Wednesday, February 10, 2010

S6E3 RECAP

L: Lo - - the most interesting or amazing event in the Episode was Dogen telling Jack that Sayid had been "claimed." As speculated last week, the Temple's reaction to the news of Jacob's death was like the palace defending against a coup. And in North American Native Indian culture, a coup meant to touch an enemy as a sign of bravery or to claim an enemies possessions in battle. It also dovetails into the notion of Osiris reincarnation through Jacob touching several of the 815ers.

O: Obnoxious - - the most obnoxious part of the Episode was, for the second week in a row, Kate bouncing off Jack and Sawyer. I am tired of the Kate mini-soap opera story line of who is going to take her to the jungle prom.

S: Story line - - I am now still confident that my theory that the story line involves the afterlife through a variation of Egyptian mythology will still play out. Dogen cryptically alluded to the fact that everyone was "brought" to the Island . . . i.e. through death on Earth.

T: Time line - - I really do not care for the new-alt-parallel 815 LAX time line. If it is "a what if" flash forwardish character realization that the 815ers' lives were not so great off-island, well we already knew that. If it is "a contemporaneous" new multi-universe to show that Juliet was right, "it worked," it has little to do with the resolution of five seasons of Island whomping events.

S6E3 INFECTION


When Dogen used the term "claimed" to describe Sayid's condition, several things came to mind. First, possession by an outside force, such as an (evil) spirit. Second, a more scientific explanation, like an infection. Rousseau claimed to Sayid that all the Others were infected by the "sickness." And we learned she was referring to the transformation of humans after being captured (consumed) by Smokey. It is also of note that when Desmond was caged up in the Hatch, he was routinely giving himself a "vaccine" against an unknown illness. That is why the Island was under some kind of quarantine.

In a pseudo-scientific explanation of the Dogen analysis could follow the pattern of a supernatural staph infection:

Staph bacteria are normally found on the skin or in the nose of about one-third of the population. If you have staph on your skin or in your nose but aren't sick, you are said to be "colonized" but not infected. Healthy people can be colonized and have no ill effects. However, they can pass the germ to others.

>>>> This is what could have happened to the 815ers. Once they were "brought" to the Island, they have been in contact with the Island bacteria and "colonized."

Staph bacteria are generally harmless unless they enter the body through a cut or other wound, and even then they often cause only minor skin problems in healthy people.

>>>> More proof that you are safe unless you have an open portal for the Island bacteria to invade a body. Prime example: Sayid's gunshot wound in the belly.

A weakened individual can have the bacteria grow into a serious infection. The bacteria could be immune from antibiotics as over time the germs find a resistance to the drugs. Also, germ mutations can form making current antibiotics ineffective.

Using this foundational knowledge, we can transfer it to a sci-fi plane of existence:

Smokey can have the pattern of a mutant Island bacteria colony. It can infect human bodies when they are in a weakened state, such as just before death. Example, during the freighter fire-fight, Claire's cabin was blown up, and she came back to life in a groggy state (just like Sayid at the Temple). Dogen claims that Claire is like Sayid, infected by the darkness that will spread to their heart, obliterating that person as you would know them (like Flocke). Whether this Smokey bacteria can be a parasite and use dead bodies like Christian as a reanimated host is unclear. There may be two different minute cellular organisms at work.

The bacteria can only take hold with a weakened individual. In an Island sense, that may mean an individual whose mental or moral state has been weakened to a state of collapse and abandonment of hope. Sayid's conversation to Hurley at the van was a good example: Sayid was resigned to his fate because knew his time was up, and he knew he was going to hell ("an unpleasant place"). But little did he know, he would have a second chance on the Island to become a different kind of monster.

S6E3 CLAIM CHECK

I posted this comment last week:

Now, after the Others at the Temple heard Jacob was dead, the immediate reaction was PANIC. Ash around the grounds to ward off Smokey's attacks. Firing off rockets and grabbing arms: The reaction was like defending the palace from a coup.

And as tangent in looking up the word, there is a historical North American Indian word "coup" which means the act of touching an armed enemy in battle as a deed of bravery or an act of first touching an item of the enemy's in order to claim it. Add another item on the Jacob touching theory pile.

>>> An ancient Chinese rocket went off in my head when Dogen said Sayid had been CLAIMED. He also indicated that the "infection" would increase until it made its way to his heart. Sayid is possessed with an (evil) spirit. If so, in the Egyptian final judgment, a person's heart is weighed against a feather. If a person's heart is burdened with sins, it would weigh more resulting in the person's ba and ka to be destroyed (i.e. no eternal life).

