"The New Man in Charge"

Let's talk about LOST!  The New Man in Charge.

Here are my notes  about the long awaited 12 minute epilogue; which I will write up in the vein of the Missing Pieces Mobisodes. Remember to click the pics because they're posted here for a reason.

Epilogue "The New Man in Charge"

Orote Peninsula, Guam: Dharma Logistics Warehouse
                                                      THE PRESENT   {uh, as in "gift"}

Two Dharma men {Provisions} are working in the warehouse.   We get a shot of the printing press label maker with  its "backwards/mirror image" plate.

Glen- "How soon do you get those peas labeled?"
Hector-"I don't know. Couple hours."    {He hand cranks and hand cuts the labels.}
Glen- "Hurry it up, man. I already got the rest of the palette loaded."
Hector- "I don't know why you're always in such a hurry, man."  {The fucking White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland!}
Glen- "That's why. We're gonna miss our launch window. I don't wanna be up half a night loading damn boxes."

Ben- "Excuse me."   {Ben wears an Island shirt under his blazer.}
Glen- "Who the hell are you? How'd you get in here?"
Ben- "My name is Benjamin Linus. I'm from the Home Office."
Hector- "Nobody from the Home Office has ever come out here."
Ben- "There's a new man in charge, he sent me."
Glen- "Sent you to do what?"
Ben- "Tie up a few loose ends. Your services are no longer required, gentlemen. Closing this place down. So, you're free to go."
Hector- "But we've been loading the palettes under the drones for like...20 years now."
Glen- "What are we supposed to do?"
Ben- "This is your severance pay. I'd say you can do pretty much anything you want." {Ben hands them envelopes of American cash in hundreds}
Glen- "So, work with the Dharma Initiative?"
Ben- "The Dharma Initiative hasn't existed in almost 20 years."
Hector- "That's not true. We still get a teletype before every drop."
Ben- "It's automated. Comes from the Lamppost station in L.A.. There hasn't been a person posted there since you two started. That's why the man in charge has me going around closing up shop."
Glen- "Lamppost station?"
Ben- "I've already said more than I should've. Before you leave, please lock the doors, turn out the lights."
Hector- "Wait. You can't just walk out of here. We deserve answers!"
Ben- "All right. Before I go I'll let you each ask a question. But just one. So, make it count."
Glen - "Where have we been sending these palettes? Where are they dropped?"
Ben- "An Island."
Glen- "How's that possible? The coordinates are different every time."
Ben- "The Island moves."
Glen- "How does the Island..."
Ben- "Uh-uh! One question. Your turn." {Technically Glen got to ask three.}
Hector- "We're on Guam. So this Island is somewhere in the tropics, right? So explain this. Polar bear biscuits. How is there a polar bear on a tropical island?"
Ben- "Polar bears, actually. Plural. You guys have a DVD player?"

Ben- "So we watch it together and then we all leave. Is that a deal?"
Hector- "Deal."
Glen- "Deal."
Ben- "Sorry about the quality. It's a transfer from an old Betamax." {Ben pockets a Dharma granola bar and eats a Dharma granola bar}

The film/dvd begins...{Be warned! This video is riddled with skips, warps, glitches, and missing bits.}
1 of 6

Dr. Pierre Chang {Wearing a Swan station logo medical/lab white jacket}-  
"Hello, I am Dr. Pierre Chang. And this is the orientation video for station one of the Dharma Initiative, the Hydra.  For purposes of security, please do not divulge my name to any outside parties. I wouldn't want to have to resort to using an alias in the future.   The chief purpose of this station is to conduct biological and behavioral research on various animal, bird and marine subjects. {6 caged rabbits}  Here are some of the duties you may be asked to perform... {A crazy voice says "Hurley. Hurley"} ...Genetic alteration.  These fascinating hybrids, or "hy-birds" as we call them, will be released and monitored to see how they adapt to the unique properties of the island... successful advanced studies in larger mammals.  Ursus maritimus, or polar bears, possess a keen sense of memory and adaptability.  These traits make them ideal candidates for electromagnetic studies that will be conducted at a secondary site where their comfort in cold temp... It's important when dealing with the bears that you do not show affection or become attached in any way.  Also, do not underestimate their intelligence and cunning. These rules must always be followed. I repeat, the bears are not your friends.  Rewarding the bear with a fish biscuit, once it has successfully performed a complex puzzle. After the training is completed, you will tranquilize the bear. Affix this tracking device around the subject's neck.  At which point it will be transported to the Orchid station for the next phase of research.  Remember, be sure to confirm that the female bears have not been impregnated before transport, as the electromagnetic levels at the Orchid have an extremely harmful effect on early term gestation.   As you've already learned, we do animal research here at Hydra.  Unfortunately, one must consider the most dangerous animal of all... humans.  And so, there is another more secluded test site, where we are conducting significantly more sensitive work. The island's indigenous population, some of you may have heard them referred to as "Hostiles", are acquired on the main island, sedated and brought here, to Room 23. {A "dummy/mannequin" is shown strapped in, in place of a person.}   Because the subjects are unwilling participants, security personnel should always be present during these sessions. Under no circumstances are you to engage subjects in conversation.  The purpose of these interrogations is to better understand the Hostiles' way of life, their origins, and particularly their worship of an island deity they refer to as "Jacob".    After the research team has concluded their tests, inject this into the back of the subject's neck.   Then place these goggles over his or her eyes. Hitting this switch will commence the visualization while the drugs take effect.  {The lights turn off, loud techno music plays while the video shows images and quotes} The dream-like quality of the film combined with the cutting edge pharmaceuticals will create an amnesia of sorts.  Any memory of his or her interrogation will be effectively wiped clean.   While these interrogative measures may seem extreme, rest assured, they are vital...to temporary truce with the Hostiles is not violated.  This concludes your orientation of the Hydra station. Good luck and remember do not discuss the nature of these experiments with other members of the Initiative.  
Enjoy your time here on Hydra Island. Namaste and good l..." 

The two men are stunned.

Hector- "I think we're gonna need to see that again."
Ben-"Sorry, we're out of time." {Ben collects his DVD}
Hector- "What did they do to those bears? And what the hell's a 'Hostile?"
Ben-"Goodbye, gentlemen. I have another call to make. Namaste."  {There is an obvious buzzing of a fly/bug}

SANTA ROSA MENTAL HEALTH INSTITUTE

Ben is wearing the same clothes as he wore to the warehouse in "Guam".
Ben- "Hello, I'm here to see Keith Johnson."
Nurse Susie Lazenby- "Are you on his visitor's list?"
Ben- "No. But I'm sure if you give him this note, he'll want to see me."


Walt, a kid in a grownup mental institute,  plays Connect Four solo in the game/rec room.
{The same familiar artwork and colorful cutouts decorate the room}
Ben- "Hello, Walt." {He doesn't call him Keith}
Walt-" What are you doing here?"
Ben- "Like my note said, a friend of yours sent me."
Walt- "I don't have any friends."
Ben- "We all have friends. Even me."
Walt- "You here to kidnap me again?"
Ben- "I'm genuinely sorry about that. But what's done is done. I can't change the past. I can only take responsibility for it. Walt, I understand what you've had to go through. I know the difficulties you've had pretending to be someone you're not.   {Walt takes off the legs of the Connect Four grid} Walt, I'm here to help you."
Walt- "Why?"
Ben- "Because you're special. And I bet nobody's told you that in a very long time."
Walt- "What good does that do me?"
Ben- "We need you. You have work to do. Starting with helping your father."
Walt- "My father's dead."
Ben- "Doesn't mean you can't help him. Will you go with us, Walt?"    {Ben places a wrapped DI granola bar on top of the red game pieces. Walt picks it up.}

Outside the building at night, Ben is encouraging cautious and unsure Walt as they walk through the picnic area and get into a blue Dharma van.
Ben-"Come on, it's OK. You ride shotgun."
Hurley-"Dude."
Walt- "Hurley."
Hurley- "It's great to see you, Walt."  {Jacob music plays}
Walt- "I kept hoping one day somebody would come back for me. They said I was crazy."
Hurley-"You're not crazy, dude. Not even close. You just need to get back to the island, that's all. It's where you belong. It's where you've always belonged."
Walt- "Why?"
Hurley- "I wanna talk to you about a job. All right, Ben, let's get out of here. It's time for us all to go home."
Ben starts the van and they drive away.

Things to Note...Questions to ask...
* Everything blurs together!  "This Place"-the "Island"-Guam-Santa Rosa-On "Island and off "Island", etc.
* Ben and Hurley travel to and from the "Island".   If you have to be sedated to "transport" to the "Island" then who sedates and wakes the other?!! lol
* The {"Hy"- "high"} bird is in a covered darkened cage...SLEEPING!  Drugs! Altered State of Consciousness!
* Confined. Alone. Solitary. Shutoff. Shutdown
* The Hydra Station is number 1; the Orchid Station is next step of the research.
* Computers, Programs, Drones, Machines. {"acting" on behalf of a human.}
* Drugs-High (hy), Hallucinogens, Sedatives, Tranquilize, Injections, Hypnosis, Brainwashing.
* Mind games, manipulation.
* GAME. Rules.
* Dream.  Dreamlike
* Mental health. Feeling alone. Lost. Santa Rosa.
* Tabula Rasa
* The Lamppost station is automated; hasn't had a person there in 20 years and The Hydra video shows a dummy/mannequin in place of a human
* What is real and what is not real?
* The "date" on the printout is not a real date.
* The "Island" is a place of learning.  An Institute is also known as a place of learning.
* Faraday's rat maze
* Tests. Experiments.
* Challenges
* Walt's name is Keith Johnson.
* Walt is presented with a "job".
* Walt is not 20 years old and we just learned the DI hasn't existed in almost 20 years.
* What does "dead" really mean?
* Walt is wearing a zip up hoodie like Michael and Hugo wore in Everybody Loves Hugo
* You need to consume a Dharma food product to be "transported" to the "Island".  The use of sedative and/or hallucinogen is what brings you to the "Island"
* The Island moves...is the "Island" really a ship?
* The handle on the door to Room 23 is like one that is on a refrigerated room or meat locker.
* Candle, Halliwax, Wickmund all represent "light".
* The Lamppost's "church" ends up being the place where Jack, Christian and friends are embraced by the warm bright "light".  The "light" lives in all of our hearts and the heart of the "Island".  Ah, lovely metaphors at work.
* The Dharma Initiative info from the film/dvd brings us back to the information we learned in the first ARG "The LOST Experience". 
 - I also want to provide you with The Psychology test video from The LOST Experience from back in June of 2006.

Vocabulary and Research...
* Logistics-word comes from "Pertaining to logic"

* Hydra- Also means a persistent or many-sided problem that presents new obstacles as soon as one aspect is solved.

* Drone-
   1). A Bee, a male wasp, a male ant.  (BUG)
   2). An abbreviation referring to one of two psychoactive drugs (Mephedrone "Methoxymethcathinone"), commonly known as methedrone

* Hostile-  opposed in feeling, action, or character.
   2). characterized by antagonism
   3). angry, aggressive, not warm, unfriendly or hospitable
   4). enemy
   5). alien

* Bear- carry, convey, transport, ferry, fetch, move,pack, take, transfer
  - Mental state, Endure,
  -Refuse to throw away,
  -Give birth.
  -Bare- To uncover, reveal or expose.

* Peas are contained in a pod.
* Indigenous-inherent; feelings indigenous to human beings.



What the "hex" going on?!  Well, people, things and places are not what you think...Ha, imagine that.

First...For those of you who feel disappointed that we didn't get a look at life on the "Island" under its new management...We did!!  Because it's all "the Island". 
They are NEVER out of the confines of the "ISLAND" or whatever the "Island" really is. We've all been down the rabbit hole which just happens to be over the rainbow in OZ.

It is obvious (and not all in my head) events and places we've seen in the six years happened within the "confines" of the "Island" adventure.  It was shown all over this 12 minute epilogue.
This also connects my Wizard of Oz-Alice in Wonderland idea...what we saw happened in a sleep state and/or altered state of consciousness where things are blurred together. 

This Zen Buddhism based journey involves altered states of consciousness and levels of consciousness (sleep state), and states of existence/being along the path.  The "Island's" role in this may also be aided with the addition of mediation, sedation, drugs, hypnosis, and/or even a computerized merged reality experience...the matrix.

If everything is really occurring and blurred within the confines of a specific space, one with distinct boundaries, then we still need to wonder...where this place is.   Is it all completely in the mind, consciousness/subconscious {with the use of drugs and or meditation aided by machine/computer}
or is it literally on an island or in a building or a prison, or are they on a ship in confined pods?  Is it possible that this adventure can happen all while you're in the comforts of your own home?

Let's look at the first part of what we're shown:
The "cutting edge" out of existence Dharma Initiative has only two clueless dudes in "Guam", hand cranking labels and packing pallets on autopilot (Automated) for 20 years! They don't even know about the Lamppost station. Really?!   These people are literally "trapped in a fucking box"!
Not only are we being shown the DI surviving under an auto-piloted front, but we're also seeing more people who are metaphorically "stuck" and oblivious that there is a whole entire world out there that they could and should be living in.  These two men are living in a redundant cycle with no comprehension of how to do it any other way.
Interestingly Ben, who just turned Glen and Hector's lives upside down,  limits the men's questions and is obviously restricting them from learning more even though they are curious.  Ben's entire demeanor is very mysterious and cunning and kind of suspicious.
Walt, a child who is residing at a mental institution for adults {I've only ever seen adults there}, is called upon by Ben via Hurley.    Hurley, Jacob-like, wants to talk to Walt about a "job" but also refers to Walt belonging on the island and also feeling positively that it's time to get out of there and that it's time for all of them to go home.  Is it just Walt's turn to watch the "Island" or is he "indigenous/hostiles" to the "Island"  {Ahem, as Candle mentions "there are"} and is he just being returned?   And I must ask what Walt's "special" role on the "Island is; although now we see he must become the new man in charge.  Is his role to take the place of the Jacob or MIB identity?   {John was "special" and connected with Smokey.}   Hurley states it's time for "all" of them to go home, so if the "Island" and the outside world are not really of the same space is Hurley gathering up all the natives to return them to the "Island" as well, or are they just all ready to go home?  Where is home?   It must be somewhere over the rainbow.

Are we still the victims of a Long Con?   Well, there continues to be a game element and the story still reeks of "Smoke and Mirrors", magic, illusion and lots of razzle freakin' dazzle.

The still seemingly vague and inconclusive {glitchy} information we received from the Hydra orientation film connects many things we learned in the first ARG, The LOST Experience.  Do I disregard any of that valuable time consuming researched shit load of information I learned with playing that game?  Nope.  Because we know and accept this story is multi layered.  Nevertheless, I found this Hydra Orientation film to be filled with a plethora of insight and answers.

We have been fed hints to breeding and "using" the natives of the "Island" all of these years along with the path to enlightenment part of the story.   Keep in mind the story is a wonderfully huge metaphor being narrated via all the puzzling problems and imagery we see on and with the "Island".    So the information Candle gives us can be perceived as him talking about Jack, John and the rest of the  people on the "Island" and not "bears" and "birds". 

But who knows, maybe Walt is a hybrid {or really  a "hy" bird, as in they're all "high", again as Candle outright states},  maybe they all are.   Or they're all Hostiles, native to the "Island" and they're the ones being broken down and reprogrammed. 

Marvin Candle's drivel about the viewer not telling anyone his name lest he be reduced to needing an alias is total nonsense, but his statement, "The Hostiles are acquired on the main island, sedated and brought here" is not.
Think about it...Are we really talking about "hostiles", as in natives to an actual island or are we really talking metaphorically about angry and lost people?  Have we witnessed the literal kidnapping of natives to an island and their being used as test subjects by the Dharma Initiative or about is it about a lost person who can't bear his burden any longer and is in need of a life changing journey to put him in the right light so he can live the life he is meant to live.  That may be a form of therapy or rehabilitation.   It very well may be that it is a combination of some of these clues.
We can watch the orientation footage literally, accepting the information Candle is telling the viewer as facts regarding the D.I. and their "programs".   And you can watch it understanding the subliminal and metaphoric connections to Jack, John, Hurley and the rest of the Castaways while ignoring the bits about the DI and their programs.  Of course you can also watch it while mastering how all of those factors fit and work together.

The visual of the white rabbits in the orientation video again for  me, correlates to a trip down the rabbit hole and not to some gobbledygook Marvin Candle's video is trying to distract us with. 

Hurley, the new man in charge, seems to be literally moving stuck people forward; liberating them.
Bah! Maybe he's just pushing the clueless people out.

"This Place"...the "Island" is a place of learning.  It doesn't matter if  you think it's run by a bunch of crackpot scientists, doctors, inventors, the military, actors, gamers or it's a real island that you can go on a journey to find yourself,  you're purpose there is not only to be challenged and tested, but you will learn, heal and be free and reborn.   It is part of the journey to enlightenment.

I do want to reflect on a moment we spent with Hurley and his adventure on the "Island" with his being confused on whether "Island" events are real or part of his subconscious.  We're given so much important information from his friend, Dave.  Dave hints to things being faked.   But more importantly is the dialogue Dave has about the "need to wake up" Hugo.
Dave tries to get Hurley to fall back off the cliff, not so he can kill himself but so it will "wake" him up.   Hugo perceives the going over the cliff as an act of physical death but what it really represents is a metaphoric "death", an ending and a means to bring you back to life.  It is very Zen.

So with this "Big Finale" it's time for us all to go home.   After all, Home is where your Heart is.  
It is also where you end up after you run all the bases on the field, or you work your way all the way around the game board indicating the completion of the game...back to home.

Now, if you're ready and only if and when you're really ready...
Come on, do it, I know you want to...Close your eyes, tap your heels together three times and think to yourself...There's no place like...Home.
...And now you can wake up.
At least until your next adventure, that is.

Love to all who are "LOST"™

Everybody Loves Hugo

Let's talk about LOST.     Everybody Loves Hugo.

"In a world full of conflict and strife...there is but one fact we all can agree upon...Everybody Loves Hugo. Born to humble surroundings, Hugo Reyes has always been a beacon of light for all who cross his path. Now Hugo's lifelong love affair with chicken led him to acquire and then expand the Mr. Cluck's chain into a worldwide phenomenon.  The exponential growth of Hugo's success was startling.  But financial success wasn't the end... it was the beginning. Hugo and giving became synonymous.  Parks, playgrounds, hospitals, the Mr. Clucks house for children. The philanthropy was unparalleled.   Which brings us to this evening and the opening of the Hugo Reyes Paleontology wing at the Golden State Natural History Museum. A lasting beacon of culture that bears the name of one of our cities greatest benefactors...Ladies and Gentlemen...our man of the year...Hugo Reyes."
When he stands to the applause of the room his mom looks unimpressed.

The "Flashes of snapshots" from Hugo's life is displayed during the speech.{A farm, as an infant/mom, baby, grand re-opening, w/box of chicken, Mr. Cluck's in Paris,Mt Fuji, Egypt, shaking hands with people at a Construction site/hardhats, w/NuNu, kids and chicken suit guy at a zoo w/elephant, ribbon cutting, experimental farm,etc.}

{Note: When Cheng says hospitals the image of Hugo in front of BOX2 is shown}
The master of ceremonies is Pierre Cheng/Candle/Wickman/Halliwax.

While leaving the event Hugo tells his mom about another event in his honor next Saturday night; The Human Fund. {The trophy is an opaque piece of glass in the cutout shape of a T-Rex.} "Can you make it?"    Apparently Hugo receives many trophies.
Unimpressed and bored Mom remarks that everybody loves Oo-go, "You know who doesn't? Women."
She feels Hugo needs a woman in his life especially on who has not "nursed" him. While Hugo feels he's too busy to meet someone his mom feels the real reason is that he scared. Hugo says he's not scared. This pleases mom as she reveals he has a date tomorrow with grandpa Tito's neighbor's daughter Rosalita; she agreed to lunch with him. When Hugo asks what she's like, angry mom replies, "Willing to meet you! You're going! She's gonna love you. And if she doesn't...we will find someone who does."
{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}
Hurley changes the dead flower to a bright new fresh one at Libby's grave marker at Boone Hill.

Hurley kneels down and talks to Libby. "A lot of crazy stuff's been happening. I kinda wish I could talk you about it in person. A lot of people come and talk to me when they've...you know...gone. It'd be nice if you did too."
Ilana walks over asking Hugo if he's ready to go. "Once I'm back we're leaving."   She says she's going to the Black Rock because they need dynamite to destroy the plane. Hugo asks if she's sure that's the right move. Ilana isn't sure, but it's the only move they have.
Hurley-"Well, you're the expert."  {Some expert, huh?}
Ilana asks whose grave it is.
Sad Hurley shares her name was Libby and was in the tail section of the plane. They were gonna have their first date, like a picnic and then she was murdered. Ilana is sorry.
Hurley-"Yeah. Me too."
Ilana walks away. Once alone Hurley hears whispers.
Michael appears and informs Hurley he's there to stop Hurley from getting everyone killed. Hurley stays quiet while holding his dead flower.
Michael-"You gonna say something?"
Hurley-"And why should I trust you? You murdered Libby and Ana Lucia."
Michael-"That doesn't right matter now. What matters is you going across that Island to blow up that plane. People are gonna die.  A lot of people and it's gonna be your fault. {What?!} Because people are listening to you now, Hurley!"
In the distance Jack calls "Hurley".    Jack wonders who Hurley's talking to.
Hurley-"No one."
Jack-"Come on. We're leaving."
{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}
Hugo is down to his last homemade tortilla chip in the basket. The waiter offers him more and starts to remove the other place setting but Hugo has him leave it because he's meeting someone and she's running late.
Waiter-"Right. Chips are on the way."
Hugo looks over the Spanish Johnny's menu.

Libby appears at his table. "Hugo."
Hugo looks over the top of the menu and sees this woman. He wasn't expecting someone like her; someone so pretty. He invites her to sit.
Hugo-"You don't look like a Rosalita."
She informs him her name isn't Rosalita, it's Libby.
Hugo-"So, you're not my blind date?"
Nope, she just saw him from across the room. She apprehensively mentions if she tells him how she knows his name he'll think she's crazy.
Hugo-"No I won't."
Libby reaches across the table and takes hold of both his hands. "Hugo. Do you believe that two people can be connected...Like soul mates?"
Hugo-"I guess."
Libby is getting teary eyed, "You don't remember me, do you?"
Hugo-"Should I?"
Dr. Brooks walks over and asks Elizabeth what she's doing. "Are you bothering this man?"
Libby claims Hugo to be an old friend. Dr. Brooks apologizes, explaining she wandered off.
Hugo-"Wandered off from where?"
Nearing tears, Libby tells Hugo that everything she said she meant.  They look in each other's eyes for a moment.
Dr. Brooks-"Forgive us."   He literally pulls Libby away.  Hugo is left surprised and confused.

Hugo walks outside to watch Libby get into the white van.  They wave at each other.
{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}
Ilana returns to the beach telling everyone they have to make it to the outriggers and across the channel to Hydra Island before nightfall. She tells Richard she retrieved four sticks of {totally shitty ruined sweaty leaking} dynamite; enough to destroy the cockpit and all the instruments. "That plane'll never fly."
Hurley doesn't think the whole unstable dynamite thing is a good idea. Ilana wants him to trust her because she's been training her whole life for this.
Hurley-"To blow stuff up?"
Ilana-"To protect you."
Hurley-"Yeah, but, how's blowing up the plane protecting us?"
Ilana starts piling water bottles into the dynamite bag, "With that plane gone, that thing wont be able to  leave the Island."
Hurley-"Yeah, well, neither will we. And then we'll be stuck here with it and then it'll be angry at us.
Ilana-"Jacob said Richard will know what to do.  And Richard said to blow up the plane, correct?"
Richard - "Yes."
Hurley- "Well, Jacob never said anything about it to me. I mean what if Richard's wrong?"
Richard is just watching Hurley.
Ilana-"Hugo, I'm looking out for your best interest...all of you!  Nothing is more important than this. That thing is evil. And god help us if it ever leaves this Island...Because if it eve..."
Upon jamming her last water bottle into her bag, Ilana is blown to bits!

Locke is whittling a very long stick with his big knife.  Sawyer asks him if it's going to be a spear.
Locke-"I'm not sure what it's gonna be yet, James. When the time is right, it'll tell me."
Sawyer-"You talk to wood now?"
Locke wonders if there's something Kate and Sawyer want him to do.
Frustrated Sawyer wants Locke to do "anything!"  He feels the bastards on the other Island grabbed Jin and they're just sitting around twiddling their damn thumbs doing nothing about it.
As he continues to whittle, Locke shares, "There's a difference between doing nothing and waiting."
Kate asks what they're waiting for.
Locke waves his knife-"You were only able to come back to this Island because you all did it together.  If we're gonna get on that plane and leave it has to happen the same way. We're waiting for your friends to get here, Kate.  Hugo, Sun, Jack.  That's the only way we're ever getting off this... god forsaken rock."
Kate-"Well I don't see that happening."
Locke-"Well let's just hope you're wrong."
Sayid saunters into camp and Sawyer asks him where he's been.  Sayid needs to speak to Locke in private; the two men walk into the jungle.  Sawyer suspiciously watches them
Locke wonders if everything went alright; did Widmore see Sayid.    Sayid mentions Widmore's people saw him.
Locke-"And you let them live?"
Sayid-"I didn't see the point of killing them when I had what I came for."
Locke-"So you found what they were hiding in the submarine?"
Sayid most certainly did. He led Locke to the reveal of peaceful Desmond tied to a tree.

Hurley walks over to Ilana's belongings.  Picks up a red covered book and the small sack of "ash"{Or diamonds}, which he takes.

Richard dumps a bag full of crap out and tells Ben they have to go get more dynamite or else "she" died for nothing.  Quiet Frank just watches.
Jack-"Maybe she died to show us to stay the hell away from dynamite."
That's a risk Richard is willing to take.  Jack tells Richard that he promised Sun that he'd get her off that Island and Richard wishes he didn't promise her that.
Richard-"If it makes you feel any better you can blame it on me."
Hurley thinks Richard is right and feels it's the only choice they've got, "Trust me, Jack."
Jack says okay, and motivated Richard suggests, "Let's get moving."
Although Hurley looks unsure.
{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}
A clerk at the counter at Mr. Cluck's chicken is calling out for number 38.
Hugo walks up to clerk {Jayden} and orders a family size bucket of chicken.
While Hugo sits a eats a woman is calling out the number 41.
Hugo looks around, as if "feeling" like he's being watched and does indeed see a man looking at him. It's sunglass wearing Desmond. He walks over as asks Hugo if he's seen him before.
With a fist full of chicken leg, Hugo reveals he owns the place and the guy might have seen his commercial; he asks Des if he wants a Cluckateer key chain.
Desmond seems confused, "No. It's not that."
After a few seconds of recall he asks Hugo, "Were you on Oceanic flight 815...a week ago from Sydney?"
Yeah, what a coincidence! Desmond automatically takes a seat while he asks Hugo if he minds he join him while he waits for his order. "OOh...That is a lot of chicken!"
Hugo-"I eat when I'm depressed."
Desmond smiles-"So what's her name?"
Hugo-"I met a girl on a blind date the other night."   {Night?! It was lunch...in the day!}
Desmond-"And it didn't go how you hoped."
Hugo is excited and shares that she's totally awesome except for one thing..."She's crazy."
Desmond-"Well all women are a little bit crazy, brotha."
Hugo-"No! This one actually lives in the looney bin. I mean I saw the van. She's full on nuts. I mean she started sane...but then she told me we already knew each other. And that...I'd remember!"
Desmond wonders if Hugo believed her and he says yeah, he kinda did.  Desmond whispers to Hugo to go with his gut and try to find out where she thought she knew him from before he gives up on her. Hugo is lost in thought. The clerk calls out "42. Order 42."  That's Desmond's order number!
Desmond-"It was nice bumping into ya."
{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}
Locke kneels down to talk to calm tied to the tree Desmond. He apologizes that Sayid tied him up but he was afraid Desmond would run before they had a chance to talk. Des doesn't blame him and explained he has nowhere to run to.  Locke feels that best argument against captivity that he ever heard, he doesn't know what is. He cuts Des free and asks him a couple of questions.
Locke-"Why did Charles bring you back to the Island?"
Desmond-"Considering I was kidnapped...you'll have to ask him."
Sayid confirms they had him under armed guard.
Desmond-"They threw me into a wood shack and blasted me with a massive amount of electromagnetism."
Locke wonders how he can be sure what he blasted him with.
Desmond-"Experience."
Locke-"Do you know who I am?"
Des replies matter of fact, "Of course...You're John Locke."
Locke instructs dead pan Sayid to head back to camp because he and Desmond need to take a walk. Sayid mechanically heads into the jungle. Locke holds out his right hand to Desmond to take, "Something I'd like to show you." {Who is showing who what?} Desmond takes his hand and Locke helps lift him up.

On their trek through the jungle stunned Ben remarks to the gang about Ilana and Jacob, "Kinda makes ya think, Ilana being handpicked by Jacob, trained to come and protect "you candidates", no sooner does she tell them who they are, then she blows up. "The Island was done with her. Makes me wonder what's gonna happen when it's done with us."
No cross wearing Richard has led them to the Black Rock. He wants to be the only one handling the dynamite so he's going in alone. It's at that moment he and the rest realize Hugo isn't with the group. {How does Hurley manage to vanish from the group undetected over the years?}
"RUN! GO! GO! GO! GO!" It's Hugo running from the Black Rock! It is blown to bits! {Only the ship, nothing else}
Richard is pissed, "Why the hell did you do that?"
Hugo-"I'm protecting us."
Richard-"What the hell were you thinking?! What are we supposed to do now?!"
Jack tells him to calm down.
Richard-"We're dead. We're all dead!"
Hugo sits alone. Miles tells him a warning might have been nice. Hugo did indeed say "run". He reveals to Miles that Michael told him to do that. Of course Miles doesn't know Michael so Hugo explains. "Michael. He's one of the people who come back and yell at me after they die. He told me I have to stop everyone from blowing up the plane, so...no dynamite...no more blowin up."
Miles-"That happen a lot? Dead people yelling at you?"
Hugo-"Happens enough."  {He thinks he gets yelled at?!!  WTF?}
Miles-"And you just...listen to whatever they say?"
Hugo-"Dead people are more reliable than alive people."   {And why would that be?! Think about it.}
{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}
Large photo of a tropical island.
Hugo {wearing a gray zip-up hoodie)sits in Dr. Brook's office wanting to see Libby.

Dr. Brooks doesn't think that's a good idea as she's not well.
Hugo-"Clearly she's well enough for like a fajita field trip."
Brooks feels that's his mistake; he mis-judged her condition.
Nervous Hugo-"Her condition."
Brooks-"She has issues with reality."   He doesn't think it "probably" would be a good idea for Hugo to see her right now, it'll only confuse her.
Hugo-"You said 'probably' which means you might make an exception?"
Brooks-"Perhaps for family."
Hugo-"Or a generous donor. The rec room looked pretty narly on my way in. What do you think 100K might buy?"   Hugo writes a check.

A patient releases the black and red chips from the Connect Four grid.  Visitor Hugo sits in the rec room waiting for Libby. The room is filled with child like artwork, cutouts, paint, alphabets W-7U,games, images of the Island, old dude playing a hand-held video game etc.

Excited Libby enters and wonders if Hugo remembers. He does not.
She's disappointed, "Then why are you here?"
Hugo-"Where is it you think you know me from?"
Libby's not sure, "I know it won't make sense."
Hugo-"Try me."
Libby-"A few days ago I was watching TV and one of your commercials came on... and the moment that I saw you it was like I was hit over the head all these  memories came washing back... of my life..only it was... another life."
Hugo-"What kind of memories?"
Libby-"There was a plane crash and uh, I was on an island."
Hugo-"And I was there?"
Libby-"I think so. We knew each other. We... liked each other.  And then when I got here it was almost like I'd been here before and for some reason, Hugo,  I have a memory of you being here too."
Hugo-"Um, this is the first time I've ever been in a mental hospital."
Libby-"Yeah, I know. But I can't get you out of my brain and that's why the other night when I saw you  I had to talk to you. Because if.. you remembered me..."
Hugo -"I wish I could, Libby, but I can't. I'm sorry."
Libby cries-"It's ok. It's ok.  I'm crazy."
Hugo-"Yeah, probably, but we all got something, right?  I mean it takes a lot of guts go up to a total stranger  and tell them you know them from some bizarro alternate universe. I'm scared just saying hi to a girl."
Libby-"You're doin fine."
Hugo-"Hey, can you ever like... get out of here? Umm, day pass or...?"
Libby-"Yeah. I'm here voluntarily."
Hugo-"Whoa. Would you like to do something?"
Libby-"You mean a date?"
Hugo-"Yeah."
Libby would love that.
{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}
"Remind me Desmond, how long were you down in that hatch pushing that button?", asks Locke.
 Desmond-"Three years."
Locke notes here he is back for more, "If I didn't know better I'd say this Island has it in for you."
Desmond-"Do you know better? There's nothing special about me, brotha. This Island has it in for all of us."
Locke-"Yes it does."    He sees a familiar young boy{brown hair} over Desmond's shoulder.
Desmond can see him too, "Who's that?"
Locke-"Just ignore him."
Desmond-"Do you know that boy?"
Locke-"I said ignore him!"    Desmond looks back at the boy, the boy smiles and runs away.

Back at the burning Black Rock motivated Richard decides he and Ben going back to the Dharma barracks because Ben thinks there is still grenades and explosives there.  Jack feels they should talk about this.  Richard feels there's no time to talk, but if Jack knows what they need to do , if he knows how to stop that thing from leaving the Island without blowing that plane up then they need to hear it.
Hugo declares they need to go and talk to Locke.
Richard-"Are you trying to get us killed?!"
It's not Hugo's idea, it's "his".    Hugo  points into the jungle at nothingness, claiming Jacob  to be there.    Richard calls Hugo on this and wants him to prove Jacob is standing there by asking Jacob "What the Island is".
Richard feels if Jacob is really standing there he'd know that he had told him what the Island is.
Hugo walks over and stands next to Richard stating he doesn't have to prove anything to him, "You can either come with me or you can keep trying to  blow stuff up. Your call, dude."
Richard looks Hugo in the eyes and announces Hugo's lying.
Richard-"Jacob isn't telling us what to do because Jacob never tells us what to do.  I'm gonna make this simple, if that thing leaves the Island that's it... it's over."   {Yes, it will be game over.}
Miles-"What's over?"
Richard-"Everything!  I'm destroying that plane and I could use all the help I can get.  Who's coming with me?"
Ben is going.  Miles tells Hugo he saw "that thing" in action and it doesn't want to talk, so he's going with Richard too.    Jack apologizes and feels if Jacob says we go talk to Locke, then they go talk to Locke. He's going with Hugo.
Richard-"Don't get in our way."   He and his tiny group heads out.
Jack-"Alright, Hurley...let's go talk to Locke."     Hurley looks troubled.

Hurley leads his group through the dark jungle.   Sun writes a note to Frank asking if they made a mistake.
Frank-"Probably."

Nervous Hurley asks Jack what he thinks they should say to Locke when they get there. "I mean...How do you break the ice with the smoke monster?"
Jack tells him not to worry about it because something tells him Locke will do most of the talking.  Hurley's scared he could just kill them all.   Jack seems nonchalant about it.   Hurley turns around to Jack and confesses he didn't see Jacob back there. He just said it because he wanted everyone to listen to him.
Jack-"I know."
Hurley wonders why Jack went with him.    Jack explains that ever since he got Juliet killed all he's wanted was to fix it, but he can't ever fix it.  "You have no idea how hard it is for me to sit back and listen to other people tell  me what I should do. I think that maybe that's the point.  Maybe...I'm supposed to let go."  {Yes, Jack. That is your lesson.}
Hurley remarks, unless his letting go gets them killed.   Going to see Locke was Hurley's idea, not Jacob's and  Jack is trusting Hurley.
Hurley feels it's a good thing he does, "'Cause I have no idea where I'm going."
They all hear whispers!
Hurley says it's cool because "I think I know what these things are."
He has the group wait there as he walks into the jungle alone.  He calls out for Michael "Hey you around?" and Michael walks out.   {It's a good thing Michael walked out and not some other gone folk.}
Hurley-"You're stuck on the Island, aren't you?"
Michael-"'Cause of what I did."
Hurley-"And... there are others out here... like you, aren't there. That's what the whispers are?"
Michael-"Yeah. We're the ones who can't move on."    {Can't.}
Hurley-"Do you know where Locke is?"     Michael points to a torch illuminated area down  in the valley.

Hurley asks Michael if there's anything he can do to help him.
Michael-"Don't get yourself killed."    He also asks if Hurley ever does see Libby again "Tell her I'm very sorry."  {Tell her yourself!!!}    Hurley smiles will be sure and do that. 
{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}
Hugo lays out a blue blanket on the beach for his picnic with Libby.  He brought six different kinds of cheeses.   Libby sits staring out at the ocean.   Hugo wonders if something's wrong.
Libby-"No. Not wrong...just...off."
She hasn't been "here" before but being there with Hugo is familiar to her, "Like a date we never had."  She realizes she sounds completely insane.  They both question each other about why they want to be with one another.
Hugo-"Come on, look at me."
Libby looks him in the eyes and tells him she wants to be with him because she likes him.  Hugo feels she likes him because she's delusional.   Libby just kisses him.  Hugo gets "Flash images" of he and Libby on the Island".   He opens his eyes and Libby asks what's wrong.  Hugo shares he thinks he's remembering stuff.   With this recall it may mean Libby isn't crazy.   Desmond has been sitting nearby in his car watching the two on the beach.

Locke has led Desmond to a  very old well.  Locke reads Desmond's mind in wondering how deep it is.  Locke tosses a lit torch into it and it sounds like it lands in water.    Locke teaches him that the people who dug the well did it completely by hand.  "God knows how long it took em."
Desmond-"It seems like a lot of  work just to get some water."
Locke-"Oh they weren't looking for water, they were looking for answers.  A long time ago places like the one we're standing at now made compass needles spin.  And the people holding the compasses needed to know why...so they dug."
Desmond-"Did they find what they were looking for?"
Locke-"No, they didn't.  The reason I wanted you to see this, Desmond,  is because Charles Widmore is not interested in answers, he's only interested in power.  And he brought you back to this island  so that you can help him find what he's looking for.    After all, this isn't the only well."
Desmond-"And that's the reason you wanted me to see this."
Locke is curious, "Why aren't you afraid?"
Desmond-"Excuse me?"
Locke-"You're out here... middle of the jungle...with me... not a person on earth even knows you're here.  Why aren't you afraid?"
Desmond-"What is the point of being afraid?"
Locke looks deep in Desmond's eyes, smiles and pushes him into the well.

Locke arrives back at his camp and informs Sayid that they don't have to worry about their "friend" anymore.
Curious Sawyer asks Locke where he's been.  Locke shares he went for a walk.   Sawyer feels now that Locke's stretched his legs...Sawyer's distracted by the arrival of Hurley.
Hurley-"I don't know who you are , dude or what you want..."
He appeals to Locke that even though both sides have weapons he wants Locke's word no one will get hurt or killed.  He gives his word that they're not going to do anything and he wants Locke's word to the same. So Locke hands his knife to him and gives his word.  Hurley tells the guys they can come out.   Out walk Frank, Sun {She doesn't automatically asks for Jin!}  and Jack.   Jack and Kate share a smile.   His gaze is broken when Locke says "Hello Jack."    Jack looks confused and concerned, Locke smiles.

{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}
At school Locke is making his way across the parking lot in his wheelchair.   Desmond is sitting in his car and spots Locke.   Educator Ben knocks on Desmond's window to inquire if he's waiting for someone in particular.  Ben notes Desmond has been parked at the school watching the kids.
Desmond doesn't have a kid who goes there and adds the lie of just moving to the neighborhood and is looking for a school for his son "Charlie".   Desmond keeps his eyes on struggling Locke.
Ben-"Well, as a teacher here I can vouch for it completely. It's a wonderful school."
Desmond finds this info great to hear and obviously ends the chat with Ben.  Ben still looks suspicious.   Locke is still wheeling his way up the little hill.  Des starts the car and speeds up intentionally hitting Locke.
Ben runs over to him, tells someone to call 911.
"Mr. Locke! Oh my god!  Don't, don't move.  We're gonna get you to the hospital. Mr. Locke...Mr. Locke... Can you hear me?!"
Watch when Locke starts to come around.

Everybody Loves Hugo is a GREAT episode!!

Why did Desmond hit Locke with the car?  Is it so Locke has to connect with Jack...or because Locke pushed him into the well?
Why did Locke push Desmond into the well?  Was it payback for hitting him with the car?
Which of these intentional events came first?  Hmmmm  It is possible things are not separate at all.

Child-like artwork, cutouts, play, toys, games, imagination, make believe and yes...even deep pain.
I can't help but sometimes "feel" like we are seeing our grown up Losties behave like children at the same time.
The unblemished innocence of a young child, the ability to feel safe, to have their minds open to nothing but wishes, dreams, imagination, fantasy, exploration and possibility.  All of this is what every child embodies until the ugly hand of society gets a hold of them.    When a "catastrophic" experience happens to a child it leaves them feeling alone, abandoned, and hopeless, with their strength shattered and dreams crushed.
With all this mention of children this season I can't help but wonder about Waaaaaaaalt.

The "Island" does indeed seem to be the place you go to find  yourself, to rediscover the person you left behind and need to connect with again, to learn to love, forgive and accept things so that you can move forward.
People who are unable or can't "move on" are stuck. Exactly! Aren't they all stuck on the "Island" looking for answers?
This episode is riddled with mental health issues and the connection of Libby, Michael and Hurley.  Add to this Michael's revelation about the whispers belonging to some that are "stuck" in this "Island" adventure/experience/game because they're the ones who can't move on.  Locke is "stuck" too.  They have not learned what they are there to learn, hence they are still there.
Maybe there are even ones that "can't"... simply because they "can't".   Michael never said they were dead and/or spirits/souls lost in between worlds.  The reveal was left with enough ambiguity to go in the direction of either a religious "purgatory" (Of course then this would mean this "Island" purgatory would enable the dead to die over and over and over again) or something completely simple.
Can't it be that they are "stuck" in the damn adventure?!   Possibly on another level/plane or outside of the experience with access to enter while the Losties are in an altered state?
Nowhere did Michael or Hurley say how their journey is happening or what the "Island" is!!  A contrived bloody snow globe where things are imagined and faked?  If so, how would it be purgatory?
Take a look at Michael's monitors from the episode Meet Kevin Johnson.
(Click the pic)

Voices/whispers in their heads: 

Schizophrenia: A severe emotional disorder of psychotic depth characteristically marked by a retreat from reality with delusion formation, hallucinations, emotional disharmony, and regressive behavior.   

Personality Disorder: severe personality disorder that develops in early childhood; characterized by a lack of control of anger, intense and frequent mood changes, impulsive acts, disturbed interpersonal relationships, and life-threatening behaviors.

Or the more common reason among the rest of us, we may hear whispers/voices is when you are in a half awake-half, {semi conscious} sleep state.

Things to Note...Questions to ask...
* Now we have "wells" to look down into instead of "hatches".
* I don't see Isabella's cross hanging around Richard's neck.
* Hurley lies/manipulates to get the people to do what he wanted.
* Real. Not real.  "Island" and off "Island" events blur together.
* So...where's Christian?
* Menu. Connected. Power. Channel.
* Marker. Chip. Move.
* Crazy. Insane. Santa Rosa. {Rosalita} Mental Hospital. The Looney Bin. Full on nuts. Depressed. Delusional. Issues with reality.
* Identity. 
* Memory. Mind. Head.  Brain.
* Believe.
* Desmond is #42 at Mr. Cluck's
* Game. Connect Four.
* Well. How many times was the word "well" said or shown in this episode?!
* Wrong. Not wrong-off.
* Wood Shack. Jacob's cabin. Mr. Cluck's chicken shack.
* What is with quiet observing Frank the pilot?
* When they blew up "the bomb" did that change things for the "stuck" people on the"island" too.  Shouldn't have?   Michael was told he can go by Christian.
* Desmond, Sawyer and Locke have seen the young boy.
* In Live Together Die Alone, Locke asked Desmond "How long did you say you were you down in the hatch?" Desmond replies-"3 years."
* Why would Hurley think the dead are more reliable than the living?  Maybe because the living can disappoint and hurt you.
* Jack mentions something to Ana Lucia about women being crazy.
* Why does Libby and Hugo say they met each other the other "night" when they met at lunch in the day?!!!!
* I don't recall mirrors for Hugo here.
* Hugo's commercial talks about sleeping under the stars and dreaming.
* Longing for family
* Is Locke still trying to bring the "family" back together.

Vocabulary and Research...
* The Human Fund is a nod to the show Seinfeld.  The Human Fund was a made up charity by George.  He created it in an effort to con his fellow workers, giving them the illusion he donated money for a gift/donation in their name.  Every aspect of  this was bullshit.
* Bump: The removal of passengers from an overbooked airline flight
- A dosage of some illegal substance (slang, most often in reference to cocaine)
- Bump (Internet), raising a thread's profile by returning it to the top of the list of active threads OR an abbreviation for "Bring up my post"
- Bump mapping, a computer graphics technique
* Записки из подполья: 1864 novel by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Translated to Notes from the Underground or Letters from the Underworld.
* Well: "Well-to-wheel", or Life cycle assessment.
- WELL: The Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link, normally shortened to The WELL, is one of the oldest virtual communities in continuous operation.
- A potential well is the region surrounding a local minimum of potential energy. Energy captured in a potential well is unable to convert to another type of energy (kinetic energy in the case of a gravitational potential well) because it is captured in the local minimum of a potential well. Therefore, a body may not proceed to the global minimum of potential energy, as it would naturally tend to due to entropy.
Well of Knowledge-In Norse mythology, Mímisbrunnr (Old Norse "Mímir's well")is a well associated with the being Mímir, located beneath the world tree Yggdrasil.
* Nurse:  In other languages, the word for nurse comes from the same etymology as the word infirmary, such as in French (infirmier), or Italian (infermiere).
* "Spanish Johnny's"   Bruce Springsteen's -Incident on 57th street.
* 57th Street in NYC: This stretch of 57th Street is home to  hotels such as Le Parker Meridien and well known restaurants such as the Russian Tea Room, and the offices of several magazines including The Economist and Newsweek. The corner of 57th Street and 7th Avenue is home to the city-owned performance venue Carnegie Hall.
300 East 57th Street is a Manhattan apartment building on East 57th Street designed by Emery Roth and erected in 1947.  The building is the last known New York address for J. D. Salinger before he moved to a life of seclusion in the New Hampshire woods.




So...What is the "Island"?! Are events happening in the "head/mind/consciousness"?    Is it combined with one hell of a LARP?! What kinds of things are happening in their brain/mind?
Either way things are connected. Who knows...this may lead us all back to a building in New York City.


Just throw a penny in the well and make a wish to find your true north.

Love to all who are "LOST"™

PS: Check out:
Dave
Numbers

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 Package

Let's talk about LOST!   The Package.

Locke's camp is being watched and heard via night vision goggles.   Sawyer offers a borderline catatonic Kate some pretend cocoa.  Locke {twirling a stick} asks Jin about his injured left leg and suggests he leave the bandage off so the air can do it some good. {That's good advice}
Cautious Jin, whose leg still hurts, says he'll try that.
Locke-"You mind if I sit down? {Jin nods OK} I know you and I haven't had time to talk, but I was wondering if James had filled you in on what I showed him at the cliffs." {Do you notice that Locke likes to sit Indian style/lotus}
Jin-"You mean the cave? The one with the names on the wall?"
Locke explains most of the names have been crossed off now. There are just a few left; Kwon is one of them. Jin wonders if that means him or Sun.  Locke isn't sure but feels what it does mean is that the only way they can leave the Island is if all the names that haven't been crossed off go together.
Jin is concerned because Sun is not there.  Locke confidently tells Jin to just take care of that leg, "I'm workin' on it."
Claire has been eavesdropping on the two men.

{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}
Jin and Sun are at the airport.  The customs officer is explaining to Jin in English that although he's returning him his suitcase and watch he is sorry but "Federal law says we have to confiscate the $25,000."
Jin, who doesn't understand English asks, "Confiscate?"
The officer tells him it means that if he wants it back he's gonna have to fill out the necessary paperwork. Jin is frustrated and mumbles in Korean; he wants the money.
The officer-"You can exit right over there, Sir."
Jin and Sun walk as frustrated Jin tells her he's already missed the meeting at the restaurant.
Sun asks Jin in Korean what the money was for.
Jin doesn't know,"Your father gave it to me right before we left. He told me to deliver it with the watch. I don't ask your father questions. I do what he tells me."

Jin and Sun are at the check in counter of the hotel. Sun hands the man some papers.
Sun-"Paik."
There is a reservation for Paik; a beautiful ocean view room for them on the eighth floor.
Jin understands him and says "Two room. Two! No marry. Kwon. Jin-Soo Kwon."
The man apologizes and after checking the computer he sees there is a separate room reservation for Kwon. Room 842. He welcomes them to Los Angeles.
{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}
Locke walks over to Sayid who is sitting on a log as he is chopping wood, to inform him he's leaving for a little while because he has an errand to run and will be back in the morning. He wants Sayid to keep an eye on the camp while he's gone.
Lethargic Sayid states, "I don't feel anything."
Locke-"Excuse me?"
Sayid- "Anger. Happiness. Pain. I don't feel it anymore."
Locke feels that maybe that's best because it'll help him get through what's coming.
Jin was keeping an eye on Locke and once Locke walks into the jungle Jin quickly gathers his things to leave. Sawyer asks "Hoss" what he's doing.
Jin-"I'm getting out of here before that thing comes back."
Sawyer-"What thing?"
Jin-"Locke. And you're just sitting around here listening to whatever he tells you..."
Sawyer-"I ain't listenin' to nobody! I already told you I have a deal with Widmore, so if you just..."
Jin-"It doesn't matter who you have a deal with! I've waited long enough. I'm going to find my wife."
Sawyer-"Find her where?!"
Jin-"Go back to the temple. And if she's not there I'll try the beach. But I will find Sun so stop trying to..."
Jin is hit in the chest with a tranquilizer dart!
Armed Sawyer and the rest of the camp are all put to sleep via the dart ambush.

The camp is swarmed with armed people sporting their night vision goggles. Seamus asks Zoe if this is the guy, referring to sleeping Jin, and it is so they take him.

Miles and Frank are playing cards on the beach.
Miles-"Play your card, captain."
Antsy Ben watches Ilana clean her rifle on the beach kitchen table and asks her "Now what?"  Ilana says now they wait for Richard to come back.
Ben-"You'll forgive my skepticism, but... the last thing Richard said before he went stomping off into the jungle was that we were all in hell and he had no idea what we were supposed to do next! In fact, I would bet money we never see him again!"
Purple shirt wearing Ilana feels Hugo will find him; he will track him down and bring him back.
Miles thinks that unless Alpert's covered in bacon grease, he's not sure Hurley can track anything.
Frank-"Hey, don't talk about bacon." {Hmm...Bacon from a boar. Can Frank transform or Hurley or...?}
Concerned Ilana shares that Jacob has never lied to her before. "If he said Richard knows what to do, then Richard knows what to do. He'll come back. And until then, we wait."
Frustrated Sun throws a piece of fruit, angrily stabs a knife into the table and she storms off. Jack watches her.
Sun is pulling up her garden. Jack shows up asking how the tomatoes are.
Sun-"Dead."
Jack remembers when she first planted this here. "Feels like a hundred years ago...You don't believe Alpert's coming back, do you?"
Sun doesn't care if he comes back. Jack wonders her thoughts on them being candidates.
Jack-"Hurley took me to a lighthouse. To Jacob's lighthouse. And there was a mirror. And all around it there were... there were hundreds of names written down."
Sun doesn't care about Alpert or about being a candidate.
Jack-"Sun... there was a reason why we were..."
Sun-"I don't want to hear about how this was our purpose or destiny! I just want you to go away and leave me alone!"
Jack leaves. Sun cries
{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}
Jin knocks on the door of Sun's hotel room. {He looks around as if he's being watched} He is carrying the watch from her father that her father sent him halfway around the world to deliver. He's going to the restaurant.
Sun-"Will you come inside? I don't want to have this conversation here."
She mentions it's 11:30 and no one is going to be at the restaurant.   Jin feels he should still try.  Sun reminds him "this man" works for her father so it's not going to be a problem.  Jin wonders why she should care, he feels she's there for a shopping trip.
Sun seductively unbuttons the top button of her sweater, "Maybe you should tell me to button it... like you did on the plane?"
Jin-"It was a crowded flight... I didn't know who might be watching us.
Sun-"No one is watching us. So... do you want me to button it?"
Jin-"No."
This playful seduction continues on, button by button.
{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}
Sun is pulling the weeds in her garden and she cuts her right pinky. {On what?}
Locke appears, startling her.
He is there to inform her he found her husband. "I promised I would reunite you two... took me a little longer than I thought it would... but he's with my people, back at my camp across the island.  I can take you to him right now."
Sun doesn't believe him; he killed those people at the temple.
Locke-"Those people were confused. They were lied to. I didn't want to hurt them. Anyone of them could have chosen to come with me. And I'm giving you that choice, Sun... right now. I would never make you do anything against your will. I'm asking you. Please. Come with me. Jin's waiting."

He holds out his hand for her to take but Sun runs away. Locke runs after her "Sun, wait!"
Sun runs head on into a tree! {WTF?! She ran right into it!}
{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}
Sun wakes in bed next to starring Jin. {He is in the sunlight side of the bed and she is in the shaded side}
She shares her idea that they should "run away".
{Oh really?! There's a perfect example of the on "Island" and off "Island" events blurring together.}

Sun tells Jin about her account and how she had this planned all along.  Jin seems troubled and feels it's forbidden.  Sun wonders if he's angry. He is not. They do want to be together, they love each other. As Sun is about to share something that Jin needs to know there is a knock at the door. It startles them.
Jin-"Who is that?"
Sun-"I don't know. I put out the sign..."
Jin-"Tell them you're sleeping."  {If she's sleeping how can she tell them that?!}
Jin hides in the bathroom while Sun checks herself out in the mirror.

It's Martin Keamy, a friend of her father's. Sun doesn't speak to him.
Keamy-"Mind if I come in?  I believe you've got something for me." He walks right in.
{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}
Sun is unconscious in the jungle.  Ben happens by and tries to wake her up. "Sun? Sun, can you hear me?"
Sun wakes up, her head hurts and but can only speak in Korean.  She is asking Ben "Where is he?...He was chasing me... he was here... I saw him. He was..."
Ben-"Slow down. Tell me what happened in English. Who did this to you?"
Sun-"Locke."

Locke returns to his camp {white smoke hovers around the site} and finds everyone is sound asleep/unconscious.  He removes a dart from Sayid and shakes his head to wake him up. He asks what happened. Groggy Sayid says they were attacked and he doesn't know by whom.
Locke is upset and asks where Jin is.

Jin wakes up in Room 23.  The room is appears almost rusty and wires are exposed. He is locked in. He flips a switch and the brainwashing video plays, he covers his ears from the sound/volume and quickly turns it off. {Wires, speakers, video, subliminal messages, flashing.}

Zoe is standing inside the room with him and remarks how that was weird.
Jin-"Where am I?"
Zoe-"It's called Room 23.  The Dharma Initiative was doing experiments on subliminal messaging in here.  But you know all about the Dharma Initiative... don't you, Mr. Kwon?"
in-"Why did you bring me here?"
Zoe-"Relax. You're safe."
Jin-"I'm leaving."
Apparently he's not because Zoe zaps him with a taser.
Zoe-"Sorry, but we went to a lot of trouble getting you here off of the other island. And I can't let you leave."
Jin-"What do you want from me?"
Zoe shows him a map. "These are grid maps that the Dharma people used to identify pockets of electromagnetism. Whoever signed these could really help me out. I know... I know the writing's difficult to read but... but it sure looks like it says Jin Soo-Kwon. So, is it you or isn't it?"

Jin-"You want answers to your questions? Then get me your boss. I want to talk to Charles Widmore."
Zoe tells him he's in luck because he'd like to talk to him too.

Locke asks Sayid if he's a good swimmer.  Sayid feels he's good enough.  That's works for Locke so he gives Sayid a gun, tells him to wrap it in plastic as to not get it wet.  They're taking the outrigger.
Locke notices Claire watching him and asks if something is wrong.
Claire-"Um... what you said to Jin... about the names on the wall? Told him you needed them all to get off the island."
She wonders if her name was on the wall and Locke informs her it wasn't.
Claire-"Then... it doesn't matter if I get on that plane then. You don't need me."
Locke-"No. That's not true, Claire. I need you. {he touches her} And there's plenty of room on that plane for all of us."
Claire-"When we go home, Aaron's not going to know me. Stranger to my own son. He thinks Kate's his mother. Was her name on the wall?"
Locke-"No, Claire... it isn't. Not anymore. But I need Kate."
Claire-"Why?
Locke-" Because I'm three people shy of getting off this island and Kate can help me get those people on the plane. But... once she does...whatever happens, happens." {Watch Claire take that in.}

Sawyer asks Locke what he and Sayid are doing with the guns,"You two goin' somewhere?"
Locke shares they're taking a boat ride over to the other island.
Sarcastic Sawyer asks, "What do you need a boat for? Can't you just turn into smoke and fly your ass over the water?"
Locke-"Do you think if I could do that I would still be on this island?"
Sawyer-"No, 'cause that would be ridiculous.What the hell are you goin' over there for anyway? Thought you were tryin' to avoid Charlie Widmore."
Locke-"They took one of our people, James. So I'm going to get him back."
{Sawyer looks as if something fishy is going on.}

Keamy looks at the really nice watch and wonders,"Your bodyguard is supposed to give me some money. Where's Mr. Kwon?"  
Sun-"No English."
There is a knock on the door. It's Omar. He checked Jin's room and he's not there.
Keamy has Omar check the bathroom when he realizes there are two champagne glasses on the nightstand. Jin has indeed been hiding in the bathroom.
Keamy thanks him for the watch but inquires {using hand gestures} about the envelope with the $25,000.
Jin communicates with Sun in Korean.  He asks "What can we do?"    Sun suggests they pay him some of their money.
Keamy is frustrated by the duo chatting in another language and tells them to "Stop it. Feel like I'm in a damn Godzilla movie. What's that guy's name, the Russian guy, speaks like nine different languages...Uh uh uh... Danny's friend?"   {Danny Pickett?}
Omar-"Mikhail."
Apparently Mikhail {The "Island" communication specialist} can communicate in Korean. {How fucking convenient.}
Keamy sends for Mikhail and demands Sun put her damn clothes on.

Mikhail sits with Sun and translates.
Sun-"The money was confiscated at customs. But I have money."
Mikhail-"She says the money her father gave them was taken at customs."
Of course this isn't Keamy's problem.
Sun suggests he let them go to the bank and they'll give it to him.
Keamy has Mikhail take Sun to the bank while he takes Casanova to the restaurant, then they'll meet there.
Jin begs Keamy in Korean to promise not to tell Mr. Paik about them.
Keamy-"What's he whining about?"    {Wine!}
Mikhail-"He wants you to promise that you won't tell her father that they are involved."
Keamy seems sincere and assures Jin, "Oh. Hey, don't worry about that. Okay, your secret, it's safe with me. Okay? Just bring me the money and then we could all live happily ever after, right?"
{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}
Jack is checking out Sun's head injury. Ilana looks suspiciously at Ben.
Ben-"What? Oh, for the fourth time, I was gathering mangoes and she was already unconscious when I found her. Why won't you believe me?"
Ilana-"Because you're speaking."
Jack-"You gotta a pretty descent size bump, {What? Baby bump?! lol} it might be a slight concussion. You can understand what I'm saying? (Sun nods) But, you can only speak Korean."
Miles-"She hits her head and forgets English? Are we supposed to buy that?"  {Nope. We're not}
Frank-"Asks the man who communes with the dead."    {Should we ask Hurley?!}
Jack-"It might be Aphasia. It's um, a condition that's caused by trauma and it affects the language center of your brain. It's usually temporary. Sun, you're gonna be okay."
Miles wonders what Ilana is smiling about. Richard is walking over with Hurley. Richard instructs them to pack their bags because "we're leaving".

Locke gets out of the outrigger and walks toward the portable pylons.
Widmore's men jump out of the bushes and fire at Locke. {He's not bothered by it.}

"Down low!... Let me see your hands!"
Locke shows his hands,"Easy, friend, I come in peace." {Gonna smoke-em peace pipe too?! lol}

Widmore stands on the opposite side of the fence and asks Locke "Do you know who I am?"
Locke-"Charles Widmore. Do you know who I am?"
Widmore-"Obviously you're not John Locke. Everything else I know is a combination of myth, ghost stories, and jungle noises in the night."
Locke-"I think you know more than that judging by these pylons."
Widmore-"Why did you come here?"
Locke-"You took one of my people, Jin Kwon."
Widmore claims to have no idea what he's talking about.
Locke-"A wise man once said that war was coming to this island, I think it just got here."
{War is coming to Hydra Island or the main island? Both?}

Jack asks Richard where exactly are we going. {Richard is packing stuff.}
Richard asks where Locke is. "You said he came to recruit you. Where did he say he'd be?"
Ben-"Hydra Island".
Richard is in control and asks Frank, "This is exactly where you landed the plane to get back here, right?"
Frank-"That's right."
Richard-"This man wants to leave the island, that plane's the only way he could do it. You wanna know where we're going, we're gonna stop him."
Miles asks Hurley "This is your fault isn't it?"
Hurley-"Sorta."    {What exactly did Hurley do here? hmmm}
Richard informs them the only way to stop them from getting on the plane is to destroy it.
Sun freaks out and yells at Richard in Korean. "What? You want to destroy the plane? How are we supposed to get off the island?"
Jack shares with Richard that she isn't speaking English because she was hit on the head when she was running away from Locke. Why isn't she speaking English?
Richard seems surprised. "He came back here?  What, what did he want? What did he say to you? Do you understand me?"
Sun continues her fit..."Yes, I understand, you idiot!  But if you think I'm gonna help you destroy our only way off this island, you're insane!  I came here, to find my husband so I could bring him home, not so I could save the damn world!   She says I'm important. (points to Ilana) If that's true, you need me!  So, understand this! I'm not going anywhere."
Hurley-"I don't think she wants to come."
{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}
Sun and her translator Mikhail sit at the desk with the bank rep. The rep checks the computer and informs them that Sun's account was closed. The balance is zero.
Sun feels that can't be right, "No one knows it exists but me."
The account was closed by her father, Mr. Paik, who had access. The funds were transferred to their main branch in Seoul. Sun wonders why dad would do that.
Mikhail- "Why do you think?"

