies peacefully and looks back from the spirit realm at his group of rabbits prospering in their secure new paradise.
Mittelos reminds me of names of Greek islands in mythology (etc) ending in -os suffixes, like chronos and mikonos. The suggestion is a mysterious lost island of mythological signifcance.
Also, it's Ethan R-O-M, not R-O-H-M (15 minutes in).
I think the “Jacob” references (with yellow shag steps) could refer to the mind-game thriller movie Jacob's Ladder starring Tim Robbins. The Bible’s account of Jacob’s ladder actually refers to "stair steps" in Jacob’s vision. Parts of that flick may also dovetail with Desmond’s military flashbacks and newly disturbed state-of-mind.
Finally, dudes, you gotta find a less giggly token-female guest voice for the podcast – like someone who actually watches the show and has an actual viewpoint to round out the discussion, not just there to “add texture.”

[jg]

Whereas, I think the writers sprinkle Biblical and Buddist symbology into the show to make it interesting and give it "meaning", I doubt they will follow any Biblical story line very far, if at all. With that said, it would be interesting if any of the other names of the Jewish Patriarchs show up: Abraham, Isaac, and Joseph (Jacob's favorite son, sold into Egyptian slavery by his brothers. Benjamin was Jacob's youngest son). Egypt is sometimes used metaphorically as the outer world, or the world outside God's chosen people. Will we see a Joe show up from the "outside" to save the Others in the short term (only to be enslaved later-like the Israelites)?

Juliet is clearly a prisoner. She has an enormous investment in her sister and unborn child. She would not have taken kindly to be "distracted" from this. However, she is a prisoner with autonomy and clout. The Others don't need any doctor, they need a fertility doctor. Jack is a spinal surgeon. I'm sure he would come in handy but the concern of the Others is fertility.

Cheers
jg

[Cameron]

Great episode, great podcast and we have 16 more weeks of the same with no breaks! Plus, our complete tool of a Prime Minister just got served real good by your main man Barack Obama.

Does it get any better than this?

[Cihan]

Ahren, they'll always get our names wrong...always!

I must admit, I would have preffered it if Tasha contributed instead of giggling in the background, maybe she's afraid that if she does talk more she'll eventually make a fool of herself infront of millions and millions of people. But as we know, everyone's said something silly at some point in LostCasts (and...life) so there really is nothing to worry about. Or maybe she was just high at the time. Either way, I think the more voices you add to a podcast the less coherent it gets, so although I think the idea of a female perspective (and voice) is interesting, I dont think the LostCast crew should be pressured into having that aspect, its not the reason we're all fans of this podcast in the first place is it? Kudos for them trying it out, but it doesnt seem to be making much of an affect.

I think podcast #43 is one of my favourite casts actually, it pretty much had everything I expect from LostCasts, including the lame jokes followed by awkward silences followed by laughter. :D

[Cihan]

Random theory of the day: The 'others' are all Mittlelos employees. Mittlelos as we have seen, can know all there is to know about someone. The others have always had contact with the outside world, hence their knowledge of the Losties, but only once Ethan obtained a list of full names of the plane passengers.

Tom was about to tell Jack the purple sky disrupted their communications with the outside world, and for some reason they need communication with the outside world to get off the island.

Jacob's list (like Ben's own motivation) is based on profession and ability, not identity.

Questions: They've had communication, so why didnt Ben get a surgeon flown in as soon as he found out about his tumour?

1 - He's lying about getting Jack/Juliet off the island.
2 - Mittlelos doesnt give a crap about Ben and his tumour.
3 - The island isnt visible to Mittlelos.
4 - Desmond not pushing the button in time, making the plane crash, resulted in disrupted communication with the outside world, which is what Tom was actually referring to.
5 - Other reason.
6 - I will pass out now.

[west syiad]

>>Plus, our complete tool of a Prime Minister just got served real good by your main man Barack Obama

Rolf Mao

About to listen to the podcast... noice episode...

[nileblitz]

Just thinking about Juliet's last comment that Ben promised to send her back if she let him live.

Why does everyone believe that Ben knows the way to go back to the "real world"?

Thinking back to the episode where he showed Jack the Red Sox game and told him that they know about Bush re-election and Reeves' death, maybe he got the info from some magazines he found from the crash site(s)? or the Balloon Henry Gale? He got the baseball game video from the same place maybe.

What do you think?