>>> This also got me to thinking about once an Egyptian person dies, their soul, personality and life force separately goes to the underworld, joined by a substitute body, for a journey through the afterlife towards final judgment. With this concept of Sayid being possessed, I think Jacob and MIB are the same person (the last Pharoah?) but upon his death, his soul and spirit did not recombine in the underworld leading to the conflict between the two entities. One is trying to recombine, the other does not want to recombine because that would mean final judgment.

>>> Also, I had postulated that in order for Jacob to reincarnate, he needed to have all his "touched" persons together in the same place and time. At the Temple, only Sun was missing. Now, in this episode, what happens? Three of the elements, Sawyer, Kate and Jin go rushing off into the jungle!

When Dogen (Kung Fu alchemist) takes Sayid to his torture table, we have conflicting reports whether Sayid passed or failed Dogen's tests of possession by (evil) spirit.

1. The gray ash. We have learned that the gray ash protects one against Smokey. It keeps it out of the ring. Dogen blew a hand full of ash over Sayid's bullet wound and there was no reaction. Well, should there have been one? If Sayid is covered in ash outside, it would trap Smokey inside his body for the next test? Possibly.

2. The electric volt meter. Dogen placed electric wires all around the chest and stomach area of Sayid, then hand cranked a generator, then pumped up the current. Sayid's reaction: severe pain. Which would have been a normal human reaction. But do the dead (or undead) feel pain? Possibly not.

3. The third test was the red hot branding iron. Dogen seared Sayid's chest with the poker. Sayid's reaction: severe pain. The same reaction from the electric shocks.

Dogen said to Sayid he passed the test; but Sayid knew he lied. Dogen admitted to Jack that the pill was poison because Sayid was possessed (claimed) by an "infection" which I conclude is Smokey. The infection will continue to grow until it fully takes over a person (through the heart).

Which leads to a real problem for the ghost Jacob. If Sayid is one of the "claim checks" he deposited at the cosmic pawn shop in order to be reincarnated in the Temple, can he still be used as reincarnation ceremony if Sayid is infected? Possibly, but only if there is not a complete infection. That means there has to be a time deadline. (A 108 minutes, perhaps?!) Is that why Dogen easily let Kate and Jin go with his men to find Sawyer because without Sawyer, there can be no ceremony? (Interestingly, after Sawyer's final tribute at the dock, he sighs under his breath that he is going back to the Temple. Which is exactly the opposite plan of runaway Kate, who does not want to be confined at the Temple.) Complicating matters is that Jin is going to be held hostage by possessed Claire, which will lead to another search and rescue party.

On a side note, Hurley asked Sayid is he was a "zombie." Sayid said no, he was not. In our collective B-movie memories, a zombie is the walking undead who shuffle around seeking to eat human brains. But originally, zombie was a snake-deity of or deriving from West Africa and Haiti. It also means a soul less corpse said to be revived by witchcraft. Combine the snake-deity (Smokey), the body of dead Sayid and the supernatural element of the Temple spring, one could say Sayid lied to Hurley.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

S6E1 RECAP

L: Lo - - the most interesting or amazing event in the Episode has to be our first look inside The Temple. This place has to be the center piece for the Island's mysteries.

O: Obnoxious - - the most obnoxious part of the Episode was Kate bouncing off Jack and Sawyer. She is like a hair clog in a bathroom drain; when she tried to hook back up with Sawyer before Juliet was buried was sick.

S: Story line - - I am now really confident that my theory that the story line involves the afterlife through a variation of Egyptian mythology was almost confirmed by the Episode. The Temple and its inscriptions clearly show elements of death, rebirth, and reincarnation.

T: Time line - - at the end of Season 5, there was an equally divided camp of Lost viewers. One camp thought if Juliet detonated the bomb, the time line would re-set to 2007. Another camp thought that the time line would not reboot, leaving the 1977ers stuck. TPTB side swiped the viewers by showing an alternative, parallel universe time line with the original castaways stuck on the Island, but their 2004 counterparts in a new reality landing at LAX. I did not like this slight of hand.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

THE LAST CHARACTER

After translating the Temple hieroglyphs, it has occurred to me that there is one more major turn to play out in the show. I thought at the end of Season 5, there was one last big location we had not seen yet: the Temple. Well, we have an insider's tour of the Temple right off the bat.

