The End

Let's talk about LOST! The End.

I can't believe I just wrote that title here. I am having a hard time coming around to facing the end of this wonderful journey, but alas I know that every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end. What can I say? That's a line that sticks with me after my many years of playing the club circuit but its proper nonetheless.

Once upon a time:
Jack's eye opened to signify the start of this journey.
It has always seemed to me that he and the other castaways were placed on the "Island" as if they were placed pieces on a game board.

I played back in my mind's eye Christian Shepherd's coffin arriving at LAX in the LA  X sideways and Jack on the "Island" washing his hands and face in the stream in preparation for his new "Island" job, Ben going through the mundane motions in his one armed existence in the sideways and then him loading a gun on the "Island" to continue on his quest as he currently sides with (MIB)/Locke,  Locke looking back at his empty black wheelchair as he is wheeled on a gurney into surgery,  Lonely James in the locker room at the police station putting his badge over his head and glimpsing at himself in the mirror he broke in frustration, then he tends to Kate's bullet wound on the "Island", and Kate waits in Hugo's Camaro in the church parking lot of The Lamppost station while the Oceanic Air Cargo van delivers "Christian".
Interestingly Desmond signs for the cargo from the currier Bocklin, claiming he works there.  Kate nonchalantly asks Des "Who died?" and he blandly replies "A man named Christian Shephard."
Kate won't let him turn the key to start the car until he tells her why he made her put on that dress and busted her out of jail to go to a "Fusion" concert, "You won't even tell me why we're here."
Desmond-"No one can tell you why you're here, Kate."
I remember Kate having similar dialogue with Ben in A Tale of Two Cities.
Desmond confesses that he wants to "leave".
Curious Kate wonders, "Leave and go where?"
Desmond will show her.

Jack stands alone ankle deep the water of the stream and we see he has a renewed aura about him but shares with James that he really doesn't feel any different as "the new Jacob", and he really doesn't know "what the hell just happened up here".   Jack explains to his friends that Jacob said they have to go to the bamboo forest just past their old camp and that's where he'd find the place they need to protect. Yes, in that very same vicinity we've seen Jack start from at least twice already.
Jacob called it the heart of the Island; it's a light.
Hugo- "And that Locke Smoke Thing wants to put it out?"
Jack- "Something like that, yeah."
Hugo- "So, what if he does?"
Jack- "Then that’s it for all of us."
Kate- "But, if Locke wants to put it out, then why hasn’t he?"
James- "'Cause he ain’t got what he needs. I’m guessing that’d be Desmond. . .That’s where we were headed before your inauguration. Sayid said Locke tossed him in a well."
Jack-"Jacob didn’t say anything to me about Desmond."
James- "Doesn’t sound like he said anything about anything."
Hugo- "That’s kinda of true, dude. He’s worse than Yoda."
James-"All right. Y’all head to your heart of the island and I’ll go get the magic leprechaun out of that well."    {Hearts and Minds}
Umm, yeah...there's some wonderfully evasive but convincing sounding bits of information for ya.

A Tale of Two Cities, Three Time Lines, Do-Overs, and an Island that "Technically, you know, we don't even know if we're on an Island"
Time was irrelevant on the "Island" and in the sideways and in the place of the Castaway meet up.
Christian tells Jack that everything that happened to him was real, so this includes "Island" events, Flashes, and the Oceanic 6 craziness.  Hmmm...Perhaps it was only as real as he made it.   Even if it was a matrix/virtual or physical with simulations incorporated, or a real mystical island, or metaphysical planes, and/or states of consciousness,  all of those still count as a real experience for them.

Desmond and Jack share important dialogue before Desmond descends into the light cavern.
Desmond- "This doesn't matter, you know...Him destroying the island, you destroying him. It doesn't matter. You know, you're gonna lower me into that light, and I'm gonna go somewhere else. A place where we can be with the ones we love, and not have to ever think about this damn island again. And you know the best part, Jack?"
Jack- "What?"
Desmond- "You're in this place. You know, we sat next to each other on Oceanic 815. It never crashed. We spoke to each other. You seemed happy. You know, maybe I can find a way to bring you there too."
Jack- "Desmond, I tried that once. There are no shortcuts, no do-overs. What happened happened. Trust me, I know. All of this matters."

Yet we've constantly witnessed the loop concept with all the castaway's and their stay on the "Island" and in their Flashes.  We've even seen Oceanic plane wreckage already inside the caves.   Come on! Desmond "saw" different versions of Charlie dying and had Flashes before his Eyes, and in The Constant with times/places.  We've seen them refer to moments of remembering things during the "Island" adventure,  they even reference what their supposed to and not supposed to do as if it's been done before, saw proof of different versions of things and scenes, and people, items and dialogue repeated over and over again.   But obviously in the grand scheme of things and the emotional closure to the story,  all of these facts and details were placed in the category of "Irrelevant Island Items".

Fantasy, Fairy Tales and the Flightline Motel: 
Enlightened Hurley has a mission to bring Sayid along on one of his errands to pick up bass guitarist Charlie Pace of Drive Shaft and deliver him to the Fusion benefit concert.  Sideways Charlie is totally drunk, and even after levelheaded coaxing from Hugo he won't go to the show.  Hugo came prepared with a fucking tranquilizer dart gun to ensure the transport of the unwilling rocker.   Someone please tell me why oh why there is a need for tranquilizer dart guns in the sideways?
This is supposed to be the same enlightened Charlie that was the guide to Desmond's enlightenment. WTF?!  How come we don't see any sign of that Charlie here?!   BTW Charlie's important  message to us via his tattoo is "Living is easy with eyes closed. Misunderstanding all you see."

We revisited the same motel from Lockdown.   The very same one that Anthony Cooper stayed in after he staged his death and instructed John to get the money from the safety deposit box, and where John proposed to Helen.

It is important to keep in mind the "sideways" also shows us people lying, on the run, kidnapping/taken hostage, embezzling, killing, dying and the inception of babies.

Fire + Water:
It is the beautiful Eden like cavern that contains the picture perfect stream and warm bright light, which simultaneously contains fire and brimstone.  However, this ancient containment chamber has been constructed and decorated by man.
When Desmond removed the giant pawn from the hole in the heart of the "Island" in an effort to put the light out, he thought this action would let him leave "this place".     
Evil wasn't really unleashed, but this act was one part to liberating the (MIB)/Locke from the "Island".    After all, (MIB)/Locke and Desmond were seeking the same thing the Lostie's ultimate goal was in the sideways... to "leave".
Putting out the light played a role in giving us the end of "MIB", and of "Jacob" who just disappeared.  This ended the "Island" game for the twins.

I hope that box is big enough for you to conjure yourself up an Ajira plane that can leave Hydra Island:
Just like the magic box of the "Island", the sideways seemed to utilize the concept of "If you believe it" it can happen.

In the "sideways" did Jack imagine he had a son?  Locke tells him he doesn't have a son, yet Locke remarked about his son looking just like him in last week's episode.   Also in the "sideways" Locke can get up and walk pretty much immediately after major spinal surgery.

On the "Island" Chesty Frank believed he could fly that plane out of there, not just on a wing and a prayer but with duct tape! And son of a bitch he did it!
This is also where we learn-
Miles-"I don't believe in a lot of things, but I do believe in duct tape" line is said, and I gotta say...I'm stealing that awesome line for future use! 
Miles will be Frank's eyes while he drives the plane getting it ready for takeoff, and Ricky Boy, who finally realized he really wants to live,  will relay Miles' info back to Frank the pilot.

Here "on Island" and "sideways" give us constant examples of people appearing and disappearing and wishes granted. {We've seen this in "off Island" and "Oceanic Six" events as well.}

The "Island" of misfit Castaways still keeps secrets:
The "Island" was indeed the place you go to be tested and challenged, to learn, to find what you lost, to heal from your pain, to grow, become enlightened and then move on.  We have six seasons proof of that.   Rose even mentions to Bernard the "Island" is the place where you to "get better".   We have indeed been privy to a few castaways going through the challenges there, finding redemption, seeing truth, letting go and moving on more than a handful of times. We've even seen instances where people opted out; Ana Lucia.

The other point we can't ignore is that we've been told many times the "Island" adventure is a separate place from the "REAL WORLD", hence making it an "UNREAL WORLD" of some sort.
We can go back and prove the "Island" manipulated and altered people's perception and memory, drugged them, and brain washed them. We've seen proof of the illusion, of things being faked, contrived, use of costumes, wigs/beards, props, decoy villages, scripts, cameras, fake bird sounds, and so much more.  The visitors were assigned roles, jobs and names.  Their needs were met; including food drops, medical supplies and some comforts of home.
We've even seen the "blurring" of on and off "Island" events present themselves while someone was in a sleeping-dream state.  Direct examples are Something Nice Back Home and The Cost of Living.
We know the "Island" to be an "Island" of magical power and such, and blurring of "Island" events and off "Island" events were always there.
Ultimately the "Island" did not want its true identity revealed!

Games, Games and More Games:
In this episode Christian reminds Jack that everything that happened to him in his life was real, with real people.  This includes the "Island" experience.

The Island- The show did bring games,  Easter eggs, hidden subliminal clues with books, props and actual dialogue within the on screen "Island" story and ARG'S.
Do I take back my bold typed clue words about the game, mental health, simulation/virtual, matrix, things happening in the head/mind/consciousness, events blurring together, and all those things?  NO!!
No matter what the Island is not an "Island" or at least not your typical cay of land sitting in the middle of open water island.

The game element was there all the way up until the very end.  There was no doubt about it.   We know "this place" had rules that change and vary according to who the new leader is, moves, timer, countdown, trades, cheats, loopholes, levels, leaders, pieces/pawns, odds, and points.  You could also leave the game/experience and come back into it or completely opt out if you're not ready to continue.  We've even seen proof of literally starting over in the same position.  There were goals of the game/adventure such as slay the monster, blow up the sub or the plane and save the world, and these challenges is what is supposed to liberate you from your own suffering and making you change.
We can look at the "Island" as a stop in the adventure/experience/game/journey as one of the levels/planes.  We can even acknowledge the final scene in this episode with Christian opening the church doors as next level or "Game over."
We're told time didn't matter on the "Island" and in the last stop on Jack's sideways, yet there always was a blurring of events; as if things were running simultaneously.

The "Island" Whispers:
I call fucking shenanigans on Michael telling Hurley that the whispers are of those who couldn't move on.    Ask yourself, "move on" from where?     Automatically wouldn't you "assume" that makes it "purgatory" or "afterlife" of sorts?   Or is it just the bleed through of voices from outside of the experience/game?   It still fits either concept.    Technically the general "voices" explanation is still in question, as the "Island's" identity wasn't explained and it appears that the two relate to one another.    I must also question why Michael would have not been redeemed when he fulfilled his duty on the freighter and was actually given permission from "Christian" that he can go.  I guess in the end it was Michael who couldn't "let go".

Enlightenment:
“Careful observation is the only key to true and complete awareness.”

In the six seasons of notes I've presented to you something that was a constant is my understanding that the castaways were indeed on a journey of enlightenment.  You have seen this research and photos in my notes before, but I've left a few reminders here:
Dharma- Teachings of the Buddha  {Dharma Initiative=The Start of the 8 fold path.}
Black or White...it's about the balance. 
The images shown to us through the story connect with Dharma, Karma and Zen Buddhist practices: The Bagua, wheel, light, colors, Dogen, the temple, waves, fish, mirrors, water, spiral, consciousness, etc..
Bardo, a Tibetan word means "Intermediate State" also translated as "transitional state" or "in-between state.
Together "six bardos" form a classification of states of consciousness into six broad types:
The Bardo of This Life, Bardo of Meditation, Bardo of Dream, Bardo of Dying, Bardo of Dharmata, and the Bardo of Existence.
Any state of consciousness can form a type of "intermediate state", intermediate between other states of consciousness. Indeed, one can consider any momentary state of consciousness a Bardo, since it lies between our past and future existences; it provides us with the opportunity to experience reality, which is always present but obscured by the projections and confusions that are due to our previous unskillful actions.
The Tibetan Book of the Dead ...there is in fact no single Tibetan title corresponding to the Tibetan Book of the Dead. The overall name given to the whole  cycle is Profound Dharma of Self-Liberation through the Intention of the Peaceful and Wrathful Ones or as Karma Lingpa's Peaceful and Wrathful Ones.
The Liberation Through Hearing During the Intermediate State or Bardo Thodol is a funerary text.
The Liberation Through Hearing During the Intermediate State also mentions three other Bardo: those of "life" (or ordinary waking consciousness), of "Dhyana" (meditation), and of "dream" (the dream state during normal sleep).
In the third Bardo the soul encounters the Lord of Death, a fearsome demonic deity who appears in smoke and fire, and subjects the soul to a Judgment. If the dead person protests that he has done no evil, the Lord of Death holds up before him the Mirror of Karma, "wherein every good and evil act is vividly reflected."  Now demons approach and begin to inflict torments and punishments upon the soul for his evil deeds.

The Battle of Two Wills:
The storm is raging and rain is pouring down on Jack and MIB/Locke, who literally have a physical showdown on the cliff.   It was like watching two Gladiators fight to the death!
Locke stabs Jack in the gut and starts to cut open his neck.  This is the literal bleeding through of "Island" events and the sideways. {Or even facing a memory.}   Jack tries to choke the life out of (MIB)/Locke; all the while the "Island" is falling to pieces around them.   Because the magic of the "Island" is broken and MIB/Locke became "mortal" {at least he "became" mortal to Jack and the rest},  Locke is shot by the bullet Kate saved for him.  The sunlight starts to show itself through the storm and MIB/Locke smiles knowing "You're too late".   Ultimately Jack kicks MIB/Locke off the cliff sending him to his final death and finally liberating the MIB-LOCKE from the "Island".    {Poor Locke, he's always tossed out a window, thrown off a cliff, falls down a well, gets shot in the leg.}

In the sideways Jack is congratulated on his "Nice work"  by a nurse who is wheeling sedated Locke from surgery into room 218.   Jack's neck is bleeding.  The nurse informs Jack that sedated Locke is already waking up. 
Jack-"Mr. Locke. Can you hear me?"  
Locke opens his eyes and Jack explains to him he just had major surgery, "Try not to move and just relax, okay?"    
Locke is happy because "It worked".  He has use of his legs again.  When he moves his toes, memory of his "Island" experience floods him and he asks Dr. Jack, "Did you see that? You don't remember". 
All of a sudden Jack has a Flash of him and Locke looking down into the Swan Hatch.    Locke's awaking inspires him to literally get out of the bed, knowing "We need to go" and he asks Jack, "Will you come with me?"
Locke is truly happy that he "gets it" while in denial Jack feels, "We're not going anywhere".    Upset Jack needs to go see his son, but Locke reminds him, "You don't have a son."   
Jack is confused. On his way out of the room Locke tells the stubborn doctor, "I hope that somebody does for you what you just did for me."  
Jack literally just liberated Locke from his suffering.

The pieces are moved:
With the sun shining and order somewhat restored, severely injured Jack jokes with Kate, "Find me some thread and I can count to five."
Kate informs James that Locke's dead, "It's over."  
Although the sun is shining the "Island" is still rumbling and breaking apart.
James-"Sure don't feel like it's over."
The "Island" is still crumbling because whatever Desmond turned off Jack needs to turn it on again. {This is exactly what James had to do with the vending machine when he was with Juliet Carlson to buy an Apollo bar from rack G23. And it's technically legal. lol.  Reboot.}  
 Jack feels if it doesn't work the rest of them need to be on that plane.   Kate encourages Jack to let the "Island" sink, but Jack can't do that.   James thinks he can manage to get the boat across the channel in time.
James thanks the Doc for everything.    Ben feels if the "Island's" going down that he's going down with it.   Hugo is "with" Jack.   Jack wants Kate to go and get Claire on that plane.
Kate is sad, "Tell me I'm gonna see you again."
They passionately kiss goodbye and they both say "I love you".
James and Kate find they literally have to jump from the cliff to make it over to the boat that will bring them to Hydra Island and the plane.
Of course this reminds me of the Zen proverb- "Let go over a cliff, die completely, and then come back to life. After that you cannot be deceived."

Jack will head back into the depths of the cavern to plug the pawn back in, reigniting the light; rebooting the "Island" and restoring balance.
Jack, Hurley and Ben understand that this is Jack's final quest because this is the way it has to be, even though Hurley accuses him of committing suicide.
Hurley is handed the proverbial torch of protecting the "light". 
Jack does the whole "Drink this" mumbo jumbo minus the "incantation" in order to make things legal, but he still manages the "Now you're like me" closing statement to the communion.   Hurley will only accept the job on a temporary basis.
{Jack put Hurley in charge of a very important job in Everybody Hates Hugo.}

In the depths of the raging cavern Jack rescues disappointed Desmond.  Desmond feels he has to put it back, "It's like a train!" 
Jack releases Desmond to go home and be with his wife and son {How does Jack know all that info?} and he will plug the ancient stone pawn back in.  Jack will see Brother in another life.
Severely injured Jack completes his last task of restoring the light and the water. 

Kate pleads with Claire, who thinks the "Island" made her crazy ass insane, to go with her.   Claire's concerned that she no longer knows how to be a mother.   Kate convinces her she's not alone and that none of them knows what to do at first.
Kate, James and Claire make their flight with Frank, Enos and Ricky Boy.
Frank's leap of faith worked in enabling them to take flight.

Hurley, with his new role, dubs Ben his number two in charge because he has experience.  Desmond will be on the "Island" with them.    Hurley will run the "Island" a new way, a better way than Jacob did. He will do what he does best, take care of people.
By the way  a funny bit, Hugo always knew he was "going back to the caves, after all no one lives there anymore, so he won't bother anybody. He's going to live alone, be one of those crazy guys with the big beard, no clothes, who's naked and throws doody at people."   He mentions this in Dave.

Some place safe:
In the "sideways" it's Kate that meets up with Jack at the Fusion concert (where workers are literally breaking everything down and packing it away) to inform him it's over.  Jack is looking for his son and of course he doesn't seem to be around.   Jack remembers Kate when she touches his face and tells him she's missed him so much.  Jack has Flashes of them on the "Island" but still resists and wonders "What is happening to me?  Who are you?"
Kate convinces Jack to go with her so he'll understand.

Changed Locke arrives in a yellow Shoreline taxi at Mrs. Hawking's white church {Lamppost Station} that contained the Dharma Initiative's Lamppost Station. Yes, the very same one that enabled the Oceanic Six to return to the "Island".
Locke wheels himself to the entrance where he comes upon Ben sitting.  Ben shares that most of them are already inside.
Ben- "I'm very sorry for what I did to you, John.  I was selfish, jealous...I wanted everything you had."
Puzzled John asks, "What did I have?"
Ben- "You were special, John. But I wasn't."
John- "Well if it helps, Ben. I forgive you." 
Although that helps and matters more than Ben can say, he still isn't ready to join up with the rest of the castaways.  He still has some things he needs to work out, "I think I'll stay here a while."
It is Ben that prompts John to get out of that chair.
John walks into the church a completely changed man, free of all the things that crippled him.
Hugo pokes his head outside the church, sees Ben and thanks him for being a real good number two.
Ben- "You were a great number one, Hugo."

Jack arrives to the Lamppost station/church in his shitty ol Bronco with Kate.   He feels he's at {church} the place where he was going to have his father's funeral; he died in Australia.  Although I remember Jack telling Sayid in the episode Three Minutes, that he was going to L.A. and right from the airport to the cemetery to bury his father.
He asks Kate,"Why did you bring me here?"
Kate- "Because this is where you were gonna have your father's funeral."
Jack still doesn't completely comprehend what is going on. Kate will wait for him inside for when he's ready to leave.

The Long Con: 
Abracadabra, smoke and mirrors!
So...was the LOST adventure supposed to be a living breathing chess game and puzzle?  We were led to "believe" that it was. 
The blissful ending we saw with Christian and Jack and the ambiguous explanation given leaves much to interpretation yet on the other hand it was definitive...closure.
However, if we're asked to believe the "Island" is a real physical place, with real people, complete with a shape shifting smoke monster, a frozen donkey wheel that can move the "Island", time travel,  mysterious wishes being granted, ghosts, whispers, an ageless man, appearing and disappearing people, healing properties, world saving electromagnetic forces,  a Willy Wonka Eggdicator machine that determines if someone if good or bad, a cork that plugs a hole in a bright light cavern, reset button, special people, twins who've been playing an eternal game, and an invisibility cloak around the "Island",  then we as the viewer can if we choose to,  ignore certain key "facts" that make the ending we saw correct and create whatever world we want to.

The "Island" may very well have been a "real island" that had fantastical properties.  It could be an "Island" that was utilized by rich people, military, scientists (The DeGroots, Hanso, Mittleos, Mittlewerk) for the purpose of study, and a place to bring "lost" people and rehabilitate them.  Or even a metaphysical level of the journey.   For the castaways this still would be the place that they did share their coming together via a staged plane crash, the tests and challenges they faced under the guise of a game, where they would learn to confront their demons, face their fears, see truth, end addiction, forgive themselves, forgive others, get over abandonment issues and other emotional issues that paralyzed them,  learn to let go of their attachments and suffering and then be free to live their lives in the "real world".    It would have been this time spent together that was indeed the most important to Jack, Locke and the rest of the castaways.   They were the people who meant the most in the most important time of their lives, who shared in their life changing growth. 

Wonderland:
In the sideways environment we were also mixed up in the world of Jabberwocky. Things were wrong and backwards at times.  People switched sides, teams and even roles and jobs.
In The End we still witnessed people having to read and follow instructions and diagrams.
I just gotta ask...What are we logically supposed to make of the entire Oceanic 6 era?  I'll just chalk it up to my thoughts about it being a level of the "Island" experience/adventure/exercise/game/journey.
But even Dorothy was able to wake up from her experience and realize what parts were real and which were not.  The people in her real life bled over into the adventure she had while she was unconscious/sleeping.

Perception:
This has always been a story about perception.  This is why we all extrapolated different things from the story.  I can see why fans may not be happy with the conclusion that was revealed because it did not end with the ending you may have perceived or hoped for.
Did we spend the last six years watching a story about people caught up in the middle of a real life issue that involved a stay on an "Island" that really was a lab, run by powerful people all for the sake of betterment of man, or a real plane crash on a magical "Island", or is it strictly the metaphysical  journey of levels of birth, enlightenment, death and rebirth.
We were always meant to take our own journey through this story and we were always supposed to take our own views from it and see things when we were ready to see them.