Omar leads Jin {hands taped behind his back} to the kitchen refrigerator. Omar bumps Jin's head on the door on the way in. {Sign says Kitchen Safety. lol}  This concerns Keamy.  Keamy tends to Jin's head with a wet blue cloth and takes over the tape securing of the prisoner.  Keamy sends Omar to get the Arab guy. Omar seems bothered by the Arab remark.
Keamy tends to the head injury over his left eye and apologizes, "Omar's loyal but he lacks attention to detail."
He confirms with Jin that he can't understand a word he's saying.  Jin doesn't react.
Apparently he needs more tape to secure Jin so Keamy tells him to hold still,
"I'm going to strap you in here, just in case you figure out what's about to happen at the Island. I can't have you freaking out." {Yes, that is what I heard.}
"I don't think you realize....how unhappy Mr. Paik was when he found out that you were doing his little girl. You know the twenty five grand... you were supposed to deliver...that was my fee...for popping you!  From what I hear you know anyone who works for Paik knows the cardinal rule... hands off the boss' daughter. But you couldn't resist her, could you? The heart wants what the heart wants."
{He touches Jin's chest}
Jin must misunderstand him because he kindly says, "Thank you" to Keamy.
Keamy-"I'm sorry. Some people just aren't meant to be together" and covers Jin's mouth with the electrical tape. He closes Jin in the refrigerator.

Widmore asks Zoe what the hell she was thinking; this wasn't supposed to happen for days, "We had a time table".
Zoe knows they panicked and apologizes. Widmore says they should have let Jin leave the "camp" and taken him in the jungle.
Zoe-"Well maybe you should put a mercenary in charge instead of a geophysicist."
Widmore turns and sees Jin is standing there watching them.
Widmore-"What's done is done. I need you to get the package from the submarine and take it to the infirmary. Can you do that for me please, Zoe?"
She will.
Widmore walks over to Mr. Kwon and gives his deepest apology for what has been done to him. Jin knows this is Charles Widmore. Widmore shares that they searched the Ajira plane, found Sun's luggage and found a digital camera inside. He thought Jin would like to have it. "Go ahead. Turn it on."

Jin turns the digital camera on and "Plays back" the images of Ji Yeon, Sun and a dog.  Widmore narrates "Her name is Ji Yeon, your daughter" and knows Jin has never seen her.  Jin smiles and gets emotional as he looks at the images.
{Birthday party sign BIRTH is prominent. Candles.}

Widmore explains he has a daughter and knows what it's like to be kept apart.  He understands the one thing Jin wants is to be reunited with his wife and daughter, but it would be short lived if that "thing" masquerading as John Locke ever got off this island.  "You wife, your daughter, my daughter, everyone we know and love would simply cease to be. I came here to make sure that doesn't happen."
Jin-"How?"
Widmore-"Come with me. I think it's time for you see the package."
Jin-"What package?"
Widmore-"It's not a what... it's a who."
Widmore seems pleased.

Jin sits in the refrigerator and hears the muffled voices in the kitchen.{Sayid-"Did you put my brother in the hospital?" Keamy's voice too.}
Three shots are fired and Jin kicks on the door for attention. Jin notes a box cutter/utility knife on the shelf nearby.}
 Armed Sayid enters and pulls the tape off of Jin's mouth, where Jin communicates with Sayid in Korean. "Please don't kill me. Please let me go!"
Sayid {in a deadpan manor asks}-"Who are you?"
Jin-"No English."
Sayid doesn't know why he's there and he doesn't really care. He starts to walk away from Jin and Jin stops him.
Jin-"Free! {gestures to the box cutter}Free! Free."
Sayid happens to have time {After shooting three people} to place the box cutter into Jin's taped hands and wishes him "Good luck".  Sayid leaves. {Just like Locke gives tied up Boone the knife to cut himself free.}
Mikhail returns to the kitchen with Sun and sees the four bodies on the ground.   Jin pretends to be dead.

Armed Mikhail asks the still alive Martin who did this to him.
Keamy -"Look behind you, you idiot."
Jin holds the gun against the back of Mikhail neck and in Korean tells him to drop the gun. Mikhail wants him to take it easy. Jin tells Sun to move away.
Jin to Mikhail-"Did you hear me?! Drop it or I'm going to kill you!"
Mikhail realizes Jin isn't the person who killed the people on the floor and goes after Jin. There's a fight; shots are fired. Mikhail arms himself with a knife but Jin fires two shots into Mikhail's head; taking out his right eye.
Unfortunately Sun is shot in the stomach. Jin carries her to get her help.
Sun reveals, "I'm pregnant."
{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}
At night Sun sits alone on the beach looking out to the ocean.    Jack brings her a couple of things
Jack-"I was thinking about a patient that I had during my residency.  Car crash, banged his head, when he woke up he couldn't talk.  The guy was frustrated, I mean... who wouldn't be.  Then one of the nurses said  just because he can't speak doesn't mean that he couldn't write."
He hands her a notepad and sharpie pen, asks her if she wants to give it a try.   
Sun writes down "YES", instead of just nodding her damn 'yes'.
Jack-"It'll take a little longer to get your point across but at least you have your voice back. Went back out to your garden to see if he was there, he wasn't.  But I found this... {a ripe red tomato}   That's one stubborn tomato.   Guess no one told it it was supposed to die."  
Sun writes- SORRY w/smiley face.
Jack-"Don't worry about it. You're not the first person to tell me to leave em alone."    They both smile.
Jack-"Locke....what did he say to you?"
Sun writes- He said he had Jin.
Jack-"Why didn't you go with him?"
Sun writes-I don't trust him.
Jack looks troubled-"Do you trust me?"
Sun nods yes.
Jack-"Sun, Come with us and I'll help you find Jin.  I'll help you find him and I'll get you both on that plane and as far away from this island as you can get .  I promise."
Jack holds out his hand and Sun takes it.

Quiet Kate sits starring; cuts up fruit.
Sawyer-"Where'd you go?"
Kate-"What?"
Sawyer-"Like your brain took a little stroll."
Kate wonders why James isn't worried, but he confesses that he is worried. He just really good at pretending he isn't.
Sawyer-"But I got a feeling this is almost over. Cause if Locke rode over there on the boat with Sayid, then Charlie Widmore blew him right out of the water."
Kate-"And what if he didn't?"
Sawyer-"Then we're screwed six ways from sun."
Locke returns to the camp, alone; this disappoints Sawyer.  Sawyer asks Locke about going over there to find Jin.
Locke share they said they didn't have him and he doesn't believe that.  He also shares that when James went over there that Widmore had someone guarding a room on the submarine guarding something that he didn't want James to see... "I don't like secrets."

Sayid swims stealth-like through the water toward the sub dock.  He witnesses Widmore's people pulling someone out of the hatch.   They drop the man at the edge of the dock where he can see Sayid trying to stay unnoticed in the water.  The man who can hardly stand is Desmond.   Extremely groggy Desmond looks at Sayid with a sense of familiarity and/or confusion.   Zoe, who is not a nurse,  can be heard mentioning that she gave Desmond too much sedative for the trip.
Wet Sayid watches the duo carry Desmond off.





The Package is a great episode.  It's all coming together nicely all that was missing was the pretty bow.  Jin and Sun must be showing us part of the whole truth.

I know I must sound like a broken record about a few things over the years but the one about events happening on "Island" and off "Island" are indeed blended/blurred together.   It was right here for all to see.
A bunch of other continuing clue lines that showed themselves again in this episode is: Altered state of consciousness; everybody is in some state of sleep, things happening in their heads/minds/consciousness, wires/wired, technology, perception, game, and constant hints to mental health, being crazy, being lost and having to find something and/or someone.   Every episode has had reference to crazy, insane or some sort of mental and mind issues.

After all an illusion is a false perception of a detectable stimulus.  I have included some researched info on mental health, psychology and such at the very end of my notes, for those who don't want to have to read through all of it.

Things to note...Questions to ask...
* Crazy. Insane. Mental health.
* Sleep. Unconscious. Knocked out. Drugged up. Sedation, AND SO ON and SO ON and SO ON!!!
* Room 23. Brain washing. Speakers. Wires. Electrical tape. Switch. Grid. Map. Video. Digital Camera. Electric. Sonar. Magnetic.
* Sayid feels nothing-emptiness. This is a stage of enlightenment.
* Seoul-Soul
* Heart
* Head trauma. Brain. Wired.
* Muffled hearing. 
* SLEEPING. WAKE UP. "BIRTH".   FREE! {Yeah, Enlightenment}
* Pretend. Masquerading.
* In The Whole Truth we learn Sun and Jin are having fertility issues and can't conceive.  In that episode Sun asks Jin "Why do you care so much about a baby you wouldn't even see?"   And where Jin experiences backward dialogue spoken by Sawyer and Bernard about Jin's impending fatherhood.
* Room 842. In  Recon James' clock stayed on 8:42.
* Sun knocks herself out!
* Both Sun and Jin get bumped on the head.
* WTF is with the airport customs officer not involving a translator to explain to Jin why he's not getting his money back? Oh, oh, oh! Because it's not real!
* Languages. Linguistics. Communication. Mis-communication. Translation. Write. Read.  Korean. Russian.  Mikhail, Miss Klugh, Ilana and Jacob all speak Russian.
* Button. (Desmond)
* Game. Play. Gamble. Bet.
* Wealthy men.
* Pairs.
* Purple. Black, White, Red.
* Destroy the plane...the sub...the Swan hatch...the computer...
* Desmond was given so much of the sedative for the sub trip that he couldn't even stand up on his own yet was doubled locked in a room on the sub. Was he being kept in or was someone being kept from getting to him?
* The package-the watch-money-Desmond-Ji Yeon-(a pregnancy)
* Is Jin one of the creators of the "map"?    What part is Hurley involved in?
* Jin is Sun's bodyguard.  Protector.
* I find it very interesting that Sawyer seems the most disconnected about certain things that happen on the "Island".   Like there seems to be times he's not privy to who someone is, i.e. Nikki, Paulo, Ben, etc. or he's unaware that something has happened, and of course he's not fazed by Locke being the smoke thing.
* Hearts and Minds.
* "I'm going to strap you in here, just in case you figure out what's about to happen at the island. I can't have you freaking out."    Yes, that is what I heard. I don't care what is written in the script or the closed caption, I only care about how that scene came out of post/editing and I heard, "I'm going to strap you in here, just in case you figure out what's about to happen at the island. I can't have you freaking out."   So I call fucking shenanigans!
* "Then one of the nurses said  just because he can't speak doesn't mean that he couldn't write."   Yeah,  like Locke in Further Instructions.  Things seem to always connect back to Jack and Johnny Locke.

