Lost (4/4)

[Son of Jarhead]

What did you all think of this episode?

I think we pretty much have Kate's back-story covered for us by now.
I'm guessing that Kate's friend, Cassidy?, was swindled by Sawyer.
That fight between Kate & Juliette turned out to be no big deal.
I totally don't trust Juliette, though. I hope Sayid carries out his threat from the teaser for next week's episode.
Man, is that really a whole week away??? Rats! Well, all in all, another good episode.

[BlueDiablo]

What did you all think of this episode?

I think we pretty much have Kate's back-story covered for us by now.
I'm guessing that Kate's friend, Cassidy?, was swindled by Sawyer.
That fight between Kate & Juliette turned out to be no big deal.
I totally don't trust Juliette, though. I hope Sayid carries out his threat from the teaser for next week's episode.
Man, is that really a whole week away??? Rats! Well, all in all, another good episode.

Cassidy has been on the show in two other episodes. She was Sawyer's grifter partner, who Sawyer ended up betraying, and she also visited Sawyer in prison to tell him that he has a daughter. The jewelry con was a two-person con that Sawyer taught her.

I loved the episode. I've posted some of my observations and LOST-related stuff here, for anyone who's interested.

[JasonEvans]

Great episode!

I am frustrated that Kate did not question Juliet more about what the heck The Others are doing on the island. But, it appears we are going to get some of that from Sayid next week. I am betting that Juliet was left with the Lostaways for a reason and she is supposed to be a spy for the Others. She will do something in coming weeks to make the Lostaways trust her and then probably betray them. At least that is Ben's plan, I suspect. Juliet may not go along with the plan in the end. A lot will depend upon how she and Jack get along back at the beach.

WTF was Locke doing? Is he now part of the Others? I doubt that but he is going along with them while they have his dad so he can find out more from his father. I bet we see very little of Locke for the next few weeks and then we get a good catchup episode-- sorta like Michael last season.

I am sure plenty of folks rewound their TIVOs to check it out, but the code to operate the sonic fence is 16-23. No big surprise there.

I loved seeing the monster again, though we did not see any flashes of scenes in the smoke. Intersting that Juliet knew next to nothing about the monster. Hmmmm. Clearly, the Others have no control over the monster. I am betting there is someone other than the Lostaways and The Others on the Island.

-Jason "the season is really moving along nicely at this point" Evans

[Jfrosh]

Enjoyed it, but it definitely raised more questions than it answered.
1. Where, why did the Others go?
2. Why did Locke seem to go with them?
3. Why did they leave Juliette behind?
4. What was that white flash that seemed to scare away the smoke monster?

I think Juliette was a plant. She feigned ignorance about the smoke monster when hiding with Kate "What is that?", then later when it was getting close she suddenly came up with the key to the handcuffs and knew that the monster couldn't go through the sonic fence. She is definitely still playing with them, the question is will Jack be able to turn her away from the "dark side"?

[riverside6]

Juliet knows more about he monster than she's putting on. She knew to look into the black smoke to make it go away. This is the same thing that Locke and Eko did previously.

Also, I read an article that said that the Locke and Locke's father confrontation will be the main plot explored as this season ends.

[Exiled_Devil]

I dug this episode - a nice combination of 'bridge' and 'plot movement'. I agree that Kate is pretty much wrapped-up for flashbacks, and wonder where Cassidy will appear later.

Random thoughts:

I thought hte bright light was the monster flashing - sort of taking a picture of the two of them.

Why is it that a smoke monster was stopped by tree roots? I don't get that. thining about it, the fact that a smoke mosnter rustles leaves and tosses up trees is a bit curious, too.

When did they turn of the fence? and how did Juliette know?

I amnot so sure that Juliette wasn't left becuase she is exiled.

Speaking of, I had a feeling Hurleywas running a con on Sawyer. And I still liked it.

Exiled

[Pacer]

If the castaways can go over the fence, why can't the smoke monster?

[DukeUsul]

If the castaways can go over the fence, why can't the smoke monster?

They went over it while it was off - so they wouldn't trigger it. There's nothing to say that you can go over it while it is on.

[johnb]

A while back, Jack's rescuers climbed over one of the poles while the fence was on (that's how they got to Othersville). Of course, the smoke monster seems to be repelled by the right kind of stare and, in an earlier season, it seemed unable to find people who hid in bushes.

Not sure why the smoke monster gets impeded by roots, a killer fence, bushes, and a stare. Since there are no errors in Lost (just opportunities for growth and moral choice), I'd have to guess that the Monster has characteristics that remain mysterious. In the fullness of time, thou shalt know more...

[A-Tex Devil]

They went over it while it was off - so they wouldn't trigger it. There's nothing to say that you can go over it while it is on.

So are you claiming the Ukranian dude faked his death? Plausible, but it seemed something happened to him when he went through.

Maybe he's coming back?

[riverside6]

how do you fake blood squirting out of your ears? He's dead.

[A-Tex Devil]

how do you fake blood squirting out of your ears? He's dead.

Oh, I think he's dead. Just wondering why his brain would explode if the fence were truly "off" when the losties went over it.

Easiest explanation, which everyone has probably already figured out except slow old me -- fence was on when Russian dude died, then the other's turned it off when they left, then Juliette turned it back on when they went back inside it to evade the monster.

Which means Juliette is bad or at least knows more than she lets on about the others departure to know the fence was off at the time. It also makes Pacer's question a good one -- why can't the monster go over the fence?

Probably a whiff that really isn't that big a deal. As much as is going on in this show, there will be those occasional continuity problems.

