Jacob's Foot: LOST Season Two Rewind

LOST Rewind: Season Two

I think the introduction of The Dharma Intiative is worth thinking about when considering the answers to the questions we'll be awaiting when the sixth season returns. I want you all to remember that Sept. 21, 2005 night when "Man of Science, Man of Faith" premiered. NO ONE saw The Dharma Intiative coming. No one saw a button that had to be pushed every 108 minutes to save world coming. Billie Doux, a veteran LOST reviewer, wrote that she expected answers but didn't expect that. It was jarring. I had no idea what to make of it. In retrospect, the feeling is, "of course they had to do that." Perhaps considering this plot point is rather weak considering it opened up a whole new world of LOST storytelling while the answers we'll be given in the sixth season are going to work towards the ultimate conclusion.

I'm aware I promised less-wordy season recaps and opt for smaller blocks of text so I will keep to my promise.

Episodes You Need to Watch before Feb. 2

*Live Together, Die Alone--my vote for the most underrated LOST finale (most forgotten as well perhaps). I planned on writing a rather verbose entry on this specific episode and will most likely do so as January will be LOST season finale month. I have a lot to write about all of the happenings in this episode because these happenings launch so much for the future of the show. It's a brillaint finale. In short, this episode has: Desmond's first flashback, the revelation that his failure to push the button caused Oceanic 815 to crash, The Four-Toed statue (known as JACOB'S FOOT!), The Hatch implosion, the introduction of Charles Widmore, etc etc. I don't want to step on my own toes (there's also the weird encounter Desmond has with Libby) for when I write about this episode but this episode is pretty important in the LOST story.

*S.O.S.--Rose and Bernard's only flashback. It's sweet. We find out Rose, too, was healed by The Island. Why is this essential to watch? I have my reasons[caption id="attachment_590" align="alignnone" width="250" caption="The season two poster. It's like an old school Royal Rumble poster."][/caption]

LOST Rewind: Season Two

I think the introduction of The Dharma Intiative is worth thinking about when considering the answers to the questions we'll be awaiting when the sixth season returns. I want you all to remember that Sept. 21, 2005 night when "Man of Science, Man of Faith" premiered. NO ONE saw The Dharma Intiative coming. No one saw a button that had to be pushed every 108 minutes to save world coming. Billie Doux, a veteran LOST reviewer, wrote that she expected answers but didn't expect that. It was jarring. I had no idea what to make of it. In retrospect, the feeling is, "of course they had to do that." Perhaps considering this plot point is rather weak considering it opened up a whole new world of LOST storytelling while the answers we'll be given in the sixth season are going to work towards the ultimate conclusion.

I'm aware I promised less-wordy season recaps and opt for smaller blocks of text so I will keep to my promise.

Episodes You Need to Watch before Feb. 2

*Live Together, Die Alone--my vote for the most underrated LOST finale (most forgotten as well perhaps). I planned on writing a rather verbose entry on this specific episode and will most likely do so as January will be LOST season finale month. I have a lot to write about all of the happenings in this episode because these happenings launch so much for the future of the show. It's a brillaint finale. In short, this episode has: Desmond's first flashback, the revelation that his failure to push the button caused Oceanic 815 to crash, The Four-Toed statue (known as JACOB'S FOOT!), The Hatch implosion, the introduction of Charles Widmore, etc etc. I don't want to step on my own toes (there's also the weird encounter Desmond has with Libby) for when I write about this episode but this episode is pretty important in the LOST story.

*S.O.S.--Rose and Bernard's only flashback. It's sweet. We find out Rose, too, was healed by The Island. Why is this essential to watch? I have my reasons.

Episodes You Don't Necessarily Need to Watch but Still Should

Yes. I'm aware I listed just two episodes that begs to be watched before the premiere. But hey, season two doesn't have much mystery anymore. Season Five really shored up Season Two.

*The 23rd Psalm--Eko's greatest episode and one of the best in the series. Eko provided a different kind of man of faith compared to the man of faith that is John Locke.

*One of Them--I mean, you don't really need to watch this episode before Feb. 2. It's just fun to re-live the very short Henry Gale era.

*Lockdown--I wrote a whole episode of the day on this one.

*Dave: I know Damon and Carlton have stated that Libby's Dave and Hurley's Dave are totally different people but those two like to trick the audience. I doubt it's a big deal for the sixth season. The final scene of this episode is the reveal that Libby was once in the same mental institution as Hurley and she was a patient. I also am trying to make up for omitting "Numbers" in the season one rewind I did. I have no idea why. There's some great Hurley stuff in this one too.

*...And Found--a nice, sweet episode about Jin and Sun's destiny to be together. also, a nice episode about friendship. Jin goes off to find Michael after Michael takes off into the jungle to find Walt.

*Fire + Wate--an episode I onced had trouble accepting when it first aired but I have since found a new sense of appreciation for it. There's an Episode of the Day for it. Also worth watching: the bonus feature about this episode in the season two dvd. It gives valuable insight into Locke and Charlie.

*Everybody Hates Hugo: Again, an episode of the day exists for this one. I'm a big Hurley fan. The Island story in this one is terrific as is the conclusion of the episode. Love the montage.

*What Kate Did: Remember when EVERYONE wanted to know what Kate did? I do and this episode tells you what she did. It also features the famous horse that is still be discussed and theorized.

*Maternity Leave: I mentioned this episode in my "Whatever Happened, Happened" recap. I think it's an important episode for Claire/Aaron.

*Man of Science, Man of Faith--The introduction of Desmond, Jack and Locke yell at each other, the introduction of The Hatch and Dharma, Walt-Who-Speaks-Backwards appears. It's very, very good.

MOST VALUABLE CHARACTER--SEASON TWO EDITION

This was fun to do for season one. I will do this again right now:

Jack Shephard: The defending MVC. In season two, he decides to push the button every 108 minutes, explores The Hatch with Sayid and discovers the electromagnetic energy, yells at Tom in The Hunting Party, is nice to Ana Lucia, continues to help people as their doctor, saves Sawyer's life, engages in a passionate kiss with Kate, wanted to find Michael when Michael went to look for Walt, listened to Sayid about Sayid's suspicion of Michael, attemped to force a trade for Walt by using Ben.

Sayid Jarrah: Sayid fixes The Swan computer, wonders why time is being wasted just so Jack can decide the button needs to be pushed, discovers the amount of concrete undernearth The Hatch and compares it to Chernobyl (the incident), continues to court Shannon, dazzles her as he comforts her about Boone, eventually believes Shannon about her visions of Walt, forgives Ana Lucia for murdering Shannon even after being tied to a tree, helps put the fire out ignited by Charlie, listens to 1940s music with Hurley in the first hint of time travel, is the only one that believes Ben is lying about Henry Gale, PROVES that Ben is a liar by going back to the balloon Ben told them about and digging up that very grave, is correctly suspicious about Michael after Michael returns from his sojourn to find Walt, hatches the plan with Jack for how to handle Michael, uses Desmond's boat he got from Libby to sail to the other side of The Island to aid Jack, Kate, Hurley, and Sawyer in their battle with the other, as he sails he discovers the four-toed statue which will eventually be known as Jacob's Foot by me.

Mr. Eko: Protects the Tailies after they've landed just like he protected Yemi, does not speak for 40 days afterwards as penance, comforts Ana Lucia as she cries, later apologizes for killing some Others to Benny Linus, apologizes to Sawyer for his actions against Sawyer, Michael, and Jin (he beat them with his Jesus Stick when the Tailies mistook them for Others), helps Jin look for Michael after Michael takes off for Walt, Eko suggests the group go inland as they make their way to the Losties camp in order to save Sawyer's life though it puts them at risk with The Others, saves Ana Lucia's life when Sayid's ready to kill her, stops Jack from going to the Tailies full of anger and bloodlust, comforts Ana Lucia as she deals with accidentally killing Shannon, Eko brings the missing piece of the Orientation film from The Arrow, CONFRONTED Smokey and did not stand down or run, is able to properly mourn his brother's death as he recites The 23rd Psalm with Charlie, begins building the church he owes Yemi, baptizes jagirl Claire and baby Aaron, discovers the ? Hatch (otherwise known as The Pearl) with Locke, Eko then believes pushing the button to be more important than ever, continues pushing the button until Locke and Desmond force him out and then lock him out.

Hurley: Is told to do an inventory on the food but eventually decides to give the food to everybody, develops a relationship with Libby, accepts the Tailies, helps Sawyer out even if Sawyer's blackmailing him, exercises with Libby, tries to fix his eating problems, attacks Sawyer because Sawyer called him crazy and probably for all the other stuff Sawyer said to him that got under Hurley's skin, is one of the few characters to remember The Caves existence, plans a picnic for Libby (but unfortunately forgets the blankets), buries Libby and leads the funeral for her and Ana Lucia, decides to go on the trek to The Others after Michael asks him to.

