Reaction Time: "Fire + Water"

Fire + Water = Extinguished Fire = Smoke.

Do I graduate?

Honestly, nothing to say.

Reaction Time: "The Hunting Party"

HOLY CRAP IT'S THE OTHERS.

OMFG ALEX IS ALIVE.

That's it!! :)

Reaction Time: "The 23rd Psalm"

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil; For thou art with me;

Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me."

A deeply personal episode, not just for Mr. Eko. This Bible verse is the one tattooed on my back, a constant reminder of my grandmother. I loved Eko's and Charlie's reciting of the passage - it was a touching and deep moment in the show. It was a pure moment, set outside the mysteries and drama. It was a brother mourning his brother; something anyone can understand.

"The 23rd Psalm" answers the questions presented by "Deus Ex Machina". We now know where the Beechcraft came from, why it was loaded up with drugs, why it contained priests.

Eko has truly changed from the man in the flashbacks. He knows what his previous life cost him - he has truly become a religious man (as evidenced earlier by his self-imposed 40 days of silence after killing two of the Others in self-defense in "The Other 48 Days") and will not venture down the path that led him here again.

Reaction Time: "What Kate Did"

"Don't mistake coincidence for fate."

Mr. Eko, you've been watching the series along with me, haven't you? Reading my blog, are you?

Oh, Katie, Katie, Katie...Sawyer loves you. You kiss Jack. You love Sawyer. Jack loves you. Way to complicate matters. This is why I don't like you. You can't make up your mind, you can't let things be. You have to run, you have to complicate matters.

So Kate killed her step-father (who is apparently actually her birth father), and that's why her mom panicked when she came to visit her in the hospital in "Born to Run" (I didn't recognize Beth Broderick. I fail as a Sabrina the Teenage Witch fan - and this is delayed but OMFG Bernard is Principal Dewitt from Growing Pains?!). Rough story, for sure. Still doesn't excuse who she's become...(sorry writers - I'm not falling for redemption stories. You pissed me off hardcore with Shannon/Sayid).

Where did the horse come from? I know farm animals isn't completely shocking here (I remember them strangling a chicken in "The Other 48 Days"), but a horse is a pretty big thing to stay hidden. But eh, who knows.

Mr. Eko and Michael watch the DHARMA Initiative Orientation film, and Michael asks the question on my mind - the splices. They are quite noticeable - it's more than a single frame missing here and there. Why are they not to communicate with Others? Will there be ramifications for Michael's conversation with (supposedly) Walt? And is the "incident" referred to in the film THE Incident in the Season 5 finale?

"So, Rose's husband is white - didn't see that coming." THANK YOU FOR SAYING WHAT EVERYONE WAS THINKING.

Reaction Time: "Collision"

Ana Lucia - do not piss Sayid off. You may have been a cop; Sayid knows Iraqi torture methods. You just killed the woman he loves, he's allowed to be upset. He has every right to beat your scrawny ass. You get some redemption points from your backstory, but not enough.

Speaking of backstory - more family issues. Jin works for Sun's father. Jack worked under Christian. Boone for his mother. And Ana Lucia for her mother.

I love Mr. Eko. His quiet and pensive demeanor is epic.

This episode was another one that didn't continue the narrative of the island - instead it was focused on the characters. Showing who they are, how they got here, but nothing new was revealed (as far as I can tell) with regards to the main mysteries of the island. But we do have a new power struggle emerging: it's no longer just between Jack and Locke. Ana Lucia has arrived...

The show finally got me to cry. When Sayid picked up Shannon's body...when Jin, Michael, and Bernard reached the beach...bam. I shouldn't admit that. I should be trying to keep my dignity. But eh, whatevs.

Reaction Time: "The Other 48 Days"

"The children are fine - they're better off now."

So it's been 48 days. The tail enders had a much different journey that our buddies on the awesome side of the island. So these Others know what they're doing - they know how to infiltrate and attack the survivors camps without suspicion. Well, mostly. Nathan and Goodwin were creepy as freaking hell, but Goodwin offered up more insight - why is it that the Others want the children? What's with them and kids? First Claire and Aaron, and now this. Also, what was Goodwin about saying they only take "good people"?? What's the manner of differentiating and deciding?

We also know that the bunker they were camped in was another creation of the DHARMA Initiative. The hatch is Swan and studies the electromagnetism...what is this one's purpose??

Well, thanks for the back story as to how and why Ana Lucia is in charge. YOU STILL KILLED SHANNON, BITCH. Sorry, I'm going to be griping about that one for awhile. I have a strong dislike for Michelle Rodriguez, and her killing someone Sayid loved is some bullshit. I really didn't need to see that scene again. It just made my anger worse. And made me sad - I don't like seeing Sayid sad.

