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Post by Sara on Apr 15, 2009 8:22:40 GMT -5
No, that is not a typo. So I know I'll be keeping my ears open for Star Wars references in this ep.  |
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Post by Sara on Apr 15, 2009 9:24:10 GMT -5
To help whet your appetite for the episode, some interesting speculation from EW's Doc Jensen:Reader Svetlana Evans picked up on something in ''Dead Is Dead'' that intrigued me, too. ''What is the significance of the big deal they made of John Locke taking off the shoes to row the [outrigger] between islands, and taking such care when putting them back on, especially on camera, while he was talking to Ben. Filler action or pertinent to storyline?''
I vote ''pertinent.'' Remember, those shoes belonged to Christian Shephard. Jack put them on Corpse Locke's feet so John could play the role of Corpse Christian's proxy aboard Ajira 316. I got the vibe that Lost was trying to remind the audience about the shoes without looking like it was trying to remind us about the shoes. Perhaps it's one more clue that John is as undead as Christian — that is, if it isn't proof of my ''Ben murdered Christian like he murdered Locke'' theory.
And perhaps the shoe thing is an arrow pointing elsewhere — someplace old and cold. And horny! Let me explain. To date, Lost has been partial to Egyptian mythology, famous for its robust ideas about the afterlife. Part of the Egyptian tradition includes loading burial chambers with things (food, furniture, various household goods) that the dead can utilize. Those hieroglyphics on Ben's secret door and in the bowels of the Temple? Archeologists say they were akin to spells or charms that allowed the dead to activate their stuff. See? You can take it with you!
But there's another mythology that had a similar yet more oddly focused tradition. Meet the Vikings, those rough-and-tumble mead-swilling, horn-hatted (i.e., ''horny'') Scandinavian pagans partial to Norse gods of Odin and Thor. Viking tradition called for corpses to be dressed in their finest threads and their feet to be shod with ''Hel-Shoes.'' After all, souls need a good pair of footwear for the journey to hell — or ''Hel'' as the Norse called it, named after the goddess who served as its warden. Hel had some very interesting father issues, just like many characters on Lost. And Hel has something in common with dearly departed Alex: As it happens, Hel's dad is Loki, the great villain of Norse mythology — the god of lies.
When I asked the Lost Super-Computer (i.e., Wikipedia) to crunch the word ''Hoth,'' it came back with the fact that ''Hoth'' also refers to a figure from Norse mythology sometimes known as ''Hod,'' ''Hoor,'' or ''Hotherus.'' Investigating Norse mythology brought me to the concept of ''Hel-Shoes,'' as well as some other intriguing possibilities for Lost.
You see, for eons there were two sets of Norse gods that were at war with each other: the gods of Aesir and the gods of Vanir. There was an attempt at a truce, which involved an exchange of hostages as insurance. One of the hostages was an Aesiran god named Mirmir, who had the ability to see future events. For various reasons, the Vanir felt they had been tricked, so they cut off Mirmir's head and sent it back to Odin, who for a long time carried it around and asked it questions and stuff. Creepy. And it gets better! Eventually, Odin buried the head in a well under the Tree of Life and was able to continue asking it questions about the future — but he had to cut out his eye as a sacrifice. Anyway, the truce between the rival tribes eventually collapsed, there was a rumble, and when it was over...the bickering deities found a way to get along and merged pantheons into one big super-pantheon.
Gonzo. And I love it. Might we see the Dharma/Hostile feud proceed along parallel lines? Will there be a hostage swap to preserve the peace? Is disembodied Jacob something similar to beheaded Mirmir? Will Dr. Marvin Candle cut off his arm to glean the Island's secrets of the future in the same way Odin plucked out his eye? Will Dharma and the Others finally merge to form their own super-group?
