I think we determined that Ben and Charles Widmore are each other's constants. Now we see that they likely  met on the island.

I still don't know why Richard doesn't age. But I think this is the first time Richard and Locke meet, although we know Richard goes back to Locke's youth. 

It does not seem likely that there are THREE Charlies (Our Charlie, Desmond's baby and Penny's father). 

I think Faraday does love Charlotte. I also think that when he says the other girl (who kept the gun on him) looks familiar, that she very much is familiar. We have yet to see how and who. I wonder if it is SHE that is his mother. 

We see that Ben and Faraday's mother are working together. We saw that last week. Now we see that Faraday was funded by Charles Widmore. Yet, Ben and Widmore are enemies. Where does this leave Faraday? 

Faraday told the group that what was happening was like a record skipping in time. 

Who do you think is trying to get Aaron, and why? 

Random Lost thoughts....

Daniel Faraday doesn't love the red head...he just knows she needs a constant in order to live.

The compass is Lock's constant.

The stick is Ben's.


Charlie could still be alive. Desmond kept trying to save Charlie. This means that everytime we saw Desmond when Charlie was alive...Desmond was from the future.



Possible Lost series finale ending:


The oceanic 6 try to go back and save the island. They all fail... except Jack. It is possible the other 5 will die before the show goes off. But Jack will survive. The show will end exactly as it began....with a closeup of Jack's eye and him laying on the ground....This will prove my earlier theory....the first time we see Jack is NOT the first time he has been on the island. He is there to save everyone.
If I am not mistaken, we have seen Jack in flash forwards with the same coat and clothes on that he wore on the plane....thus continuing a loop of the story.....

kinda like a record that keeps skipping to the same spot over and over and over.

hmmmmmmm

I'm just saying...

I say it is Farraday's mom! Something else I thought about: Is Charlie the baby the actual Charlie from the Island? I mean there is so much forward and backward that nothing is impossible on that Island. If Des and Penny move to England and have another boy....I'm just say.

Farraday's Family Tree

Mrs. Hawking's first name is Eloise.

The 1954-Other-with-the-gun is named Ellie and Farraday says she looks familiar.

If they are both, indeed, Farraday's mom -- and since Mrs. Hawking is no slouch and seems to know an awful lot about druid math, where do you think she learned all this -- and who is Farraday's father?

Ep 5.3 - Jughead

Best "Awwww" Moment: Baby Charlie
"... they are absolutely going to give me a heart attack waiting for something bad to happen to Desmond, or Penny, or both. It's amazing how this couple who've had a tiny sliver of the shared screen time compared to any combination of the Jack/Kate/Sawyer triangle, or of Jin/Sun, have become the romantic pairing I care most about. That's a testament to Henry Ian Cusick and Sonya Walger's performances, and to the brilliant heartstring-yanking climax of "The Constant," and to the way their story seems so integral to what the show is revealing itself to be about." ... "I misted up a bit when I found out they'd named their son after Charlie (whose life Desmond had worked so hard to save, and whose sacrifice helped Penny find Desmond). As I watched Desmond steer his yacht, little Charlie on his lap, content as any man has a right to be, I felt a joy for him that I rarely feel for fictional characters ..." (from http://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/index.ssf/2009/01/lost_jughead_how_to_dismantle.html)

---

Best "WTF?" Moment: Charles Widmore on the island and working for Richard.

---

Another miscellaneous reference to details from previous seasons:

"The janitor says, 'Can you blame them, after what he did to that poor girl?'

Des arrives at the house of said poor girl, named Theresa Spencer. Theresa's sister Abigail answers the door, and is surprised Desmond wants to speak with her. That cryptic comment makes sense when we go upstairs and see Theresa being spoon-fed her lunch..."
(from http://blog.zap2it.com/ithappenedlastnight/2009/01/lost-e-pluribus-awesome.html)

Does anyone remember Boone in John Locke's vision - just before he climbed up to the plane that dropped and caused his fatal injuries? Locke saw him covered in blood, talking in circles, something about a nanny he used to have named Theresa, and he said, "Theresa falls up the stairs, Theresa falls down the stairs." Probably not significant, but everything always seems to come full-circle on LOST, so who knows?

In Response To Susan's Questions

Q1: I don't understand how we now know 'why' Richard doesn't age. Why doesn't Richard age?

