SPOILER ALERT – Lost Season 6 “Ab Aeterno”

WARNING: This blog posting contains mildly explicit language. Viewer discretion is advised.

OMG! OMG! OMG! I was right! “I am smart! I am smart! S-m-r-t! I mean s-m-A-r-t!”

I quote the great Homer Simpson because I was pretty much right about something huge! It’s rare that I display smartness, so I must gloat on these rare occasions.

Are you dying to know what I was right about? Well, if you read my blog and have seen this week’s episode of Lost, “Ab Aeterno,” where so many Lost questions were answered, then you would surely know.

As I postulated in a previous blog posting, Jacob’s job is to contain Evil on the Island in order to keep Evil from overtaking the Earth. This is why Man-in-Black (I gave up on calling him Guy-in-Black)/The Smoke Monster/Fake John Locke feels trapped and wants to escape; he is Evil, and he wants to escape so he and his evilness may roam free through the world, and as Isabella tells Hurley, all the world will be in Hell. Please note that I referred to this as “The Darkness” in that blog posting, as Jacob called it “The Darkness” in this episode. How awesome am I? How awesome are you for reading my blog? Very, on both counts. Very indeed.

I will provide more brilliant insights and predictions in the present blog posting. I am not conceited.

Some Background

First and foremost, if you don’t speak Latin or if you haven’t yet googled, “Ab Aeterno” (the episode’s title) means “From Eternity.” Obviously, it’s a reference to Richard’s immortality, as well as a reference to the Jacob v. Man in Black feud.

This episode answered questions Lost fans have been wondering about for an eternity, particularly questions about the oh-so-mysterious Richard Alpert. In April of 2009, I wrote an email to my Lost-pushing sister about Richard Alpert. You’ll see that I was quite insightful, and quite wrong in one respect, though I brilliantly and insightfully corrected myself. I’m so flippin’ smart.

I read Wikipedia's thing on Richard Alpert (the Lost character). It explains, "he plays a role in the group's hierarchy that has been compared to that of the Panchen Lama in Buddhism by the series' producers.” Clicking on that word reveals that that role is the second highest in Buddhism, just under Dalai Lama. This makes sense, since it seems that someone else is always the leader, like Ben, Charles Widmore, and it seems John Locke is supposed to be next. The first link says that Jacob is the leader of the Others, so maybe that's who Richard is really second to. Maybe Jacob is G-d (I just thought of that now). Jacob means “supplanter,” and Biblical Jacob was the one who fought G-d, and was then given the name Israel by G-d, which means "one who has been strong against G-d."

Getting back to Richard Alpert, the article mentions the person he was named after of the same name. The real Richard Alpert was a spiritual guy in the 1960s and 70s who had some association with a Hindu spiritual leader.

Wow, I’m smarter than I realized. I had forgotten about Biblical Jacob’s interactions with G-d because I was so focused on the Biblical Jacob v. Esau thing. Perhaps my earlier suggestion that Man in Black/The Smoke Monster was a divine leader before Jacob usurped him might in fact be accurate. The question is, then, is it a battle between Good and Evil, or is it a battle between two divine entities who simply have differing worldviews and differing views of human nature.

Evil from Within Lost

This episode was exhausting to watch, largely because of all the crazy drama and Lostiness, but also because I was rather distraught to discover that the producers of Lost blatantly lied to us. They very clearly stated on Jimmy Kimmel Live that Fake John Locke is not the Man in Black, but he is the Smoke Monster. “Ab Aeterno” clearly shows us what I believed whole-heartedly to be true before those evil producers lied to me – that The Man in Black is indeed The Smoke Monster, and since Fake John Locke is also The Smoke Monster, it follows that Fake John Locke is The Man in Black. Why did you lie to us, Lost Producers, why?! Maybe there will be a twist and they will have not been lying all along. Perhaps Man in Black is lying and is not The Smoke Monster. After all, he is an evil bastard, he would lie. Continue reading for more evidence that Fake John Locke is not Man in Black/The Smoke Monster in the section below entitled “Man in Black.”

