In a comment on a recent post, Dan sang the praises of the LOST character, Locke. In a further comment, I agreed that he is one great character. But upon further reflection, I have to say I really love Hurley. He is used in Lost primarily as comic relief, but he is an interesting dramatic character as well.
He is such a great comedic presence, not because of what he says, but how he says it. Jorge Garcia has a delivery that often makes a simple statement outrageously funny. In one episode, before the crash, people around him suffer a long series of horrible accidents. He thinks he's a jinx. On the island, after listing a series of these incidents, most of which the audience had witnessed, he adds one we’d not heard before: “Then, the chicken joint I worked at was hit by a meteor. Or actually it was a meteorite.” Not that funny? Then why did I laugh out loud? And in some cases he doesn’t have to say a thing to elicit a snicker. While telling his lawyer about the jinx, a man falls screaming past the window behind the lawyer. Neither Hurley nor the lawyer say a word, but the expression on Hurley’s face is priceless. And then there’s the quote that still cracks me up when I think about (warning: sick humor): “Dude, you’ve got a piece of Arzt on you.” (More about Arzt later.)
What a stroke of genius to put Hurley in charge of the food from the hatch. I say that NOT for the reason some might think: that it’s funny to let the fat guy control the food – think Elephant Eats the Profits. Rather, in real life Hurley had just experienced the rejection of his old friends when he won the lottery. Having much and not being able to give people everything they want is painful. The accusing look on Hugo’s buddy’s face, and that on Hugo’s face in response is heartbreaking. Neither one had to say a word. On the island, he was sure everybody would hate him for having to ration the food. He came up with a wonderful solution.
Now about Arzt and Hurley. First I have to say that I have never been startled by a TV show like I was by the incident at the Black Rock. I literally jumped several inches. It was a wonderful bit. But before then, Arzt and Hurley were discussing cliques. I believe Arzt was expressing a true and deep emotion harbored by those who feel they are not part of the “in” crowd. [And on the island, there must be many of those, since the people who seem to make all the decisions, and get all the attention, only comprise about a quarter of the people in the group. The rest are “red-shirted ensigns”. In fact when I saw Arzt, whom we had never seen before as a character, accompanying the group to the Black Rock, I thought “Uh-oh, he’s a goner.” I thought it was confirmed when he went off by himself and the monster showed up. I was surprised when he came back alive. Then….poor old Arzt!] Anyway, I was interested by Hurley’s response to Arzt’s affirmation that Hurley was in the clique. It was a combination of “Who, me???” and “Whatever.” And I believe those are the responses most people in the “in” clique would truly feel.
Once again, Lost works on so many levels.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Addendum to last post
Oh my gosh, I was just rereading my last post and realized WHEN Locke might have been implanted with something! When he supposedly had his kidney removed! Wild!
LOST theory and more musings
I am now four episodes into the second season. I’ve had to totally rethink my ideas about the island. Although there may still be a mystical element, I’m thinking the explanation is mostly scientific. I’m thinking most of the weird things can be explained by Dharma projects, either ongoing, or gone awry.
To me the smoke monsters SOUND very mechanical, and Locke did say it’s a device to protect the island.
I took Locke’s advice and watched the film again (and again!). According to the film, we know the following. Dharma started in 1970. The film was copyrighted in 1980. There were at least three Dharma stations, probably more, and several areas of communoresearch (whatever that is), including meteorology, electromagnetism, psychology, parapsychology, zoology (mispronounced in the film, btw), and eutopian social (garbled). The whole thing seems very creepy, and I’m guessing its ultimate goal is something nefarious, like development of new super weapons (Honso is an arms magnate.), mind control, eugenics….
Here are some ideas:
The polar bears escaped from the zoological research station. The film did show polar bears!
The Others are remnants or descendants of the research on eutopian social whatever. (Keep in mind I haven’t actually met the Others yet, except Ethan, and I’m not positive he was an Other.)
Station 3 was originally designed to study electromagnetism, but was then switched to a psychology study: How would people handle the idea that they control the end of the world? How would they handle the stress of being essentially tied to a place and a strict schedule, possibly with a screwed up sleep cycle.) Or perhaps it was a psychological study all along.
