Responses to Reader Comments

It has been a while since I've taken time to respond to some of your comments, but with a five-week hiatus underway, I thought now might just be the time. Some of these go back a ways, so bear with me...

RWSELLY024
This user, who posts under "Libbe" on lostusers.com, is one of my favorite recappers out there. She and I have a back-and-forth habit of reading each others' recaps (only after we post our own) and providing lots of comments. So, a few highlights from Libbe's comments since mid-February, and my responses:

Maybe Abaddon asks Hurley if "they" are still alive, because he had hoped "they" were all dead? In your words Dan, "or not". :)

I'm starting to think that in the next five weeks we will see the O6, and, perhaps Michael, get off the island, but what we will not see is anyone (or most anyone) from the freighter escape. The continuing war between freighterites and Others/815ers will be why Jack thinks he needs to get back. Abaddon's question was therefore in reference to whether his own people were still alive.

Or not :)

And another: " So then why did she show up claiming to have been sent to rescue Desmond? Why even connect Desmond to the island where the 815ers"First I wanted to say GOOD POINT! Like I said before, your really asking good questions here Dan, bravo.I had some points/questions to add to yours...Not only did Naomi claim she was there to rescue Des, but she also sticks her with the story (lie, and she knows it) that 815 was found, and they were all dead...Why bother telling Hurley, who is from flight 815, what she knows is a lie about his plane (and him) being found? It doesn't add up...

My interpretation, for what's it's worth, is that Naomi had enough information to suspect the island was connected with Flight 815, and that the found plane may be a hoax, but not enough to know for sure. This made her skeptical when talking to Abaddon and doubtful when, still delerious, she told Hurley he was supposed to be dead. After all, she warmed to the concept of the people she met on the island being 815 survivors very quickly.

Or she's a seriously evil manipulative bitch. Either way, eh?

One more: "And how does this synch up with Penny having a direct video conference link to the Looking Glass station, and her denial that she owned the freighter from which Naomi and co. arrived on the island?"I personally think that Penny has been trying to contact the island ever since she got the phone call from her men in Antartica (was it Antartica?), via the numbers. However, this does bring up the question: What was she doing, just sitting in front of her computer calling the island over and over again, until Charlie finally answered? Although that is possible, I think maybe it's just another instance of FATE. She was calling at the perfect time...

As we've since learned, Penny doesn't own the freighter...but her father does. This explains Penny's plausible deniability over knowing about the boat and Naomi's ability to have a copy of Penny's picture of her with Desmond (though not how Penny ever got that picture as Desmond had what appeared to be the only copy). As for the timing of her video call to Charlie, the producers have said in a podcast that we should assume Penny had some kind of signal that would let her know that a call would connect. Once Charlie deactivated the jamming, this signal alerted her that it was time to try again. Finally, with respect to the start of Penny's search for the island, we since learned in "The Constant" that it began almost as soon as Desmond disappeared. This is probably why she was already in touch with the arctic researchers. What we don't know yet is why and how Penny learned about the island or came to believe Desmond would be on it (though the clue may be her father's purchase of the Black Rock journal at auction).

I'd also like to add here, that I think it's possible that Penny has stumbled upon some secret info of her father's (during her search for Des) that has helped her along the way.

As we've since learned (and as I said above), I'd see this was pretty prescient of you, Lib.

I'd like to add something that just dawned on me as I was reading your wonderful recap (SEE LUJ, recaps are good!). It hadn't occured to me before, but for some reason all of the F4 (Miles, Dan, Frank) except Charolette are not acting very suprised by the 815ers being alive....Is this somehow another clue that Charolette is Ben's mole?

It may have been a false clue, but as we've since learned (hindsight does make one seem brilliant, doesn't it?) the mole is Michael. But that does not mean we've learned everything there is to know about Charlotte or her background (and why she seemed less than surprised to see a polar bear in a DHARMA collar in Tunisia) by a longshot.

You said: "it was not so much that Ben would not allow anyone off the island. It's more that he would not let Juliet leave.""I agree that this episode helped explain why Ben seemed especially adament about not letting Jules leave the island. However, I don't think it means that anyone else can leave, and he wouldn't care (I dunno if that's what you meant, but that's what it seemed like...). I think that Richard and Ethan were ok to leave the island, because he was sure that they would come back...he trusted their loyality to him (and the island). I'm sure it was the same for whomever the man is that Charles Widmore was beating info out of (and that man working the camera, no doubt). But I know Ben wouldn't be ok with Cindy, Emma, or Zack leaving (for example)...I think that's what he meant when he told Locke:"Most of them were recruited and brought here and as much as they love this place, as much as they would do anything to defend it, they need to know they can leave if they want to. The sub maintains that illusion." AND "They're here because they want to be here. Some of them are just not ready to make a full...commitment yet." So, at some point Ben may trust all "his ppl" enough to let them come and go, but obviously that takes time...