But back to this Hoth guy. Hoth had a distinctive trait: He was blind. He also murdered his brother, a god by the name of Balder. One might be tempted to forge a Cain and Abel comparison, but Hoth had a good excuse: He was tricked by the god of lies, Loki, into shooting a ''missile'' (or spear) loaded with mistletoe, the only substance capable of killing Hoth's otherwise invulnerable sibling. Yet despite being deceived, Hoth was punished severely. Odin sired a monstrous son named Vali for the sole purpose of slaying the sightless, accidental god-killer. At Balder's funeral, Odin whispered something into his dead son's ear. No one really knows what Odin said, and from that day forth, anyone who dared to challenge Odin in a battle of wits had to answer the Sphinx-like riddle: ''What did Odin whisper in Balder's ear?'' Finally, Balder's death set in motion Ragnarok, or ''destiny of the gods,'' a series of events that culminated with a final battle between various sets of gods and monsters from various corners of Norse mythology. One of the major players in Ragnarok was the Norse equivalent of Cerberus, the hound of Hell. Named Garmr, this wolfish creature was unchained during the final battle for the world and allowed to slaughter with impunity. Ragnarok ended with the death of the world (everything gets submerged in water, à la the Flood) and the birth of the new world and the rebirth of fallen gods — including Balder. Indeed, while Odin's whisper was technically a mystery, most scholars believe that it was actually a single word: ''Resurrection.''
Might this wide swath of Norse mythology parallel or at least intersect with Lost mythology? Garmr? Smokey, of course. Missile? Jughead. Odin's Resurrection Riddle? That brings to mind the Rainier-Canton anagram (''resurrection'') from earlier this season, plus the ''What did one snowman say to the other snowman?'' riddle from season 2 and the ''What lies in the shadow of the statue?'' riddle of ''Dead Is Dead.'' (My answer: Mirmir's head!) Balder? The slain, reborn god, could be John Locke, because, after all, Locke is...bald. And he has been resurrected. Ragnarok? ''There's a war coming, John. And if you're not on it when that happens, the wrong side is going to win.'' —Charles Widmore.
Might all of this be something of a stretch? Maybe. And yet, I'm taken with the idea that Lost's fixation with Egyptian mythology this season has actually been an elaborate misdirection — a smoke screen, if you will — for the real mythic cosmology that inspires it. And anyway, remember that the money that built the Dharma Initiative came from one Alvar Hanso, a Danish guy who according to ''The Lost Experience'' had secret Dharma facilities located in Iceland — which may have been Lost's way of hinting that the roots of its whole mythology lie in Norse soil... |
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Post by Matthew on Apr 15, 2009 20:07:02 GMT -5
So Miles got aware of the power at an early age. At the most inopportune time.
And back to the Seventies.
Ah, back at the other end of the ferrying Ben thing.
You won't be head of security long if this keeps up.
Great.
Gonna take something out to Radzinski at certain coordinates. Woohoo!
And I'm guessing he hasn't erased the tapes yet.
"I'm in the circle of trust"
Yep. Gonna have something for him to bring back.
"The ditch had a gun"
So this is how they deal with violations of the treaty.
And of course, Miles has ways to find out the truth.
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Post by Lola m on Apr 15, 2009 20:07:50 GMT -5
We had little Benry before, so now we get little Miles. Yay! The "circle of trust"? Oh, dear. And they're doing things in Other territory, where they're not supposed to be? Oh dear oh dear! "The ditch had a gun?"  Ok. So what really happened, dead guy? ;D |
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Post by Spaced Out Looney on Apr 15, 2009 20:09:03 GMT -5
Hey! No previouslies! Young Miles and his mom. Dad's not in the picture. The actress who plays mom looks very familiar. Cool, we get to see the psychic flashes that Miles gets. Bunny rabbit! Wow, Miles' mom is very, very jumpy. And the music really isn't helping her nerves. Oh, Miles found a dead guy. I guess his mom was right to be worried. Miles hasn't learned to be quiet about his psychic flashes yet.  Back on the island. Sawyer and Kate returning to The Barracks. They're going to erase the security tapes and look for Sayid. Sawyer's buried himself in the part. Sawyer's still trying to cover things up. That only works for so long. Miles is interrupted by Horace. Horace entrusts Miles with a Secret Mission. No questions asked. Which means that Miles is going to peek the first chance he gets. 334 is Hostile Territory. Hmm. Circle of Trust. Circle of Betrayal and Lies is more like it. Wait, did Miles actually finish erasing the tapes? Miles and Razinzsky. The secret package is... a dead body? An "accident." Who is that? The ditch had a gun. The way they often do. There goes Miles peeking. And finding out what really happened. I guess it's unfortunate for Horace that he entrusted Miles of all people to this mission. |
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Post by Lola m on Apr 15, 2009 20:10:35 GMT -5
To help whet your appetite for the episode, some interesting speculation from EW's Doc Jensen:Reader Svetlana Evans picked up on something in ''Dead Is Dead'' that intrigued me, too. ''What is the significance of the big deal they made of John Locke taking off the shoes to row the [outrigger] between islands, and taking such care when putting them back on, especially on camera, while he was talking to Ben. Filler action or pertinent to storyline?''