Desmond: Informs Jack and Locke of the importance of pushing the button every 108 minutes, tells them about the Orientation video, flees as soon as the computer's shot because he hates The Island, gets Jack to open up about Sarah, eventually returns to the beach because his sailboat just went in circles, tells Claire she doesn't need to give Aaron the injections because he's been doing that for three years with zero results, helps Locke see whether or not the button's consequences are real, realizes it's all bloody real, and turns the failsafe with the key (doing that will eventually allow him to get off the island as he boards the freighter, is able to call Penny, and Penny finds him and The Oceanic 6 plus the whole 'see-the-future' thing starts with that but that's for season three). For fun: he's also the reason why Oceanic 815 crashes.

WINNER OF THE SEASON TWO MVC AWARD: This is a tough, tough call but I think the award has to go to Desmond Hume. The failsafe thing is so damn important for the future of the show. So the season two MVC is Desmond Hume.

2. Mr. Eko

3. Sayid

4. Jack

5. Hurley

TOP THREE EPISODES OF THE SEASON

3. Lockdown (http://www.hulu.com/watch/90178/lost-lockdown#s-p2-n2-so-i0)

2. The 23rd Psalm (http://www.hulu.com/watch/90207/lost-the-23rd-psalm#s-p3-n2-so-i0)

1. Live Together, Die Alone (http://www.hulu.com/watch/90204/lost-live-together-die-alone-part-1#s-p1-n2-so-i0)

FINAL THOUGHTS

The tagline for season two was: Everything Happens For A Reason. That has been a prevailing theme throughout the series. Damon Lindelof even mentions the tagline at the end of the commentary for "Man of Science, Man of Faith" as he emphasizes the importance of Jack meeting Desmond in the stadium. I read Doc Jensen's newest LOST column and he wrote about experiencing moments again and again and offered an opinion that LOST is doing just that. But I will respectfully disagree with that. I should probably make these thoughts known in a whole different entry and probably will. I'll simply remind you of James Joyce's Ulysses that is seen in 316 in season five and turn your attention the book Joyce wrote after Ulysses (entitled Finnegan's Wake). Actually, I definitely will make this its own entry. As for season two, it's an interesting season. It happened before the show had an end date. There's 24 episodes (1 less than the epic season five). With the shorter seasons, you can see the filler that's present. It takes 8 episodes for the Tailies and Losties to meet. There's a B story in an episode in which Sawyer forces Hurley to hunt down a tree frog. But there's some great stuff in season two. I'm a huge fan of the Henry Gale stuff. The end of "Two For The Road" is a top 5 LOST ending. Any spoiler-free person at the time did not see that coming including me. I like the first-ever on Island flashback (Claire's Maternity Leave). Season Two and I have had a complicated relationship for four years now but that's just me.

UP NEXT: Who knows. Maybe Season 3 rewind. Or a season five DVD feature review. Don't expect my season six-Finnegan's Wake thing next because that'll probably go up close to Feb. 2

Merry 2010!

Jacob's Foot: The Constant

THE 'LOST' EPISODE OF THE DAY

The episode: The Constant

Original Airdate: February 28, 2008

Written by: Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cuse

Directed by: Jack Bender

Content: Sayid and Desmond hit some turbulence on the way to the freighter, which causes Desmond to experience some unexpected side effects: his 1996 consciousness travels to 2004 and back multiple times. The episode follows Desmond's 1996 consciousness in one continuous narrative between the two years.

Why It's Worth Re-Watching: Narratively speaking, it is the most ambitious episode LOST has produced. It took 6 weeks just to break the story for this episode. The episode has recently been named TelevisionWithoutPity's favorite LOST episode of the series. It's also the Christmas episode of LOST which is why it's getting its episode of the day.

I've had this planned since about September, to write about "The Constant," because I, and many fans, have embraced the episode as the Christmas episode. There's nothing better to lift the holiday spirits than to re-watch the fantastic phone conversation between Desmond and Penny but I'll get to that.

This episode reminds the viewer about time-travel, a sort of long set-up for what's to come in the fifth season. Desmond previous experience with time-travel occured in season three's "Flashes Before Your Eyes." When he turned the failsafe key, his conciousness traveled through time. Likewise, another Island-something sends his conciousness to 1996. When he's active or aware in 2004, he still experiences his 1996 conciousness. Anywho, as Desmond continues to randomly black out on The Freighter, Daniel Faraday comes to help via Freighter mobile phone. He tells Desmond that he needs Desmond to go to Oxford because he needs to find Faraday and to declare that he knows about Eloise. Desmond does. BEFORE THAT, Desmond and Sayid are introduced to Minkowski (the communications guy). He, too, experiences what Desmond is experiencing and warns that the entire crew will experience this because of The Island. At this point, Minkowski suffering from nose-bleeds and then eventually dies because he did not have a constant. I'll allow Faraday to take it from here:

[DESMOND awakes, back in DAN's office.]

DESMOND: What happened?

DAN: Whoa, you're back, and you were out for almost 75 minutes.

DESMOND: Out?

DAN: Yeah, yeah, yeah. You just whoof, went catatonic right in the middle of a sentence. I had to carry you to the chair. So I take it you were, you were in the future again?

DESMOND: Aye.

DAN: For how long?

DESMOND: I don't know...five minutes? Why does this keep happening?

DAN: In your case, I'm guessing that progression is exponential. Each time your consciousness jumps, it gets harder to jump back. I would be careful crossing the street if I were you.

[DESMOND looks at the body of ELOISE.]

DESMOND: What happened to her?

DAN: She died.

DESMOND: Yeah, I can see that. How?

DAN: Brain aneurysm, probably. I dunno. I'll need to do an autopsy later.

DESMOND: Is that going to happen to me?

DAN: The effects seem to vary from case to case, but uh...

[DESMOND pins DAN to the wall.]

DESMOND: If these keeps happening, am I going to die?

DAN: I don't know. I think Eloise's brain short-circuited. The jumps between the present and the future...she couldn't tell which was which, she had no anchor.

DESMOND: Wh...what do you mean, anchor?

DAN: Something familiar in both times. All this, see this is variables, it's random, it's chaotic. Every equation needs stability, something known. It's called a constant. Desmond, you have no constant. When you go to the future, nothing there is familiar. So if you want to stop this, then you need to find something there...something that you really, really care about....that also exists back here, in 1996.

DESMOND: This constant...can it be a person?

DAN: Yeah, maybe. But you have to make some kind of contact. Didn't you say you were off on a boat, in the middle of nowhere?

Penny is Desmond's constant. Something very sweet, very real, and very human comes out of the time-wonkiness. I think this episode captures the essence of LOST. There's a lot of 'out there' things happening throughout the episode but it's grounded by a very familiar love story. It's always about the characters. I think that is why this particular episode of LOST has resonated with fans the way it has. Penny literally saves Desmond's life in this episode. It's a beautiful episode.

As for the other happenings in this episode, there isn't much beyond the Desmond story but there's a very important auction scene involving Charles Widmore. Here's the most important part:

AUCTIONEER: The Black Rock set sail from Portsmith England on March 22, 1845 on a trading mission to the kingdom of Siam, when she was tragically lost at sea. The only known artifact of this journey is the journal of the ship's first mate, which was discovered among the artifacts of pirates on the Ile Sante-Marie off the coast of Madagascar seven years later. The contents of this journal have never been made public, or known to anyone outside the family of the seller, Tovard Hanso. We open the bidding on lot 2342 at 150,000 pounds. 150,000, sir. For 160? Do I hear one six- 160, sir. 170, sir. 180 on the phone. 200,000 pounds. 220,000 pounds, 240? 260,000 pounds, sir. 280? On the phone I have 300,000...320. 340,000 pounds. 360? 380...

I will bet the journal belongs to one Richard Alpert. And there's no way that ship was tragically lost at sea. As we saw in "The Incident," Jacob was sort of willing the ship towards the Island much to Man in Black's chagrin. But I digress.

I recommend listening to the audio commentary for this episode. Editor Mark Goldman joins Lindelof and Cuse, and it's really cool to hear how he cut the episode. Plus, Damon and Carlton never disappoint. There's also a podcast rehash of the episode, which is a great listen.

All in all, the episode is terrific. One of the finest. Probably the best of season four. Do watch. And Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays.

Jacob's Foot: 'Because You Left' Audio Commentary Thoughts (Part ofMassive Season Six Preview)

LOST: The Complete Fifth Season

The Journey Back-Expanded Edition

One of Many Reviews: Audio Commentary for "Because You Left."

I know I promised the season two would be up next; however, what I declined to mention is that only pertained to the next season I'll write too many words about. Anywho, it's time to give my thoughts on the commentary Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse recorded for the fifth season premiere "Because You Left."

--This is an epic, detailed commentary. They discuss the major points of Season Five, how they got there. In sum, they summarize the entire writing process of the fifth season from mini-camp to the finale.

--With that said, they let slip a few things about the final season. It's barely anything but it's enough that I can write many words about it. The first thing I'll mention is their use of the word paradox when discussing what Faraday will attempt to do by season's end. The reason why the word struck me is because, since they recorded the season three podcast for Flashes Before Your Eyes, they've advocated the no paradox rule. I'm sure I've written about this using different words and phrasing months ago but I'm ready to advocate 'time will not reboot' during the final season full time. I'm open to anything that actually happens. But yes: paradox absolutely stood out to me.

