LOST blog updates and link

Season 5 is over (boo hoo) but the LOST fun doesn't end there.

~ About this season ~

I finally got around to reading everyone's recap posts and all the other LOST stuff and now I'll have to rewatch the finale this weekend to get it all straight in my mind. Is anyone else rewatching?

Here are some things I came across that you might enjoy ...

Two people posted translations of the famous phrase from the season finale. Any speculation on what that means exactly?

-What lies in the shadow of the statue?
-Ille qui nos omnis servabit.

He who will save us all (or He who will protect us all).

And here are a few more recaps of the season 5 finale:

• at Tor.com - from three points of view
  
• at TheLostDiary.com - minute by minute
  
• at SciFiWire.com - with lots of other opinions included
• at TheDisneyBlog.com - with some interesting analysis
  

Finally, links to some interesting tidbits:

• a note on the season 5 finale's viewer ratings

~ What Is To Come (on this blog) ~

• This summer we'll feature a rewatch of Season 3, complete with episode recaps and analysis (right Amy?). Watch for an announcement coming soon with details on that.
  
  
• New reviews of books featured on LOST will appear from time to time. If you haven't officially joined the reading challenge you can do that here. It is easy - just 5 book to read before the end of the final season next year - you can do it!
  
  
• Amy will be hosting some mini-challenges in the near future. These are open to everyone (you don't have to be part of the reading challenge to participate) and will feature some fun LOST prizes. I can't wait to see what she's got planned for us. Come back on Monday to find out all the details.
  
  
• And here is where I ask for YOUR input. Is there something you'd like to see on the LOST Books Challenge Blog? Please post your ideas and suggestions in the comments or email me at SharingMyStory@yahoo.com. I'd love to hear from you!
  

LOST Season Finale Recaps: The Incident

Oh my gosh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My mind is totally blown!!! What in the world is next season going to be about??

Anyway, I'm dying to read all of your recaps and I wanted to let you know that I have some fun things in store for the challenge coming up!

A new mini-challenge will be posted Monday and starting in June, we'll be rewatching Season 3! We'll post a viewing schedule in a bit, but Swapna of S.Krishna's books and I will be posting our chats as we rewatch here. We invite you to join us!

Okay....share your links below! (Heather might add a recap to this blog later...)

[Note from Heather: I DO have a recap coming but I'm at the doctors with Kiddo this morning and will get it up ASAP.]

~~~~~

Heather's Recap:

Sorry for the delay in getting this posted … too much going on over here.

So … SEASON FINALE – woohoo!

Did anyone watch the one hour show before the finale? I thought they did a great job of recapping the season and also adding some info I didn’t know about before. For example, they said that Ben killed John in order to get back to the island. There were other things that were new to me as well, but honestly I can’t remember them this morning. Was there anything that stood out to you from that show?

Ok, now for my thoughts on the actual finale, in no specific order …

• JACOB! He was on the island with someone who is his nemesis way back when the statue was still whole. And was that the slave ship we saw out to see, the one they survivors found in the jungle a few seasons ago? But where did Jacob and the other guy come from?
  
  
• Speaking of Jacob, he has visited the O6 back in the real world at various times. He visited Kate, John, Jack, Sun & Jin, and Hurley … is there anyone I’m missing? Why was he there? What was he doing? Theories anyone?
  
  
• Rose and Bernard are back! And they’re … retired? And living with Victor the dog? A bit cheesey but oh well. I AM glad to see them back and doing well. But it doesn’t explain where the rest of the Oceanic 815 survivors are.
  
  
• John Locke IS NOT John Locke! Some of us suspected that might be the case, given his complete change in personality but I did NOT suspect this particular plot twist – he is Jacob’s nemesis reincarnated?! That means he is not the smoke monster, right? But Smokey DID tell Ben to obey Locke, so does that mean that Smokey is on the side of Jacob’s nemesis?
  
  
• And what did Jacob do to Richard to make him note age?
  
  
• And the END – what is up with the end?!?!?! Juliette gives up Sawyer (BOO!), Jack is ready to change history because he lost Kate (ugh!), and did the bomb finally go off or not? AAAHHH!
  

I’m sure I’m missing some things here to please chime in with your opinions and post your links. Let’s get the conversation started!

