LT44: So Long

FLASHBACK – THE VACCINE

We have seen Ethan inject Aaron prenatal but say there wasn't enough for Claire.

Desmond shot up with stuff for years every nine days.

Charlie found a kit and took an injection.

In the real-world there is no known injection process for weekly shots that lasts for years.

RX is used to indicate a new drug in the testing phase. Rx is short for the Latin word, "recipe".

Vaccines are only used in prevention…not post-exposure!

My favorite theory is that the vaccine is a "CR", Cerberus Repellant. This could indicate to the security system on the island who is a friendly or a hostile.

"GND" is also printed on the labels of the bottles we have seen. GND doesn't have any clear meaning but it is a drug used to protect against the psychoactive effects of cocaine.

DESMOND'S NEW ABILITY

So Desmond can see into the future. How does that figure into the 5 iron he borrowed? Many feel he built the lightning rod because of a future vision – it was going to hit Claire's tent! He tried to get her to move by claiming the roof needed fixed. But when Charlie rebuked that idea, he resorted to building a lightning rod. And he seemed very pleased with himself when it worked!

IN THE DARK

When moving Jack from his "aquarium cell" to the "operating room", they had to walk him past Sawyer and Kate. But they wanted to keep him in the dark, so they used a hood over his head and blasted a loud alarm. More head games? They don't mind Sawyer and Kate talking and seeing Jack, but they want to keep Jack in the dark.

Many conclude that the brainwashing requires Jack to stay ignorant of his friend's condition. Yet, Jack has begun to turn the tables on Juliet by making her question her rank in the Others organization chart (just like Ben did to Jack and Locke when he was a prisoner).

It appears that Jack was beginning to get to Juliet and Ben helped reinforce this conflict when he walked in and demanded her assistance. For payback, it seemed that Juliet then enlisted Jack's help in an attempt to save Colleen…for Ben seemed upset about Juliet's decision. The wedge has effectively been place by Jack…can he drive it deeper?

IT TAKES TWO

So, we have TWO islands! There must be some good reason for this. I kept thinking that the impact of the security system, the healing effects, and so on were on one SIDE of the island…but now I'm leaning towards the big island being the "special" one.

And why do you think Ben wanted Sawyer to see this? Was it the conclusion of a con game (rabbit, pacemaker, two islands)? Or was it to show him that he can't escape "Alcatraz Island"?

SPEAKING OF ISLANDS

There is called Angel Island and is located in San Francisco near the Golden Gate bridge.

Of course the Golden Gate bridge has shown up on Isaac's wall and on Gannon Car Rental brochures that many people have been seen carrying (at least three).

The only access to Angel Island is by ferry. Hmmm….

Years ago Angel Island was connected to the mainland, but when the sea level raised after the Ice Age…where you get where I'm going!

The island was used for immigration processing and is known as the Ellis Island of the West. The Chinese Exclusion Act made it difficult for people to process and they were kept on this island for years sometimes during the appeals process. They carved writings in the walls of the buildings where the place was described as a "jail".

A quarantine station was opened on the island in Ayala Cove.

The island is located near Alcatraz Island.

PRISON TIME

Our group of Survivors sure are a rowdy group…we know Sawyer and Jack have been in prison…Sayid was held as a prisoner…and Kate was heading to prison. Oh my!

The address that Sawyer refers to is near Coral Springs, Florida. That is the home of the Miami Hurricanes and based on their antics this season, they belong in prison…connection? J

Ok, a more serious connection is that Juliet said she went to school in Miami.

Sawyer's prisoner ID was 840. The man he conned in prison was ID number 248. And the storage locker where the money was held was 23C.

I know the badge reads "Department of Corrections", but at first glance I thought it said, "Department of Connections"…now that would have been funny!

STEPHEN KING CONNECTION

Speaking of connections…King wrote an essay called "On Writing". In it he describes writing as a sort of time travel/telepathy thing between the author and the audience. He then began to describe how this works and wrote:

"Look-here's a table covered with a red cloth. On it is a cage the size of a small fish aquarium. In the cage is a white rabbit with a pink nose and pink-rimmed eyes. In its front paws is a carrot-stub upon which it is contentedly munching. On its back, clearly marked in blue ink, is the numeral 8."

Hmmm…

And keep in mind that King's "Hearts in Atlantis" was sitting on Jack's bookshelf in a flashback.

And the fake brand of cola that King uses in books was found on Henry Gale's balloon!

COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN

No, not the Led Zeppelin song…although they should have used it in the show.

I'm talking about the reference to communication that went something like this: "After the sky went purple, comm. went down, can't get a call out"

First, we learn that communication was down for at least a period of time. Second, we should notice the reference to the purple sky…they don't seem to understand the electro-magnetic thing (although Ben seems to know).

DRAW ME A PICTURE

We learned that Desmond drew the mural on the Swan hatch wall, but did we know how revealing it was? Here are some of the thousands of words we might have missed earlier:

Sun falling from boat:

Fish biscuits:

Missing an eye:

Othersville:

POSSIBLE LINKS AND OTHER STRANGE RESEARCH

Benjamin Linus…Linus…as in the ill-fated son of the Greek god, Apollo…as in Apollo candy bars.