Got nothing to add except valid points. In retrospect, not all of Ben Linus's motivation can be explained by lusting after Juliet. But perhaps just enough that it may prove his weakness. On that end, maybe his turning his attention from island priorities to Juliet priorities is the reason Jacob "allowed" him to get cancer?

Anyway, good call on ["The Other Woman"] shining light on why he would confide in Jules about the Looking Glass station. about why Richard and Tom were questioning him (etc).

It was, wasn't it? :)

Moving on...during what part (when Harper arrives, or when she leaves) did you hear "Sarah"? I've listened to the whispers several times on Darkufo, but I can't hear anything...I'm waiting for someone to decifer them completely...cuz it seems (as usual) they need to be reversed and slowed down.

It was at the arrival. However, on a second viewing, it was not so clear to me. Also, I mistook the significance of the name - Sarah is Jack's ex-wife; Rachel is Juliet's sister; and Sarah Rachel is my daughter. So there you go.

You said: "This was not the "real" Harper, but rather Ben somehow causing her to manifest to communicate with Juliet, much like Yemi, Christian and Kate's horse have manifested in the past."It dawned on me when I read this, that maybe Harper came from the "magic box" that Ben has spoke of...I dunno if you have to be dead in order to be brought through the "magic box", but maybe Harper left the island, or died, and Ben brought her there to do him a favor (maybe she owed him?)...I dunno, just a thought....Dan, something just dawned on me. (as I was re-reading my post, btw sorry I can't spell...)I think when we found out (rather, assumed) that Yemi was the smoke monster, everyone went kinda smoke monster crazy, and started saying that all mysterious beings on the island could be explained by it...but I personally think there's a couple of different explanations for different situations...This applies here...MAYBE Christian appearing to Jack has to do with the "magic box" (which makes me think that you do have to be dead for this scenerio to work)...if Jack really wanted him there, maybe that's why he appears to him from time to time..Althought I suppose it doesn't explain why Hurley can see him...or why (as we learned from the last mobisode) Christian was already walking around and conversing with Vincent before Jack even woke up...I dunno, I still think it's possible...whatta ya think?

Ben has since told Locke that the magic box was but a metaphor, and that there is no real dream-making chamber. On the other hand, Ben is a serial liar. But as we've discussed on lostusers since you posted this comment, the producers have since reported in a podcast that there are differences between manifestations, smoke monster appearances, people really being there (even though they should not be), and, they joked, the undead. As for Christian already walking around before Jack came to, I don't see why unconsciousness would prevent Smokey or the island from "reading" Jack the way it did Eko. Christian, in the mobisode, would seem to have just suddenly been standing there, but even though this was before Jack awoke, it was still after the plane crash, so Smokey could have done his thing by this time. Or not.

In regards to the map Dan and Char had...someone (somewhere on LostUsers.com) mentioned that maybe Dan actually drew up the map himself...with all the "time tripping" (as Joe would say..) that's been going on lately...maybe Dan has gone to the future and drew the map for himself. I dunno if that's even possible, but it would kinda explain why some parts were "unknown".

It would - and given Dan's need for a Constant, you may be right. Still, I hope Lost doesn't have too many people bouncing around in time, or else the no-paradox rule the writers try to stick by will be a tough one.

You said: "So, despite thwarting Ben's doomsday device, Juliet seems to know Ben still has the upper hand in the struggle to come. "How to get to" her clearly was with Harper, who would highlight for Juliet what happens when she chooses anyone or anything over Ben." Good thought Dan-o!

If it isn't obvious already, I'm always willing to reprint gratuitous praise...

Btw, I dun mind Jack and Jules making out...but I do wish Kate would just piss off now. I definitely dun like the idea of there being a "love quadrangle", and unfortunately it seems to be inevitable (since we have seen Kate and Jack together in flashforwards).

Ultimately, I'm just not a "Jater." That's not even a word. I think the "Skater" relationship is much more fun and, while I like the effect Kate has on Jack as a character, I don't like the thought of them together, either.



Mollie D
The official down-under reader-and-poster of this blog has chimed in a few times, as well...

Hey thanks for the shout out!! Yes even us Aussies are hooked on this show.

Given the crucial connection between Australia and the story of Lost, I would certainly hope so!