~~~~~

ANOTHER TWO UPDATES:

1 - Anyone want to rewatch Season 3? Amy and Swapna are planning to do it sometime this summer. They'll be posting a viewing schedule soon in case anyone wants to join in. And I'm sure they'll be doing episode recaps, so be sure to come back and check them out.

2 - Amy will be posting a new mini-challenge on Monday. It's open to everyone, whether you are part of the LOST Books Challenge or just here for the episode recaps. I can't wait to see what it will be!

Tonight's LOST Season Finale

Can you believe that this season of LOST is coming to an end tonight?! It seems like it just started but in reality we've had 15 episodes to move this convoluted story forward.

As for me, I know I'll be in LOST withdrawal for the next few months. In order to get my LOST fix I'll be re-watching old episodes and reading some of the books referenced in the show.

For those of you who come to this blog only for the weekly recap posts, I encourage you to consider joining our reading challenge (details here). It it a great way to gain insight into the craziness that is LOST and also to keep up conversations between us fans in the off season.

Do any of you have plans for a LOST season finale party? I want to hear all the details, so please share! If you do have something planned, I'm jealous - none of my real-life friends are into it so I'll be watching all by my lonesome.

Previews of the LOST Season Finale

If you want to see four 1-minute clips from Wednesday night's LOST season finale then hop on over to SciFi.com and check them out!

I watched the first one and part of the second before realizing that I'd really rather not know what is coming tomorrow night ...

Episode Recap: "Follow the Leader"

Ok, I FINALLY have my laptop back so I'll be writing this post as I watch the show.

• Richard to Locke: "There's something different about you." You got that right buddy.
• Ben says Richard has been an "advisor" for a long, long time. Yeah, that is not really helpful ... can you be a bit more specific?
• Richard: "I watched them all die." ?!?!?!!?
• So Dharmaville is built over top of the bomb site ... AND over top of Smokey's lair? Not sure how that lines up ...
• Uh oh, Radzinsky and Phil are teaming up on Sawyer. This can't be good. And now Phil is beating on Juliette!
• "There's no such thing as the Korean War." Poor Hugo, he must not have paid attention in history class.
• "Let's just say love can be complicated." That is certainly an understatement on LOST.
• Ok so LOST time travel has finally confused me completely. Resurrected-John just told Richard what to say to Injured-John, setting in motion the whole return to the island scenario. REALLY?! How exactly does that work?
• The island is talking to John. Ben doesn't get it and Richard is somewhat in shock. I'd be in shock too.
  
• Who is in charge in Dharmaville? Chang, Radzinsky, Horace, or someone else? And has that person been in charge all along, or has it changed due to the crisis?
• SAYID IS BACK!!!!
• Back to the bomb thing - the Others used the tunnels to get the bomb safely underground. Why didn't they just dig a big hole? Or were they never intending to use those tunnels again? Personally I wouldn't want to be wandering around down there with a bomb sitting nearby.
• I really thought Sawyer was going to send Juliette on to that sub by herself at the last minute.
  
• Sayid to Jack: "If this works you might just save us all. And if it doesn't, at least you'll put us out of our misery." I think this will be my favorite line of the night.
• Is is just me, or has Sun been pretty pathetic this whole episode? She hasn't had anything particularly intelligent to say ...
• Hmm, are Richard and Ben still working together? Not sure yet but it IS a possibility.
• Oohoo! They are NOT happy to see Kate getting on that sub.
• The sub dive scene reminds me of the old 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ride at Disney.
• John wants to kill Jacob? But I thought he wasn't sure Jacob even existed. Or maybe that is what the island is telling him to do?
  

I'm not sure that blogging while watching the show was the best idea ... this post seems a bit long to me! I don't think I'll be doing that again.

What did you all think about this episode? Please share your thoughts in the comments and post your links below.

Next week's episode looks really good ... can you believe we are just 2 episode-hours away from the end of the season?! Oh, the horror!



UPDATE: Here's the link to this week's round-table discussion at tor.com.

A New Influence: WIRED Maganize

New link to post: EW.com's recap of "The Variable". It is really long but the first page is the one I'm interested in. It analyzes the significance of the magazine at Faraday's house ... very interesting!

This goes well with the whole point of this blog, to give a closer look at the books referenced in the show. Yes, I know this is a magazine not a book, but I still think it is important.

