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Lost Season 6 is out on DVD tomorrow! Can not wait!
I deleted season 6 off of my DVR last night...it was a pretty emotional experience.
I can't wait to start a rewatch. It'll be great to watch it all back to back. It will be hard to watch the opening scene of season 1, knowing how it all ends. Ah, lots of tears to come!

Namaste,
Bran

Every question I answer will simply lead to another question

So, I told y'all it was coming, and here it is. Some thoughts on the end of Lost.
I kind of wish I would have written this sooner...almost a week later and I feel a little emotionally disconnected from it all. I could re-watch it (for the 3rd time), but I don't really feel like spending my afternoon in tears. 
Moving on...
We got a few answers during The End, two of them were big ones for me. 
We found out what the flash sideways was all about, and we saw what was behind Jack's mystery scar and his bleeding neck.
Let's start with the flash sideways, which is what the entire episode really hinged on. The sideways world was essentially purgatory. But I'm not a fan of that word, so we'll just call it a waiting room. To me, it seemed like this was a place where they could right their wrongs and learn to let go of anything that still haunted them with the help of others from the Island. Jack's "son" was there to help him let go of the guilt he had about never forgiving his father.
I was so happy that Jack finally found peace with his dad. I think that's what the sideways timeline was all about. Like Jacob said, they needed the Island as much as the Island needed them. More than that, they all needed each other. In their lives, they all had unresolved issues and crazy baggage. In the "waiting room" that they made for each other, they all found what they were missing in their real lives -- closure, peace and love. They things they spent their whole lives trying to find. And now that they have it -- and each other, they're ready to move on. To let go. 
To me, Lost was very much a show about a community of people. Life is not meant to be lived alone, and our castaways were very good at driving people away and running away. The Island taught them to rely on other people, to trust other people. Trust is hard. Trust is even harder for people who don't know how to trust anyone, let alone themselves. 
Lost made us ask ourselves which is more important -- the journey or the destination. What if our every action gets tallied on a scorecard for our afterlife? How does this possibility change the way you live day to day?
I wonder if this is the first sideways experience they've all had.  I especially think that this was not Jack's first go round. He grew so much on the Island and was such a believer, but in his sideways world, he still had trouble letting go. It didn't seem like he was really ready to move on until Christian touched his shoulder on the way to open the doors in the church. 
It was crazy to watch Jack's character develop over the course of 6 seasons. I don't know how anyone could not like who he became in the end. 


I know a lot of people are angry that they didn't get all of their questions answered. But I don't think those questions matter in the end. I loved the mythology of the show, all of the theorizing. What was up with the Dharma pallet drops? Why were the Others taking children? I think they answered why women on the Island couldn't have children. That was Jacob's rule. He saw what happened when his mom gave birth to him and the MIB on the Island, and he didn't want a repeat of that. The mysteries were fun and they were a nice distraction, but they're not important. The people are what was important here. So if you're mad that you didn't get to see why the statue on had 4 toes, then you never understood what Lost was all about. 


I was beyond moved by the show. I think watching these people grown and learn to love and help one another was pretty powerful. I think community is a necessity. Jack was right... "Live together or die alone". 
I think that it was beautiful that they all waited for each other before they "moved on". That's how much they all mattered to each other. I think that it's a fantastic concept that when you die, everyone you ever loved or cared about is waiting for you. That you can all move on together, let go together. I don't think I'd want it any other way.
And could the ending have been any more fitting? I was sobbing at the end when Jack made his way to the bamboo field where we first saw him. Past the shoe hanging in the tree from the crash...watching that eye close for the last time. Perfection.


This did not come out as coherent as I wanted it to, but if it was nice and pretty and tied up with a bow, then it just wouldn't be Lost would it?
I can honestly say that Lost was the best thing I have ever seen on TV and I doubt that I will ever get so drawn into anything again. I know that there is a ton that I'm leaving out, forgetting about... What I loved about the way Lost ended, was that it was so open to interpretation. It will mean something different to everyone who watched. 
So, I think I'll keep the rest of it to myself. But I'd be interested to hear what it meant to you.


