Lost in Chronologically Order

Following the podcast of Anna and Wendy:

Lost in Order

Episode 10 (1992-1995)

recap

Episode 010: Lots of stuff going on in Episode 010. We start off on a high note with Ben killing his father and the rest of the Dharma Initiative in the Purge, then follow that up with Hurley's father abandoning him, then Ben banishing Charles from the island. Very uplifting stuff. We then see Desmond join a monastery, and Daniel Faraday graduate from Oxford. Then there's an interesting scene where Desmond and Penny first meet. We then see Michael for the first time, crib shopping for Walt, Sayid putting his torturer skills to good use meets Nadia a ghost from his childhood, and we start our storyline with John Locke and his father, that ultimately concludes the episode when his father takes John's kidney and leaves.

Theme 1: Loss of Innocence Continues.

Hurley loses his dad and gains comfort from a candy bar. John Locke is torn apart. He gets coned by his own father, who embraces his long lost son only to steal his kidney and abandon him once again. Sayid is faced with his recent choices to embrace his dark side as he confronts a childhood friend in his torture room Sayid had not only depersonalized and dehumanized his victims but himself. Meeting Nadia forces him to face the erosion of his morality and see himself and his victims in a new light. He regains his morality and eventually frees Nadia. (Nadia was his real soul mate-take that Shannon). Michael faces his own loss of innocence when his baby momma, Susan Lloyd abandons him and tells him of his intention to leave and take their baby with her. And then there is Ben, I think this is when Ben truely loses his innocence. When he is first seen packing his things in his room, he stares at the wooden statue of his childhood friend Annie. I think Annie is still on the Island with the Dharma Initiative and the real choice he makes is to abandon the only real friend he ever had. I think the dead red headed young woman Ben encounters in Dharmatown after the Purge is Annie.

Theme 2: Daddy Issues:

John Locke / Anthony Cooper. A good man meets the devil and it's his own dad. Who ranks up there as a worse father figure? Anthony Cooper or Darth Vader?

Other daddy issues in this episode: Ben kills his dad, Hurley is abandoned by his dad, Faraday is screwed over by his only parent.

Just an interesting note:

We see Widemore getting escorted off the Island. This occurs after the purge. I believe this should indicate that it was Widemore who was still leader of the Others when the purge took place. Ben was still in the DI and not in a position to be the Other's leader. Also, I don't believe any leader of the Others could have ordered the purge. I am sure that Richard would have prevented such a murderous action had it not come directly from Jacob. 

Enjoyment Factor:

This episode has some amazing scenes in it. Ben's involvement in the Purge, young Hurley with his dad, Desmond meeting Penny, the facedown between Ben and Widemore, when Widemore gets booted of the Island, Faraday and his bitch of a mom, Eloise Hawking and the gift of his future destiny, and of course the amazing introduction of John Locke to his father, Anthony Cooper. John's heart is broken and his second abandonment by his father will cause a scar with momentous implications. I find it interesting how integral is John's being duped and abandoned by his father is to the future story of Lost. John's missing kidney is essential to his surviving getting shot by Ben. John's obsession with confronting his faithless father and proving his worth leads to his getting tossed of a building and being paralyzed. His daddy issues and paralysis lead to his finding his true home on the Island and being able to completely commit to the Island. And of course his hatred of his father leads him to try and kill him in order to meet Ben's criteria. He eventually enlists James/Sawyer to do the deed and this is another pivotal moment in James' character development. He no longer is Saywer and for the first time since Jacob gave him that damn pen, is free to choose who he will be.

Photographic Review

Ben's decision (does he sentence his only friend, Annie to death?)

 Wow!

 Is this Jacob's doing?

IS THIS ANNIE?!?!?

We listen to Three Dog Nite's Shambhala as Hurley's Dad asks him to have a little faith

Faceoff between Ben and Widemore

Hi I'm Penny

Hello, I am no longer celibate!!! 

 Faraday gets c*ck blocked by his mom

 Bitch!
 Herein lies your destiny

Sorry, I still think Mike is SO gay!

Michael gets dumped

John looks so happy!

And then his crazy mother shows up

John is trapped like a mouse in a cage.

John meets his mom

You are special John. This is a sign of great things to come.

 Hmm. 

You don't have a father John...You were immaculately conceived!

 Hmm... That explains a lot.

 Sayid meets Nadia and comes face to face with his lost morality

John arrives in his hipster VW Beatle.

John meets his father (THE DEVIL)

 A moment of happiness

See you on the other side Dad

Buddies for life!

 What the ...