Cheers
N

[Chris in El Paso]

Just thought I'd share about the recruiter - he was "Eddie" from Day Break, the show that was supposed to bridge the gap between the two halves of the seasons on Lost.

[I_Love_Sayid...&_Lostcasts]

if i remember correctly, wasn't watership down one of the books drew barrymore was having the class read in donnie darko?

[I_Love_Sayid...&_Lostcasts]

So about the "everything changes" segment...I really think they're trying to tell us something with that.

We know that the DI were/are trying to change each of the numbers of the valenzetti equation which each represent different aspects of life (behavior, society, various aspects of nature, etc.)

Maybe these are visual representations of what the numbers each represent and therefore can be changed by the experiments.

what changes?
1)a single coin: individuals change?
2)several coins together: society changes?
3)cylander and cd's: technology, information, communication?
4)the keyboards: musical changes, major/minor, chords, emotions?
5)an old fasioned stove: heat?
6)a pipe with a pressure guage and a release wheel: pressure?

And finally...the compas: (now this is the interresting one because it's the same instrument danielle had on her maps to draw the island)Could it represent the physical topography of the island? Maybe it's supposed to represent the island itself and everything that happends there?

By the way thanks for the new podcast...i've missed spending my monday morning subway ride with you guys.

[mike]

i haven't listened yet, but i don't see the link on here. please tell me you didn't leave out the backwards audio from Room 23.

[vondruke]

when you guys were going through "numbers references" you
completely passed over the most obvious.. "room 23".

also, suffering is a huge theme in buddist religion.

Tasha - don't be intemidated, they guys (nor anyone here) aren't exactly "experts". speak up! the island is testing you!

nileblitz - they crashed before that happened so there is no way of knowing from the crash site.

Alex in Dallas- it's close but you're about 5 days off. she would have been on the island since sept. 6th 2001.. but still very interesting.

[Justin (AKA Locke Junior)]

I saw Julie Bowen, who is Sarah Shepard (Jack's ex-wife on Lost) on a cosmetic advert promoting Neutrogena PureGlow cleaning cushions on TV, especially on 5 Five and perhaps US Five. Just thought I'd share it with you folks.

[Benton]

Does anyone know what Ben said to Juliet? I dont think she told Jack the truth.

[frankmorris]

@ Benton
A lip reader posted on the fuselage that Ben said:
'I was the one driving the bus'
but that doesn't seem like something he would say if he wanted to keep her level headed & working for his best interests.

[mark]

Hi --
Have not seen this anywhere.
http://www.mediavillage.com/jmentr/2007/02/08/jmer-02-08-07/
I really enjoy the podcast.
MH

[Anyolina]

Thanks for the podcast guys, I just have 3 minor suggestions. 1. Robert should stop making so many interruptions and dwelling on ongoing issues. If people want to give it a scale of 9.5... so what... its their choice.
2. Tasha- Is there a purpose of her being there? she doesn't talk and her laugh just creeps me out. I know shes suppose to be the voice of women, but she making us look like all we do is giggle uncontrollably. Either replace her or get rid of her. BTW, you guys alone are just fine.
3. Its great u guys make joke, but stick more to the story.. we want to know what you guys think, not what kind of joke you guys can make out of it. You should go back and listen to the beginning podcasts u guys made.. those sounded much better.
Thanks for listening

[Chris in OIy]

Hi-

Liked the podcast, and wanted to mention and question a couple of things:

-Mittelos Background Check: When Dr. Alpert says they do a thorough background check on their prospective employees, it reminded me of the file they had on Jack Shepard.

-When did the sky turn purple: If they had a file on Jack Shepard, the file implied it was a delivered item. So they had to get it delivered before the sky turned 'purple'.

With two possibilities:
1. They got the information after the first time the sky went purple - when Desmond failed to push the button and the oceanic air plane crashed - and lost contact with the outside world then. This would mean the file on Jack was put together prior to the crash - meaning that possibly Jacob is not on the island, which could also mean that the plane was intentionally flown off course. Which would tie into theories that the flight crew was possibly partly responsible for the crash and the pilot saying they were miles off course. Possibly Jacob selected the plane because of certain people on the plane.

2. The sky turning purple occured after Desmond turned the key to destroy the hatch. This means the Other did the detective work after the plane crash. Possibly Ethan and Goodwin were to make a straight up list of the survivors - not who was good or bad - then send the list to Ben and/or Jacob to determine who was good or bad.

