Lost Predictions Going Forward

Lost Predictions Going Forward

Rather than predict what’s going to happen specifically tonight, I’m going to take a snapshot of what I see going forward for the next few episodes or so. Briefly, though, let’s review last week’s predictions:

1. Did Juliet successfully detonate JUGHEAD at the end of last season and cause the crash of Oceanic flight 815 never to happen?

So far, I haven’t been proven wrong. There are two timelines (yay, me!). And I think I nailed the splinter on the arrow of time. And hey, the island is under water in the new timeline! There is no way in hell an h-bomb sunk the island so I think it’s safe to say the magnetic force unleashed at the Swan hatch may have been multiplied 100 fold by the power of the bomb, causing it to get sucked down into a watery grave.

OR…

Was it Jacob’s death in the original timeline? You see you have to remember what was happening in 2007 with Ben and Jacob and Flocke was occurring at the same time Juliet was smacking JUGHEAD with the black rock (black rock, get it?). But wait, how can they be occurring at the same time when one was in 2007 and the other in 1977? You have to go back to the conversation between Miles and Hurley about time travel in Season 5.

Hurley: Let me get this straight, all this already happened?
Miles: Yes.
Hurley: So, this conversation we’re having right now, we already had it.
Miles: [claps] Yes!
Hurley: Then what am I gonna say next?
Miles: I don’t know.
Hurley: Ha! Then your theory is wrong!
Miles: For the thousandth time, you dingbat, the conversation already happened. But not for you and me. For you and me, it’s happening right now.
Hurley: Okay, answer me this. If all this already happened to me, then why don’t I remember any of it?
Miles: Because once Ben turned that wheel, time isn’t a straight line for us anymore. Our experiences in the past and the future occurred before these experiences right now.
Hurley: [pause] Say that again?
Miles: [frustrated, hands Hurley his gun] Shoot me, shoot me please.
Hurley: Ah-ha! I can’t shoot you, because then if you die in 1977, then you’ll never come back to the island on the freighter 30 years from now.
Miles: I can die! Because I’ve already come to the island on the freighter! Any of us can die, because this is our present.

So, although we were seeing 1977, we were seeing their present. It just happened to be in the past. Fried yet? This was also illustrated in the Season 5 premiere when Faraday sent a message to Desmond in the present by talking to him in the past. Although it occurred several years before, Desmond didn’t remember until his present because it was also occurring in Faraday’s present, which happened to be the past.

So, back to my original point, the 1977 and 2007 storylines were occurring at the same time in two separate times. The Incident always happened. JUGHEAD always detonated. Whatever happened, happened. But Faraday was also right. People are the Variable. But he had the wrong person. The Variable was Ben Linus. He killed Jacob. And Jacob allowed it to happen. Why? More on that later. But in terms of this, his death was the new event. And an island without Jacob caused the splinter in time at the precise moment JUGHEAD was detonating.

Now I could be way off on this but we’ve already seen Jacob’s death have monumental implications (the healing water no longer heals). I think Ben killing him reverberated across everyone’s present, including those in the past (because it’s their present, too) and caused the splinter (or wrinkle, wink) in time.


2. Is Bad Locke/Flocke the smoke monster?

Winner winner, chicken dinner. Nailed this one, too.


3. Is Jacob dead?

Nailed him being dead and talking to Hurley. And I think the STAR WARS allusion will play out in future episodes. More on that later.


4. Is Juliet dead?

Yep. Nailed that one, too.


5. Will Sayid die from his wound?

Okay, got some of this right. They did take Sayid to the Temple. And they did try to heal him. But the waters were sour due to Jacob’s death and they ended up drowning him. Is this the normal way of doing business? Or did something abnormal happen? I have theories. More on this later. But I think he did die and did come back.


6. What the hell will happen with the new timeline?

I’m still not sure but am starting to have some new ideas. More on this later.


