Sunday, February 24, 2008

S4Ep4 - Well We're Living Here in an Eggtown...


... and it's hard to choke a grenade down. (Just ask Miles.)

Hello my dear friends -

There have been two times since Lost premiered when I have gotten chills at the end of an episode. The first was in "Deus Ex Machina," when Locke ran back to the hatch (as Boone was dying) and started banging and crying "WHYYYYY?!?!!?" on the little window, and then all of a sudden the light came on. The second was at the end of "Eggtown," when Kate's "son" was revealed to be Aaron. I did not see that one coming! I'm enjoying my spoiler-free status more and more with each episode (although some of my other spoiler-free friends did call the ending--they're way more clever than I am).

From what I can tell on the message boards, this was a love-it-or-hate-it episode, and I am happy to report that I am on the "loved it" side. Which is amazing when you consider that it was mostly about Kate. The Kate Hate Train has therefore not pulled out of its station this season--yet.

I'm going to get the Island events out of the way first this time around, as the majority of things to theorize over happened in the flashbacks.


I BREAK THE YOLKS, MAKE A SMILEY FACE

The episode kicked off with Locke making what looked like a damn good breakfast for Benry. In my opinion, all that was missing was a nicely brewed cup of Earl Grey. But alas, Ben was ungrateful and not only refused to eat, but also scoffed at the book Locke had chosen to bring him to help pass the time. Further, he then got under Locke's skin by saying just the right things to drive The Bald One crazy--picking at his insecurities about being the group's new leader. Talk about déjà vu (which Ben noted as well)... when Locke left Ben and then smashed the tray against the wall in frustration, it was just like when he threw silverware and plates in anger back in the hatch (in "Maternity Leave") when Ben was initially being held prisoner. Don't let him get to you, Locke!

And what should we make of the book that Locke picked to give his prisoner? It was VALIS by Philip K. Dick. You can click the link in the previous sentence if you want more details about its plot, but here's Amazon.com's description: "a fool's search for God, who turns out to be a virus, a joke, and a mental hologram transmitted from an orbiting satellite." I immediately wondered if there were parallels we were supposed to draw with Locke's search for Jacob. The other thing of interest about the book is that there is a child, Sophia, in the story who is supposed to be "the messiah incarnate." Considering that baby Aaron has been thrust back into the spotlight in this episode, I thought that perhaps that was a hint as well. More on Aaron later, though. If nothing else, after reading about Philip K. Dick, I think I would like his books. Score another point for Lost encouraging people to read...

One last comment on this scene... didn't you love Locke's shout-out to all of us rewind/slo mo/freeze-frame-crazy fans: "You might catch something you missed the second time around." Ain't that the truth.


NOW THAT I'M HERE, NOW THAT YOU'RE HERE

Wasn't it hilarious to see all the Losties settling into their new digs in the Barracks? I need one of those Dharma mugs that Kate had on the porch ASAP. When Kate came over to visit Sawyer, I seriously almost peed my pants when Hurley popped in Xanadu, as it is one of my all-time favorite movies. Yes, it is awful, but it is so awful that it is also AWESOME. It just so happens, God's honest truth, that I am going to see Xanadu on Broadway in a few weeks. You can bet that I will write up the experience on According to e afterward. But for now, what you need to know is that Xanadu is about Greek muses who get transported from another time and dimension to southern California, circa 1980, via a "portal" of sorts that exists on a nearby mural (don't ask). One of the muses, Kira (Olivia Newton-John), falls in love with this studly artist dude, Sonny, but their love is not meant to be, as Zeus (her father) wants her back where she belongs. There is also a lot of rollerskating and singing, a random cartoon scene, and Gene Kelly. Yeah, I said it! GENE KELLY.

Just as Cuse and Lindelof drew comparisons between the Island and Narnia, Oz and Wonderland in their 2/18 podcast, I believe Xanadu was meant to be an additional hint about what's going on overall with the Island. Shout-out to one of my readers who speculated that perhaps Ben's secret room contains a portal off the Island, just like the wardrobe transports the children to Narnia in the C.S. Lewis series. Maybe Hurley's choice of Xanadu, with its focus on a portal between worlds, was meant to be similar clue to the real purpose of Ben's secret room. Overall, Xanadu is yet another story specifically mentioned during the show that is connected to the real world, but that also has a supernatural element. Not to mention a rockin' soundtrack--ELO forever, baby! There's even a song called... are you ready? "Suspended in Time." BAM!

Xanadu is also the subject of a famous poem (Kubla Khan) about a tropical paradise. But that's not quite as interesting as the movie.

But let's not let my enthusiasm for Xanadu overshadow what was by far the funniest moment of the night, which took place while the theme song from the movie was playing in the background... Sawyer pulling out the Wine In A Box for his lady love. I was dying.


CAUGHT IN THE ACT

Despite Locke's warnings, Kate follows through with her plan to visit Miles. (One quick side note--I'm not so sure that Locke was all bloody because he just killed a chicken. But I don't even want to think about what else the blood could be from.) Kate succeeds in getting precious time alone with Miles... and all she cares about is whether or not the freighter peeps know what she had done back in the real world? That seemed kind of lame to me, but I guess if she was really struggling with the decision to either stay on the Island or leave, she would want to know if Sawyer's prediction (that she would be hauled off to jail upon her return) had any merit.

There were tons of other strange things that went on during the scenes with Miles. For example, why did he say that he was "exactly where he wanted to be"? Some assume that Miles is Ben's mole, and is fine with being held prisoner because he's getting to learn more about Locke, Ben's new nemesis. Others believe that Miles is happy with his situation because he is still in fact trying to capture Ben, and now he's at least closer in proximity to The Sneaky One than he was before. I'm not sure what to make of his comment, personally.

Next was the bizarre Miles/Ben confrontation, during which Miles said he would tell his employer that Ben was dead if Ben gave him $3.2 million. What?