Now, I personally think that option 2 - they just lost contact - makes more sense. But it does not explaing the speed at which the other struck - that night of the crash picking the tail section people out - kinda implies alot of prior knowledge. Also, it does not explain why Ben did not seem surprised to see the oceanic plane crashing down.

So figuring out when the others lost contact with the outside world does seem to be pretty integral.

PS. Liked the Watership Down summary and ending prediction!

PPS. Cannot stop singing the Prince song 1999 - 'the sky was all purple there were people running everywhere' - go figure. Maybe Prince is Jacob....

[A Fan]

I love the podcast but you guys really need to sort your sound levels out. Two guys sitting inches from the mic, one of which talks loudly, one guy sitting on the other side of the room and the lady who is sitting at the end of your garden whispering (sorry I don't know your names).

Again, great podcast, this one small thing is the only thing holding it back from being perfect.

[Symbha]

Great podcast...

Some thoughts about Juliette. She's a very quick thinker. She instantly reacted to Jack's plan, by trying to kill another (2) birds with one stone. By killing Kate & Sawyer, she'd have been able to force Jack to let Ben die... and distance herself from her ultimate goal, and eliminate Jack in the process. Little did she know Jack would open his mouth... to her plan.

Another thought occured to me, if she was so certain that Jack would not let Ben die, why did she think he'd kill for her? Is this a continuity error? or was a bluff? Why would she be so concerned about convincing the Others he wouldn't let him die?

With regard to the brainwashing, is this why the Others consider themselves to be the good guys?

I don't know, it's all very fishy, maybe we'll figure it out next week.

[Oaktown_Funk]

great podcast...I didn't mind Tasha at all...nice to have some "ear candy" ya know?

[Jon W]

Finally watched the episode, definatley worth the wait.

Am I the only one that found that the Podcasted lastes 108 mins, Hate to be over-analitical but you know some Lost fans.....;-)

Great work guys
Jon

[Joop]

pod casters- 4
nervous giggles- 8
LSD comments- 15
LSD comments + creepy 'Freud like' mother fixation comments- 16
lame jokes- 23
the word 'interesting'- 42

*awkward silence*

[Will]

I think the sky only turned purple once -- when Desmond turned the failsafe key. When Desmond was late in entering the numbers and brought the Oceanic flight down, the sky didn't turn purple or make the loud noise. That was shown in the first five minutes of "Tale of Two Cities."

Also, has anyone noticed that recently the others seem perplexed and concerned about the purple sky event, but didn't even comment on it while it was happening (on the Pala dock)?

[Pete]

Great podcast as always, guys. I liked the Dr. Alpert/Baba Ram Das reference, and especially the backward audio from the brainwashing scene. I wonder if there's a Walt connection: perhaps the backmasked audio clip and the whispers are one and the same? We know that the Others threatened Walt with being sent to a room. Maybe his stints in the room coincide with the whispers. Could Karl have the ability to project himself, too? Maybe it's not brainwashing at all, but somehow forcing Karl to use psychic powers? If it's brainwashing, what memories are the Others trying to erase, or what idea are they trying to implant?

As far as the Jacob connection goes, perhaps his father is Isaac of Uluru, in Rose and Bernard's backstory. Also, some (?) of the tribes were "lost." Dan (as in Danny Pickett) might be another tribe reference. Of course, there's no tribe of Juliet, Karl, or Aldo :)

One more thing - I really appreciated the return of the idea of the Island's transformative power in Juliet's story. It's a theme I've missed ever since Locke lost sight of his "mission" (it came up a little in Eko's story, but I wasn't satisfied in the way it was tied so closely to the Monster). It's a good episode that can get Lost back to its roots in this way. I haven't heard as much about themes and big ideas lately as I have in the past. You guys are usually the podcast that discusses them most, so I was wondering what, thematically (as opposed to mythologically), you'd like to see this season, or that you've found most interesting?

-P

[Sarah]

My theory on who should expect the Grim Reeper: Claire. I love her, but she IS the most likely. Last fall we saw Desmond make a lightning rod so her tent wouldn't be hit, and in the LOST Moments (spoiler) we saw Demond run into the beach and bring back a drowning Claire (end spoiler), also in the promo we see Claire looking kind of devasted while a voiceover of her says, "Desmond, what's going on?" Unless another character starts getting lost of near-death experiences, it's going to be Claire... at least I think so.