Identifying Jacob

Jacob is good. I’m maintaining a tiny little bit of doubt just in case they’re still screwing with us, but I think it’s pretty clear at this point. Jacob might be G-d, or he might be some alternate form of G-d – a divine power. It seems like Jacob doesn’t view the words “Hell” or “Devil” as defining Evil, so perhaps he doesn’t view G-d as defining Good. It seems like Jacob views things in terms of Good and Evil in a broader sense that probably encapsulates the Good- and Evil-related beliefs of all the world’s cultures, rather than being restricted to the Christian view of things. I surmised all this from Jacob’s reference to “what [Richard/Ricardo] call[s] Hell.” Additionally, Dogen had also referred to Fake John Locke/The Smoke Monster/Man in Black as “evil incarnate” rather than calling him the Devil, so it seems that Jacob and his followers probably do not subscribe to any particular religious belief. Man in Black/The Smoke Monster blatantly claimed that Jacob is the Devil, although he did leave that to Richard’s assumptions regarding The Smoke Monster. He also blatantly told Richard he is dead and in Hell. Man in Black’s blatant Devil and Hell-centric claims further demonstrates Man in Black’s willingness to tell people exactly what they want to hear in order to get what he wants.

Jacob’s purpose has become clear. He or whoever holds his position exists to contain and detain Evil on the Island, to protect the Island from Evil, and therefore, to protect the world from Evil. Logically, then, Jacob is the Protector, not just of the Island as I suggested previously, but of the Universe. Jacob is G-d or some other form of Divinity representing Good, defined by some religions as G-d. Jacob represents Free Will; he believes people can and should make their own choices, and he believes he should not make those choices for people, even if people choose Evil. Jacob believes and hopes that people will ultimately choose Good over Evil. Jacob guides people, he helps them, he leads them, but he does not choose for them. Jacob hires Richard to guide people towards Good rather than Evil in ways that might be more direct than Jacob is willing to do himself. Jacob does not want to interfere with people’s choices.

Perhaps what Jacob intends and what Jacob does do not align perfectly. He does not intend to interfere with people’s decisions, yet it’s possible that he might have had profound effects on our special character’s lives, possibly in the new reality (flash-sideways) and without a doubt in the reality we are familiar with. Jacob brings people to the Island, and he touches people, providing them with special gifts; these things interfere in their decisions. These things might even force them to make particular decisions.

In my first Lost-related blog posting, I suggested that Jacob and Man in Black might both be evil forces, playing a game with people’s lives just for the sake of playing a game. Jacob provided evidence for this when he explained that he brings people to the Island to prove that people can choose Good over Evil. This is a subtle admission that he is playing with and interfering with people’s lives just to prove a point to a Man in Black, or to prove the point to himself. Jacob brings people to the Island where Evil lives to see if they will fall to Evil temptation. That seems rather evil of Jacob, though his intentions might be Good, and though he might otherwise be Good. Even Divine Good can be flawed.

In light of Jacob’s reason for bringing people to the Island, it’s interesting to think about and see how our special characters as well as our less special characters have faired in the face of Evil temptations. Most of our characters (such as Jack, Hurley, Sun, Jin, and Lapidus) have remained on the side of Good. Some characters have fallen to follow Evil (Fake John Locke/The Smoke Monster/Man in Black), either by choice (Claire and Sayid, sort of), by accident (Kate), or in a possibly hopeless and/or misguided attempt to con the Devil himself (Sawyer). Ben, a man who’s lived much of his life committing evil acts in the name of Good, came close to turning fully to Evil for power and acceptance, but Good (via Ilana) accepted him. One character almost fell to Evil from desperation and a sense of lost purpose (Richard), but was drawn back by the inherently Good Hurley.

While there is a plethora of evidence that Jacob is G-d or some other form of Divine Goodness, there is at least one piece of evidence that he might not be G-d. When Jacob and Ricardo/Richard were making their deal, Jacob informed Ricardo/Richard that he could not grant him absolution for his sins. If I understand the monotheistic religions’ views correctly, G-d is capable of providing absolution, either directly, such as in Judaism and possibly Islam (I don’t know very much about the latter), where one will never know if G-d has granted forgiveness, or indirectly, such as in Christianity, where a Priest can speak on behalf of G-d and grant forgiveness. I don’t know much about Buddhism, Hinduism, or other religions, but it seems they all have similar concepts of a Divine entity granting forgiveness. Therefore, if Jacob could not grant absolution for Richard’s sins, does that indicate that he is not divine? Perhaps, or perhaps it simply indicates that Jacob did not believe Richard was deserving of absolution, perhaps due to the nature of his murderous sin, or perhaps because Richard, who insisted the murder he committed was an accident, did not take full responsibility for his actions, and perhaps lacked sufficient remorse. Perhaps this is also why Richard is not a candidate. The six remaining candidates have also sinned I’m sure, but even Sayid, who arguably has sinned the most, took full responsibility for all the torturing he’s done, and clearly has tremendous remorse for it. Perhaps Jacob, as a Divine entity, feels that repentance is more than asking for absolution.