--Damon quips about the teaser of the episode, saying "Because You Left" begins as the other seasons doe: not knowing where the hell you are or you are with. I got a kick out of that.

--Desmond is discussed. The Desmond discussion takes place at the end of the episode (you know...when Desmond appears) and Lindelof and Cuse jump ahead to what Ms. Hawking tells him: The Island is not done with him. Apparently, The Island is not done with Desmond at all. The discussion is very interesting not because they say a certain character's story is not done, it's HOW they discuss it. They used words like significance as in the viewers will learn Desmond's significance to the WHOLE story. But it is the final season. We're going to learn about where every character fits in to the grand scheme of things. In the recap before 'The Incident' aired in May, Damon and Carlton give a brief summary of where the characters were left at the end of "Follow The Leader" and then say that they are really excited to be at this point where they can begin really telling the final chapter of how these characters are more intertwined than they ever imagiend. Oh man I can't wait.

-I really enjoyed the discussion about how season five was constructed and crafted, even the first episode alone. Damon and Carlton discussed the mistakes they made in past finales (not involving all of the characters) and how they wanted to account for every character in the premiere. They discussed how to pay each character the time they needed in a 42 minute window. The discussion provides valuable insight into the inner-workings of the LOST writers room and how an episode is broken (the most famous episode break is for "The Constant").

-During the scene in which Locke is treated by Richard for his bullet wound, Damon and Carlton talk about how (the viewer now knows) Future Locke and Ben are watching the scene from the jungle. Carlton simply says 'Locke is basically a different person" and Damon then says "You can say that again!" Oh those wacky dudes. Should I have written Future Locke or Not Locke there? Hm. They have a lot of fun messing with the audience. Speaking of that, there's a worthwhile quote from Damon from a GQ interview with Bad Robot. It's about the final season. Suffice to say, I will be using this quote again when I write the final part of this preview on February 1, 2010.

But it makes you understand why some people go to church every Sunday and some people are atheists. Some people need Lost to have a scientific explanation for everything, and that's why our viewership now is what it is—because the people who needed there to be a scientific explanation for everything stopped watching. They were like, "Okay—the show has now proven my theory wrong." This is another joke masking a true terror for us—we're doing the last season of the show now, and this season is where you get your answers. And we're not waiting until the last episode—the answers start coming fairly fast and furious right out of the gate. But in a lot of ways, the storytelling this year is just us telling people that they were wrong. They've built up theories for five years. When a show like this gets to a certain point and then it's "Oh, man, we were cancelled," people get to bring their theories with them to the grave. With us, it's basically like, "No—you're wrong." And some people may have been right. Who knows?

-Back to the commentary: they spend some time emphasizing thee motif of the season which is The Hatch. They wanted to set up the importance of the Hatch again because they knew that would be the key thing by season's end. They wanted to establish the rules of time-travel because they wanted the viewers to question whether or not the characters would try to change anything. This led into a discussion about the overall story of the show and how free-will is a very important theme. Eventually, the characters do try to change things and those episodes are really, really good.

-There could be a part two to this because I might be leaving things out. But this is the end of this LOST entry.

LOST: The Complete Fifth Season

The Journey Back-Expanded Edition

One of Many Reviews: Audio Commentary for "Because You Left."


I know I promised the season two would be up next; however, what I declined to mention is that only pertained to the next season I'll write too many words about. Anywho, it's time to give my thoughts on the commentary Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse recorded for the fifth season premiere "Because You Left."

--This is an epic, detailed commentary. They discuss the major points of Season Five, how they got there. In sum, they summarize the entire writing process of the fifth season from mini-camp to the finale.

--With that said, they let slip a few things about the final season. It's barely anything but it's enough that I can write many words about it. The first thing I'll mention is their use of the word paradox when discussing what Faraday will attempt to do by season's end. The reason why the word struck me is because, since they recorded the season three podcast for Flashes Before Your Eyes, they've advocated the no paradox rule. I'm sure I've written about this using different words and phrasing months ago but I'm ready to advocate 'time will not reboot' during the final season full time. I'm open to anything that actually happens. But yes: paradox absolutely stood out to me.

--Damon quips about the teaser of the episode, saying "Because You Left" begins as the other seasons doe: not knowing where the hell you are or you are with. I got a kick out of that.

--Desmond is discussed. The Desmond discussion takes place at the end of the episode (you know...when Desmond appears) and Lindelof and Cuse jump ahead to what Ms. Hawking tells him: The Island is not done with him. Apparently, The Island is not done with Desmond at all. The discussion is very interesting not because they say a certain character's story is not done, it's HOW they discuss it. They used words like significance as in the viewers will learn Desmond's significance to the WHOLE story. But it is the final season. We're going to learn about where every character fits in to the grand scheme of things. In the recap before 'The Incident' aired in May, Damon and Carlton give a brief summary of where the characters were left at the end of "Follow The Leader" and then say that they are really excited to be at this point where they can begin really telling the final chapter of how these characters are more intertwined than they ever imagiend. Oh man I can't wait.

-I really enjoyed the discussion about how season five was constructed and crafted, even the first episode alone. Damon and Carlton discussed the mistakes they made in past finales (not involving all of the characters) and how they wanted to account for every character in the premiere. They discussed how to pay each character the time they needed in a 42 minute window. The discussion provides valuable insight into the inner-workings of the LOST writers room and how an episode is broken (the most famous episode break is for "The Constant").

-During the scene in which Locke is treated by Richard for his bullet wound, Damon and Carlton talk about how (the viewer now knows) Future Locke and Ben are watching the scene from the jungle. Carlton simply says 'Locke is basically a different person" and Damon then says "You can say that again!" Oh those wacky dudes. Should I have written Future Locke or Not Locke there? Hm. They have a lot of fun messing with the audience. Speaking of that, there's a worthwhile quote from Damon from a GQ interview with Bad Robot. It's about the final season. Suffice to say, I will be using this quote again when I write the final part of this preview on February 1, 2010.

But it makes you understand why some people go to church every Sunday and some people are atheists. Some people need Lost to have a scientific explanation for everything, and that's why our viewership now is what it is—because the people who needed there to be a scientific explanation for everything stopped watching. They were like, "Okay—the show has now proven my theory wrong." This is another joke masking a true terror for us—we're doing the last season of the show now, and this season is where you get your answers. And we're not waiting until the last episode—the answers start coming fairly fast and furious right out of the gate. But in a lot of ways, the storytelling this year is just us telling people that they were wrong. They've built up theories for five years. When a show like this gets to a certain point and then it's "Oh, man, we were cancelled," people get to bring their theories with them to the grave. With us, it's basically like, "No—you're wrong." And some people may have been right. Who knows?

-Back to the commentary: they spend some time emphasizing thee motif of the season which is The Hatch. They wanted to set up the importance of the Hatch again because they knew that would be the key thing by season's end. They wanted to establish the rules of time-travel because they wanted the viewers to question whether or not the characters would try to change anything. This led into a discussion about the overall story of the show and how free-will is a very important theme. Eventually, the characters do try to change things and those episodes are really, really good.

-There could be a part two to this because I might be leaving things out. But this is the end of this LOST entry.

Jacob's Foot: The Seven Week Preview for The Sixth and Final SeasonBegins!

It's Finals week. So what better time to launch my epic seven week season six preview? Finals Week!

I've been thinking a lot about Jacob's Foot since I launched it. I'm always debating with myself how to improve the blog, how to approach weekly coverage of the show when the show is on hiatus for 8 months. I've figured it out: a seven-week season six preview.


What exactly will this seven week preview contain? A little bit of everything. The episode of the day feature is not going away but it won't be written on a weekly basis. I'll explain why later. For the preview, I'm going to break down each and every season of the show with full mind being paid to the upcoming season. I'm going to stare at the final poster released as part of damoncarltonandapolarbear.com and then write about it. I'm going to write a lot about certain characters, review every single thing contained in the season five dvd. It's going to be an interesting and exciting process. Without further do, here is an NBA/NHL style recap of the first season of LOST

THE FIRST SEASON OF LOST


I know I\'ve done a variation of this when I compared seasons of LOST with The Mars Volta albums during the summer This will be much less wordy I promise you but I have to do some set-up first

In the official LOST podcast for "Follow The Leader," Damon and Carlton spend a few minutes explaining the similarities between the end of season five and the end of season one. Here's the transcript of that conversation:

Damon Lindelof Yeah, what do you think the reaction to the finale is gonna be? Let’s just get that out of the way.

Carlton Cuse Umm, I think that, you know, people are gonna like it because there are some good mythological advancements in it, but I think there’s also gonna be a fair share of annoyance that they’re gonna have to wait 8 months to find out what happens after the finale. It has a very, sort of, Season 1 feel to me, like when we blew up in the hatch and people were like, “You’re kidding me! That’s where you’re leaving us?”

