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Seth Grunlode on Bob & Brian 3/11/2010... live from London!

sethislost@gmail.com (Seth Grunlode) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:33:00 GMT

Bob is out sick so Seth chats with Brian and Eric about episode 6.7 "Dr. Linus"... for the record... the call cuts out the Lost police got me for importing this weeks episode in from the states a week before it was available in the UK... good thing I have a good lawyer.

I can't post the actual podcast from the UK.. but you can get it at www.bobnbrian.com but I will also have it posted here upon my return.

Recap of Episode 6.7 "Dr. Linus"

sethislost@gmail.com (Seth Grunlode) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:26:00 GMT

Well I just finished speaking with Brian and Young Eric on the phone from the UK and I really wasn't kidding, I literally finished watching the episode minutes before we chatted so I really haven't had time to marinate in this episode... but wow, for as much as I was negative after last week I have to say this is probably my favorite episode of the season so far.

What great storytelling between Ben's island time line and his flash sideways time line. They ended up being nearly polar opposites of each other but in the end we end up with one simple truth... Ben Linus is not a bad man. He's done some despicable things but ultimately we saw in this episode that there is good in him... and perhaps that he is a fundamentally good person. I still say, as I have for the last 4 seasons now that this is going to come down to not good/evil, black/white but where each of our characters fall in the middle. I used to call it the "gray area" on Bob & Brian... not I think we can say it will be about where each person's individual scale is sitting.

I did love the use of Napoleon's exile on Elba, which clearly references Ben's own loss of power. At the end Locke was giving him the option to be in control of the island again but that was like Napoleon being allowed to keep the title of Emperor even though there was no real authority behind the title.

The conversation between Ben and his dad was also fascinating. Not only did we get to see Ben giving his dad a canister of life saving gas when in the island time line he used a canister of gas to take his fathers life... we also heard them talk about what their lives would be if they hadn't left the island. Isn't it amazing how we always think that the choices we didn't make would have led to better results? In this case we know had they stayed on the island they would have died when the bomb went off and the island sank to the bottom of the ocean.And of course in the island time line... sure Ben' life would have been very different because he would become the power hungry father killing man we came to know. And for those of you still unclear about how Ben and Roger left the island in the flash sideways, don't forget that Dr. Pierre Chang ordered the evacuation of any nonessential personnel before "the incident".

The biggest questions from this episode for me are:

How did Widmore find the island?
Is he the one Jacob was trying to bring to the island in the episode "Lighthouse"?
Who's "side" is he on or is he on his own side?
Did Jack fulfill the task Jacob told Hurley about by restoring Richard's faith or does he have more to do? (I think he has more to do)
Why is Smoke Locke gathering "his" people at the Hydra Station?

That's is for now... I am off to enjoy more of London and then off to Munich. I'll get the podcast of today's segment with Eric and Brian as soon as I can.

Cheers! And stay Lost!

Greeting from across the pond...

sethislost@gmail.com (Seth Grunlode) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 14:56:00 GMT

Sorry about the previous formatting issues on this post last time... I blame the British. Should be fixed now... enjoy!

Greetings from London Lost fans! So far the SethIsLost.com International promotion tour is a huge success. As I a sure is the case with many of you I love rehashing the most recent episodes with anyone who is willing to talk Lost and there are a LOT of lost fans over here. Over the years that I have been on Bob & Brian I have to admit that some of my most brilliant insights didn't come from me alone. Sometimes they come after exchanges with some of my favorite fellow Lost fans. I have referenced my friend Ted Renslough who is currently the foremost Lost expert in the greater Des Moines area... and perhaps all of Iowa. I can now add Aaron Beatty as my London/Northern Ireland correspondent!

Most of the time the insights come from conversations with 102.9 The Hog's webguy (and all around good guy) Chris Coris. Before I left he and I had a very interesting conversation which I then shared with some of my other favorite Lost fans. They are a little shy so I'll change their names and call them Sergio and Kelly. They are a great couple, like Penny & Desmond... except... you know... Sergio didn't leave Kelly and end up marooned on a crazy island. Those of you who have been listening to the Seth segment from the beginning might remember Sergio as the man who wasn't afraid to cry during the very touching Penny/Desmond phone conversation in "The Constant". Truth be told ol' Seth shed a tear then too... real men aren't afraid to cry.

ANYWAY... here is the text of a string of emails between Kelly and I today. It starts with random questions and gets good when we start talking about the theory that was shared with me by Chris Coris, who I am guessing (but don't know for sure) also isn't afraid to cry:

Kelly: Why us is there no Walt or Michael? Are we supposed to pretend they never existed?

Seth: Michael WILL be back this season. Walt will not. I don't know about Des and Penny for sure. I am fairly certain they are committed to appear again. The common thought by most bloggers I have read is that their story is pretty much done. I think they will pop up again though. Widmore isn't done for sure. Alan Dale who plays him is committed to appear this season.

So think about this... Jin is being held captive by the now dead Keamy... Jin works for Mr. Paik... in the island time line Keamy was hired as a mercenary by Mr. Widmore... do you think it is possible Keamy is working for Mr. Widmore in the flash sideways and that has something to do with why Jin was locked in the walk-in cooler?

Kelly: Why would Widmore want Jin in the alternate reality?

Seth: Probably doesn't... my best guess is he is pawn for something between Widmore and Paik. Also... did you notice that when they were checking Jin's luggage at the airport, the security person called Sun Ms. Paik... not Mrs. Kwon... it's possible that they are not currently married in the flash sideways.

Kelly: I wonder what is going to happen to Kate, I loved the look on her face when she saw Locke when leaving the temple. I need to watch the rest of the season with the creators, can I hold them hostage in my house? I'm going to need them for some explaining this season!!! Complicated.