So, do we believe that Miles is just purely in it for the money, and will convince his employer that Benry is six feet under in exchange for the millions? Right now, this is the way I'm leaning, for two reasons: 1) We saw in Miles' flashback how he just wanted to find the drug money during his ghostbusting of the grandson. Money is a major motivator for him, and he's not necessarily the most ethical of people. So I don't think it's a stretch to believe that he will do what's best for himself. If he can convince his employer that Ben is dead, he'll probably still get paid for the Island mission, in addition to getting $3.2 million from Ben. 2) We know that Ben is still around in the future and is still fighting the good fight against "the bad guys," with Sayid's help. So perhaps Miles succeeds in convincing everyone that Ben is dead. That would explain why Elsa's group couldn't figure out who Sayid was working for--they truly believed that Ben had been killed.

Others fans think, as I mentioned earlier, that Miles is Ben's mole, and that the conversation they had was in code. I agree that this is at least a possibility. "$3.2 million" is a pretty weird number, and it could have meant something specific to Ben, who then covered by saying "Why not $3.3 or $3.4?" Never underestimate the trickery of Ben! Miles also then told Kate everything that he knew about her, and that he got the information from files his team pulled together on everyone on the Flight 815 manifest. Who else is known for gathering information on people? Ben. So there is a chance that Miles has been working with Ben all along and that only he knows the information about all the Lostaways, whereas the rest of the freighter crew does not.

Also remember that Ben claimed to know who Miles' employer was, which could either be interpreted to mean that Ben knows Abaddon, or knows the overall organization for which Abaddon works. Or it could've been a complete lie.

The question that still remains, however, is why Miles was chosen for the mission in the first place. Whoever his employer is must know something about the properties of the Island and figured that Miles' special abilities would be needed. But they must not have realized what a sketchball Miles is and how he would throw the mission for his own benefit if he got the chance.

One last thing we can glean from this scene is that Ben is indeed an international man of mystery---yeah, baby! Miles made it clear that, unlike the Lostaways, he knew all about Ben's background, and what Ben "can do." There's no way Miles would be asking for that much money if he didn't think Ben could get his hands on it. And at the end, sure enough, Ben caved and said he would need a week to get the funds in order. I guess that means Ben's pretty sure he can bust out of his cell in the near future...


THERE'S ANOTHER NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN. Y'ALL BEST GET USED TO IT.

I pledged last week that I would stop doubting my man Locke. So I'm not going to... but I can't lie and say it's been easy after this latest installment of madness. While Locke claimed to Kate that he was running something in between a democracy and dictatorship, it sure seems like he's leaning more toward the latter. As always, however, a deep insecurity belies Locke's tough-guy exterior. He let Ben's mocking words get to him at the beginning of the episode, he appeared to be overly concerned with what Sawyer and others thought about his leadership abilities, and he was completely duped by Sawyer shortly thereafter because at his core, Locke's still pretty naive (it's clear that Locke never caught on to the fact that Sawyer was helping Kate the whole time).

While I don't agree with Locke's "iron fist" mentality and don't like that he banished Kate from Othersville, you can bet good money that I was thrilled when he gave the smack-down to Miles. Even though it was a little too over-the-top for my taste (a live grenade in someone's mouth!?!), at least it happened to Miles, right? He looked pretty freaked out--maybe it will scare the ghostbusting abilities right out of him!

I am not doubting Locke anymore, though. It's pretty clear from all of the flash-forwards to date that everyone who left the Island is either miserable, or is involved in a huge cover-up that is wearing on them. So even if Locke does end up causing something unfortunate to happen in the near future, as I keep dreading, it's only because the others didn't listen to his warnings in the first place.


SUSPICIOUS MINDS

Sun is starting to realize that Locke may be right, too. After a strange scene with Jin where she talks about where to raise her baby (rather than their baby, as Jin points out), she begins to question the intentions of the freighter team. Did you catch that guilty look down at the ground that Daniel had when Jack said, "They can make arrangements to get all of us off this Island." D'oh! Sun follows up with asking why Kate would stay with Locke, if Locke were in fact as crazy as Jack claims him to be.

The fact that the group is getting restless helps motivate Jack and Juliet to push Charlotte to call the emergency number they have for the freighter. It's extremely strange that no one's been answering on the main line, isn't it? (Charlotte specifically said, "Minkowski's not answering.") Charlotte agrees to put the call on speakerphone, and we learn that the helicopter has not arrived at the freighter, even though it left the previous night. Frank said they didn't have much fuel left... so what in the heck is going on? Some think that the helicopter's delay has to do with the time differential that Daniel noticed... and so what should normally be a twenty-minute flight to the freighter may end up being a significantly longer trip.

Others swear that Regina must be lying and that the team has in fact made it back to the freighter. If the crew on the ship is up to no good, they would know that Daniel and Charlotte would understand what is going on, whereas Jack and the others would freak out that they'd either been stranded, or that the helicopter went down and killed Sayid and Desmond. Others think that Frank might be Ben's mole, and has taken Sayid and Desmond to another location where they'll be safe. I would love if that turned out to be the case--Frank is the last person I would've suspected.


SO IF YOU DON'T MIND ME SAYIN', I CAN SEE YOU'RE OUT OF ACES

Speaking of the mysterious helicopter team, what was up with that weird scene between Daniel and Charlotte where he was trying to either guess or remember three playing cards she had turned face down? At first I thought that we had received some insight into Daniel's head case-ness... that he had some sort of bizarre memory issue and that Charlotte was trying to do exercises with him to help him. I figured that he had originally seen the three cards, and then she turned them over and then he had to repeat back what he had just seen. After all, his namesake, the scientist Michael Faraday, had memory issues brought on by a battle with mental illness. And Charlotte looked sympathetic and sad for Daniel when he couldn't get all three right. She tried to cheer him up by saying that he had "made progress."

But upon watching the scene again, Charlotte also clearly says "time," like they were supposed to wait a certain amount of time before Daniel made his guess. Now, that could still fit with my original theory. Maybe he has some sort of memory problem where after a specific period of time elapses, he has recall issues. Or similarly, maybe Charlotte didn't want him to take several minutes to try to remember what he saw.

Other ideas are that he never saw the cards in the first place, and was trying to use some sort of psychic power to guess what the correct cards were. Yet another possibility is that the original cards she turned over actually switched to new cards because of some weird property on the Island. Or maybe the cards switched because Daniel willed them to switch? Remember back in Season One where Hurley commented that Walt ALWAYS rolled sixes when they played backgammon? Perhaps Daniel is also "special" like Walt and can somehow cause the cards to change?