Usually I read you write-ups after I've watched the ep, but this week i've been super bad and am reading it before the ep, therefore spoiling.

Nooo!!!! Mollie, don't do it! I know how powerful curiosity can be - I stupidly read a summary of "Through the Looking Glass" online before it aired last year, completely ruining Charlie's death and the revelation that we were watching a flash-forward. While I would never discourage anyone from reading this blog (or clicking on the ads!!!), please wait until you've watched an episode before reading the recaps.

Ahh well! So, there goes my theory on the last O6's I thought it would be Sawyer (wishful thinking... but i suppose we still have one to go) and Claire and Aaron (I wasn't counting Aaron as a survivor though, cos you know...he's a baby and he didn't "technically" survive the crash since he wasn't "technically" a person yet...or something???) So Claire didn't get on the plane like Desmond said she would, and therefore my favourite character (Charlie) died for nothing... Or did he? (I'm so holding on to him not "technically" being dead... or something?)

Even Charlie the vision told Hurley he was really dead, so I think you may be out of luck here. Also, though Aussies may not have seen the same promos that get run in the U.S. by the ABC network, I can assure you that Aaron is one of the Oceanic 6 - the promo that ran heading into the hiatus here confirmed that, and the producers vouched for the accuracy of this promo in a podcast. So the Oceanic Six are, in fact, Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sayid, Sun and Aaron.

Clone 56
I've gotten some great comments from a guy named Chris, who recently started posting comments, including the following:

Long time reader of your blog, first time commentie...Currently rewatching series one and i've noted a few things that could be relevant to the series four eps Eggtown and The Constant. Claire's psychics vision of the bad future from "Raised by Another" may now come true as Kate has Aaron and that could be possibly one of the reasons behind the "We have to go back Kate"...

With the psychic, there is a problem - he told Eko he was a complete fraud. And yet, he certainly seemed correct about a few things. Given what we've since learned about the island's ability to affect people who have left it, is it possible that the island also exerted some influence to get certain people to come in the first place? Did it give the psychic his first "real" flash, which did not really indicate Aaron was in danger, but rather that Claire had to board the plane, just so that she (and he) would eventually arrive? For that matter, did the island arrange for Christian's suicide by alcohol to take place in Australia to get Jack and Ana-Lucia on the plane? Or for Sawyer to find the wrong "real" Sawyer so that he'd get himself deported from Australia in time to get on the plane? Or for Shannon's boyfriend to take her to Australia, so that Boone would arrive just in time for the two of them to get on...etc. etc.?

Secondly, in "Whatever the Case My Be" Sayid is decoding the maps from the "French Woman" which make constant use of the numbers... and as you noted these numbers appear extensively in the time travel equations (also 8 appaered in eggtown as the number of survivors named in the official oceanic story) it is therefore not entirely implausible that Rousseau's equations have something to do with time travel. And that when they were shipwreck that they were not there by chance and that like the frieghterites were actually looking for the island because of what it can do... (The were a science experdition after all)

The Valenzetti Equation is not about time travel - it's about calculating the end of the human race. That is the reason why the numbers mattered to the DHARMA initiative. On the other hand, the producers said recently that those numbers had power of some sort since well before the equation was conceived. As for Rousseau, the sickness she described her crew having endured sure sounds a lot like what has been happening on Kahana. On the other hand, her story has some fishiness to it, so I can't wait to see what it really turns out to be.

Also i was rather suprised when re-watching by Charlie's statement in "White Rabbit" when the randomer is drowning "I cant swim!"... Which is backed up in series three as Desmond sees charlie die in the water no fewer than three times... Yet he made it all the way to the Looking Glass without any help whatsoever... the mysteries of the island eh?

Maybe Charlie's statement was just a lie to avoid putting himself out there. He was at that point pre-redeemed, and still jonesing for heroin. On the other hand, the links between Charlie and watery death have certainly been around for a while, eh?

Keep up the good work Chris

And you keep up the good comments ...which you did, below...

If you want to go down the biblical route of explaining the island and how Ben is able to get messages out while still locked in the basement room the how about the Holy Trinity. Father Son and Holy Spirit, otherwise known as Jacob Ben and Smokey.

Although I spent a year and a half in Catholic School when I was young (and living in Hong Kong), as a Jew, I didn't think about the New Testament side of things. But this does have some interesting validity to it.

If you ask me this episode hinted at the idea that over the coming weeks the F4 will disable all of Ben's defences, starting with the Tempest, then maybe the Fence and ending with Miles "ghostbusting" either Smokey or Jacob.

