Deus Ex Machina

Let's talk about LOST! Deus Ex Machina.

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Locke is working in a 'super center'; he's setting up the game “Mouse Trap” in the TOY ZONE. John’s name tag on his blue vest introduces him to the customers as the Assistant Manager. A little boy walks up to him and asks “What’s that?” Locke tells the boy it's his favorite game, one he used to play with his brother. The little boy asks how you play. Locke explains to the boy “You start with all these parts off the board and then one by one you build the trap. Shoe, bucket, tub. Piece by piece it all comes together. And then you wait till your opponent lands here on the Ol Cheese Wheel, and then if you set it up just right you spring the trap.” John notes the older red haired woman in the fur coat watching them. John lets the boy have a turn, “Go ahead kiddo.” The silver ball rolls down the slide of the trap. John asks the lady if he can help her. She’d like to know where the footballs are. John, “Aisle 8 for regulation, Aisle 15 for Nerf.” She thanks him but looks at him longingly as she backs away. {Throughout we can hear over the PA video game pickup extension 354, carryout on checkout 2.} We see the silver ball of the game trigger the trap, ultimately trapping the blue mouse.

At the hatch Locke sweeps away dirt from its window. Boone, “You want my opinion.” John tells Boone “You gotta have some faith. All we gotta do is break the glass and then we’re in. Trebuchet delivers a half a ton of force.” Boone wonders why they call it a trebuchet when it looks like a catapult. Locke, They call it a trebuchet, Boone, because it’s a trebuchet.” Boone doesn’t get Locke, “One minute you're quoting Nietzsche, now all of the sudden you're an engineer. I don't think I can spell trebuchet.” Locke is sure to note there’s a “t” on the end. {Boone may not know how to spell trebuchet but he knows who Nietzsche is. Interesting.} They work hard on putting the trebuchet together. Boone doesn’t understand they've been there every day for 2 weeks and Locke doesn’t talk about himself, “Everybody’s got a story.” Locke feels his story would bore Boone. They get everything into position and Locke counts down, “3…2…1…” He lets go of the rope, and although the trebuchet makes perfect contact with its mark it doesn’t break the glass at all. The trebuchet literally falls apart. John touches the glass, he is very upset and he starts to yell and stomp on the little window, “This was supposed to work. This was supposed to work!” Boone calls out to John, “Your leg, man.” A piece of metal is lodged in his right leg; Locke never felt it go in. John pulls the metal out, again not even feeling it. John realizes he's losing feeling in his legs but is puzzled by this. He’s fine.

At night by campfire John wraps his wounded leg. He takes a safety pin and pokes at both legs. He is very upset at the loss of feeling. John even takes a burning stick out of the fire and uses the hot end to run the test again. He’s stunned when he feels nothing.

Daylight. Locke in a white tee shirt chops wood with a piece of metal. Boone asks him why the trebuchet didn’t work. The trebuchet didn’t work because it wasn’t strong enough. Boone shares that he doesn’t think the glass is gonna break. Annoyed Locke feels everything breaks if you apply the right force. Boone, “So we’re just gonna build another one of your inventions hope it works this time?”

Determined pissed off Locke says “That’s right.” But what if it doesn’t? Locke tells Boone, “Then the Island will tell us what to do.” Boone wonders what he just said. Locke changes the subject by suggestion they get back there and salvage those pieces. Locke is having trouble standing and walks slowly. He tells Boone he’s fine. Locke carries the large tree limb away.

In a parking lot, John takes a flyer for a lost dog off the windshield of his red VW beetle. He sees that the red hair woman has been watching, following him. She tries to run off knowing she’s been spotted. As John hurries after her he gets knocked down by a tan car backing out of a parking spot. He’s fine. John gets up, spots the fleeing woman and stops her, “Why are you following me? Who are you?” She apologizes and then blurts out, “I’m your mother.”

Sitting in a diner, the woman is focused on shoveling large amounts of sugar in to her coffee cup that apparently has tea in it. John doesn’t know why she would think he’s her son or how she found him, but the woman cuts him off and asks, “You’re adopted aren’t you?” John, “No. No. I was raised in a foster home. Not, well, several foster homes actually.” He asks what she wants from him. Mom says, “I want to tell you that you’re special. Very special. You are part of a design. You do realize that, don’t you? That our meeting, me finding you…this is a sign of things to come. Great things.” {Who is this nut?}. John asks if his father is still alive. Mom, “Still alive? Oh, John…Don’t you understand?...You don’t have a father. You were immaculately conceived.” This pleases her to tell John this, but he is puzzled. {That was a fantastic conversation, indeed!}

Sawyer asks Sun, who is working in her garden, which leaf is the right one. Sun tells him which one, which happens to be the one he’s using, “But nothin’s happening.”