Seth: Well, my guy Chris Coris has this theory that while she isn't "with" Smoke Locke that she has ended up there because her internal scale is more evil than good. I found that interesting because I think we have seen a lot of good out of Kate, but when you think about it, even many of her "good" actions have been to serve her own purposes.

It is even more interesting when you think about who else is with Smoke Locke... Sawyer... he was a pretty bad guy before coming to the island. Jin, who although is more or less there against his will, was a pretty bad guy before coming to the island. I am not saying these people are evil... but maybe Smoke Locke knows where their internal scale rests and thinks they can be turned more easily.

Kelly: I wonder about Claire, is she evil? What did she do so bad? I did think about this evil thing too... maybe it is like a purgatory or something.

Seth: Claire is the only one who doesn't fit with that theory... but we also don't really know what this "infection" is all about either. The creators of the show have been denying the purgatory thing all along... but if you think about it, they denied a number of theories and if someone was to guess right, its not like they would be willing to admit it and blow the rest of the show. Interestingly one of the "candidate" names we saw crossed off in the cave was "Troup". That is a reference to Gary Troup... the fictional writer of Bad Twin... the manuscript that Sawyer was reading in season 2 that was released as a book by the creator's of Lost and had references to Alvar Hanso and Charles Widmore... and of course Gary Troup is an anagram for Purgatory.

For the record, I don't think it is purgatory, but who knows. Anyway I am off to explore more of London. This will be my last post for a few days but I will be calling in to Bob & Brian on Wednesday so make sure you tune in!

Seth Grunlode on Bob & Brian 3/03/2010

sethislost@gmail.com (Seth Grunlode) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 23:35:00 GMT

So I know I haven't posted a recap yet... sorry... I was watching late last night because I was at the Marquette Louisville game. But honestly... I don't know if I have a whole lot more to say about this episode than what we talked about this morning. I am going to watch it again tonight. Maybe I'll feel differently then:

Seth Grunlode on Bob & Brian 2/24/2010

sethislost@gmail.com (Seth Grunlode) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 03:04:00 GMT

Seth and the boys discuss "Lighthouse".

A big thanks to all of you who came out to see me and say hi at Bob & Brian's Gutterbowl X last Friday at Classic Lanes. It was a great day and we raised a ton of money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

A quick note for all of you people who listen to this segment live. This Wednesday I will be on Bob & Brian at an earlier time... around 7:40am before the Steve Czaban Sports segment.

Recap of Episode 6.5 "Lighthouse" Part 1

sethislost@gmail.com (Seth Grunlode) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:31:00 GMT

So while everything with Claire was quite interesting last night... again my time is short this morning so I want to get into the meat of last night's episode, namely the Lighthouse. Jacob is telling Hurley that Jack has something important to do. I am getting the feeling that Jacob didn't bring all of these people the island because they are ALL candidates. I think he knows who his "replacement" is and everyone else was still brought there for a purpose and they are not allowed to leave this tail until that purpose is fulfilled. Much like Michael was not able to kill himself because he "still had work to do"... he was brought to the island for a purpose. He wasn't brought there to replace Jacob, but rather to help Jacob's replacement get to where they need to be. Michael Dawson, by the way, was number 124 on the lighthouse wheel and his number was crossed out. You could see A LOT of names on that wheel, here are the ones I saw that we are familiar with (not including our remaining candidates):

#20 - Rousseau - crossed out
#32 - Rutherford (Shannon) - crossed out
#51 - Austen - NOT CROSSED OUT - but also not one of our known numbers.
#58 - Burke - crossed out
#101 - Faraday - crossed out
#104 - Lewis (Charlotte) - crossed out
#106 - Radzinsky - crossed out
#109 - Friendly (Tom) - crossed out
#117 - Linus - crossed out
#124 - Dawson - crossed out
#313 - Littleton - crossed out

The big one is who is #108. If you look the name is Wallace and it is crossed out. Remember that the button had to be pushed every 108 minutes and the sum of Hurley's numbers, which we now know are assigned to Locke, Sawyer, Sayid, Jack, Hurley and one of the Kwons also add up to 108. So who is Wallace and why is he/she important?

Here are some other things to think about... Jacob needed to get Hurley and Jack out of the temple so they were safe... presumably because Smoke Locke is about to attack. Does he not care about anyone else in the temple?

In the Lighthouse mirror we saw reflections of the Korean Temple where Jin and Sun got married (where we saw Jacob visit them) and the church where he touched Sawyer. But for Jack it was his childhood home, not the hospital where we saw Jacob touch him. I think that shows that Jacob had been watching them their entire lives and guiding them which supports my theory about the flash sideways and how Jacob not being in their lives is responsible for the differences. We don't know who Jack's wife is... maybe it is someone besides Sara? And of course we are seeing more connections between flash sideways characters and real time characters (ie Jack's appendix).

All very interesting... I wish I could write more now but I am jumping on the radio with the boys. I will try to write more soon... now go listen to your radio!

The Butterfly Effect, Jin or Sun, and a gread article...

sethislost@gmail.com (Seth Grunlode) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 21:30:00 GMT

First off let me say that I think most of you are right. All of the people assigned numbers are men so it is most likely that they are referring to Jin as #42. It also sort of makes sense from another perspective. In the Entertainment Weekly article that came out right before the season premier the creators said they would NOT answer the question of why Sun didn't flash back to 1977. However they did say that there would be enough clues throughout the season that those who are finely tuned to the secrets of Lost could figure it out. Did she not jump back because she is not a candidate and not incredibly important to the long run? But if that is the case why did Kate go back in time? She is apparently not a candidate. So if you are curious about why Sun did not go back in time, just leave yourself a mental footnote right here as I am sure this is just one of many clues.