All I know is that even though that scene was a short one, it was important. Finally, did you catch that one of the cards was the Queen of Diamonds? Or, a Red Queen. Like in Alice in Wonderland...


WHY GO HOME? WHY GO HOME?

Back in Othersville, Kate walks in on Sawyer reading The Invention of Morel by Adolfo Bioy Casares, which is about (ironically enough) a fugitive hiding out on a deserted island somewhere in the South Pacific. Kate tells Sawyer that she is definitely not pregnant, and that Locke has banished her from the Barracks. Sawyer's like, "Um, do you honestly think that I can't take Baldy? I'm insulted!" For reasons unknown, Kate still chooses to leave. How many of you fear that we witnessed the last time Kate and Sawyer ever see each other? I do. And I, for the record, never even cared about who Kate "chose," because both Jack and Sawyer are way too good for her, in my opinion. But I still think she's crazy to leave the Island of her own will, now that she knows she won't die from a pregnancy, and that she is still deemed a fugitive to the outside world. I hope and pray that they give us a better reason for her leaving the Island than, "Locke told her to go away."

Some think that there is a possibility that Kate is lying to Sawyer about not being pregnant, and after testing him to see what his reaction would be, she realized that she did need to leave the Island because he didn't want a child. But since she never mentioned having more than one child in the flash-forwards, and since we know that the child she did have in the future was not hers biologically, I don't think she was lying to Sawyer.

OK, that wraps up everything that came to pass on the Island in this episode. Oops, I thought of one last thing...if you were thinking that "Eggtown" referred to the fact that Locke cooked Ben the last two eggs for breakfast (as I did), you may be interested in another interpretation of the episode's title. You can read the full story behind the term here, but in short, it is used to describe "a deal with undesirable outcomes in either case." Fitting, no?


OH WHAT A TANGLED WEB WE WEAVE

Right away in Kate's first flash-forward, we got confirmation that she is indeed one of the Oceanic Six. Many had wondered if, since her meeting with Jack was on the down-low in the Season Three finale, she had escaped the Island but wanted to avoid being captured for her past crimes, so therefore it was not made known that she was one of the famous survivors. Now we know that what actually happened is that she was indeed put on trial, in spite of her new notoriety. The fact that she was charged, however, wasn't what was interesting. The details we learned through seeing her trial were.

The first shocker was that Clean-Shaven Jack was called as a character witness. The second shocker was what he said:
- There were originally eight survivors of the crash (implying that two died)
- Kate took care of everyone while they struggled to survive on an island in the South Pacific.
- He no longer is in love with her.

All of these statements are worth analyzing a bit...

Eight Original Survivors: There is definitely a reason that the Oceanic Six have been told to say that two people who initially had survived the crash ended up dying. Those two people must have been responsible for doing or knowing something that the other six couldn't have done or known on their own--either in order to survive or in order to be rescued. I personally have no idea who the two survivors in question might be.

One theory is that since we now know that Aaron made it off the Island and that Claire seemingly didn't, and that there may be too many witnesses who knew that Kate was not eight months pregnant when she got on Flight 815, maybe they said that Claire died after giving birth to Aaron, and so therefore the rest of the world knows that Aaron is not Kate's biological son. But if that were the case, would Kate's mom still want to see the baby so badly? I would hope that she still would, but others think that it is clear that everyone thinks that Kate is Aaron's birth mother.


An Island in the South Pacific: I think this may just be a writing goof, but since it's my job to report what's been said out there on the message boards, I should point out that some people have noted the inconsistency between the news report about the Flight 815 wreckage that we saw in the season premiere (which said that the plane was found in the Indian Ocean), and Jack's statement (which said that they were in the South Pacific). The theory is that Jack screwed up what he was supposed to say and that someone's going to latch onto it and start unraveling the mystery, leading to the situation that causes Jack to become so distraught in the future. I didn't think twice about this discrepancy, but if you have any other theories, let me know.

Jack No Longer Loves Kate: While he later told her that he didn't mean it when he said "Not anymore," what really is confusing is why the lawyer would ask Jack about his feelings for Kate in the first place. To me, this means that the story that was concocted for the O6 specifically mentioned something about Jack and Kate being romantically involved. Otherwise, why would a lawyer bring that up if she wasn't positive that it had already been substantiated that Jack was at one point in love with Kate? Granted, all of the trial scenes were absolute crap in the sense that they would never happen in real life (ask a lawyer to explain this to you, all of the lawyers on the message boards are upset!), but I'm positive that this line of questioning was there for a purpose.

Some people think that the world at large believes that Aaron is Jack's baby. Seeing as how the kid has blond hair and both Jack and Kate have dark hair, that seems like a stretch. Also, why would Jack be brought as a character witness if he doesn't even display the good character to want to see his own kid? All I know is that the lawyer asked him about his love for Kate for a reason, and it has something to do with the made-up story that the O6 told to the media when they returned home. (But this theory does make me wonder who Kate is claiming the father to be...)

One last comment on this particular trial scene... why did Kate cut Jack off? He was doing a good job making her out to be the hero, and she's never had major issues with bending the truth in the past. Can she perhaps not bear it when it's Jack who's lying for her?


I'M A BITCH, I'M A LOVER, I'M A CHILD, I'M A MOTHER

In another unexpected scene, Kate's sickly mother comes to talk with her, and says that she does not want to testify against her. It is the first time they've spoken or seen each other since Kate visited her mother in the hospital, only to have the policed summoned. But, ah, the power of grandchildren. Kate's mom is desperate to see this latest member of Austin clan, but Kate will not hear of it.

The big question is: WHY? Is Kate still that angry at her mother, especially when her mom was the key to Kate avoiding a jail sentence, or is there a specific reason she doesn't want Mrs. Austin to lay eyes on Aaron?

On another note, many fans are assuming that this sentence from Kate's mom is a clue about the overall timeline: "I've had six months to live for the past four years." I didn't read too much into that statement... I think it was just meant to help us understand her mother's motivations for wanting to finally make peace and move forward. But once again, if you have reason to think otherwise, by all means, clue the rest of us in!


LOVE ME, LOVE MY BAY-BEE

Kate going on and on about her son in this episode reminded me of Claire going on and on about her "bay-bee" all the time in Seasons One, Two and Three. At least the two women have that in common. So much so that Kate will not hang out with Jack in the future unless he comes to visit Aaron. Jack doesn't seem up for that just yet. Chalk up another "Say What?" moment...

Why would Jack want to avoid visiting Aaron? The possible answers hint at why Kate even has Aaron in the first place.

Theories include:
- Claire was killed in the escape from the Island and Jack feels so guilty about it that he can't bring himself to see Aaron.
- Aaron was forcefully taken from Claire and Jack can't bear to reminded of it.
- Claire is either dead or still on the Island, but either way, Aaron reminds Jack of his own time on the Island, which he wants to forget. Kind of like how he was so adamant to Hurley that they would never go back and stormed off once Hurley mentioned it.
- Jack found out that Aaron is his nephew (remember, Christian Shephard was a mack daddy and fathered Claire, too) and seeing him would bring back bad memories of Zombie Dad, and/or intensify any feelings of guilt over whatever happened to Claire.
- Aaron has special powers that freak the hell out of Jack. (On that note, how many of you thought the baby was going to be either an alien or a little wizard or have a strange appearance? I did.)

I also was bracing myself to see a 15-year-old, or something weird like that, because of the possible time differential on the Island. This was when I had been thinking that the baby was obviously Sawyer's. This show makes me love being wrong.


ABSENCE DOES NOT MAKE THE HEART GROW FONDER

There was a lot that drove me crazy (in a good way) in this episode, but one of the things I'm now wondering about the most is what happened to make Jack and Kate go from friendly, out-in-the-open meetings and talks of rendezvousing for coffee to the strained state their relationship was in during the final scene of "Through the Looking Glass?" At that point in time (which many believe to be April 2007, based on the newspaper clip Jack had), Kate had told Jack not to call her anymore, and when he finally did reach her, they had to meet late at night in the middle of nowhere outside the airport. Something must have caused a rift between the time of Kate's trial (which I'll speculate on in a second) and Jack's "WE HAVE TO GO BACK!" plea.

Perhaps shortly after Kate's trial, Jack started being haunted by visions, as Hurley had been? Perhaps others of The Six had been killed after slipping from the agreed-upon story? All that is clear is that Kate didn't want to go back to the Island at either point in time in the future. She agreed, without hesitation, to a 10-year probation where she needed to remain in-state. In her airport scene with Jack last season, she mentioned that "he" was going to wonder where she was. There seems to be some level of agreement among viewers that the "he" is indeed Aaron. Off-Island Kate is the exact opposite of On-Island Kate: she wants to stay put.


GUYS, WHEN ARE WE?

Not only do we now know that Kate's son is none other than Aaron, but we also know that Aaron's old enough to talk and sleep in a bed rather than in a crib. Lostpedia reports that according to the script, Aaron is two years old. I have consulted my baby expert, DY, and she concurs with this assessment. Aaron is believed to have been born on November 1, 2004. We know that right now on the Island, it is around Christmas Day 2004. If Aaron is now 2 years old, that would put the current time of Kate's flash-forward to be around November of 2006. That leaves less than six months for her relationship with Jack to fall apart (not to mention for Jack to descend into drug-addicted madness and grow a huge-ass beard).

Someone commented to me that they had heard that the producers said that the April 2007 date on the newspaper Jack had in "Through the Looking Glass" was a mistake... but I have not seen that anywhere. If someone actually has PROOF that the April 2007 date on the newspaper clipping in the Season Three finale was a production error, please post it. Otherwise, I'm going to continue to assume that that date is correct.

Back to when Kate's trial is... I know that the judicial system is slow and everything, but doesn't it seem strange that her trial wouldn't get underway until nearly two years had past since she returned from the Island? And that she would still be that famous at that point in time? We all know celebrity is fleeting! It makes me think that the Oceanic Six returned home much later than we may have previously assumed. Meaning, if it's near the end of 2004 on the Island right now, they're probably not being taken directly home from the freighter. It's possible that another whole year may pass where the chosen six are re-programmed or something--where they're offered a financial deal and given a story to memorize and whatnot. At the time of Kate's trial, Jack seems to have no problem reciting the lie, whereas Kate says (paraphrasing): "I've heard you tell that story so many times, I'm beginning to think you believe it." She doesn't appear to be comfortable with the front they're putting up.

Another possibility is that, because time on the Island may be passing more slowly than it does elsewhere, the three months the Lostaways have been gone may in fact be much longer. I don't really know how that would affect Aaron's age and growth, and I don't even want to think about it because it's so confusing!



NOW LET ME BLOW YA MIND

So... many... questions... left! But for whatever reason, the multitude of questions raised in "Eggtown" didn't depress me like they did with "The Economist." Yes, it was freaky as hell when Kate said "Aaron," and it's depressing to think that Claire might have kicked the bucket. I was never a big fan of Claire (because of the whole "bay-bee" thing I mentioned earlier), but it's a little too dark for my taste to have the mother of a newborn baby killed on this show. I hope that's not what happened. So until we know for sure what went down, I will try to think positively and will focus my attention on everything else I've already discussed, as well as these remaining issues:

The Aaron Cover-Up Story
If the rest of the world thinks Aaron is Kate's biological son, then one of three things must have happened:
1) Assuming that there's no time difference on the Island and that the age Kate claims Aaron to be (which they haven't officially told us yet) is actually the age he is, there were either no witnesses to the fact that Kate was not eight months pregnant on the flight, or "they" got rid of all the witnesses who would've known this. There were also people who knew that Claire was pregnant on the flight who may have been able to put two and two together, and therefore those witnesses would've had to have been silenced. Because someone should've been able to figure out that if Kate wasn't eight months pregnant on September 22, 2004, there's no way she could have come back from the Island with a newborn.
2) As mentioned above, perhaps time moved more slowly on the Island. The Six would've been clued in that it's much later in time than they thought it was, and therefore Kate could easily pretend that Aaron was hers, as she didn't have to be pregnant (or at least not showing that she was pregnant) during the flight in order to come back home with a baby, if she was gone for significantly longer than nine months.
3) Kate could just be lying about Aaron's age. Like I said above, even though Lostpedia listed the boy as two years old, on the show Kate never mentioned his actual age (and even if she did, we couldn't trust that that is his real age until we are able to more confidently piece together the overall timeline).