Sun apologizes that it’s not helping. Kate just happens by carrying a sac of bottles for water and asks “What’s not happening?” Sawyer won’t reveal anything. He compliments Sun on the garden and leaves. Sun confesses to Kate that Sawyer has headaches and aspirin didn’t help.

In the cave Jack shaves {Mirror}. Kate asks Jack, “Say you’re having bad headaches…everyday…” It’s not Kate they’re talking about, its Sawyer. She thinks there may be something really wrong with him. Jack asks what Sawyer thinks. Concerned Kate tells him he thinks he’s fine but she feels he could be playing it down. Jack would love nothing more than to check the guy out and make sure he’s ok, “But we both know all I’m gonna get for my trouble is a snappy one liner. And if I’m real lucky a brand new nickname. I’m just over it.”

John is focused on rebuilding the trebuchet. Boone arrives and John announces, “You’re late!” Boone nonchalantly asks, “Late for what?” Late for work. Boone is done working, this is useless, “You can’t open that thing up, you say you can but you can’t.” John, “Don’t tell me what I can’t do.” Boone, “Don’t you get it? It’s a dead end. You’re not getting in.” {Get in where, really?} John feels that’s impossible, “We didn’t find this by accident. We’re supposed to…” Boone walks over and stands on top of the hatch, “Oh we’re supposed to. We’re supposed to find this, right? We’re supposed to open it, right? Then tell me something, John. If we’re supposed to open it, then why the hell haven’t we opened it yet?” John tells him “The Island will send us a sign.” Boone mocks him, “The Island will send us a sign.” John feels all that’s happening now is "Our faith is being tested, our commitment. But we will open it. The Island will show us how!" Boone asks what kind of a sign will the Island send them. The sound of a sputtering engine is heard. John sees a small plane fly over, trailing black smoke, and then crash into the jungle. John points and asks Boone if he saw that. Boone is staring up. Glitchy flashes of him bloody. John hears glass break; he looks around sees his mother in a fur coat pointing up. Bloody Boone says over and over "Theresa falls up the stairs, Theresa falls down the stairs." There's a lot of static and then a scream can be in the background {sounds like someone screams “John!’}. John’s eyes are very green. John's in a wheelchair! Boone is repeating his Theresa mantra although it is becoming distorted. As John falls from the wheelchair he yells " No. No. Please! Don't take it back!" Locke jolts awake and thinks.

At the beach camp Locke wakes up Boone. Boone asks “What time is it?” Locke tells him its morning. Ok, Boone’s up. Locke just shuffles Boone along.

“Emily Annabeth Locke. In 10,000 words or less.” {Flash whoosh}

Locke sitting in the 'break room' of the super store with a hired private investigator. {There's a sign on the wall that says ‘Safety is no accident’, a foosball table, lockers, hanger, 2 vending machines, 2 refrigerators, 2 microwave ovens.} The investigator gives John a yellow envelope with Intel on Emily. The investigator lifted some hairs from her car and matched them with John’s DNA samples; confirming it’s his mother. It’s 99% certain.

Locke learns that Emily was institutionalized a few times not for anything criminal or violent, but for a type of schizophrenia. {At Santa Rosa} Apparently if she stays on her meds she’s Ok.

Important Details:

Driver’s license (copy) expiration date is 3/20/94.

Emily DOB 10/15/40.

It appears to have been signed on 3/20/90.

Address 2448 Greenwood Ave, L.A., Cal. 90019.

Height 5’5". Weight 115 lbs.

Hair brown. Eyes BROWN.

The Santa Rosa admission papers show she is divorced.

SS# 584-243-15.

She had an Aunt Bea, three Doctors- D. Madison, C. Silva and R. Munos. She filled her prescriptions at SKADDEN PHARMACY.