FYI - making homemade soup while trying to blog AND keep track of what's occurring on the show is not exactly an easy task.

Reaction Time: "Abandoned"

Oh dude, seriously, they slept together?! That sand can not be comfortable!

Ugh, this is just awkward. Look, I get it. You don't have much hope of escaping, you've pretty much established a life on the island. But in my mind, you've got more important worries. You know, like escaping. Staying alive. Helping Claire with the baby, or in the garden, or down in the Hatch. NOT GETTING BUSY ON THE BEACH.

Oh boy. So Jack was the doctor in charge of resuscitating Shannon's father in "Man of Science, Man of Faith"...he was the one who crashed into Sarah's car...yikes. Karma. Fate. How many of those words do we want to toss around?

I know I wanted Shannon dead since...the beginning, but that was sad.

And my main gripe - THEY GIVE SHANNON A HEART AND THEN THEY FREAKING KILL HER?! I'm more pissed about what its going to do to Sayid than I am about her actually dying.

I think it was a cheap shot - give a character some redemption, some redeeming qualities, AND THEN WE'LL KILL THEM.

I don't even remember what else happened...oh yeah, Ana Lucia is a crotchety bitch. Libby is pretty cool. That's about it, right?

Reaction Time: "Adrift", "Orientation", "Everybody Hates Hugo", "...And Found"

Sunday morning, and we are back (excuse me Peter for taking a break last night - yeeeesh).

So now we've gone from two basic plotlines to several...awesome. Let's make this harder to write about! Thanks writers! *wink*

Fine, let's give this another go...

ADRIFT - S2E02

Well, now we know where the "rafters" are...well, two of them. Walt is still MIA from the Others abduction, and Jin is...somewhere. Ideally, not dead.

Outside of Sawyer and Michael's boat trip of love, I didn't really see the point of this episode, especially the rehashing the events of the Hatch through Kate's point of view. She didn't exactly offer up anything new - all she did was show she's alive and knows how to crawl. Way to be helpful, woman.

I have to debate whether or not I want subtitles on for when Desmond is on the screen. Utterly adorable accent, but Lord it can get hard to decode.

ORIENTATION - S2E03

I asked before who is right - Jack or Locke? Is this all founded on fate or coincidence?

Locke is winning obviously. At least in my mind. There's too many coincidences thus far to make this all an effort of chance. Jack and Desmond's prior meeting, in which he basically convinced Jack to have faith in Sarah's recovery in "Man of Science, Man of Faith"...nope.

So how does this affect how we view the island?

KATEY SEGAL! And now I have another new favorite guest star. Leap of faith, yeah, I get it.

Again we are divided between our two leaders. The science says this computer is just a social experiment. Nothing will happen if you don't input the code. The faith says you have to do it - you can't take the chance. As such, we are formally introduced to the DHARMA initiative. That orientation video doesn't give much explanation as to what is the purpose behind the initiative, other than its goal for scientific research. I get that they are there for it's magnetic attraction, but there has to be more to it. It's not enough of an explanation yet - not for such a seemingly large operation.

EVERYBODY HATES HUGO - S2E04

BERNARD!!! That's why we bring back Rose in this episode after a long absence. Faith people - faith.

So what's the deal with this new group of tail survivors? You'd think they'd be living much like our ragtag group, but clearly they're in, like, a hostage situation under Ana Lucia. Crazy bitch. I want to know what the situation is there - what happened to the other survivors? Why are they living in a metal box? Why are they so hesitant to trust the fuselage survivors? What the frak is going on?!

Gah, it's so nice to hear Jin speak English!! His personality, especially in the flashbacks, is so utterly charming that it was refreshing to see it put to good use in English.

I'm glad Rose was there to be the one to talk Hurley out of his actions. His rationale was logical, given his past experiences and mob mentality, but absolutely insane in terms of the residual effects it would have had. He got some closure from his past - not quite yet from the numbers, but it's progress.

(Side note: Shannon still has a heart! And cares for the dog!)

...AND FOUND - S2E05

Ha! Jin is a smartass!! Thank you Jin - figures the guy who can't speak English would be the one to finally show up Ana Lucia. Much appreciation, friend. And nice punch to Mr. Eko. Impressive. You got your ass kicked by him, but still, props.

Why the fuck is Ana Lucia in charge? Biggest bitch contest becomes the leader? That must be it.

We have now seen the mysterious Others - or at least their dirty legs and feet. The teddy bear - I can't see that belonging to Walt. Who the fuck are these people?!

Reaction Time: "Man of Science, Man of Faith"

I'm sorry, my brain is still fucked from the never-ending finale (and my stomach is bitching at me too).