Crazy mom spills the beans

 John is Lost again.

Lost in Chronologically Order

Following the podcast of Anna and Wendy:

Lost in Order

Episode 9 (1978 -- 1991)

recap

Episode 009: Things are a little more disorganized, as we start going through most of the flashbacks in the show.  We start with Sayid as a child, and move through the years, seeing Jack, Mr. Eko, and Kate as children.  We also have our timeflash into 1988, where our Losties encounter a younger, and pregnant Danielle Rousseau, who gives birth to Alex, whom Ben subsequently kidnaps.  The episode concludes with Sayid learning how to torture during the Gulf War.

Theme 1: Loss of Innocence.

Quite a few of the Losties lose their innocence. Several learn that they are capable of killing to achieve their desires. Sayid kills a chicken to spare his brother, his father's wrath his moral center is lost later during the Iraq war when he learns that he is willing to torture someone to get what he wants (revenge); Eko kills an old man to spare his brother Yemmi from the deed, Jack learns that he is alone and that the world is a bad place which he doesn't have the strength to fix on his own, and his dad, Christine tells him he doesn't have what it takes, so he's not getting any fatherly support there. Juliet loses the security of her family as her mom and dad divorce and learns that love is not enough to keep people together. Sun destroys the maids life just so she doesn't have to face her father's scorn over a broken statue. Kate learns she can get away with it (thanks Jacob!). Charlie learns to swim (and lies about it as a woman drowns on the Island), no direct tie in during his childhood. His innocence is lost later when his brother betrays his trust and puts the high life of rock and roll, drugs and fast women ahead of Charlie. Oh and I guess Rousseau learns about betrayal and to not trust anyone, even the father of her child and dearest love. Then her child is ripped from her arms and she suffers the loss of her child. No wonder she goes crazy. She is a powerless survivor, doomed to scratch out survival on an island paradise with nothing but haunting memories of death, betrayal and her own failure to protect her child. Her very existence is a living hell. Oh and we can't forget: Montand loses his arm!!

Theme 2: Losties learn that they can get what they want if they sacrifice their morality.

Sayid and Eko learn that they can kill to achieve their own ends (whether they are honorable or not). Kate learns that she can get away with stealing, Sun is willing to destroy another's life rather than face the truth of her own actions. (Something she shares with Jacob)

Theme 3: Tie in between Losties loss of innocence and Jacob's lost of innocence on the Island.

Jacob lost his innocence when his brother destroyed his world view by telling him the truth that their Island Mother murdered their real mother. Jacob was a weak boy who Island Mother bent to her will. Jacob reacted with anger at his brother for daring to show Jacob the truth. He would rather cleave to a lie rather confront his manipulating fake mother. Eventually he will blame MIB for his loss of morality as he murders his own brother and condemns him to a face worse than death when MIB kills Island Mother, who was really a crutch for Jacob's fear of others.And Jacob could not face to live in the real world. He would rather live with a manipulating murder rather than stand on his own 2 feet. I find his 'creation' of the Others to be very interesting. They take an oath to devoted themselves to a mysterious but very ambiguous purpose, protecting the Island. To fulfill this purpose they are willing to do many horrible things. Murder is common practice to those unfortunate enough to be shipwrecked or be drawn by Jacob's machinations. And their purpose to defend the Island does not equate to any code of morality. They are quite willing to be nasty SOBs to their fellow Others and anyone they meet.

Enjoyment Factor:

Lost of good scenes but somewhat disjointed. Some interesting tie ins between Eko and Sayid. And I am particularly interested in exploring how Jacob's loss of innocence contributed to his founding an almost religious sect dedicated to protecting something they don't really understand but to which they are willing to sacrifice their morality. I will have more to say on this later when I through down the gauntlet with:

mr badd 's open letter to lost fanatics refuting "What Ever Happened Happened!" (COMING SOON!)

Photographic Review

 The only happy childhood memory in this episode. Enjoy it while it lasts Charlie!

 You just don't have what it takes.

 Eko and Yemmi

Rousseau is betrayed

Kate gets away with it! Not the lesson she needed to learn. Thanks alot Jacob!

Someone is even crueler than Ben, yes it's Widemore. 

Widemore loses face when Ben stands up to him. 

Did Widemore send Ben to kill Rousseau and the baby knowing that an innocent's blood on Ben's hands 

would diminish his standing among the others?

 If so it backfired on him. And I don't recall Richard standing up saying, "Yes, Jacob wants that baby dead!"

 Sayid takes a step to the dark side

Inman provides Sayid with a new skill set