John seems more interested in his father’s Intel. The investigator cautiously gives him the information contained in a RED FILE FOLDER. {Yes it is!!} The investigator feels since the mother sought him out “She’s fair game. But this guy…maybe he don’t even know you exist. And I’ve done this enough times to know this stuff isn’t meant to be, even though it may feel that way.” He feels this probably won’t have a happy ending. John wants the Red File Folder. The investigator slides the red folder over to John.

John drives his red VW beetle up to the gate where the guard asks, “Your name is?” John replies,”John. John Locke. I’m Anthony Cooper’s son.” {Plate#2ABM487}. The guard informs John Mr. Cooper doesn’t have a son. John sees the camera observing him and reassures the guard he doesn’t want anything from Anthony. “My mother is Emily Locke. Please.” The guard looks intrigued. The guard picks up the bat phone and tells Mr. Cooper, “I’ve got John Locke here. He says he’s your son.” John again notes the camera is watching. The guard tells him he can go on in.

Inside the trophy room of Anthony’s house John looks at all the photos of his world traveled adventurous father. {White water rafting, hunting, scuba diving.} Anthony enters confessing this is awkward. Anthony, “Somethin tells me I’m gonna want a drink for this.” Anthony prepares two scotch drinks and asks, “So who found who?” John shares Emily found him. Anthony asks how did she look? {Read that again.} John, “Fine, I guess.”

Anthony also wants to know if she said anything about him. John reveals Emily said he didn’t have a father; that he was immaculately conceived. Anthony laughs, "I guess that makes me god, huh?” He claims he didn’t even know John existed until a year after he was born {Interesting hmmm!?!?}

Emily said she wasn't going to have the baby at all. Then Emily "drops off the face of the planet when she turns up again asking me for money, telling me she put you up for adoption. You gonna drink that or what?" {Oh really}. John sips. Anthony inquires about John having a family of his own. John, “No sir.” Anthony,”Me neither.” Although he’s tried it a couple of times, “Didn’t take. Do you hunt?...You’re not one of those animal rights nut jobs, are ya?” John admits he is not. Anthony offers a hunting trip for this Sunday. John would like that very much. They raise their glasses in a ‘toasting’ gesture. {Flash Whoosh}

“I had a dream last night.” Locke in his white tee shirt is talking to Boone. “I asked for a sign. And then I saw a plane crash, a... a... a... Beech craft, right out there. (He points.) It was a dream but…it was the most real thing I’ve ever experienced. I know where to go now.” He knows where to go to find what we need to open this bastard up. {Him or the hatch?} Boone asks if John’s been using that wacky paste stuff that made me see my sister get eaten. {Oh, you mean the stuff that made you ultimately 'see' so you could feel relief.} John says no. Boone, “Cause John, I gotta tell ya…signs and dreams and…”
John cuts him off asking who Theresa is; he tells Boone he said Theresa falls up the stairs, Theresa falls down the stairs in the dream. Boone asks how he would know about that. John doesn’t know, “But we’re supposed to go to this place. We’re supposed to find that plane. Will you come with me?” Boone will.

Michael and Jin {One cuff on} work on building the raft. Jack’s impressed their project is coming together fast. Michael, “The fire wasn’t a total loss. We learned a few things from building the first one. Which is saving us from trial and error. Now it’s just…” He looks at Jin and says to Jack, “Trial.” Jin communicates with Michael in Korean and Michael answers him, Yeah, Yeah, I know…now, now now. {He understands him} Jack remarks on him picking up on a little Korean. Michael feels he’s pretty sure he knows how to say “Faster and “Idiot”. Jack {Key around neck} sees Sawyer laying against a tree few yards away; putting a blue wet cloth on his head.

Jack walks up to Sawyer, “I hear you’re having trouble with your head.” Sawyer thinks “she’s” got him making house calls now. Jack notices Sawyer is sensitive to the light too.










Actually Sawyer is sensitive to Jack. Lol! Realizing this won’t go anywhere Jack says to him, “We’ll see ya.” {We’ll not I’ll?!} Sawyer calls for the Doc and asks if the sensitivity to the light is bad. That depends on what’s causing his headaches. Sawyer, “It’s not like it’s a tumor or something…” Concerned Jack asks what makes him think it’s a tumor. Sawyer says he doesn’t. Jack starts to leave again when Sawyer blurts out “My uncle.” Sawyer confesses his uncle died of a brain tumor and wonders if that runs in the family. Jack asks what type of tumor was it. {He said brain tumor.} Smart ass Sawyer answers, the type that kills ya.