It took all of two minutes for the ideals of John and Jack to diverge. Our two leaders are emerging and opposing one another - so who's right?

Where are the "rafters"?

(Side note: what is with Jack's old hair?! It's like he's trying to be an extra on ER when it first started. TER-RIB-LE.)

AND WTF THE HATCH THAT WAS SCARY AS BALLS.

This is why I'm not allowed to write/talk after 7pm. You get garbage like that. May hold off on any more reactions till tomorrow - you know, when maybe I'm coherent again.

Reaction Time: "Exodus (Part Three)"

I'm thinking my XBOX is starting to get mad at me. It's taken much longer to load the episodes than before. Which means I get more and more irritated. *grumble* Not to mention, the fact that I had two people call, each with an hour long conversation, meant I got heavily delayed in watching this episode. The three hour finale that stretch into like 5...kill me now.

Fine, Peter, you win. This finale? Whoa.

The hatch is opened. Walt is taken. The raft is destroyed. Charlie has heroin in his possession again. The rest of the survivors are hiding from the Others.

We've reached the pinnacle argument: the man of science versus the man of faith. Is this crash the result of fate or coincidence? Up till now, it's been a fairly linear storyline. Now that Jack knows the difference of beliefs between him and Locke, the story will diverge. Two viewpoints, two leaders.

Too many questions. I know I said I'd save everything for there, but I can't. There's too freaking much.

My random questions/musings from the episode that aren't terribly important:

Why Aaron? There's got to be some biblical or mythological connection there.

How did Hurley wind up in Australia to begin with? His entire struggle to get through the airport was awesome and a much-needed bit of entertainment.

Whoa, Smokey is kind of a bitch. And made of smoke. What the fuck thing made of smoke can attack people? Oh you freaking island.

My thoughts are so disjointed because of the breaks I had to take. Plus this was kind of a mind-numbing, brain-screwing up finale.

It did it's job.

Reaction Time: "Exodus (Part Two)"

We still aren't done. I reserve my comments till the second half of this second half of this ridiculously long finale.

Reaction Time: "Exodus (Part One)"

A three hour finale?! Oh you bitches are trying to kill me.

Backstories are being made complete. We know how the chain of events in Kate's various flashback episodes are connected together (thanks for the explanation there, Marshall!). Jack knows that his father wasn't mad at him when he died (thanks Sawyer!). We know the Black Rock is a ship - it might have always been a ship, and I missed that detail during "Solitary".

Smokey (I still think it's Godzilla) is a security system? That would explain it's anger. So what is it protecting? Don't say the island - that's not a good enough answer. Because that's implying that there's something of value and importance within the island, and we don't know what that is yet.

Shannon has a heart?! Well, I mean, the flashback shows she really doesn't, but it's a dog. Dogs are the key to my heart.

Jin and Sun reconcile. Thank you, thank you. I absolutely adore them and needed that happy ending.

Michelle Rodriguez mades her grand appearance - I wasn't expecting her till next season.

I want to know what Hurley wrote for his message in the bottle.

Vincent made me cryyyyy (not actually, but I could've if I hadn't been typing at the same time.)

I'm with Locke on the suspicions of Danielle Rousseau.

Scattered thoughts, I know. But there's still two more hours to go, and not much was revealed in this episode. We're still waiting on the fate of the hatch and the Others, as well as the success/failure of the raft. I'm not an idiot - we've got 4 more seasons to go. We're far from a happy, neatly tied ending.

Reaction Time: "Born to Run"

Now everyone on the island knows that Kate sucks!!!

For that, I consider this a successful episode. Moving on!!

Ugh, fine. I felt bad for the girl that she killed her childhood love. Beyond that, she's still annoying and selfish. Start a new life Kate, but don't do it by stealing someone else's, or by running away from yours. Just own it already.

Jack says open the hatch. Sayid says no. Locke says yes. Walt says no. I say yes, dammit.

Not much progression in this episode outside of the drama of the raft. Nothing added to the mythology or storyline - just more revealing of facts we already knew. Next episode is Part One of the finale - things will change.

Reaction Time: "The Greater Good"

Oh boy.

Locke is PISSED. The face he gave Jack after hearing that he called him a liar...yikes.

And so Sayid. He trusts John, and he will not take any more crap from him. John cost him his relationship with Shannon, not to mention the earlier transceiver. He is not allowed to keep anything a secret anymore.

Hurley busting it out with the songs was awesome.

There's really not much I have to say about the episode. Nothing new occurred - just the survivors finally getting some insight into what John Locke has been doing.

Reaction Time: "Do No Harm"

"I know you made me a promise. I'm letting you off the hook."