I don't think we know enough yet about Miles' abilities, but it would certainly seem that Jacob and Smokey are both a lot more to contend with than a dead drug dealer harassing his granny.

As for the whispers they are clearly one of the manifestations of the island... They first appeared to Sayid and now Juliet, (i can't remember if there were others in between) so maybe the clue to what persona of the island they are is in the people they chose to appear to?

There have actually been quite a few whisper sessions since Sayid first encountered them in the jungle. The most recent one before Harper's arrival was what Locke heard just before Walt appeared to him in the DHARMA pit. Yesterday's Jeff Jensen column at EW.com a really nifty theory about what the whispers are. You can see that theory over on my spoilers blog (since, if it turns out to be right, I'd hate to unwittingly spoil for you in this space) by clicking here.

And yes i agree with you about the lack of chemistry between Juliet and Jack, although Juliet has irratated me since day one, as have most of the "others", the only exception being Tom...

Don't get me wrong - I love Juliet. She's a great character. I just really don't like Jack for some reason, or think he should be with anyone - Kate, Juliet, or whoever - until he sorts his own sh_t out, you know?

i was quite shocked that he was killed off, he seemed to be the only "good" other! One question though... Why would the others/dharma create a leathal gas and in the same facility a way to make it innert? The ability to do so would not be helpful if the gas was leaked (as Juliet clearly pointed out) so what would be the point? And even so i'm assuming if they used the Tempest to create the gas then they could do so again. So why not destroy the facility instead?Just a thought...

Many critics have pointed out what appeared to be narrative shortcomings with this whole storyline. I'm willing to just accept that this precise mechanism was necessary to move the story the way it had to go. I can't even figure out why a theoretical physcist was the only person properly trained to tell a computer to make a chemical inert - it's kind of like why I don't understand why the SWAT team had to take Nicholas Cage with them in "The Rock." Couldn't he have just said, "you have to be careful with the poison" and stayed home? But as the producers have said in a podcast, the real question should be, why would the hippie DHARMA people have a chemical weapons factory?

Ok... Theories? Miles... It is pretty much taken as written with Ghosts that they are actually the impressions left by strong emotions, so what if Miles doesnt talk to ghosts but can actally pick up these feelings. At the moment Micheal steps onto the frieghter he would be working very hard to maintain his cover, his mind would be on nothing else until the ship left dock, maybe that is what Miles is picking up on?

Don't know if you're right, but it's good an explanation as I've heard. Or...Miles was just being creepy and didn't actually know what he was talking about.

Also (as i am now rewatching season 2) Micheal was given the watch by Jin when they left on the raft, which was why i was shocked when he pawned it, especially for a gun to kill himself with. I also felt that the killing himself bit was more than a little contrived, pretty much a way for the writers to tell us "micheal can't die til he's done his bit" rather than a realistic view of his character's state of mind, becuase lets face it, he'd only told Walt less than a month ago and we all know from Micheal's never ending "I want my son back" flashbacks and post "Other-snatchin" episodes that Micheal does not give up that easily...

You're not the first the point out the apparent weakness in the compressed timeline of Michael's story - Jeff Jensen did so in his column yesterday. But within the constraints of "that happened fast," I can believe that Michael would be willing to pawn Jin's watch to hasten his own death because, if he were really that much in despair, what importance would a gift from Jin hold for him at that point? As for Michael not giving up too easily - he also hadn't in those prior episodes had to deal with the guilt of what he did to save Walt. I think retrospective guilt in his actions is still fully consistent with his decision at the time that those actions were necessary to save his son. And besides, by the time he was suicidal, Walt didn't want to talk to him because of what he had done, so perhaps he just considered Walt permanently lost to him?

Also, when did Tom find the time to sail all the way to New York? As far as i'm aware he was on the island for all of season three, at the end of which he was brutally killed. But i'll check when i get round to re-watching that season.

The only thought I have on this is that sailing was not Tom's mode of transport. I mentioned at some point I think that Ben's immediately summoning Richard back to the island after flight 815 crashed indicated to me that they could get back and forth from the Eastern U.S. much faster than submarine travel alone would seem to allow.

Another question about Miles... Last we saw of him Locke fed him a grenade, yet we never seemed to find out any additional information from that encounter. What did Locke find out from Miles and why was Miles so cooperative?

I don't know about you, Chris, but a grenade in my mouth would be might motivating. As for what Locke found out? I'm thinking it's just what he told the assembled group. Miles did not, after all, deny any of it.

The guy in the coffin in through the looking glass? Sayid! It has to be, it would explain why there was no one at the funeral, who attends the funeral of an assassin?