Episode Recap: "The Variable"

Can you believe this is the 100th episode of LOST?! Exciting stuff!

Here are the random thoughts I jotted down while watching this episode:

• Little Charlie is so cute! I do hope his daddy is alright. UPDATE: Yes, he IS ok!
  


• Mrs. Hawking was one mean mama. No piano for you little Daniel, and no girlfriend either.
  


• Faraday: "I'm ... from the future." Ha.
  


• Phil is in the kitchen cabinet. Now that's gotta hurt.
  


• Sawyer to Faraday: "Welcome to the meeting Twitchy."
  


• What happened to Faraday's memory? Is it b/c he experimented on himself so much? But if so, why did he move on to experimenting on Theresa? Did something go wrong AFTER the Theresa debacle?
  


• Ellie Other IS Eloise Hawking. We knew it all along, didn't we? UPDATE: I wish they would have kept the same actress from the 1950s Others - I liked her Ellie much better.
  


• Sawyer calling Faraday HG Wells = hilarious
  


• Radzinsky is NUTS. Why were he and his goons toting around guns in the first place? What were they up to?
  


• Mrs. Hawking looked very creepy when she told Daniel that going back to the island would make her proud. What's up with her? Does she know something bad will happen to him? UPDATE: Daniel IS the son of Ellie and Charles (another thing we highly suspected) and mom definitely knows something bad is going to happen to him back on the island. UPDATE UPDATE: Mom shot her son!!!! AAAAHHHH! How could she tell him to go back when she knew that was going to happen?!?!?!?!
  


• Desmond really is OK. *huge sigh of relief*

Very exciting episode in my opinion. What do you all think?

My burning questions for this week:

1. WHY did Mrs. Hawking send Daniel back knowing full well what would happen? What mother could DO that?!
   


2. I'm feeling hopeful that Des and Pen will have a happy ending after all ... do you agree/disagree?
   


3. What's the deal with Radzinsky? Is there something going on we don't know about?
   


4. Was Daniel right, people really are the variables? Or was he wrong, and they really can't change anything?

Link up to your review and/or share your thoughts in the comments. Go on, get going!

Suing Desmond?!

Yep, you read that right - someone is suing Henry Ian Cusick (aka Desmond) ... and you won't believe what the charge is.

Read all about it at this link, then come back and share your thoughts here. You may want to read some of the comments on that post as well (or maybe not, as they are rather "heated" ...).

Episode Recap: Oceanic 6 Retrospective ...

No, I'm not really going to recap Wednesday night's episode so don't worry. However, I WOULD like to know what you all thought of it. (Of course, if you did your own recap feel free to link to it in the comment section.)

1. Did you learn anything you didn't already know?
2. Did it help to see things in the order that they happened?
3. Was it helpful in any (other) way?
4. Was it a waste of an episode?
5. Why do you think the network did it?

Please post a comment with your answers to any/all of these. Curious minds want to know!

I'll get things started ...

1. Nope.
2. Actually, yes, quite, especially the first 1/2 of the episode.
   
3. Only as a reminder of what went on before ... but I could have done without that.
4. Um, yes ...
   
5. To make the season last one more week to keep the viewers around longer.

Cynical? Me?! No way.

What do YOU think?

Season Finale Spoilers?

Michael Emerson, the ever-lovable Ben (NOT!), was interviewed on SciFiWire.com regarding the upcoming season finale. I haven't watched it yet because I really don't want to know ANYTHING that is coming up ... but maybe you do? Here's the link ... feel free to comment below and tell me if I should watch it or not!

Episode Recap: "Some Like It Hoth"

What an episode! This week I jotted notes as I was watching - here's what I was thinking as the show progressed:

• Miles WAS the baby we saw with the Dharma Doc a few episodes ago. Does he know who his father is?!


• "Circle of Trust" - HA! That is such a typical Island phrase, don't you think?


• I think Juliette could have come up with a better explanation for Ben's disappearance. What was she doing all the time that Sawyer and Kate were gone?!


• Aha! Miles DOES know who his father is.


• Hmm, I kinda like young punk Miles.


• I'd completely forgotten about the Miles/Naomi connection. I'm so used to thinking of him as part of our main group that I forgot he was a freighter-ite.


