Team Other

I'm on Team Other, as DHARMA was a totalitarian intrusion upon the innocence of the Island, on par with The Man in Black himself.

Who was the Smoke Monster, of course. Which was what? Magic. DHARMA, on the other hand, was all about science and control and groovy 70's symbology.

Like all the Hieroglyphs. If you watched the show, you'll recall this stretch of episodes being dark as heck. Creepy stuff - the tale of Ben Gale.

But then, if you were raised on Mystery Magic Island, you'd be pretty twisted too. Thus, count me in for Team Other, cuz the rank and file had the best intentions of the Island in mind - and if you lived on Mystery Magic Island, you'd work to placate it as well. Logically.

The New Protector

I miss "Lost". Really. It was such an engaging show. So many great stories, so many great characters, like Hugo, or AKA Hurley, The New Protector. Hail!

If you've never watched "Lost", do so immediately.

When we were LOST

Remember Lost? It was such a wild ride, I really miss it - the ongoing mystery, the crazy theories, the mad twists. Lost was a modern day epic in the old school Greek tradition, and I am super glad I caught it in real time, since speculation was part of the fun. Also, it was all Vincent's dream.

I was - perhaps sadly - still watching Lost every day up until 3 months ago, while I worked out. But alas, Football season started and there was "research" to be done. Seriously! I take Fantasy very seriously. I dedicate most of my spare time from September through December studying football. Sad! And now awesome:

 Touchdown, Team Jack.

A Mid Life Nerd Crisis

The Chrysler Turbine Car, 55 of which were manufactured in Detroit in 1963. The car could run on almost any fuel, including, as I have just learned, tequila. Read here. As you'll also read in the Wiki, the car was shown at the awesome 1964 World's Fair.

My theory, based on nothing but my own speculation with no research: The CTC was the direct inspiration for this most awesome of cars:

Now, of course, the Batmobile (1966) is waaaaaay cooler. But you can see the resemblance in the rear, in the fins, and of course the gas turbine engine.

If'n I were one of them rich as Croesus Dot.Com UberNerds I'd take a stab at buying the Batmobile right about now, or at least building a replica. Then I'd be happy, for sure. Cuz everyone knows once you have the coolest car, you win. Game over, man.

If I also owned the "Han Frozen in Carbonite" sculpture I could truly proclaim myself KING OF THE NERDS.

But of course, that wouldn't be enough, would it? There'd always be some other ironic yet awesome collectible out there to obtain, or stop someone else from obtaining, because that's all this life really is, right? A neverending game? You'll never know the rules or the score or even the team colors, but you'll play all the same. What choice do you have? It's that or "Price is Right" Loser Music as you exit, stage left. And we shan't have that, amirite?

Genetic Memories of Manhood Lost

I've always been puzzled by deer heads hung on a wall, or any other animal. As a child, they were terrifying. As a teenager they were a joke. As an adult (ha!) I realize they are a symbol, a connection to a forgotten past, but a past in which our species spent by far the most time: Hunting and gathering. Where a man was a man and it was eat or be eaten.

Cultural context adds to it - the hunting lodge, the camp, the sanctuary of men, away from women and their womanly concerns. The giant moose head hung by the roaring fireplace signifies your prowess as a hunter, or here, as someone rich enough to have a camp with a big fireplace and a giant moose head. Impress the other males, signify your position in the tribe. Yadda yadda.

It made sense for a dude circa 12000BCE; for a lawyer in 2011 from NYC at his retreat in the country? Symbolic to the core, but isn't that pretty much any of us have nowadays? Symbols? As none of us - or an exceptionally small percentage - do anything to actually deliver food, shelter, defense, etc, i.e. those things that once defined every man, woman and child. But for us, we 21st century foxes, nothing is real, all is abstract, and dare I say, absurd.

This picture, yeah?

Look upon my works

Feel free to come up with a "Losing his mind" joke. Take your time, and remember: The journey is the destination.

 Do you remember? 4 TOES!!!! I miss Lost a whole bunch, but specifically, talking to others about it. As for me, I still watch Lost almost daily (it's a part of my workout routine) and I've been writing snarky episode reviews... elsewhere. If there is a clamor for these reviews here, let me know. I'd create a new section.

General rule of thumb: No matter how dumb you think something is, somewhere, someone is probably proud of it. Case in point!

 Paul Bunyan, Bangor ME. I looked upon this statue many times as a child in horror/wonder. And then disillusionment, when I learned Mr. Bunyan was in no way a part of any Maine mythology - so why is there such a prominent statue of him then? Good question! Doing my usual 60 seconds of research, I've found Mr. Bunyan statues all over America, but it does appear Bangor's claim to have the largest is accurate. Chock one up for Bangor! Hooray!

 Contractual obligation. Cool Supes statue though - I'm surprised it's not defaced.

Impressions of Lost Longings

O! What longings lurk beneath the mask of evil - what could have been if this, or if that..... an imagined innocence as the last redoubt of a soul beyond torment....