My theory on the game-changer: Jack leaves the island. He was shooting We Are Marshall in New York during the LOST haitus and fan approached him and asked him why he wasn't in Hawaii filming LOST. He told them that shooting hasn't stopped yet, he just isn't shooting--and he wouldn't tell them why. Plus, the episode where we see why Jack gets his tatoos is the last Jack-centric episode for the season. It all adds up.

Love the podcast.
Stay LOST.

[Sarah]

Also, producers told us the game-changer would be within the first 3 episodes, & Jack's episode is the third.

[Sarah]

Also, producers told us the game-changer would be within the first 3 episodes, & Jack's episode is the third.

[Loren]

I'm just watching tonight's episode of Heroes, and the Gannon car rental brochure made another appearance. It was pretty obvious this time, as well. Wouldn't it be interesting if more connections started to pop up? It is strange, though, since Lost and Heroes are on competing networks. Still, im not complaining. Any extra easter eggs are fine with me.

[Kathy aka Fangirl]

One of the spoilery things I read

*AVERT YOUR EYES IF YOU DON'T LIKE SPOILERS OR SPOILERY STUFF*

The woman responsible for Jack's tatoos is signed on for at least 3 episodes and is an ex-lover of his. My guess (and its just a guess) is she's on the island and convinces Jack to switch sides.

[Adam]

Hey Guy!
Great podcast as usual.
Some nice insights into links with real-life philosophers etc

Lots of criticism of your style of podcasting this week ...
I think it's just fine - but maybe you should only take one 'e' each before the show next week. ;)
I think the critics around here may just be the same people that gave this episode a 9 (or less) on the fuselage!

It's good to hear a female voice on the 'cast as well.
We'd love to hear more from you, Tasha!

With such a long time to go with a 'cast every week, have you considered doing a couple of variations to break it up a little?
Maybe another skypecast after a few episodes ... or have a 'cast to update current theories and/or give answers to those unanswered questions that keep bugging us (if any answers are given!)

Just a thought.
Obviously, we'll be just as happy with a regular podcast each week! :)

Anyway, this episode of Lost was easily one of the best.
The remainder of this series is going to kick ass!

Thanks for collecting all things LOST out there and condensing them into such a great show each week.
Don't know what we'd do without you!

Stay Lost and Namaste and all that other good crap.

[Nimrod]

Great podcast, guys. One thing, though:

Why do people have the impression that Sawyer was the only one being distracted in room 23? Both Alex and, especially, Kate were both very fascinated by the psychedelic multimedia show, and were totally paralyzed for quite some time. They just snapped out of it quicker than Sawyer.

Could still mean that he is easier to hypnotize than the girls, but I just thought I'd put that one straight.

Good to have you back.

Cheers
Nimrod

[I_Love_Sayid...&_Lostcasts]

@ Pete

You bring up some really great points.
Nice catch with the Isaac of Uluru. If we're not to be enslaved by time and space and the confinds of time are irrelevant, then there's no need to assume that generations can't coexist and posibly have a causal relationship in both directions...ok, that's pretty out there ;)

But even more out there... If Isaac of Uluru is Ben's grandfather, and he knew about Claire's baby and delibrately sent her to the island, then maybe Turnip Head is actually Isaac's or Ben's baby, or Jacob's? Maybe that's why they wanted to take him... it's like they're harvesting children and creating some kind of promised people tribe. If they have a connection to the outside world and can easily manipulate people and events outside the island, then maybe Jin's baby, Alex and even Clementine are Ben's kids? ooo...maybe everyone is. OK, I've officially gone to far and I've driven your completely good point into the ground, sorry 'bout that.

[elle]

LOVE your podcasts - but I have to say I just don't see the point of having Tasha there. If she had an opinion on anything, or would contribute more than a distracting (annoying) giggle, then I might understand. But it's a better podcast with just you guys. Adding her in there for a "female perspective" just makes the rest of us look silly and brainless. If you can't find anyone good, just stick with your original format - I thought it was working just fine!

[freeman]

I really enjoy your podcast, but I feel your reading of Cracked Magazine's LOST predictions was below you. You guys usually have more class than that.
Also, give Tasha a mic. Why have guests if you can't hear them, even if they don't talk much?

[frankmorris]

I like Tasha there, if only to keep your unbridled geekness in check. Maybe you could give her a small segment like the Lost Chicks had (& a mic).