Damon Lindelof Yeah, that is always a part of the finale, and I think that umm, several have begun to assume that the show is almost, that there is sort of a reflective quality to it, so that if we’ve been saying that Season 6 is going to be a lot like Season 1, it would seem only fair that this finale going into the finale season of the show is sort of, sort of reminisced about Season 1. We do know that the Jack-gang at the very least is about to go to the Swan site, which is exactly where Season 1 ended, correct?

Carlton Cuse It’s kind of like, you know, in movies, when instead of having the credits at the beginning, they put them at the end of the movie but they’re in reverse order. Right, you know?

Damon Lindelof Oh, interesting.

Carlton Cuse So, feels like we’re kind of, almost spinning back into Season 1. Does that mean that we’ll start Season 6 with the most exciting part of the season?

Damon Lindelof All I have to say is that over the summer, if anybody asks me, “What’s in the hatch?” I’ll know that something has gone horribly haywire!"

I spent the last portion of my 4,000 word "The Incident" recap discussing the mirror of season six to season one. Now I have no idea how this mirror will work. I'll just have to wait and see. But know the set-up is there throughout the season five finale and the intention for the mirror is there. The official posters for season six features every major character. The final poster for damoncarltonandapolarbear is very season one. Now, let the seven week season six preview commence with a look-back at the first season of this fantasic show:

Episodes You Need To Watch before Feb.2

*Walkabout--The first John Locke episode that revealed he couldn't walk for four years until he landed on The Island was healed. This is absolutely the finest Locke episode of the series and a top 3 episode of season 1. I have no idea what to make of the "John Locke" we saw in the season five finale but I totally think this episode will be re-visited somehow, someway. I'm not sure if healing itself will be answered on the show but it's been an essential thing throughout the show. This episode truly begins Locke's special communion with The Island.

*White Rabbit--Jack's first episode! Jack follows his father through the jungle. He's led to his father's casket which he finds empty and then is brought to the caves and the fresh water. Those two sentences say everything. Christian's been pretty important during the show. That empty casket will probably make some sense by series end.

*Raised By Another--The dream Claire has in the beginning of the episode seems so significant that I'm posting the first 8 minutes of the episode. This is Claire's best, has the most mystery regarding the significance of her relationship with her son Aaron. We haven't seen her since Something Nice Back Home (unless you count The Little Prince). This is the perfect Claire refresher.

*Exodus ALL PARTS--There's the Black Rock, The Others, and the fantastic montage of everyone getting into their seats on Oceanic 815.

Episodes You Don't Need to Watch but should still watch:

*Solitary--I said enough when I wrote about it a few weeks ago.

*The Moth--A great Charlie episode, wonderful scenes between he and Locke.

*Confidence Man: See the Episode of the Day I did for it:

*Born To Run

*Hearts and Minds--Boone and Shannon's episode. Remember them? In this episode, Locke gives Boone something that makes Boone hallucinate Shannon's death. There's a lot of great Locke moments PLUS the first notion of electromagentism existing on The Island.

*...In Translation: an episode I will probably write about in the Episode of the Day feature because it's a favorite of mine. Jin finds himself in an unpleasant situation when people find his hands burned. They think he burned the raft. The scene when he yells at Michael in Korean, he is merely telling him that he tried to put the raft out. It's an absolute spectacular episode. You should watch "House of the Rising Sun" as well since, perhaps, Jin and Sun will be reunited in the sixth and final season of the show.

*The Greater Good--Remind yourself how Sayid ended up on Oceanic 815. This episode provides some context for the B-plot in "Walkabout."

*Outlaws: See the Episode of the Day for this episode: (http://blogs.wcuquad.com/2009/11/17/jacobs-foot-outlaws/)

Most Valuable Character

I told you this would be in the style of a major sports league recap. There's a few characters in the running for this: John Locke, Jack Shephard, Sayid Jarrah, Kate, and Michael. How does one decide? That's a good question. I'm not sure. I haven't made up any rules for this and since me and STEVE didn't begin recording our rankings until season three...I can't look at rankings and say "oh there's the MVC." I have enlisted STEVE for the MVC. Here's the different characters credentials (i'm relying on my memory as well as the greatest LOST resource in the world for this: lostpedia.com and I am basing MVC on their on-Island stuff only. no flashbacks.):

Locke:

Discovered the Hatch, Hunted Boar for awhile, helped Boone's obsession with his step-sister to cease, built a crib for Claire's baby-to-be (big points right there as I am a Claire geek), ate an orange whole in the pilot, the first survivor to see Smokey the Smoke monster and put an optimistic spin on the Monster, helps Charle kick his drug habit, discovered Claire who had just gotten back from her time in The Staff with Ethan and his Other friends, was able to get Walt to confess to burning the raft, lights the fuse that blows up the Hatch.

Here's some things that could prevent him from winning MVC: Hits Sayid in the head when Sayid attempts to triangulate the distress call, had the poor taste to show up to Boone's funeral in a shirt covered with Boone's blood, and lied about Boone's fall which caused Jack to mistreat him.

Jack:

Assumes the role of leader of the losties, Wakes up surrounded by bamboo and immediately leaps to help everyone after the crash, finds fresh water at the caves, gives the great 'live together, die alone' speech, breaks up many fights between the survivors in the first days, always treats Claire and whoever else needs to be treated, tries to save Marshall, sits by Rose and talks to her about Bernard when Boone expresses concern, tries to save Boone after Boone's accident, nearly kills himself giving Boone a blood transfusion, and saves Charlie's life.

Sayid:

Devotes Much Time seeking ways to communicate with the outside world,Tries to Triangulate Rousseau's distress call, Stands by his Beliefs like not wanting people to move to the caves with jack, Disagreed with Jack's plan to burn the bodies in Walkabout (again watch The Greater Good), Helps and Connects with Rousseau, Fixes her Music Box, Is Honest with her, Finds the Looking Glass cable, Is the first character to hear the whispers and acknowledge they are not alone on The Island, Begins to Court and DOES court Shannon, goes with Charlie on a mission to retrieve Aaron from Rousseau, and helps RESCUE Aaron alongside Charlie.

Kate:

Goes on the quest to retrieve the Transceiver with Jack and Charlie, humors Charlie when Charlie sings "You All Everybody," helps Sayid triangulate the distress signal, helps an injured Michael back to camp, Makes out with Sawyer in an attempt to get the truth out of Sawyer, Helps Sawyer break out his shell, Goes with Jack in pursuit of Claire and Charlie, Gathered fruit in the Jungle, Helped Sawyer track the boar who annoyed Sawyer, and HELPED CLAIRE GIVE BIRTH TO BABY AARON (Big Points).

Michael:

Builds a Relationship with his son after the crash, Uses his construction skills to make The Caves a safe dwelling place, Saved Walt from an attacking Polar Bear, Helped Sun deal with her problems with Jin, Eventually Settles His Differences with Jin and becomes Friends with him, and builds a raft NOT ONCE but TWICE giving the losties the best possible chance for rescue.

Here are some Honorable Mentions:

* Hurley: He's the heart of the show.

* Charlie: Kicked a drug habit, became Claire's best friend, became best friends with Hurley. He's a good man.

* Jin: For everything post-...In Translation.

* Claire: Gives Birth on a FRIGGIN' Island!

* Sawyer: He caused so many problems that he couldn't jump Michael. The MVC is tough.

THE WINNER AND MOST VALUABLE CHARACTER OF THE FIRST SEASON OF LOST: Jack Shephard. As STEVE writes, "He's the leader." Indeed. Jack's experience as a doctor is so essential that it'd be a crime to rob him of the MVC.

Runner-Ups:

2. Sayid

3. Locke

4. Michael

5. Kate

-------------------------------------------

I was going to do an LVC category but...it's too negative and every character is so damn good and important this first season and throughout the show so the LVC has been scrapped.

For fun, here's The All-Island Adventure Team (the characters YOU want going into the jungle for an adventure or search or something). It'll only be 5. Think the All-NBA team set-up.

All-Island Adventure Team: Kate, Sayid, Locke, Jack, and Sawyer.

-----------------------------------------

You must be wondering to yourself, "I thought he said this is the first of a seven week season six preview." Indeed, it is. It's the first part of the preview. The whole objective of the episode of the day is to show where these characters were, their arcs, etc as we prepare for the final season of the show. It's all about reminding people of the story and these characters. And for these next seven weeks, that is what I'm going to do.

UP NEXT: Season TWO!

Jacob's Foot: Greatest Hits

THE 'LOST' EPISODE OF THE DAY

The episode: Greatest Hits

Original Airdate: May 16, 2007

Written By: Eddie Kitsis & Adam Horowitz

Directed By: Stephen Williams

Content: When Desmond has another one of his flashes, Charlie is forced to come to terms with the notion that he may have to die to ensure everyone else's rescue. Meanwhile, Jack formulates a plan to combat the Others when they arrive the next day, but complications arise.

