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I'm a fourth year seminary student attempting to balance life, youth ministry, and academics along with preparing to have a child. This is about being in the world but not of the world. I'll talk about everything from the Word of God, my wife, recent books, the Red Sox, Lost, my ministry, interesting insights into our culture, and anything else that runs across my plate.
11 comments:
I definately liked the black smoke creature- more scary than a polar bear. Now it looks like Echo did what Lock probably did- just not run. Now I'm thinking Lock doesn't have special inside knowledge, he is just intuitive- and has more faith in fate (or the soverienty of God) than Jack. I guess this is the thing that killed the pilot and would run around knocking trees down.
It is also now clear that the island does not want them there. This is against mom and I's theory that the island was nurturing and bringing out everyone's desires for life or leading it into the forest to find water.
There are 3 stations on the island "to save the world" the back half of the plane found one, the middle of the plane is occupying the other, and apparently the 3rd station is "very isolated".
Why are the stations there to save the world?
Why can't they use the computers for communication? They have a fancy video with a guy in the lab coat about the instructions and the two instructions are to hit the key and to not use the computers for communication- that seems strange.
So are the 3 stations there to prevent the black smoke creature from leaving the island. Can the black smoke creature follow the communication on the computer?
Who are beings trying to save the world- they have to have some supernatural powers to get the plane to break in half over the island- place on part of the plane by one station and the other part of the plane by another station.
On a petty note, I think Kate loves both Jack and Sawyer. Sawyer is who she is now, and Jack is who she wants to be.
My take is that she really loves Jack, but feels unworthy of him ("I'm not perfect like you" - ah, the magic of VHS), but feels she "deserves" Sawyer. He's a "don't tie me down" guy, someone you could never get too serious about. Just fine if you're "on the run". Jack is the kind of guy you "settle down" with, not an option she thinks she has. Of course there's that pesky quick temper of his. Sometimes he's just too impetuous (e.g. wanting to take a heavily armed guard to rescue Sayid from Hotlips, throwing the dynamite down the hole to free Locke from the black smoke. He responds without thinking it through in order to "save" anybody.)
You guys probably already know this stuff, but I just read it. The island is theorized to be a "limbo". All of them have sins in their past they need to expiate.(This isn't biblical theology being offered in this show. It's more of a cross between RC and Buddhism, although I choose to believe that the African priests are Anglican! I don't know how you 'explain away' the madonna statues, though. And Eko's ritual behavior is pretty RC, don't you think?) "The others" are probably people who were previously stranded here. They only wanted the "good ones" of the tailenders. Remember they tried to take Mr. Eko, he just didn't cooperate. They are presenting Eko as a guy who will consider evil to accomplish good, something his brother did not believe in. Too pragmatic for me. It discounts the sovereignty of God. I'm with the younger brother. But HOW did a Nigerian plane end up in the South Pacific? The black smoke/security system of the island seemed to be testing him. Somehow it finds Eko and Locke 'worthy'. I don't think it's just a matter of not running away. [Doesn't the black smoke remind you of X-Files black oil?] This stuff is a "being" though. It thinks, it evaluates, etc. and can probably take various shapes (like Walt?).
The "talking" Walt does is actually talking backwards, according to what I read. Someone needs to record it and play it backwards! You'd need a reel-to-reel to do it, I think. ;)
The literary & Biblical references. Has anyone read the Josiah passage? I remember about his finding Scripture in the idol-filled Temple and bringing Israel back to following God. Was there anything else important about him? Anyone remember? And the reference to Gilgamesh (Locke doing the crossword puzzle a few eps back) was interesting. Gilgamesh was changed through his friendship with Enkidu, though Enkidu bit the dust as I recall. I tried to catch the Scripture references to look them up, but could only see the book and chapter, no verses. Anyone else have more? I want to look up the verses Eko needs "to remember".
Numbers - I made a mistake -it was 23 that reminded Kate of the reward for her capture in Australia, not 34. Didn't mean to confuse you with one more number! Btw, 42 is the "ultimate answer to life, the universe and everything" according to Douglas Adams in 'Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe'.
Oh...and I definitely think there are cameras monitoring the computer room. How did they know it was Michael fiddling with the keys?
OK...why 2 hrs? the first hout was just a total reca[ of the season. I think it was good seeing how all the things that were happening were played out on both sides. and the radio when Boone had contact with Bernard and Hot lips shut the radio off. (ugh!!) Something is tring to get them all together. why else are they finding one another? The black smoke? weird...but remember when Eko was buying the drugs and the person said that people were wrong Eko doesn't have a soul. And then Eko killed him...do you remember that? then his brother made mention of that as well. I wonder how many of these people have "no soul" and they are on the island and the black is the "soul". far fetched I know theological NO WAY...but think about it. Why would they be using the Bible in so many different references? That black thing could take shape of anything I bet. Jacks Dad, Walt, a horse, a soul, a polar bear...you know...maybe it takes shape of their fears...ok this doesn't make any sense just rambling as usual. If I think of anything else I will put it down. BYE
ok watched the episodes last night.
the smoke- if you watch it closely, you can see different images flashing up. one looks like the outline of a person. that's one thing we noticed. it said that this was their island. I can't remember what it said exactly, but i don't think it said to get off the island, just that it was their island.
Ecko- is Locke backwards without the L. just another similarity. the guy said he didn't have a soul, but his brother was trying to take last rites or confession at the end, convinced he did have a soul. And apparently the brother knew he was going to crash.
this may be related to that, but I remember Claire's psychic seeming like he knew what was going to happen. its like some people knew what was going to happen.
More thoughts later
AND Claire had a warning about other people and her baby. Remember she was told not to give her baby to anyone, and she was the only one who could protect him...?
ok, here's some more:
Aaron- the son of Claire. will his name be significant. will he maybe be able to communicate in a way that the rest of them won't. they seemed to emphasize the name.
Charlie- told Ecko that his situation was the result of his brother's influence. Somewhat similar to Ecko's story. Ecko had told his brother that it was because of him that he was where he was. Ecko and Charlie will be a little more a like than we've seen
The smoke- all the images in the smoke: a few faces- the guy that was shot by the plane, maybe the woman selling the virgin mary's, a crucifix, and a shot of Ecko coming up out of the water (which mysteriously was shown upside down). was the smoke showing Ecko his past or were we seeing the smoke read Ecko? Was the smoke seeing if he was good or a threat or something?
It was also a bit god-like in that it was terrifying but beautiful. Some thought it was beautiful (Locke and Ecko) while others were terrified (kate, Jack, charlie etc.)
Charlie had obviously been back to the plane since initially finding it since he was hiding a bunch of statues.
there were apparently a lot of references to Stephen King's novels, especially 'The Stand'. and a character that King uses a lot is Toomey, which was the name of the guy that was listening to the 'numbers'.
What were the references to The Stand? I read that AND saw the miniseries. What references to it have I missed? I read a comment that said the numbers on the encasement reminded them of King's The Tommyknockers (it was a spaceship in that book).
Pictures in the smoke? How did I miss that! Am I the only one? I'll have to look at the tape again.
I am majorly disappointed with Charlie. Do you think he'll continue the downward spiral till he gets killed off? Or will he have an epiphany and do the right thing?
One of the things that is so good about this show is that it has me bouncing back and forth between the "real world" explanations and the "unusual phenomena" explanations. At one point I think it can mostly be explained by some military project and the next minute I'm sure it's something "other". Doug Wilcox did look up the writers and producers of the episodes and found crossovers with X-Files writers and producers. I knew it!
Um, Doug watches this too?? :) No, I didn't see the pictures in the smoke either and I am not too sure if Phil did, I will ask him. I think that the smoke just takes on the image or shape. I think that Charlie is going to keep clean but somewhere someone is going to need the drugs for something and he will have them. I like to think the best of people you know! Who knows!! Time will tell.