A1: They didn't really go into depth on this. I think we are just supposed to assume that he is travelling back and forth in time so frequently that everytime you see him, no real time has elapsed. It's a stretch, but I think that's what they're leaning toward. That does not explain why he is the same age when he sees Locke as a child as when he sees Locke as an adult -- unless he only goes back to Locke as a child AFTER he meets him as an adult. But that would mean changing the past, and we have been told that's a no-no. Too many scenarios for the mind to comprehend.

Q2: I still don't know if Ben is 'good' or 'evil'. Clearly Hurley and Sayid think he's evil, but Hawking and he are working together and believe everyone must go back. I remember also though once last season, Ben saying that the one who turns the wheel - can never go back.

A2: For my money, Ben has passed the point of no return on being evil. Can't trust him. He and Hawking seem to have their own best interests at heart in regards to wanting everyone to go back to the island. Here's my own twisted little imagining ... follow me on this if you can ... Richard changes the past, causing the "record to skip" as Farraday puts it ... Ben is now off the island and can't find it because it's moved (which is why anyone who moves the island can never get back) ... if Hawking is the woman who branded Juliet, she has aged considerably ... after Walt left the island, his aging process also accelerated ... maybe they need the Oceanic 6 to "find" the island again in order to stop their aging process and save themselves? ... or maybe they need to "find" the island in order to keep from creating another hiccup in time where Jacob is now trapped? These are just my theories.

Q3: Where is 'Jacob' in all this?

A3: See answer to Q2, above.

Cuse & Lindelof Talk Time Travel

Q: You guys have opened up the time element of the show in this really interesting way, but how do you stop it from becoming a giant story problem? You know, “If a train left Pittsburgh going 50 miles an hour, and another train left Dallas going 25 miles an hour...” How do you make that time element clean and clear for people who might have trouble with it?

A: Lindelof: Carlton and I spent five weeks last year just breaking “The Constant,” with the entire writing staff. The reason it was so tricky was all these things you’re talking about, in terms of, “If Faraday told Desmond in 1996 to tell Penny to call him in 2004, wouldn’t she say to him ...”

And then eventually, you get to a point of saying, “Are we breaking any rules, according to the rules we set, is it emotionally viable, and is it confusing?” So when we were sitting down to talk about Season 5, we were like, “We’re essentially breaking ‘The Constant’ every single week now.”

A: Cuse: The reason, as Damon said, it took us five weeks to break the story was because we were relentless with each other about making sure that the story -- we would not consider the story to be finished until it had emotional resonance.
We had to deal with all the consciousness-traveling craziness, but ultimately we felt the story would only be successful [under the following conditions:] Not only did the time-travel stuff have to make some sort of sense and follow its own logic, but there needed to be a really genuine emotional payoff.

To read the rest of the article, go here: http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2009/01/lostabctv.html.
Thanks to Mark Cantrell for the link.

Call Me Crazy, But ...

Could Mrs. Hawking also be an older version of the Other from the island who branded that symbol into Juliet's back?

And there's no doubt in my mind that Pierre Chang's baby from the opening sequence of tonight's premier is Miles Straume.

In Response To Gayle's Questions

I would have just "Commented" on Gayle's post, but that would not allow me to post photos, so here are my thoughts:

In response to Gayle's question about the lady in the church (Mrs. Hawking) -- I believe she is Daniel Farraday's mother. She is also the woman from Desmond's flashbacks...

and she appeared in the picture frame on the Monk's desk in an early Desmond episode where he first meets Penny.

Yipee!! Vincent's alive!!!

I'm so wired right now it's going to take an hour for the adreniline to slow down. Very good show, now we know why Richard hasn't aged. Of course there are more questions. Why was Daniel in the past? Who is Daniel's mother? Who is the lady in the church talking with Ben? ( or do I just not remember her!?) What's up with the nosebleeds?

I'm very happy that Jack shaved and very sad that Sawyer put on a shirt. LOL
-gayle

Cast Interviews & Another Sneak Peek!

Dharma Special Access, 1/16/09

"Hello Dharma Friends,

In less than a week, LOST season 5 premieres! You're hopefully excited. We're heavily medicating ourselves to overcome our anxiety.