The assassin's mother? Those he sought to protect by killing others? My money is still on Michael, though we still have a lot to find out before I can be sure.

As for the island being able to extend its influence a long way we already know that from Hurley's flash forward at the start of the series with the apparition of Charlie. However there seems to be little in the way of satisfactory answers as to why and how... i really hope they dont try and explain it as "magic" cos that's almost as bad as "it was all a dream." Maybe, using another biblical anology, it is something like selling your soul to the devil. The island spared the survivors of 815 and now it owns them, no matter how far they run they cannot escape until their purpose is served.

I don't know if we'll ever get a neatly-wrapped answer to this sort of existential question. Part of me hopes we just don't. But as the producers said in a recent podcast, you just can't answer some questions of the "why are some witches born to muggles?" variety to anyone's satisfaction, so there's no reason to try. I say, viva the debate!

Is it just me or is Ben a bit of a liar? He tells micheal that he doesn't kill innocents... Remember Ethan and the i'll kill one every day until i get the baby back bit...? That said i really want to believe that Ben is the good guy he claims to be...

It's not just you. Ben lies all the time. Even before he was "Ben," the man who lied about being "Henry Gale" must have lied to Locke about not pushing the button, since we now know what happens if you don't. But even if Ethan was generally following Ben's wishes, his "I'll kill one every day" strategy was not necessarily endoresed by Ben, and there was some indication last season that Ethan's actions were a bit off the reservation during the Claire incident. But I too want to believe there is some higher justification for Ben's actions. I'm just not sure it will be enough to make him an unambiguously "good" guy.

Finally Rousseau, she isn't dead... I'm fairly sure. Your point about Libby is valid, but if they have promised a flashback to tell her story then it has to be from her point of view, which means she has to survive. The Lost format is only to tell stories from the living...

...and yet we had a Naomi flashback after she was dead enough for Miles to commune with...

Even a Ben flash back couldn't tell us about her ship wreckness or about why her expedition were trying to find the island (i'm sure they were... she has become too promenient a character for her to be there by coincidence.)

I'll not pretend to know either way on this one, but don't brush off coincidence too easily - it certainly seems to occur with some frequency on this show.

Also i agree with the theory that Ben arranged to have them shot...

I'm moving away from the "arranged" and towards the "had knowledge beforehand." I think Ben might have Desmond-like flashes that told him exactly what would happen. Otherwise, there's no way to be sure that Alex would not also get killed by the gunshots (hey, accidents happen, even to the best snipers).

Sorry for the length of the comment... turns out i had more to say than i thought i did...

Story of my life, Chris. Can't shut up a good lostophile once the mojo gets going...

An after thought...So far only men have been allowed to leave the island... Maybe this is all part of Ben's goal to have a sucessful pregnancy on the island? If he lets the women leave maybe he runs the risk of loosing them as they try to escape ther fate on the island? Just a thought...Chris

So far...though we know Kate and Sun will leave. But if Ben's goal is just to let his women have babies, and if Juliet theorized (correctly) that off-island birth was safe, why not just let them women take a birthing trip and then come back?

Razz
I don't think there's a lack of chemistry between Jack and Juliet. For once, I really enjoyed this turn. One of the reasons I briefly stopped watching Lost during the 3rd season was because I was sick and tired with Kate bouncing back and forth from Jack to Sawyer. I know this is a major plot element, but most of the times it's portrayed in a predictable, totally soapy way. Jack and Kate act just the same from season 1 around each other, so the pairing of him and Juliet was refreshing at the very least!As for Annie.. since Charlotte has been again on the island (and kinda looks like Annie) could they be the same person?
and since it's my first time commenting here, congrats for your blog and keep on the good work :)

Thank you, Razz. The mystery of Annie, and the several mysteries of Charlotte, continue to intrigue me. Are they one and the same, or related? It would be pretty cool... See above for my thoughts about Jack.

Carl
long before this episode, i used to think juliet and penny widmore kinda looked like each other... that could make for an interesting storyline.

Talk about cans of worms! Or maybe the casting director just likes blonds of a certain age and sophistication...

Alyss
I have nothing to add to this thorough recap except thanks!

And I have nothing to add to you, Alyss, except you're welcome, and keep on coming back for more!

Meanwhile, Lostophiles, before we return after the April 24th episode, "The Shape of Things to Come," I plan on at least two more posts - one would be a return to my list of questions from the summer, to see what, if any, have been answered (and what new ones have been asked), and the other would be a quick recap of the first 8 episodes of this season so we remember where we are when things start up again.

Namaste!