I vote ''pertinent.'' Remember, those shoes belonged to Christian Shephard. Jack put them on Corpse Locke's feet so John could play the role of Corpse Christian's proxy aboard Ajira 316. I got the vibe that Lost was trying to remind the audience about the shoes without looking like it was trying to remind us about the shoes. Perhaps it's one more clue that John is as undead as Christian — that is, if it isn't proof of my ''Ben murdered Christian like he murdered Locke'' theory.
And perhaps the shoe thing is an arrow pointing elsewhere — someplace old and cold. And horny! Let me explain. To date, Lost has been partial to Egyptian mythology, famous for its robust ideas about the afterlife. Part of the Egyptian tradition includes loading burial chambers with things (food, furniture, various household goods) that the dead can utilize. Those hieroglyphics on Ben's secret door and in the bowels of the Temple? Archeologists say they were akin to spells or charms that allowed the dead to activate their stuff. See? You can take it with you!
But there's another mythology that had a similar yet more oddly focused tradition. Meet the Vikings, those rough-and-tumble mead-swilling, horn-hatted (i.e., ''horny'') Scandinavian pagans partial to Norse gods of Odin and Thor. Viking tradition called for corpses to be dressed in their finest threads and their feet to be shod with ''Hel-Shoes.'' After all, souls need a good pair of footwear for the journey to hell — or ''Hel'' as the Norse called it, named after the goddess who served as its warden. Hel had some very interesting father issues, just like many characters on Lost. And Hel has something in common with dearly departed Alex: As it happens, Hel's dad is Loki, the great villain of Norse mythology — the god of lies.
When I asked the Lost Super-Computer (i.e., Wikipedia) to crunch the word ''Hoth,'' it came back with the fact that ''Hoth'' also refers to a figure from Norse mythology sometimes known as ''Hod,'' ''Hoor,'' or ''Hotherus.'' Investigating Norse mythology brought me to the concept of ''Hel-Shoes,'' as well as some other intriguing possibilities for Lost.
You see, for eons there were two sets of Norse gods that were at war with each other: the gods of Aesir and the gods of Vanir. There was an attempt at a truce, which involved an exchange of hostages as insurance. One of the hostages was an Aesiran god named Mirmir, who had the ability to see future events. For various reasons, the Vanir felt they had been tricked, so they cut off Mirmir's head and sent it back to Odin, who for a long time carried it around and asked it questions and stuff. Creepy. And it gets better! Eventually, Odin buried the head in a well under the Tree of Life and was able to continue asking it questions about the future — but he had to cut out his eye as a sacrifice. Anyway, the truce between the rival tribes eventually collapsed, there was a rumble, and when it was over...the bickering deities found a way to get along and merged pantheons into one big super-pantheon.
Gonzo. And I love it. Might we see the Dharma/Hostile feud proceed along parallel lines? Will there be a hostage swap to preserve the peace? Is disembodied Jacob something similar to beheaded Mirmir? Will Dr. Marvin Candle cut off his arm to glean the Island's secrets of the future in the same way Odin plucked out his eye? Will Dharma and the Others finally merge to form their own super-group?
But back to this Hoth guy. Hoth had a distinctive trait: He was blind. He also murdered his brother, a god by the name of Balder. One might be tempted to forge a Cain and Abel comparison, but Hoth had a good excuse: He was tricked by the god of lies, Loki, into shooting a ''missile'' (or spear) loaded with mistletoe, the only substance capable of killing Hoth's otherwise invulnerable sibling. Yet despite being deceived, Hoth was punished severely. Odin sired a monstrous son named Vali for the sole purpose of slaying the sightless, accidental god-killer. At Balder's funeral, Odin whispered something into his dead son's ear. No one really knows what Odin said, and from that day forth, anyone who dared to challenge Odin in a battle of wits had to answer the Sphinx-like riddle: ''What did Odin whisper in Balder's ear?'' Finally, Balder's death set in motion Ragnarok, or ''destiny of the gods,'' a series of events that culminated with a final battle between various sets of gods and monsters from various corners of Norse mythology. One of the major players in Ragnarok was the Norse equivalent of Cerberus, the hound of Hell. Named Garmr, this wolfish creature was unchained during the final battle for the world and allowed to slaughter with impunity. Ragnarok ended with the death of the world (everything gets submerged in water, à la the Flood) and the birth of the new world and the rebirth of fallen gods — including Balder. Indeed, while Odin's whisper was technically a mystery, most scholars believe that it was actually a single word: ''Resurrection.''