[DukeUsul]

So are you claiming the Ukranian dude faked his death? Plausible, but it seemed something happened to him when he went through.

Maybe he's coming back?

Nope. It seemed to me as if it has two modes of operation. When "Patchy" stepped through it, it seemed to me as if that triggered it to start emitting the "sonic pulses" or whatever they were that squished his brain. Then it stopped emitting, and they climbed over so as not to trigger it.

It seemed to me that when Juliette hit the keypad, I immediately thought she was "turning it on" - as in making it start actively emitting whatever it was. Not sure why I thought this, maybe it started immediately making noise (I haven't gone back to look) - whereas when "Patchy" stepped through, it didn't make noise until after he stepped through? Anyway, that's what I immediately thought.

Regardless, the whole thing bothers me, since I have no idea how a sonic barrier would be able to localize its "beam" so that "Patchy" dies, but those standing just a few feet away are unaffected. With all the other things going on in this show, I don't know why that one bothers me so much.

[Jumbo]

Nope. It seemed to me as if it has two modes of operation. When "Patchy" stepped through it, it seemed to me as if that triggered it to start emitting the "sonic pulses" or whatever they were that squished his brain. Then it stopped emitting, and they climbed over so as not to trigger it.

It seemed to me that when Juliette hit the keypad, I immediately thought she was "turning it on" - as in making it start actively emitting whatever it was. Not sure why I thought this, maybe it started immediately making noise (I haven't gone back to look) - whereas when "Patchy" stepped through, it didn't make noise until after he stepped through? Anyway, that's what I immediately thought.

Regardless, the whole thing bothers me, since I have no idea how a sonic barrier would be able to localize its "beam" so that "Patchy" dies, but those standing just a few feet away are unaffected. With all the other things going on in this show, I don't know why that one bothers me so much.

I think it was pretty clear that the fence was turned on when the Russian dude went through it. It was also pretty clear that The Others turned it off when they "left" and that Juliet turned it back on when the monster was chasing her. And I agree with the person who pointed out the absurdity of the idea that Kate could climb over the fence, while it was turned on, but the smoke monster couldn't waft over it. Ridiculous.

"We don't know what it is. We just know that it doesn't like our fence." -- give me a break.

[GDT]

And I agree with the person who pointed out the absurdity of the idea that Kate could climb over the fence, while it was turned on, but the smoke monster couldn't waft over it.

One of the maps had, I think, 'Cerberus vents' indicated - maybe it emerges from those vents but has to remain in contact with them (and has a limited range).

Admittedly, I feel a little silly trying to justify a detail in a plot that I am coming to believe is being made up week to week. Not that that's a bad thing, necessarily.

[johnb]

Either the monster and the Others are (somewhat) in cahoots, or the Others all know how to deal with it. If either is true, Smokey might've turned back because of Juliet's stare; she might have turned on the fence to deepen Kate's conviction that they are sisters joined by danger and that the Others are equally scared of the monster. That also assumes that the Monster is able to pretend to bang against the fence (or up against a stare), just as it is able to go just quickly enough to frighten people but is generally poor at closure.

I'm also thinking that Juliet might be about to have a romance that will be foiled by their families; it would be a bit strange if Juliet and her Romeo end up committing some sort of weird double suicide.

None of that seems implausible to me, but, then again, I also watch 24.

[JasonEvans]

Admittedly, I feel a little silly trying to justify a detail in a plot that I am coming to believe is being made up week to week. Not that that's a bad thing, necessarily.

No way. I do not for a minute believe that the show is just being made up as it goes along. Sure, some aspects of the plot develop each week as the writers put words on paper and fit their ideas into an hour-long format, but the main themes of the show are all sketched out well in advance-- I am convinced of this.

The nature and abilities of the monster are well-defined to the powers-that-be on Lost. They are not making it up as they go along.

-Jason "I have waaay too much faith in Lost probably" Evans

[MarineTwinsDad]

The first thought that went through my head on when Jack & Sayid were discovered to be alone at the "compound," was that the Losties should relocate to the houses with flush toilets. Apparently there's gardens there, and a source of food (if there's no way off, and no way for planes to find the island anymore to drop food, how will they eat?). If you were on an island, and you found houses with no people, wouldn't that be preferable to living in the jungle? (After living with an outhouse for 10 years in PNG, no refrigerator, and no electricity, I know my vote),

But of course this is just another test, with Juliet assigned to be with the Lost group. The Others are not gone (the sub is gone, how could they leave?). They could be on the other island, they could be in heretofore unmentioned hiding places, etc. If Juliet is acting alone, how did they get so far into the jungle (Juliet couldn't have carried Kate that far)? Of course the Others knew she would want to go back for Jack (Kate).

The fence stopped Smokie the monster. The assumption is that it couldn't go over the fence, and that the only reason for the fence was to keep the monster out. If Ben was born on the island, elaborate defenses are part of the heritage.

But willingness to believe in the plot allows things to go on.

[GDT]

No way. I do not for a minute believe that the show is just being made up as it goes along.
-Jason "I have waaay too much faith in Lost probably" Evans

I want to believe!

However, there was an interview with Javier Grillo-Marxuach (ex-writer) that suggested he thought, over time, that it was being extracted from the rectalverse. I would link to it, but it 'appears' to have been removed. Maybe sour grapes, I don't know.

Don't get me wrong, I hope there's a plan too (and I'm willing to wait for it, and if there isn't one, Terry O'Quinn should be unleashed upon the writing staff). Maybe I'm Twin Peaks bit...