7. Is Ben bad or good?

My prediction - I'm still working on a grand Ben theory and will hopefully post it in the future


Okay, it’s later. Time for some new predictions and theories.


1. Jacob’s Loophole.

It’s pretty clear Jacob and Flocke/MIB/Smokey are/were playing an adversarial game, whether you choose the chess or backgammon allusion matters not. Smokey found his loophole in Ben. But Jacob knew Smokey would be looking for a loophole. Hell, he told Jacob on the beach he would. So Jacob went into action to start countering him. He knew the only way Smokey could kill him was to turn a human against him. Jacob institutes a new rule: only the leader of the island inhabitants can be granted an audience with him and they have to go through Richard. Richard’s marching orders are to communicate via letters with Jacob and dissuade all leaders from ever seeing him, recommending “It’s not a good time” or “Jacob prefers this” or “Jacob wants that”. Eliminate the need to see Jacob by convincing the leaders this or that is Jacob’s will and execute smartly.

Jacob then devised a plan to separate the two natures of Smokey. The consciousness or mind side from the smoke side. They somehow trapped the mind side in the cabin. The ash circle ensured the two would remain separate (as established in last week’s premiere, Smokey can’t cross the ash).

But Jacob knew he couldn’t keep them separated for long. So he started Loophole Plan B. What is that? Well, I think he started picking castaways he deemed important to his plan. In last season’s finale, we saw him enter at key times in Jack, Sawyer, Kate, Sayid, Jin and Sun, Locke, and Hurley’s lives. Oh, and Ben Linus. More specifically, Jacob touched them. But did he touch Ben? Oh, yeah. He embraced him as he died. How sweet. And that touch is very important.

Why?

Well, we don’t know why Jacob wants these specific people to stick around but he knows they’re needed to defeat Smokey. But with the healing properties of the water gone, there has to be a back-up plan which allows for these important people to come back around (nice Sawyer reference).

Remember when Desmond was flashing in time? His consciousness moved from one period to the next. He was unstuck in time. Well, I think Jacob wanted to ensure the same thing, only across timelines. So, knowing the splinter would occur upon his death, he ensure a new timeline where all the lostaways are alive again.

But what’s that got to do with Sayid?

Ah, here’s where I step out on a limb. What if Jacob’s death caused the splinter in time to allow for a twin consciousness to be formed on purpose? What if Jacob was creating battle spares?

Crazy, I know. But wouldn’t that f-ing rock? Sayid dies in 2007. And then he ends up in a coma or something in the splinter timeline, allowing his consciousness to get sucked into dead Sayid in 2007 and reanimate his corpse. Oh shit. That means the same could happen to Locke. Which means you could see the real Locke resurrected. Oh shit!

But wait! When Desmond was flashing, he was also losing his mind and bleeding from his nose because he didn't have a constant. Oh, but that's where Jacob comes in again. You see, his touch has three folds. It acts as an anchor between branching timelines. It acts as a constant. And it protects those he's touched from Smokey.

Yep. That means Smokey can't kill them. He needs to manipulate someone else into doing it.

Remember Jacob's dying words? "They're coming." And Smokey got pissed and kicked him into the fire. He realized Jacob had out-flanked his loophole with a loophole. Son of a bitch.

Yes, this is crazy and yes, I am probably wrong. But taking a step back, I might not be too far off. Why? Because this second timeline has to mean more than just showing what could have been. The rules of good storytelling dictate it has to mean something to the original timeline. Nay, it must play a critical role in the new timeline. Maybe this is it. If I’m right, you will all worship me as a demi-god.


2. The Island’s Culture

We got to see the Temple finally. Didn’t look Egyptian. More Mesopotamian or Mayan. I think this is proof that the Island isn’t Egyptian in origin. The architecture of the Island is a reflection of the types of visitors who have been coming there since the dawn of man. Egyptians, Phoenicians, whatever. Dharmaville provided their own suburban influence. And the Others merely adapt them to their own uses. We’ve seen them at the Temple, Dharmaville, camping in WWII era tents, Yurts, etc. They use what others construct and leave. They don’t upgrade or improve. An example off island is the Lightpost Dharma station Ms. Hawking used. Old-ass computers. Vintage maps, etc.