JULIE BOWEN! Sorry Swoosie Kurtz, I now have another favorite guest star. Way to keep it in the family, ABC.

"Do No Harm" goes where all television drama eventually goes - the contrast of life and death. Bring someone into the world, take someone out. Let it bring people together, let it tear people apart. Circle of life, yadda yadda (I can't be the only one who wants to watch The Lion King now, can I?). Introduce Claire's baby boy (omfg so adorable), take out Boone (sad face). Let it reunite Sun and Jin (albeit briefly), let it separate Locke and Jack.

Back in "Outlaws", I pointed out the differences raised by Christian between himself and Jack - Christian assumes his life is cursed as a result of fate, while Jack refuses to take things as is. As Christian points out, Jack can not let things go. "Do no harm" - the doctor's motto. In Jack's mind, amputating Boone's leg was the best thing to do, the only thing to do. But all it would do is bring more harm, more pain to Boone when all Jack needed to do was let him go.

Now we will see the repercussions. What is this going to do to Shannon (and Sayid) and Locke? This is when the dynamic of the survivors changes, and the island will be further explored as Jack and the others will undoubtedly corner Locke into finding out the truth about what he's been doing and what he's discovered.

The ending scene on the beach was beautifully shot. That's all.

Reaction Time: "Deus Ex Machina"

"Don't tell me what I can't do...The island will send us a sign. All that's happening now is our faith is being tested - our commitment. But we will open it! The island will show us how!"

The only episode I'd ever seen before beginning this project. I still remember watching it at Sandy's house with all of her sisters, as we were trying to work on homework or something. But let's get real - we weren't working on anything. Even then we couldn't say no to TV, even if it was something we didn't actively watch.

I remember the yellow Beechcraft 18 stuck in the trees. I remember it plummeting to the ground with Boone inside. I remember Locke crying and pounding on the hatch and the light coming on. And I remember being absolutely intrigued. There's not a lot of shows that you can only watch one episode of and remember almost every detail.

Miss Swoosie Kurtz...I love and adore her. She's the first guest star on this show that I actively recognize and have massive respect for. I just wish it hadn't been in this role.

Alright, a lot of revelations about John Locke. A product of the foster system. His mother has schizophrenia. His father is a douche. A massive, massive douche. The entire scene where he's dealing with the realization that his father screwed him over, to when he's back at the hatch...the show knows how to bring a reaction out of me. Locke asked for a sign, and the island gave it to him - for a price.

You'd think I'd have more to say about this episode. After all, we now have a whole series of new queries regarding the Beechcraft and the drugs, not to mention the light in the hatch. But this episode is pure set-up for what's to come...it gave us a lot to ponder, but seemingly not much in the grand scheme of what we've seen before.

Oh, wait, I also forgot - there's more survivors?! Never mind, that's kind of a big deal.

"Dude, looks like someone steamrolled Harry Potter!"

Sorry, I had to include it.

Reaction Time: "Numbers"

"You make your own luck, Mr. Reyes. Don't blame it on the damn numbers. You're looking for an excuse that doesn't exist."

Ask and ye shall receive. We finally have our Hurley flashback episode.

So, Hurley's old friend heard the numbers through a transmission that eventually became Rousseau's distress signal (and the numbers are ominously revealed to be engraved on the hatch). These numbers have affected people all over. Cool. For whatever reason, the numbers are cursed. Or maybe not cursed, but cursed when used for wealth? That's how I interpret it at least. It's all in how the numbers are used. I can't say that the question is why are they cursed, but rather, why are they important?

Again that Black Rock, which we now know has a radio tower.

Locke built Claire a cradle. Is that the same one from her nightmares in "Raised By Another"?

Not much else to say. This episode was pretty linear in its focus - the numbers.

Reaction Time: "...In Translation"

"Everyone gets a new life on this island, Shannon. Maybe it's time to start yours."

Though Sayid and Shannon (stupid freaking Shannon)'s relationship is hardly the focal point of this episode, her conversation with Locke does harken to the theme of the episode. It's about seeing how the island has changed the lives of everyone who has arrived here. Locke can walk. Walt and Michael repaired their relationship. And Sun and Jin, the epitomy of the episode, have started their relationship over - where it goes is anyone's guess.

(And REALLY Sayid?! Nadia to freaking Shannon?!)

WALT BURNED THE RAFT?! Wait, that wasn't totally surprising. But still - whoa.

Fine, back to Sun and Jin. I love their story, for all it's complications and love and details involved.

This episode provided answers to a few things from "House of the Rising Sun", including how Jin got the dog he presented to Sun as an apology for all the hours he's working. We also see how he got covered in blood - it wasn't working as an assassin as (I, at least) had previously assumed. Instead he beat the man up, to save him from being killed.