Things to Note...Questions we leave on the table...
* Jack, Locke and Desmond worked as a team to lower Desmond into the light, yet all three of them had different motives for going into the light.
* Your mind creates things/thoughts/ideas/fear/etc.. One aspect of the "Island" adventure is to "believe" and believing in what you see/hear/experience/etc.
* Locke is Locke.
* What was with all the eye color changes throughout the six seasons?
* At what point in time did "God loves you as he loved Jacob"  happen?
* There are many episodes that although I feel connected to Locke's issues, I can see connect to Jack's journey.
* Was it really Jacob who invited Charles Widmore to the island; to bring Desmond and prep him for his mission to put out the light?
* One aspect of the journey it to let go of one's negative self and ego.
* Life, Death, Rebirth.
* Technically Desmond interfered in the sideways and pushed people to "wake up". 

Vocabulary and Research...
* Arnold Böcklin: was a symbolist Swiss painter-16 October 1827 – 16 January 1901. He pained The Isle of the Dead and The Return.

I'm sure the sideways (waiting area) represents very different things to each of us.  We were only told it was a place they "made" to find each other.    I do have my own thoughts on what it is; of course this is based on the story I perceived through the six seasons.
Nonetheless, here is some insight to what the word Purgatory technically means:
* Purgatory: any situation causing suffering. A miserable situation.
   From Latin purgātōrium:  cleansing. Cognate to English (purge): Tending to cleanse or purge.
- In Roman Catholic and other religious teachings; a temporary state of the dead.
- is the condition or process of purification or temporary punishment
- (verb) 1). To carry out a task; EXECUTE, gas, electrocute, shoot, finish, hang, bear, create, enact
             2). To reach a goal.  
- Additional Synonyms: Abaddon, Gehenna, Hades, abyss, bottomless pit, everlasting fire, fire and brimstone, infernal regions, limbo, lower world, nether world, perdition, pit, place of torment, suffering, underworld.
- Mental suffering:  affliction, agony, anguish,bemoaning, bereavement, bewailing, care, dejection, deploring, depression, desolation, despair, despondency, discomfort, disquiet, distress, dole, dolor, gloom, grievance, harassment, heartache, heartbreak, infelicity, lamentation, lamenting, malaise, melancholy, misery, mortification, mournfulness, mourning, pain, purgatory, regret, remorse, repining, rue, sadness, sorrow, torture, trial, tribulation, trouble, unhappiness, vexation, woe, worry, wretchedness.

Circle:
Ensō is a Japanese word meaning "circle " and a concept strongly associated with Zen.  The story begins with Jack opening his eye and ends with him closing his eye in the same position as we  were introduced to him.  Locke found what he was looking for on the "Island" a long time ago, as did many other castaways.   Jack's full circle experience on the "Island"  happened for a reason.   He was the one who admittedly checked back into the "Island" experience to try to fix his broken self.  He would not learn to let go and beat his "demon" until he came out of the "Island" experience a fixed new man, free of the chains/things that bound him.   When he fulfilled his quests there, he was finally able to leave/die from the "Island's" learning ground and move on and have total peace.
Let's look at what we were shown...In the sideways Jack literally tells Locke "If I can fix you, Mr. Locke, that’s all the peace I’ll need."   And on "Island" Jack's last quest is to kill the "monster" {the negative}, assume a new role to give him purpose and restore peace and protection to "this place", which he does.  Although it took Jack longer to understand why he was in "this place",  he finally completed the course and ultimately liberated himself.

Can I just say that even after all we witnessed my favorite character is still Locke.  He was the one who did see truth in knowing they were brought to the island for a reason.  Even when he would stumble the goodhearted and nurturing leader was there.  He was a tough warrior who had hope and fought for the cause even when no one wanted to listen to him.  Yes, we saw his spirit broken, but the warrior was still inside there.   Even then Locke's the one who made me believe that I can overcome obstacles and find a purpose. "Don't tell me what I can't do."

Live Together, Die Alone:  
It doesn't matter if we observed the castaways learn to find and forgive themselves and know love under the guise of a game, or if it was a literal depiction of the path of enlightenment and onto Nirvana, Jack and these people needed to learn to heal themselves, coexist and work as a team for the greater good.  They played a deep and important role in each other's life changing enlightenment.

“There is no coming to consciousness without pain”:
We all went into this blind. We were never promised anything.  We were never told how, why and what the deal is with "This Place"-the "Island", we were never told the rules of the "Island" adventure and/or game, what they were and how they work.  You always had a choice to continue on with the adventure to where ever it was going to lead or to opt out.   For all intents and purposes we took this journey just as blindly as the Castaways did.   We only learned information when a Castaway learned the answer.  We were always meant to take the entire journey along with them just as if we were on the "Island" with them.
Jack took longer to be able to heal himself and only when he completes the acts of liberating "the monster"/Locke on "Island" and Locke in the Sideways" was he able to see truth and free himself.   I believe this is why we're led to believe "MIB" "assumed" Locke's ID; it was because Jack had to literally face the one person/Locke on the "Island" who represented his opposition/negative, the one who challenged him most. 

All of this didn't make my own journey through all of this any less important or rewarding. 
The LOST story is filled with so many layers of everything that makes up people, life, struggle, pain, rewards, love, hope, purpose, destiny, death and rebirth.   We all had many ways to watch this show, and different things to take from it, or you didn't have to take anything at all from it.  My entire experience with this LOST journey became a part of my life, played a role in my own personal growth and enlightenment, and made me a better person.   This story changed my life on so many levels.  I was open to all the possibilities this story had to offer.  I enjoyed the magic even while it inadvertently became my teacher and guide.   There always was a message, lessons and answers in the story.  We were able to watch this epic unfold in a literal and metaphoric way.

Were we all meant to come out of this as Zen masters?  No. But guess what?  The idea was to clue us into "awareness",  our consciousness, our own purpose...destiny.   Some of us did indeed "get it" and some may need a longer to, but that's okay and that doesn't mean the journey stops for any of us.
We're all flawed.  People are flawed. 
We were shown that everything we do does matter and affects everyone we touch... forever, and, that "time" really means "now".   Like it or not we make an imprint on the universe.

The Journey:
This journey did provide us with hints, clues, reveals and answers about the "Island" along the way, but some chose to not see them and that's okay because that part of the story is secondary.   LOST also gave us hints to death and "this place" being a place of punishment, suffering and learning throughout the years.   Sometimes it was literal, other times it was subliminal and/or metaphoric.

Christian explains to Jack that his friends "died" at different points.  We don't know how much "time" came and went and it doesn't even matter.   It seems that each castaway had their own individual experience and enlightenment and agreed that when they all were ready (of course they waited for Jack to have his awakening in the "sideways") and they were in their "some place safe",  they would leave one place and move on to the next...together.

As we see literal reconnection's and reunions of the people who once lived on the "Island": Charlie finally connects with pregnant Claire, Kate delivers Aaron...again, Sun and Jin (who speak perfect English and are pregnant with Ji Yeon),  James and Juliet (at the rebooted vending machine share the same dialogue as when James was reunited with her at the implosion site on the "Island"),  Sayid and Shannon (really?!), etc., is all in preparation for Jack's being able to truly let go and move on to the next phase...all together.

You should ask yourself how this journey was for you overall.  Did you have fun?  Did you enjoy the ride?  Did it excite you every week?  Did it make you happy?  Did it open your sense of wonder and imagination?    Did you truly look, see, hear and understand?   Did you find answers or insight?   Did you read more books?  Did you write about the show at all (blogs/forums/message boards)?   Did you make new friends?   Did you find love?    Did you learn how to handle different kinds of situations?   Did you learn to look at things through new eyes?   Did you learn to think outside the box?  Did you mock other people for thinking outside the box?  Did you learn trust?  Did you learn how to have hope?   Did you find a way to forgive?   Did you learn patience?   Did you learn how to treat people?  Did you learn about Karma?    Did you grow?  Did it give you wings to fly?   Did you discover the real you?  Did you find your purpose?   Or, Do you just feel like you were Scooby Doo'd?

The Destination:
It doesn't matter who we were, it only matter who we are.
Jack, through his long struggle to heal himself,  finally came to realize who he really was.   He went into the journey one way and came out another. {Although to me he still looked a bit confused and apprehensive.}

On "Island"  Jack wakes up laying on the rocks at the stream like when we saw Jacob discover his brother "dead" after pushing him into the lighted cavern. 

Inside the church Jack ascends the steps and enters the room that displays a lot of Buddhist, Zen, Dharma, Hindu, Christian and other religious and spiritual icons, and the casket he believes holds his father's body.  When Jack touches the coffin he is flooded with Flash memory of his time on the "Island".
I gotta tell ya, when he opens the casket I really thought Jack would see himself in there.  But of course the coffin is empty and Jack's disappointed.  Christian's body never seems to ever actually be in a coffin. Does that tell you anything? Hmmm?
Still not understanding, Jack turns to see Christian there.
Jack-"You died."
Christian confirms he did.
Jack-"Then how are you here right now?"
Christian-"How are you here?"
He gives Jack time to think about it.
Jack-"I died too." {He looks a bit unaware and puzzled}
He cries and his father holds him.  They tell each other "I love you."
Jack-"Are you real?"
Christian laughs- "I sure hope so. Yeah, I'm real. You're real. Everything that's ever happened to you is real. All those people in the church...they're all real too."
Jack-"They're all...they're all dead?"   {Real and Dead...at the same time!}
Christian-"Everyone dies sometime, kiddo.  Some of them before you, some long after you."
Jack-"Why are they all here now?"
Christian-"Well there is no 'now' here."     { N O W H E R E }
Jack-"Where are we, dad?"
Christian-"Well this is the place that you all made together so that you can find one another.  The most important part of your life was the time that you spent with these people. That's why all of you are here. Nobody does it alone, Jack. You needed all of them and they need you."
Jack-"For what?"
Christian-"To remember...And to...let go."
Jack-"Kate said that we were leaving."
Christian-"Not leaving, no. Moving on."
Jack-"Where are we going?"
Christian smiles-"Let's go find out."
We are led very lovingly into the revelation that in the "sideways" the castaways were waiting for stubborn Jack to have his eye opening moment to truly seeing where he is in his existence/being.

The Over the Rainbow closing scene was beautiful.  Jack still seemed confused by his awakening but was enveloped by the warmth and love of his friends. They chose to be of a collective consciousness and physically move on together.
Christian was with Jack while he traveled his path.   It may have taken Jack longer to reach that point than his friends, but he made progress until he finally did.  "It takes as long as it takes."

Science vs. Faith:
There was a way for these two sides to live in balance. You can be a person who encompasses both.

I still stand by all my research that gave us potential insight to the other layers of the story.   I have taken my notes based on facts and information presented within the story itself not conjecture and speculation.   I've always been a person whom believes in only what  I can see.   We all can see the layers and themes in the story and we can even entertain that some of what we saw wasn't real, again all based on the "information" they gave us. But we know questions only lead to more questions; which is what the word Hydra means.
I did always warn you that people and things are not what you think.

✈ Was the "Island" a real island that just happened to have magical properties?
- It was a place you can go back and forth from.
- A place of study, teaching, learning, healing.
- Food drops are made to it.
- The entire Dharma Initiative was able to run power to it, build barracks, hatches and stations all over it, yet conned it's Pearl Station workers with thinking their notebooks actually went somewhere.
- No children allowed except for Ethan, Miles, Aaron, Zack, Emma, Ji Yeon, Jacob, MIB, Dan, Charlotte, Annie and Ben. And we can't ignore in "this place"  life was created where there wasn't supposed to be the creation of life.