Speaking of Entertainment Weekly... if you get the chance read this past week's episode (it has Jack and Claire on the cover) it has some great spoiler free info about the end of the series. It is certainly worth a read. There is also a ton of good Lost stuff on www.EW.com if you have never been. I don't miss much when watching Lost but the EW article did point out something that I did miss. When Jin and Sun arrive in LA in the flash sideways and Jin is being questioned about the large amount of money he is carrying, they refer to Sun as Ms. Paik... her maiden name and not as Mrs. Kwon. It could be yet another unknown result of the butterfly effect I have been talking about.

There is something that I apparently should make clear about this butterfly effect as well. It is something that I assumed was pretty obvious but upon reading some comments on the site and talking with Lost fans I need to explain. So we know that Jacob has been pushing our characters to the island. They thought they had free will but really it was Jacob pulling the strings pushing then and nudging them to the island. Well if the Island sinks in 1977 then at that point Jacob would no longer be pulling those strings... at least not all of them. We know that Sawyers parents died before 1977 so Jacob still would have touched him. I am pretty sure his interaction with Kate was also before 1977. And that is not to say that the times we have seen him meddle in their lives are the only times he actually did so. So we have to understand that he may have been the reason Jin and Sun got married. He might be the reason a lot of things happened. But if the island sinks in '77 then much of Jacob's influence in their lives is negated. So one might argue that the flash sideways is showing what would happen if their free will was in tact. Right now we have no way of knowing how big of an impact it really would have had on the world.

OK... I wish I could dive more into "The Substitute" but I am short on time today. Enjoy tonight's episode "Lighthouse". It was written by Damon and Carlton themselves AND directed by Jack Bender. Those 3 are usually behind the most crucial episodes so I think we are in for a treat tonight.

Stay Lost!

Seth Grunlode on Bob & Brian 2/17/2010

sethislost@gmail.com (Seth Grunlode) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 18:41:00 GMT

Seth, the Boys and Stephanie Sutton from WISN Ch 12 talk about "The Subsititute"... and Brian gets taken to the woodshed for not knowing how to use his DVR properly

Recap of Episode 6.3 "The Substitute" Part 1

sethislost@gmail.com (Seth Grunlode) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:52:00 GMT

I have to say I have loved every episode so far this season, but they are still frustrating the living bejeezes out of me. So we finally revisited the numbers last night but the only explanation we got is "Jacob has a thing for numbers". I am convinced we will get an answer to that eventually, but for the time being we have to take what we know about the numbers AND all of our "candidates" and try to come up with some answers. Unfortunately I have none... only more questions. Like why does Kate not have a number assigned to her? Everyone that Jacob touched has a number besides Kate and Iliana. Iliana I can explain away based on Jacob's visit to her. She appeared to know who he was (although we still don't know why she was hospitalized). He asked for her help, but we don't know what with. I don't know why that works as an explanation for me but it just does. But Jacob visited Kate when she was a child, much like Sawyer. So why isn't she a candidate?

Of course each of the candidate's number correspond with Hurley's numbers but there has to be a much larger meaning to them. I mean they have been EVERYWHERE! DHARMA had nothing to do with Jacob (as far as we know) yet the serial number for the hatch door was the same as the numbers. Key dates in our survivors lives, seat locations on the plane... I could literally write for an hour about where we have seen the numbers. So I don't buy the explanation that Jacob has a thing for numbers. I think Locke knows what they mean and is keeping it from Sawyer for now.

OK I am about to jump on the radio with Bob & Brian... but here are some of the other questions that are nagging at me:

-Who was the blonde kid in the jungle? A young Jacob... Aaron? The 1st time we see him why are his hands covered in blood?"

-Why could Sawyer see the kid and Richard couldn't?

-What are the rules and who is the him the kid referred to when he said "you can't kill him"?

Lastly... I want to point something else out about our "butterfly effect" in the alternate reality. We are back to asking a lot of the same questions we asked in season 1. How did Locke end up in a wheel chair? Helen talked about eloping and inviting John's dad? So if he has a good relationship with his dad and didn't get pushed out an 8th story window how did he end up in the chair?

I'll examine more about John Locke on the island and off and how the two stories relate when I write part 2 of the recap.

Recap of Episode 6.2 "What Kate Does" - Part 2

sethislost@gmail.com (Seth Grunlode) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:26:00 GMT

Well, I don't think there is a whole heck of a lot from last week that wasn't covered by either part 1 of the recap or the Bob & Brian segment. Sure there are plenty of questions and some of them new. The biggest of which is what is the illness or infection. You could argue that this is not a new question since it was referred to all of the way back in season 1. However this is the first time it is seriously being discussed as a real possibility. What is the infection? Well that leads me to a point a number of you are leaving comments on... who is evil... Jacob or the Man In Black/Smoke Monster/Locke?

On this site so far I have been referring to Jacob as good and MIB as evil. I should really clarify my position on that moving forward. I have used those terms because that is how in general the characters are presented on the show. Several of you our there who are commenting that Jacob is the evil force and MIB is be good. I am not going to go so far as making that bold of a prediction, but I think you have to be open to the possibility. I mean the first question of "are they good or evil" was brought up about the Others. We STILL don't have an answer to that and it is basically the Others who are telling us that Jacob is good... so how can we trust that?

I have no idea which is really good and which is evil. Chances are neither scenario is 100% accurate, Those of you who have been following this site and listening to me on Bob & Brian for a while have heard me say this time and time again. The show is brilliant at taking things that are on the surface black and white and forcing them into a gray area. Ben let his daughter die... so he is evil. But doing so crushed him and it turns out that he feels great remorse. So is he actually good... no. It is just gray area. Sometimes good people have to do bad things to accomplish a goal. Some time "bad" people do good things to achieve their ends. This show has largely been about the difference between black/white/gray.