I'll leave you with something I saw that Damon Lindelof wrote about Lost:
Remember. Let go. Move on. I will miss it more than I can ever say.


See you in another life brutha, 
Bran

I'm here to help you let go...

Wow...not really sure where to start. I loved tonight's Lost -- but it was bittersweet. Only 2.5 hours of Lost left! I can't wrap my head around it. 
Tonight's episode was a set up episode leading up to the big finale on Sunday. I'm usually not a huge fan of the set up episodes, but I really enjoyed this one.
Anyway, a few quick thoughts about tonight's episode.


I'm interested in seeing how Desmond's plan of getting everyone together works out. Looks like some of them are headed to Jack's son's concert. But what about the hospital crew? Jin and Sun are still there and it looks like Locke will be checking in soon.
I enjoyed seeing Ben get his ass kicked yet again by Desmond. Always a fun sight. It looks like Desmond's plan is working on Locke. I'm assuming that while Locke is under for his surgery, he'll remember everything.
Rousseau finally got to be a mother to Alex...yet Ben still ended up being the father figure in her life.
We got 2 more deaths tonight. Widmore and Richard. I was really sad to see Richard go. I love his character, but I do think that his story is over. Widmore I'm pretty neutral about. I think once we found out why he was back on the Island, we were done with him. 
Oh, we found out why he was on the Island. Jacob went to Widmore at some point and Desmond is Jacob's back up plan in case FLocke is successful in killing the remaining candidates. I'm assuming that Desmond wouldn't throw away his life with Penny and Charlie to stay on the Island, which means that Jacob wouldn't give Des a choice in the matter. Like he gave the remaining candidates.
Back to Ben though. Do we think he's really gone to the dark side, or is he playing FLocke?


So, child Jacob found Hurley in the jungle and asked for the ashes. He handed them over and chased after the kiddo. Jacob tells Hurley that the ashes are now in the fire and that when the fire goes out, Jacob will essentially be dead. Again. Jacob finally shows himself to the remaining candidates and at Kate's insistence tells them what Jin, Sun and Sayid died for. He tells them that one of them must take over his job of guarding the light in the Island. He tells them that it was him that wrote their names on the wall. We find out that Kate's name was crossed off because she became a mother, but that the job was still hers if she wanted it. Apparently Jacob is not a fan of mothers. Go figure.
Anyway, Jack volunteered for the job, drank the crazy Island Kool-Aide and got the special touch from Jacob. That's an interesting hiring process.
We found out why Jacob brought them to the Island too. None of them were in a happy place. I think one of the major themes of Lost has been redemption. All of the remaining candidates (and the 3 we lost 2 weeks ago) have, in my eyes, somehow made up for their past crimes and faults. I think that was part of Jacob's plan, too...regardless of who he thought would end up taking the job.
Jack has really come full circle for me. I like his whole "man of faith" persona. I think he'll serve the Island well.
But, I'm not ready to believe that Jack will be the one. We've got 2.5 more hours, so we will see. It would be like Lost to throw us for a major loop and have the show end with a different Island guardian. That's assuming that FLocke doesn't succeed and that there will still be an Island that needs protecting.


That's it for now I suppose. I'm planning a season 6 rewatch this Sunday before the finale starts. We'll see what thoughts I come up with then. I can't believe the crazy ride this show has taken us on. We've been watching for 6 years, and I can honestly say that I'm going to have a hard time letting go. And yes, I'm aware that it's only a TV show.  But maybe it's time to close the book. As much as we liked reading the book, it's time for it to end. 
Feel free to let me know if there's anything I missed -- I'm sure there was a ton I'm leaving out!


Buckle up kids, it's going to be a bumpy ride.


Namaste,
Bran


PS - I cannot tell you how happy Nate is for this show to be over. Not quite as happy as he was when he found out The Vampire Diaries was over until September, but still, pretty happy.

This will be quick...

Haven't updated in a while...sorry!


Just a few quick thoughts about Lost last night...