Desmond's Vision
The whole reason Charlie accepted his suicide mission was because Desmond said he had a vision of Claire and Aaron getting into a helicopter and leaving the Island. Since Des hasn't given us reason to distrust him, I believe that we will see this scene unfold. Which may mean that whatever causes Kate to end up with Aaron happens after they're off the Island but before they return home. Or Des was lying and we're going to find out that he's a total prick.


Devil Baby Possibilities
One of the trippiest Lost episodes to date was "Raised by Another," in which Claire finds out that some bad stuff would go down if she was not the one to raise her child:

MALKIN (psychic): It is crucial that you, yourself, raise this child.
CLAIRE: You mean with Thomas? Is he..
MALKIN: The father of this child will play no part in it's life, nor yours.
CLAIRE: So what exactly are you saying?
MALKIN: This child parented by anyone else, anyone other than you -- danger surrounds this baby. . .
CLAIRE: Danger?
MALKIN: Your nature, your spirit, your goodness, must be an influence in the development of this child.
CLAIRE: If Thomas and I don't get back together I'm putting this baby up for adoption. I just wanted to find out what would give the baby the happiest life.
MALKIN: There is no happy life -- not for this child, not without you.
CLAIRE: I don't. . .
MALKIN: It can't be another. You mustn't allow another to raise your baby.
CLAIRE: Okay, great. Thanks for taking my 200.
MALKIN: Oh, no look, take it. Ms. Littleton; I am begging you just to consider...
CLAIRE: I can't raise this child by myself.
MALKIN: You have to listen to me.
CLAIRE: Thanks for your time, and my money back.
MALKIN: Ms. Littleton, please. The baby needs your protection. Ms. Littleton, please.

Now we know that, at least for some period of time, if not for the rest of his life, Kate is raising Aaron. I am really scared that this kid is going to unleash some demonic powers on the world at any moment!


Does Aaron count as a member of the Oceanic Six?
They didn't exactly spell it out for us. If there is something weird going on with time and if "the story" is that Kate got pregnant with Aaron and delivered him all while on the Island, then he wouldn't count as a Flight 815 passenger. And even if it was known that he was adopted by Kate after his birth mother died, Aaron still wasn't on the flight manifest and wasn't born at the time of the crash. We ALL KNOW how cheap the airlines are... do you really think they're going to pay a settlement out to someone who hadn't even purchased a full-fare ticket?

Hee hee, I kid, I kid. There are arguments for both sides of this issue. Many people think it's extremely obvious that Aaron should be counted as one of The Six because, although he wasn't born yet, he was alive in the womb during the crash... and then suffered the hardship of spending his first few months of life on a deserted island. I can see The Powers That Be over at CBS getting all sorts of bad ideas now. Survivor: Newborns vs. Toddlers!


The Rest of The Six
Depending on how Aaron is counted, there are either one or two remaining members of The Six to be revealed. I had always assumed that Sun would get off because of her pregnancy. Now I'm not so sure. There has been absolutely no rhyme nor reason for the first four confirmed members of the group, so I have stuck to my oath made a few weeks ago to not try to figure it out.


I Need a Bushy Eyebrow Fix!
Why the hell haven't they shown Ageless Richard, Cindy, all of the kids and all of the other Others over at the Temple yet? I think we're supposed to forget about them so that when they do show up it will be a big surprise. But who can forget about those ridiculously long eyelashes?


No More Food?
Locke mentioned that he had used up the last two eggs. Then he claimed to have killed a chicken (which would seem foolhardy if there were no more eggs). All of this made me think about the food drop we saw in the past. I believe those food drops were linked to the Countdown Clock O' Doom in the original hatch, which was one of many things Locke blew up. So are they now running out of food? But even more importantly, wouldn't the group who was performing the food drops have realized that something had gone wrong on the Island? Could the organization behind the freighter team have been involved in the food drops before? Or were the drops something that Ben had arranged through some of his contacts off of the Island?

Whew, that's it. See what happens when I like an episode? The length of the write-up increases exponentially.



BEST LINES OF THE EPISODE

Kate: You got blood.
Locke: I just... killed a chicken.




Hurley: No, I moved him to the boat house--[pause]--You just totally Scooby-Dooed me, didn't you?
Kate: Sorry.




[Jack grimaces at another busy signal]
Juliet: Maybe we should try a number other than the boat... like 911?




Sawyer: I know it's in a box, but... pretty damn good wine! I tested it.



Sawyer: She talked to that guy... Bruce Lee from the freighter.



PARTY ALL THE TIME

I hosted a party at my place ("The Hatch") for "Eggtown." If you'd like to see just how crazy I am, click here for the pictures.

Until next week,
- e

37 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey e,

Great write-up, as always.

I have one question: From the looks of things, Kate has come into some pretty good money since she got back from the island (very nice looking house, clothes, car, etc.) What gives?

A settlement from the airline would be the obvious answer, but I'm thinking more along the lines of a SOMEONE behind the money... Like Ben, perhaps? Is she also working for Ben now, like Sayeed. Does Ben want her to take care of Aaron until they can all go back and save the island together (after Sayeed has taken out everybody on "The List.").

I've been thinking more and more about Ben's "we're the good guys," statement lately. As creepy as he is, I'm starting to believe that some of the Losties are going to come around to his side at some point and prove his statement true. Sayeed, Kate and... We'll see!

another e

Anonymous said...

The reason we haven't seen Mr. Alpert is because he was on the show Cane, which has just been canceled. Which means we will see him again :D

Anonymous said...

That room is just CRAZY.

Anonymous said...

There are a couple of things you might not have considered. Think about Daniel's timed memory game. Even though Charlotte might have timed him for one minute (guessing on the time) In real time it might have been 31 minutes for his brain and that's why he couldn't remember.