Might this wide swath of Norse mythology parallel or at least intersect with Lost mythology? Garmr? Smokey, of course. Missile? Jughead. Odin's Resurrection Riddle? That brings to mind the Rainier-Canton anagram (''resurrection'') from earlier this season, plus the ''What did one snowman say to the other snowman?'' riddle from season 2 and the ''What lies in the shadow of the statue?'' riddle of ''Dead Is Dead.'' (My answer: Mirmir's head!) Balder? The slain, reborn god, could be John Locke, because, after all, Locke is...bald. And he has been resurrected. Ragnarok? ''There's a war coming, John. And if you're not on it when that happens, the wrong side is going to win.'' —Charles Widmore.
Might all of this be something of a stretch? Maybe. And yet, I'm taken with the idea that Lost's fixation with Egyptian mythology this season has actually been an elaborate misdirection — a smoke screen, if you will — for the real mythic cosmology that inspires it. And anyway, remember that the money that built the Dharma Initiative came from one Alvar Hanso, a Danish guy who according to ''The Lost Experience'' had secret Dharma facilities located in Iceland — which may have been Lost's way of hinting that the roots of its whole mythology lie in Norse soil...I knew I remembered some mythology that had a Hoth (or something like that) in it!! |
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Post by Matthew on Apr 15, 2009 20:15:47 GMT -5
My GOD that's some awesome hair. He's SO teenage. He looks like Rufio from Hook.
"about my father MARVIN CANDLE!"
"Kicked us out"
yep. Gotta be Marvin. So his body is dead in a ditch. Covered in petrol. On fire. /Izzard
Takin' the body to his daddy...
I love Hugo so so much.
This is gonna be hard to explain. Roger looking for his sonnyboy, finally discovering what he needs to be a good daddy.
I love that Juliet is so calm and ready to face it.
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Post by Lola m on Apr 15, 2009 20:16:08 GMT -5
Cool! Punked-out younger!Miles! So, are we gonna find out that Dr what's-his-name from the island is his daddy? Dad "kicked them out". Kicked them off the island, maybe? Body is "somewhere you could never go". OK, definitely the Island. Ha! Carpool doooooom - sandwiches and dead body. Secret mission. Ha! ;D Their story is gonna be that Ben just "went missing"? Uh. Not a very great story.  |
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Post by Sara on Apr 15, 2009 20:17:35 GMT -5
Cool! Punked-out younger!Miles! So, are we gonna find out that Dr what's-his-name from the island is his daddy? Dad "kicked them out". Kicked them off the island, maybe? Body is "somewhere you could never go". OK, definitely the Island. Ha! Carpool doooooom - sandwiches and dead body. Secret mission. Ha! ;D
Their story is gonna be that Ben just "went missing"? Uh. Not a very great story. And the other possible explanations are...? |
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Post by Lola m on Apr 15, 2009 20:17:44 GMT -5
So Miles got aware of the power at an early age. At the most inopportune time. And back to the Seventies. Ah, back at the other end of the ferrying Ben thing. You won't be head of security long if this keeps up. **snicker**  House of cards, ready to tumble! What did the dead guy say? I want to knoooooow!! ;D |
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Post by Spaced Out Looney on Apr 15, 2009 20:19:50 GMT -5
Teenage Miles. Going through his punk phase.
InvalidMom.
Actress who plays her mom looks vaguely like Sun, actually.
Miles asks his mom for answers.
His father is dead. Or is he?
Yeah, his dad is most definitely Dr. Chang. Mom the same actress from the premiere.
Horace talking to Dr. Chang. And asks Miles to take the body to him. Are we going to get a reenactment of the Luke/Darth Vader "you're my father" scene?
What does Miles know about the body? He looks pretty freaked.
Miles is the only security person? They've got a skeleton crew running this place.
Hurley invites himself along.
Kate briefs Juliet.