Why It's Worth Re-Watching: It is Charlie Pace's almost finest hour. His finest hour takes place in the season three finale but this episode is one of the best LOST has produced. It's the best Charlie episode period. Here's my least favorite-to-favorite Charlie episodes IN ORDER: Homecoming, Fire + Water, The Moth, Greatest Hits. Anywho, I love the approach the writers took for this episode. First of all, the episode's structure is mis-leading. One would think this is Charlie's final episode but it's not. After all, there's no way he could've drowned during that briefly tense moment before he surfaces when it looks like he might drown. There's no room with equipment in sight nor a blinking yellow light. The episode is the final set-up to the prophecy of Desmond's which came in "Flashes Before Your Eyes." Charlie is going to die. It just won't be until "Through The Looking Glass."

Now, before I discuss more of the episode, I have a brief tangent. I'm a huge Claire nerd. I love the character, adore the actress, etc. In this episode, Desmond tells Charlie he had a flash of Claire and Aaron getting onto a helicopter. At the time I thought, "great!" But NO! As we know, Claire gets nowhere near an helicopter. Kate gets onto the helicopter with Aaron as does Desmond. The thing I have been thinking about since Claire disappeared in "Something Nice Back Home" is: was Desmond telling the truth to Charlie or did he use Claire because he knew Charlie would sacrifice his life for her? Did Desmond see himself on the helicopter and eventually back with Penny? Remember, Desmond has no desire to leave the freighter once he's there because of Penny. Perhaps it's ridiculous to think this much into this plot point but I'm an english major! This is what I do! Anywho, I'm aware that Desmond sees only pieces but what if he didn't? I think about this plot point a lot because Charlie gives his life because he thinks Claire and her son will get off the Island! But she doesn't! I doubt this will be cleared up in The Final Season but this insane man can hope.

As for the episode, the episode captures the essential LOST. Charlie refers to his life as sorry, pathetic, and defines it as a excuse of a life. But Charlie's come a long way from where he's been. He's kicked his drug habit, found Claire and Turnip Head, and purpose in his life. One musn't forget he was willing to give his life for Jack in "The Moth" and he's more than willing to give his life for Claire and his friends. The story of Charlie is wonderful. "Greatest Hits" brilliantly captures where he's been and how far he's come as he remembers his greatest hits. Charlie says, "you know, memories. They're all I've got." Charlie doesn't embrace the choices he's made, the mistakes, the regrets like Eko does but Charlie, like Eko, is willing to sacrifice his life for others. And, remember, Eko and Charlie once worked on the church together.

My favorite scene in the episode is between Hurley and Charlie. It's their goodbye (sort of) though Hurley doesn't know. I write sort of because they will talk again in "The Beginning of the End" which helps Hurley gain the closure he needs. But this scene is so well-done. The best part is when Charlie, after telling Hurley he can't come, runs and embraces Hurley and tells Hurley that he loves him. Hurley and Charlie's friendship is the greatest in LOST.

Another strong scene is when Charlie says his goodbye to Claire and Aaron in his own way. It's very sweet and sad.

As for the rest of the episode, Jack, Sayid, Juliet, etc prepare themselves for The Others. There's an overwhelming sense of rescue throughout the episode which is definitely warranted because of "Through The Looking Glass." There's great character moments through the episode like the little exchange between Bernard and Rose about the knots, the scene between Jin and Sun when Sun tells Jin about their child, the scene between Alex and Karl when she tells Karl to warn the Losties, when Sawyer comes to Karl's aid, and an underrated moment: when a crazy Ben comes from just shooting Locke. Ben is just wild. Maybe "The Shape of Things to Come" will be the next episode I write about it.

Overall, this is one of the finest hours of LOST. Eddie Kitsis and Adam Horowitz do another great job. Stephen Williams masterfully directs it. If Lindelof, Cuse, and Bender are the ace of the LOST rotation or the Tim Lincecum of LOST...Kitsis, Horowitz, and Williams are the Matt Cain of the staff. Not quite as good but DAMN good.

Good day! Videos below:







And, of course, the entire episode can be viewed at hulu.com. Do watch.

Jacob's Foot: The King of the Castle

Before I dive into "King of the Castle" from MISSING PIECES, I'd like you to go here ( to look at some great scans of ANOTHER Final Season poster. This time Eko shows up. Only two months until LOST returns!

THE 'LOST' WEBISODE OF THE DAY

The webisode: King of the Castle

Debuted: November 20, 2007 on Verizon Wirless & November 27, 2007 on ABC.com

Written By: Brian K. Vaughan

Directed By: Jack Bender

Content: Jack and Ben play chess.

Why It's Worth Re-Watching: I'm bringing the webisodes into this now for a few reasons. First of all, I intended to dive into "The Constant" for this week's episode of the day before realizing that I had planned in August or September to save "The Constant" for Christmas. I had also planned to either watch one of three episodes but school work is taking priority because it's that time of the year. But this is a worthwhile webisode to highlight because it ties into that much-talked about Spanish promo as well as harkens back to Locke explaining backgammon to Walt.

Well, this webisode involves Jack and Ben playing a game of chess. This definitely takes place before Kate, Sayid, and Locke arrive in New Otherton (where Locke will blow up the sub). It's probably the best webisode of the Missing Pieces series. The Missing Pieces series aired before the fourth season so when I first watched this I had the finale 'Through The Looking Glass' in my mind throughout which I believe was/is the intention of the webisode. Jack and Ben discuss the agreement they made which will allow Jack to leave The Island. Ben tells Jack he intends to honor the agreement and wants to but warns Jack that if The Island doesn't want Jack to leave The Island won't let him. Ben also tells Jack: "But if you do leave this place, the day may come when you want to return." Jack laughs it off but we viewers knew the final scene of season 3 was Jack yelling at Kate that they need to go back. We didn't know then why he wanted so badly to go back.

This is a very cool webisode to watch prior to the launch of the final season because the webisode foreshadows "Something Nice Back Home" in particular. If you'll recall, Jack becomes very sick because of his appendix. Rose tells Bernard that it's no coincidence the leader of them gets sick when they are so close to being rescused (remember Rose's cancer healed once she arrived on The Island making her a quieter, much saner female John Locke or simply she understands this Island). Of course, if you watched this in November 2007, you'd immediately think back to John Locke blowing up the sub. Questions about fate, destiny, free-will, etc start popping up. The webisode also foreshadows the transformation of Jack. In this, as it is season 3, he is staunchly the man of science but he'll eventually believe that the Island wants all of the Oceanic 6 to return.

As for the game of chess, the board alone makes one remember Locke's favorite game of backgammon. Two sides. One light. One dark. There's been a bunch of discussion through the years about our favorite characters essentially being chess pieces in something larger than they are aware of. Also, worth noting (though it has nothing to do with the webisode), Ben loses his faith in The Island when Jack gains faith. LOST is brilliant.

To speak of the chess game again, the Spanish promo for The Final Season places the characters on a chess board. Before I post the clip and the actual webisode, I suggest you go to ew.com to read Doc Jensen's latest article about LOST. It's terrific. Also, all the Missing Pieces are on the Season Four DVD. Here's the videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huJFX51FxXw

"The King of the Castle"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-fFyZ7VINc

Before I dive into "King of the Castle" from MISSING PIECES, I'd like you to go here: http://media.tv.ign.com/media/821/821880/imgs_1.html to look at some great scans of ANOTHER Final Season poster. This time Eko shows up. Only two months until LOST returns!



THE 'LOST' WEBISODE OF THE DAY

The webisode: King of the Castle

Debuted: November 20, 2007 on Verizon Wirless & November 27, 2007 on ABC.com

Written By: Brian K. Vaughan

Directed By: Jack Bender

Content: Jack and Ben play chess.

Why It's Worth Re-Watching: I'm bringing the webisodes into this now for a few reasons. First of all, I intended to dive into "The Constant" for this week's episode of the day before realizing that I had planned in August or September to save "The Constant" for Christmas. I had also planned to either watch one of three episodes but school work is taking priority because it's that time of the year. But this is a worthwhile webisode to highlight because it ties into that much-talked about Spanish promo as well as harkens back to Locke explaining backgammon to Walt.

Well, this webisode involves Jack and Ben playing a game of chess. This definitely takes place before Kate, Sayid, and Locke arrive in New Otherton (where Locke will blow up the sub). It's probably the best webisode of the Missing Pieces series. The Missing Pieces series aired before the fourth season so when I first watched this I had the finale 'Through The Looking Glass' in my mind throughout which I believe was/is the intention of the webisode. Jack and Ben discuss the agreement they made which will allow Jack to leave The Island. Ben tells Jack he intends to honor the agreement and wants to but warns Jack that if The Island doesn't want Jack to leave The Island won't let him. Ben also tells Jack: "But if you do leave this place, the day may come when you want to return." Jack laughs it off but we viewers knew the final scene of season 3 was Jack yelling at Kate that they need to go back. We didn't know then why he wanted so badly to go back.