First off, someone please give Michael Emmerson an Emmy for his performance last night. He was incredible. He has done a great job throughout the show of playing his character. He's the guys your supposed to hate, but I just love him! And I have never felt more sorry for him than I did last night. As much as he has manipulated other people, he was finally ready to admit that maybe he was being played the whole time. Which leads me to my next point!!

Before Ben killed Jacob, he asked him "What about me?", to which Jacob replied "What about you?". We all took this to mean that Jacob really could have cared less about Ben. I have two thoughts on this. One, I'm pretty sure Jacob knew that Flocke and Ben were coming and that Ben would kill him. And after seeing the change in Ben last night, I think Jacob knew that Ben killing him would turn Ben into the kind of person that Jacob always wanted/knew he could be. Or two, that maybe that "what about you" was more of an "I'm sorry, who are you?". Let me explain. Last night we saw substitute teacher Locke feed Ben's dream of becoming the principal. But, was that really Locke? And all the time that Ben claimed that he was carrying out Jacob's orders...was he really? What if the person he believed he was obeying wasn't Jacob at all, but the Man in Black? 

Just a thought. I'm sure I'll get proved wrong on both counts!

Moving on!

I always get really excited whenever Richard pops up. We have learned next to nothing about him. But last night, we learned why he never ages. When Jacob touched him (a billion years ago) he gave him a gift, which appears to be the gift of life. We know who else he touched (Kate, Sawyer, Jack, Sayid, Jin & Sun and Hurley), but I'm wondering if all of their gifts will be the same as Richard's...or has everyone been "gifted" something different?

And when did Jack become such a man of faith? I hope the writers do a bit more to explain his change.

I'm trying to keep this short so I won't get too far into Ben's sideways flash. But I'm curious to know when Ben left the island. Was it before or after Jack & Co. detonated Jughead. I'm waiting to see how this plays out. Anyway, Ben's sideways flash gave us a look at a Ben we have never seen before. He fed his dad organic TV dinners while he switched out his oxygen tank. And Daddy told Ben all about how he wanted so much more for him. No mama drama here! 

I really enjoyed Ben's scene with Ilana. We'll see if they were both being truthful, of if one is trying to con the other. 

And the mini reunion on the beach with Jack, Hurley and Sun. And Frank and Miles. I like seeing the gang get back together. But, I'm getting hungry for a Jin/Sun reunion.

We got our first look at Widmore last night, too. What was he doing in a sub heading towards the island? And what has he been up to? 

I'd love to hear what the 2 of you who read this thought...leave your comments!

Me = Lame

I know, I'm awful. No recap last week. 
Just a quick list...


Hurley was in his prime. I loved him telling Dogen off.
Claire scared the crap out of me. She is definitely off her rocker. 
Why did Jin say that Kate had Aaron (and then take it back)? We know Kate took Aaron, but how did Jin know?
Back to Scary Claire, I loved the creepy reveal of "Locke" being her "friend".
In the Lighthouse, I think Jack saw exactly what Jacob wanted him to see. 
Also Re: Lighthouse, any thoughts on who Wallace (who was at 108, which is the sum of the numbers) could be?
This show makes a lot of references to Alice in Wonderland. Sideways Jack was telling his son about how he used to read it to him. We also saw Jack reading it to Aaron in "Something Nice Back Home".
Speaking of Jack's son, um, what? Where did this kid come from and who is his mama? I know it's someone we've met before. I'm interested to find out who she is. It would be great if it was Juliet and the reason why she wasn't home is because she's out getting that cup of coffee with Sawyer. But that just makes too much sense.


I'm sure I'm missing a ton of stuff, but a week later, this is all I got! The enhanced version is on at 7 right before the new episode (called "Sundown", no word on which character it focuses on, but I'm hoping for Claire), so I will definitely be watching that.


In some non Lost news, I've got a fancy new hair cut (pics on Facebook) and am starting a new running program. It's 9 weeks...we'll see if I finish it by then. 

Namaste!