Jack, “Do you smell anything funny? Brain tumors bring on phantom smells maybe like something burning.” Sawyer says it’s just headaches. Jack’s sure he’s fine but if Sawyer’s worried there’s a couple of tests he can do. Sawyer thinks that sounds fun but his insurance ran out. Jack finds that amusing. Sawyer runs the “smell for something burning test” after Jack walks away.











John and Boone trek through the jungle. Boone wonders if he mentioned Theresa’s name one day out at the hatch, “Maybe I was talking to myself.” John, “Maybe. {Takes out a compass. Didn’t he give the compass to Sayid in 'Hearts and Minds' because he didn't need it?} But you didn’t.” Boone tries to rationalize John’s dream by suggesting he dreamed of a plane crash because of the fact they were... John falls down! Boone wants to help John up but John insists he’s fine. Boone asks what’s wrong with John’s leg. Something catches John’s attention; he finds black rosary beads. He immediately hands them over to Boone. Boone wonders if they came from someone at camp; John does not. John yanks a decayed body of a priest out of the trees; that’s where it came from. {Luv the millipede crawling out of the eye socket.}

John pulls up to the guard house; the gate is already opening. John stops to say good morning to Eddie the guard. Evidently John and Anthony have been bird hunting a few times.










John walks up to a partially open door and sees Anthony receiving Dialysis. John wasn’t supposed to be the till 12. John thought Anthony said 11. Anthony reveals his kidney’s failing and needs a transplant. He’s on the donor list, “But I’m an old man and it’s a long list.” John is concerned but Anthony says he didn’t tell John so it wouldn’t spoil what’s going to be a fantastic day. They’ll go have a nice lunch and shoot some birds. {OK, then.} {Flash Whoosh}

Boone announces, “He’s a Priest.” {W/gold tooth} John removes the pen from the dead dude’s pocket. Boone is looking through a pocket size book. John is wearing the rosary beads around his left wrist. Wondering how long the priest has been dead, John tells Boone normally clothing would completely decompose within in two years but this is high quality polyester; could be two years, could be ten. The pen’s true identity is a knife. {Is there high quality polyester? Lol} John notes the gold teeth, “Obviously well off.” And John reveals a wad of Nigerian Naira. {How does he know that? Smart.} Boone questions, “What is a Nigerian priest doing on an island in the South Pacific?” John takes a gun out of the priest’s pocket, “I’m not so sure he’s a priest.”

Sawyer tries to remedy his headache/eyes; but the crashing waves seem to play a part in his discomfort. The pounding and hammering noises are amplified and pissing Sawyer off. He yells at them to keep it down. Kate comes over and commands him to get up.

Kate physically moves him to go see Jack. Aggravated Sawyer, “Do I get a lollipop?”

Jack uses the ol “Eyes follow the pen test” and asks Sawyer when the headaches started. Sawyer’s eyes do indeed follow the pen. The headaches started a few days ago, a week maybe. Jack, “Do you have them when you wake up in the morning?” These usually hit him in the middle of the day. Jack continues on with the pen test; to check to see if his pupils respond to changing stimuli. Sawyer is getting worried with Jack in Doctor mode and a nod he gave. Kate tells Sawyer to let Jack do his thing. Jack snaps his fingers near Sawyers ear; this bothered Sawyer. Jack goes on with Dr. questions and note taking. “Have you ever had a blood transfusion?...Taken pills for Malaria?...Have you ever had sex with a prostitute?” Nope, Nope and Yes. Apparently Sawyer’s also contracted a lovely STD. Jack’s mock inquiry asking about his last outbreak pisses Sawyer off. This amuses Kate and Jack. Jack’s diagnosis is Sawyer needs glasses.