Enter Roger. Now they have to tell Roger that they gave him treatment without his permission.
Juliet feigns ignorance.
Roger gets angry: OK. 1) serves the lot of them right for doing this without Roger's or Horace's or anyone's permission, they clearly did what they did more for themselves than for Ben or for anybody else, and 2) y'all already know that this guy has anger management issues. Don't tap on the glass is all I'm saying.
The Others are going to blamed for this, aren't they?
Here we go.
Yeah. Exactly.
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Post by Lola m on Apr 15, 2009 20:19:57 GMT -5
Hey! No previouslies! Young Miles and his mom. Dad's not in the picture. The actress who plays mom looks very familiar. Cool, we get to see the psychic flashes that Miles gets. Bunny rabbit! Wow, Miles' mom is very, very jumpy. And the music really isn't helping her nerves. Oh, Miles found a dead guy. I guess his mom was right to be worried. Miles hasn't learned to be quiet about his psychic flashes yet. I felt so bad for him, when he was standing there crying that the guy was still talking to him.  Ha! Yeah, him paying no attention to the dead guy in back? Soooooo not gonna happen! Good one. Ha! |
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Post by Matthew on Apr 15, 2009 20:28:35 GMT -5
Hugo gonna find out when he don't really wanna know.
"that's traditionally what you put IN a body bag"
"Tooth yanked out of his socket and blowing through his brain" ah. So future location of the Swan station.
and Hugo just relaxes into it.
Ah, that's why. "I can talk to 'em too"
So how is he gonna run this scam with the grieving father?
Simple and to-the-point. Good.
Hi, Naomi! Didn't figure I'd see you again.
Otherton..
Roger getting his good daddy drink on.
And Kate can't leave bad enough alone.
And Kate opens her mouth.
Kate, you know about drunk asshole fathers.
And Miles and Hugo having their Haley Joel Osmont moments together.
"Just jealous because my power's better than yours"
Hugo, you HAD to open your fucking mouth.
"If you think working in the kitchen is bad..." "I like the kitchen"
"Gross" so blandly he completely spikes Chang's guns. LD
And Miles lets loose of a secret of his own.
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Post by Lola m on Apr 15, 2009 20:30:07 GMT -5
"There's a body bag back here, with a body in it." "That's traditionally what you put in body bag." Wow, that was a very descriptive explanation of death. Hurley keeps lots of secrets, Miles. It's ok. "I can talk to them too." Now we're at more modern-time Miles, working his "I'll talk to your loved one" gig. Ah! Recruitment time for Miles! Go ahead, Roger. Get drunk. I'm sure that will solve everything. "Thanks for the pep talk." Ha!! ;D (I'm totally digging the van music. Never rains in southern California. Love will keep us together.) "You're just jealous my power's better than yours." Heeeeee! ;D "If you think working in the kitchen is bad . . ." "I like the kitchen." Ha! And their big threat is they'll send you to the other island to work with the polar bears. "That douche is my dad." Yay! We were sooo right! |
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Post by Spaced Out Looney on Apr 15, 2009 20:30:22 GMT -5
Whoo hoo RoadTrip! Hurley writing in his diary? Yeah, keeping a dead body a secret is about as hard as it sounds. Hurley already has famous garlic mayo? He's been here, what, 2 days? Alvarez. Who had one of those suicide fillings? Hurley can talk to dead people too. Just not in the same way. Flashback. Miles asking about his dad? No, this is his ghostbuster schtick? Yeah, Miles is clearly hating himself for fleecing people like this. Hey, I wonder if there's any connection between Miles and that Australian psychic that Claire saw. If Miles can give people closure like this, does it matter if he's actually lying about it? Naomi! Recruiting Miles. I think. Back on the island. Roger grieving/moping. Kate tries to comfort him. You know, rather than coming clean about what she did. Roger picks up on The Lie. Or at least The Losties inordinate interest in Ben. More RoadTripping. About talking with dead people. Miles has never encountered one of those hallucination thingies. You're just jealous that my powers' better than yours. The Orchid under construction. Dr. Chang and Miles Hurley can't keep a secret to save his life.  And then he tries to argue that he can! Dr. Chang tries to be threatening. And fails. Either that, or he's got a facial tick. Ah, I'll bet that Dr. Chang dies some how and that's how Miles finds out that way. Oh, guess not. Did he already know before returning to the island, or after? |
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