A little of this, a little of that

I was going to try to save all of my Lost-ness for tomorrow, but oh well.
I think we need to keep an open mind concerning the numbers and the names that correspond to them. Mainly the names though. Shepherd isn't necessarily Jack. It could be Christian. And let's not forget that Claire is Jack's sister. So would Jacob have considered her a Shepherd since Christian is her daddy? And Kwon doesn't for sure mean Jin or Sun. It could be their daughter, Ji Yeon, who happened to be conceived on the island -- which I imagine is a pretty big deal. So, let's just keep an open mind.


Moving on!
I would first like to profess my love for Reynolds slow cooker liners. They make doing anything with your crock pot about a billion times easier. I will enjoy my chili even more tonight knowing I don't have to scrub my crock pot. :)


I just finished a really great book called Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin. It's about the girl that inspired Alice in Wonderland and her relationship with Lewis Carroll. I had no idea that Alice's life had been so well documented as to allow for a book like this to be written. It was a really fast read and I thought it was pretty interesting.
I just started reading The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters. I haven't gotten to the gist of what it's about, but I'm 20 pages in and hooked. I'll keep you updated.


Who else is ready for this crappy weather to end? I am very much ready for spring.


Enjoy The Lighthouse tonight...can't wait to see what we find out!

Weirdest damn funeral I've ever been to...

Season 6 of LOST has officially begun. I know we are 3 weeks (and 4 episodes) in, but I feel like last night was the big start to the season. 


Last night was all about Locke. He had by far the best sideways flash we've seen this season. I got a kick out of all of the characters that popped up in his flash. I'm very excited to see who else comes up in the next Locke-centric episode. I think it's an understatement to say that the Locke we saw in the sideways world is very different to island Locke. He seemed to roll with the punches and didn't seem so angry about being in a wheelchair. In fact, by the end of the episode, he seemed to almost accept it. 
I was very excited to see that he was with Helen in this sideways life (even though she died in the pre-Jughead world). So, when we catch up with Locke and Helen they are living in suburbia and planning their wedding. As Locke ponders over color swatches Helen suggests they just elope...and bring Locke's dad (Anthony Cooper...the guy who conned Sawyer's mom). So, if Locke is buddy-buddy with daddy, then how did he end up in the wheel chair?? 
Back to characters popping up in Locke's flash, I think we'll be seeing Boone again soon. Helen mentioned a catering crisis (been there!) and Boone just happens to be the chief operating officer of his mother's wedding business. 
We also found out that Locke was in Australia for a work conference, but he ditched that to attempt to go on a Walkabout. When he got busted and fired and finally fessed up to Helen, he described a walkabout as an adventure -- man vs. nature. But back in season 1, he described it as a journey of spiritual renewal. This is not the man of faith Locke we have come to know. This is not a Locke who believes in destiny or fate. 
But back to the cameos in his flash last night! After he was fired, he runs in to Hurley in the parking lot. Hurley happens to own the company and offers to talk to Locke's boss for him. Locke declines and Hurley gives him the name of a temp agency he also owns. Locke goes to said temp agency and gets the old "If you could be any animal, what would you be?" from the interview girl. He doesn't bite and asks to speak to her supervisor. Who happens to be Rose. Locke tells her he wants a job in construction and Rose laughs him off. When he persists, Rose fesses up about her cancer. She pretty much told him to find meaning and life in who he is, not in who he wants to be or what he can/can't do. Well played Rose!


Next we see Locke he is a biology substitute (this from the Locke who in high school shunned the idea of going to a Mittelos science camp). He manages to find his way to the teachers lounge where some crazy guys is going on and on about coffee. The crazy guy turns out to be Ben Linus. Crazy!


But, let's get back to the Island. 


I'm wondering if when Smokey took over Locke's body, some small part of Locke stayed with him. When FLocke (fake Locke) confronts the blond boy in the jungle, he yells at him "Don't tell me what I can't do!". That is definitely a John Locke phrase. 


(On a side note, did anyone else notice how fantastic Sawyer looked in that nice blue shirt last night?)