Wait a second. It's just a whiny douchebag behind that mask. Never mind.

Lost Heroes

Like most people - I hope! - I had a series of revelations as a young man, spurred on by reading fiction. One of these great, life changing revelations for me came from reading Jack Kerouac. Worlds opened before me, possibilities. But even more so, a template: The writer who's life is their art. Kerouac - and all the Beats - used their lives as the source for everything they created. In fact, I would suspect many of them lived their lives with this in mind - life as the canvas, the blank page, the clay to be molded. It's life itself that's the work of fiction, to be consciously crafted by the artist.

I dug all this, big time, and fully incorporated it into my life, for many years. To not such good results.

But, now, I am free of Kerouac - I read the very same books that once moved me, and I'm bored, or tired of the constant self-focus. It's all so much flim-flam, especially Kerouac. Much of his writing I find now to simply be bad - which is still a shock, since I once held him in such esteem.

Not to say I still haven't taken a great deal from these books, these lives, these experiences. But, as they say - moving on! Onwards and upwards! And I would remind any impressionable young people who are under the romantic sway of the Beats and Kerouac in specific, to always remember how Brave Jack ended - living the last decade of his life with his Mom, drinking, to finally die on the toilet, alone. The end. Great story, right?

Now, I'm ALSO of the mindset that the artist's life is completely irrelevant to their art, or a Leader's life, or a Hero's life, or anyone who makes a mark on greater humanity. Does it matter if they were cowards? Drunks? Cheats? As time goes by, all those things wash away, and all that remains are the deeds, the acts that still resonate over time. Great battles, stirring victories, sublime works of art - these things go on, enriching new generations. The person themselves.... irrelevant.

Did I contradict myself? Maybe, and it's allowed. Regardless, and only personally, I feel a great weight off my back to be freed of heroes - all heroes. They're just people, and as I've learned from the lowest place to the highest, none of us has any clue what's going on. Just bumbling and stumbling. And so you could subscribe to the philosophy of "It's better to burn out than to fade away", but I guess all I'll say to that is: Make sure it counts. Often - most of the time? - it won't. And if it won't count, is it really worth throwing your life away after some youth inspired dream?


Hmm.


Also, theme:

More to come, with more contradictions.

Can you spare a sub ride?

I miss it. And by "it" I mean specifically, the Island. I realize the Island was my favorite character on the show. The show was really about the Island, in the sense that it was the motivator or cause for all other character's actions.  

I like calling it the Island too, that it doesn't have a name. Names are overrated.

Another Life (Brutha)

No offense meant to the great and worthy Captain Picard, but gee golly whilikers - a different casting decision might have led to so many different realities today. Terry O' Quinn as Captain Picard? Patrick Stewart as John Locke? I'd like to visit that reality just to see how it turns out. Might be awesome. Might not be. Until my dimension jumping machine is ready, I guess I'll never know.

Like Stewart, O'Quinn has been bald since very young, and thus, even as a young man, was cast in older roles - he's 42 in the above photo, for example. No spring chicken, but certainly, you don't make Admiral in Star Fleet at age 42.

Which leads me to my point: We can put a man on the moon, crack the atom, harness fusion, etc, and we can't find a cure to the most debilitating position known to men, i.e. MALE PATTERN BALDNESS.

C'mon, Global Pharmaceutical Concerns: There's money in those there bald pates. Lots.

A Dream

This is one of those dotcom wunderkid's personal library, complete with original Sputnik and top secret NASA rocket model, along with thousands of books, some with ruby encrusted bindings. Consider the effect incredibly rich yet socially retarded people will have on the world. So far, so good with old Billy Gates, it seems. Perhaps these dotcom billionaires could team up and form a league of some kind, solving crimes both high and small, and the like.

Anyways, a dream of mine would be a personal library - not so grand of course, unless we are really dreaming - like being a dotcom wunderkid. A room to close the doors, with tall ceilings and shelves to the top, and one of those delightful ladders on wheels. Some chairs, tables, lamps and smoking jackets, and I think you get the drift.

Further, anyways, apropos a theme, another dream:

I have not forgotten about you Lost! I was just offline. Don't think anything of it. However, I will report that many people I spoke with from lands far from the Internet were disappointed with the final in ways I found unfulfilling, revolving around lack of answers, but to that complaint I say, "Answers? You want answers to life's greatest mysteries from a story? Why not seek them out in your own life - such as: What is your purpose in this stupid show? Why did you have such a boring middle stretch of seasons?"

But that never works. So I just say, Internets, I missed you! Lost rules, and I love the finale more than I did a week past. It completes most of the large themes of the show in gratifying ways, connecting many elements of the story together in a cohesive tapestry, rich with characters and nuance. Or, it's deep, man.