This is a very cool webisode to watch prior to the launch of the final season because the webisode foreshadows "Something Nice Back Home" in particular. If you'll recall, Jack becomes very sick because of his appendix. Rose tells Bernard that it's no coincidence the leader of them gets sick when they are so close to being rescused (remember Rose's cancer healed once she arrived on The Island making her a quieter, much saner female John Locke or simply she understands this Island). Of course, if you watched this in November 2007, you'd immediately think back to John Locke blowing up the sub. Questions about fate, destiny, free-will, etc start popping up. The webisode also foreshadows the transformation of Jack. In this, as it is season 3, he is staunchly the man of science but he'll eventually believe that the Island wants all of the Oceanic 6 to return.

As for the game of chess, the board alone makes one remember Locke's favorite game of backgammon. Two sides. One light. One dark. There's been a bunch of discussion through the years about our favorite characters essentially being chess pieces in something larger than they are aware of. Also, worth noting (though it has nothing to do with the webisode), Ben loses his faith in The Island when Jack gains faith. LOST is brilliant.

To speak of the chess game again, the Spanish promo for The Final Season places the characters on a chess board. Before I post the clip and the actual webisode, I suggest you go to ew.com to read Doc Jensen's latest article about LOST. It's terrific. Also, all the Missing Pieces are on the Season Four DVD. Here's the videos:



"The King of the Castle"

Jacob's Foot: The OFFICIAL Season Six Poster of LOST!

After you admire the beauty of this poster and get out all of the excitement for the final season to begin, scroll down and read about 'Abandoned' and Mysteries of the Universe Part 5! Here's the poster:

THE FINAL SEASON POSTER







[caption id="attachment_1176" align="alignleft" width="434" caption="Yes, Indeedy!"][/caption]



Note: I think pretty much every major character is accounted for in this. I am having a tough time getting a close look due to image size but I definitely see Claire, Charlie, Michael, Charlotte, Faraday, Boone, Shannon, Ana-Lucia, Ilana, Juliet, Desmond, and I suppose Penny. This is very exciting. 2/02/2010! 2/02/2010!

Jacob's Foot: Abandoned

THE 'LOST' EPISODE OF THE DAY

The episode: Abandoned

Original Airdate: November 9, 2005

Written by: Elizabeth Sarnoff

Directed By: Adam Davidson

Content: When Shannon sees Walt in her tent, she becomes convinced that he needs her help. Meanwhile, Sawyer's bullet wound starts to become infected, prompting the tail-section group to pick up the pace, and risk cutting across the jungle where the Others attacked them from.

Why It's Worth Re-Watching: If you're a Shannon fan, why wouldn't you? It's the character's finest hour. She's sort of redeemed for all the bad behavior she displayed during season one. And it's good to remind yourself that Boone and Shannon were once active characters in the show. Sure Boone is dead by the time this episode airs but he does appear.

This isn't the most mind-bending 42 minutes of LOST. I mean, really, when you think about it, this episode's purpose is to set-up the initial conflict between our favorite LOSTies and the tailies for the rest of season two but that doesn't really last too long (the conflict). In fact, the death of Shannon essentially falls by the wayside as the season continues. There's a great scene in 'The Hunting Party' in which Charlie and Hurley are hanging out in The Swan listening to music when a particularly depressed Sayid wanders in, is silent, and remarks 'this music is rather depressing.' I also enjoy, prior to Sayid's arrival, this exchange between Hurley and Charlie:

HURLEY: So what do you think's the story with that Libby chick?

CHARLIE: The story?

HURLEY: She's kind of cute, right? You know, in a I've-been-terrorized-by-the-Others-for-40-days kind of way.

CHARLIE: Yeah, there is that.

HURLEY: I think I have a chance with her. I mean, it's the classic desert island scenario. If I ever had a shot, this is it.

But I digress. This episode is Shannon-centric and is entirely about her abandonment issues hence the title 'Abandoned.' When her father dies, she is left alone pretty much though, once upon a time, she got along swimmingly with Boone before Boone let her down by choosing to work for his mother and failing to help her. She reaches a point when she absolutely believes she has no one who she can count on, no one who believes in her. It sort of explains why she's such a bitch during season one (but not really). Her abandonment issues come to head in this episode and poor Sayid takes the brunt of it. She becomes angry when Sayid doesn't believe that she saw Walt in the tent Sayid constructed for her (for a very intimate evening). This sets her off. She thinks about her stepmother who essentially tells her that she's a worthless waste of space who has no ambition nor direction in her life. She eventually tells Shannon that she is on her own. Her stepmother won't even give her the money her father left her in the will (though Sabrina says there was no will I call bollocks on that). In one of the more overt we'll-hit-you-over-the-head-with-the-theme-of-this-episode scenes, Shannon exclaims to Sayid that no one believes in her, that everyone thinks she is worthless, and that Sayid will just leave her once they get off of the Island (i can tell you he probably would have considering Nadia showed up when Sayid returned with the Oceanic 6). Sayid swears he won't. Walt arrives. And then she runs off like a madwoman into the jungle and is shot by Ana-Lucia.

Speaking of Ana-Lucia and arriving at this particular plot point, I really should've predicted where this episode was heading when I first saw it. I made the mistake before the episode of wandering into the TWoP LOST speculation with spoilers (i thought it was the speculation WITHOUT spoilers thead--the memory still haunts me) and finding out Shannon would die. Well, her and Ana-Lucia are on a collision course. Ana-Lucia's insanely paranoid throughout this episode because of The Others ("The Other 48 Days" seeks to defend Ana-Lucia's actions but eh she shouldn't have pulled the trigger(and then in "Collision" she shoots a dude in cold-blood--yes it was revenge but still!)). Shannon is looking EVERYWHERE for Walt. I chalk this incident up to fate. Ana and crew (with Michael, Jin, and a near-death Sawyer) are trekking to the beach. Eko suggests they move through the jungle because it would be faster and it would give Sawyer a better chance to live. Once again, if Ana-Lucia wasn't trigger-happy, the route would've been great.

Speaking of this journey back to the beach, Sawyer feels terrible about not assisting Jin after Michael went off into the jungle to search for Walt in "...And Found." Michael helps Sawyer anyway which I find heart-warming. Little did we know Michael would eventually become so desperate for Walt that he'd kill Ana-Lucia and Libby and set Ben free. Of course this eventually leads to the fantastic season four episode "Meet Kevin Johnson" (which will be written about in the very near-future) and the subsequent redemption-arc which culminates in a great moment in the season four finale on the freighter.

There's also some story with Claire, Locke, and Charlie in this episode. Claire gets lectured by Charlie for waking up Aaron late at night. She then feels like Charlie is right when Aaron won't sleep until Locke teaches her how to swaddle Aaron. Claire and Locke bonded when he built her the crib in 'Numbers.' But then Charlie gets jealous which leads to a good scene between Locke and Charlie as they play backgammon and trade digs at one another (a bit of set-up to "Fire + Water).

Overall, this is a decent episode of LOST. "Hearts And Minds" is the better of the flashbacks which involve Shannon. I should also mention how Jack saves the life of his eventual wife over Shannon's father. It's a split-second decision (the scene is in "Man of Science, Man of Faith").

P.S. I would include various scenes from 'Abandoned' but there are literally none on YouTube which makes it all the more obvious that this episode has been forgotten about it. This episode is remembered by the Foot, Lindelof and Cuse. Grant me an interview!

MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE PART 5

I'll tell you. It's hard to review these webisodes because they pretty much re-hash everything there is to know about the Dharma Iniative. The one part that stuck out to me was the geography of where the D.I. is which would tell us where The Island actually is. All 5 parts are available to watch on hulu.com. I wish they opted to do more Missing Pieces but oh well. Mysteries of the Universe is still worth watching.

Jacob's Foot: 2/02/2010! 2/02/2010! 2/02/2010!

LOST RETURNS FEBRUARY 2, 2010 AT 8PM EASTERN STANDARD TIME: A THREE-HOUR PREMIERE EVENT!

I figure I'd just cut to the chase. No use in building up to what might be common knowledge now (though I found out thanks to Hulu's little 'LOST returns February 2' under part 5 of the Mysteries of the Universe webisodes. But the message boards will be alive with this news! Yes, the sixth season is still more than two months away but I can deal with it. Now, I will begin a new paragraph to paraphrase other sources since ABC denied my press request in August. Thanks, ABC.

Daily Variety's Michael Schnieder first reported the news. February 2 is a Tuesday. They started on Wednesdays and experimented with the Thursdays at 10PM deal. I am totally fine with Tuesday nights because there's no decent television on that night. In all honesty, I'd be fine with ANY night because I'll be a college graduate. Any night will literally work for me. It's fantastic. The projected series finale date is May 25, 2010. It is emotional for me even write that sentence. 9PM will be the regular timeslot for the show after the premiere event. A recap show will air at 8pm. Y Anywho, the February return HOPEFULLY means that ABC will air LOST through the Olympics and will air the season uninterupted as was the original agreement way back in 2007 when the end date was announced. Yes, indeed: the final three seasons were supposed to air uninterrupted. Obviously, the writers strike interrupted season four and then some random breaks during season five happened. But hopefully season six airs uninterrupted. Words cannot convey how excited this news has made me. LOST is coming back! BOOOOOOOOOYAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!