The island is undetectable due to a powerful, probably artificial, magnetic field. That’s why compasses are slightly off. The project is clearly being kept secret.
The island itself may be artificial, designed specifically for Dharma.
Walt was taken due to his latent parapsychological talents. (Was Brian in on it? Did he kill Walt’s mother?) If so, obviously at least some of the research is ongoing.
What about Locke?
I’m wondering if Locke might be a product of Dharma, with or without his knowledge. He seems to have a wonderful relationship with the island, and an innate understanding of it. He did predict the rain, and Dharma did study meteorology. Locke said Boone had to be sacrificed. He also railed against the hatch, screaming “I did everything you asked of me.” To me Honso’s grainy picture in the film looks a lot like Locke’s father (if indeed he is his father). Here’s a crazy idea: if Locke had been somehow created by Dharma, maybe he really did have a virgin birth! How did his legs get fixed in or after the crash? Perhaps Dharma somehow “fixed” him. Or he was never really broken, but something was implanted that could be easily reversed on the island. And whatever is implanted can be switched on and off, thus explaining why his legs suddenly stopped working before he and Boone discovered the plane, but worked just fine thereafter. (I have not yet seen how he became disabled in the first place.) As you can probably tell, I’m thinking off the top of my head now. It also just occurred to me that Jack somehow miraculously fixed his future wife, and he had no idea how! Hmmmmmmmm. I still have no insight into how Locke would have known about Boone’s nurse’s death by falling down the stairs.
What about the numbers?
The numbers 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42 (which add up to 108) have two separate history-streams. The WWII listening station heard them being broadcast in the 40’s, which lead Sam Toomey to use them, which lead to Leonard, then to Hurley. On a seemingly unrelated stream, they are seen etched into the hatch, and constitute the code. If Dharma started in 1970, they must have gotten the numbers from the other history stream, unless there is a temporal shift and the WWII listeners heard them from Dharma. The question is: who was broadcasting them during WWII, and why? What’s so special about those particular numbers? And are they really jinxed? (I don’t think so.)
Enough for now….
To me the smoke monsters SOUND very mechanical, and Locke did say it’s a device to protect the island.
I took Locke’s advice and watched the film again (and again!). According to the film, we know the following. Dharma started in 1970. The film was copyrighted in 1980. There were at least three Dharma stations, probably more, and several areas of communoresearch (whatever that is), including meteorology, electromagnetism, psychology, parapsychology, zoology (mispronounced in the film, btw), and eutopian social (garbled). The whole thing seems very creepy, and I’m guessing its ultimate goal is something nefarious, like development of new super weapons (Honso is an arms magnate.), mind control, eugenics….
Here are some ideas:
The polar bears escaped from the zoological research station. The film did show polar bears!
The Others are remnants or descendants of the research on eutopian social whatever. (Keep in mind I haven’t actually met the Others yet, except Ethan, and I’m not positive he was an Other.)
Station 3 was originally designed to study electromagnetism, but was then switched to a psychology study: How would people handle the idea that they control the end of the world? How would they handle the stress of being essentially tied to a place and a strict schedule, possibly with a screwed up sleep cycle.) Or perhaps it was a psychological study all along.
The island is undetectable due to a powerful, probably artificial, magnetic field. That’s why compasses are slightly off. The project is clearly being kept secret.
The island itself may be artificial, designed specifically for Dharma.
Walt was taken due to his latent parapsychological talents. (Was Brian in on it? Did he kill Walt’s mother?) If so, obviously at least some of the research is ongoing.
What about Locke?
