Well, it's St. Patrick's Day, and I'm Irish, so you know what I'm doing tonight: writing about Lost, naturally! It's a long-standing tradition in the Irish community to gather around, drinking pints of Guinness and arguing over the meaning of the Numbers, the true allegiance of Juliet Burke, and in which Dharma station we'd most want to be stationed. (I voted for the Pearl, Liam voted for the Swan, and less-than-genial fisticuffs ensued.)

I must confess to be at a bit of a stand-still, in between "Ji Yeon" and "Meet Kevin Johnson." I've already covered the odds-on favorites for the remaining members of the Oceanic 6, recapped the episode itself, and tried to look deeper into assigning true responsibility for the staged wreck of Oceanic 6. Moreover, I published a podcast recapping the fate of Jin, the status of the 6, and the meaning behind Hurley's enigmatic "Good!" at the end of last week's episode. I mean, that's a lot of analysis.

But clearly, I haven't remotely answered everything. So I'm putting out an ABP for the latest and greatest installment of "Letters from The Flame," a concept that started out strong but fizzled out. Kinda like...a flame. But I think we can be stronger than that. I mean, even stronger than Cheap Trick's vision of "The Flame." I'm talking a Susanna Hoffs-esque "Eternal Flame" here, people.

So hit me up with your thoughts! I have a few that have slowly stockpiled like so many lima beans, but I need a big push over the next twenty-four hours. Email me your burning thoughts and questions about Widmore, the freighter, the Oceanic 6, the whereabouts of Walt, the backstory of Michael, or lyrics to "You All Everybody." Or mark them with the word "FLAME" at the beginning of your comment below. I'll publish the best/most compelling tomorrow and attempt to answer as many as I can in anticipation of the final episode of this altogether stellar run of episodes.

Ryan also posts every 108 minutes over at Boob Tube Dude.

Comments

Ryan,
This is one for the flame. I was wondering what your thoughts were regarding how Michael came to be on The Kahana. Did he get picked up directly after he left the island with Walt, or did he manage to get back to the real world and some how change his identity? I highly doubt that anyone would have been let on that ship without a thorough background check, even a janitor. I also doubt that they could have found both Michael and Walt at sea and never had any inclination that they came from the island. So, how do you think it all went down?

Mike in RI | Mar 18, 2008 5:21:28 AM | #

---

A burning question with me has been why Jack doesn't want to see Aaron and if, in the flash forward after Kate's hearing when Jack refuses to see Aaron, does he know at that point that Aaron is his nephew (and Claire his half-sister)?! Any thoughts on what may have happened there?

AndreaC | Mar 18, 2008 5:53:38 AM | #

---

FLAME

Why did Richard/Ben's mother tell young Benjamin that it wasn't time yet and he would need to be very, very patient. Why did it take what seems like 20 years for the Purge to take place and Ben to become the leader of the Others?

Jeff | Mar 18, 2008 7:06:49 AM | #

---

Jeff- I gotta believe that the original Others were waiting for the right opportunity (the build up of the toxic gas) for the purge to occur. Plus, time may be affecting Richard differently than Benjamin. What may seem like 20 years for Ben may have been a year for Richard. Just a crazy thought.

Brian of the North | Mar 18, 2008 7:18:31 AM | #

---

FLAME

Now that we know it's Widmore's boat, how does Mr. Paik fit in? Is he behind Abandon then? Or is Abandon with Widmore as well? Where is our beloved Mr. Abandon?

Blue Sean | Mar 18, 2008 8:13:42 AM | #

---

lol, Abandon, nice.

Brian: really? 20 years for gas to build up?

Jeff | Mar 18, 2008 8:28:47 AM | #

---

FLAME (on!)

I will repeat the question so misappropriately asked during yesterday's blog: Why are the Others on the Island in the first place? What are they doing there?

AdSlinger | Mar 18, 2008 10:36:57 AM | #

---

FLAME

To follow AdSlinger's Others theme: considering what we know about Ben's extensive resources and off-island corporate front, why were the Others building a runway on the Hydra island?