Worst Episode Ever, or Not

In the beginning of the episode, when Richard said they are dead and in Hell, and then again when Man in Black said the same thing to Ricardo/Richard, I was very tempted to write my blog in three words: “Worst episode ever.” Fortunately, Jacob saved me from having to make such a proclamation, proving to Richard that he (Richard) is alive (unless that was an evil illusion, so sneakily evil that only the Devil could pull it off). It would be tremendously unsatisfying if it turned out that the island was Hell and everyone was dead all along. Sure, it would be an interesting view of Hell, and in that sense, it would be far from unsatisfying. Um, so, I guess “unsatisfying” wasn’t the right word. Unsettling – it would be tremendously unsettling. It would also, for some reason, bring to mind the Robin Williams movie that I like a lot, What Dreams May Come. Anyway, since I’m going to assume they’re not in Hell, this was a great episode.

Mea Culpa (Latin for “My Bad”)

While I was right about some things, other people were wrong about some other things, and I propagated these falsehoods in a previous blog posting. Richard did not come to the island from England on his way to Australia, he came to the Island from the Canary Islands on his way to America, but it is true that he was a convict. We learn in this episode that he had been sold into slavery to avoid being hanged for murdering a man in hopes of saving his wife. If I’m remembering correctly, it was also suggested that the Others’ ancestors came to the island with Richard, but it looks like they came later somehow. Perhaps they came from England and perhaps they were also convicts. Who knows.

Evil Possibilities

I wondered previously if Richard had sold his soul to Jacob to obtain his gift of immortality and not aging. It appears that he did not sell his soul, though he did agree to do something for Jacob in return for it. One could argue that that is a form of soul selling; after all, he gets to live forever without aging, but it looks like he must live on the island for eternity as Jacob’s liaison. However, this deal was in no way obscured – it was clearly laid out, and Jacob’s proposition that Richard be his liaison initiated it, rather than Richard’s desires for immortality. It was a friendly exchange, where Jacob was providing payment in the form of a gift in return for Richard’s service. Furthermore, Richard’s new job involved helping people to choose good over evil, an inherently non-evil endeavor. A Devil’s advocate might suggest however that perhaps Jacob sneakily led Richard into a trap; that Richard did sell his soul to Jacob without even knowing it. Yes, I know, this is very unlikely, and as I said, that is only what a Devil’s advocate would say. Puns are fun.

While I don’t want them to be in Hell, there is some evidence that they are. Isabella (Ricardo/Richard’s wife) was on the island with Richard before The Smoke Monster killed her or consumed her soul or did whatever it is he does to people. If she is not dead and in Hell, how did she get onto the island? Perhaps the priest snuck her onto the Black Rock.

Man in Black

Man in Black and Fake John Locke both complain about Jacob trapping him and holding him captive on the island, and both mention having been a regular person before. Fake John Locke gave us insight into the life he led as a regular person when he told Kate in “Recon” that he had a crazy mother. As I’ve suggested before, perhaps Man in Black/Fake John Locke/The Smoke Monster isn’t evil; perhaps he was wrongly captured and detained. Of course the evidence for his evilness ha been illuminated rather thoroughly, what with all the killing and so forth, but perhaps he didn’t start out being evil – perhaps he was driven to evil by being held captive for so long. Alternatively, maybe, like Lucifer, he fell from grace and became evil via his own choosing. If that is the case, it is rather interesting that he believes people are destined to choose evil, the very thing Jacob has been trying so hard to disprove.

I find it strange that Richard didn’t recognize Fake John Locke as Man in Black. Fake John Locke speaks and acts very much like Man in Black, with very similar intonational patterns and mannerisms. I wonder if Richard’s lack of recognition might in fact be evidence against Fake John Locke being Man in Black. Maybe those Lost producers aren’t evil liars after all.

This episode delineated more similarities between Jacob and Man in Black/The Smoke Monster/Fake John Locke. Man in Black told Richard to kill Jacob in the same way that Dogen told Sayid to kill Fake John Locke. When Sayid did as he was told, Fake John Locke was unaffected and definitely not (re-)killed. Was this a result of Sayid’s new infection? Are Jacob and Man in Black different kinds of beings? Does this provide another piece of evidence that Fake John Locke/The Smoke Monster is not Man in Black after all? Perhaps if Fake John Locke really was the Man in Black, perhaps Sayid’s murdering of him would have been successful.