• Jack could have handled Roger's suspicions about Kate a bit better.


• Hurley in the van with Miles and Dharma Doc = hilarious.


• "Cause they're building our hatch." - Hurley


• Again with the "shadow of the statue" thing - who ARE these guys? Were they on the Ajira flight with Ilana? The guy talking to Miles looks very familiar ...


• Hurley is writing Star Wars!


• "Get some rope." - Sawyer


• Hurley comparing Miles to Luke Skywalker = classic.


• Who are the scientists on the boat going to be? I bet there's someone we recognize. And it's Faraday. Ha! That totally debunks my theory, but I remember thinking that he could have left the island too. (Didn't we discuss this at some point? I'm certain it was on one of your blogs....)

I'm not sure what to think about next week's episode. It reminds me of the Survivor episodes when they post a bunch of random clips just to give you a better idea of what is going on at camp. I usually skip those episodes. Do you think there will be anything new in next week's Lost, or do you think it will just be a chronological retelling of clips we've already seen?

So ... thoughts? Analysis? Theories? Favorite lines of the night? Link up to your post and let us in on your thoughts or post a comment and share right here.

Episode Recap: "Dead is Dead"

This episode certainly had lots of info in it! Here are my random thoughts for today:

• GO DESMOND! I was so concerned that Ben was going to kill Penny or Charlie and I was THRILLED with the beating Des gave him.


• I like the new John Locke ... he's sort of "zen" don't you think?


• Ben is such a liar! I know, I know, nothing new there. But MAN! He had a different story for every person he talked to. How does he not get confused?!


• Do we think Cesar is DEAD dead, or just "island" dead (meaning he comes back over and over again)?


• What did you think of the Ben/Rousseau episode? As a mom, I think I'd have attacked the guy who was taking my baby, but who knows ... all I can say is that my heart was breaking for her.


• Penny was born to a "non-islander" and apparently never lived on the island herself. Charles's "off-island" affair seems to have led to Ben's takeover as leader of The Others.


• Ben's Dharmaville house has a secret, hieroglyphic-covered passage. If the Dharma-ites built those houses, what were THEY doing with that passage? And who lived there before Ben?!


• It looks like everyone who speculated about the ancient Egyptian connection might be right. There were definitely hieroglyphics down there and lots of Egyptian-type imagery.


• So ... Smokey shows a person things from his/her past. That certainly jives with what we've seen so far (remember Mr. Eko?). But what did Smokey see in Ben that kept it from killing him?


• Is Alex really alive, or was she a manifestation of Smokey or "island magic"?


• Ilana appears to be the head of yet ANOTHER group of dangerous people ... who is she connected to? I don't think it is Ben ... Charles, maybe? Someone else?

I'm sure I've missed something - feel free to add more in the comments. Oh, and the previews for next week look great. I can't wait to see more about Dr. Whatever-His-Real-Name-Is and what he is REALLY doing on the island. And we get to learn more about Miles too - yeah!

What did you think about this episode? Comment or post a link to your recap/analysis below.

Faraday Theory

Amy's recap this week got me thinking about Faraday and now I've come up with a theory. I mentioned this in the comment section of a few blogs but I'm posting it here because I want your input.


Here's my theory:

We've discussed the idea that island Ellie is actually Faraday's mom, Mrs. Hawking. I'm pretty sure that is the case. (We've also discussed the possibility that she is young Charles Widmore's girlfriend/wife. I think this is likely as well.)

I think Faraday went a bit loopy after all the time travel stuff and seeing Charlotte as a child. He couldn't stop trying to find a way to fix things. So he defected to The Others to join his mother, who he knew would be there. Then he spent the next several years teaching her all she needs to know so that in the "future" she can send the O6 back to the island (like we saw her do earlier this season) and MAYBE even fix the timeline for everyone.

So ... crazy theory or logical LOST plot progression? You decide.

Episode Recap: "Whatever Happened, Happened"

So sorry for my absence last week ... but I'm here now!

Lots going on this week for sure. Here's what we've got:

• Kate and Juliette's motherly instincts kick in and they both try to save Ben's life. Stereotypical women or legitimate plot point? You decide.

• What is Roger going to do to Ben now that he knows about the stolen keys?


• Kate and Cassidy stayed close friends during the "past" three years.