Wow, I completely did not see the pictures in the smoke. I have a couple of different theories, or maybe one big working theory, of the smoke. If it was "reading" Ecko, could it have been for cloning purposes? Remember, one of the projects listed on the Hanso Foundation's "website" was juxtapositional eugenics, which is basically cloning for the purpose of improving on the original. I'm curious if anyone remembers Walt ever having mentioned seeing the smoke. I think that the Walt we've seen after he was taken by the Others is not Walt, but rather a clone. I also missed the smoke saying anything. When did this happen? I recall the phrase, "this is not your island, its our island," being spoken during the previews for next week, but didn't hear it inthe actual episode. My first instinct was that the line was purposefully played out of context to give us a wrong impression. Not the first time they've done that to us. I also think Ecko knew the smoke was coming. It kind of suprised him the first time he saw it, but it didn't cause him to turn back, but rather move towards it. And, did he really send Charlie up in the tree to look for the plane, or did he send him up there to protect him from the smoke? And, whydoes the smoke wisp around sometimes, and blow up trees other times? Or is it something else blowing up the trees? Are the smoke and the the thing that tried pulling Locke under two separate things? Hmmm...
Ecko's back story was great. I loved the point it made (don't necessarily agree with it, just thought it was cool.) **QUICK ASIDE** Debi, do we discount God's sovereignty by thinking that He can't/doesn't/ won't use even evil men to accomplish His purpose? (Just a rhetorical question, really. That may not even be what you were meaning.) END ASIDE** I also think the point of Ecko's story is rather significant. Think about it. As a boy, he kills the older man to save his brother. Later, he buys the drugs to get them out of Nigeria and then kills the dealers to prevent more from coming in. He goes to his brother to get the plane to run the drugs so he can pay for the mission's vaccines. Ecko is the black and white in one person. Also, that plane from Nigeria crashed on the South Pacific island because Ecko was supposed to be on it. Everyone is there for a specific purpose, I'm convinced of that. Those who were not supposed to be there have, so far, been killed off. The pilot was killed by the monster/smoke, but Locke and Ecko were not. Maybe the smoke is taking a head count or checking and purifying its inventory. I can't wait to find out what Ecko was doing in Australia and why he was going to LA.
We actually went over the story of Josiah in my Biblical Theology class last semester. Pretty much, Josiah is a good king who rules over an Israel that has forgotten God's law. During excavation or rebuilding, his servants find a scroll sealed in a "memorial stone"(a hollowed out foundation stone in which the builders often sealed an important document that had signifigance to the time or purpose of the building). The scroll is brought to Josiah and on it he finds the Law and immediately restores it in the land. Because of the the things the scriptures specifically mention Josiah restoring, it is commonly believed that the scroll was the book of Deuteronomy.
I don't think Charlie is using. He's hording the statues for another reason. Remember that he said that his addiction was his brother's fault and that when he left Australia he had no money? Maybe he's investing in the future. Maybe not, but something tells me that he's not using.
Beth-intersting about the stations. Again, one of the things on the Hanso Foundation website was something about "remote viewing facilities" or something like that. I'm pretty convinced that this whole thing is being monitored, or at least had been at one time.
So, is that really Walt talking to Michael on the computer, or is it the others trying to lure him?
OK, post is way too long. I'll be done for now.
It's OK to do long comments about Lost posts. (It's the only time I don't feel guilty. ;) Ian, I like your idea about why the plane with the drugs ended up in the So. Pacific. If you're right that means whoever is doing this is not perfect, or they would have known Eko wasn't on board. As for the evil thing, yeah, you're right about "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good." I was talking more about pragmatism, which is another issue. If he had wanted to get rid of the drugs he could have destroyed them. I don't think his purposes were completely altruistic. But his brother's death apparently set him straight. Think they'll be more specific about the verses on his club eventually?
There are the voices that are whispers in the jungle. I did hear it say "Draw him over this way" when Sawyer was after the "destroyer" pig last season. The backwards talking I mentioned was the gibberish Walt was speaking.
I looked at the smoke again on the tape and I did see a woman in it, but couldn't distinguish anything else. I'll look again. On the other hand, I could never see Sayid on the monitor in Kate's "Dad"s recruiting office. [Tim's friend must have digital TV. ;)]
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