I am now very confident that my theory that the show's big premise is about the afterlife and its struggles between supernatural beings, composed of variations and shades of many cultures based upon the myths of ancient Egypt. It may have been the hidden-in-plain sight show-within-a-show Easter egg hunt from the very early stages of the series; we have known of Smokey (MIB) and Jacob but never saw them until the end of S5. There is still some debate on whether one is good, one is evil, one is life, one is death. In the end, it may not matter. Because both Jacob and MIB answer to one higher being, who I will call "The Father" for no other reason than the temple pillar translations.

It would make sense that Jacob and MIB are kin, like brothers. In the cosmic hierarchy, these two rivals were placed in a "time out" to resolve their differences. A time out which lasts thousands of years in human time. Instead of resolving their differences, the two merely begin to play with any toys (lesser beings, like humans) that they could find in order to pass the time until "they can go home" (to Olympus, heaven, etc.). Looking down from their island corner, they found the most advanced people on Earth, the ancient Egyptians. They found their culture interesting, so they created a method (a gate) to bring them to their dimension. The ancient Egyptians thought they had found the real path to the underworld gods, and began to divinely worship them. Which was great, until the humans began dying off because they could not re-produce outside the realm of the Earth's existence. No matter, there were always more humans on Earth. So, over time, the brothers brought more civilized humans to the Island. But the newer arrivals were less into worshipping the brothers than fighting among themselves. This led to the brothers to renew their own personal disputes and rivalry on what to do next: stay, and resolve their differences so they could go home, or as MIB devised, a method of resolving their disputes once and for all, by killing Jacob so he could go home. The latter's logic may be quite twisted, but it appears that at least Jacob adopted many of the mythologies and socially significant pieces of human history in order to protect himself against MIB's plot. Likewise, MIB could have adopted many of humankind's primal fears, monsters and nightmares to cull loyalists in his plan to kill Jacob. And this gamemanship has led many viewers to believe the two are playing a game of chess or backgammon, with the characters as pawns or pieces.

And yes, it is quite possible that some one will get hurt in the end. Many human lives were lost because of the rivals bitter feud. They used human souls like humans abuse lower life forms; like little children squashing bugs on the sidewalk. But the final question is Who put these two into their "room" for the original time-out? The Father. A superior being that has dominion and control over both Jacob and MIB. It would make perfect sense that a Father figure would conclude this story. We have been previewed with all sorts of "Daddy issues" from the very beginning of saga. In fact, most of the main characters had serious parental issues, most of them left unresolved or ending badly. The Father could tie all these torn personal tapestries back together again. He could provide a final moral insight to the feuding brothers: a final test whether they learned anything, especially from the lesser human beings who could have taught them great insight if they had only stopped to listen and observe.

Friday, February 5, 2010

S6E1 TEMPLE SYMBOLS

I believe I have roughly translated the glyphs on the pillars that face the spring in the Temple. It appears to form prayers like passages of a ceremony from a Book of the Dead:

1. In the name of Horus, alas spirit enter. Horus, sacred god father's duties.
2. Horus, enter father's gardens.
3. Stand for father's long past ideas of health (rebirth).
4. Lord father, patron of the Dead, heal for eternities.
5. Lord father.
6. Island Heaven (sacred/magical sign symbol).
7. Enter Horus (Ra).
8. Heaven conspire against evil fires.
9. Stand Ra. (sacred/magical sign symbol).

THE MOVES MIB HAD TO MAKE TO WIN

What did MIB/Flocke have to “go through” in order to kill Jacob? What were the moves required to get the result he wanted? I have yet to see anyone try to piece together the Rube Goldberg/Mad, Mad, Mad World time line of interrelated events, but here is my an outline of what MIB may have meant:

1. MIB needed BEN to kill JACOB, which required
2. FLOCKE planting the seed/justification for killing in BEN, which needed
3. DEAD LOCKE in order to trick BEN on his island return, which meant
4. BEN killing LOCKE when he heard LOCKE was working with HAWKING to get back to the island (and thereby assuming the leadership role), which would not have happened without
5. WIDMORE and ABBADON helping LOCKE try to round up the O6 group for the return flight to the island, because

5 A. the O6 had a deal with RICHARD to leave the island for saving BEN from WIDMORE’S team, which BEN knew about by
5.B. placing his man MICHAEL on the freighter, as a result of
5 C. a deal to free MICHAEL and WALT in exchange for capturing JACK, KATE, SAWYER and HURLEY by the Others, which lead to
5 D. JACK, KATE, SAWYER escaping Otherville with ALEX, who
5 E. was caught by WIDMORE’s man and killed, causing
5 F. BEN turn the FDW to hide the island from WIDMORE, causing

6. HAWKING in her pendulum Dharma station to try to find the island, because
7. BEN’s FDW causing the island to time skip, requiring
8. LOCKE to turn the FDW to reset the island with the instructions of CHRISTIAN,