Both Sayid and Richard were told to kill Fake John Locke and Jacob before the respective entity spoke, for if he spoke, it would be too late. I imagine this not speaking clause might result from both of their abilities to talk people into and out of things, perhaps in a manipulative, Devilish way. This suggests that both Fake John Locke and whoever he represents, as well as Jacob might be evil – or it suggests that Dogen and Man in Black perceive Fake John Locke and Jacob respectively as Evil.

My Brilliant Prediction

I believe that Hurley will be the candidate to take over the role of Jacob. As I mentioned before, his last name, Reyes, means Kings, suggesting that he is destined to be King of the Universe. I have also discussed his genuine kindness, and other Good qualities. He genuinely wants to help his fellow man, and would do no harm. Speaking of doing no harm, I believe that if Hurley is not going to be the new Jacob, then Jack will be (he’s a doctor, so he took that do-no-harm oath, hence my segue). Jack Shephard, a born leader, is also genuinely kind and also has lots of Good qualities (well, all the candidates do), and Jacob made a point to protect Jack and Hurley in “Lighthouse.”

Anyhoo, getting back to Hurley, I further believe that he has already taken over the role of Jacob in the new reality/flash sideways. Everyone’s lives have improved in that new reality, and I can’t help but think Hurley has more to do with that then simply hiring a bunch of his friends in another reality. Perhaps Hurley is re-writing their lives so that they can be improved, as he attempted to rewrite Star Wars, so that it might be improved, when he was transported to the 1970s. Perhaps they were foreshadowing his Jacobian take-over.

It’s possible that I’m wrong, of course, and one piece of evidence for my potential wrongness is Hurley’s presence, presumably as a mortal, in the new reality. It could be that whoever takes the Jacob role wouldn’t have a mortal life anymore, but then again, perhaps he or she can. Perhaps, in a Christ-like way (let’s pretend we’re all Christian for a second), the new Jacob could exist both as a divine being on the island as well as a mortal being in LA. If, however, this is not the case, and if I am correct in my prediction that the new reality/flash-sideways is the result of the new Jacob, then the new Jacob must be someone who we have not seen in the new reality. However, I believe we have seen all the six non-crossed-off candidates in the new reality. Therefore, my assumption that the new Jacob can exist, whether mortal or not, off the island is very likely accurate. Of course we know that Jacob could leave the island; I wonder if he still existed on the island when he left, or if he simply sojourned off the island. Anyway, my point is, I don’t believe that Hurley’s presence in the new reality is evidence against my prediction that he is the new Jacob, and that the new reality is what Hurley as the new Jacob has woven.

We shall wait and see if more of my predictions end up being correct. It’s fun to be right about stuff, but it should be noted that it’s easier to be right when one suggests every possibility one can think of, thereby increasing the chances of accuracy for at least one of those possibilities. See, I told you I’m not conceited.

SPOILER ALERT - Lost Season 6 “Recon”

In my last Lost-related blog posting, I was tempted to suggest that Richard had sold his soul to Jacob as Dogen had, however, I didn’t believe that was accurate. Jacob’s touching gifts are provided without any outright demand for payment and without the recipient asking for it, or even being aware that it’s happening, as we’ve seen when Jacob touched and gave his gifts to our special characters, and I think we can therefore assume the same to be true for Richard. However, it’s possible that Jacob could be more subtle and evil than the traditional view of the Devil; perhaps his requirements of payment come unbeknownst to the gift recipients. Something, probably destiny but possibly Jacob, draws the touched and gifted people to the island. Ben made note of this when he sated “the island got [Lapidus] in the end” after Lapidus mentioned that he was supposed to be the pilot for Oceanic 815 but overslept that fateful day. The fact that we never saw Jacob touch Lapidus is not necessarily evidence against this, because Jacob and/or destiny could still have effects without the touching, I would imagine. Additionally, just because we never saw it doesn’t mean it didn’t happen; maybe we’ve gotta have faith and believe without needing evidence.

Moving onto this week’s episode, “Recon,” the same differences and similarities between the two realities that we saw with the other characters also happen with Sawyer. His life is better in the new reality (flash-sideways), and he made better choices (becoming a cop rather than a con artist), but certain elements – perhaps the ones governed by destiny – remained constant (the need to seek vengeance on Anthony Cooper).

