tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post8966207063218894963..comments2024-03-18T13:50:45.615-04:00Comments on What's Alan Watching?: Lost, "Ab Aeterno": The man behind the shacklesAlan Sepinwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comBlogger227125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-34866094089834605582010-03-30T15:22:35.349-04:002010-03-30T15:22:35.349-04:00Carbonell (also once upon a time was known only as...Carbonell (also once upon a time was known only as The Gigolo With the Funny Accent on "M.U.S.C.L.E. -- a very weird show from the either the WB or UPN's first season")Qhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14492920700212083406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-26808806711588397292010-03-29T05:17:17.150-04:002010-03-29T05:17:17.150-04:00IreneInIdaho: "I'm irritated/confused tha...IreneInIdaho: "I'm irritated/confused that the bit with Jacob going to see Ilana in the hospital was revisited but then dropped. What was the connection to Richard's story?"<br /><br />Maybe Ilana is Jacob's choice for a Richard replacement (assuming Richard will be dead or free to leave the island and age normally by the end of this season)... to counsel whoever ends up being Jacob's own replacement.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-53888657220306896902010-03-28T12:50:46.372-04:002010-03-28T12:50:46.372-04:00Why couldn't Jacob absolve Richard of his sins...Why couldn't Jacob absolve Richard of his sins, but he COULD give him eternal life? If he's the God-character, that makes no sense. <br /><br />And just because Smokey goes around killing people doesn't mean he's "evil." Think about how many times in the Old Testament God kills huge numbers of people because they aren't following his word (the great flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, the parting of the red sea, etc).<br /><br />I think there's a very good chance the MiB is "good," trying to protect the island from the people how might do it harm; while Jacob is slowly destroying it with his constant experiments.Grangernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-25375380163332087872010-03-28T12:15:30.440-04:002010-03-28T12:15:30.440-04:00Why does everyone assume Smokey is bad and Jacob i...Why does everyone assume Smokey is bad and Jacob is good? First of all, Smokey has yet to lie to anyone. He may not have told the whole truth but he hasn't lied. And he's only killed those sided with Jacob (after giving them a chance to side with him) and evil people. He killed the slavers on the Black Rock and the other enslaved CRIMINALS. Richard was the only non-Evil person on that ship. Also, I find that the fact Esau (MiB) thinks that humans are inherently evil is telling. It's usually the devout religious persons who believe that men are evil and must be shown the right path. Isn't evil the one that believe men are neutral and willing choose to be evil? If evil believes men are inherently evil, they wouldn't need to do anything to promote evil. However, if men aren't evil, they need to convince them to make evil choices. Jacob can't do it directly, but he can through manipulation and using Richard (like the devil using minions).<br />Finally, Jacob has had a hand in killing many innocent people (like the Dharma Initiative) and that the flash sideways for the most part that the castaways are better off without having been touched by Jacob. Have we forgotten that?<br />One final thought...maybe the island really is hell and the flash sideways are heaven?guinnesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17757365687588309887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-47536377037047035302010-03-28T00:31:21.694-04:002010-03-28T00:31:21.694-04:00I thought the wine bottle symbolism was the most i...I thought the wine bottle symbolism was the most important part of this episode, representing the crux of the show. They are all living in purgatory, they will all eventually go to heaven or hell form the island -- however one of them must stay to keep the demons from escaping into the world through purgatory -- which offers a potential entry point for the evil spirits. HAHA. Just kidding. No idea where this is going! I hope it ends with Jack and Kate at a diner on the island, listening to "Don't STop Believing" eating onion rings...Hurly is late because he tripped over a log. Jacob stops in wearing a members only jacket...SLRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01508801787684614107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-36710340233622445822010-03-27T10:39:18.019-04:002010-03-27T10:39:18.019-04:00Re-reading the comments about whether the Candidat...Re-reading the comments about whether the Candidates have all killed people. In addition to all the accidental deaths Hurley feels responsible for, he also ran over an Other with the Dharma bus.<br />~The MuttAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-40281615219719377982010-03-27T09:02:03.391-04:002010-03-27T09:02:03.391-04:00This column from The Huffington Post about the mul...This column from The Huffington Post about the multiverse and biocentrism opened up possibilities for the significance of the sideways flashes: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-lanza/do-you-only-live-once-exp_b_508440.html.Conniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03191123042394312198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-54158705042524321112010-03-26T14:48:57.166-04:002010-03-26T14:48:57.166-04:00I think the "two sides of the same man" ...I think the "two sides of the same man" theory jives well with Smokey's comment on his body being stolen. Perhaps his only way to leave the island is to merge back with Jacob. Following that theory, perhaps that is why he kicked Jacob's body into the flames. By destroying their body he released Jacob's spirit. Now perhaps he has to find a way to get himself killed (Widmore?) so that their two spirits can merge and he can finally be free. I would be happy with that sort of development.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-43474780617926919522010-03-25T21:45:28.672-04:002010-03-25T21:45:28.672-04:00I still think that Jacob and Smokey are two sides ...I still think that Jacob and Smokey are two sides of the same person.<br /><br />I think that he (they) are the son of adam and eve... he saw his mother conned by the devil and then killed by his father, thus creating the split.... one side who believes in the good of man (free will to make their own decisions) and evil (corruptible by the devil and predestined to be fallible/do evil). <br /><br />When Jacob saw his father murder his mother he was split in two... much like Sawyer... Now these two sides of one man are in an eternal struggle for the soul of man. <br />When Smokey says he wants to "go home" he really means he wants to be re-united with his other half in human form.<br /><br />Also... a lot of what the show does is leave the viewer to decide what is the right/wrong thing to do... what choices would we make? I think they are putting us in the shoes of certain characters in a way.... given what we know (not much) about the truth... what choices / decisions about people/ situations do we make.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-69695806831878954472010-03-25T21:35:56.250-04:002010-03-25T21:35:56.250-04:00"I'm sure the gaps will be filled in, but..."I'm sure the gaps will be filled in, but I find it interesting that no one survived the tests of the island until after Richard came to be Jacob's voice of reason."<br /><br />Possible that he only survived because he was the only one that couldnt be killed. <br />He was granted eternal life.thejhelfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02480810411463599383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-31921934922104286242010-03-25T21:21:24.202-04:002010-03-25T21:21:24.202-04:00Hatfield: thanks for that, bud!