I’m wondering if Locke might be a product of Dharma, with or without his knowledge. He seems to have a wonderful relationship with the island, and an innate understanding of it. He did predict the rain, and Dharma did study meteorology. Locke said Boone had to be sacrificed. He also railed against the hatch, screaming “I did everything you asked of me.” To me Honso’s grainy picture in the film looks a lot like Locke’s father (if indeed he is his father). Here’s a crazy idea: if Locke had been somehow created by Dharma, maybe he really did have a virgin birth! How did his legs get fixed in or after the crash? Perhaps Dharma somehow “fixed” him. Or he was never really broken, but something was implanted that could be easily reversed on the island. And whatever is implanted can be switched on and off, thus explaining why his legs suddenly stopped working before he and Boone discovered the plane, but worked just fine thereafter. (I have not yet seen how he became disabled in the first place.) As you can probably tell, I’m thinking off the top of my head now. It also just occurred to me that Jack somehow miraculously fixed his future wife, and he had no idea how! Hmmmmmmmm. I still have no insight into how Locke would have known about Boone’s nurse’s death by falling down the stairs.
What about the numbers?
The numbers 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42 (which add up to 108) have two separate history-streams. The WWII listening station heard them being broadcast in the 40’s, which lead Sam Toomey to use them, which lead to Leonard, then to Hurley. On a seemingly unrelated stream, they are seen etched into the hatch, and constitute the code. If Dharma started in 1970, they must have gotten the numbers from the other history stream, unless there is a temporal shift and the WWII listeners heard them from Dharma. The question is: who was broadcasting them during WWII, and why? What’s so special about those particular numbers? And are they really jinxed? (I don’t think so.)
Enough for now….
Sunday, June 21, 2009
LOST religion
I’ve now watched through the Hurley-centric episode 16, “Numbers”. In the last few episodes I’ve been struck by the theme of redemption that has been repeated over and over. Each of the characters has a fascinating back-story in which he or she was on the plane with a major problem, often one dealing with a difficult relationship, or self-image issues.
Locke is wheelchair-bound and unfulfilled. Jack has father issues. Kate has made a mess of her life through bad choices. Charlie sees himself as worthless. Sun and Jin have marriage problems. Boone has issues with his step-sister, Shannon. Shannon has used men throughout her life, and now sees herself as useless on her own. Sawyer affects a tough-guy persona, but he’s wracked with guilt for what he has done. Sayid has to live with the horrors of his past. Claire is pregnant, single and confused. Michael has no clue how to handle relationships, especially with his eight-year old son, returned to his care after many years. And Hurly thinks he’s a jinx. (All of the above are seriously understated! Each of them makes a wonderful story in and of itself.)
Locke receives redemption first, miraculously, immediately upon crashing on the island. After that, he seems to play an important role in the redemptive power the island exerts on the others. As Locke tells Shannon: “Everyone gets a new life on this island”. In some cases Locke intervenes directly and powerfully (Charlie, Michael). In others his ministrations allow the island to work on the character in question (Boone, Sawyer). In yet others he merely encourages the characters to accept what they have been given (Jack, Shannon). I leave it to those who have seen these episodes to review how each of the characters undergoes his or her own redemption, and to those who haven’t, to watch carefully as they occur. As in real life, the people don’t always get what they thought they wanted, but rather what was best in the long run (Sun and Jin).
I’m tempted to see the island as a type of deity with powers to heal the wounded soul, and Locke as a kind of angel. But perhaps I’m seeing more than is there. On to episode 17!
Locke is wheelchair-bound and unfulfilled. Jack has father issues. Kate has made a mess of her life through bad choices. Charlie sees himself as worthless. Sun and Jin have marriage problems. Boone has issues with his step-sister, Shannon. Shannon has used men throughout her life, and now sees herself as useless on her own. Sawyer affects a tough-guy persona, but he’s wracked with guilt for what he has done. Sayid has to live with the horrors of his past. Claire is pregnant, single and confused. Michael has no clue how to handle relationships, especially with his eight-year old son, returned to his care after many years. And Hurly thinks he’s a jinx. (All of the above are seriously understated! Each of them makes a wonderful story in and of itself.)
Locke receives redemption first, miraculously, immediately upon crashing on the island. After that, he seems to play an important role in the redemptive power the island exerts on the others. As Locke tells Shannon: “Everyone gets a new life on this island”. In some cases Locke intervenes directly and powerfully (Charlie, Michael). In others his ministrations allow the island to work on the character in question (Boone, Sawyer). In yet others he merely encourages the characters to accept what they have been given (Jack, Shannon). I leave it to those who have seen these episodes to review how each of the characters undergoes his or her own redemption, and to those who haven’t, to watch carefully as they occur. As in real life, the people don’t always get what they thought they wanted, but rather what was best in the long run (Sun and Jin).