Miles seems happier and better adjusted in the new reality, where he is also a cop – Sawyer’s partner in fact. We don’t know if he has his special ability of hearing dead people, and come to think of it, we don’t know if Hurley has his gift of talking to dead people in the new reality either. Getting back to Miles, we do know that hearing dead people is not his profession, as it is in the reality we are familiar with. Perhaps Miles is happier and better adjusted because his father didn’t have to abandon him as he did in the reality we are familiar with.

This episode displayed some more ambiguity with Fake John Locke/The Smoke Monster. He was acting so devilishly diabolical, gaining the trust of everyone, telling them exactly what they needed to hear, capturing just the right tone, to manipulate the people into trusting him. Unless he is not evil at all, and he really is trustworthy; after all, he promises to keep them all safe, and we believe him, don’t we? Hahaha, no, we don’t. But anything is possible…Remember that Jacob also tells people exactly what they need to hear, but Jacob’s purpose isn’t to get people to trust him – his purpose is to help or guide, and hope, sometimes in vain, that people make the choices he wants them to (we don’t really know if those are the “right” choices). Regardless, both Jacob and Fake John Locke/The Smoke Monster know just what to say to get what they want, though it may be that they don’t always succeed.

SPOILER ALERT – Lost Season 6 “Dr. Linus”

Best episode EVER!

But I knew it would be, based on the title of the Lost episode ("Dr. Linus”) coupled with the things Michael Emerson (the man who plays Ben Linus) said on Jimmy Kimmel Live a few weeks ago. He had said what happens with Ben is very satisfying, and it sure was. I love Ben. I also love Michael Emerson; he is an amazing actor. He should win some more Emmys.

Michael Emerson also said in that Kimmel interview that he was a comic actor prior to Lost. That seems about right; there’s something comedic about Ben in a strange sort of way. I don’t mean that he’s funny, exactly – I’m not really sure what I mean. Ben shares something with the creepy or otherwise dramatic characters that Robin Williams has portrayed. It’s a certain level and depth of character that perhaps only a brilliant actor with comedic talents and comedic instincts can capture. I don’t know if any of this makes sense, but that’s ok – after all, these are the quasi-incoherent thoughts of a Yels (get it, that’s my blog description; look up).

Anyhoo, getting back to this magnificent episode, it was quite the rollercoaster of emotions, between the Richard-Jack-Hurley saga worrying about Kate, Sayid, Sawyer, Jin, and anyone else I’m forgetting, wondering whether Widmore’s presence at the end of the episode will be for good or evil, and of course the Ben saga. I was literally on the edge of my seat, hoping and even praying that Dr. Ben in the new reality (flash-sideways) wouldn’t sell out Alex for his own power as he did in the reality we are familiar with. When he faked us out and it looked like he had fallen into his evil ways, I thought to myself (I didn’t yell out this time), “Noooooooooooo!” Needless to say, I was filled with joyous relief when he hadn’t sold her out at all. In fact, he managed to maintain the good in his heart and actions, while still gaining just enough power from the immoral principal to gain respect and his history club, allowing him to help the children. He even went further to sacrifice his parking space just for the sake of keeping his word and helping a friend, which was so very Hurley of him. It’s clear that Ben’s life in the new reality is vastly better than it was in the reality we are familiar with, despite Ben and his father’s sadness and regret for the “better” life he could have had if they had stayed on the island.

As I watched Ben with his father, I couldn’t help but wonder if his father in the new reality was the abusive man he was in the reality we are familiar with. They confirmed somewhat (though not entirely) surprisingly that Ben’s father did work for the Dharma Initiative and they did live on the island in the new reality. It would seem that everything that happened before Juliet detonated the hydrogen bomb would have still happened the same way. However, it is possible, and I believe there’s been evidence for this (such as Jack’s childhood appendectomy that he didn’t remember in the new reality), that everything changed, even before the bomb. This seems plausible since our special characters were traveling through time in the reality we are familiar with; they would not have traveled through time in the new reality, so the things they affected wouldn’t have happened in the past, before their plane didn’t crash. Alternatively, if nothing did change before the bomb, it would suggest that Ben’s father must have been reunited with Young Ben after Young Ben was taken to the Others; if I’m remembering correctly, Sayid shot Young Ben and Kate took him to the Others before the bomb. As I write that, it seems like it just doesn’t make sense, because the new reality could not have gone on from there, because the time travel would not have happened…but if the time travel didn’t happen, then Juliet wouldn’t have detonated the bomb...This is all very confusing. The question is, did the bomb reset all of history, or was its effects restricted to the things that happened in linear time after the bomb was detonated?