I do strongly agree with one of the posters to this site. Whether Jacob is our protagonist or our antagonist... either way the show is going to make us think he is both at one time of the series or another. Look at the characters of Ben and Charles Widmore. For the last few seasons we've been trying to figure out which is "good" and which is "evil". The Lost writers have used several repetitive themes throughout the series... why change now.

And having read that back... I think it is time we stop using good and evil to describe these guys and start trying to figure out who is the protagonist and who is the antagonist. It is probably a much more accurate way to describe them because protagonists can (and usually are) flawed in some way and there are times when we feel a soft spot for the antagonists in stories we love. I have a feeling this could be one of those times.

Enjoy watching tonight's Episode 6.3 "The Substitute" which is a Locke episode... so we should get more info about the Man In Black as well as see how Locke's life would be different if the plane hadn't crashed.

Stay Lost.

Seth Grunlode on Bob & Brian 2/10/2010

sethislost@gmail.com (Seth Grunlode) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:20:00 GMT

Seth discusses Episode 6.2 "What Kate Does" with Bob & Brian.

A listener sent a text to Bob & Brian asking what I look like... you can come see me and all of my nerdiness at Bob & Brian's Gutterbowl X on Friday February 26th at Classic Lanes in Greenfield. If you want to bowl, the early morning shift still has room. The 2nd and 3rd Shifts are sold out. You get 3 games of bowling, a commemorative Gutterbowl X bowling shirt, some bloody mary's with Rehorst Vodka and Jimmy Luv's Bloody Mary Mix, food from Mr. Picnic, a picture of your team with Bob & Brian, fabulous prizes and more... plus is all benefits the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

To sign up just call Classic Lanes in Greenfield at 414-282-6400.

Recap of Episode 6.2 "What Kate Does" - Part 1

sethislost@gmail.com (Seth Grunlode) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 14:30:00 GMT

There are plenty of questions that came up from last night's episode, but oddly enough the biggest one I have centers around a character we never even saw last night. Of course we want to know what happened to Claire over the last 3 years. We need to find out what interaction she had with the Others that would make them say she was infected and taken over by darkness. But my question is how does Christian Shephard play into this whole thing?

It would be very easy to assume that the Christian Shephard we saw with Claire and the one who appeared to Locke by the Frozen Donkey Wheel and to Frank and Sun was actually the Smoke Monster. For all we know, way back in season 1 when Jack was seeing his dad it could have been the smoke monster. But lets not forget that Christian also appeared to Jack back in LA during his flashforward, and while this hasn't been confirmed in any way shape or form yet, it would seem that the Smoke Monster can't leave the island. Time will tell.

The other extremely interesting part of last night's episode came when Claire nearly gave birth. For starters, Kate was there for Aaron's unexpected arrival on the island and as fate would have it even though the plane never crashed she is still there when Claire goes into labor which certainly lends itself to my theory that the alternate reality is showing how these people's lives were destined to collide regardless of their choices.

But what is really curious about the scene is the date on the ultrasound of Claire's baby. It says October 22nd, 2004... not September 22nd when the flight originally crashed. Is that significant or is it simply part of the Butterfly Effect of sinking the island in 1977. If any of you are still not grasping that concept, we saw another result of it last night in Ethan. In our island reality Ethan was born to Horace and Amy Goodspeed in 1977. We can assume that during the purge he was a child and spared from the fate of the rest of the DHARMA Initiative and was subsequently raised by Others and named Ethan Rom. Well in the alternate reality, because Dr. Cheng had evacuated the island of women and children Amy Goodspeed would have left the island with her son Ethan who apparently still became a doctor.

I am about to jump on the radio with Bob & Brian so tune in and I will post more later once I have had a chance to watch the episode again.

Recap of Episode 6.1 "LA X" Part 2

sethislost@gmail.com (Seth Grunlode) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 23:32:00 GMT

Ok... episode 6.2 is only hours away so I suppose we need to finish up with episode 6.1.

There were essentially 3 important elements to this episode going on at once. And really, I think they are the 3 elements that are going to present themselves in every episode left. The first story element is Jacob/Smoke Monster Story line. Second is what is happening to our survivors on the island. Those first 2 will clearly be interwoven with each other throughout this season. But it is important to note how vital the Jacob/Smoke monster story is because after all. Jacob is the one who brought them to this island so he stand to be at the center of the shows mystery. The 3rd element is the alternate reality where the plane lands and while there is no empirical evidence to suggest it, I think we will see that story line cross paths with the other 2 as well... and that is where we will start.

Frankly I was rather surprised how many people have been asking me questions like "why isn't Shannon on the plane" and "why is Hurley the luckiest guy on the planet?" I thought it was pretty obvious actually. In thinking of the reality where Jack's plan succeeded you have to remember that he did more than just stop HIS plane from crashing. The event he changed was in 1977 and would have effected the immediate lives of hundreds of people. Then you have to take into effect the butterfly effect. Every one of those people who's lives have been changed since 1977 have interacted with other people and THOSE people's lives were changed too. So basically, our creators can get away with having jack's hair longer and not a buzz cut like in Episode 1.1. Basically they can make anything be what they want it to be.