I’m tempted to see the island as a type of deity with powers to heal the wounded soul, and Locke as a kind of angel. But perhaps I’m seeing more than is there. On to episode 17!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
LOST musings
Correction: In my last post I said I hadn’t seen much good in Sun to that point in my viewing. I meant Jin. Sun is a wonderfully sympathetic character. And Jin is coming around too, actually helping Furley when he stepped on an urchin. By the way, we know Sun secretly speaks English. I suspect Jin does too, or at least understands it. Funny how neither knows the other does, but we figured it out so easily.
I’ve now watched the pilot and 12 regular episodes. These episodes focus on, and tell the back story (at least in part) of: Jack (twice), Kate (twice), Locke, Sawyer, Charlie, Claire, Sayid, Sun and Jin, Michael and Walt, and Boone and Shannon.
Understanding that I only know a fraction of the story to date, I have a couple of general observations.
It seems to me that all the characters, more or less, have reasons to NOT want to be rescued. The most obvious one is Locke, who, not only has been miraculously cured, but is living the life he always dreamed of. (He also seems to have some mystic connection to the island, but that’s another story.) Jack doesn’t want to have to face his mother, since he was unable to bring his father back alive from Australia. Furthermore, it seems there is a chance his father is actually alive through another miracle. We get the feeling neither Locke nor Jack’s father, if he is alive, would necessarily maintain their good health elsewhere. Both Kate and Sawyer don’t want to have to face justice. Both Sun and Jin are free of her father now.
Another musing: I’m beginning to think some or all the survivors are somehow “supposed” to be on the island. Whether it’s fate or manipulation by some mysterious force, I don’t know. Evidence: Kate’s little airplane with the broken propellers, Claire’s psychic who was so insistent that she be on that particular flight. [By the way, it seems inconsistent that she refused to sell her baby to the first couple in Australia, but then seemed to go along with selling it to a couple in LA. Also that she didn’t question more vehemently why the psychic had such a radical chance in his reading of her.] I also seem to remember another incident with a broken toy airplane, maybe even marked “Oceanic”, but I can’t remember where we saw that. Am I imagining it?
It also seems to me that the island itself is not where it “should” be. Evidence: The plane got 1000 miles off course so readily. The beach that was supposedly there for years is all-of-a-sudden eroding away, like it has encountered a current that it hadn’t encountered before. The magnetic field around the island doesn’t align with Earth’s field. It’s almost as if the island exists in a different space/time from the rest of Earth, and was placed there specifically for these people/events. A government plot? Aliens? Hmmmm.
I’ve now watched the pilot and 12 regular episodes. These episodes focus on, and tell the back story (at least in part) of: Jack (twice), Kate (twice), Locke, Sawyer, Charlie, Claire, Sayid, Sun and Jin, Michael and Walt, and Boone and Shannon.
Understanding that I only know a fraction of the story to date, I have a couple of general observations.
It seems to me that all the characters, more or less, have reasons to NOT want to be rescued. The most obvious one is Locke, who, not only has been miraculously cured, but is living the life he always dreamed of. (He also seems to have some mystic connection to the island, but that’s another story.) Jack doesn’t want to have to face his mother, since he was unable to bring his father back alive from Australia. Furthermore, it seems there is a chance his father is actually alive through another miracle. We get the feeling neither Locke nor Jack’s father, if he is alive, would necessarily maintain their good health elsewhere. Both Kate and Sawyer don’t want to have to face justice. Both Sun and Jin are free of her father now.
Another musing: I’m beginning to think some or all the survivors are somehow “supposed” to be on the island. Whether it’s fate or manipulation by some mysterious force, I don’t know. Evidence: Kate’s little airplane with the broken propellers, Claire’s psychic who was so insistent that she be on that particular flight. [By the way, it seems inconsistent that she refused to sell her baby to the first couple in Australia, but then seemed to go along with selling it to a couple in LA. Also that she didn’t question more vehemently why the psychic had such a radical chance in his reading of her.] I also seem to remember another incident with a broken toy airplane, maybe even marked “Oceanic”, but I can’t remember where we saw that. Am I imagining it?