[Kathy aka Fangirl]

Not sure if you guys would be interested by televisionwithoutpity.com do some intensive recapping of episodes. It's great if you ever miss an episode and can't get the download or if those overseas want to get the details. They are fairly detailed and usually are 10-12 pages long. Here's the current one: http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/articles/content/a12810/

They recap a lot of shows. Some recappers are better than others. The woman who does Top Chef was hysterical and the one who does Heroes is pretty funny. Most are pretty snarky.

[frankmorris]

jinx...you geek :)

[alex's slingshot]

television without pity is awesome. i never miss an episode and read the LOST recaps anyway because of all the snarky goodness.

[Justin]

you know, you say you want to get back to the beach crew, but the beach-centered episode "further instructions" was by far the worst of the season. i'd say the only non-others stuff that was remotely compelling was eko's story. i'm really not looking forward to the lame hurley/charlie comedy team. nor more baby drama with sun and claire.

[dIsMal rAbBiT]

Great episode I felt it was going somwhere with the story and building of season 3, also had greater pace. Im glad karl is not dead hopefully he will give us some insight on the others. Its Lost though so probably not.

[Pete]

One more thing regarding names: I just noticed on a list of Atlantic tropical cyclone (hurricane/tropical storm) names for the 2010 season that we have three Lost characters on the list: Alex, Danielle, and Karl (there's also a Walter...). According to the naming scheme, Alex is supposed to be a guy, but let's not let that ruin our fun. Perhaps someone at the National Weather Service is a Lost fan? Or did the Lost folks pick some of their names by looking through storm name lists?The list of upcoming storm names is at:

http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/B2.html

(Lest you think there's a method to this madness, you can find more or less any common name you want by looking through the lists of names. Look for Lost characters in the 2009 list, for example. But it's fun to speculate.)

[LOSTnlovinit]

@RR (and everyone):

The Brainwashing backwards reveals "Only fools are enslaved by time and space"

http://blogs.usatoday.com/popcandy/2007/02/some_serious_lo.html

[sam]

ok, duno if this was already said, but it has been wracking my brain for the past 6 days!!!
So, when Jack asks Tom why they didn't take Ben off of the island to get the surgery done, he said that they couldn't since the "sky turned purple," my guess is the first time Desmond forgot to push the button. Now, if this is true, then these next things must also be true:
1. Mike and Walt can't get off of the island. I mean, if the others can't do it, then who can?? This IS their island and their area, ya know.
2. Juliet got PLAYED!! She would have let Ben die and let Kate and Sawyer go if Ben didn't say that he would let her leave. Once again, if the Others can't leave, WHO CAN???
Just trying to figure this one out, because Tom didn't seem to be in a lieing state @ that moment because he seemed a little discombobulated by what was going on.
Also, Tom had a major Hurley moment when he was in the operating room and holding the blood, he almost passed out like Hurley did in the first season when Jack was working on the Marshal!! Man, I love LOST!!

Stay LOST
Sam

[sam]

ok, duno if this was already said, but it has been wracking my brain for the past 6 days!!!
So, when Jack asks Tom why they didn't take Ben off of the island to get the surgery done, he said that they couldn't since the "sky turned purple," my guess is the first time Desmond forgot to push the button. Now, if this is true, then these next things must also be true:
1. Mike and Walt can't get off of the island. I mean, if the others can't do it, then who can?? This IS their island and their area, ya know.
2. Juliet got PLAYED!! She would have let Ben die and let Kate and Sawyer go if Ben didn't say that he would let her leave. Once again, if the Others can't leave, WHO CAN???
Just trying to figure this one out, because Tom didn't seem to be in a lieing state @ that moment because he seemed a little discombobulated by what was going on.
Also, Tom had a major Hurley moment when he was in the operating room and holding the blood, he almost passed out like Hurley did in the first season when Jack was working on the Marshal!! Man, I love LOST!!

Stay LOST
Sam

[jg]

I have been perseverating about Biblical names and Lost. Is "Jack" really Jack's name or is it a nickname? I'm guessing the Others would have divulged this when Juliet read him his dosier.