Side Note: Hurley?! Another cross between the survivors seen in the flashbacks - when Jin is delivering the message for Sun's father, we see Hurley on the television that the daughter is watching, smiling as he gets into a car. Dear Writers - when are we getting a Hurley flashback episode?? Oh, and his CD player dying was very depressing. :(

And Jin's father is alive....this show is permeated with Daddy issues. Sun was ready to leave when Jin was trying to rebuild their relationship. In his eyes, it's now too late...she ruined what he was trying to accomplish. I don't want their relationship over.

"You speak English? Didn't see that coming..." bahahahaha Hurley.

"Boat." Nice one, Jin.

Reaction Time: "Outlaws"

"It's fate - some people are just supposed to suffer. That's why the Red Sox will never win the World Series."

The plan was to sleep in, enjoy my Saturday. But sleeping in for me IS 8:30 a.m.

Once I got the dogs taken care of, I was ready to start. Stupid show has me hooked...

Thank you Sawyer for calling Kate out on her shit. I've got more respect for you than Jack at the moment. And speaking of Jack - we see a little more of his daddy and his journey to Australia. Sawyer and Christian drown their problems in a dive bar.

Seeing Sawyer kill the wrong man shows why he's so hard. It's not just from anger from what the real Sawyer did to him and his family. It's also for what it drove him to do - killing an innocent man because of it. He knows that some things can't be driven by anger - sometimes you just have to let it go. That's why he didn't shoot the boar.

We now know something that Jack doesn't - Christian isn't mad at Jack for what he did in "All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues". Rather, he's just too "weak" to admit that he's proud of Jack for doing what he never could. This is some intriguing insight - Jack is willing to do what's necessary for the good of people, to go against convention, while Christian assumed that he was meant to suffer, attributing it to fate. This dynamic between ideals will be a huge point in the series, I can tell.

Reaction Time: "Homecoming"

As I said before - YAY CLAIRE IS BACK!!!

Except...this isn't my normal, bubbly Claire. This is a scared Claire who doesn't know where she is, who anyone is...and it's only the memory of Charlie and his imaginary peanut butter from "Confidence Man" that reminds her. A-dor-able.

BTW - how did she escape? She had no memory of what happened, and is pregnant...did someone free her?

Another Charlie centric episode. I know I expressed happiness for Boone before, but my love definitely lies with Charlie.

Oh right, I was going to try to be better about focusing. Screw it, it's getting late and I'm getting tired. My focus can wander. I may have to quit after this episode...(oh crap, I haven't eaten dinner yet).

Watching Jack beat the crap out of Ethan was glorious. And I know Charlie did a bad thing by killing him, but dude - he deserved it.

I find it interesting to learn that Lindelof cites this as one of his least favorite episodes of the series. I liked how Charlie's story was used - for once it wasn't leading us to anything deeper than who he had been in the past. But maybe that's Lindelof's problem with it - there's no purpose to the episode, other than the return of Claire. Not even Ethan provides any movement in the narrative, because Charlie shoots him before we can find out anything.

Reaction Time: "Special"

"He's different...while he's out here, he should be allowed to realize his potential."

Let me first address Charlie, since the episode isn't based around him - his hesitation with reading Claire's diary was adorable (as was reading that she has feelings for him).

Also - YAY CLAIRE IS BACK!!!!!

Walt. Scares. Me. I'm expecting some "Poltergeist" shit to happen with him.

But finally we see why Walt and Michael have such a strained relationship. Walt was taken away before he could have a relationship with his son, and was only returned when he wasn't wanted. How does any parent react to that? We've seen Michael be so stressed with him in all the episodes, so to see him as a loving father when Walt was a baby was refreshing. Michael's constant anger was getting...frustrating. It was touching to finally see them relating to one another and accepting their new roles as family.

Another polar bear!?!

With Michael, we also get a reminder that, oh hey, everyone is stuck on an island God knows where. This is really the first mention we've had in awhile about actually leaving the island - everyone else seems to have accepted that they aren't leaving (myself included). I'd forgotten that there's a real world out there, and right now Michael is the only one who remembers.

Reaction Time: "Hearts and Minds"

"What we are doing here is far more important. Right now - this is our priority."

Woo! An episode focused around pretty boy Boone...and unfortunately that also means we get a healthy helping of Shannon. Dammit. The twist ending regarding their relationship? That was a good one. It did it's job to sufficiently creep me out. Now, does it serve any purpose to the show? If not, then ewww.

Also, THANKS A LOT FOR GETTING MY HOPES UP. Shannon was dead and mutilated! But ohhhh no, she's not dead. It's just a hallucination. Grrrr.