✈ Was the "Island" a created environment? (Either physically or virtually)
- Items appear here, pretty much upon request.
- It is referred to as a "magic box".
- People die and are seen again.
- Certain people seem to heal from deadly injuries.
- No children allowed except for Ethan, Miles, Aaron, Zack, Emma, Ji Yeon, Jacob, MIB, Dan, Charlotte, Annie and Ben. And we can't ignore in "this place" life was created where there wasn't supposed to be the creation of life.

✈ Was the "Island" a form of purgatory or metaphysical limbo?
- Although this limbo not only challenged it's visitors, but it also allowed fighting, war and more pain.
- No children allowed except for Ethan, Miles, Aaron, Zack, Emma, Ji Yeon, Jacob, MIB, Dan, Charlotte, Annie and Ben. And we can't ignore in "this place" life was created where there wasn't supposed to be the creation of life.
- Jacob could not grant absolution for sins.  But he could have you hang around looking youthful for a really, really long fucking time! (if you believed in that enough) WoooooHooooo!

✈ Which category do you place these "Island" facts?
- It's a bloody snow globe where on and off "Island" events blur together.
- Items, props, clothes, cars, books, images, people and dialogue are repeated over and over.
- Jacob "plucked" people out of their existence and brought them there.

The End:
As Jack is reconnecting with his "Island" friends in the church/Lamppost station with a new understanding and acceptance, on "Island" Jack makes his way back to the bamboo forest.   We get a shot of Jack's white tennis shoe he gave to Christian, now is worn and tattered but still hangs from the tree.  Jack assumes his position and is met by Vincent who is there to ensure Jack doesn't do this alone.  Jack watches a plane fly overhead.    {Dogs by their very nature are filled with unconditional love.}
In the church/Lamppost the "Island" friends take seats in the pews, almost as if readying themselves for another flight to adventure.
Christian opens the door in the back of the church letting in the warm bright light...Whatever or where ever that is or represents is up to you.
Jack's eye closes signifying the end of this journey.


The wreckage revealed at the end of the episode could mean there was a plane crash and they all died then, hence making the whole island adventure some crazy ass purgatory where magic tricks and illusions run ramped and people can  die over and over.    Or the wreckage is staged for the next round of lost people to arrive on the "Island"  lab to face their challenges.
Or the explanation I feel...simply, it is closure to the place that brought us all together. 

The episode was GREAT and it ended as I expected it to.  I feel a warm peace with the conclusion.  I thought it was beautiful and fitting.  I knew it wouldn't please everyone, how could it?
I may talk about a lot of things in my notes/podcast as far as the exploration of the game element, matrix, what's real or fake, contrived imagery, simulation, blurring of events, etc.   But no matter what parts of the science, technology or mythology I'd address I was always sure to address the metaphor and my take on their journey to enlightenment.  Who knows why this is a layer of the story I always gravitated to, maybe it's because coincidentally  have been trying to put the pieces of my broken self back together and it's one hell of a process.

I completely understand the viewer who watched the show and invested just as much time and followed the mythology, science, religion and other facts that "they" spoon fed us, and is let down that their journey did not have the payoff they expected.  Life is full of surprises, aint it?!  
I never cared if the ideas I brought to the table were right or wrong and it never bothered me if people didn't agree with me, for me it was always about the journey, the exciting exploration and possibilities, and the fun in trying to solve a puzzle.  For me all of the research and note taking was a blast!

In the end all the fun smoke and mirrors, mystery, mythology, time travel, food drops and all that other wonderful mysterious stuff wasn't the point of the story.   It has always been about the journey itself, the journey to enlightenment and the "Island" residents, the people that we connected with and fell in love with.   We rooted for these special people while they were on their journey struggling to find themselves, through their pain, hope, growth, letting go, their quest for balance, to feel whole and know love, to find faith in themselves and enlightenment...their ability to keep moving...to ultimately moving on.   It was a beautiful and memorable story filled with heart.

The "Island" is still a place of "Whatever you wish for" can be!  I love my world of imagination, exploration, and escapism, but I am also conscious enough to be open to the things that will enrich my life and my being, and LOST is one experience that I will have with me forever.   I had so much fun with every aspect of this adventure.  I loved being an active participant in the story.

My heart is broken that it is over and I must learn to let go at some point, and  I must have hope that it's ending will make way for a new beautiful experience for my life's journey as well as yours.  I did go into all of this one person and I too came out of it another person. 
The journey doesn't stop here as it is ongoing.
I truly thank you all for taking this journey with me.
Namaste.

I can't help but wonder if Desmond ever read Our Mutual Friend before he "died".

Love to all who are "LOST"™

The 23rd Psalm.

Let's talk about LOST! The 23rd Psalm.

Young boys {Eko}are playing soccer in front of the church in this village. {The scene is bathed in red.} His brother Yemi is also playing. Eko wears a cross on a chain around his neck. A pickup truck with armed men up pull up to where the children are playing, gather the children up and demand the adults go away.  Small Yemi seeks the protection of his big brother.
A priest runs out of the church yelling "Don't take any more children!"  He is knocked out.  One of the drug runners grabs an old man out of the crowd of villagers and picks little Yemi to kill this old man; forcing the gun into his hands.
Eko sees that Yemi can't do it and steps in the role his brother was just given and kills the old man. {Was this an act of protecting young Yemi, or is it really Eko's nature?}
The bad man asks, "What's your name, boy? What's your name, boy?" {Yeah, that's an echo. lol}
Quiet Eko replies, "Eko."
The impressed bad man tells the crowd to look at Mr. Eko, "No hesitation. A born killer. Come... {rips the cross from Eko's neck and throws it on the ground.} You won't need that anymore."
Eko leaves with them. Yemi picks up the cross.
{Were their given roles just reversed? Was it supposed to be Yemi that was to be taken by the bad guys? Just a thought.}
{Flash Whoosh}
At the beach Eko sits carving scripture into his Jesus stick.
Claire walks over with Aaron and asks what he is writing.

Eko-"Things I need to remember."
Claire sits with him, "So you're Eko, huh?"


She introduces herself and Aaron to him.
Eko inquires why she chose it (name- baby Aaron).
Claire just liked it.
Eko shares that Aaron was the brother of Moses; Aaron was a great man. Claire feels being the brother of Moses must have been tough to live up to.
Eko explains Moses had great difficulty speaking so he spoke for Moses.
Claire-"So you're religious, huh? {Eko doesn't respond} You should speak to Charlie. He doesn't want to admit he's religious but he carries around a statue of the Virgin Mary...He says he found it on the Island. Weird, right?"
This peaks Eko's curiosity, "May I see it?"

Eko holds the statue and starts getting worked up. Claire tells him Charlie said he found it in the jungle. Claire feels it's just a statue but Eko reveals the heroin hidden inside it.
Motivated Eko asks her,"Where is Charlie?"

Inside the hatch Locke changes the combination of the armory lock. Michael asks Locke if he's "breaking in or breaking out?"
Locke laughs-"I used to love those old silent movies where the robbers would crack a combination lock with their ear pressed up against the safe.  And the money they stole was always in a white bag big $ on it."
Michael -"Silent movies, huh? You're not that old man"
Locke- "I'm old enough"     {Yeah, just how damn old are you?}
Michael-"Setting the combination?"
Locke explains to him that with the new people joining them it was best to limit people's access to the guns. Can't have anyone who wants one walk in and help themselves.  {That is what Eko and Yemi did in the opening of this episode.}
Locke guesses that's why Michael is there. {Guns!}

Charlie sings, "He's got whit, he's got charm, When he gets rough he'll break your arm. He's got taste in manners and grace..."   {Charlie's stick/pole has wire}
Jin is fishing with his net.   Charlie wonders if Jin likes the Kinks as he tries articulating his question to Jin.
Jin gestures communicating to him to be quiet or the fish will go away.
Misunderstanding Charlie thanks Jin for complementing his beautiful voice.
Pissed off Eko marches over to Charlie demanding to to take him to the jungle to where he found the statue.    Jin, in Korean, seems to ask what's up but Eko tells him it's not his business.  Charlie will lead Eko but wants to explain to Claire before he leaves so she won't get the wrong idea.
Eko-"Tell her on your way."

{Flash Whoosh}

Grown Eko {Cut off sleeves on his leather coat, ala Ana Lucia wear.  His role now is of a man in charge} gets out of the car he looks around. {Watch his face as he looks around. The color RED pops out.} There are clucking chickens.
Eko enters to meet a drug lord about Heroin the man "found".   He sits opposite the man and asks him where he found it.  The drug lord feels that doesn't matter. {Listen to the sound Eko's knife makes when he pulls it out to slit the bag open.}   Eko tests the product that the drug lord has packed in bags.
Eko-"50."
Drug lord-"50 what?"
Eko's helper dumps money out of a bag onto the table.
Eko-"50 is what I will pay you in exchange for the favor you are asking me to do."
The drug lord- "A favor?!"
Eko-"You have a large quantity of heroin in a country that has no poppies and no market for its sale. Your drugs are of no value here, so you must get them out. The borders are all guarded by the military so you must fly. But as I'm sure you are aware the only private planes currently allowed into the air are either U.N. aid or the Catholic missionaries. And so you have come to me for a favor. I will buy your heroin...for 50."
The drug dealer tells Eko it is true what they say about him, "You have no soul."
This pisses off amused Eko so he kills the two men with one wave of his knife.
Eko lets the little boy live. "Go and tell your friends that Mr. Eko let you live."
{Flash Whoosh}
Claire is picking up the pieces of the broken Virgin Mary statue. Charlie walks over with Eko in tow.   Charlie asks Claire what happened to the statue and she tells him not to play dumb.
She presents the heroin to him and remembering that he said he was a drug addict. She is pissed.
Charlie tells Claire that he didn't know the heroin was inside the sealed up statue and swears to her that he's not using. He breaks open the tiny bags and discards the drugs onto the ground, “Believe me now?”
Claire’s not buying it as she looks over at Eko, “Someone’s waiting for you.”

In the jungle Locke is coaching Michael through target practice. “Breath halfway out…gently squeeze the trigger...squeeze.”

Michael pulls the trigger. {No shot is fired.}
Michael wonders how Locke learned all this stuff.

Locke-“My dad used to take me hunting.”
He shares they hunted mostly birds, “Of course, birds don’t shoot back.”

Michael-"Yeah. I know people are talking…thinking I'm gonna go running after Walt again"
Locke- "If people are talking, I'm not hearing it. But if I was, I'd say it's not a very smart plan."
Michael looks right at him,"Yeah, it's not." {Michael isn't technically going after WALT!? What else did he have in mind?}
Locke loads the rifle and tells Michael, “OK. Let’s try one for real.”
Michael aims and hits the Dharma Ranch target. 