As I stated before I believe it is an alternate universe, but time will tell on that one... here are some interesting things I noticed and some questions from the "Bizzaro world":

- What was the deal with the cut on Jack's neck? Possibly some sort of residual injury from the way he is beaten in the island reality?
-What does it mean that the casket and Locke's knives, both of which ended up on the island and both of which were significant, are now missing from flight 815?
-Why is Jin rocking a massive wad of cash? And for that matter did Sun ever learn english and are they the same unhappy couple they were before?
-We only saw Claire from the neck up... in this reality is she still pregnant? (for the record I would have to guess yes)
-Will we see more of Boone and Charlie?

-Boone says to Locke that "if the plane goes down I am sticking with you" - which of course DID happen and ironically is basically what caused his death.
-Jack wanted to try a pen tracheotomy on Charlie and in the plane crash reality there is the funny scene where to get rid of him Jack sends Boone off to find pens for a tracheotomy.

The rest of the episode focused on our 2 other elements. The story line of our survivors on the island jumped right back into love triangle mode before Juliet was even dead. Not shocking considering the creators said that will return as a large part of the story in season 6. I am referring to Kate happening upon both Jack and Sawyer unconscious at the blown up Swan site. She sees them both lying side by side... that was not done by accident. She chooses to go to Jack first and what is the first thing Sawyer does when he wakes up... KICK TO THE FACE! Sure that had more to do with Juliet, but if you don't think it was the start of a rekindled love triangle you are crazy.

To me the most important part of the episode was setting up the conflict between Jacob and The Man In Black. They appear to be enemies, yet I can't help but think it wasn't always the case. There are little clues, like Jacob referring to his killer as "an old friend who grew tired of my company". But more importantly... upon learning of Jacob's death the others began fortifying the temple against the smoke monster. But hasn't it seemed up until not that the Smoke Monster originates from the temple somehow? it makes me think they were connected by some goal at some point. Remember the conversation we first saw them have in last year's finale where Jacob says "It only ends once, everything up until then is just progress". So perhaps at one point they were working towards the same end and the Smoke Monster just got sick of it and now wants to go home. Where is home? I think that will be one of those questions answered at the end. I would think that in Jack, Kate, Hurley, Jin and Sayid Jacob finally found the people he needed to accomplish that goal and he was referring to them when he said "they're coming".

I also can't help but think that Jacob planned to die, which is the only explanation to Ben's question "why didn't Jacob fight back?" Perhaps it was Jacob's plan to die and be reincarnated as Sayid... or if you want to note the crucifix pose Sayid was in coming out of the water perhaps Jacob is resurrected as Sayid (I know that doesn't make sense by the actual definition of resurrect, but I am certain they put his body like that for a reason.)

This episode did tell us one thing about Hurley... his ability to see dead people isn't some coincidence or mean he is crazy. Its safe to say that it is actually a gift he has, much like Miles' gift. Speaking of which... one thing I caught on the 2nd viewing. When Hurley is saying his goodbyes to Sayid he says "If you ever want to talk I am around". The scene was shot brilliantly shot because you are focusing on Hurley and Sayid and unless you are watching him, you miss the look Miles gets. It was as if hearing Hurley say that made him wonder why he wasn't hearing Sayid communicate with him. I still contend that Sayid will end up being Jacob, but hopefully some light will be shed on that tonight. One thing is for sure... that wasn't Sayid's normal voice upon waking up.

There is one thing I want to note as important... but I am not sure WHY it is important. When we first see Jacob in the statue at the end of season 5, he is weaving a tapestry. When Iliana and her group go to the cabin to find Jacob there is a worn piece of tapestry stuck to the wall by a knife. And after Ben kills Jacob, we see Locke/Man In Black cut a piece from a tapestry inside the statue. No clue what it means so if you do, I would love to hear theories.

I'll leave you with one last thing to think about before tonight's show. What are Jacob's powers and limitations? What are the Smoke Monster's powers and limitations? It would seem that Jacob has the power to heal, we also know that he marked people to come to the island with his touch. And in that last one we also know he can leave the island at will. While he can obviously live for a LONG time it would seem that he is mortal... you know... since we saw him die. The smoke monster on the other hand appears to be immortal. I mean I am sure there is SOME way to get rid of it, but Bram shot evil Locke and all of a sudden he is done, the bullet is on the ground and the smoke is raising holy hell. My guess is that among the Smoke Monsters limitations are that it can only take the form of someone who's body is on the island and more importantly he can't cross fire (ash) or water, which is why he is trapped on the island and just wants to go home... where ever the hell that is.

Happy viewing tonight! Check back tomorrow morning for a preliminary post and listen to me with Bob & Brian tomorrow at 8:55am. If you aren't by a radio you can listen via webstream at 1029thehog.com or wait for the podcast to be posted later in the day!

Seth Grunlode on Bob & Brian 2/3/2010

sethislost@gmail.com (Seth Grunlode) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 06:20:00 GMT

Seth discusses the season 6 premier, "LA X" with Bob & Brian.

Recap of Episode 6.1 "LA X" - Part 1

sethislost@gmail.com (Seth Grunlode) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 13:04:00 GMT

This might be the best text message I have gotten all year... it arrived just after the Season 6 premier last night and it read "No bright flash of light, no time travel... but man my head hurts"

I imagine quite a few Lost freaks are feeling that way this morning and I am guessing that is exactly what Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse had in mind when they wrote this episode... and much of the previous 5 seasons for that matter.

Before I dive too deeply into last night's episode I want to take a quick second to notify you of some changes to SethIsLost.com this season. For one, we have a new sponsor... Collector's Edge Comics. Welcome Steve and all of the boys! Secondly, I have heard from a NUMBER of you asking for more regular updates. Let me give you a tip when emailing me. Threats are not a good way to get me to write more. However since I know you are all craving any and all Lost info I am going to be posting a little differently this season. To provide as much info as soon as I can, I will have a preliminary recap up on the site either the night the episode airs, or as is the case this morning... the following morning before the Bob & Brian segment. It won't be an in depth recap like you've seen from me in the past. But don't worry, the in depth break down will come.