Now with locke and Ben, He mentions the last two eggs then about re-reading the book to see if he finds stuff he missed. I really believe that there are two eggs in this show staring us right in the face. 1. is the 3.2 million and the second is the card game.

Anonymous said...

e,

you rock my world,
as does lost.

you may have already found one, but i caught a dharma initiative mug for you:
http://www.cafepress.com/buy/lost+numbers/-/pv_design_prod/pg_1/p_storeid.190468396/pNo_190468396/id_23722481/opt_/fpt_/c_666/

take care, and keep doing what you're doing.

--josh

Nicky G said...

Hi E-
I've been waiting all weekend for your post. Didn't disapoint. The whole date/age-of-Aaron part gave me a headache, it all too much to take in. But I loved your synopsis.
Keep them coming.

Anonymous said...

I always enjoy reading your reviews and was so relieved to see that someone else was shocked with the Aaron twist! So many others "saw it coming" but I was totally expecting her to call him James or something so I was just sitting there like :o what?!?!

I love LOST. Keep up the good work! Poo on spoilers.

Anonymous said...

I dig the synopsis and new, cool ideas. I noticed the pictures of the "Lost" party...those could go two ways: incredibly scary or the most awesome thing I have ever seen.

Surly said...

Yay! I love your recaps.

I think sometimes the show is actually being straightforward about stuff. The examples I can come up with from this ep:
a. Locke really was killing a chicken, because they needed him to stay inside cooking dinner all day so Kate could engineer her Scooby Doo activities...and just because it's creepy, and they're trying to foreshadow some Locke creepy.
b. Ben really was scared shitless of Miles (Miles is not his plant: Ben actually looked like he was gonna crap his pants) and Miles really is where he wants to be, in order to milk 3.2 mil out of Ben (they established Miles' mercenary bent in his FB, so we'd know this);
and c. that really is Claire's Aaron, because something really awful happened to Claire and the other 815ers...and we get to worry about it for the rest of the season, if not the entire rest of the show, just like the Oceanic 6 will start worrying about it as soon as their veneer of denial wears off.

I wish I could say I still had total faith in Locke. I do have faith that he's right about much... but now I think he's heading into serious error about how he's gonna go about making sure his rightness is exercised. Anyone else remember how he called Ben a "pharisee" in that one episode...and now here he is, livin' in Ben's electric house, cooking dinner for his children. And the sheep line and the black backgammon pieces were not good signs either... though I did wholeheartedly love the grenade scene (and I"m not sure it's live... but anyway...)

Abby said...

Hi e,
Great write-up. This is my first post on your blog. I saw a comment on another blog where someone mentioned baby Aaron in the present looks to be 6 months, even though he is really just about 2 months. The producers have said they will "deal" with Walt growing up in an interesting way. Maybe 2 yr. old Aaron in the future is connected somehow to Tall Ghost Walt growing up faster than expected? Maybe the women's bodies on the island can't handle the growth rate of their fetuses? That's why the others kidnap children? Just throwing out some ideas! Keep up the amazing work!

Anonymous said...

The psychic kept mentioning to Claire that her baby must NOT be raised by another. Did he mean another or an other!?!?

Lula! said...

Great recap, as always. But man, my head's spinning...and hurtin' just a bit, too! I was one of the dorks who figured there'd be a huge "Aaron reveal" at the last second. But only because of the clothes hanging scene between Kate & Claire--their big motherhood discussion held a great deal of foreshadowing, I thought. Also, didn't I call it for you last week? I said this ep might stop the Kate Hate Train from leaving the station...and it did! Now I can't wait for the Desmond-centric evening this Thursday.

Oh, and like you, I could care less who Kate chooses between Saywer & Jack. But come on--she passed up on another go 'round of Sawyer lovin'? Uh-uh. Even after he broke out the boxed wine, man. There's little sexier than a hot, bare-chested man with a delicious drawl (said the southern gal!), reading in bed. I'm just sayin'! That girl needs to be slapped.

Anonymous said...

First of all, I love your write ups, especially the word "benipulated" !!!

Second, I thought it was really interesting that when Kate was talking to Jack during this episode she kept calling Aaron a "baby." I work with kids, and I don't know anyone who calls their 2 year old a "baby." is she lying to Jack?

Anonymous said...

Loved your write-up as usual. Here are some thoughts:

-- Check the credits at the end of the show and you will see "Two-year old boy" listed, not Aaron.

-- A friend of mine noted that Hurley got a "dude" in when he said Scooby-dood. :)

-- I'm wondering if Jack didn't convince the O6 to lie about Kate being a hero so that she could go home with them. He loves her so he would do anything to get her off the island. Miles told her that they knew all about her so she might have wanted to stay. Making up the hero story might have been Jack's way of convincing her to leave. They wouldn't convict a hero, right?

-- As for Hero-Kate... didn't the season 3 final episode flash forwards have a lot of references to Jack being a hero twice over after the car wreck? The new chief of surgery, the guy in the pharmacy, etc. Now Kate is the big island hero??? Hmmmm

-S

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for all the writing. I am quite new to lost and missed many parts of the first two seasons. So I began reading your old posts which is just great to get all the background.
One interesting quote from your "Numbers" post:

->
Also, I hope you all remember that in Claire's flashback "Raised by Another," that episode started off with a freaky dream Claire was having which featured a bloody baby cradle (not the exact same one Locke ended up building, though). And Locke was also in that dream, with the black and white stones for his eyes, and he said "He was your responsibility but you gave him away, Claire. Everyone pays the price now."<-

Based on this I think that
a) Claire gave Aaron away more or less freely
b) Claire is still alive and with Locke
c) Claire and Locke are not part of the O6 (which is obvious anyway)

Great idea with Ben's hidden room being something like a Narnia wardrobe!

Another thing:
Miles wants the money in cash. How should this be possible on the island? There is no bank. But Ben and Miles both think that it is possible to get that amount within a week or even in two days without Locke-prison-handicap! Ben must have an ability to get things to the island.

You should create a Lost-Bundle packed with the DVD's and your recaps. Before watching a new episode the owner would have to click a link labeled: "I hereby confirm that I have fully read and understand e's comment about the last episode."