Locke is proud, “Bravo.”
Michael smirks. {He knows what he’s doing.}



While on their trek Charlie shares his displeasure with Eko. “Well done with Claire, mate. You got me in a lot of trouble there, so, thanks for that…h-you’re happy. Oh, that’s right you don’t do happy.”
They arrive at a tree and Charlie claims “We’re here…” that is where he found it. {lie}
Eko looks puzzled and feels Charlie is lying.
Charlie smirks-“You know what? I don’t even know you. You asked to see where I found it. This is where I found it. We're done. Have a nice hike.”
Pissed off Eko pushes Charlie against a tree by his neck; he knows Charlie didn’t find the statue there and demands to be taken to the plane.
While continuing their trek Charlie asks Eko how he knows about the plane.
Charlie- "It’s old you know. Been out in the jungle for years. Of course, you would know that, you know everything."   {WTF? How does Charlie know that Eko knows everything? THAT'S FRIGGIN' HUGE!!} 

Eko asks why he lied to “the girl” about what was inside the statue.
Again Charlie insists he didn't lie.
Eko-“Then what was the wrong idea?”  {Again, we dealt with this statement a few episodes back. For someone to get the wrong idea, there must be a impression/belief/concept that is the correct/accurate or truthful idea.}
Charlie plays dumb.
Eko-"When I showed you the broken pieces of plaster, you said you did not want her to get the wrong idea. What is the wrong idea?”
Charlie-“I don’t have to tell you anything. You come traipsing across the island and what?...suddenly you're in charge?! You want me to take you to your plane? You best start treating me with some respect. I'm not just some guy you can just tr…” {Who are you really Charlie?}
Eko hears/sees…..The Black Smoke! Charlie does not!
Eko-“Let’s go.”
Charlie looks annoyed, “Yes sir.”
{Flash Whoosh}
A lady with one crutch is outside the church selling Virgin Mary statues. {Eko wears one Pearl earring}
She tells Eko if he buys a statue the money will help buy polio vaccines for the village. {200 Naira} Father Yemi is leaning against the post of the church and asks Eko what he’s doing there.

Eko-"I have come to give my confession.” 
Eko is happy to see his brother.

Inside the church we learn this is the first time in three years Eko has come to visit and Yemi won’t hear his confession
Eko-“You know, Monsignor would have said he failed to raise a proper Catholic boy.”
Yemi-“Why waste your time confessing. It won’t help you.” For confession to mean something you must have a penitent heart.
Eko-“You and your guilt, Yemi. I've only done what I needed to do to survive. How is that a sin?”
Yemi-“You may live far from here, but that doesn't mean I haven't heard of who you are and what you have done.“
Eko takes the cross out from Yemi’s shirt and looks at it, “Have you forgotten how you got that cross, brother? The day they took me? Is what I did that day a sin? Or is it forgiven because it is you that was saved?”
Eko tells Yemi the plan to move merchandise/drugs and the use of the church relief flights to transport it; it is not Eko's normal business and they are moving the drugs out of Nigeria so that they cannot be used by “our people”. {So what is normal business? Hmm?}
Eko explains Yemi will have all the money to buy the vaccine.
Eko feels that God has given them this opportunity and they should not turn their back on it.
Yemi-“God did not bring you here, Eko. You're own greed did. I will always love you, but I will not help you. It's good to see you again, brother.”   Yemi walks away. {Even in a bad situation Eko is still trying to help Yemi. But it seems its Eko's own actions that brought him "there".}

{Flash Whoosh}
At the beach Kate is giving Sawyer a close to the ear haircut. He wonders if she’s sure she knows what she’s doing. Kate asks him to please turn his head.
Sawyer-“Why, you ain't got a clean enough shot at my neck? I can cut my own damn hair.”
Sawyer doesn’t have to be belligerent just for belligerent's sake because everyone loves Sawyer now.
Hurley tells Sawyer he’s glad he’s back.
Michael asks Kate for her shift at hatch duty. It will help take Michael’s mind off of things.
Kate-"Sure, it's all yours.”
Michael tells Sawyer, “Glad you’re OK, man” almost as if he was 'obligated’ to say it.

In the jungle Charlie announces he wants to take a break. Eko feels he just had a break.
Charlie stops for a water break anyway, "I'm not what you think I am."
Eko-“And what do I think you are?”
Charlie blames his brother.
Charlie-“It was his fault I became an addict. He started with the heroin. I tried to make him stop. You don't know me, man. I was a good person. I was an altar boy. Alright, I knew what was in that statue it doesn't mean I needed what was inside it. Just don't judge me, man. Don’t…just…”
Eko notices something in a tree.
Charlie-“What’s that?...It’s a parachute.”
They find a priest. Eko opens the corpse’s shirt and notes the gold tooth.
Charlie asks, “You know that guy?”
Eko- "Yes. This man saved my life."
As Eko is kneeling/ praying Charlie's attitude is very cocky. "Saved your life huh? Sure, that makes sense. He takes off plane in Nigeria we're out in the middle of the South Pacific… that makes all the sense in the world."   {Different "places" in the world.}
Charlie notices scripture on the stick and assumes Eko and the other man are priests.

{Flash Whoosh}
Eko walks into Yemi’s church, opens the curtains to the confessional where Yemi is in the middle of hearing a confession.
Yemi-“How dare you come here and disrupt my work!”
Eko asks if Yemi’s reconsidered his request.
Yemi-“Flying drugs under the cover of the church? How’s that something I could ever reconsider?”
Yemi yells at Eko’s thug not to touch the candles on the Jesus table.
Eko will make this easy for Yemi. His plan includes demanding Yemi make them priests and they will fly under the cover of the church. He wants Yemi to sign the ordination documents and he will give Yemi the money for the vaccines.
Yemi demands he leave this church now.
Eko - "Yemi, I understand that you live in a world where righteousness and evil seem very far apart, but that is not the real world. I am your brother and I would never do anything to hurt you, but my friends…if you do not do what I ask…they will burn this church to the ground. Is that worth less than the price of your name on a piece of paper? Think of the lives you will save.”
Yemi reluctantly signs it, “My signature does not make you a priest, Eko. You could never be a priest.”
Eko buys all 300 Virgin Mary statues. He drops the money in front of Yemi and says "I guess we are both sinners now."
As Eko takes the papers and walks out Yemi agrees with Eko but God will forgive only him and not Eko. {Why? Doesn't that God forgive everyone? Maybe not.}

{Flash Whoosh}
Charlie and Eko are still out looking for the plane.
Charlie stops to get his bearings, “Uh, I’m lost….it was dark. I was following Sayid. Right afterwards a big bag of rocks fell on my head so I'm sorry if I'm a bit spotty with the geography.”


Eko suggests Charlie climb the tree to get his bearings or see the plane.

Charlie looks up at the tall tree and doesn’t want to do it. “You climb it. What if I don't? You going to beat me with your Jesus stick? I find it a little odd that your scripture stick has dried blood on it.”
Reluctantly Charlie climbs up. "What kind of priest are you anyway?" {Yes, what kind of priest are you indeed? Hmm?!}

As Charlie climbs Eko informs him he needs to get higher. Eko hears the smoke monster in the distance. Charlie is literally out on a limb and the smoke monster bursts up through the ground coming face to face with Eko.
Charlie yells at Eko to run!

Images of Eko's life flash in the smoke. Eko stands firm and stares it down.

The smoke monster just turns and heads back into the jungle.
Charlie is stunned.
Eko was not afraid!
Charlie saw it, “What the bloody hell did you do?”
Eko-“I did nothing.”
Upset Charlie declares that thing kills people! {Have the rest of the Losties seen the Black Smoke kill anyone at this point? NO! Why would he make a statement like that?  Reminder-Charlie was around for the "killing" of the Pilot.  Note that Charlie is not wearing his black and white vans sneakers, these are dark, tie up sneakers/shoes}
But luckily Charlie was able to spot Eko’s plane a kilometer “that way”.
Eko thanks him and heads off.

Michael looks around the hatch; checks his watch, he is alone. He tries typing into the computer trying to contact whoever was trying to communicate with him.
{Who is on the other side this computer, really?}


Michael asks out loud, "Where are you?"
All of a sudden a word appears: Dad?
Michael has brief dialogue with the person on the other end.
As Michael is about to reply to a comment Jack enters and wonders if Michael’s down there alone because he doesn’t see anyone else there. {Timer 47 00}



Michael-"Yeah. Hurley’s supposed to be here but uh, I guess he's running late."   {Maybe Hurley is the Rabbit from Alice in wonderland, he's running late, HAHAHA! But really, where is he?}
 
Jack pulls up a chair to chat with Michael- "Well listen, uh…No one's forgotten about Walt. I can’t…I don’t have any idea what you must be going through. But, I just want you to know that as soon as we can, we're going to figure out a way to go out… and bring him back."
Michael thanks him.
Jack wonders if Michael’s OK.
As Jack walks around to see the computer screen, it is blank. {All without Michael touching anything. Now that’s fucking convenient! If a kid is missing in your very, very small village, are you going to forget to go and search for him?}

Eko and Charlie arrive at the overturned plane. {As Eko looks on, the sound of the plane engine and propellers starts up.}


The church plane is on the runway in Yemi's village.
Eko and the other fake priests are loading boxes into the plane. {note E 300lbs notice inside the plane}

Yemi arrives in an old Toyota van/bus to save Eko's life.
He warns him not to get on that plane because of the approaching military; who he informed about this operation. Yemi offers to hear Eko's confession.
{Eko asks him if he's a prophet now.}
The military arrives and there is a shootout.
Yemi is shot and put into the plane but Eko is literally kicked out by one of his fake priest thugs. The plane takes off even though it is being shot at. 
{Tiny Flash Whoosh}
Eko enters the plane and discovers the boxes/crates of statues and his brother/cross on the chain. He holds his brother, cries and asks for forgiveness.
{Flash Whoosh}
Eko sits on the ground. A military guard {with 2 gold lions on his green beret} asks the father if he’s okay.
Eko assumes his new role as priest/father.

Charlie peeks in on Eko with Yemi.
Eko reveals, “He is my brother.”
Eko places a Virgin Mary statue on Yemi’s corpse and crosses his arms.
Charlie is sorry.
Eko pulls the gas line and pours it over Yemi. He then gives Charlie a statue for the one he broke and they burn the plane.
Charlie asks, “So are you are priest or aren’t you?"
Eko-"Yes I am." {Important! Eko places the cross on chain over his head} He recites the 23rd Psalm with Charlie joining in.
Charlie holds the statue. {The lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…}
While the plane burns and Eko’s prayer continues, we see Ana tending to her campfire where Jin introduces Sun to her and they offer Ana fish.
Hurley helps Libby build her tent.
Sawyer looks in a mirror to check out his new haircut.
Jack brings Sawyer his meds.

Charlie comes back to find Claire moving his guitar case and bags. She has kicked him out of the tent for lying. {Why do they have domestic issues?}
He apologizes for lying to her, "They make me feel safer to have it around."
Claire-“Look, I can’t have you around my baby, OK.”
He tries to explain but Claire yells, “I can’t have you sleeping anywhere near us, OK!”
Aaron cries and Claire tells Charlie to go.
Charlie picks up his guitar case and bags and leaves.


At night in the jungle we see that Charlie continues to feed his need to feel safer around the statue.
He has hidden many statues.



The 23rd Psalm is a GREAT episode!!!!