The first recap (and the Bob & Brian Segment) will hit highlights of the episodes. Then, I want you to post your questions and theories in the comments sections. After I have had a chance to get a 2nd viewing in and have had some time to chew on all of the craziness in each episode I will post a more detailed recap that will hopefully answer most of the questions you all come up with.

So,.,. Back to "LA X". There was a TON to cover from this episode, so this recap is going to focus ONLY on what I have to take as the major theme from last night... choice. This show has been about a lot of things over the years but one of the themes that has always persisted is the idea of destiny... that things were meant to be. But how do destiny and free will exist together? In last year's finale right before Jacob is killed by Ben he tells him he has a choice. Jack clearly had a choice when determining whether or not to blow up an H-Bomb on the island. While it has been presented that destiny has seemingly controlled much of what has happened to our characters it is important to realize that within every one of those scenarios choices had to be made.

What is interesting is that throughout our survivors time in 1977 it would seem that all of the choices they made may not have been their choice at all. If you follow the "what ever happened, happened" theory while it would seem that Kate made the choice to save young Ben's life, we know from seeing what played out afterward that is probably what always happened. (I will have more on this and the idea of time and how we perceive it in part 2 of this recap.)

Similarly, it seems that dropping the bomb to blow up the Swan also fall under whatever happened, happened. Since Jack and the rest are still on the island that they were simply "fulfilling their destiny" by dropping the bomb which appears to be the cause of "The Incident" rather than stopping it from happening.

But of course Damon and Carlton can't make it that easy on us. We are also presented with the alternate scenario... that Jack's plan worked. Juliet tells us it did. We saw Jack, Boone, Charlie and all the rest in the plane as Flight 815 landed. So I will leave you with this to chew on... in the season 5 DVD Bonus Features disc, Carlton regularly refers to Ajira Flight 316 as a "Bizzaro" version of Flight 815. I think the reality where the plane lands is a similar "Bizzaro" sort of reality. Viewers of the show FlashForward (which borrows from Lost, so why shouldn't they return the favor) should remember a conversation between Olivia Benford and Lloyd Simco where they realize that had she chosen to go to Harvard, the 2 of them would have been living next door to each other and Lloyd's eventual wife ended up living their instead. Lloyd talks about the theory that the choices we don't make in this universe are actually made by us in parallel universes and much like in Ms Hawkings view of the word, choices we don't make that we were supposed to make sometimes course correct. In the case of FlashForward, Lloyd and Olivia's paths crossed even though she never went to Harvard... it just happened years later.

Perhaps the Bizzaro 2nd reality is meant to show us how our survivors are meant to interact and change each others lives, even if the plane never did crash. We've already seen how Jack and Locke might come together. How the situation has lead Jack to be the one with faith while Locke says his condition is irreversible.

OK... that is enough to think about for now. Tune into Bob & Brian around 8:50am today to hear us talk more about Lost. Once I get the chance to watch it again I will put a more detailed post up about the episode. Post all of your questions to the comments section and hopefully, we will all come up with some answers together.

Stay Lost.

Seth Grunlode on Bob & Brian 5/14/2009

sethislost@gmail.com (Seth Grunlode) — Thu, 14 May 2009 17:43:00 GMT

Seth talks about the season finale with Bob & Brian

I am going to try to make up for my lack of posts in the last few weeks with a comprehensive recap of this episode with will really serve as a recap from the season. I have to go back and watch the finale again but once I have it up I will go back and start approving some of your comments so we can get this site back to being a little more interactive.

I am also taking this opportunity to launch my off season charity program... It's called, "If you don't catch up on Lost now you are a F'ing MORON". That is just the working name, I think I will probably come up with something different in the long run. Here is the basic idea. Do you know anyone who tells you "I've never seen Lost but it looks interesting, I'll probably just watch the DVDs once the entire show is done. I am calling on all Lost fans to do those friends of yours a favor and catch them up on Lost this summer so they can watch season 6 live with the rest of us. They will thank you for it. Here is how I look at it, I never watched the Soprano's even though everyone told me I should. I decided it was too late to start so I would eventually get the DVDs. Well after all of the fanfair of the finale, I knew how the show ends which totally strips my desire to watch the DVDs. So if you own the DVDs, let your friends borrow them. If your friends have NetFlix make them move Lost season 1 to the top their list (that is how Mother Grunlode as Bob calls her) got into the show. Heck if your friends are really cheap they can watch all 5 seasons free at ABC.com with limited commercial breaks.

The point is be a good friend... good friends don't let friends miss the awesomeness that will be the last season of Lost.

More on the finale soon...

OK... so maybe we won't see Faraday again

sethislost@gmail.com (Seth Grunlode) — Wed, 13 May 2009 22:34:00 GMT

Hello Lost fans... I'll start by apologizing for my lack of posting. My job that actually pays me has been demanding a lot of my time, but I wanted to get you some important info before the finale tonight. You can blame the economy for my job being crazy... you can also blame the economy for why the video from ComiCon now has absolutely nothing happening on Lost right now.

The video below was part of the Lost experience at ComiCon this year that was supposed to launch an ARG (Alternate Reality Game) that was to run until the start of this season. In their last Podcast of the season, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse addressed this video. Basically what happened was the budget for the ARG was axed because of the global economic crisis. The ARG was going to contain certain story elements that would have been essential to connect the video into the show as we know it now. From what I understand Faraday was originally going to stay on the island in 1977 and the story was going to have him trying to convince Dr. Chang that he is from the future. But because the ARG was dropped they decided to have Faraday leave the island to make things easier.