I thought perhaps...Hatfield: thanks for that, bud!<br /><br />I thought perhaps I'd missed something but for the life of me I couldn't remember how Widmore wound up on the island. Is the story that he first became intrigued with the island after having purchased Hanso's diary or ship log at an auction? Is that where he found the co-ordinates to find the island?<br /><br />there's such an area to mine that we'll never grasp it all but even though I love the Richard character and liked his backstory I echo others comments when they say they would have liked to see some of the groups Richard counseled over the years; the obvious group being the Widmore/Lady Faraday collection.<br /><br />Of course there's still time to see a snippet of that what with Widmore about to re-enter the radar and Richard about to soul search to try and determine what it is he has to do.Dennishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09130711642386374186noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-43563217600135931462010-03-25T17:24:05.820-04:002010-03-25T17:24:05.820-04:00Love the character of Richard Alpert.
Love the act...Love the character of Richard Alpert.<br />Love the acting job by Nestor Carbonell.<br />Love your recap, Alan (as always).<br />But I didn't love the episode - sorry.<br />Perhaps it'll grow on me with another viewing. I did enjoy exploring Richard's backstory (FINALLY) and getting some answers about what the island is, and why MIB wants to get off it. But compared to other episodes, this one was just lukewarm for me.Target Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10579982572388150784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-28416400372676864422010-03-25T15:57:47.036-04:002010-03-25T15:57:47.036-04:00The cabin is even more mysterious now - it seemed ...The cabin is even more mysterious now - it seemed pretty clear that Ilana expected Jacob to be there, but could tell that it was being used by someone else. Ben also connected it with Jacob (although I'm not sure if he really believed Jacob was there). But in the 1860s and again today, Jacob is shown to occupy the statue. When did he move, and why? Why did he move back? Why does Ilana know more then Ben? Does she know more or less than Richard, or just different things?<br /><br />Who the flip are all of these people!?! Sigh. Is it possible Ilana and pals actually passed Jacob's test, and that is why he seemed to care for her and trust her?Chrissyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16543960876991187244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-45679808167712062482010-03-25T13:52:16.881-04:002010-03-25T13:52:16.881-04:00Was I the only one to have noticed/thought that Ja...<i>Was I the only one to have noticed/thought that Jacob opened the door behind Richard after his wife died. It was really breif, but someone, who I think looked like Jacob w/ a mustache came in the door.</i><br /><br />That was the doctor's manservant, who had been sent out to fetch blankets to keep Richard from dripping too much water on the doctor's previous floors.Alan Sepinwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-50369827367113148352010-03-25T13:44:47.325-04:002010-03-25T13:44:47.325-04:00Was I the only one to have noticed/thought that Ja...Was I the only one to have noticed/thought that Jacob opened the door behind Richard after his wife died. It was really breif, but someone, who I think looked like Jacob w/ a mustache came in the door. So it would appear that Jacob had intended to have Richard brought to the Island.Timnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-2014078225338270032010-03-25T13:34:46.498-04:002010-03-25T13:34:46.498-04:00@Dennis:
Widmore was shown on the island as early...@Dennis:<br /><br />Widmore was shown on the island as early as 1954 when he had a confrontation with Sawyer and Juliet. We don't know when he first came to the island or why yet.<br /><br />As for his banishment, Ben said something about how he kept leaving to visit his off-island family and life (presumably Penny and whoever her mother is).Hatfieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01184680741873873714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-47525513534651583402010-03-25T13:19:58.891-04:002010-03-25T13:19:58.891-04:00I am sure someone here can answer my Widmore-relat...I am sure someone here can answer my Widmore-related questions so here goes:<br /><br />1: how did he "find" the Island in the first place? Was he one of the Dharma crew?<br /><br />2: what were the circumstances that lead to his dismissal by Ben? I can remember the scene where he left - I recall him walking down the wharf to the waiting sub - but I can't remember the events that lead to it.<br /><br />Thanks in advance.Dennishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09130711642386374186noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-72998425584223595312010-03-25T10:42:44.259-04:002010-03-25T10:42:44.259-04:00If we assume that Ben killing Jacob was planned by...If we assume that Ben killing Jacob was planned by Smokey/MiB well in advance, then it would be in his interests to keep Ben alive by killing Keamy's mercenaries.Sean Lnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-45642342045389292662010-03-25T10:31:32.692-04:002010-03-25T10:31:32.692-04:00Someone else brought up the cabin. I don't und...