• Clare's mom DOES have Aaron. I know some of you suspected it but I was doubtful - I thought Kate left him with Cassidy.


• Ben's going to forget about the shooting (hence the reason he doesn't recognize Sayid later ... which means Ben won't see Sayid again, right?) but is he going to forget about freeing Sayid? How much memory will be gone?


• Charles Widmore and Ellie are still with The Others. Is Ellie actually Mrs. Faraday? Is the situation with Ben what drives Charles from the island? (And speaking of Faraday, where the heck IS he?!)


• Richard took Ben to the temple! Hopefully we'll find out next time what he did there.

Some great lines:

• Sawyer about Juliette: "I'm doing this for her." Yea!


• Richard about Ben: "His innocence will be gone." What exactly does that mean?


• Locke to Ben: "Welcome back to the land of the living." Oooooh.

My favorite part? The conversation between Hurley and Miles about time travel. HA! That was GREAT! Is it just me, or is that the same conversation we've all been having with other LOST fans all season?!

I'm sure I'm missing some stuff so please, comment away. And be sure to post the link to YOUR recap/analysis in Mr. Linky below.*

*Dare I admit that I haven't had time to read all your posts from last week? But I WILL - I promise, I will.

He's Our You Recaps

Hi everyone!

No recap here today...just add your links into the linky!

And OMG Sayid shot kid Ben!!!!!

Episode Recap: "Namaste"

ABC.com says "When some old friends drop in unannounced, Sawyer is forced to further perpetuate his lie in order to protect them." Is it just me, or is that the lamest summary you've ever heard?

Well, a few questions were answered this week ...

• the baby IS Ethan
• Sun and Frank WERE the ones who stole the boat
• the plane did LAND on the other island (it didn't break up in the sky like Oceanic 816)

But more questions were raised ...

• why didn't Sun disappear from the plane with the rest of the O6?
• what are they going to do with Sayid?
• and did the preview hint that Sayid is planning to kill child-Ben?
• does Phil suspect something is going on with "LaFleur" and the "new recruits"?
• what happened to Faraday?
• how are Sun and Frank going to get back in time?

A few things I particularly liked ...

• Sawyer: "It's 1977." Hurley: "Oh ... what?"
• Sun whacking Ben with the oar - oh yeah!
• Dr. Change to Jack: "Based on your aptitude test you'll be doing janitorial work."

And did anyone else expect to see Faraday come of that door and not Christian in that scene at present-day Dharma with Sun and Frank?

Post the link to your recap/analysis in Mr. Linky below. I'm looking forward to everyone's opinions this week.

One question for you ... was this episode worth the two-week-wait?

Teasers for kid-Ben

On Monday SciFiWire.com posted excerpts from an interview with the actor who plays Benjamin Linus as a child. There aren't exactly "spoilers" about the next episode but there certainly are some "hints" ... check it out here.

Missing Lost ...

If this was a normal Thursday, I'd be happily reading all the show recaps and analysis. Alas, this was a LOST-free week ... how depressing.

Since there is usually so much activity here on Thursdays I felt like I should pop in and at least say hello. And then I figured I'd post some miscellaneous LOST videos - so enjoy!

Talking with Terry Quinn, aka John Locke:


The action-figure-LOST-recap of "The Little Prince":

Have any of you been watching those odd little action-figure recaps? I saw the first one ... odd, that's all I can say. Odd.

Recap of the polar bear incident:

Once you get past the Season 5 preview, there is a recap of the polar bear scene. We have a good idea how the polar bear got into the desert now, but do we have any idea WHY? Was is a Dharma test, an Others test, an accident, or something else entirely?

Interesting analysis:

This was actually quite good - I may have to look up the rest of his recaps.


That's all I have for now. It isn't enough to take the place on a missing episode of LOST but it will have to do.