But we are back at the hatch (wait, is that the hatch? Or am I referring to the wrong thing?) that Locke and Boone discovered two episodes back. I like Locke's incorporation of Michelangelo into the mythology surrounding the show (yes, everything mentioned on this show contributes to the mythology). We are starting to see Locke separate himself away from the rest of the survivors as he delves deeper into the island - and I don't mean his trips into the jungle. He's becoming more and more part of the island in ways we don't quite understand. The other survivors see it too - Boone recognizes it, even in his drug-addled state. Charlie puts his faith with him too, above all else, because he sees the spiritual connection that Locke has going on.

And now he's trying to pass along this same connection to Boone. Boone's admittance of "relief" to seeing Shannon die was a little shocking, I must say. But I guess if he's carried his demons for awhile, it would be nice to finally be rid of them...but how is this going to affect him and his relationship with Locke (and therefore the island)?

The compass is not defective. We just don't know enough about the island yet...

"You just said something mean, didn't you?" - yeah, I love Hurley. His interactions with Jin were refreshing. I'm glad the creators are balancing these heavier storyline episodes with some light character building interactions.

This is the second (?) time we've seen characters crossing paths before the plane crash. Sun and Jin were waiting in line at the airport when Jack was arguing to get his father's coffin onto the flight ("House of the Rising Sun"), and now we see that Sawyer was at the police station in Sydney while Boone was arguing with the cops. What the heck did Sawyer do, and why was he there?? I thought he'd been in the states - when/why is he in Australia?

Reaction Time: "Whatever the Case May Be"

Thanks LOST for actually getting me to yelp outloud with those bodies at the bottom of the waterfall. Yeeeeeeesh.

I'm trying to get rid of my dumb comments regarding characters and trying to stick solely to important things, especially with regards to plot and storylines. But can I say - Shannon? Still want her dead. K?

Kate WOULD get her jollies in the middle of a bank robbery. Another character who's starting to annoy me. She's terrible at acting innocent. Actually, she's not that great at acting in general. I saw that bank twist a mile away. Again - what's the appeal boys?!

And don't think safety deposit box 815 didn't escape notice. C'mon. I'm new to this but I'm not stupid. And all that trouble for a plane figurine?!

This episode made my migraine worse. I miss Claire.

Reaction Time: "All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues"

"You owe me $20,000!" "You'll get it."

This is the first episode I can watch on TV. Thank you XBOX and Netflix Streaming.

Huh, another episode focusing on Jack? Already?

I know enough about the series to know that this relationship between Jack and his father play a much larger role than these initial episodes let on. One of my questions from earlier was why did Jack have to follow his father to Australia - I'd say Jack ratting out his father and forcing him to lose his license would be a fairly good reason to run off to Australia. That doesn't quite answer my question, but it seems like a logical progression towards a complete answer.

Another point brought up in the previous episode - Rousseau mentioned that she had arrived on the island as part of a scientific expedition. I'm assuming this is a set-up for all the DHARMA stuff. As much as I've followed the recaps and such, DHARMA is the one concept that I really have no understanding of. I know they have to do with studying and researching the island, and it plays a huge role especially once time-travel enters the series, but I don't understand all the politics behind it (hence watching the show....).

More evidence of Locke's deep connection with the island...and I like that Boone brought up the reference of the red shirts in Star Trek being the ones who get killed. Foreshadowing? Yeah, I'd think so. Before watching the Season 5 finale, I'd only seen one episode of LOST before - "Deus Ex Machina". I know the role that metal hatch plays later.

Reaction Time: "Raised By Another"

"If I can take drugs, I can deliver a baby!"

Yes, that's exactly how it works.

Oh, hey Sayid - nice to see you again. I've missed you buddy...since the last episode...which feels like it was ages ago. The problem with watching this show with continuous pauses (besides the one previously described)? I have no clue why Locke, Kate, and Jack were out in the jungle when they ran into Sayid. Ugh. May have to rewatch this episode when I get home.

What is the deal with this Ethan dude?! Creeper...

Claire's dreams scared the crap out of me. Poor girl. I love her relationship with Charlie. Forget the Kate and Jack and Sawyer drama. THESE two are interesting.

That's all I got at the moment. I'm so confused by what I might have missed that I can't give a good assessment currently.

Oh, and Claire's psychic KNEW about the plane crash? Uncool man.

Reaction Time: "Solitary"

I'm sorry to future episodes of the series, but coming up with a golf course on the island? Brilliant.

Totally brilliant.