<i>Someone else brought up the cabin. I don't understand how it plays into the purpose now. All this time it seemed like people theorized that the ash was either keeping someone in or out. Yet we know that Jacob doesn't live in the cabin and he has no need to fear Smokey killing him so why would they sprinkle a layer of protective ash around it? They obviously hadn't trapped Smokey inside the ring since he was out crusing the island as early as the pilot.<br /></i><br /><br />That confuses me, too, which is why I brought it up. Plus, Ben was able to summon Smokey to kill the mercernaries, which is weird because why would Smokey protect the island from Keamey & co. if he so desperately wants to get off it? I hope we get some answers on this, but I'm not going to hold my breath.deznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-92210450379272853662010-03-25T10:03:36.076-04:002010-03-25T10:03:36.076-04:00Just one guys & gals,
People are making commen...Just one guys & gals,<br />People are making comments that the Black Rock destroyed the statue and it was lame. A wooden ship would certainly not destroy a solid stone statue.<br />More likely the violent onslaught of massive tidal waves is what did the trick, would certainly level a skyscraper/some cities<br /><br />ps sweet episodeUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12306105872933847031noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-55083519514684818262010-03-25T08:51:23.194-04:002010-03-25T08:51:23.194-04:00Flocke gave a big clue to his identity, but I have...<i>Flocke gave a big clue to his identity, but I haven't connected it to an ancient figure yet. "I had a crazy mother" and "spent a long time working that out" ...</i><br /><br />On the other hand, Flocke may have borrowed Locke's memories and protrayed them as his own as a con. ("Recon" may have a pun-like quality to that title.)<br /><br />Flocke said in the the first episode this year ("LA X") he knew real Locke's emotions when he died and at some point, talked about knowing Real Locke's past fears.Allisonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-90608761176035707272010-03-25T07:43:38.199-04:002010-03-25T07:43:38.199-04:00How would she know about everything in "Flash...<i>How would she know about everything in "Flashes..." from the journal?</i><br /><br />What if she insisted that Daniel write everything tha happened in Flashes into his journal (after it all happened), knowing that her past self would need to know it? (And knowing that she must have done so because it was all written into the journal when she read it!)Sean Lnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-55699795143918341622010-03-25T02:15:54.760-04:002010-03-25T02:15:54.760-04:00To add to the 10 questions posted upstream that ne...To add to the 10 questions posted upstream that need to be answered:<br />11. Who/what was the child in the jungle this season that FLocke and Sawyer could see, but Richard could not? <br /><br />I thought this was a great episode and agree with most of Alan's points. But I'm irritated/confused that the bit with Jacob going to see Ilana in the hospital was revisited but then dropped. What was the connection to Richard's story?<br /><br />And my major gripe re/last week's episode: How could Miles justify going through Sawyer's credit card records??IreneInIdahonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-81171312995259384602010-03-25T02:05:34.994-04:002010-03-25T02:05:34.994-04:00Also, don't you think that anyone who's ex...Also, don't you think that anyone who's expecting something "new" out of the Jacob/Smokey thing is going to be disappointed. We live too far after the beginning of science/end of mystery to have Carlton and Cuse come up with something that's really mythological and compelling. It seems like it has to be angel v. demon, aliens, some sort of mythology that's been with us for a long time.Danonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-74131717718342862622010-03-25T02:00:15.693-04:002010-03-25T02:00:15.693-04:00@Janie-
This is what I'm wondering about now ...@Janie-<br /><br />This is what I'm wondering about now also. "It only ends once..." When sombody finally proves Jacob right is it going to undo all the others who proved him wrong? Is it going to somehow change Smokey's nature? Does this one person's actions convert the Devil/end evil?"<br /><br />Have any of you guys given much thought to the idea of why Smokey would let the Dharma Initative live so long on the island? Could he really be repelled by that sonic fence or was that all a game? Couldn't he have just flown/jumped up high enough to clear the barriers? Why would he let them build a fence that could stop him? I wonder if there is some parallel between breaking the wine bottle and "The Incident." Maybe Smokey was hoping the Dharma people would somehow break the island by drilling into it like they did. Maybe that explains why Richard would be ok with helping Ben purge Dharma. <br /><br />Someone else brought up the cabin. I don't understand how it plays into the purpose now. All this time it seemed like people theorized that the ash was either keeping someone in or out. Yet we know that Jacob doesn't live in the cabin and he has no need to fear Smokey killing him so why would they sprinkle a layer of protective ash around it? They obviously hadn't trapped Smokey inside the ring since he was out crusing the island as early as the pilot.Danonoreply@blogger.com