But this also means that cultures have, across time, found the Island and from it developed their myths and took them back home. The Egyptian carving of Anubis weighing a soul in front of Maat seems to parallel the two sides of Smokey: the reanimated/mind weighing the soul before the Smoke Monster side. Interesting.

Does that mean the Temple guards the Water of Life? Lots of mythology surrounding water that can heal all wounds. And those tunnels, clearly the Underworld.


3. Tonight’s Episode

Okay, grand ideas aside, what’s going to happen tonight?

-Sayid will not remember what happened and will recognize Jack, etal, from the flight.

-Sayid will officially be initiated as an Other. Because that’s what happens once you go to the Temple and get healed.

-Hopefully we’ll see some stuff that supports my theories, including more on the splinter timeline and what caused it.

Enjoy the show!

Why I Hate John Hornor Jacobs

It's easy to hate your friends when they succeed. But don't let the title of this post fool you. As in previous posts titled "Why I Hate Sam W. Anderson" and "Why I Hate Kurt Dinan," I act like I hate but I actually applaud. In this case, it's John Hornor Jacobs.

So, why do I hate John? Do I really need a reason? I mean, the guy impressed Mort Castle and Ron Kelly enough they wanted to pay him for his work. Pay him, I tell you. That's enough to hate him right there.

Then the bastard was kind enough to design the nice little Angry Penguins & Drunken Monkeys banner you see at the top of this blog. Of course, that was after I met him face-to-face at the Borderlands Boot Camp last January (wow, has it already been a year?). We drank, we shared, we joked, we drank, we smoked cigars, we drank, we cracked wise. Wait a minute. I guess I don't really hate him after all.

In all honesty, John's a great guy. He had one of the best novels a the Boot Camp. A novel he has since gone on to sell. Since I met him, he completed two other novels and recently (like earlier today) landed an agent. Also I have to admit I'm an avid follower of his blog and his blogginess encouraged me to get off my ass and follow my own dreams of blogginess. Hence, I wouldn't be here, congratulating John, if it wasn't for his blogginess.

It would be easy to hate him considering the amount of success he's enjoyed. But there's no call for it. John has worked his ass off and put in the time and made the sacrifices it takes to claw your way into the light that is the writing world.

I repeat, he's worked his ass off. As in previous posts like this one, this is a recurring theme. It takes a lot of hard damn work. And it doesn't get any easier. So tonight I tip my cap to John and congratulate him. Well done!

Now get back to work and sell those damn novels you've worked so hard on!

Pimpin' for the Dinan - Part II

Kurt Dinan’s insanely good short story Nub Hut has made the preliminary ballot for the Stoker Awards in the category short fiction. This means a lot to Kurt but it also means a lot to me because…well, I’ll keep it to myself. It involves a late night call and drunken voicemail and the content of that voicemail will remain between Kurt and I. Anyway, congrats Kurt. Here’s hoping you make the final ballot and have an excuse to go to Brighton.

Quick Movie Review - The Hangover

I was really looking forward to this one. It made a ton of money. Everyone kept saying how hilarious it was. I love some of the other movies by Todd Phillips (Old School, Road Trip). This had everything working in its favor.

Then I finally sat down and watched it. Meh.

Look, a lot of people said this was an original take on comedic story telling. Uh, have you not seen Dude, Where's My Car. It's the exact same structure. For example:

DWMC: "Dude, where's my car?"

TH: "Dude, where's Doug?"

Both have twists based on seemingly randomness that make no sense until tied together with later events. So, they have an absurd feeling to their structures. However, TH doesn't have too much when it comes to "funny" absurd scenes. Instead, they rip-off other movies.