Other Jacob, Benjamin associated names:
Isaac=Jacobs Dad (good pick up and the speculation is fun)

Sons of Jacob by wife in order of birth (D = Daughter)
WIFE-CHILDREN
Leah -Reuben (1) Simeon (2) Levi (3) Judah (4) Issachar (9) Zebulun (10) Dinah (D)
Rachel -Joseph (11) Benjamin (12)
Bilhah (Rachel's servant)-Dan (5) Naphtali (6)
Zilpah (Leah's servant)-Gad (7) Asher (8)

Most of these remaing names are pretty unusual. I doubt if we'll see them.
Cheers
jg

[kermitheFrog]

please please please please please please please GET RID OF THE GIRL!!!!!!! she serves ZERO purpose and is a HORRIBLE compromise to the show! she is almost as bad as P and Nikki!! please bring death to her!

[Cihan]

Uh, chill out dude.

[Tahir]

I'm gonna go out on a limb here but I think Jacob is Alexs' father.

No.1 - Lost producers have made it, seemingly obvious, that Ben is her father.Don't fall for that one says I.

No.2 - Its very very subtle but I reckon, during the 'wookie' scene, Alex is refering to someone else other than Ben.

No.3 - Ben being Alexs' father throws mass confusion in abundance about Danielles' part in this whole caper.

I'll end this part by saying I could be totally wrong.

My other point.
A few folks have been a bit rude about one member of the last podcast in respect that the person did not contribute much.There is some truth in that but please remember that the Lostcast dudes provide us with a fantastic FREE podcast each week (well....mostly every week ;) ) and they give up some of their free time to do this for us.
There is no better Lost podcast out there so enjoy it, tiny flaws and all.

[Kathy aka Fangirl]

Happy Lost Day!

I don't think the sky went puple because the button failed to be pushed. I think the sky went purple when Desmond turned the key and blew the hatch up.

[jg]

Regarding Tasha: She is a rookie. She will warm up and contribute. These guys have been doing this a long time, 43 podcasts to be precise. I imagine if I was to suddenly join a longstanding podcast group of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt, I would "hang back" too. However, one thing does bother me. That is, every female science fiction fan laughs and snorts, i.e. giggle giggle snort giggle sort giggle snort. I have not heard any snorting. But again , she probably needs some acclimation time or the level of "humor" has not met her standard.
Cheers.
jg

[Ruth]

In the recent issue of Total Film magazine Matthew Fox is compared to George Clooney
"Time will tell if the Lost star can emulate Gorgeous George and turn a landmark TV role into a lasting career. Fox's sports drama We Are Marshall stiffed, but he seems set for better luck with Vantage Point"

I thought people might be interested to know.
Can't wait for Lost tonight

[Monkey in the UK]

Great Podcast guys (as always).
As well as keeping us people up to date in the UK, your humour makes my sunday afternoon! I love your blend of info, fun, jokes, silences and geekyness!

Not sure if you guys are aware that the UK is only four days behind you now (Your new Episode airs Wednesday, ours Sunday after that).

Please keep it up guys.

Thanks - N.

PS. You need a better spoiler section tho, theres huge amounts of spoilers that you guys must choose to leave out... for some reason.

[Rob van den Berg]

Did someone translate the talk (lipreading) of Ben while he was talking to Juliet?

[Tina]

Can someone please refresh my memory as to why Charlie kidnapped Sun way back when? It was mentioned that this will come up and for the life of me I can't recall why he did that.

Thanks!

[Jur]

@Tina

This was in the Long Con in which Sawyer tricked Locke with the help of Charlie to get the guns from the hatch.
And then there was a new sheriff in town.

[Symbha]

@Tina,
IIRC, it was part of Sawyer's con to get the guns.

@All You Tasha Haters,
You need to remember that there is a living, breathing, thinking, feeling, PERSON at the other end of your insults. Try at least being constructive.

[frankmorris]

Well said.

[I_Love_Sayid....and_Lostcasts]

HAPPY LOST DAY!!!

Have you guys seen the article about black holes in the new National Geographic?

Stay Lost!

[Cameron]

I am not sure if this was mentioned but there is a new official LOST podcast out now (it might have been out for a couple of days).

Looking forward to next episode and LOSTCast.

I hope Tasha returns. She was a good addition, and I think with a few more episodes she will find her place. Matt Jones took some flack when he started, yet he soon became a mainstay of the show. I think that 4 podcasters is a good number to get some variation in ideas, emphasis etc.

As others have mentioned: we are getting this for free and we all look forward to it as much as the episodes. So let's try to keep it constructive.

Tasha: please hang in there for a few more episodes.