In the jungle John’s legs are freezing/stiffing up causing him difficulty walking. He can barely walk but feels he’s fine. “It’s the wound from the shrapnel.” Boone notes that that injury is to his right leg but asks what’s wrong with his left. Fine John falls down and this warrants Boone to suggest they go back. John again feels he’s fine. Boone, “No you’re not. Let me get you back to Jack!” John doesn’t think Jack would know the first thing about what’s wrong with him. {Hmmm. Why? Is Jack not a real Doctor? Is Jack wrong about Sawyer’s diagnosis?} John can’t get up and he won’t let Boone help him. Boone adamantly wants to go back and asks, “What’s wrong with you. Are you crazy?” John confesses to him that he was paralyzed and in a wheelchair for four years, “The plane, our plane, I was in that chair when we took off but not after we crashed.” Boone, “Why were you in a wheelchair?” John, “It doesn’t matter anymore. This Island, it changed me. It made me whole. Now it’s trying to take it back and I don’t know why. But it wants me to follow what I saw… I know it sounds crazy, four weeks ago I wouldn’t have believed it myself, but you and I are here for a reason. There’s something that we were meant to find. Something that’s gonna help us get into the hatch, I know it. But we gotta keep going.” Boone agrees, “Can you move your legs?” John nods yes, “Just help me up son.” Boone literally pulls him up! {Flash Whoosh}

Anthony and John are bird hunting. Anthony, “These doves fly a lot faster than you think. So you gotta really lead them. You have to drop it and I'll cover you.” John shoots at a flying bird, “Got um.” {John wears camo pants} Dad’s proud of his son’s good shot.

John gathers up the shell casing. Beret wearing Anthony feels John’s mother may be a little crazy but at least she brought them together. He’s glad it happened now while they still have time, “Let’s find your bird.” {Flash Whoosh}

Boone helps crippling Locke through the jungle. He reveals to John that Theresa was his nanny. His mother wasn’t around much and he needed someone to take it out on. “My bedroom was at the top of this huge flight of stairs and I would sit in bed all day calling her over the intercom. One day she took a bad step, broke her neck. I was 6.” {Spoiled brat!} John sees something over Boone’s shoulder; he is pleased. John points up at the plane perched above. As best as John can tell this is the plane he saw. It doesn’t matter how long it’s been there what’s important is that they found it, what’s important is what’s inside it. Boone will have to climb up there for them to find out what’s inside. {Flash Whoosh}









Anthony and John join hands from their hospital beds. John doesn’t have to change his mind, “They just shaved my back.” Anthony is so thankful for John. Compassionate John feels this was meant to be. The nurses come in with the gurney for Anthony. Anthony tells John, “See you on the other side, son.” {Hey! That’s what I always say on LOST night!} {Flash Whoosh}

Sawyer sits reading a wrinkle in Time. Jack brings over a shoe box of glasses. Sawyer’s been reading a lot since they “came” to the island. Jack breaks the news in dramatic fashion that Sawyer’s got Hyperopia. He’s farsighted. It can develop later in life, especially when you add any strain to the eyes; like with reading. Jack tests a few pairs of glasses on him. Jack holds the book up in front of him to see what works. Sawyer, “Blurry.” Another pair…Jack,” Better or worse?” Worse. Sawyer doesn’t like the look of the glasses and Jack tells him, “It’s not a fashion show.”

Sayid gently separates two pairs of glasses and welds the proper half of each set to make Sawyer one new pair. Sayid’s work takes place over maps and diagrams.

Hurley comments to Sawyer in his new accessory, “Dude, looks like someone steamrolled Harry Potter.”

Boone climbs up the roots to the perched plane. Encouraging John watches Boone struggle a bit to climb, “Hang on.” {Did you hear the dove coo?} Boone looks in the window of the plane. He pulls the door off and drops it to the ground. Inside he find maps (focused in on Nigeria and Sahara). The plane starts to teeter and a decayed body falls on him. John calls up to Boone; Boone is fine. John is getting anxious; he struggles but stands, “Boone, what do you see?” Boone is mad, “You wanna know what’s in your damn plane, Locke? Here’s your sign!” Boone tosses a Virgin Mary statue out the window exposing the heroin. {There is the glass breaking sound we heard earlier in the vision} “They’re Drug smugglers, Locke…heroin! That’s all that’s in here!” Disappointed John doesn’t understand. Boone discovers a radio. He turns it on to static. The plane teeters again. John calls for Boone to get out, “There’s no time! Get out now!” Boone calls a Mayday over the radio. We hear another voice on the other end, “Someone there? Repeat a transmission, please.” Boone, “Hello! Hello! We’re survivors of the crash of Oceanic flight 8 1 5, please copy!” The voice on the other end says something to the effect of, “…survivors of Oceanic 8 1 5.” {“there were no”…?} The plane drops/falls, crashing down to the ground, ultimately landing upside down/its topside. Locke manages to get inside the plane to badly hurt, bloody Boone.