The tiger in the car is a rip-off of the deer in the car scene in Tommy Boy.

The random tiger is a rip-off of the random ostrich in DWMC.

I could go on but the point is TH just isn't very funny. And as a result, it's also very disappointing.

LOST Predictions for Tonight

As I said in my previous post, I'm one of those annoying LOST fans. You know, the ones with theories on top of theories and an every lasting need to tell someone about them. Anyway, the premiere of the final season is only a few hours away and I figured I'd dive in and give some predictions for tonight:

1. Did Juliet successfully detonate JUGHEAD at the end of last season and cause the crash of Oceanic flight 815 never to happen?

My prediction - yes and no. Here's what I think. I think she did detonate the bomb but the effect will result in two timelines. One in which the bomb never went off (the first five seasons of LOST) and one in which it did. If time is an arrow, Juliet caused a splinter. The arrow is still there but now there's a new timeline proceeding down the splinter. What does that mean? There will be two timelines. The first will be 1977 Dharmaville/2007 Ajira crash survivors because that's the original timeline. So, the island is still there and Jack and Kate and Sawyer, etc are all still in 1977. In the second timeline, the bomb goes off and blows the shit out of the island. Maybe even destroys it. Like maybe the bomb made the Incident even worse and the whole island gets sucked under water or through the earth and ends up as a heap of rocks in Tunisia. Either way: I predict two timelines and in the new one, Oceanic 815 lands at LAX (hence the title of the first two episodes).

2. Is Bad Locke/Flocke the smoke monster?

My prediction - yes. The rules of good story telling necessitate this. The smoke monster has been around since the beginning and so has it's ability to scan memories. When dead "visions" show up, so does the smoke monster (Eko's brother Yemi right before smokie beat Eko to death). So, smoke is Bad Locke, who is also the Man in Black and Jacob's opposite.

3. Is Jacob dead?

My prediction - yes. Again, good story telling necessitates this. The writers of LOST are huge STAR WARS geeks. They set Jacob up to sacrifice himself ala Obi-Wan in NEW HOPE. Remember "If you strike me down I'll become more powerful..." yadda yadda yadda. So, Jacob chose to die. And guess who'll be talking to him? Yep, our speaker to the dead Hurley.

4. Is Juliet dead?

My prediction - yes. How could she survive?

5. Will Sayid die from his wound?

My prediction - tough call. He might. Story telling wise, the writer's set up a similar storyline with Ben last season. Shot, on death's door, and the only thing which could save him was handing him over to Richard and healing him at the Temple. If the writer's are following the rules of good storytelling, they'll further mirror Ben and Sayid's stories and have Sayid taken to the Temple to be healed. But that might not happen until later in the season. Probably not tonight. We'll see. In the meantime, Jack will probably figure out a way to keep him alive.

6. What the hell will happen with the new timeline?

My prediction - I have no idea but I'm damn curious to find out. I will say I expect a MAJOR course correction later in the season and expect to see the new timeline sucked back into the original in some form. The universe craves order and will not tolerate and bastard timeline for long.

7. Is Ben bad or good?

My prediction - I'm working on a grand Ben theory and will hopefully post it in the future. In short, though, I think Ben is on the side of good. Remember, Ben seemed to always know Locke was bad news. And remember when Ben took him to the cabin the first time. Ben knew Jacob wasn't in there. And he had to kill Locke because he heard him. To me, Ben didn't know everything but he knew Locke hearing anything in that cabin was damn bad news.

Well, that's it for now. We'll see if I'm right or wrong in a few hours. Enjoy the show!

Smells like LOST

I am one of the annoying fans...


Final Season Of 'Lost' Promises To Make Fans More Annoying Than Ever

People You Can't Trust

You can't trust anyone who is almost 42 but insists that they are only 10.5 because they were born on Feb 29, 1968. Almost 42 years ago.