[Jon W]

I dont know whether thins has been discoverd as of yet but I'll post it here just to be safe

http://mittelosbioscience.org/

Check it out

Jon

[Jon W]

^^^
Fake site you think? Doesnt really look authentic to me

Jon

[Kathy aka Fangirl]

As far as I have read, it is not an official site. I've seen it pop up on a bunch of lost message boards and everyone has said it is indeed a hoax.

And since no one else has said it - HAPPY Valentine's Day to everyone!

[ebonX]

Man ... I just read thru some theory that EW mentioned and it is imho really good, but it is kind of long ...

http://losthematheory.com/default.aspx

[Nash]

Widmore painting flipped horizontally showing the word "Nameste" and a polar bear:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ilagentesegreto/390792333/

[Bekka]

Jack's Tatoos...One of Lost's Biggest Mysteries? Seriously?

[alex's slingshot]

okay THAT was awesome.

[alex's slingshot]

and by "THAT" i mean tonight's episode

[Sobaika]

I just finished watching this week's episode and it was AMAZING. Confusing at first and weird to be almost completely off the island but it was one of the greatest episodes of Lost within the last year, if not in the show's course. The weak beginning (Charlie and Hurley playing detective?) was more than made up for.

@ Bekka
Who knows, the three mysteries may be referring to the others and Cindy. And the tattoo thing may not be a mystery but something the fans have wanted to know for a while.

[atomicned]

Wow. Definitely one of my favorite episodes ever of LOST. Very Twilight Zone-ish. Anybody notice that in the scene when Desmond is "back" in the real world and talking to Penny about his job interview, Sarah McLachlan's "Building a Mystery" was playing in the background? Nice song choice and I'm SURE it was intentionally picked for that scene.

[Sobaika]

Also, anyone notice that ABC's recycling its actors a bit? First Alpert was from Daybreak and in this week's eppy Penny's father was from Ugly Betty.

Also, anyone questioning how Desmond's photograph survived the implosion?

[rob v-day]

perfect episode. exactly the reason i (we?) watch LOST. It managed to make me question everything I had seen to date, similar to the Hurley episode, but with a lot more emotion, gravity, and symbolism. Best of all, Charlie should die soon!!!

[Nash]

Hurley reading "Laughter in the Dark" from Sawyer's stash:
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=390808370&size=o

[Lorne]

This episode was really great ONLY if you know about the Valenzetti equation, which has only been dealt with online.
Otherwise, to normal viewers, it was probably the most confusing thing ever.
Oh, and was the physics prof the same actor as the genetics prof in India on Heroes?

[Sobaika]

Yeah, same guy from Heroes.

[Sobaika]

My little half-baked theory as of yet:

The point of this episode was to show that Desmond could not change the future: Charlie's impending death. (To which I say "Helllll yeah!") The old ring lady says that the universe fixes any mistakes, making sure whatever is supposed to happen, WILL happen. Desmond tries saving Charlie repeatedly but finally comes to the same conclusion - that he can't change the future.

But right at the end of his flashback, Desmond yells at the bartender to duck and Des gets hit in the face with the bat himself - this wasn't supposed to happen, he successfully changes things and gets hurt as as result. I think this is proof that things can be changed and is forshadowing that Desmond will try and save Charlie from death only to die in his place.

Come on, its LOST. They won't tell us that Charlie is going to die and proceed to kill him off as promised. There will be some sort of a twist, and my guess is this is it.

[Lorne]

Wow, didn't even come close to this obvious Lost/Heroes crossover.
Desmond can play with time and is trying to save Charlie, but fate is fate. (We'll see how it plays out)
Hiro can play with time and is trying to save Charlie, but fate is fate.
Weird...

[Nash]

HD screenshots from tonight's episode:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ilagentesegreto/sets/72157594536683086/

[Sobaika]

Significance of Charlie's singing in front of Desmond?

"Maybe.....You're gonna be the one that saves me"

That's exactly what happens - Desmond tries to save him.

Oh Lost... so darn clever haha.

[Nash]

Sawyer's stash:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ilagentesegreto/390808418/in/set-72157594536683086/

Desmond's flashbacks:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ilagentesegreto/390834524/in/set-72157594536683086/

Widmore's office:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ilagentesegreto/390834973/in/set-72157594536683086/

[Nash]

boat flashback:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ilagentesegreto/390835143/in/set-72157594536683086/

Desmond and Penelope photo:
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=390835886&context=set-72157594536683086&size=o

Royal Scots recruitment poster:
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=390835858&context=set-72157594536683086&size=o