They did acknowledge that is was Faraday's voice in the video. But they also stated that things that happen at ComiCon aren't necessarily "Lost Canon", which I find peculiar because every other thing they have ever done at ComiCon has tied back to the show is some way shape or form. I would guess that is their politically correct way of saying our bosses screwed us by cutting our budget, so lets pretend this never happened and all just move on.

There was one other very interesting thing in the official podcast that has been discussed here in the past... the compass. Damon and Carlton talked about how the compass being passed between Locke and Alpert is in what is called a mobius loop meaning that is really has no origin. Locke got it from Alpert who got it from Locke... so where did it come from to begin with. It's the classic "chicken or the egg" scenario. They said where the compass came from is not really important, but to recognize that this and other mobius loops exist in the show. They were also quick to point out the line in the conversation between Locke and Alpert where it is noted that the compass "looks rustier than the last time I saw it". So while it is in this never ending loop of time, it still manages to age and deteriorate. Why is this important? I would imagine because at some point I am guessing it is possible for a person to be stuck in a similar sort of loop. If you apply the idea of the wear on the compass to a person, it means that the person in the loop would still be getting older and eventually die which would end the mobius loop. One would have to assume then that once the loop is broken the course of the future can change. So is it possible that the compass is our first sign that the future can indeed be changed.

I am torn as to whether or not things really can be changed. Damon and Carlton said in their podcast that even though Faraday believed things could change his getting shot is the ultimate example that they cannot, since it seemed by his mothers regrets that she knew it would happen all along.

There are so many other unanswered questions out there that I don't have time to get in to before tonight's episode... the most important ones seem to deal with Jacob... can he be killed? If Locke is the appointed leader of Jacob's people, what would make him want to kill Jacob. Does Jacob want to die... maybe that is why he asked Locke to help him during their first encounter? Maybe Jacob was a man stuck in a mobius loop whose body deteriorated but his soul is still stuck in the loop and he needs Locke to "kill" him to free him... I could go on listing these questions for hours and none of them would be based in any sort of fact with evidence behind them. So I am just going to shut up and enjoy the finale tonight. I hope you do as well.

Tune in to Bob & Brian tomorrow to listen to our recap... in the next few weeks I will put together a season recap to try to make up for the lack of info for the last few weeks. I'll leave you with this before the finale... Damon and Carlton have said that season 6 will greatly mirror season 1 and tonight is going to set us on the path to that happening. So take your guesses as to what means. Also, I will make one last prediction for this season.... where are Rose & Bernard? I think they have been living in the caves with Vincent and will somehow end up being the 2 bodies that were found there in season 1.

Enjoy!

We will see Faraday again!

sethislost@gmail.com (Seth Grunlode) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 22:40:00 GMT

I will do a full recap of the episode this weekend but I wanted to get this up as soon as possible because I also referenced if last week. Is Daniel Faraday dead... hard to say the way Lost run's now. But will we see him again? Absolutely. It may not be this year, but I have a hard time believing he is done for good. My proof? Watch this video from ComiCon last summer. This was part of the alternate reality game they ran last summer that was eventually axed because of budget. But the premise was that Dharma was recruiting in the present day for new members. This video was shown to the 5 people who "passed: the screening process at ComiCon. Listen to the voice that comes from off camera. I would bet my very limited fortune that it is Faraday's voice.

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So how does this fit in with last night' episode? If obvious takes place after the events of last night because the Dr. Chang knows things about the future so has obviously accepted that Faraday is from the future. My guess is that it happens some time after "the incident" is contained. So how can Faraday be there if he was dead? Maybe he is Christian Shephard ghostlike form... maybe it is a instance of time travel that Faraday had before he died. What I mean is maybe during the 3 years in the 70's he found a way to time travel more. It is really hard to say. All I know for sure is we have not seen the last of him.

I need to watch a few more times before I finish the recap. In the mean time, ponder the fate of Faraday and I will have more soon.

Seth Grunlode on Bob & Brian 4/9/2009

sethislost@gmail.com (Seth Grunlode) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 15:45:00 GMT

Seth and the boys discuss last night's episode...

Looking Back and Looking Forward

sethislost@gmail.com (Seth Grunlode) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 22:51:00 GMT

"Why didn't you tell me? You told me Vader betrayed and murdered my father."

"Your father... was seduced by the Dark Side of the Force. He ceased to be Anakin Skywalker and 'became' Darth Vader. When that happened, the good man who was your father was destroyed. So what I told you was true... from a certain point of view."

So why am I starting this post by quoting Star Wars? There are a lot of reasons. One is because as Lost moves forward and we get closer and closer to figuring out the "answers" to this show it is a concept we are all going to have to bear in mind... "from a certain point of view". The answers we get may not be what we want... or they may not be concrete answers at all. There might be several ways to interpret the answers we get. My point is simply this... when you think about Lost, try thinking about it from every possible perspective.

There were a number of things that got me thinking about the "certain point of view" concept this past week. It would appear that Sawyer's character has developed more than any other on the show. In the beginning he was a con man who didn't care about anyone. All he cared about is saving his own skin. We've seen him transition from that info a reluctant leader... into a man who falls in love... into someone willing to sacrifice himself for the person he loves... into someone who wants to help a daughter he shunned and may never seen... into a not so reluctant leader who seems to relish being the man in charge. It looks to us like he pulled a complete 180. But has he? From Cassidy's point of view he didn't sacrifice himself for Kate, he was running away from her. Sure he is hustling his butt off to assimilate Kate, Jack, and Hurley into their cozy little DHARMA world, but is he doing it to help them or to protect his own security. He was a con man at the start of the show and guess what... he is still a con man! The entire life he built for "Jim LaFleur", Juliet, Miles and Jin is a con. So who is the real Sawyer? Is he a respectable leader, or the same old con man? It is a matter of perspective.