Is the new show Heroes required viewing for Lost fans? It seems so…the running themes of fate, strange numbers/helix-shape showing up, a mythology linked to scientific theories, estranged parents, and super powers!

Is the Sun/Jim storyline more important than we realize? Perhaps the parenting style of Sun's father is similar to how Carl/Karl was taught his lesson when trying to escape.

Is the Bible themes still the key to unraveling the secrets to Lost? Consider Adam and Eve after being banished from the garden…they had to work harder to produce anything – a lot like Kate and Sawyer. The Others are like the Old Testament law…strict, unyielding and full of consequences. And in the end, the Others want Kate and Sawyer to produce a Cain and Abel…perhaps twins…and one might be a Bad Twin!

MUSIC CLUE…or is it KLUGH?

Back in the late '80s, a British band by the name of the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu (or the JAMs) sampled Clark's tune, "Downtown", in their hit song ''Down Town.'' Now, in case you aren't up on your pseudoscience or fantasy literature, ''Mu'' is the name given to a speculative place that some believe is the true cradle of civilization, an ancient civilization that colonized the world, which would then explain the curious similarities (hieroglyphics, astrology/zodiac blah blah blah) that exist among several other far-flung ancient civilizations.

According to the Mu lore, the reason why archaeologists haven't been able to dig up Mu is because Mu is located on the floor of the Pacific Ocean — a sunken continent, not unlike the mythic Atlantis.

Now: Remember those hieroglyphics in the Hatch? According to the Lost producers, they spell the word ''Underworld.''

''Downtown'' = ''Down Town'' = ''Underworld'' = Mu?

Friends... could the island actually be the lost continent of Mu?

LITERARY REFERENCES

It seems that Sawyer and Ben share the same reading list. The shot below is from prison where Sawyer is filling his time. Did Sawyer not finish the book, because Ben got the best of him in that exchange!

In Of Mice and Men, a character squishes a mouse to death. In Lost, Sawyer squishes that tree frog. And let's not forget that in Stephen King's Green Mile, a character squishes a mouse!

In Of Mice and Men, a character kills his brother to gain his freedom. As they say, "every man for himself"!

RESEARCH PROJECT

I'm on a new project! The Whispers. Actually, I'm calling it my Communications Study since it will encompass all audio aspects. It's fairly decent size, so it will be its own edition of Lost Tidbits.

The point of mentioning it here is that the whispers hidden in the audio track of every Lost episode haven't gone away. While we don't see the characters spinning around in the middle of a jungle trying to figure out what and where the sounds are coming from…they do continue. And little clues can be found in these whispers.

So, be on the look out for my Communications Study!

ECKO TIME

If you haven't noticed the Tail Enders are sure getting thinned out. Ana Lucia, Goodwin (sort of), Cindy (kidnapped?), and now Ecko. Bernard better watch his back!

And those guys that Ecko killed in his church…same as in his illusion on the island. Did you notice they were missing body parts when Ecko was finished with them?

TALK PEOPLE!

I would rank the inability of Survivors to share facts with each other as the most annoying thing about the show. Mind you, I'm not suggesting the script writing is poor, I'm saying the stranded people on the island really do have trust issues and it frustrates me.

In keeping with that theme, I can tell you (see, I share!) that Sawyer doesn't want to share with Kate what he saw on his walk with Ben! Talk people!

HEAD GAMES

How about that flashcard movie from Juliet. I liked the movie title – To Kill A Mockingbird. Do you know how many books I have to read now? J I know, I should have read at least half of them by now, but no teacher could motivate me the way Ben does!

So, do we believe the flashcards or not? Consider that if they wanted Ben dead they surely had a million different opportunities to do so…why must it be Jack that kills him?

So the flashcards are just part of the head games, right? What if I told you that little blonde girl we were suppose to see in Jack's cell (and on the playground) is Juliet's child and that is just ONE reason that Ben has a hold over his own people! This Ben guy is TWISTED!

THE AYES HAVE IT

Bad pun. Mr. Patch is not someone we have seen before. And kill the rumors that it could Radzinsky…the producers say no way.

It might also have been our first glimpse in another station – The Flame. No verification, but it is a good bet.

LOCKE AND HIS JOURNEY

Locke has unleashed his spiritual side again and there may be no way to convince him to question his faith ever again. Of course, that's about the time he probably should wonder if God is really speaking to him. Hey, didn't Sawyer read a book about God talking to people?

Wouldn't it make sense if Locke then picked up where Ecko left off? In fact, if I were him, I'd find his Jesus stick!

Notice in the flashback where Ecko was told that he owed Yemi a church? That must have been why he was building it on the island. But was it for Yemi or that black smoke monster?

SHORT AND SWEET

This Tidbits is short of shorter than normal, but we know we will have a couple of months to fill. In that time the 4th Lost Puzzle will be released, I hope to finish Brothers Karamazov, and I'll complete that Communication Study.

Hey, it's always nice to run into a reader of Lost Tidbits. Hi, Jason! Yes, I'm a freak.

Bye, Mr. Ecko…you'll be missed.

Enjoy,
Kerry