Locke physically carries Boone. {Damn! Terry O’Quinn is fuckin strong!!!! YEAH!}

Inside the cave Jack opens a black shoebox that’s nestled inside a black suitcase. Kate thanks Jack for helping Sawyer, “I know it’s probably the last thing you wanted to do.” {Why?} Jack admits he didn’t do it for him. Locke calls out for Jack’s help. Locke enters carrying Boone.

John says there was an accident that Boone fell off a cliff out near the place they were hunting. {Lie} Boone’s chest is torn up. Jack recruits Kate’s help to gather things he needs to staunch the bleeding. Jack wants John to tell him exactly what happened. All of a sudden John isn’t there! John was standing right there then he wasn't!!!!! Jack is yelling, “Locke! Locke!”

“Locke!” John awakens from the surgery. He looks over to see Anthony isn’t in his bed. A pearl wearing nurse appears and takes his pulse, “I think what you did was so kind.” She informs John that she didn’t know Mr. Cooper was his father and that he checked out this afternoon. He went home, has private care and didn’t leave John any message. She’s going to get him some juice. John is confused and in a lot of pain. “It was his idea”, Emily says standing in the doorway. She apologizes to John explaining she needed some money, “He’s always been good that way. Your father’s always Emily,”He said that’s the only way you’d give it to him. It had to be your idea. He told me where to find you, he asked me to go see you. I wanted to see you.” John is starting to cry, “This can’t be happening. This is a misunderstanding. This can’t happen to me. He wouldn’t do this to me!” But he did. Devastated John rips out his IV and stands up.

John {White tee shirt} pulls up to Anthony’s guardhouse and tells Eddie to open the gate. Eddie says Mr. Cooper isn’t seeing guests. {Note the photo wall} But John is not a guest. John gets out of his beetle and demands Eddie open the gate. John walks up to the gate and notes the camera, “I know you’re watching me. You can’t do this.”

Frustrated John smacks the rearview mirror and hits at the car as he drives away from the gate. He pulls over to have a crying fit.

John is having a crying fit over the hatch door. “I’ve done everything you wanted me to do, so why did you do this?! Why?!” A light shines through the hatch door window.

Dues Ex Machina is a GREAT EPISODE and I must say this is one very important episode. Great in so many ways. I LOVE this episode so much! There's so much valuable information to soak up. I want to mention the title. I know that from my days in theatre; Greek theatre. Could that be a connection? I think yes. I know it also means 'god from machine' in Latin.

Could Emily's ranting be the tales of a crazy woman, but there could be some truth to it too. Again the reference of two halves being brought together to make one, a design of sorts. Locke has a vision, {I don't like jumping ahead but in season 3 he has a vision again, both times involving Boone. What's his connection to Boone?
John feels compelled to open that hatch, but is that really part of his calling, his destiny? Is it going to end up being a 'door' that shouldn't be opened?

Things to note…Questions to ask…

♟Note when the “Flash” sounds.

♟Glitchy flash vision. Repeating. Written words/pen.

♟Game. Con. Lies. Costumes-Pretending to be someone else. Trap….Trapped in a game/pen?

♟Information on drivers license is contradictory.

♟Eyes! Eye colors. Vision. See. Glasses.

♟Emily obviously has blue eyes and then is referenced having brown. Millipede coming out of the eye socket.

♟Red file. Drivers License. Admission papers.

♟Mental health. Santa Rosa. Hospital.

♟John talks about very worldly things, of ancient things often, Philosophy, engineering.

♟Mirror.

♟Paralysis. Brain Tumor. Headaches. Light sensitivity. {Brain waves?} Wake up.

♟Feeling nothing. Schizophrenia. Crazy.

♟Family. Watching. Anthony is watching. Who else is watching and from where?

♟Design. Conceived. Invention. Created. Wires. {Machine}

♟Beetle= Bug.

♟Wacky paste. Drugs. Meds. Prescriptions. Alcohol.

♟Adventure.

♟John doesn’t seem to pay attention very well and he’s easily influenced.

♟The Priest/father’s true identity is revealed to be something else. Could John’s father or someone else be revealed to be something else? Hmmm.

♟Is something happening with their heads, while they are sleeping or under. Something with their brain waves? There seems to be something going on in their heads.