Whatever your feelings, I am grateful for an enjoyable and engaging tale, and I hoped to have learned much from the watching but more important, contemplating. To get your audience to think about your words while they are not hearing/reading them is a wonderful place to be. It means they have personalized your story, and that is the ultimate connection in the craft. It's how stories live on. This is myth.

Namaste.

Flow charts

Such a wonderful photo - a writer's dream. I imagine the writers must have kept a series bible close at hand in order to keep the backstory clear. It's easy enough to miss a detail, and in this day of endless eyes, any mistake will be identified.

Flow charts are one of the keys to a successful life, by the way. Everything flows, after all.

Off Camera

We're all someone different when the camera is on, or off. In fact, we are different people all the time - when dealing with family, with colleagues, with friends, exes, etc.

So who are we? A collection of roles?

Anyways, Jack smokes. I'm crestfallen.

So it goes

I liked it. A lot. Here's the last shot - thematically bringing it all back to the beginning, and I believe the writers when they say they had this final shot planned from the beginning.

To summarize (Spoilers!): The Alt universe was purgatory; it's timeless, so people can die at different times and still be there together. This purgatory was created by the collective survivors, or maybe just Jack.

Everything we saw on the Island happened, and the Alt Universe was the heavenly coda, occurring perhaps long, long after the actual events depicted (consider that Hurley might remain Island protector for thousands of years, with Ben as his faithful number 2).  

On the Island, as per the Alt reality scene between Sawyer and Juliet (she tells him to unplug the machine then plug it back in to get his candy bar), Jack reboots the island. It was only during the reboot that Smokey could be, and was, killed. Thus, no more Smoke Monster. I think.

I've got a lot to say about this episode, but not much time now. I found it very emotional, and I very much like the fact the story goes on - Sawyer and Kate (and Lapidus! And Alpert!) escaped the Island (probably because the rules about leaving were gone), Hurley and Ben are the Guardians, Desmond is still on Island but one assumes he gets to leave and reunite with Penny.

Jack's dead, but he died nobly - and is that not reward in itself?

Finally, as I've been hypothesizing all along, Vincent was the key to everything:

And even though I was emotionally invested in this show, it was still a fictional dog that got me worst of all. Good boy. 

The End

Ends are the best, or, at least, can be the best - they are often botched. But there's nothing better than a great end. Second best would be beginnings. Middles are always predictable.

Drink Milk!

That Party of Five guy says so.

Kate Smoke

Terrifying, is it not?


I've come to like Kate this season, as her motivation for coming back to the Island was quite powerful (to save Claire), and the way this quest has played out (Claire's crazy) has been dramatic  - I sympathize with Kate's torn emotions. To give up her child to save the real Mother only to find her crazy and controlled by the Devil.... it's a dilly of a pickle.


That said, the Kate Hate is still strong on the interweb. Many are hoping for:

But I suspect she'll somehow survive the inevitable slaughter to come. Odds on Kate surviving: 60%. I can't imagine there will be many survivors however - I don't think we're getting a happy ending on the Island. The sideways world, maybe.


Countdown is on! Happy Lostmas!

Two Faced

Great stories should inspire other art. A theory!

In scanning the many Lost posts here to see if I had used this photo before (for shame! Redshirt has no tracking system in place and thus, I apologize in advance if I re-use a picture. I have once before, that I know of, and it was way back in the dawn of this blog - the classic "It's a Tarp!"

and it's worth posting again, Ackbar be Damned!)

But anyways, in my meanderings through the past, I came upon a list of Redshirt's top 5 tv shows. And I didn't like it. So, here, forthwith, is a new and improved top 5(for now):

1. Lost
2. Angel
3. Buffy The Vampire Slayer
4. Survivor
5. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

I challenge any nerd to question my taste. And, obviously, nerds need only apply.

The Swan

More great art from the collection I linked to below. Love this one.


Favorite hatch? The Swan sure was a good one, but I'm voting "Flame".

Answers

I spend waaaaay too much time on the Intertubey webs reading about Lost. At this point, I could get a damn PhD in the subject. Regardless, there is a great hue and cry coming up from the Internet these past few weeks which can be summarized as such: "I WANT MY ANSWERS!"

I sympathize, but do not agree. 1. There have been plenty of answers. Tons - fer instance, the polar bears have been completely explained. As seen above, this is a polar bear collar from the Hydra station, found by Charlotte in the desert of Tunisia - which indicates that a polar bear turned the Donkey Wheel. And thus, we have the explanation of why there were polar bears on the island - to test the Wheel.

This is true of many other mysteries as well - for instance, we have received answers covering most of the questions regarding the Others - we know why and how they were formed, what the structure was like, their motivation, and an explanation for their most recent actions.

That said, I am a firm believer in the "Always leave 'em wanting more" school of entertainment, and especially so when it comes to mystery stories, which Lost certainly is.

And there is a powerful meta-arguement here: In life, do you get all the answers? I would say, "most definitely not"; why should a great story be any different?


Finally, check out these great selections of Lost art, one example here:

 Awesome.