Episode Recap: "LaFluer"

ABC.com says .... Sawyer perpetuates a lie with some of the other island survivors in order to protect themselves from mistakes of the past.

~~~~~~~~~

Well, talk about introducing a whole host of new characters! Ok, ok, so we've met some of them before ... Horace was the dead guy Locke met, and we've seen the dark-haired guy from the first scene before, right? Amy IS new though. And her baby boy ... I wonder who he grows up to be, and do we know him?!

I loved this episode but I must admit, the previews were misleading. I thought we'd at least get to see Sawyer's reaction to the 06's arrival, but no - we get the same staring look that we saw in the previews.

And now have to wait TWO WEEKS to find out what they all say when they see each other?!?! Not fair ABC, not fair at all.

Soooo ... what did you all think of this week's episode? Comments, questions, theories? The comment section is officially open for your input. Here are a few quetions to get you going ...

• What do you think of the new, kinder, gentler Sawyer?
  
  
• And speaking of Sawyer, will he drop Juliet for Kate? Will Kate expect him to? And will Juliet want Jack back? Which match-up do you prefer?


• What is Jin going to do once he realizes Sun is back ... without the baby?! And what will he think of her new "scary" persona?


• Are the Ajira 316 people and Locke in the same time period as the O6? If not, is there more time travel in store?


• Does anyone remember when the Dharma Purge happened? Is it coming up soon in the original timeline?


• Is Ben at Dharma yet?! You'd think that would have come up if he was, but you never know ...
  
  
• And did anyone notice which book(s) Sawyer was reading this time around?
  

Please discuss!

As always, if you've recapped on your blog, add your link to Mr. Linky below.

Episode Recap: "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham"

ABC.com's episode summary: Locke's fateful mission off the island as Jeremy Bentham is revealed.

Gotta love those one-liners, huh?

This episode was fantastic! Lots of action, lots of characters, some answers, and more questions ... classic Lost!

Here's a bit of what we learned this week:

• Tunisia is THE exit for the island. Is that where Widmore ended up when he left too? And is that where Charlotte found the bones of the polar bear with the Dharma collar on? I think it is, and I'm guessing Dharma experimented with transporting animals before trying it on people.
• Matthew Abadon works for Charles Widmore. And just when we think we're getting somewhere with Abadon, learing a bit about his background, BAM - he's dead. That splatter of blood on the back of the car was a shocker for sure. Any insight on what Abadon was trying to do when he visited Hurley a while back?
• Speaking of Widmore, he remembers meeting lock when he was 17 and living on the island. I assume that's how he knew to send Abadon to Locke when Locke was in rehab.
• Sayid worked for Ben for 2 years and is now trying to do some good. We still don't know why he turned on Ben though.
• Walt is dreaming about the island in the future, right? Locke in a suit, surrounded by people trying to kill him ... I have to assume that's coming up soon. The island is not done with Walt, but is it necessary for him to return to the island or can he do his part from where he is?
• Ben killed Locke?!?!?! I was all set to see him hang himself and when Ben talked him out of it I couldn't imagine what Locke would do to kill himself next. But at the mention of Eloise Hawking, Ben goes psycho on Locke. Creepy.
• Was Ben lying about Jack buying a ticket to Sydney? I don't remember Jack saying anything about it, but I could be wrong.
• And what is the deal with Eloise Hawking? Who is she? What is it about her that sets Ben off? And why is he working with her now? Or is he scheming something that we don't know about yet? And what the heck is Locke going to to do Ben on the island?
• Do we know how long Locke was back in the real world before he killed himself? It has to be long enough for Jack to go from short beard to full-fledged scrub, but does anyone have a clear idea of the time here?

So yes, lots to discuss this week. But before we get to Mr. Linky and your recaps and comments ...

REMINDERS: There are lots of fun things going on over here at the Lost Books Challenge Blog in addition to these weekly episode recaps. Here's a sample:

• Amy is hosting our first mini-challenge! The prize is a one-year subscription to the Lost Magazine. All you have to do is write a post about one of the topics listed here. The deadline is March 7th (even though the original post says Feb. 28). This should be simple - after all, who doesn't like to discuss the craziness that is Lost?!
  
• Amy also has us discussing the Jesus Christ imagery associated with John Locke. Hop on over here to share your thoughts.
  
• And of course there are lots of book reviews that you can browse to get more insight into the show. The list is always growing so check back often for more reviews.
  
• For those of you who are new here, we'd love for you to officially join our reading challenge. Details can be found by clicking here. But don't worry - you don't have to join in order to keep visiting! We just want you to know you are welcome.

And now its time for Mr. Linky! Post a link to your recap of this week's episode (the link should be to your specific post, not to your main blog address) or start a discussion in the comments. I can't wait to see what you all thought about "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham."