Season 2...Electric Boogaloo.

Here it is…yet another compilation of, most likely, useless facts and trivia about Season 2. Enjoy.

The shark that Michael kills to protect Sawyer is tattooed with the Dharma logo on the tail.

During a flashback to a younger Walt leaving for Europe, Michael gives him a stuffed polar bear.

In the hatch, when Desmond recognizes Jack from the stadium stairs in L.A., he leaves and says "See you in another life, yeah?" like he did in LA.

The Dharma orientation was on the top shelf behind Turn of the Screw, a novel by Henry James. This story has been turned into a few different film versions that allude to a woman caring for kids who are actually ghosts, or whose parents are ghosts.

In the orientation film, the VO compares the Dharma Initiative to that of the work of B.F. Skinner. Skinner created the Operant Chamber, a controlled environment to gauge the responses of its inhabitants; in his case, rats. Here’s a brief synopsis of the experiment.

The film goes on to discuss the initiative, stating that they had intended to study psychology, meteorology, parapsychology, zoology (showed two polar bears in this part of the film) electromagnetism, etc. Alvar Honso financially backed it. People are in stations for 540 days. Electromagnetic fluctuations are being studied from the Swan chamber where Desmond is.

Edited down from something I found on Lostpedia:
According to the 1975 orientation film in the Sri Lanka Video, the Valenzetti Equation "predicts the exact number of years and months until humanity extinguishes itself." During the video, Alvar Hanso also states that the radio transmitter on the Island, will "broadcast the core numerical values of the Valenzetti Equation;" 4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42.

Alvar Hanso also states in the video that the purpose of the Dharma Initiative is to change the numerical values of any one of the core factors in the equation in order to give humanity a chance to survive by changing doomsday. However, Thomas Mittelwerk reveals that as of 2006, they have failed to change the values through manipulating the environment, as the equation continues to arrive at the same six numbers. It is unknown how or if the most recent calculation of the equation is automatically reflected in the radio transmissions.

Rachel Blake also learned that the Hanso Foundation was forcing savants at the Vik Institute in Iceland to run the equation over and over. Somehow, five hieroglyphic symbols were involved in the calculations (Armand Zander described them as "representative"), the same hieroglyphs seen on the countdown timer in the Swan station.




Jack asks Desmond if he ever wonders if it's all a mind game.

Desmond is reading a book called The Third Policeman.

This is also the time where I must say, I cannot STAND Anna Lucia's character. That bossy, effin loud-mouthed bitch deserved to get killed off. Actually, I read that the actress playing her got two DUIs on Hawaii and was booted. Neener neener.

In the episode "Fire + Water," Charlie was hallucinating. One of the things he saw was Claire and his mother as angels, as well as Hurley in some sort of holy getup.





Henry Gale is the name Ben Linus gave when Sahid found him in the hanging trap. The real Henry Gale is connected to Widmore and to the chicken place where Hurley worked.


Sawyer is always reading, and we see him reading a book by Walker Percy, a Southern author who was fascinated with signs and existential thinking.

He’s also reading Judy Blume’s “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.”

Claire has another flashback to when Ethan was examining her, then showed her a nursery for her and the baby. The mobile over the crib is a bunch of Oceanic planes. The song that plays from it is “Catch a Falling Star,” which is what Claire asked the woman who was going to adopt her baby to sing to the child.

Ethan goes out to talk to a man, clean-shaven with white hair. He looks familiar, and then later when Claire, Rousseau and Kate break into the Dharma station where Claire was held, Kate finds theatrical glue and a beard. The clean-shaven man was the dirty-looking “other” who confronted Jack, Locke and Sawyer when they were trying to get Michael back.

What is UP with Sun’s hair? When she got on the island it was short. 60 days in, it’s all the way down her back.





Episode 18, Hurley reencounters his imaginary friend, Dave. He tells Hurley that the island is all in his head. Hmm. I really hope Lost doesn’t end up being all a dream… When Dave goes to jump off the cliff, he says “See you in another life, Hurley.” Just like Desmond says to Jack. Libby finds Hurley on the edge of the cliff, makes him realize that none of this is in his head, and then we see Hurley in the mental hospital in a flashback again. The camera pans to a woman being given her meds, and it’s Libby.

In the episode “S.O.S.” Rose and Locke are talking on the beach. Locke is frustrated about his leg, claiming that Jack said it’ll take four weeks to heal. And Rose says “Honey, you and I know it’s not going to take that long.” Then Rose is shown in Australia with a healer, who tells her that “this is not the right place.” In reality, the island has healed her.