Not to mention, necessary. Every episode has been balancing a pretty hefty load of drama. We have a backstory, current drama with the focus character, and a smaller drama.
It's nice to keep it simple with one lead focus drama (Sayid's capture by Danielle Rousseau, the mysterious woman behind the recording in "Pilot - Part Two") , while the rest of the survivors play golf. Especially because that was some heavy stuff going on with Sayid. It explained a lot about why he's been hard on himself for his actions on the island - we knew he was experienced in torturing methods, but to see it in action lends itself more to the character.
It's also fascinating to see how easily he turned away from that life with the introduction of Nadia. What's the story there? Why was she in for questioning (I could have missed that from the constant pausing to write the last entry)? And again, I know the cause of Nadia's death, so obviously that plays an effect on the person Sayid has become.

Rousseau killed everybody? Awesome. Why lie about it in the recording (ok, maybe self-incrimination isn't something you want to project in a distress signal)? Where IS Alex?

We also have our first introduction to The Others, which lends a whole new series of questions. Who the frak are they? Any involvement with the Godzilla monster?

Oh, and can I say now - what's the big deal with Kate? Seriously Sawyer and Jack - I don't get it. That's just me. Be smart like Charlie and hit on Claire (just ignore the baby bump).

And what the hell kind of ending is that?! Wind blowing through the trees, Sayid looking around frightened, soft voices, and then CUT TO TITLE SCREEN?!

Screw you LOST.

Reaction Time: "Pilot", "Tabula Rasa", "Walkabout", "White Rabbit", "House of the Rising Sun", "The Moth", "Confidence Man"

The last post is only now about 4 minutes old, but I'm ready to get into this.

Not to mention I've had Episode 9 - "Solitary" - on pause for about an hour now, and I would really like to find out more about this Danielle Rousseau person sooner than later. And I have 8 tabs of LOST speculation and interviews open currently, and would really like to close a few of them so it looks like I'm actually working today.

(You can stop laughing at me now. Occasionally it DOES happen.)

I don't really want to go in-depth to episodes I've already watched, because I'm not ready for rewatching. That will slow me down more - this is already using up valuable time.

But to keep in line with this project, here's some thoughts over the first 8 episodes (or 7 if you prefer to think of the Pilot as one really long episode):



PILOT (Parts 1 & 2) - S1E01/02

Claire is adorable. I automatically love Charlie because I love Dominic Monaghan. Does Shannon die later in the series? Can someone kill her now so I don't have to wait? Boone is cuuuute (oh, am I supposed to be judging the series based on the story? Ehh, maybe later when I know more than "oh haay, a plane crashed, wtf?!")
WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT MONSTER THAT ATE THE PILOT?! Is Godzilla one of the 1500 characters?? I didn't see him listed in the opening credits.
Ok, Charlie does drugs. That was a given.
Watching this episode after seeing the Season 5 finale gives me a lot of insight that no one else had when the series first began. Seeing Jack describe to Kate about his first solo surgery means a lot more when you know how important a role it plays later in the series.
Oh, and the flashbacks to the plane splitting up - whoa. Way to give me fears for my trip to NYC in two weeks.
A polar bear. Huh. Ok. Please tell me we eventually find out why there's a polar bear on an island.
French transmission...16 years...oh fuck. This spells trouble (for the next 6 years - mwuahaha).
"Guys, where are we?"

That's a good summary, right?


TABULA RASA - S1E03

Poor Hurley does awkward so well around Kate.
I love the dog.
I kind of want to punch Kate for getting Ray hurt. He was a nice old man, even if he did try to trade her in for money. But hey, she lied to him. I give him props.
The drama with the Marshal was intense.
What's the meaning behind the episode title? Not sure if I found that out.
Nice foreshadowing of Locke - I just wish I hadn't know that particular twist. It would've made the next episode much more impactful. You'd think I'd be able to avoid that particular spoiler for 5 years. Thanks a lot people.


WALKABOUT - S1E04

Ok. I went into this episode with a lot of high hopes. I'd been told it was one of the best of the series, because of the twist ending. Even knowing what the twist was, I still loved it. I find Locke endlessly fascinating, for the fact that he's so quiet and seemingly so in-tune with the island. The ending scene where Locke argues to be let on the walkabout was tear-worthy.
Again, it's interesting to watch these episodes having watched the finale of Season 5. I know Rose finds her husband, which makes me wonder how that happens and where he is.


WHITE RABBIT - S1E05

This episode was the first one to really leave me with a lot of questions and confusion. Where is Jack's dad's body?! What's the history there - why did Jack have to track his father down to Australia? Why does Locke seem to have an understanding with the island, and have such faith in it that it will provide Jack with answers?! WHY IS JACK SEEING HIS DEAD DADDY?! So much confusion on this island. Gah.
"I looked into the eye of this island and what I saw was beautiful."
"Live together, die alone."
Aaaand, scene.


HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN - S1E06

Surprisingly, this might be my favorite episode thus far. I loved the insight into Sun and Jin's complicated relationship. All we've seen from them thus far is a quite isolation, so to see their past explains a lot about their interactions on the island.
Charlie and his guitar. Interesting and truly touching moment.
I'm led to believe that "Adam and Eve" is another mystery that fans are still seaking an answer to.
SUN SPEAKS ENGLISH. Another good revelation.


THE MOTH - S1E07

Who knocked out Sayid?! That's what I left this episode with.
Oh, and I liked the moth metaphor. Good job John Locke.


CONFIDENCE MAN - S1E08

Can you tell I'm done writing yet? Fine, last one.
I couldn't watch the torture scene. Audio was perfectly fine for me.
Again, seen the sequence Sawyer described to Kate - when he first wrote the letter to the real Sawyer. Obviously important to the character's story, but again it's interesting to see how the singular event plays a role in the future. Even as a child this impacts the entire storyline of the series.
That was a hot kiss from Kate and Sawyer. Right, not important.


Ok, I'm going back to watching now. Hopefully these blurbs are sufficient enough.

Through the eyes of a LOST newbie

I love intricacy. Historical patterns, ramifications on the future, interweaving of details. I can't go onto Wikipedia without tracking things through and through. What is this person's connection to this idea? Where did this concept come from? And why exactly did Michael Jackson and Elizabeth Taylor have such a strong friendship? These are the things that baffle me.

Oh, I love TV. I watch 5 shows on Monday nights alone. That doesn't even include everything that I want to watch.

This is where Lost enters the picture. Here we are, 4 days till the premiere of Season 6, the final season of the series. And I'm only a 1/3 of the way through Season 1. And I don't mean that in a "I'm rewatching the series to get hyped up!" sort of way. I mean my first round of viewing.

"What?! BLASPHEMY!", you may say.

Yeah, I'm an idiot, I know that.

LOST premiered in the fall of 2004, when I was still a senior in high school (oh God, I feel old now - stupid birthday). Sure, I saw the commercials. I thought it was interesting. I heard the hype. But I wasn't a devout television addict then. VH1 and MTV (fine - Disney Channel too) made up most of my programming. It wasn't until college that I became familiar with this thing called TV DVDs. Oh man. My budget that year went to Friends DVDs, my first television love. Since then more and more shows have entered into my life, from the early fallen (I still need to finish those Firefly DVDs...) to the still going strong (How I Met Your Mother is pure love).

So why not LOST, one of the biggest hyped shows ever? I didn't have the time. I was in COLLEGE for goodness sakes. I had shit to do! Parties to attend, sleep to catch up on, papers to do...ok, that last one isn't true. But to go into a show with such an intense mythology behind it meant I had to dedicate a lot of time. Time I didn't have or didn't want to give up. Plus, dramas aren't my thing. Give me a comedy any day. I want something I can rewatch on my DVD player at night.

I swore last year that after graduation, I would watch it. That was going to be my big summer project. But eh, I wanted comedy, so I went for Chuck instead. LOST has been sitting in the back of my mind since then. I kept promising I'd start, especially when visiting my friend Peter. "Soon," I said, too many times to count.

The only way I was going to start was to get a swift kick in the ass.

Three days ago, ABC reran the Season 5 finale. Even though I'd never watched the series, I'd been tracking recaps for a long time. Hey - sometimes there's nothing to do. And like I said, I like intricacy. You can spend hours on Wikipedia, reading through the history of the series, and still not understand what the crap is going on. Well, ABC was smart and added POP UP INFO (seriously, OMFG). You can convince anyone to watch something with pop-up information. Suddenly the recaps made sense...sort of. I couldn't turn the damn thing off.

The next day I hopped on Netflix, saw that the series was available for Instant Streaming, and began "Pilot - Part 1".

Look, I realize that ideally, I should have started this blog, I don't know, two days ago. You know, before I actually watched anything. Or before I moved on to the next episode. But this wasn't really a planned thing. The more I read, the more in depth I get into the mythology of the series, the more intrigued I am. The more I need to dig into it, form my own theories, try to make sense of it all.

My goal? Chronicle the rest of this adventure - my goal to make my way through 5 (!!!) seasons of Lost before Season 6 gets underway. Obviously, the time frame is impossible. I have to work and sleep people. I'm already slacking on one of those with this project (I have nothing else to do, and sleep comes before EVERYTHING).

But this is my attempt to showcase LOST through the eyes of a relative newbie with nothing else to do except watch a lot of TV over the weekend in a suicide attempt to be finished by Tuesday night.