“Dr. Linus” encapsulates the warm fluffiness I alluded to in a previous blog posting. Portions of it were painful to watch and feel, but there was tremendous satisfaction in the results and the progress. Ben took full responsibility for his actions and felt real remorse for the things he’s done. We had seen this begin to happen when they buried Real John Locke, but it was completed in this episode. He recognized that Alex was killed because of his desire for power, and he recognized that he killed Jacob because he felt that Jacob had forsaken him. It broke my heart when he said he wanted to go with Fake John Locke/The Smoke Monster because he’s the only one who would have him, and not because of the power that Fake John Locke promised. I’m glad Ilana gave Ben the acceptance he needed.

Until that powerful breakthrough, Ben was driven by his insatiable hunger for power. Shortly before his emotional breakthrough, he remembered his life prior to the Oceanic 815 crash with yearning and nostalgia; it was a time when he ruled the island – when he had almost unquestioned power. In the new reality, Dr. Linus told his history students about Napoleon’s loss of power, explaining that for Napoleon, power loss was tantamount to death – without his power, he was nothing. In the reality we’re familiar with, Ben was almost Napoleonic (“almost” because he clearly did not want to die) in that sense. However, his need for power vanished as the emotions poured forth from him, and in the new reality, he did not succumb to powerful temptations. Ben was not destined to be consumed by his desire for power. Miles said that Jacob hoped Ben had changed until the moment Ben killed him; Jacob’s hope became reality.

It’s interesting to note the differences between Ben’s and Sayid’s battles between good and evil within themselves. In the reality we’re familiar with, Sayid spent much of his adult life trying to prove to himself that he is good, but in the end, evil overtook him; Ben spent his adult life behaving in evil and self-serving, power-hungry ways for what he believed was a greater good (it probably still is a greater good), but was overtaken by good in the end, despite Fake John Locke’s offer of power. In the new reality, Sayid cannot accept that he is good, as evidenced by his belief that he doesn’t deserve Nadia; in the new reality, Ben is good, and he proves that even when Real, New-Reality John Locke gives him a nudge to be self-serving and power-hungry. In so many ways, the new reality parallels the old one, as if by fate.

Speaking of fate, Jack seems to be accepting his fate (as well as embracing his faith), as Jacob said he would. He realized his presence on the island has a special purpose, and, in his usual shepherdly/Shephardly way, seems to be taking the leadership role, as he begins to lead Richard. Jack and Richard now share a bond; each believed their lives no longer had purpose, and each wanted their life to end because of that sense of lost purpose. For each, that sense of purpose along with the desire to live was restored, perhaps by the island, and perhaps by Jacob.

Richard explained what all Jacob’s touching means – Jacob’s touch is a gift of specialness. That sounds inappropriate hahahaha. For Richard, that specialness means not aging and what appears to be immortality and indestructibility, but we don’t know if it means exactly the same thing for each person, though that is possible. We still don’t know if Jacob touched our special characters in the new reality, and we therefore still don’t know if it matters. Thus far, it seems everyone’s lives are slightly or significantly better in the new reality than they are in the reality we are familiar with, but several things remain consistent – and therefore potentially fate-driven – between the two realities.

While it continues to be very likely that Jacob is or represents G-d or some other divine force or being, there is evidence that Jacob might be evil. Fake John Locke/The Smoke Monster is more blatant about offering evil temptations and making devilish deals involving souls, but Jacob does it too. We learned in “Sundown” that Dogen sold his soul to Jacob; he agreed to spend his (eternal?) life protecting the Temple on the island so his son could live.

If Jacob is G-d or otherwise divine, perhaps the evil that happens under his rule is similar to that which happens outside Lost. Perhaps the island is a representation of our real-life world, where people act in service to G-d in ways they believe to be good and right, but with consequences that at times are not. Ben, like Abraham, was willing to sacrifice his child in the name of a divine being – for Abraham it was G-d, for Ben it was Jacob and the island. Abraham didn’t do it in the end, but Ben did. What if Abraham had sacrificed Isaac in the name of G-d? Perhaps he would have followed the path of Ben – perhaps he would have felt forsaken by a G-d who would let him murder his own child. Perhaps he would have killed – or denounced – G-d, and perhaps the Jewish (and therefore Christian and Muslim) religion would not have been, for G-d would have been viewed as evil. Except G-d and Jacob didn’t kill anyone in this scenario and on Lost; Abraham would have, and Ben did – they would have and did (respectively) attribute the murder to divine purpose, but their purpose would have been Abraham’s and was Ben’s. People wage wars in the name of G-d; people do evil things in the name of G-d. As Jacob makes very clear, people have free will, and bad things happen under G-d’s and Jacob’s watch. However, that doesn’t mean that G-d and Jacob aren’t good. People simply take things too far, and, at times, perhaps cross that thin line between good and evil.