Vocabulary and Research…

♦Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche a 19^th German philosopher and classical philologist. He suffered a mental breakdown and death (1889–1900) He wrote what was known as "Madness Letters" to his friends. He was diagnosed with Frontotemporal Dementia. At least one study has suggested that brain cancer (rather than syphilis).

♦Deus ex machine is a Latin term referring to a simplistic technique of resolving a plot.

♦Deus Ex Machina was a computer game.

♦A trebuchet is a siege engine that was employed in the Middle Ages either to smash masonry walls or to throw projectiles over them.

♦Trébuchet in CHESS- A position of mutual zugzwang in which either player would lose if it is his turn to move.

♦Trebuchet MS is a humanist sans-serif typeface used in computer.

♦Immaculate: 1). absolutely clean, neat, and free from blemishes 2). showing faultless perfection.

♦Conceive: 1). To think, imagine, or invent something. 2). To become pregnant.

♦Dialysis (Greek "dialusis", meaning dissolution, "dia", meaning through, and "lusis", meaning loosening) is primarily used to provide an artificial replacement for lost kidney function due to renal failure.

♦Millipede is a 1982 arcade game and is the sequel to the arcade hit, Centipede.

♦IBM Millipede, a MEMS technology for non-volatile data storage.

♦Pen-1). Any of various instruments for writing or drawing with ink or a similar substance. 2). the profession of writing. 3). an enclosure used for confinement or safekeeping. 4). a dock having a protective concrete structure overhead, used to service and repair submarines. 5). A female Swan. 6). Short for Peninsula. 7). Short for Penitentiary.

Lost, trying to find something for a purpose. Learning through trial and error. Are some of these pupils repeating the same mistakes preventing them to move forward? We know our Lostie’s are confined in this pen of sorts, but are some prisoners or patients/mental patients? Is there a machine that helps them see? Is someone playing god or playing a part in the “birds” island experience? I think so.

Games and traps are all part of the plan. Locke, a master at games and strategy but seems to lack common sense. When John says the Island “wants me to follow what I saw”, could John have been wrong to follow what he saw? Hence the reason for John loosing the use of his legs; the “Island” may have been trying to get him to stop from making the same mistake again. Is that possible? Or is this what has to happen help him or someone else make progress?

Is John also part of this experience because he is putting pieces in play for Anthony? Or is this the test given to John? In the flash while bird hunting Anthony tells John “These doves fly a lot faster than you think. So you gotta really lead them. You have to drop it and I'll cover you.” Doesn’t it seem like that’s what happened here with Boone? Would Shannon count as well?

If John is not a guest could he be a major player or even architect in all of this? Or is he a lost dog, merely a pawn or a knight?

Bottom line here…what is real and what’s not? But the answers are right in front of our “blurry “eyes.

Love to all who are "Lost"™

PS: I must note that as I transferred these notes over here that it was very apparent in this episode that the whole Boone-Locke vision from Further Instructions was foreshadowed right here, as is what we saw from then and all the way through season 5. Here Boone tells Locke he has to get him back to Jack. This line and other clues from Deus Ex Machina and the amount of clues I felt I got from the Further Instructions vision reaffirms my theory on the vision not being about Eko but indeed about Jack. But how else does Eko factor in if at all? But we do know John's "further instructions" came from Eko's stick. I also feel this episode does indeed lay out a huge amount of detail to the "whole" of the story. It's a nice little playbook!

Note: SKADDEN PHARMACY is Emily's pharmacy here but in Something Nice Back Home Jack gets his prescription from Kaddaen's Pharmacy. Skadden/Kaddaen's anagrams to Dad Snake.

In Hearts and Minds during Boone’s vision, he and Shannon were being chased by a giant bird.


Click for my notes on Further Instructions.

This is from Further Instructions:




















Then connect the Eko-John-Yemi Dream into the mix now that we know Boone did the same thing!




















Disclaimer: I never claim to know everything about the show and my thoughts by no means make me right! The things I share here are my views and/or opinions. I don't claim to catch every single detail either! You all know I hate spoilers! And I stand clear of reading certain sites as to not take me off my own course of research. The one thing I don't need to do here is rehash all of the obvious clues from an episode; we all know what they are. Understood? Let the fun begin! I'll only note things that I know come up as clues later, but need to be noted when they first show up and things I find that will be of importance.