Jeff | Mar 18, 2008 11:12:38 AM | #

---

FLAME

Ryan, the radio serial I sent you mentioned something along the lines of a certain path that must be taken to get to the island. It's eerily similar to LOST in so many ways. Also, can we trust that there are actually 324 bodies in that fake crash, due to the fact that the plane, as well as the bodies, are unattainable? When will the Losties realize that they can't trust anything that Ben says "as is"? I could go on with these...lol

Mark O. Estes | Mar 18, 2008 11:29:06 AM | #

---

FLAME

The questions I wanna know the most right now are, in no particular order:

- What big event is going to happen that bridges events on the Island to "everyone's miserable" Futureland?

- When is the Orchid going to make an appearance, or its Dharma film have direct relevance to the Season 4 narrative?

- Where is Jacob and Walt?

Other Sean | Mar 18, 2008 11:36:46 AM | #

---

FLAME

My personal fav:

What is the DEAL with that glass eye, anyway?

;)

Jeff | Mar 18, 2008 11:55:20 AM | #

---

Jeff- Build up, arrival, or the opportunity for Ben's final solution. Although I personally had a gas build-up once, on a date. That was released with no planning whatsoever. Quite embarrassing, to say the least!

Brian of the North | Mar 18, 2008 12:04:33 PM | #

---

Wow, guess there were a lot of pent-up queries. I need to go grab some Red Bull before answering all of these!

Ryan | Mar 18, 2008 12:09:51 PM | #

---

Also, I kinda wished I'd picked a word besides "FLAME" to demarcate a query. I feel like I missed an excellent chance for humor. I should have y'all type out "WAAAAAAALT!" instead. That would have made me giggle ceaselessly.

Ryan | Mar 18, 2008 12:14:38 PM | #

---

Ryan,
You better hurry, inquiring minds wanna know.

Mike in RI | Mar 18, 2008 12:15:46 PM | #

---

WAAAAAAAALT!

Why did you ask us to write FLAME?

Jeff | Mar 18, 2008 12:16:30 PM | #

---

*giggles*

Yup, theory validated.

Ryan | Mar 18, 2008 12:21:13 PM | #

---

The Lostie Horror Picture Show

WAAAAAAAALT!
Kate
Jack!
Sawyer!

WAAAAAAAALT!
Kate
Jack!
Sawyer!

I don't know why that poppe dinto my head... or why I chose to share it. Perhaps, as they say on Monty Python, I'm an idiot.

AdSlinger | Mar 18, 2008 1:18:08 PM | #

---

Hey, why not? Looks like someone might do the time warp again in the Orchid.

Ryan | Mar 18, 2008 1:32:07 PM | #

---

FLAME
WAAAAAAAALT!!!

I posted this on the USA Today site and got no replies. This has to do with the lists. (More the first lists; not the list that Bea Klugh gave to Michael.)

While watching Juliet's recent episode I noticed that when Ben sent Goodman and Ethan out to infiltrate the camps he told them, "I want lists within a week." Does that not sound like he is asking the two of them to compile the lists? We had assumed that "Lists" were made by Jacob. (Devil's Advocate: Maybe it was supposed to be a list of the survivors of the crash that Ben wanted.)

However, later in the episode Juliet and Ben are talking about the two children from the tail section... "They're on the list, Juliet. Who are we to question who's on the list and who's not?" This makes it sound like they were on lists created by Jacob.

I have no idea what significance this might have or even if it is significant. It just sort of stood out to me this time around when they showed the crash scene. They have shown that same scene with the same dialogue three times now so it seems kind of important.

I guess that my real question is...

WHAT'S UP WITH THESES LISTS?

What is the criteria to be on the lists and to what end?

Thanks Ryan.

Phrank Loyed | Mar 18, 2008 1:48:19 PM | #

---

It looks like ABC won't be broadcasting the enhanced episode this week; they have a new sitcom with double episodes in that time slot.