Things to note...Questions to ask...
* Eyes.
* Brothers.
* Priests. Military guards/security

* Eko was taken as a child. Walt is taken as a child.
* Movies. Images. Script-written.
* Real- Not Real. Fake. Real world-un/not real world.
* Prophet-Profit.
* Deal.
* Items of no use or value.
* Fly. Save. Fail. Beat.
* Communications. Linguistics. Understand. Misunderstanding.
* Locke coaches Michael with target practice and he coached Walt with knife throwing.
* "No soul"...Why? Is it strictly because they have looking for that missing piece of themselves or is it because they are a bot?
* Choosing an identity/name. Change roles.
* Hidden inside the statue.
* The 23rd Psalm….Just a prayer?  This is the Psalm of David. "The lord is my shepherd..."
* Because I'm in a freaky mood, I'll ask....Who is Hurley, really? References to clucking chickens! LOL! Clucking chickens and Hurley! {I love Hurley!!!!}
* Why is Charlie such a liar?  Is he an impostor/phony of some sort?  Is he pretending to be something when in reality he is something else? Could that be true of all of them?
* Who is Charlie….really? Why make a statement about the smoke monster killing people when at this point the Lostie's have never seen the smoke kill anyone.  Do Charlie and the Castaways know what the black smoke really is?  Do they know that the black smoke is responsible for the "deaths" we have seen thus far? Hmmm?
* What/who is the smoke monster, really?   Is it a security system that protects the “Island” and the secrets of the “Island”?  What actions would the smoke monster take to protect the "Island"?  Does it remove people and other threats when the discovery of the truth is about to be revealed? Does it take different shapes and create situations?   Is it an entity, a magnetic charge, an alien? Who knows? Do I need to worry about dragons too?
* Michael: What is he up to, really?  Again, if Walt really can show himself why not show himself to his own "father", why use a computer?    Does Michael believe he's talking to Walt or is he really looking for someone/something else under the cover of looking for Walt?  Is Michael a distraught father trying anyway possible to find his boy or is he having to "rescue" Walt by default?   Come on now, if Michael thought that he could really find Walt and knew Walt was the one really trying to contact him via the computer would/shouldn't he tell everyone?   Especially when Jack talks to him about finding Walt? I still believe Michael knows lots!
* The plane, the cross, statues, guns, etc…Trigger points for our residents of the "Island"? Yes!
* A statue keeps on finding its way to Charlie.
* Will a woman save the day?  Sun, Claire or Kate?
* Michael sees "Dad?" on the computer and in White Rabbit Jack catches up with Christian in the jungle and says "Dad?"
* Christian is sober 50 days in A Tale of Two Cities.

Vocabulary and Research...
* Heroin- A female hero.
 - Heroin aka Horse
* Name: is used to identify, ID
* Echo-the reflection and/or repetition of a sound.
-In computing- (command) a Unix, DOS and Microsoft Windows command to display a line of text
- (framework) a web framework for Java programming
- (Echo protocol) an Internet protocol largely superseded by ping
- A command in programming languages to output one or more strings.
- A superheroin in the Marvel Universe.
-ECKO
Eric Kirkham Cole Limited was a British electronics company producing radio and TV sets from 1924. Expanding into plastic production for its own use, Ekco Plastics produced both radio cases and later domestic plastic products.
* Lyrics to He's Evil by The Kinks:
He comes on smooth, cool and kind, But he wants your body not your mind.
He's got style, personality, But he's the devil in reality.
He'll make you laugh, make you smile, And make you feel good for a while.
Wicked smile, decadent grin, He likes school girls, nuns and virgins.
His skin is soft but his mind is hard, He'll lead you on then he'll tear you apart.
He is just the devil in disguise. He will drag you down and he will make you cry.
And once you're in there'll be no getting out,
So look out, look out, look out, look out.
He's evil. He's evil. He's evil. He's evil. He's evil.
He's evil. He's evil. He's evil. He's evil. He's evil.
He's got wit he's got charm. But when he gets rough he'll break your arm.
He's got taste, manners and grace, But when he gets tough he'll slit your face.
He'll buy you jewels, expensive clothes, Then his mind'll go and he'll bust your nose.
He's a joker and a clown But he'll pervert you and drag you down.
He comes on smooth, cool and kind, But he wants your body not your mind,
He is just the devil in disguise. He will drag you down and he will make you cry,
And once you're in there will be no getting out.
So look out, look out, look out.
Look out, look out, look out.
He's evil. He's evil. He's evil. He's evil. He's evil.
He's evil. He's evil. He's evil. He's evil. He's evil.
evil. He's evil.




There is no doubt that we are shown that things/people here are not what we think they are. The writers just fucking told us!  The truth is most likely hidden under the cover of something else and right in front of our eyes.
Are we getting the wrong idea about what's going on?  Yeah, I believe so. Are there some "kinks" in our story? ABSOLUTELY!
Is Eko living the life he really is supposed to be living, or did he step into Yemi's place? Is he trying to make the best of it either way? Eko has a cross to bear but who is Eko… really? And while we’re at it…
Who is Locke, really?  Again, I question Locke, his real role, his purpose and his 'years'. And do I dare say age? Could he be older than his years? Maybe, maybe not….. I love that he is so worldly but where did that come from?

The bottom line here is what is told directly to us...Things and people are not what they seem!!! I've been saying that all along.

Love to all who are "LOST"™


Posted on MySpace August 26, 2007

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? Good. 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. It will get very exciting as we progress into the story.

The Moth.

Let's talk about LOST! The Moth.

Hooded Charlie strums the guitar, but his having difficulty focusing. He is going through withdrawal. Locke comes into the caves and suggests to Charlie they go for a walk, "The fresh air will do you good."

At the beach Jack is looking at Kate's mug shot. From behind him, Kate mentions she takes better pictures than that. Jack just came by for a few things and the mug shot was with his stuff. He gives it back to her.
Kate- “So, you’re not staying."
Jack- "Call me a broken record but, the caves are natural shelter and a hell of a lot safer than living here on the beach.”  He’s not mad at Kate he just doesn’t understand why he won’t go with him/us. The caves aren’t even a mile away. Kate says they crashed 8 days ago and she’s not setting up housekeeping. Jack knows they want off this island, “but we both know that’s not gonna happen anytime soon.” {Again, he KNOWS they’re not going anywhere!} Kate reveals Sayid has a plan. Jack already knows about Sayid’s plan to find the source of the distress code and that signal’s been running on a loop for 16 years, “And the woman who left it, she wasn’t rescued. What makes you think its gonna be any different for us.”
Kate- “I believe it.”
Jack wishes he shared her faith. The signal’s coming from somewhere on the island.
Sawyer arrives, heard the doc was vacating the premises. He interrupts them by claiming his new digs, “I can fix this place up real good.”    Sawyer has the hots for Kate.  Jack heads off; he’ll talk to Kate later.

In the jungle hooded Charlie hears strange sounds and animal growl/snorting noises. He loudly whispers, “Locke! Is that you?” (Locke's not walking with him) Charlie is scared of the sounds and what appears to be a boar chasing him. Charlie runs. {Listen to these sounds.} 
 

“Bless me father for I have sinned”, says Charlie.
The confessional door is opened by the priest sitting in the booth. It’s been a week since Charlie’s last confession. He proceeds to confess his sex-capades (participating and watching while partaking in relations, etc) and temptations that come with the territory being in Drive Shaft. They've been playing in clubs in Manchester; they’ve been getting some heat, and a following. The priest confirms we all have our temptations but giving into them that’s your choice. He goes on to explain that life is nothing but a series of choices.
Charlie-“Well then I’ve made my choice. I have to quit the band.”

Charlie enters the church wearing his red/black plaid scarf. There’s a Virgin Mary statue near the holy water; he blesses himself. There is a musical tapping coming from a man/Liam sitting in a pew. “And the meek shall inherit the earth”, says Liam.  Liam is sitting disrespectfully in the pew. {Music $lut black tee shirt} Charlie is upset that Liam has his feet up and behaving disrespectful in church. Liam tells choirboy to relax, “I bring good tidings of great joy.”  He reveals they’ve just been signed; a recording contract. “You’re gonna be a rock god.” {Yellow envelope}











Charlie runs from the loud boar that is chasing him. A net comes down and traps the boar. Locke set the trap. {I guess Danielle's not the only one who knows how to make traps} Locke ties the rope from the trap, “Nice work Charlie. You make excellent bait."  The boar is squealing and trying/fighting to get out. Locke is pleased. Charlie is angry, “Now give me my bloody drugs….Did you hear what I said? I want my drugs back! I need em!”
Locke- “Yet you gave them to me. Hmmm?”
Charlie regrets it, “I’m sick, man. Cant’ you see that?!”
Locke isn’t deterred by any of this. He tells Charlie that he thinks he’s a lot stronger than Charlie knows. “And I’m gonna prove it to you. I’ll let you ask me for your drugs three times. The third time I’m gonna give em to you. Now just so we’re clear…(he flips open a knife) This is one.” Charlie asks why he’s doing this, “To torture me? Just get rid of them and have done with it.”
 But if Locke did that Charlie wouldn’t have a choice, “And having choices, making decisions based on more than instinct is the only thing that separates you from him. {Boar} Locke walks over to the trapped hanging boar and slits its throat. Charlie is disgusted.

At the beach, Sayid is working on triangulation for the radio signal. “Three antenna. Three points of a triangle. One here on the beach. Another Kate will position in the jungle roughly 2 kilometers in. {He hands Kate a watch not the one from his wrist.} And the third, I’ll take the high ground, up there.
If the French transmission is coming from somewhere within our triangulation, I’ll be able to locate the source.  But there are two complications…The power cells I grafted on to the antennas are dry. There’s no telling how long they’ll last. A minute. Maybe more, maybe less.” {Three minutes? lol} Smart Kate realizes they have to wait until they’re in position before they switch them on. Boone asks how they’re going to be able to tell when they’re in the right position, “We have no way to communicate with each other.”  Sayid presents three bottle rockets, “Thank god for firework smugglers.”  When Sayid’s in position he’ll fire his rocket. When Kate and Boone see it, they’ll fire off theirs. As soon as the last one has gone up, they’ll all switch on their antennas.
Kate-“You said there were two complications.”
Sayid tells her the battery in the transceiver is dead, without the transceiver all of this is for nothing. Something from a laptop computer would probably work but he’s not been able to find anything.
Kate- “I think I might know where to look.”

Kate chats with Sawyer at his new digs, “You’ve been hording like a pack rat since the crash and you don’t have a single laptop.” Smiling Sawyer has been relaxing reading Watership Down, “We are testy. Still upset about your little break up? You and Jacko...”
Kate remarks it must be exhausting for him living like a parasite, “always taking, never giving.” Sawyer’s amused she’s got him pegged. Kate gets it now, he doesn’t want off this island because there’s nothing for him to go back for; nobody you miss and no one misses him. She doesn’t feel sorry for him; she pities him.
Sawyer reveals he does indeed have a laptop and gives Kate the battery, “All you had to do was say
please.”

 At the cave Charlie strums his guitar. Hurley is helping Jack carry “cinder block” filled suitcases. Jack packed everything he thought useful without leaving the others shorthanded. Charlie offers to lend a hand as his experience comes from lugging the band's equipment before they had roadies, “way back in the day.”










Charlie picks up a suitcase that has a broken zipper and medical supplies spill out. He was just trying to help. Charlie digs through the medical stuff. {That’s temptation for ya! Lol} He has a bunch of prescription bottles in his hands when Jack asks what he’s doing. Charlie complains of a headache. Jack looks at a prescription bottle “Diazepam” and mentions it’s for anxiety; its pretty strong stuff for a headache. {Well, couldn’t it still help Charlie?}   Charlie says he was looking for aspirin. Jack notices Charlie not looking too good. Charlie again insists it’s just a headache. So Jack suggests he get some water, maybe he’s dehydrated. He makes Charlie stop picking up the stuff and tells him to go take care of himself, “We don’t need you right now.” {Jack just had similar dialogue in White Rabbit.}

Charlie sits and picks up his guitar.
Bells toll.