Spike440 said...

Hey e,

I was waiting all weekend for your recap. Worth the wait!

One thing occurred about the DA cross-examining Jack as to whether he loved Kate. If he answered yes, it would make his testimony unreliable in the eyes of the jury (and I think under California Law but I'm not an expert).

Can't wait for next week. Also, Countdown Clock O'Doom ... brilliant!

D

Anonymous said...

While watching this episode, I thought I recognized Kate's lawyer from the film "Frequency." Sure enough, he's in that film, playing a character named Jack Shepard (spelled a little differently, but, hey, pretty close). Kind of an interesting little coincidence, right? Incidentally, Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet) is also in that film. I realize this is probably all irrelevant, but since "Frequency" has a time travel/time warp element to it, I thought the coincidence was kind of cool...

Anonymous said...

You know how people on the Island heal faster/don't die? Well maybe by some sort of trans-property, Kate's mom got some of it and thus kept living (despite the docs prediction of 6mths to live)? For fetched, but that's what crossed my mind when she said it... somehow she's beat the odds for 2yrs. Also, if I were Kate, I'd still be angry at my mom for ratting me out and not understanding why I did what I did and that my mom sided w/the abusive man rather than her daughter. Call me crazy, but I don't think i'd ever forgive my mother in that case...

Anonymous said...

I have to tell you that I love your blog. The first thing I do after Lost is shown (a few days after you guys cos I'm in Ireland) is go online and read what you have to say.

Keep up the good work!

Mair said...

Girl, love your recaps - I've watched LOST from day one and was adamantly in support of just watching it " as a TV Show" - not looking for any recaps or spoilers or any kind of interpretation...just taking the show at face value each week.

I must say that after picking up on your blog via Dark UFO (due to my having found their screen caps page) I, too, so look forward to your recaps.

Couple things I want to bring to mind: Kate shoots the lock on Ben's prison cel (for lack of a better term) - when she leaves it she simply slams the door - wouldn't the lock still be broken? Probably not a big thing. But more important to me - how do we know that Kate's Aaron is Claire's Aaron? Maybe Kate was indeed pregnant on the island and just wanted to name her baby in someone's honor? And maybe it IS Sawyer's child and THAT'S why Jack doesn't want to see him - maybe Kate's love of Sawyer stood the test and Kate eventually fell out of love with Jack...Just a thought (or two). Anywho - keep up the outstanding work - I appreciate the time and effort you put into your posts.

Erika (aka "e") said...

Another e - I don't know, I feel like the settlement from "Oceanic" (though we know another organization is behind the settlement) is pretty hefty. I get the impression Kate is pretty much keeping to herself. She may be watching over Aaron for a specific reason, but I can't bring myself to think she'd be working for Ben. I still think Ben's in the coffin, and Kate's reaction at Jack suggesting she would go to his funeral means to me that she never had anything else to do with him. I do agree, however, that some of the Losties besides Sayid end up taking Ben's side.

2nd Anon - Yes, I did know about Cane. I guess he'll be back soon!

Uniquefrequency - I assume you are talking about my condo? If so, then yes, it IS crazy.

3rd Anon - Good points that you bring up!

Josh - Thanks for the link, I have gotten other stuff from Cafe Press before so I will have to add the mug to my next order.

Nicky G - Thanks for your nice words. My head still hurts as well.

Theresa - I had several people over for my party and ALL of us were shocked at the ending. I feel sorry for those who weren't!

Erika (aka "e") said...

Cinematicallycorrect - Trust me, it's scary rather than awesome.

Surly - Yes, I agree that some things are just straightforward on the show, but then I'd have nothing to write about if EVERYTHING was straightforward, now would I? I have tried to stop thinking about what's going to go down with Locke, it's freaking me out too much.

Abigail - Yes, others have written me with the possibility that Aaron is bigger than he is "supposed" to be and perhaps that is why Kate doesn't want anyone to see him...

Anon - Hee hee, good point.

Lula - I agree with you wholeheartedly that Kate is dumb for leaving Sawyer. I think there are millions of other women who also agree...

Anon - I agree with the strange usage of "baby" by Kate. I think in retrospect it was just to throw the viewers off from the big reveal at the end, just like how she kept saying "him" and "my son" rather than his actual name, like most normal people would. But I believe your point is that perhaps she is lying to Jack, who still may think Aaron is a baby. That could definitely be possible. The trickery!

S - Yes, I probably should've been clearer, but I did know that the credits just said "two-year-old boy." They often put in vague descriptions like that rather than names if there is a surprise within the ep. I thought the same thing about the inconsistency between Jack being the hero and now Kate randomly taking the title.

cgicgi - That is a great catch from "Numbers" - I can't even remember what I've written! Since the producers have always known the overall storyline, it is indeed possible that Claire gave Aaron to Kate. I remember thinking at that point in time that that line made no sense because Claire HADN'T given Aaron away. Yikes, I might have to include this in my next write-up, thanks! Regarding getting the money from Ben, I just assumed that since he can obviously leave the Island (from all his passports and the other money), he could find a way to get off the Island and get the money. He may indeed already have that much lying around in the closet!

- e

Erika (aka "e") said...

spike440 - Yes, I understood that the lawyer was trying to discredit Jack, but what I thought was fishy is that she obviously knew that he would/could not fight the fact that he had once been in love with Kate. That kind of thing should not be common knowledge unless the O6's story MADE it common knowledge. It's not like people should just assume that everyone who crash-lands together falls in love. He didn't try to fight what the lawyer said because he knew it was already out there in the world. My question is: How/Why did the fact that Jack had feelings for Kate become known to the rest of the world initially? Hope that makes sense.

Anon - Yes, I do think that is a hilarious coincidence about Frequency, the character name and the subject matter. Or IS it just a coincidence?

Abby - Ha, I never thought of a transitive healing property from the Island. : ) I agree that Kate had reason to still be mad at her mother, though.

Anon in Ireland - Thanks for your message. You will be happy to know that Ireland ranks #1 on my "favorite countries I have visited" list! Please go eat some of that fantastic vegetable soup in my honor.