When Ekko goes to investigate the “miracle” of a drowned girl coming back to life, her father confronts him at the door. It is the same man who was the psychic that kept trying to warn Claire of danger.

When Locke and Ekko find The Pearl Station, we learn that it’s an observation station, designed to observe other stations and the inhabitants’ actions, in a psychological experiment. Ekko says “We are being tested. We do it because we believe we are meant to.”

During a flashback to when the Others took Michael to their camp, a woman named Mrs. Clue asked him some questions. One of the thing she asked him was “Has Walt ever shown up in a place he wasn’t supposed to be?”

I love Sawyer. Really. Truly.

The statement that continuously keeps coming up is island inhabitants saying “do not tell me what I can and can’t do.”

Also, in a Desmond flashback, he doesn’t have any U.S. currency to pay for a coffee. We see a woman paying for it and it’s Libby. After sitting down for coffee, Libby confesses that her husband has died, and she ends up giving Desmond his boat so that he can sail around the world to win Penny’s love. Interesting that this boat is the one the survivors see at Libby’s funeral.

Desmond flashes back to crashing on the island and being picked up by men in yellow suits, then put into one of the hatches. The man who questions him is Kelvin Inman, the American military guy from Iraq who questioned Sahid. Otherwise known as The Kergen from Highlander. He’s the one who drew the map on the walls of the hatch.

The logs that were sent in pneumatic tubes are all found in a giant heap on the island. Another sign that the people in the hatches are part of an experiment.

When the party going to get Walt realize they are nowhere near the beach, the whispering voices start up. One of the first things said is “Elizabeth,” which is Libby’s name.

At the very end of Season 2, two men out in the Pacific listening post are playing chess. They see that there is an electromagnetic anomaly, and then call Penny.

Looking Back...A Season 1 Random Post

So, Hulu.com recently put up the entire first season of Lost. I've been watching it over the past few weeks, and like the dork I am, jotting down things as they occur to me. This is a compiled list of random facts. Some or most of them you may already be aware of. Basically, it's all pointing to nothing but a series of connections between people who shouldn't be connected. I'm now watching Season 2 bit by bit on Netflix.com, and collecting just as much useless information. Enjoy!

In Episode 14, Walt is reading a comic book called “Flash: Los Amigo Mas Veloces.” He flips to a page of the comic that features a huge, menacing polar bear standing on its hind legs. In the season finale of Season 1, we see Hurley in a flashback on the plane, reading this comic, and the polar bear is seen again.

Walt is a “special boy” according to many people. When he complains about having to learn the birds of Australia to his mom and adoptive dad, a bird flies into the glass door nearby and dies. His adoptive dad later tells Michael that strange things happen around Walt. When Locke is trying to find a way to open the hatch, Walt tells him “Don’t open it. Don’t open that thing.” And when Hurley tells Leonard that he played the numbers and won millions, Leonard becomes quite lucid and says “You’ve opened the box. Get away from it.”

Dr. Arst, the man who meets his demise via nitroglycerine, is at one point seen complaining about how he’s not in the cool club, meaning the group of survivors that are most actively taking roles in camp. Earlier, Boone had made a joke to Locke about the Red Shirts in Star Trek, and how the other survivors are kind of like them…dispensable.

When Hurley is taking a census, he asks Ethan his name and we are introduced to Ethan Rom. Check out this info…including the fact that his name is an anagram for Other Man.

Sawyer, during Season 1, is seen reading “Watership Down” and “A Wrinkle in Time.”

The man from whom Hurley got the winning lotto numbers, those numbers now considered cursed, was named Leonard. He and Sam Tumi, an Australian man, were stationed at a listening post in the Pacific ocean. At one point they picked up old wave transmissions, with a voice repeating the same sequence of numbers over and over. Rousseau’s team found the same transmission, which eventually was replaced by Rousseau’s distress message.

Those Damned Numbers
4 8 15 16 23 42
They add up to 108. The hatch, seen later in Season 2, has a computer, which must have those numbers punched in every 108 minutes. Check out the significance of 108.

Hurley is majority shareholder in a box company. This is the box company for which John Locke worked.

Claire has a nightmare in which she comes across Locke sitting at a table in the woods. He looks up at her and tells her she never should have given up the baby. One of Locke’s eyes is black and one is white.

The baby's name Aaron is of Hebrew origin, and its meaning is "mountain of strength". From the Hebrew "har-on", or possibly of Egyptian origin. Biblical: Moses' brother Aaron was the first high priest of Israel.

Crossing Paths Before the Island
At the airport, Hurley tries to bump to the front of the security gate line to make his flight. Leslie Arst (the guy who blew up from the nitroglycerine bomb) is in line. When Michael is on the phone, Locke is wheeled by behind him. When Hurley is trying to get to the airport, Charlie is on the elevator, yelling at him.

The Black Rock
This season is where we are first introduced to the ship known as Black Rock, which is mysteriously far inland in the Dark Territory. Here’s more about that.

Threads of Connection
This may be nothing, but a lot of the characters seem to have some real bastards in their lives, usually fathers or representations of. Kate has her stepdad. Jack has his father. Locke has his father, who, when Locke tells him that his mom claimed he was immaculately conceived, says “I guess that makes me God.” Sun’s father is a very dark crime boss. Claire’s dad is…Jack’s dad. At least Hurley’s dad is cool. Who wouldn’t want Cheech Marin as a father?

Episode Recap - "The Variable"

After giving our brains a week to heal, they hit us with this mind bender! We saw some flashback that we've seen before.. only now they were in the present... which is really the past. We knew that Whitmore had more than a passing interest into Faraday's work.. but this episode revealed that he was Faraday's father. While it's interesting, I'm not sure it has any major influence on the storyline... except that maybe Daniel was born on the island... so even though he's dead, we may still see more from him.

I've been complaining about the actor who plays Dr Chang and how he's basically got only one emotion, frustrated. It's interesting to see him interact with Daniel Faraday who I think is a great actor. It's like night and day.

Ellie appears at this point to be a callous, cold blooded son killer... but I bet theres more to her story. Maybe she knows that there's only one way to save the world, and it involves killing her son?

As a final note, I'm following @abclost on twitter and they told me that there was going to be a two hour "event" for the 100th episode. There wasn't. I'm pissed.

Nothing is random (except for this post).

So, Ben very kindly set me up to write a post about some ideas that I thought would be ground-breaking and amazing. My delusions of grandeur are now set aside, and I must admit that I still know jack shit when it comes to the intricacies of J.J. Abrams and Lost.

That said, I have found a few interesting points. Perhaps I can piece something together that doesn’t come across as total gibberish. Oh, who am I kidding?

The Dharma logo. This is where I got the first a-ha. I’d never really looked at the logo before. And when I did, I realized that it is all of the characters of the Chinese I-Ching, (Ye Jing), or The Chinese Book of Changes.



This ancient book is a symbol system used to identify order in random events. The text describes an ancient system of cosmology and philosophy that is intrinsic to ancient Chinese cultural beliefs. The cosmology centres on the ideas of the dynamic balance of opposites, the evolution of events as a process, and acceptance of the inevitability of change. (Wikipedia)

The Egyptian thang. Because we’ve seen the influence of Egyptian culture on the show, I found this to be of interest: The values of the Hexagrams relate to the cubic year of 8460 hours of a 360 day-year used also by Egyptian, Hebrew, and Sumerian.


The hexagram thang. The I Ching book consists of 64 hexagrams.A hexagram is a figure composed of six stacked horizontal lines, where each line is either Yang (an unbroken, or solid line), or Yin (broken, an open line with a gap in the center). The hexagram lines are traditionally counted from the bottom up, so the lowest line is considered line 1 while the top line is line 6. Usually, two sets of three lines are combined to form one particular reading (divination-wise). I started at the top of the Dharma logo and went clockwise, then pulled the meaning for each of these symbols. Though nothing huge stood out, I found it interesting that the wild swan was mentioned. And that the Dharma logo often has a wild swan in the middle of it. I pulled out some of the most interesting pieces, that may refer to John Locke, and will leave you to it…


In hexagram 53 is the transition of a loose 'yielding' relationship to one of firmness and strength. The penetrating wind restrained. (directed). In the image, by emphasizing one's mental powers it is hoped that this influences the common people and encourages them to better themselves. This does not occur overnight, maturing takes time. Contextually, we combine correct order and completion with modesty and evenness giving gradual development; maturing. (May tie in to the fact that some never age on the island?)

(In the traditional text, the spirit mentioned below is symbolized by a wild swan.)

In hexagram 10 one is in a position which requires decorum and the following of the socially 'correct' path. This is not a time for deferring but more of submitting to the situation through a degree of balance (decorum/proper conduct) without moving from one's personal position nor making one's desires apparent; forced reflection whilst we walk in the confines of our environment. (Much like the current state of the crew being “trapped” in the 1970s as Dharma Initiative workers.)

In hexagram 63 we find the successful end of a journey masks the beginning of another. The mask of completion helps memory to distinguish events and some form of guide is useful for the new dangers ahead. (Getting off the island, the crew didn’t realize they would be going back. Is Locke the guide?)