ABC Removed from the TV

UPDATE February 8, 2010
WABC returned to the TV about 15 minutes after the Oscars began. So we Cablevision customers missed the opening of the Oscars, as well as Barbara Walters' last Oscar special ever. I'm glad ABC and Cablevision are resolving their issues and gave us back our WABC, but I don't think they listened to me, since it sounds like Cablevision caved and is probably going to be paying ABC/Disney more money, which means Cablevision will likely increase their cable prices. My loss of respect for both companies -- but particularly ABC/Disney -- endures, similar to my remaining feelings of resentment toward Scripps Network because of the time they temporarily took Food Network (and HGTV) away as a negotiation tactic.

[Originally an email written to ABC on February 7, 2010 (yes, today). Some ideas came from a friend (yes, I have a friend).]

Dear ABC,

Rather than demanding more money from Cablevision, why doesn't ABC simply ask Cablevision to stop charging their subscribers for broadcast channels such as WABC? I would think that would resolve ABC's problem, since ABC is claiming that they should be paid since Cablevision charges us for ABC.

If ABC/Disney is actually concerned about the viewers/consumers, they will simply ask Cablevision to stop charging us for what should be free, rather than demand to be paid because of those charges. The fact is, if Cablevision pays ABC more than they already do, Cablevision will inevitably raise their prices, and therefore, we the consumers will suffer.

I understand that pulling ABC from Cablevision the night before the Oscars is a negotiation tactic, but ABC/Disney is only hurting the viewers, Oprah Winfrey, Barbara Walters, and America. ABC's move is a slap in the face to all of the above, and demonstrates a complete lack of respect for all of the above.

Every minute ABC remains off my TV, I lose more respect for Disney and ABC.

I will NOT change providers. ABC/Disney is not hurting Cablevision, ABC/Disney is hurting its (former) viewers.

Please put WABC back on Cablevision. Please do what is right and what is fair.

Thank you.
~Shirley

From Division Comes Fabulous Fusion

I learned two fabulous and exciting things while pseudo-stalkerishly following a whole bunch o’ celebrities on Twitter!

Firstly, I learned that Evanescence, one of my favorite bands ever, are working on their next CD! That sort of news is always reason for a “Woohoo!”
UPDATE July 22, 2011: There is now a date set for the release of the new Evanescence CD! According to the MTV, that date is October 11, 2011!
UPDATE August 9, 2011: The new single from that album was released on iTunes today and will be released in better places (imho) on August 16! It's called "What You Want," and if what you want is to watch Evanescence perform it live, you can do that here! I like it a lot! Woohoo!
UPDATE October 12, 2011: Evanescence's self-titled CD was released yesterday, and I love it!  Keep an eye out for a blog posting devoted to it in the near future!


I also discovered (in that same article I just linked to – actually this whole blog posting is based on that article, which I saw on Evanescence’s Twitter) that Ben Moody, formerly of Evanescence (which he co-founded), has joined together with some other people who are also formerly of Evanescence and Carly Smithson to form a band called We Are the Fallen. “Who on earth is Carly Smithson?” you ask? She was an American Idol finalist in the year of two wonderful Davids (Cook and Archuleta). She was one of the two foreigners that year, both of whom I love; Michael Johns the Australian is the other foreigner, and Carly Smithson is Irish; they both live in America – that is why they could be American Idol finalists, I assume.

The musical merging of We Are the Fallen is so exciting for me! It’s the fusion of two of my favorite things – whiskers on kittens and raindrops on roses -- oops, I mean Evanescence and American Idol! This is going to be great!

It is great! I immediately bought We Are the Fallen’s MP3 single Bury Me Alive from Amazon, which says a lot since it’s very rare that I buy singles when I know I’m going to buy the full album when it’s released (UPDATE August 12, 2010: It was released on May 11, 2010, and is called Tear the World Down and it's rather good, as I expected it would be). As I expected, "Bury Me Alive" is a great song. It actually sounds a lot like Evanescence with a different (though similar) voice, which makes sense since that is what We Are the Fallen is. Since I tend to love everything Evanescence has done musically, the Evanescenciness of the song is definitely not a bad thing. Regarding the similar-but-different voice, while Carly Smithson definitely has a great voice, it really doesn’t compare to Amy Lee’s ethereally beautiful voice. However, this is not to say that I don’t love Carly Smithson and her fantastic voice – I definitely do. Amy Lee’s voice is unique – it’s in a different realm; to compare any other voice to hers wouldn’t be fair.