And, of course, I will continue with weekly LOST episodes of the day. Once this semester ends, I will dive into the webisodes that aired prior to the launch of season four. I don't want to ignore them because they provide great content. The episode of the day thing is going to get even better as the premiere draws near.

FEBRUARY 2, 2010!

P.S. I will post a review/recap of Mysteries of the Universe Part 5 on Monday.

Jacob's Foot: Outlaws

THE 'LOST' EPISODE OF THE DAY

The episode: Outlaws

Original Airdate: February 16, 2005

Written By: Drew Goddard

Directed By: Jack Bender

Content: Sawyer becomes convinced that a wild boar has a personal vendetta against him after it ransacks his tent and attacks him in the jungle. Meanwhile, Hurley and Sayid try to help Charlie come to terms with what he did to Ethan. Flashbacks in this episode center around Sawyer's time in Australia and his hunt for the real Sawyer.

Why It's Worth Re-Watching: This is the 'Sawyer vs. The Boar' episode. It's comical but it's a serious episode. It's one of the funniest episodes in LOST actually because of the hijinx with Sawyer and the boar. I think both Sawyer episodes of season one are terrific. I think this is the BETTER of the two actually. This episode develops Sawyer's character even more than the 'Confidence Man' I would argue. I love the set-up for the scene between Sawyer and Jack which takes place in the finale before Sawyer takes off on the raft. The scene between Sawyer and Kate, when they play 'I Never,' is brilliantly done.

The flashback is very strong. We see how badly Sawyer wants to kill the man who destroyed his family. We actually see Sawyer as a child experience the murder of his mother and the suicide of his father. Sawyer's not a character who has been turned to ice by the events of his childhood. Sawyer doesn't want to kill an innocent man. One could argue he's not even a killer (even though actually he is) and that is because of how he handles the moment right after he's killed a man. For example, after he kills the real Sawyer in 'The Brig,' he's distrubed by until the beginning of season four. He's distant from Kate in those last few episodes. Right after he strangles Locke's dad to death, he's visibly shaking and he vomits. It's visceral and powerful. The look on Sawyer's face after he's shot Duckett and Duckett whispers that he was going to pay Hibbs, Sawyer is entirely unprepared for that. He didn't expect to kill an innocent man. Sawyer didn't even pull the trigger the first time he visited Duckett at his shrimp place. Sawyer's a killer but he's not a born killer.

The murder of Duckett provides some retrospective insight on Sawyer's behavior earlier in the season when Kate theorized that Sawyer wants people to hate him. Sawyer had just killed Duckett in what turned out to be cold-blood. When Sawyer invited Sayid to torture him, he might've been thinking about Duckett. This flashback, since it occurs right before the plane crash, definitely adds a new perspective to earliest part of the season. This is another reason why I think LOST is the greatest show of all-time.

Anywho, on the Island, Sawyer's haunted by the words of Duckett. Duckett told Sawyer that 'it'll come around.' When Sawyer's tent is infiltrated by the boar, he chases after it and then he loses it. The whispers come and then he hears those words.

Sawyer spends most of the episode searching for the boar so he can kill the boar. He consults Sayid about the whispers before abandoning the conversation. The boar comes to represent Duckett as the episode progresses especially after Locke meets Sawyer and Kate in the jungle and tells them the story about the dog and his foster mother:



The words of Locke that echo when Sawyer comes face to face with the boar are: "but my mother thought it was, thought that Jeanie had come back to tell her that the accident wasn't her fault, let her off the hook." That seems to be the case during the final boar scene. Sawyer stares at it and the boar stares at Sawyer, and then Sawyer drops the gun and tells Kate that it's just a boar. It's a powerful scene.

With that sentiment in mind (letting someone off the hook), Sawyer decides not to tell Jack about his meeting with Jack's father in the bar. Here's that scene before I continue:



Sawyer has what Jack needs to feel like he's been let off the hook but he doesn't (not until Exodus Part 1 as mentioned earlier). This episode is about letting oneself off the hook. Oh yeah, another thing to think about: Sawyer gives Jack a look when Jack tells Sawyer that his dad is dead because Sawyer was literally in a bar with Christian not too long ago.

Anywho, back to letting oneself off the hook. Take Charlie for example. In the previous episode ("Homecoming"), he shot Ethan multiple times and killed him. He's not the same. He's distant and sort-of cold with Claire. He's spending time alone. Hurley asks Sayid to help Charlie so Sayid does. Sayid tells Charlie a story about how he volunteered to be on the firing squad of the man who killed a police offer he knew's wife and children as a result of a car bomb. Sayid explains how he did the duty without a single ounce of remorse but then, for no reason, woke up at night, replaying what he did in his head. Sayid wants to know that Charlie doesn't have to pretend to be alone because he isn't. It's a wonderful moment of fellowship on the Island. It's beautiful storytelling. After Sayid tells him this, Charlie takes that walk with Claire that she asked him to take earlier in the episode. This conversation for Charlie lifts his burden of guilt (wherever that guilt is placed).

'Outlaws' is one of LOST's best. You can watch the whole thing at hulu.com.

Drew Goddard wrote the episode. He's an alum of Buffy and ANGEL. In fact, one could argue he salvaged the seventh season of Buffy. He wrote one of the season's bests (Selfless). He co-wrote one of the series' best episodes (Conversations with Dead People). He wrote one of the season's strongest episodes (Never Leave Me). He wrote and co-wrote two others (Dirty Girls and Lies My Parents Told Me). For ANGEl, he wrote the tremendous Wesley-centered episode (Lineage), co-wrote the brilliant "Damage," the underrated "Why We Fight" (Steven S. DeKnight (another one of my favorite screenwriters) was the other writer for both of these episodes). He wrote "Origin," an episode that helps to bring closure to the Connor story. LOST landed an absolute talent when they got Goddard. "Outlaws" is his first episode. He left the series during the fourth year because of his success with Cloverfield. He co-wrote Cabin In The Woods with Joss Whedon AND directed it (that movie will be out next year). Drew Goddard is pretty damn cool. He also appears in 'Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.' He wrote some other LOST episodes. Some of them have been written about and are in the Jacob's Foot archives. Others have yet to come.

The always reliable Jack Bender directed this one. He is the ace of the directing team one could say. There's a season one featurette on 'Outlaws' which takes you behind the scenes of the making of the episode. You get to see Bender in all his glory.

I think I've written enough for now about this episode. Do watch.

Jacob's Foot: Solitary

News is trickling out about the premiere of the sixth season episode. Nothing confirmed yet but I will be writing about the news as soon as it concerned. According to John Lachonis of TVOvermind, January 27 has been the rumored premiere date but we shall see. Hopefully it's January 20. The sooner, the better. There's also rumblings about a two-week break in February due to the Olympics but Lachonis notes that LOST beat the Olympics back in 2006 (represent LOST). Anywho, that's the latest news in the 'when will the show return?' department. Part 5 of Mysteries of the Universe goes up next week. The final part will only be available on DVD. I surely will have that covered as well.

Now, here's why you should re-watch "Solitary"!

THE 'LOST' EPISODE OF THE DAY

The episode: Solitary

Original Airdate: November 17, 2004

Written By: David Fury

Directed By: Greg Yaitanes

Content: Trekking around the Island, Sayid finds himself the prisoner of a mysterious woman who apparently lives on the Island. Elsewhere, Hurley builds a golf course to try to help the survivors unwind after their traumatic ordeal. Flashbacks in this episode focus around Sayid's choice between his career and his childhood love, Nadia.

Why It's Worth Re-Watching: This episode is as poetic as a television episode will get. The writing's beautiful and the direction is beautiful. This is probably my favorite episode of the series thus far. This is the episode that hooked me to the show. I thought the show was very good but this episode just blew my mind and made me realize how unique a series LOST would be. I had been reeling from the cancelletion of ANGEL. This episode and Raised By Another raised the bar so much for LOST that I knew I had found my new favorite show (and now it's my favorite show of all-time).

Why do I love this episode so much? For many reasons. I'll start with the introduction of the idea of The Others. This is the episode where we meet Danielle Rousseau. I remember the previews for this episode, the mysterious woman, Sayid strapped to a table, the swinging light above him. A very effective preview. When Rousseau continuously asks about Alex in different languages and refers to Sayid as one of them, I was very intrigued. And then the idea of the Others got bigger. When she explains how she hears them whisper, I got chills. I was on my feet, yelling at the TV, extremely excited by this possibility of The Others. She constantly references "they" and how "they" control the radio tower and communication. Rousseau is by all means an insane woman in this episode. She's uttering nonsense throughout and enough information that a re-watch was essential to capturing everything. A few re-watches even. Sayid learns about her team, how her team were sick, and were the carriers. How she had to shoot Robert and that even Sayid made the same mistake as Robert did when pulling the trigger and getting nothing. We also hear the name the Black Rock in this episode.