Liam tells Charlie boy they can’t do this without him, “You are bloody Drive Shaft.” {Liam wears a dark hoodie} Two nuns in full habit walk by. {Black and White} Charlie warns Liam to watch the language. Liam explains this is their shot at the big time, “You don’t wanna be famous?”  It’s not about all that; Charlie only cares about the music.
Liam- “Yeah, your music, your songs that got signed. I’m just a clown with a pretty face that sings them. Now you wanna take away my chance to be somebody.”
Charlie tells Liam, “It’s not about you. Its…I love the band. It’s not who I am. Sometimes I just get lost in it.” Liam assures him it won’t happen because he’ll be there looking out for him, “We’ll look out for each other. All brothers do, right?” Liam starts to playfully hit him. “Wait. Wait! Just promise me one thing...” says Charlie. “If things get too crazy...no matter what...if I say we’re done... we walk away.” Liam agrees; they walk away but Charlie makes him promise. Liam looks into his eyes and says, “We walk away. You’re the rock god, baby brother.” The brothers run off playfully.

At the waterfall inside the cave, Jin tends to his hurt left wrist. Sun {wearing a thin strapped top} suggests the doctor take a look at it. Jin says its fine, “It will heal.” Jin asks Sun what she’s wearing as she is dressed indecently, “Cover yourself.” She defies him, “It’s too hot.”

Hurley carries the guitar case asks Charlie if it’s his. Charlie {working on a stick} seems flattered that Hurley asked him, wondering if he realizes Charlie’s the bass player for Drive Shaft. Charlie shares he wrote a bunch of tunes on that, “You all everybody.”   Hurley’s not impressed; he just delivers it via instructions from Jack who wants him to find another place for it. “He’s moving supplies and says it’s in the way.”  Hooded Charlie is mad.

{Jack is shining the light on Charlie's heart!} Hooded Charlie marches into another {hole} interior cave to confront Jack.
Charlie- “You know... a lot of people look up to me. They respect me. And you... you just treat me like I’m some bloody child, like I’m some useless joke.”
Jack doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Charlie goes on; gradually starts yelling, “Charlie’s not good enough to do this, Charlie’s just in the way, put Charlie up to that...Oh you’re gonna look out for me, yeah? We’ll look out for each other... That’s how it is. I’m not interested!” {Read that again! Who is Charlie talking about/to?!}
Jack wants him to calm down, “You’re not yourself right now.”
Charlie yells, “You don’t know me! I’m a bloody ROCK GOD!”
That triggers a huge cave in. Hooded Charlie gets out but Jack is trapped!

Hurley yells for Jack; see if he can hear him. He tells Charlie to go to the beach and get help and be sure to tell Kate. {Really?!} Charlie’s on it.

Sayid and Kate walk through the jungle to get in their triangulation positions. Kate asks Sayid about what they’re doing, chasing some phantom distress signal, what the odds of this working is. {Well, if it's Phantom, the odds are pretty shitty.}
Sayid- “No worse than the odds of us surviving that plane crash.”
Kate feels people survive plane crashes all the time.
Sayid- “Not like this one. The tail section broke off when still in the air. Our section cart wheeled through the jungle and yet we escaped with nothing but a few scrapes. How do you explain that?” Kate feels its blind dumb luck. But no one’s that lucky.
Sayid-“We shouldn’t have survived.”
Kate’s sorry, some things just happen, no rhyme, no reason.{Hmmm.}

Frantic Charlie arrives at the beach. He tells the group they need help because Jack’s trapped in the collapsed cave. “We don’t even know if he’s alive."

Michael recruits Scott, Steve and a couple of guys to aid in the emergency. Boone wants to help at the cave so he entrusts Shannon with the very important task of turning that antenna on {There’s a switch at the base}. He explains they’re triangulating the French signal. But the antennas power’s really weak so you have to wait until they fire their bottle rockets, then you fire this one, then you turn on the antenna. All at 5:00 sharp. Shannon, “The switch is where now?” Boone’s concerned, “Can you or can’t you do it?”  Little Miss Sunshine feels she can. Charlie’s on his way back to the cave but remembers he has to tell Kate the news. Sawyer tells Sport he just missed her, “Her and Mohammad headed into the woods about 10 minutes ago.”  Shirtless Sawyer knows which way they went so he’ll go tell her, “You keep doing, whatever it is you do around here.” Charlie’s insulted.

We hear a huge cheering crowd at the Drive Shaft concert. The Pace brothers seem to be having a good time on stage until Liam over steps his bounds by singing the chorus he’s not supposed to sing. This really pisses off Charlie. The girls chant for “Liam”.

The band makes their way down a dark hallway {Camera Flashes going off} to the green room. {PUSH} Waiting there are fans, girls, food, drinks, cameras and security.

 








Charlie confronts “happy partying/drinking” Liam about his singing the chorus.
Charlie sips a beer, “I sing the chorus to You All Everybody.“  {Flashes going off; pose for pics} Liam assures him it won’t happen again but the show was going so great, he got caught up in the moment and it seemed like the crowd wanted it. Focused Charlie understands, but tries to explain if they come in at the wrong times it causes an issue. Liam’s not really listening to him; he’s caught up with the exciting life of a rock star.  Charlie watches Liam with a blond chick and drugs head into a doorway marked B. “Chill baby brother.”  He closes the door on Charlie.      
 Charlie stares...









...Charlie just stands in the jungle,staring. 









At the caves, the Castaways have formed a (Human chain) line to aid in the removal of the rubble.   Jack is still in there. Michael wants them to wait so he can check things out before they start moving things around.  He has 8 years of construction work. Michael tells Walt {w/Vincent} to get back; he doesn’t want him by the rocks, “And take the dog with you.”  Walt suggests they get Mr. Locke.  Hurley tells them, “Locke’s out in the jungle killing stuff. Who knows where he is.”   Michael checks things out, “This area here is load bearing. We gotta dig where there’s no danger of the wall buckling in on itself.”   He finds another area, “We dig in here so the wall doesn’t collapse. Four at a time, by hand until we can find some kind of shovel. We take shifts and go slow…” Michael goes on directing the whole operation and Walt seems impressed with him.


Sayid and Kate still on their way. They are met up by Sawyer, who, by the way, ends up ahead of them. {How did he know that’s where they’d be? Plus he obviously knew another route to them, otherwise he would have been behind them!} Kate has a nasty attitude toward him. He just came to tell her something.
Kate-“What makes you think I'm interested in anything you have to say?"
Sawyer reconsiders his motive for being there and makes up another excuse. “I just came to tell you, you were right about me. That I don’t help anyone but myself. Well, here I am. Ready to pitch in.“

In the jungle Locke's skinning his hanging boar. Charlie wobbles over to him and shares the story about the accident and Jack being trapped in the cave in. Locke is unimpressed and undeterred; he continues to skin/cut up the boar but asks “Is anyone trying to get him out?”
Yep.
Locke asks why isn’t he with the rest of the people trying to get Jack out. He doesn’t answer.
Locke- “You didn’t come here to tell me about Jack. Did ya?”
Charlie is nearing a breakdown, “I want my stash, Locke. I can’t stand feeling like this.”
Locke shows Charlie a moth cocoon. What’s in there is much more beautiful than a butterfly. Butterflies get all the attention, but moth’s spin silk, they’re stronger and faster.
Locke shows Charlie the little hole at the top of the cocoon. The moth is just about to emerge. “It’s in there right now, struggling.It’s digging its way through the thick hide of the cocoon. Now, I could help it. Take my knife,gently widen the opening and the moth would be free. But it would be too weak to survive. Struggle is nature’s way of strengthening it. Now this is the second time you’ve asked me for your drugs back. Ask me again and it’s yours." {Locke presents the drugs in the hand he was just holding the knife in! lol!!}





















Back at the caves, they break through the rubble.
Michael announces, “We got a hole!”
Hurley yells in there to see if Jack can hear him. They hear him.
Jack-“I’m pinned. I can’t move… I can’t move!”
Jack- “Charlie was with me.”
They let him know Charlie’s OK. He made it out. Michael yells in to Jack that they're going to get him out of there.

At their mark, Sayid says they will place the second antenna here. He also tells helpful Sawyer to attach the antenna high up in the tree. Sawyer climbs the tree.  Sayid tells Kate, “5:00. Watch for my flare. Then it’s your turn. I don’t trust him.”
Kate- Who does?” {Who?! Sawyer? lol}
Sayid- “I don’t trust him with you.”
Kate can handle him.

Michael tells the group they can’t make that tunnel any bigger, “But since Jack can’t get out, one of us is gonna have to go in and unpin him.”  Someone “smaller”.   Jin offers something in Korean… Hurley says, “Dude. We don’t understand Chinese.”  Michael corrects Hurley, “Korean, man. They’re Korean.”  {How does Hurley not get that they’re Korean by now?}  Hooded Charlie offers to go in and help Jack. {Removes his hood}
Michael- “No man. You’re still too shook up…”  Charlie insists he’s the one to go in by showing the rest that they’re needed by someone close to them, but he’s alone here on the island.  Michael lets him go.

Kate stands nervously waiting for 5:00, constantly checking her watch.  Sawyer calmly tells her it, “Still aint five, just like the last time you checked your watch.”
Kate doesn’t want to miss Sayid’s signal, “Remember, I’ll fire the flare, you set off the antenna.” Sawyer thanks the good lord he’s got her there to keep reminding him. Kate knows it’s a dirty job, but somebody’s got to do it.  Sawyer is curious about what gets her all weak in the loins about Doctor Jack. “The ladies dig the doctors.  Hell, give me a couple of band-aids, a bottle of peroxide, I could run ‘this’ island too.”
Kate-“You’re actually comparing yourself to Jack?”
Insulted Sawyer lets her know the difference between them isn’t so big,“I guarantee you if he had survived a few more weeks on “this island” you’d have figured that out.”
Kate- “What did you just say?”
Ahh, damn... Sawyer didn’t tell her. He reveals the word from the valley is Saint Jack got himself buried in a cave in. Kate’s shocked.
Sawyer-“Look at the bright side, now you have someone else to pity.” {Sawyer’s eyes are green, with envy perhaps?}
 Kate throws the bottle rocket at him and runs



Charlie flashes the flashlight on and off 4 times. Michael advises him to go slow; try not to nudge any of the rocks around him, “Good luck.” Boone gives him bottled water. They wish him safety and luck...
Dirty Charlie heads in to the dirty tunnel.

 
Cameras flashing.
Charlie walks down the light hallway to the green room. There are mirrors everywhere! Angry Charlie kicks the girls out. Liam tells them to come back in 5 minutes. Charlie confronts irresponsible Liam about missing sound check, not showing up for rehearsal; they’ve got a show in an hour.  Liam likes those things; he heads over to hit some drugs.


Charlie is displeased, “After tonight we cancel the rest of the tour...We walk away.”
Liam- “Are you off your head?”
Charlie says they’re walking away like they said they would if things go...“Go where?” asks Liam. Charlie feels Liam’s killing himself with this junk and destroying Drive Shaft.
Liam yells, “I am Drive Shaft!”
Hurt Charlie listens to him reveal that no one even knows who the sodding bass player is, “This is it Charlie. End of the rainbow. You really think you can walk away. Then what? Face it...If you’re not in this band what the bloody hell use are ya?”  Liam walks away telling Charlie to piss off.  Charlie takes a seat at the vanity and looks at himself in the mirror.  {Red streaks in hair. Black nail polish, 1 green nail DS ring} Charlie pushes the bottle of alcohol aside but picks up the heroin. {Heroin is hidden in film containers. BTW...Love all the rings in front of the hobbit.} He starts to cry.

He starts to cry. {We don’t see him use or drink.}

Charlie struggles his way through the dark tunnel. Things start to rumble in there. Concerned Michael yells for Charlie to “Move!”  Charlie moves faster, reaches the clearing where Jack is and the cave collapses behind him.  He is trapped with Jack. Charlie tells Jack, "I'm here to rescue you."{Ahhh Star Wars.}

Boone and Hurley are trying to figure out how move to get them out of there before they run out of air. Pacing Michael yells for them to stop talking; he’s trying to think.
 Kate runs in wanting to know where Jack is and does anyone know if he’s alive. Michael doesn’t know, “Charlie went in there through a tunnel that we dug, but it collapsed.”
Kate wants to know why nobody’s digging. She starts moving rocks herself. They all pitch in.

Charlie unpins Jack by moving the boulder that was trapping him. Jack's right shoulder is dislocated and Charlie will have to put it back in its place. (Juliet claims dislocated shoulder-a few times- in season 3}
Charlie feels he can’t do it!
Jack- “Yes you can.”
Charlie takes Jack’s hand and pulls as hard as he can.

Three chimes clank in the breeze. Sunglass wearing Charlie walks up the porch and knocks on the door. {Tricycle. 52}
The door opens. Liam happily asks what he’s doing here.
Charlie-“A bloke can’t pay his brother a visit once in a while?”
Clean cut, eyeglass wearing Liam welcomes him in, “Of course you can. Why didn’t you call? You lunatic. What are you doing in Sydney?”
Charlie tells Liam the plan he has all lined up; An 8 week tour opening for some band called Meatcoat. The first gig’s in Los Angeles.










Liam listens while pushing Megan in the swing; then he puts her in the sandbox. {Teddybear}
Charlie goes on to say this is their chance to get back on a “real” label, “This is our comeback.” {tiny toy keyboard.}
Liam replies, “Charlie, I don’t want to comeback.” {Say that again.}
Charlie explains the thing is they won’t book Drive Shaft without him, “So I’m asking... as a brother...the way you asked me.”
Liam appeals to Charlie, using the “Night I missed Megan’s birth” bit, “You were the one I stumbling around Dresden with trying to find a sodding fix.”
Liam notices Charlie’s still using {Shaky hand} and that’s why Charlie hasn’t been retuning his calls. Charlie tells him not to change the subject and he lost his sodding number. Apparently Charlie told Liam he would get help.  Charlie blames Liam for doing this to him, “It was about the music! Music, Liam. You took that away from me.”
Liam offers Charlie to stay with him and Karen a few weeks as Sydney’s got some really good programs. Charlie is annoyed and walks away.  Liam asks him to please stay, “I’m just looking out for ya!”
Charlie yells back, ”You never looked out for me!”
No response from Liam.Charlie turns to leave, “I have a plane to catch."

In the cave Jack asks Charlie, “How longs it been since your last fix?”
Almost a day and a half. Jack asks about the withdrawal, “Any hallucinations?”
Charlie- “Apart from the conversation I had with you about an hour ago in the jungle?... No, not really.” {That is very interesting.}
Jack feels if Charlie had said something he could have helped him through this.
Charlie- “You think I’m useless and a junkie to boot.”
Jack tells him he’s not useless, “That took a lot of guts getting in here and trying to rescue me. I won’t forget that.”
Charlie- “For the rest of our lives?” At the rate their using their oxygen that won’t be too long.
Charlie- “This place...it reminds me of confession. Those little claustrophobic booths.”
Jack wouldn’t have taken him for a religious man. Charlie shares he used to be.
Charlie smiles, “Hey... You wanna hear my confession?...It might take a while”
Jack confesses that he’s no saint either. A moth behind Jack catches Charlie’s eye. He follows it.

The Losties are still working hard to get to Jack and Charlie. Michael wants Kate to take a break as they’ve got enough people to dig, “You keep going at this pace, you’re gonna kill yourself. Kate goes on working removing rocks.
Charlie sees light up to where the moth flew, “I can see light.” He looks up and digs.
 Kate removes more rocks. Charlie with his flashlight, crawls forward through the tunnel. He then is able to push his way through the earth above him, clearing the way. They get out! Charlie saves the day!!!! WOOOOOHOOOO!

The Losties continue to dig.
Walt, who’s playing ball with Vincent, announces, “Hey! It’s the Doctor!” {What about Charlie? Lol} In stroll Jack and Charlie. Kate runs up to Jack and hugs him tight. Jack’s happy to see her too. Jack tells them they were able to get out because Charlie found a way out. Hurley hugs Charlie, “Dude. You rock!” They congratulate Charlie and welcome them both back.

 Sayid looks at his watch. {Puts his watch wrist to his head} He launches his bottle rocket, “Alright everyone. Now it’s your turn.”

Shannon {'Is in Malibu part of the year'} launches hers, but may have forgotten to do it if the girl didn’t bring the other launched rocket to her attention. 
 
Sayid waits for “One more.” {He thinks Kate’s doing the launch} The rocket is launched. Sayid gets a signal on the transceiver and asks aloud, “Where are you?” He gets hit over the head with a stick and is knocked out.

In the caves hooded Charlie is suffering withdrawal. Jack is with him. Hurley asks Charlie if he’s feeling okay. Jack quickly answers, covering for Charlie and says he has the flu. Charlie sees Locke roasting the boar and tells Jack he’s going to go stretch his legs. Excited Walt tells Michael, “This place is cool. Can we live here?”  Michael doesn’t answer the question; he looks over at Sun who is folding clothes on the other side of the cave. {What’s that about?!}

Kate gives Jack his very first sling. She made it. {Wow.}
Kate- “So these are the safe caves you’ve been going on about.”  Jack feels this was a fluke. Michael checked out the integrity of the rest of the cave, it’s OK. Kate’s headed back to the beach because if Sayid’s plan worked then they’re one step closer to getting off this island.  Jack seems disappointed. He thanks her for the sling.

Charlie asks Chef Locke for the drugs a third time. He tells Locke he’s sure about wanting them and he’s made his choice. Locke hands him the drugs. Charlie tosses them into the fire. Locke is proud of Charlie, “Always knew you could do it.”
Charlie looks up and sees a moth fly away. He removes his hood. 
Locke is pleased. Charlie is free!!









The Moth is a GREAT episode! Things are all connected and intertwined. No matter what happens on the “Island”, in “Flashes” or with other Castaways, events we see not only reflect the issue at hand but they seem to blur together. Interesting, huh?

Things to note... Questions to ask...
* Eye color changes. Always pay attention to all of their eyes in ALL the episodes, even in "Flashes". * Light. Dark. Even Liam’s eyeglasses.
* Real. Not real.
* Remember. Forget.
* Source. Distress code. Signal. Transceiver. Laptop computer. Battery. Bait. Territory.
* 1. 2. 3. 4. 8. 16. Numbers.
* Net. Shift. Flash. Flash memory.
* Languages. Understand. Cover up.
* Mental and Emotional Health: Pain. Anger. Loss. Torture. Regret. Addiction. Withdrawal. Bad choices. Feeling trapped. Walls caving in. Anxiety. Nervous. Attitude. Sad. Phobias. Kill yourself. Sick. Head. Ego. Envy. Addiction.Lunatic. Hallucinations. Pride. Mirror/reflect Confess.Integrity. Safe. Self.
* Thank God for fireworks smugglers. Lol! Otherwise how would they pull off this mission? Get in position, synced/timed execution of the bottle rockets, territory. Sounds very military and game-like to me.
* Chill. Cool/Hot. Heat. (Opposite-opposition)
* Odds. Chance. Choice.
* Do some have a connection to the caves?
* It is finally acknowledged in this episode about the plane “crash”. Maybe they were NOT a real plane crash? {YEP!}
* Band= Circle-loop-vinyl record.
* I’m sure the words I highlight will take on two meanings.

Vocabulary and Research... 

** The Moth The first computer bug. On September 9th 1947, when the primitive computer was experiencing problems, an investigation showed that there was a moth trapped between the points of Relay #70, in Panel F.
* 1). Triangulation in Chess a maneuver in which one player moves a piece (often a king) in a triangular pattern in order to force the opponent to make a weakening move.
2). Triangulation in family dynamics: a phenomenon described in some dysfunctional families.
3). Triangulation in politics: the act of a candidate presenting his or her ideology as "above and between" the left and right side of the political spectrum.
4). Triangulation in Social Science: the use of multiple cross-checked sources and methodology.
5). Term is used in math and computer science.
* The original Microsoft Windows Entertainment Pack (WEP) is a collection of simply-designed computer games. Here is a complete list of the original Microsoft Windows Entertainment Pack titles: Chess. Chip’s Challenge. Cruel. Dr. Black Jack. FreeCell. Fuji Golf. Go Figure! Golf. IdleWild(screen saver). JezzBall. Jigsawed. Klotski. Life Genesis (based on Life simulation). Maxwell’s Maniac. Pegged. Pipe Dream. Rattler Race. Rodent’s Revenge. SkiFree. Stones. Taipei. Tetravex. Tetris. Tic Tac Drop (like connect four). TicTactics. TriPeaks. Tut’s Tomb. WordZap.
* SOS is the commonly used description for the international Morse code distress signal • • • — — — • • •)
* Diazepam (first marketed as Valium.) It possesses anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, hypnotic, sedative, skeletal muscle relaxant and amnestic properties. It is commonly used for treating anxiety, insomnia, seizes, muscle spasms, alcohol withdrawal and benzodiazepine withdrawal. It may also be used before certain medical procedures (such as endoscopies) to reduce tension and anxiety, and in some surgical procedures to induce amnesia.
* Phantom: 1). apparently seen, heard or sensed, but having no physical reality, a ghost or apparition; something elusive or delusive. 2). An image that appears only in the mind; an illusion.





It is obvious what this episode is primarily about... Heart and the power of "self". It is a beautiful story. We see the metaphor of these people in a state of feeling “lost”. It's not only about Charlie’s addiction, but baggage that burdens the other Castaways. An example is Jack is pinned and can’t move. I'm sure there are times when many of us have felt we were in a 'dark' place and needed to find our way out of it. I'm not a religious person... Just like Charlie I went to catholic school and church every Sunday. Who would have thought?! Lol! Anyway, we learned about the number three being the symbol of the holy trinity. This episode did include religious imagery; church, confessional, Virgin Mary statue, number 3. These things seem to be part of Charlie; who he is. Charlie felt the band wasn't who he was. Charlie did find his strength and freed himself, ON HIS OWN! He faced his past, temptation, anger, etc.. He made a choice and stuck to the decision to move forward from addiction.

Locke, although he was a wonderful teacher and guide for Charlie, I can’t ignore he used Charlie as bait. {We're going to keep that little bit of info for another time!} It's very interesting that Locke doesn't freak out when he hears the news about Jack, he seems to really only be focused on Charlie.

Pain, hurt, choices and other emotions can devastate us in to an existence of feeling alone and totally lost. Can we heal from these things? Can we emerge into a new self once we come to terms with the past and forge a new future? Charlie may be on his way, but Jack made need a bit of help. I gotta go listen to Pink Floyd’s, The Wall.

Love to all who are "LOST"™


Posted on MySpace June 28, 2007

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.