The new band’s name is rather cute, since Evanescence’s first CD (possibly the best CD EVER) is called Fallen. I guess Ben Moody et al. might want to subtly remind people of their part in the creation of Fallen, as well as perhaps expressing some sadness for having fallen out of Evanescence.

Evanescence itself now contains only one remaining original member, co-founder Amy Lee. However, there is no doubt in my mind that Evanescence will continue to be the incredible band it has been, and will continue to make incredible music with Amy Lee’s incredible voice and talents.

I hope that any remaining ill feelings between Evanescence and We Are the Fallen evanesce. Amy Lee and Ben Moody are both incredibly talented people whose talents have influenced each other in beautiful and lasting ways (or so I assume – I mean, I don’t know these people).

SPOILER ALERT – Lost Season 6 “Sundown”

Sayid’s Choice

There seems to be a theme on Lost about making choices, and that theme was painfully present in “Sundown.”

The Lost characters have made several choices throughout the series, involving getting off the island, getting back onto the island, saving their friends, and saving themselves. Sayid’s choice in “Sundown,” however, was the ultimate choice; it appears that he has sold his soul to the Devil to bring Nadia (the woman he loves in both realities) back to life (or perhaps to kill Sayid so he can eternally be with Nadia). Not only did he sell his soul, he sold out his friends, and he might have sold out all of humanity.

In the new reality (or flash-sideways as everyone else calls it), Sayid’s life isn’t much better than it had been in the reality we are familiar with. In both realities, he regrets the person he was and the torturing he did. In both realities, he wants to be good. In both realities, he ends up making choices that force him to question whether he truly is good or evil. In the new reality, he punishes himself by not allowing himself to be with the woman he loves because he doesn’t believe he deserves her, which suggests that he believes he is evil. In the reality we are familiar with, he chooses to be with her even if it means the end of all good in the world, and he does this after he proclaims that there is good in his soul. In both realities, he kills because he believes the murders have good purpose (avenging the death of Nadia in the reality we’re familiar with, and helping his brother and Nadia in the new reality); and in both realities, he kills even when that good purpose ceases to exist (after he succeeded in helping his brother and Nadia in the new reality, and after he sold his soul to The Smoke Monster in the reality we are familiar with).

Sayid’s battle between good and evil within himself might have been lost in the reality we are familiar with due to forces that were beyond him. Before he came back to life and became “infected,” and even at times after, Good appeared to be triumphing over Evil. When he realized avenging Nadia’s death lacked purpose, he did stop – he did choose to try to lead a good life again.

The Darkness

This episode was difficult to watch; it lacked the warm fluffiness of all the other Lost episodes. I’m sure you’re all saying, “What? Yel can’t possibly be talking about Lost.” Despite my exaggeration, however, this episode really was a lot darker than other episodes have been.

The evidence is becoming clearer and clearer that Fake John Locke/The Smoke Monster is the Devil, particularly since Dogen told Sayid that Fake John Locke is evil incarnate. I maintain a healthy modicum of doubt regarding the Good v. Evil nature of things. Dogen also confirmed that The Smoke Monster is (or was) trapped by Jacob, and explained that since Jacob is dead, The Smoke Monster/Fake John Locke is now free and will annihilate everyone on the island. Of course, we had to witness this, as The Smoke Monster, like the Angel of Death in the Passover story, came through the temple, and murdered all who could not escape and all who would not go with The Smoke Monster/Fake John Locke off the island.

This darkness is beginning to shed light on what the purpose of the island might be. Perhaps The Smoke Monster (the Devil) was trapped on the island because perhaps that is how Jacob (G-d) contained evil, in order to keep the world safe from evil. Perhaps this was foreshadowed by the Swan confining the powerful electromagnetic forces emanating from the island in the reality we are familiar with. When, Fake John Locke/The Smoke Monster rhetorically asked Sawyer in “The Substitute” what the island needed protection from, I think we all muttered aloud (or I did anyway), “From you, Smoke Monster – from evil.” Perhaps Jacob – or whoever takes over his job of Protector of the Island – protects the island from the evil forces of The Smoke Monster/ The Devil (and/or Man in Black), and, thereby protects the world from his evil forces by detaining him there on that bizarre island.