Another reason why I love this episode is the interaction between Sayid and Rousseau. Sayid earns Rousseau's trust by simply connecting with her, relating to her, and being honest with her. He tells her that he found the cable after hearing the transmission earlier and went looking for her for answers. He tells her that he left camp because of something he did (torturing Sawyer). My favorite scene between them is when Sayid fixes the music box for her. The look of joy on Rousseau's face when she hears the music for the first time in years is touching because of what it means to her. Robert gave it to her and she says it was such a comfort to her in the first few years alone on The Island. Mira Furlan played it perfectly. I like how she doesn't want to let him go because she's been alone for sixteen years. He pleads with her to come with him and that she doesn't have to be alone. But she doesn't want to. And when a polar bear comes near Danielle's place, Sayid mistakes it for the Monster to which Rousseau responds "there's no such thing as monsters."

The flashback is terrific in this episode. Sayid is an experienced torturer in this flashback but he's blindsided when an old childhood friend and love of his is brought in because she's a person of interest in a bombing and an associate of Kurdish and Shiite insurgents. It is Nadia, of course. The dialogue between them is so poetic especially in their first scene together. Here it is IN FULL from the transcript on lostpedia.com:

SAYID: Noor Abed-Jazeem, I'm going to ask you some questions. If you refuse to cooperate I'm going to hurt you. You understand?

NADIA: Nobody calls me Noor, Sayid. You of all people should know that.

[Sayid is startled.]

NADIA: What? You don't remember me? Am I so different from the little girl in the school yard who used to push you in the mud?

SAYID: Nadia?

NADIA: And your mother would tell my mother, "why must you pick on little Sayid." And I'd answer, because he ignores me.

SAYID: You had enough attention with your family's wealth and your charm.

NADIA: Such things matter little to children. But then you always were older than your years, weren't you, Sayid?

SAYID: Not old enough to understand that being pushed in the mud was a sign of affection. Now you're a traitor to your country. Tell me what you know about the bombing in Najaf. Tell me, or I swear I will hurt you.

NADIA: Oh, I know Sayid. This is not my first interrogation by the Republican Guard. This is where they burned me with acid -- they pierced my hands with a drill. Would you like to see the soles of my feet? Where they flayed the skin off? These are the handiworks of your friends. The people you swear allegiance to.

SAYID: If you were innocent, I am sorry. But this bombing is a different matter, Nadia.

NADIA: Go on, Sayid, do your work. I'm not going to tell you anything.

SAYID: Then I'm going to hurt you.

And now I will embed a part of this episode because it's fantastic. Naveen Andrews and Andrea Gabriel just knock it out of the park. Gabriel's delivery is incredibly moving throughout the episode, her intonations and inflections. It's beautiful. I'll now let the scene represent itself:



The flashback gets better. Sayid frees her by shooting his commanding officer as Nadia walks to her death. This is where she writes "You'll find me in the next life, if not this one." Andrea Gabriel just about breaks my heart when she asks Sayid if he's going to hurt her when Sayid walks in to bring her to her death. And when she pleads for him to come with her.

It is this history with Nadia that softens Rousseau to Sayid. Earlier in this episode, Sayid tells Rousseau that Nadia's dead because of him but that is because Sayid feels he did not do all he could to help her. This is the moment when Rousseau begins to soften.

And then the final exchange between Sayid and Rousseau ends with Rousseau telling Sayid that Alex was her child which is an extremely poignant end to the Sayid/Rousseau story in this episode. Once again, Mira Furlan's delivery is terrifically moving and effective.

Last but not least (for Sayid's story), he hears the whispers in the jungle as he wanders back to camp. I still get goosebumps and chills when I watch this. Words cannot convey how much this scene means to me. I'm a dork.

The excellence of this episode is not just limited to Sayid in this episode. One of my favorite Island stories of the series is the golf story that occurs in this episode. Hurley is determined to make people forget that their lives suck and so he builds a golf course. Jack utters the line of the episode when he says he's spent weeks trying to make people feel safe and Hurley does it by building a golf course. I get a big kick out of Hurley and Charlie dancing on the course. I love when Charlie quietly says how much making the next hole means to him because he's never made par on a course before.

The golf course also allows Sawyer to try to make himself more likable. Kate suggests that he put more effort into that. And he does by betting against Jack.

This episode does not have a weak spot or flaw in it. It is strong throughout. This is the episode you show your friends when showing them why LOST is among the best series ever. "Solitary" is the ninth episode of the series and of season one. There's nothing like the first ten episodes of this series.

David Fury wrote an absolute gem of an episode. He wrote three of season one's best episodes. He wrote for Buffy and ANGEL once upon a time. He is one of the best television scribes out there and one of my favorite screenwriters. This episode is just so fantastic. I can't convey how much I love this episode. I'm trying but I just can't.

Greg Yaitanes directed the episode and did a superb job. Michael Bonvillain and Larry Fong teamed up to DP this shoot. They made some excellent choices in this episode. Great hand-held camera work. Excellent lighting. The whole nine yards.

Watch this episode. Now.

Jacob's Foot: Not In Portland

THE 'LOST' EPISODE OF DAY



The Episode: Not In Portland

Original Airdate: February 7, 2007

Written By: Carlton Cuse & Jeff Pinkner

Directed By: Stephen Williams

Content: While Jack is in command as the fate of Ben's life rests in his hands, Kate and Sawyer help Alex in return for a boat, and Juliet makes a shocking decision that could endanger her standing with her people.

Why It's Worth Re-Watching: The Phillies lost the World Series tonight. They are my favorite baseball team. I am bummed. But nothing will cheer me up more than writing about LOST. Plus, LOST is now about two months away from returning even though a premiere date has not been set. Without further ado, here's why you should re-watch Not In Portland.

First of all, it's Juliet's first flashback of the series which means you get many scenes with the wonderful Elizabeth Mitchell and you meet Richard Alpert for the first time in this episode as well as get an inside look at how The Others manipulate in their recruiting process. About the flashback, the flashback revolves around Juliet, her cancer-stricken sister, and her quest to get her pregnant. After all, The Others were interested in her because she's a fertility doctor who is trying many new things in the field. She eventually succeeds in getting her sister pregnant.

The meat of this flashback involves the recruitment. She works for her ex-husband Danko (I know I should refer to him by his character name in LOST but I now see this actor as no one else but Danko from HEROES...Danko seemed and was ridiculous so every time I watch this episode he will always be Danko) who will not let her career advance and who looks down on literally everything she does. He is her biggest obstacle when Mittelos Labs comes to recruit her. This is when we meet Dr. Richard Alpert. It seems that Alpert, Ethan, and The Others are the reason why Danko is eventually run over by a bus because Juliet, in her upset way, says the only thing that'd free her would be Danko being run over by a bus. When he is, and she's weeping by his dead body in the morgue, Alpert and Ethan show up to offer their condolensces and tell her that they really want her working for them. Juliet feels like Mittelos were directly involved but Alpert denies it in his Alpert way.

This is flashback is very interesting though. On re-watch it is not the best flashback of Juliet's. But when it originally aired, Juliet was a huge enigma. When she injected the medicine into her sister, nobody knew, at first, what she was doing. The flashback opens on a beach in twilight with Juliet crying. Ethan passes her as she walks to her sister's room but it's just Miami. It's brilliantly mis-leading because this episode was the first episode to air after the six episode pod that was the first six episodes of season three. The sixth episode "I Do" ended with a cliffhanger. Jack was going to let Ben die if Kate and Sawyer weren't set free. Juliet also wanted Jack to kill Ben. Obviously, the writers wanted to mis-lead the viewers into thinking Ben is dead and that's why she is crying. I love that device.

Anywho, this flashback casts Juliet in a new light. We find out that she was basically manipulated into becoming an Other and that Ben hasn't let her go home in the three years she's been on the Island. She has tremendous love and loyalty to her sister. It's great.

As for the on Island action, Juliet kills Pickett to save Kate and Sawyer so they can take a boat back to their Island. She does this because Ben promised to let her go home if she makes sure Kate and Sawyer are set free so that his life is saved by Jack.

The episode has some wonderful comedic moments such as Tom's fear of blood. It's funny mostly because this is the man who was once the most menacing of the Others, and in this episode, he hypervenilates at the sight of blood. I get a kick out of Sawyer's soft spot for Karl. When Sawyer finds out the person that needs to be saved before Alex takes them to the boat is Karl, Sawyer sighs and gives in. Sawyer is the man.

There's a great moment of humor on the official LOST podcast as well when Damon says he is wearing the goggles Karl has on in Room 23. Oh yeah, Room 23 is seen in this episode. For more on Room 23, you might want to check out the webisode. And then watch the rest of the webisodes. They're great.

Overall, it's an action-packed episode with great character development. This is the beginning of the amazing season three episodes that followed the pod. Season Three is magnificent. Elizabeth Mitchell is wonderful in this episode. Matthew Fox does a stand-up job as always. Stephen Williams did a terrific job directing the episode.

The full episode is available on hulu.com.