It also seems to me that the island itself is not where it “should” be. Evidence: The plane got 1000 miles off course so readily. The beach that was supposedly there for years is all-of-a-sudden eroding away, like it has encountered a current that it hadn’t encountered before. The magnetic field around the island doesn’t align with Earth’s field. It’s almost as if the island exists in a different space/time from the rest of Earth, and was placed there specifically for these people/events. A government plot? Aliens? Hmmmm.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
LOST Obsession
I'm more than half-way through the first season and I'm just blown away by LOST. Dan's posting of March 26 suggests that it wasn't that great in the first season, but I've found it fascinating.
I love how each episode focusses on a character's backstory, often solving mysteries , then delivering even bigger mysteries. At the same time revealing more about the island itself and the individuals' relationships to each other.
I love how most of the characters are complex, not always good, not always bad (although so far, Sun and Sawyer don't seem to have much good in them, and Locke seems like a very good guy. I know, I know, there is much more to come, right?
The episode where Ethan first appears and takes Claire and Charlie is one of the finest pieces of television I've seen in a LONG time. It is creepy in several ways (Claire's "dreams" (or were they), Hurley's discovery that Ethan was never on the plane, Ethan's face when he confronts Charlie and Claire after we discover he's not one of them). It is profoundly shocking (finding Charlie). It is heartbreaking (Jack having to rat out his father, Jack and Kate's discovery of Charlie and desparate attempts to save him, especially Kate's reaction when Jack won't stop trying to revive him. It is touching (when Charlie is revived, how overjoyed they are, even though he is still mostly a stranger to them. Jack cradling him like a baby.)
All in all, an amazing show.
I love how each episode focusses on a character's backstory, often solving mysteries , then delivering even bigger mysteries. At the same time revealing more about the island itself and the individuals' relationships to each other.
I love how most of the characters are complex, not always good, not always bad (although so far, Sun and Sawyer don't seem to have much good in them, and Locke seems like a very good guy. I know, I know, there is much more to come, right?
The episode where Ethan first appears and takes Claire and Charlie is one of the finest pieces of television I've seen in a LONG time. It is creepy in several ways (Claire's "dreams" (or were they), Hurley's discovery that Ethan was never on the plane, Ethan's face when he confronts Charlie and Claire after we discover he's not one of them). It is profoundly shocking (finding Charlie). It is heartbreaking (Jack having to rat out his father, Jack and Kate's discovery of Charlie and desparate attempts to save him, especially Kate's reaction when Jack won't stop trying to revive him. It is touching (when Charlie is revived, how overjoyed they are, even though he is still mostly a stranger to them. Jack cradling him like a baby.)
All in all, an amazing show.
Monday, June 8, 2009
The Armstrong Victory Garden
The "20's and 30's" at church (the TAT's for short) planted a garden in the big field across from the college. They want to harvest enough produce to donate to the food pantry. Since my Dad had helped them get started as a group, they decided to name the garden in honor of him. Here's a picture of Gramma standing by the sign.
The garden is pretty amazing. They have long rows of onions, peppers, carrots, beets, potatoes, beans, peas, radishes, and probably a few other things.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Dan and Sarah, you're rewatching the whole thing???? Wow! I notice how mysteries are seemingly solved, but the actual solution is just out of view. Like when we discovered the handcuffs were from Kate, not Sayed or Sawyer as I had guessed. Then I thought her crime, if any, must have had to do with the old guy in Australia who took her in, especially when she caused him to crash... But No! It was something prior to THAT even. And why did she try to give her captor oxygen on the plane, just to show that she's really a good person? It was really cool how at the end of one episode everybody seemed to be getting along great and the music was all playful. The black guy had found the kid's dog (actually Boone had but the kid didn't know that). Then all of a sudden the music grows very scary and the camera focusses on Boone's scowling face., and the episode ends. My question: Did the writers of the first season have any idea what would happen in later seasons? Or did they keep getting new ideas as the seasons passed, like a soap opera?
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