Turns out I was right to be worried about Sawyer. He was very easy prey for FLocke. So Sawyer goes traipsing through the jungle with FLocke. When FLocke goes chasing after a blond kid in the jungle (who Richard couldn't see, but Sawyer could), Richard comes out from the trees and tries to convince Sawyer to leave FLocke and head back to the temple with him. FLocke comes back (after his Locke like outburst) and Sawyer lies about talking to Richard. 
I'm wondering how much Richard really knows about what he did for Jacob. When FLocke talks about candidates, Richard seems totally confused. Is he really not in the know, or just a damn good liar?
Anyway, FL and S continue on and and have a fun adventure down a rope ladder and end up in a cave that appears to have been Jacob's former hang out. I think FLocke throwing the white rock into the ocean ("inside joke") is his way of declaring that he (Man In Black, or if we're talking backgammon, the dark side) has won. FLocke shows Sawyer part of the cave where Jacob had scrawled names all over the place. FLocke told Sawyer that these were people who Jacob thought were candidates to protect the island (when Sawyer asks from what, FLocke says, "nothing"). FLocke said Jacob picked out 6 people and interfered with their lives. This is also where we also where we get a taste of what the numbers really mean. The six names (and also the 6 numbers) were written on the wall:
4 = Locke
8 = Reyes (Hurley)
15 = Ford (Sawyer)
16 = Jarrah (Sayid)
23 = Shepard (Jack)
42 = Kwon (which one...Jin or Sun?)
Conspicuously missing was Kate. We saw that as a child she was touched by Jacob, but why was she not one of the 6? Did she do something in between being "marked" and crashing on the island to fall out of Jacob's good graces?
FLocke said he didn't know what the numbers meant, but I'm not buying it. I think he also lied to Sawyer about his 3 options (he could do nothing, he could accept the job as Jacob's replacement, or he could leave the island). Maybe he didn't lie, but there was not total disclosure either. Sawyer said he wanted to leave, but I'm pretty sure that's going to involve him dying. Which I would not be happy about. 


I know this is getting wordy, but I promise I'm almost done!! 
After we saw Jack do a little growing up last week, I was a little bummed to not see more of him this week. I thought it was pretty big of Jack last week to say that he didn't even trust himself. I hoped that this week Lost would pick up the pace, and boy did they! I was very excited about the episode and am looking forward to the enhanced version next week to see what I didn't catch. 
Season 6 is definitely under way and I am pumped!


Thanks for bearing with me kids...I'd love to hear your thoughts!


Oh, EW today reported that Maggie Grace (Shannon) will be making an apperance before the season is over!

Are you ready?

So this is just my pre Lost post to talk about how excited I am about Lost. Which would be very excited.


Tonight's episode is called The Substitute and if the title doesn't give away who the episode is about, then we have a problem. Since I'm feeling nice, I will tell you it's about Locke. I'm pretty confused about what's going on with him. I guess the smoke monster can take different forms because Locke is definitely dead and hanging out on the sand by the statue. So, tonight we will hopefully get some background on the Locke-ness monster. Very exciting. I really enjoyed last weeks slower pace, but I'm hoping they step it up tonight.


I've been watching as much as the Olympics as I can, which is to say, not much since I work. I caught some of the speed skating over the weekend (big time Apolo Ohno fan here!) and the women's moguls. Men's snowboarding half pipe starts tomorrow night. I watched a little of the luge, but it was hard for me to watch after the Georgian luger who died. 


I had a super fun adventure trying to see Valentine's Day this weekend. We managed to only see half the movie, but that was not our fault.


Speaking of, I hope everyone had a nice Valentine's day weekend. I was spoiled with a Sony Reader. As if I didn't already have a massive problem with reading, this just made it that much easier to buy books. N has created an even bigger monster!


Oh! And we never talked about Vampire Diaries! I loved last weeks episode! I could believe Katherine wasn't in the tomb...totally didn't see that one coming! I'm curious to see how/if Bonnie and Elena's relationship changes since Bonnie's grandma died helping Damon. I'm confused as to how Jeremy managed to jump to the conclusion about Ana being a vampire, so I hope we get to find out how that happened. Maybe he read something in the journal and connected it to Ana. Hm. And where is Alaric's wife? She could possibly still be alive (ish) somewhere...maybe her and Damon had a thing.


Let's meet back here tomorrow to discuss Lost, shall we?