What you'll be seeing on premiere night is, first, a special clip show designed to get you back up to speed after our eight months off the air. The clip show is followed by episodes one and two of this season. While we did not write them to air as a two hour block, we are happy that you are getting to see both episodes on the first night. Episode one entitled 'Because You Left' picks up where the finale left off, and the second episode 'The Lie' is a Hurley-centric episode. Honestly, we're very excited for you to see them.

Speaking of the Hurley episode, this week we've got a special sneak peak at a scene from that episode just for you.

We've also put together some photos from a recent photo shoot set to the music Michael Giacchino wrote specially for our 2008 Comic-Con appearance. (Actually, we didn't put them together, but our awesome DSA team did -- and a good job they did, too.)

Click on the link and enter the password to check it out. Until next week...

Peace,
Damon and Carlton"

Now click this link-
http://abc.go.com/primetime/lost/dharmaspecialaccess/index

And enter the password-
bharosa

Matthew Fox in "Details" Magazine

Fox appears on the cover of the Jan/Feb 2009 issue. On the LOST series finale, he says, “This show started with a plane crash on an island in the South Pacific, and it’s going to have a very global and epic ending.”

Set Your DVRs

LOST returns to the air tonight with the Season 4 finale.

Avatar Love

Dharma Special Access, 1/5/09

Here's a video of a place I'd love to work!

"Only two and a half weeks until the LOST premiere! Let the countdown begin!

We are back to work and thought we'd break in the new year with a quick tour of the writer's offices and introduce you to the writers working on season five.

Click on the link below and enter the password to check it out. See you next week!

Best,
Damon and Carlton"

Now click this link-
http://abc.go.com/primetime/lost/dharmaspecialaccess/index

And enter the password-
holma

How They Got LOST

Here's a look at LOST Synchronizations (simultaneous acts that started it all). Everything hits the fan at about 6 minutes and 7 seconds in:

More Reviews of Season 5

From TV Guide:
"The first seasons' flashbacks now seem utterly quaint. And the more recent flash-forwards? Relatively simple. As promised, previewed and teased by the producers of LOST ever since Season 4 came to a close, the next cycle of episodes introduce a new storytelling 'device' of sorts that might make you want to keep a notepad and pen next to your TV remote.

But enough about that. No, really — that's enough. I can't say more, given the confidentiality request that prefaced the first two Season 5 episodes made available to the press.

Instead, I will simply note that the episodes 'Because You Left' and 'The Lie' offer compelling twists for both the half-dozen 'survivors' of Oceanic flight 815 as well as those who are still on the island (wherever it may be).

The first hour is the stronger of the two, as it sends the mind reeling and uncorks infinite possibilities. Picking up soon after the events of the season finale, 'Because You Left' reiterates Ben's claim that Jack et al must return to the island to make things 'right' (as Michael Emerson shares, there's a 'scientific need' for that reunion to happen), then lets slip a bit of insight — from the perspective of those left behind — as to where the island moved. Alas, just as they figure it out....

Next up, 'The Lie' revolves around a major predicament for one of the Oceanic 6, setting the stage for a twist that significantly staggers Ben's plan to 'get the band back together.' Meanwhile, Sawyer, Juliet and the others are subject to old island problems, new revelations and surprise saviors, with the showstopper being one of LOST's most electric and intense action scenes ever.

Familiar faces return. New faces create new problems ... or perhaps offer solutions (hello, Fionnula Flanagan!). People die. All told, the foundation is laid for a pivotal penultimate season.

Before I go, a few more teasers to whet your whistle until the new season arrives Wednesday, Jan. 21.

• Within the first minutes, Daniel Faraday turns up in a most unexpected place.
• Jack shaves his strife beard ... in the premiere's second such shaving scene. (And no, you'll never guess the first familiar face to take razor in hand.)
• There's 'another' plane crash.
• Someone gets a nosebleed. (Uh-oh.)
• Kate is haunted by a decision she made.
• As previously spoiled, a dead gal briefly resurfaces — in a somewhat surprising (and somewhat ironic) capacity.
• Did someone order a big helping of frogurt...?
• Every theory I have read about how Desmond might remain in the mix, even though he and Penny were free and clear at the end of the season finale? No one got it right.
• Someone dares call Sawyer an 'inbred.' That can't end well. And it doesn't.
• Speaking of Sawyer, he remains shirtless for the entire first hour plus the first eight minutes of the second episode. (ABC, you owe me big time for spreading the word on that.)"