In hexagram 16 resistance can be overcome through enthusiasm and foresight, for one to be eventually accepted. 34 and 20 symbolize the total acceptance of an individual within society such that their mere presence can influence. (Locke was given an almost god-like status on a few occasions…)


In hexagram 18, as hexagram 17 symbolizes a natural degeneration, so hexagram 18 symbolizes degeneration caused by spiritual neglect and the corrections required to fix the problem; the price of too much cultivation. (All four hexagrams,(17,18,27,28) deal with concepts of degeneration and methods of regeneration. (Locke coming back to life?)


Hexagram 43 is a long way from the use of tradition. We need to see inside ourselves to get through this. This can generate what some see as resoluteness and others see as arrogance. This total self development needs to be balanced by opening up to others. This is accomplished by 'spreading the word', analogous to taking cuttings from a plant to use elsewhere.



The symbolism of events on Lost. Because there’s so much crazy stuff going on, and so many things to keep track of, I just found this paragraph to be interesting. The link source follows


The symbolism of the ‘Book of Changes’ is explained in depth, it gives a story of how through the division of the waters (the moon rules the waters) the tyrant of darkness was overcome, as the light/energy rose-up within the Earth (matter) to create all things. The people (parts or forces of nature - demonic pantheon) were then able to inhabit the Promised Land (that was built or rested upon the Sacred Mountain.)

It's all about balance. Since mention has been made to physics, I found this interesting, as I’ve always thought the island has to be in perfect balance (light and dark, Yin and Yang, etc).

The readings of the I Ching contain a creation story in which its maths are linked to the coming of the light through the law of physics. The readings give a means to produce physical movement of the body through its lines of energy or Chi, which we view as psychology (in mind). The union is between the body (matter), and mind (energy), between water and fire, as through the law or will of Heaven all things are balanced in the middle point of observation - the single point of observation is the inner eye or single gate, as all opposite movements of duality. If the balance of created movement is not maintained, as it is not when the middle position is lost to our knowledge, nature swings too far against its opposite sides (sides of the Well - source) and then the vessel breaks apart. The return of the knowledge of the ‘Middle Way’ allow us to find the eternal part of our nature, as then involvement in the conflict of opposite movement is overcome.

http://web.mac.com/paulmartynsmith/iWeb/IChingmath/Home.html


Wow. This is the most disorganized, nonsensical and rambling post I could have written. It's kind of like an episode of Lost.

Episode Recap - "Some Like it Hoth"

Official Recap Here

First, I want to thank the writers for throwing a few inside jokes at us Star Wars fans.. nice touch.

Sorry I'm so late with this, I've been a real slacker lately. This episode wasn't particularly earth shattering for me. We kind of already guessed that Miles was Chang's son. I'm glad they're bringing Faraday back though. For a second when he got out of the sub, I wasn't sure if he was going to recognize Miles. Like maybe he was Daniel from the past, not Daniel from the "Present Past."

I thought the most interesting part was when the guys kidnapped Miles and threw him in the van. We heard that phrase again, "What lies in the shadow of the statue.".. Which leads me to believe that those guys were on the same team as Ceasar and the rest. BTW, I believe the Orchid Station lies in the shadow of the statue.

Episode Recap - "Whatever Happened, Happened"

Official Recap Here

Wow.. Please let me take this opportunity to point out all of the things that you heard first here.

The smoke monster is a judge.. I said it represents St Peter, the gatekeeper of heaven. Correct!

Ben went to kill Penny.. okay, I said he did kill her.. but I got it half right. Might be correct!

The Big Statue's shadow is significant. I believe the shadow points the way to the orchid station. Correct!

Also... I did a little digging, and the "crucial info" that Ben got from Locke after he tried to kill himself but before Ben killed him was about Eloise Hawking and that she can get everyone back to the island.

BLAMMO!

Episode Recap - "He's Our You"

Official Recap Here

What a great ending! Assuming mini Ben is dead, how will this ripple through time? Will big Ben just disappear, Back to the Future style? Or did Big Ben come back into the past and prepare mini Ben for just such a situation?

My theory is that this is a pivotal moment in ity bitty Ben's life. Similar to when Locke got shot in the stomach by Big Ben. After that, Locke was never the same.. he met Jacob, became "the one"... etc. Maybe this is when that happens to Ben. I predict that next episode, Richard will discover little bleeding Ben and take him to Jacob to be healed.

One interesting observation I made was that Sayid tied to the tree looked an awful lot like he was being crucified.. Jesus style.

As a side note, remember last season when Ben could like go into a closet and travel back into the real world from the island at will? What ever happened to that?