Mair - Yes, Kate totally destroyed the lock. I'm just assuming that since Locke caught her leaving, he then went and dealt with ensuring that neither Miles nor Ben would be able to escape. Regarding Aaron, the only reason I really think it has to be Aaron is that the producers have said so much about not taking the easy way out for storylines and creating a sense of high stakes, that I think that would really be cheating if we found out that it was ANOTHER kid named Aaron. I'm pretty sure it's Claire's kid. Fans would revolt otherwise and the producers know it!

- e

Anonymous said...

About the eight survivors and the Oceanic six, i don't think there's much to that. Hurly would never let them forget about Charlie, so there's probably a story of how Charlie died saving the others. And then we know SOMETHING happened to Claire, something that includes Jack, by the way he was acting around Kate about the kid, so it's possible he was responsible for Claire's death, and again he didn't want her to just be forgotten.

Anonymous said...

by the way. Jack in court said that the airline crashed on an island in the south pacific but the news story shows it crashing in the water. Something is getting mixed up.

Erika (aka "e") said...

Soovey - You are probably right... as they say, the simplest answer is usually the right one.

Anon - I thought that at first, too, but later Jack does say that they crashed in the water (it's a few sentences after he first says that they crash-landed on an Island in the South Pacific). It still doesn't explain the difference in the oceans mentioned, though.

- e

Anonymous said...

Can it be that Claire was the person in the casket and Jack was guilty that she was dead and Kate might have had something to do with it but she didn't want anything to do with the funeral? From what I thought both Claire and Aaron were part of the Oceanic 6. Maybe Kate whacked Claire to get the baby due to special powers and for the extra funds dished out by the Airline. Although she tries to come off as being good, she is ultimately bad inside.

Anonymous said...

hey e - love your blog as usual! but i cant believe you havent read any philip k dick! one of my fav authors. you would love it!

Anonymous said...

Hi! Always love reading your thoughts...
About the lock - Do we see a symbolism between Kate totally destroying the lock and Kate somehow destroying Locke?

Anonymous said...

no polar bears at Aaron's bedroom?

Usually we see some sort of toy polar bear somewhere in the background of a scene like that, but this time, they were not there. It kinda amkes scense since Kate was hunted by several(who knows?) polar bears back in the island. Maybe she has trauma. LoL.

But I would find funny, like a production joke, if there was any sign of a polar bear at his bedroom.

Smitten said...

Hi e,
It seems like Kate's mom's comment is there mostly for the writers to cover for the fact that she was basically on her death bed the last time we saw her (in a FB). They wanted to bring her into the story again (in a FF) and it's an easy/convenient explanation as to why she's still alive.
I'm still trying to figure out who the Economist is - Could it be your favorite bushy-eyebrow man? We know he travels off the island occasionally and hasn't exactly been getting along with Ben....Could it even be Ben? Wouldn't put it past him to double-cross Sayid (or anyone, really).
Keep up the great articles! It's a high point of me week....Besides watching Lost, of course!

Anonymous said...

Excellent Post :)

I found you on Facebook through this article, and I like you also maintain a blog (of which LOST is a part of it).

I was going to ask where you get the ABC picture stills? Sometimes I borrow pictures from Lostpedia or the like, and I always wish my posts had more pics. Just thought you might have some advice for a fellow LOST blogging nutbag :)

Cheers!

Erika (aka "e") said...

Anon - Wow, even I don't think Kate is that evil! ; ) Remember, the coffin scene happens AFTER Kate's trial, so it wouldn't really make sense for Kate to have Aaron if Claire was off the Island but not dead. I'm pretty sure we still don't know who the rest of The Six are yet.

Anon - Yes, I need to add some of PKD's books to my already ridiculously long "to read" list.

Anon - Ha, I never thought of the Locke/lock symmetry. : )

MaximusPM - I looked for the same thing in A's room. I could've sworn I did see a swan stuffed animal on the dresser, though...

Smitten - Yes, you're probably right about Kate's mom... once again the simplest explanation is probably right! Because a lot of my friends were like, "What? How is she still around?"... so they DID have to address that. Regarding who The Economist is... I never thought of Ageless Richard as a possibility. But he doesn't want any peeps coming to the Island, either, so it wouldn't seem like he or Benry could be possibilities. I think it's someone we haven't met yet.

Frank L - It's all about Lost-media.com! Beware of spoilers, though... they are easy to come across accidentally on that site.

- e

Anonymous said...

Hi e, Just got back from Orlando and just finished catching up! your blogs take as long as a lost episode now! When I came home the first thing my idiot friend said was can you believe that ****** and ****** are in the Oceanic 6 (dont worry I'd never give you any spoilers) but it was the two people we dont know about yet! I should have done a nikki and paulo on him! He told me he'd read the spoilers cause he couldn't wait!!!!
(he's no longer a friend).
Anyway another amazing write up, I have to admit though I watch lost with my family and inlaws a few days after your write-ups and pause and explain everything to them (and take all the credit) so thank you for making me look really clever in front of the mother in law, who until now thinks I'm useless at everything!

Michael S. said...

Charlie is definitely one of the "8". He spoke with Penny.

Anonymous said...

The "I've had 6 months to live for 4 years" comment I thought was pretty simple. I was assuming that, ever since Kate made contact with the island, Mrs. Austin gained some immunity from whatever was wrong with her... hence her gratefulness in talking with Kate.

Anonymous said...

Don't usually comment on these as I never know what to say and I also found you via Facebook, but I just have to coment on one thing:-

"Some people think that the world at large believes that Aaron is Jack's baby. Seeing as how the kid has blond hair and both Jack and Kate have dark hair, that seems like a stretch."

Both of my parents have dark hair and my brother and I both have blonde hair (I'm 20, he's 17 and we're both still blonde). Some children when they are born have blonde hair even if both their parents have dark hair and can still have blonde hair until they are a few years old or so when their hair darkens. By the way I'm just getting this from observations I've made and as mentioned my own hair colouring contrasting with my parents.

So taking that into account the world at large in Lost could well happily take on board that Aaron is Jack and Kates baby.

I hope the above makes sense and that I'm not just rambling.

DN