---

From TV Reviews:
"Speaking of the island, where did it go? More like when did it go. There’s a lot of time travel involved in that story. Don’t fret though. If you’re one of the many who’s found themselves frustrated by the random time-travel twists we see so often in Heroes, it seems the rules about time travel as it relates to LOST are a bit more fixed. Thanks to Daniel’s genius-level knowledge of how time travel works and what’s happening to the island, we’re explained most of the rules pretty early on. Kind of. The island is hop-scotching through time, taking its present-day inhabitants with it. Considering everything that’s happened on that island, including the people who’ve lived there in its history, the LOSTies aren’t safe. Well, they’re less safe than they were before the flashes of light started. So as you can imagine, their situation’s pretty bad. Though Sawyer, who’s in the anger portion of his grief, believing Kate to have been killed when the freighter exploded, spends a fair portion of the season premiere with his shirt off, so we have that going for us.

The best part about the time travel aspect of the new season is that we get a blast from the past in the season premiere. I won’t reveal which character you’ll be seeing but rest assured, if you’ve been watching the series from the beginning, you’ll recognize this person’s face immediately. And speaking of old characters brought back to life (ok, not technically…) Back on the non-island, Hurley has a little reunion of his own with one dead character.

While we’re on the subject of Hurley, I need to just say it here and now: more Hurley! The first two hours of LOST include an ample portion of Hurley. One of his best moments is when he essentially recaps the plot of the series in a conversation he has with someone. He breaks it down so well that I wish the writers would consider letting Hurley do the “Previously on LOST” segment before every episode rather than showing us clips from random episodes and forcing us to try to remember where they all fit in to the series and how they’re going to factor into the episode we’re about to watch.

I don’t consider myself a die-hard LOST fan in that I don’t remember every random characters’ name or every specific detail of every main characters' back-story. That said, it’s the characters in the show and their stories that make the series worth watching, especially for those of us who sometimes feel a bit lost when we’re watching LOST. Season 5 looks to deliver more of what we’ve come to love about the series, which is personal drama twisted up in a sci-fi-ish story about a wacky island and a group of stranded human beings, most of whom have pasts riddled with mistakes, missed opportunities and other drama."

---

From E! Online:
"Most Adorable: Penny and Desmond
When season five begins, Desmond and Penny are living happily ever after, but by the end of the first hour their fairy-tale bliss is interrupted by a message from the great beyond. Hope those two crazy kids caught up on their cuddle time while they could...

Most Adorable, Runner-Up: Charlotte and Daniel
Everybody thinks the Professor and Mary Ann were the castaway couple to beat, but the Professor and Ginger are coming up fast. Absent-minded professor Daniel Faraday has a crush on Charlotte (aka the girl Sawyer calls "Ginger" for her red hair), and she's definitely going to appreciate his affection in the days to come...

Most Tragic: Sun and Jin
Sun believes that Jin is dead, and she is, as you would imagine, royally pissed. In the premiere she forges a questionable new alliance designed to help her wreak the vengeance she craves.

Most Tragic, Runner-Up: Kate and Sawyer
As far as Sawyer knows, the freighter blew up with Kate on in it, and that's making him extra-unreasonable and angry. He says two telling things in the premiere: 'I wanted to make sure she—I wanted to make sure they got back to the boat. Doesn't matter now, does it?' and 'Everybody I care about just blew up on your damn boat. I know what I can't change.' Uh-oh...Is season-five Sawyer a man with nothing left to lose? (Don't go kamikaze, dude! We need you!)

Most Estranged: Kate and Jack
Has Jack finally given up on Kate? At one point during the premiere, Jack announces he and Kate are no longer even friends, and he seems pretty firm on that point. How could he forget that Jack and Kate are the original LOST BFF?

Most Mournful: Juliet and Jack
There's not a lot of Jacket development in the premiere, but there seems to be a little extra melancholy on the faces of both physicians when other characters mention Juliet or Jack. There's hope for the good doctors yet!"

Ji Yeon

If the island won't let Jack go back alone, does Sun's baby have to go back also? She was not one of the Oceanic 6, but she was conceived on the island.

In order to find Jin, will Sun have to choose a time to either be with her husband or her daughter? And as a former pregnant woman, will Sun's life be at risk if she returns to the island?

Thoughts?