Another reason I bring up "point of view" is because as Lost winds down we will be getting more answers and as I said above some of them are going to be more concrete than others. I laugh as I read that back because I have been very outspoken in that at the end of this all I want this to all make sense. Even though I know I won't get all concrete answers I want as many as possible. So last week one question was resolved with a very concrete answer... what happened to Aaron? Kate gave him to his grandma. Really? That's it? No kidnapping attempt? No supernatural powers where he can just disappear? Yes I will admit that upon seeing that loose end wrapped up, I was initially disappointed. Then I realized I was being a huge hypocrite. All along I've asked for real explanations. Well they gave me one... in fact the simplest and most obvious explanation and I didn't think it was good enough... I am a dick. So upon giving it some more thought I am ok with how the Aaron situation was resolved and I have revised my point of view on the end of this show... I want it all to be explainable... but with something I could not have imagined in my wildest dreams. Do you think that is asking too much?

I may also have to revise my theory about the effects of traveling back in time. If you read my posts last week you know that I called pretty much the exact scenario we are in. Everything that is happening now has always happened. Kudos to the writers for the awesome scene with Hurley and Miles to explain it all too. It was so well written and easy to follow. I really expected the writers to make us think that "space/time" would be jeopardized by Ben's shooting even though I knew it wouldn't, but they didn't even try to take us on that ride. I am wondering if that is because they are going to set us up to think that it is impossible for things to be changed only to have that exact scenario play out. I really hope it doesn't happen that way but it would be an easy way to throw a twist in the story line.

The biggest pieces of info from this episode came in the last few minutes with Richard Alpert. Of course what he told us about Ben losing his innocence after going into the Temple is huge. He was changed and would never be the same... one can only assume that what "happens" to him down there is the same thing that happened to Rousseau's team when they went down there. Richard's most intriguing line actually came when he was asked about Charles and Ellie and he said he doesn't answer to them. First, it would seem that Charles and Ellie were referred to as a couple which would lend weight to all of the Widmore being Faraday's father or Ms Hawking being Penny's mother ideas. But that is secondary to the simple concept that he doesn't answer to them. Richard's exact position with the Others has always been unclear. It has always been cure that it is a position of power, but just how much power. We've been made to think that we does the bidding of whoever the leader of the Others is. I am calling it right now... Richard is the "Man Behind The Curtain". He is the one in charge, he is Jacob (or an extension of Jacob) and uses "leaders" as protection and to rule safely from the side without people knowing he is actually the man in charge i.e. R'as al Ghul in Batman Begins. Throw this one under the idea of WAY OUT THERE theories... we've seen several biblical references before on Lost so what if it plays out this way... Jacob, Richard, and the smoke monster are the same thing... they are all the driving "force" behind the island and it's power. Jacob = Father, Richard = Son, Smoke Monster = Holy Spirit. Kind of a crazy theory, but not too crazy that it is beyond possibility.

There really hasn't been too much mind blowing over the lat few weeks because as I stated with Bob & Brian, this all right now is serving to fill in the gaps of the story up to this point. I do expect things to get ramped up and the story to take off a bit more after tonight's episode, but before I get there 2 more quick points about last week. 1) to answer many of your questions... No, I don't know where Rose and Bernard are. By all accounts they should have been time traveling along with Jin, Sawyer and the rest but we have no way of knowing what happened to them at this point. I made a joke today to a friend that I think they are "Adam" and "Eve" who were buried in the caves and that the black and white stones found with the bodies symbolize the 2 of them. I was only joking but the friend I was talking to seemed to think it was a viable theory. Who knows, but I am not counting on it. 2) and this is in response to an email I got from a reader named John who wants to know "why Jack has become such a huge pussy". While that made me laugh, I didn't think it was quite a fair assessment of the situation. Jack is basically playing the role of Locke. He is simply a believer in destiny and is waiting for a sign. Now I love the whole idea of destiny fulfilled, but if you remember anything from this post, remember this. Time will show that even destiny has it's limits. What I mean by that (and this could even tie into the idea that someday someone might be able to "change" things) is that I get the feeling that while everyone on that show has a destiny, it is ultimately going to be up to them to make choices to follow that destiny. I know those ideas are paradoxical in a way, but the more this story goes on I really think it will become more about choosing to fulfill your destiny rather than being at its mercy.

Tonight's episode is "Dead is Dead". It looks to be a Ben focus as he is returning to the island to be "judged" by the smoke monster. The writers have promised the smoke monster would be explained by the end of the season. I don't know that the full explanation is coming tonight, but figure that we should get a good chunk of info. Also, as always Sethislost.com is a spoiler free site. I do not consider what I am about to write a spoiler but it does deal with upcoming episodes so if you don't want to risk it stop reading now...

...I think we may be in for the loss of a major character soon (I don't consider the death of Charlotte as major). I have not read any spoilers, but I do get press releases from ABC about each episode 2 weeks before it airs. The press releases lists the regular cast each week. It never changes. Even when one of the regular cast doesn't appear in that week's episode they are still listed as a cast member. The only time they have been taken off in the past is after they have been bumped off the show. The cast list for this week's episode lists all of the actors as usual. But the regular cast for next week is missing a name. It could be something simple like a typo, but I have a hard time believing that. If you want to know who is missing, check out this press release: http://www.abcmedianet.com/assets/pr/html/033009_12.html and see who's name is not listed. Oh... and the episode that press release refers to is for an episode called "Some Like It Hoth". So we'll end where we began... with a Star Wars reference.