8 A. Whose past fathered CLAIRE in Australia, which led to
8.B. Daddy issues with his son JACK, which led to
8.C. JACK turning on CHRISTIAN, leading him back to drinking and
8.D. CHRISTIAN dying in Australia, which made
8.E. JACK fly to Sydney to claim CHRISTIAN’s body and get it on Flight 815, so,
8.F. when Flight 815 crashed on the Island, CHRISTIAN’s body could be used by MIB to influence JACK and LOCKE, since
8.G. DESMOND’s failure to input the Numbers in the Hatch caused 815 to crash,
8 H. since DESMOND’s need to prove his honor to WIDMORE caused him to enter a sail boat race after
8. I. a stranger named LIBBY gave him her deceased husband’s boat, since
8. J. DESMOND had no job since he was fired from the monastery vineyard by BROTHER CAMPBELL, (who was friends with HAWKING) but
8. K. as a result, DESMOND meets PENNY, who he falls for, but WIDMORE objects to the relationship, which leads
8. L. PENNY to search the globe for the lost DESMOND, which leads to
8.M. a listening station finding a signal in the Pacific, which leads both
8.N. WIDMORE’s freighter soldiers to the island and
8.O. PENNY’s boat finding the O6 survivors after LOCKE turns the FDW, taking,
8.P. The O6 back to their problems stateside, including:

KATE on trial for murder;
JACK finding out CLAIRE is his half sister;
SAYID’S wife NADIA being killed,
SUN taking over father’s company and seeking revenge on BEN;
HURLEY going back into mental institution; which leads

8.Q. BEN to scheme with HAWKING to get the O6 to re-create Flight 815, which includes killing LOCKE, who was suicidal because he had failed to convince anyone to return with him, which could be caused by
8.R. LOCKE’s pathetic life of personal failures, which may have influenced

9. The island splitting into two time frames when he turned the FDW,with

9.A. 1974 flash where SAWYER takes the lead with JULIET, MILES, and JIN, who
9.B. in order to survive and await LOCKE’s return, join Dharma by helping AMY who was attacked by the Others, and in turn
9.C. SAWYER telling RICHARD about time traveling LOCKE which creates a truce between Dharma and the Others, which
9.D. changes SAWYER and JULIET into a happy Dharma couple, until
9.E. Flight 316 crashes on the Island causing a time flashes to 1977 and 2007, which leads to,
9.F. KATE, JACK, SAYID meeting up with SAWYER’s Dharma group,
which causes,
9.G. JULIET to doubt her relationship with SAWYER because of KATE, but adds complication when
9.H. SAYID shoots young BEN in order to save SAYID from his future killings, which requires,
9.I. JACK and KATE to bring dying young BEN to RICHARD to be saved,
9.J. which creates BEN as an Other, which leads to
9.K. BEN banishing WIDMORE from the Island after Purging Dharma, including killing his own father ROGER,
9.L. who blamed BEN for killing his wife by being premature, but that lead to,
9.M. HORACE coming across ROGER and BEN at birth for later recruitment of ROGER to the Island, which led to
9.N. ROGER blaming BEN for his crappy life, which led BEN to seek a way out with the Others, who are

10. The island’s native population that needed outside leadership “candidates,” which led them to BEN, who recruited many off-islanders including,
11. JULIET, who was recruited to deal with the island’s fertility problems, for which,
12. RICHARD thought was unimportant to the Other’s prime mission, but which led to
13. JULIET being the lead scientist with the Hydra confinement and manipulation of JACK, SAWYER and KATE, which led to

13.A. JULIET joining the 815 survivors as a spy and as a way to get off the island, away from the captivity of BEN, which
13.B. put her in the position of the 815ers who time flashed back to 1974, which
13.C. led her to have a long term relationship with SAWYER, which caused her
13.D. sacrifice herself to detonate Jughead to bring the time lines together, which
13.E. brought ghost JACOB to HURLEY when SAYID was dying at the van,
13.F. making HURLEY leader to direct the group to take SAYID to the Temple, where,
13.G. Kung Fu and the Hippie drowned SAYID as his friends watched in horror,
13.H. then learning JACOB was dead from HURLEY causing the Temple to be on guard from “him” and laying out ash to repel Smokey, who
13.I. was at the Tawaret foot in the form of FLOCKE, recognizing RICHARD as a man once in chains, and beating RICHARD unconscious while being extremely “disappointed” with the Others, which now makes

14. MIB/FLOCKE in position of power on the Island by killing JACOB.