Vocabulary and Research...
* The Package: Thirteenth Step by the band A Perfect Circle. The album is a concept album with all of the songs dealing with the problem of addiction from a different perspective.
* Godzilla combo of Japanese words meaning gorilla and a whale. A giant Japanese monster created by nuclear explosions; radiation.
*Concussion: Latin ("to shake violently")or concussus ("action of striking together"),is the most common type of traumatic brain injury.

* Flight: a series of steps between one floor or landing of a building and the next.
* Aphasia is a loss of the ability to produce and/or comprehend spoken or written language. Traditionally, aphasia suggests the total impairment of language ability, and dysphasia a degree of impairment less than total. Aphasia has come to mean both partial and total language impairment in common use. Depending on the area and extent of brain damage, someone suffering from aphasia may be able to speak but not write, or vice versa, or display any of a wide variety of other deficiencies in language comprehension and production, such as being able to sing but not speak.  One treatment for this is: Melodic Intonation Therapy (MIT) is a therapeutic process used by music therapists and speech pathologists to help patients with communication disorders caused by brain damage. This method uses melodic intonation to stimulate activity in the right hemisphere of the brain.
* Giacomo Girolamo Casanova de Seingalt was a Venetian adventurer and author. His main book Histoire de ma vie (Story of My Life), part autobiography and part memoir, is regarded as one of the most authentic sources of the customs and norms of European social life during the 18th century. He was so famous as a womanizer that his name remains synonymous with the art of seduction. He was arrested, imprisoned; solitary confinement, sentenced to five years in an "un-escapable” prison", escaped and spent many years on the run.
* Emptiness is usually the description of Enlightenment.  To the western mind this description is often difficult to comprehend, leading to the idea that it is "nothing,".  This is the final step before nirvana.



We can see that Locke and Jack  have promised things to their followers, they both have held out their hands (here it's Locke-right, Jack-left) in a gesture of hope.  It's when these types of parallels are shown  that the metaphor of the story kicks in for me, making me want to feel that we are seeing "two halves of a whole" again, or the opposition.     I've never forgotten a clue we got back in the very beginning of our story.  Take a look at Hurley's comic book.  We know that comic tells the story of alien X that was hidden away when it gets cancer, a dome covering a city, polar bear, etc.. But the cover also shows us the part of the story where the Flash and the Green Lantern combine with their new halves, creating a new being.   Two halves of a whole.

Here's a great quote from Charlie Pace in   Further Instructions.  "What's that? You're not taking drugs, are you John? I only ask because of the strict zero tolerance policy you've enacted.  And I wouldn't want you to have start punching yourself in the face." 

Is Sun in the "Island" adventure to bring her husband home and not to save the world, not to play the game?
Maybe Jin and Sun are a package deal.

Love to all who are LOST" ™


Is it all in my head?!  Maybe I'm in an altered state of consciousness.
We have seen all of the following examples directly connected to the castaways since the very beginning. How deep is the mental health and some things happening in their "head" issues playing into the journey?
Examples:  Head injuries, headaches, vision/eye problems, fever, delusions, hallucinations, hypnosis, catonic, coma, brainwashing, behavior modification, coercive persuasion, programming/deprogramming, hypnosis, self hypnosis,cognitive biases, amnesia, insomnia, memory, consciousness, decision making, natural language, learning, motor coordination, sensory perception, planning,  problem solving, thought, depression, fear, abandonment, anger, guilt, hate, phobias, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder,  post-traumatic stress disorder, eating disorders, substance abuse, violence, sleep disorders, problems with trust, confidentiality and engagement, etc.
Use of drugs: sedatives, hypnotics, heroin, tranquilizer, sleeping pills, Clonozapam, mandrake, cannibis, coffee, cholorform, alcohol, Locke's funky paste, etc.
And the mention of: clinical assessment by a psychiatrist, social worker, clinical psychologist, shrinks, or other mental health professional.  We've seen Locke in group therapy and of course Hurley in Santa Rosa.


We all know what my take is on the metaphor of the "Island" journey; the journey and path to enlightenment, but here are some researched items to further explain some additional "possibilities":

* Non-physical or abstract locations and/or spatial graphics were employed as memory 'places'. Perhaps the most famous example of such an abstract system of 'places' is the memory system of Metrodorus of Scepsis,
* Headache symptoms include dizziness, vomiting, nausea, lack of motor coordination, difficulty balancing, or other problems with movement or sensation. Visual symptoms include light sensitivity, seeing bright lights, blurred vision, and double vision. Tinnitus, or a ringing in the ears, is also commonly reported.
* Cognitive symptoms include confusion, disorientation, and difficulty focusing attention. Loss of consciousness may occur but is not necessarily correlated with the severity of the concussion if it is brief. Post traumatic amnesia, in which the person cannot remember events leading up to the injury or after it, or both, is a hallmark of concussion. Confusion, another concussion hallmark, may be present immediately or may develop over several minutes. Patient may be slow to respond to questions or directions, have a vacant stare, or have slurred or incoherent speech. Other MTBI symptoms include changes in sleeping patterns and difficulty with reasoning, concentrating, and performing everyday activities.
* Tinnitus can be perceived in one or both ears or in the head. It is usually described as a ringing noise, but in some patients it takes the form of a high pitched whining, buzzing, hissing, humming, or whistling sound, or as ticking, clicking, roaring, "crickets" or "tree frogs" or "locusts", tunes, songs, or beeping. Causes include ear infections, foreign objects or wax in the ear, nose allergies that prevent (or induce) fluid drain and cause wax build-up, and injury from loud noises. Can also come from Psychedelic drugs:
Mental health-
Madness. Bi polar. Obsession. Depression. Substance abuse. Other proposed disorders include: Self-defeating personality disorder, Sadistic personality disorder, Passive-aggressive personality disorder Kleptomania (stealing) or Pyromania (fire-setting). Sleep disorders; Insomnia.
* Abreaction is an emotional release or discharge following recall of a painful experience. Used sometimes by police, forensics after administering armobarbital.
Affect illusion: Illusions (Misperceptions) associated with and/or based on changes with mood for example at midnight a person may take a shadow as a ghost, but in the early part of night this may not be the case.
* Schizophrenia: It most commonly manifests as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking with significant social or occupational dysfunction. Onset of symptoms typically occurs in young adulthood.
Despite the etymology of the term from the Greek roots skhizein (to split) and phrēn, phren-(mind), schizophrenia does not imply a "split mind" and it is not the same as dissociative identity disorder (previously known as multiple personality disorder or split personality), a condition with which it is often confused in public perception.  The disorder is thought to mainly affect cognition, but it also usually contributes to chronic problems with behavior and emotion. People with schizophrenia are likely to have additional conditions, including major depression and anxiety disorders; the lifetime occurrence of substance abuse long-term unemployment, poverty and homelessness, are common. increased physical health problems and a higher suicide rate
Depending on the individual, a person diagnosed with schizophrenia may experience hallucinations (especially hearing voices), delusions (especially ones that seem "bizarre"), and disorganized thinking and speech. The latter may range from loss of train of thought, to sentences only loosely connected in meaning, to incoherence known as word salad in severe cases. There is often an observable pattern of emotional difficulty, for example lack of responsiveness or motivation. Impairment in social cognition is associated with schizophrenia, as are symptoms of paranoia, and social isolation commonly occurs. In one uncommon subtype, the person may be largely mute, remain motionless in bizarre postures, or exhibit purposeless agitation; these are signs of catatonia.
*Aphemia is the alternate term for mutism. Mutism is absence of speech with apparently normal level of consciousness. Mutism can be dissociative (hysterical) in which an individual (commonly a child or adolescent) stops speaking at once without involvement of any neurological or physical contributing factor; or it can be elective (selective) in which a child does not speak at all in certain situations (such as in school) but speaks well in other conditions (like at home or at play). A rare cause of mutism is a kinetic mutism which results due to a lesion around 3rd ventricle of brain.
* Automatic obedience is an exaggerated co-operation with an examiner's request, as if the patient were an “automaton” robotically obeying a command. It is usually a sign of catatonia.
* Confabulation is the confusion of imagination with memory, and/or the confusion of true memories with false memories.
* In Capgras syndrome, the patient feels that a person familiar to him, usually a family member has been replaced by a double i.e. an identical looking imposter. Capgras Syndrome and Fregoli syndrome along with some other conditions are classified as delusional misidentification syndrome.
* Defenestration Literally jumping out of window. Usually used in context of attempted or completed suicide.
* Déjà vu:  In Déjà vu, a person feels undue familiarity to an event or a person. For example, he feels that the same thing has happened before or he or she has met this person before, etc.
* Déjà pensé : In Déjà pensé, a completely new thought sounds familiar to the person and he feels as he has thought the same thing before at some time.
* In écho de la pensée, meaning "thought echo" in French, thoughts seem to be spoken aloud just after being produced. The patient hears the 'echo' of his thoughts in the form of a voice after he has made the thought.
* Fantasy is imagining that expresses desires and aims.
- Folie à deux: Also called induced psychosis, folie à deux is a delusional disorder shared by two or more people who are closely related emotionally. One has real psychosis while the symptoms of psychosis are induced in the other or others due to close attachment to the one with psychosis. Separation usually results in symptomatic improvement in the one who is not psychotic.
Folie communiquée, folie imposée, folie induite, and folie simultanée are the four subtypes of folie à deux.
* Multiple personality disorder:  a condition in which a person displays multiple distinct identities or personalities (known as alter egos or alters), each with its own pattern of perceiving and interacting with the environment.
* Tabula Rasa is also featured in Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis. Freud depicted personality traits as being formed by family dynamics. Freud's theories show that one can downplay genetic and congenital influences on human personality without advocating free will. In psychoanalysis, one is largely determined by one's upbringing.
* In Alice in Wonderland experience/Syndrome subjects perceive objects (including animals and other humans, or parts of humans, animals, or objects) as appearing substantially smaller than in reality.  Generally, the object appears far away or extremely close at the same time. Alternate term for this is somaesthetic aura.



 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.