William Robinson | Mar 18, 2008 1:55:23 PM | #

---

Phrank- I brought up this same point a few weeks back on this blog. The consensus at that time was that Ethan and Goodwin were in charge of compiling lists of survivors which would then be turned in to Jacob and he will make his final list of "the chosen". Don't know how true that is, but that was the best we could come up with. A very interesting story-line though.

Blue Sean | Mar 18, 2008 2:01:54 PM | #

---

Blue Sean,

THANK YOU! I really do appreciate imput from someone else about this. As I wrote that post, it seemed more and more likely that this was all it was. Still, it just struck me as odd since the lists are always attributed to Jacob. I am still curious as to what the lists actually mean. (Other than just who the good guys are.) Why are cerain people on them and the others not? Thanks again Blue Sean. You rock!

Phrank Loyed | Mar 18, 2008 2:12:41 PM | #

---

No worries Phrank! We are a pretty active community over here and tend to respond to most inquiries (except for any by Dark Disciple, of course :)). I'm sure that if I wouldn't have written back, one of the other regulars like Shaggy, Jeff, and Other Sean would have chimed in.

Take your shoes off and stay a while, Phrank!

Blue Sean | Mar 18, 2008 2:23:40 PM | #

---

WAAAALT, look out for that FLAAAAME, Brother!

My question, why would Jack even mention 2 people surviving the crash but not surviving the island (and who do you think they are)?

If everyone thinks Aaron is Kate's son, there's no reason for Claire to survive the crash. Also, if Jin's grave says he died on the day of the crash, that eliminates him also.

Aaron | Mar 18, 2008 2:47:50 PM | #

---

Flame

Do you think the losties will forgive Michael for his actions? What could he do to get them to trust him?

Kyle T | Mar 18, 2008 4:25:22 PM | #

---

Aaron, that's wassup. I am still puzzled about the other two. Why mention them? One could say that the comment was to show help defend Kate's character, but there are other things that Jack could have mentioned to do that.

ALSO: speaking of which, WAAAAAAAALLLLTTTTTT!!!!! Ryan, this post can be added on to my original question regarding the fake crash site. How far was the fake site found from a beach or dock? I ask because if the bodies and plane are too deep to be retrieved then how the hell did the outside world think that the survivors made it out? So where exactly did the fake crash take place (in the Sunda Trench)?

Mark O. Estes | Mar 18, 2008 4:35:40 PM | #

---

De Flame, De Flame!
Do you think there is something "special" about Aaron or Alex since they were born on the island?

What were Rousseau and her crew really up to and what really happened to them?

Also, why are there so many one armed men on this show?

Shari | Mar 18, 2008 4:36:37 PM | #

---

AndreaC-
I remember seeing an interview with TPTB (maybe from Comicon?) saying that Jack will definitely find out that Claire is his half-sister.

Aaron-
In the podcast following Eggtown, TPTB said it didn't matter who the other two survivors were, just that it further pointed out to the viewers the extent of the O6 cover-up.

Morgan | Mar 19, 2008 5:24:10 AM | #

---

oh, and i prefer VINCEEEENNNTTT!!

In a slightly off topic question, why can't I opt to have follow-up comments sent to me by email?

Morgan | Mar 19, 2008 5:25:45 AM | #

---

Jack doesn't want to see Aaron because he knows Kate kidnapped him from Claire. Just a guess, but she wanted sympathy for her upcoming murder trial.

tom48066 | Mar 20, 2008 12:39:09 PM | #

---

So she kidnapped a baby because she thought it would help her beat a murder charge? AND the other five survivors would be OK with that and keep quiet about her kidnapping a baby? That seems pretty unlikely. Either Claire died or someone else took the baby away from her, I can't imagine the others letting her get away with stealing a newborn from his mom.

milo | Mar 20, 2008 3:07:30 PM | #

---

How do we know that this is Claire's Aaron? Perhaps he is Saywer's and Kate's child, and she just named him AAron for some reason? Could explain why Jack doesn't want to see the baby.

tom48066 | Mar 20, 2008 8:36:09 PM | #

---

Post a comment

Name:
Email Address:	optional
URL:	optional
Comments: