Well, we're here in the final and most complicated iteration of "Those Left Behind," my week-long look into the possible fate of the Island inhabitants not lucky enough to be included in the exclusive club that is the Oceanic 6. I'm going to state upfront that if you're here for a single, cohesive narrative, you'll be sorely disappointed. If a single narrative path were easy to deduce, then Lost wouldn't be doing its job.

So far this week, I've posited two options. The first was that Those Left Behind are dead, and that the 6 must not only go back to the Island but back in time to avert the event that caused their demises. The second suggested that Those Left Behind were still on the Island, still alive, but unreachable due to a fundamental shift in the Island's unique properties that rendered it inaccessible from the real world. Both have their pros, both have their cons. If I were to state today's configuration succinctly, I'd call it "worldwide conspiracy."

In short, The Oceanic 6 are a crucial piece of a plan to keep Charles Widmore from obtaining control of the Island. They are strategically deployed into the real world in order to stunt Widmore's freighter from achieving its goal. What follows is an uneasy detente between the two groups that depends upon a combination of high visibility of the Oceanic 6 coupled with an intense secret that they must keep from Widmore's people in order to keep both the Island and their friends safe.

If you had to assign a ringleader to the Oceanic 6, it would have to be Ben Linus, although this doesn't suggest the 6 go along willingly with his plan, nor would they truly understand the full extent upon which they initially agree. Given his tactical superiority, vast connections, and innate ability to stay one step ahead of his enemies, Ben's the likeliest candidate to spearhead an operation such as this. As such, this theory takes the side that Charles Widmore, not Benjamin Linus, staged the crash of Oceanic 815.

To have this work, one has to make a few assumptions about Charles Widmore, his interest in the Island, and his history of "arranging" for visitors to its shores. Given the assault force upon the Freighter, and the mission assigned to them, one can safely assume that Widmore not only possessed some knowledge of the Island but of the Dharma Initiative as well. Furthermore, visitors such as Henry Gale and Desmond Hume have at least some connection with Charles Widmore or his various business operations.  I've long held that Widmore's been sending guinea pigs to the Island, possibly since obtaining the journal from the Black Rock. He did so to triangulate a possible location of the Island, getting closer and closer by process of elimination.

The staged crash of Oceanic 815 was merely the biggest and boldest example of this. Making one person disappear is one thing: but making a whole planeful? That's some David Copperfield stuff right there, people. As such, he had to have a convincing way to throw people off the scent, to prevent people from looking for the plane and accidentally finding the Island he had worked so hard to find for himself. So, using his vast economic resources, and employing a method outlined by Mr. Friendly, Widmore staged his crash to ensure all eyes were elsewhere as he co-opted the Island.

Now, this is all well and fine and good until you ask one question, and it's a good one: How in the heck did Charles Widmore know that plane was going down? Given the compacted time frame on the show, it's more likely that staged crash existed before Oceanic 815 left Sydney than it being hastily constructed in the months afterwards. Maybe I'm thinking about this too logically, and the show will go this route in the way that 24 goes the route of "Jack Bauer never needs to charge his cellphone or go to the bathroom." But it's both more likely and insanely cooler if the crash was in place before September 22, 2004. But that still doesn't answer the question of how.

Enter Desmond Hume, a man identified by Brother Campbell and his colleagues as having a special purpose. Colleagues such as Ms. Hawking. Colleagues, I would argue, such as Charles Widmore. When all is said and done, I think you'll see a throughline in which everything Charles Widmore does and says serves the sole purpose of placing Desmond Hume on a boat that will eventually land on the Island. Why? So he can fulfill his destiny and reveal the Island to Charles Widmore.

And here's where the worldwide stuff comes into play, and gets me simply giddy to think about where this show could go over the next two seasons. You see, it's not enough to simply have one side that believes the Island is the epicenter of the universe, the Garden of Eden re-found. No, you need another group who believes with equal fervor this very fact. But here's the thing: these two groups? They couldn't disagree more about the Island's true purpose. And what we're about to see between now and the end of Season 4 is little more than the opening act of a war between these two parties over control of the Island and, perhaps, the world itself.

Of course, when we're talking about Benjamin Linus and Charles Widmore, it's not as if you can point to one and say they are right while the other is wrong. In fact, it's safe to say they both have it pretty wrong, even if both believe themselves to be the hero of this particular story. And this makes the accidental players in this saga that much more poignant and that much more powerful. People potentially picked by the Island in order to protect itself from the onslaught to come.

And this, more than anything, might drive the secrecy of the Oceanic 6. It's still unclear just how close any of these parties are upon returning to the real world. Hurley's plenty pleased to see no one else upon visiting Sun; Jack's relationship with Kate is strained to say the least, Sayid's the tortured loner, and Aaron's potty training is going TERRIBLY. So while they may have agreed to Ben's plan, they certainly aren't The Others 2.0, back in the real world solely to do his bidding. But they recognize that those left behind have a better chance of survival working with him than the man who employed mercenaries that wiped out at least a few of the Lostaways.

The twist, and one I can't adequately explain at this time, is that the arrival of the Oceanic 6 ostensibly stuns Widmore. Why else send Abaddon after Hurley for information unless Widmore was kept in the dark about the ultimate outcome of the incursion? Remember Abaddon's question to Hurley? He asked, "Are they still alive?" At the time, I thought perhaps he was talking about the Lostaways who didn't make it off the Island. But look at Abaddon's conversation with Naomi in "Confirmed Dead."

NAOMI: It's madness. What if we find survivors from 815?

MATTHEW: There were no survivors.

NAOMI: I know, but what if there are survivors...

MATTHEW: There were no survivors of Oceanic 815. Don't ask questions, just do what you were hired for. Every member of this team was selected for a specific purpose, everything relies on you, getting them in, getting them out, and preventing anyone from getting killed.

Call me crazy, but I don't figure Abaddon for the warm and fuzzy type. He doesn't want to keep Faraday and Co. alive so he can sleep well at night: for some reason, he needs these four to come back and come back alive. Moreover, it's likely no one from the freighter will be able to return, given Michael's sabotage, Smokey's imminent return, and Ben's cunning. Widmore simply loses contact one day, and before he knows it, he learned of six survivors thanks to a local news broadcast. This brings up another curious bit in the above dialogue: why does Abaddon insist that there were no survivors? The appearance of the Oceanic 6, coupled with the disappearance of those above the freighter, are mysteries for Abaddon and Widmore to solve, and the Oceanic 6 to maintain.

See? Told you I couldn't sum this up succinctly.

The elephant in the room here? Why only six? It's all well and fine to use the appearance of thought-dead survivors to counter Widmore's assault on the Island, but why only six? Or maybe we should be asking, "Why THESE six?" Perhaps Ben selected these six in the same way he selected the four on Michael's list at the end of Season 2. Perhaps everyone tried to get off but were stopped somehow, leaving only six on the other side. It's a hugely dense mystery, and one I need your help in uncovering.

So leave your thoughts below. Are the six a countermeasure meant to stem the Widmore tide? Were they part of a cohesive plan or merely the failed remains of a larger one? Are we headed for a world war, or merely a personal vendetta?

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

Comments

Something just makes me think the O6 were not chosen, or at least not by Ben. Perhaps the O6 were just at the right place at the right time, and there was only a matter of seconds allowed to make their 'escape'. Maybe this is why some are seemingly trying to go back to a normal life, then the Island calls them back because they have unfinished business. Also it was probably something after the 'escape' that makes Sayid work for Ben.

Shaggysteve | Apr 16, 2008 7:01:21 PM | #

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Wow, my brain is totally scrambled after reading this possibility.

Ryan congratulations for making a sense out of everything and keeping your sanity while doing it.

If it wasn't for this blog I would probably have to stop watching Lost because nothing wouls make sense to me. Especially because in my country we get the show with about 1/2 months delay.

sin laden | Apr 16, 2008 7:36:48 PM | #

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I don't know if we'll fully understand who the 6 are until we know who the 8 were suppose to be. Remember,when Jack was on the stand at Kate's trial? Was it just me, or did he allude to 2 more people surviving the initial "crash" but not ultimately making it in part b/c they wouldn't listen to Kate (or so Jack says on the stand)? Or was I reading too much into that?

Oh ... and as a completely irrelevant to this post aside -- I'd like to go on record as thinking that Locke is in the coffin. Why else would Jack be upset enough to kill himself? At that point Jack has realized that he was completely wrong about everything. The death of Locke, the man he should have listened to, would be the blow that finally pushed him over the edge.

TK | Apr 17, 2008 5:14:28 AM | #

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On yesterday's blog I was so close to posting some similar thoughts, Ryan, but couldn't quite weave my tax-fried brain through the tangled knots. So I'm excited to see your post/thoughts as well as those of others on this subject.

"How in the heck did Charles Widmore know that plane was going down?" Maybe Widmore was visited in the pre-crash timeline by a "mind-traveling" post-crash person (like Desmond). Not sure who that would be or if we've seen them yet, but like Des communicated with a past Faraday, maybe someone told past Widmore about the still-future crash so he was able to stage the fake wreckage. Just a crazy thought.

Libby has been bugging me lately. Libby at the hospital with Hurley; Libby giving Des the boat; Libby haunting Michael. What if Libby was an Other? Do we know for sure that she was ON the plane in the tail section? But why would Ben want Des to have the boat/come to the Island? Maybe Libby was a double agent and worked for Widmore, too. Waaaallllt! My brain can't make sense out of any of it!

And I'm with you, Ryan. Why the specific people as part of the 06? Are some hand-picked and the others tag-a-alongs? Sayid is obvious. He's useful to Ben. Hurley? His money? Jack? He's all messed up and I can't see his usefulness to Ben. Same with Kate ... what would her purpose be? She has legal problems that make it hard for her to do anything covertly. Is Sun a mercy rescue so she could give birth off-Island or is it because of her Papa and some role he plays in the overall "war"?

I definitely think there is a war going on and at this point I think I believe (how's that for uncertain certainty?) that Abaddon and Widmore are on the same side (against Ben) -- I'm just not sure who is in "charge." We've assumed Widmore, but Abaddon is a new player and I have to deliberately question any assumptions I make regarding this show, because they invariably get blown to bits, turning me upside down and making me look at things completely differently.

Which is why the show is so enjoyable to me (and it frustrates others).

djc | Apr 17, 2008 7:08:35 AM | #

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TK, the other 2 were just part of Jack's lie. They don't bear importance to the story.

Jeff | Apr 17, 2008 7:12:13 AM | #

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Initially I believed that Abbaddon was referencing those left behind when he asked "Are they still alive?" I now think that Ryan is correct and it's the 4 freighties he is worried about. After the six arrive back in the real world, he and Widmore need to know if their recon team is still alive so they can try and retrieve them and find out exactly what went wrong and what they've learned about the island. They need that info desperately so they can continue the war for the island. As far as we can tell Hurley was the only one he visited probably because of his questionable mental state, but that doesn't mean he won't try the others.

Mike in RI | Apr 17, 2008 7:37:12 AM | #

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I'm still firmly in the camp that Ben staged the crash. How could Widmore possibly know that Flight 815 not only crashed, but crashed on the lost island he's been looking for for years and still have time to stage a fake crash after the fact? The only people who would possibly know the plane is on the Island are the survivors themselves and Ben and his people.

You're going to ask, "then why does Naomi ask about finding survivors when she's recruited by Abaddon?" Because Widmore and his people have uncovered the fact that Benjamin Linus, a man they know was responsible for the collapse of the DHARMA Initiative and for erasing any possible chance of finding the Island, has staged a fake plane crash off the coast of Bali.

Whether Widmore found this out through some sort of industrial espionage or whether it was accidentally discovered by his chartered freighter, the Christiane I, doesn't matter. The fact is, he puts two and two together and figures out that a plane that seems to have crashed in the exact opposite direction as its intended flight path was put there by a man whose mission it is to protect the Island at all costs. This must mean, then, that Flight 815 somehow crashed on the Island and it gives Widmore the first solid lead he's had in years.

Meanwhile Widmore's daughter, Penny, in her unrelenting search for her true love, Desmond, miraculously discovers his location when he causes the electromagnetic event that reveals the Island for a short period of time. Armed with this information, she makes preparations to go to this location and rescue her love.

There are two possibilities at this juncture. The first one is that Charles has been keeping close tabs on his daughter and her activities and finds out through his sources that she has obtained a set of coordinates in the south pacific and is mounting a search party for Desmond. The second possibility is that Penny goes to her father with her discovery of Desmond's location and asks for his help. Maybe he agrees to help; maybe he dissuades her from embarking on a fool’s errand and accept that Desmond is lost. Either way, Penny doesn’t know that Charles uses these coordinates for his own purposes and assembles a black ops team to finally take back the Island he’s been seeking for so long.

So, the different elements of the freighter crew are told the following:

• They are on their way to an island in the south pacific


• On this island is a man named Benjamin Linus, who must be found and captured at all costs, by any means necessary


• Penelope Widmore may try to contact the vessel. Under absolutely no circumstance can she be allowed to make contact


• There is the possibility of finding survivors of Oceanic Flight 815. Make a cover story if you find them


• Keamy and his men are told to liquidate anyone they encounter


• If Naomi, the scout and highest-up black ops officer, finds Desmond, her cover story is that she was sent to the Island by Penny

I’m still not sure about the Oceanic Six, but I’m leaning in the direction that they’re allowed to leave by Ben, with the promise that they lie about the fate of the rest of the survivors or else put all their lives at risk. Five of the survivors are allowed to return to their normal lives, but Sayid is recruited by Ben to wage off-island war against Widmore and his people.

Jeff | Apr 17, 2008 7:56:44 AM | #

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To save my sanity, I've decided to stop trying to figure things out & enjoy the ride. Once its all over, I'll get the Complete Series Deluxe Special Edition Box Set & watch it all again until it makes sense.

sideshow AL | Apr 17, 2008 8:37:13 AM | #

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sideshow AL: that should keep you busy for about the next DECADE......

Joe Cool | Apr 17, 2008 8:38:37 AM | #

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Best. Decade. Ever.

Ryan | Apr 17, 2008 8:44:17 AM | #

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I'm still confused about a major point (the answer to which I may have missed along the way): which plane crash are the Oceanic Six supposed to have survived, the fake one or the real one? If teh fake one, how was that arranged? If the real one, how was that explained and what would that say about the fake one?

Bob E. | Apr 17, 2008 9:47:13 AM | #

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I've been going off the assumption that no one knows about the cover up except for Linus, The Oceanic 6, and Widmore's group. So the 6 are miracle survivors of a horrific crash beamed into every living room in the world.

Not only is their silence part of the reason Widmore's crew doesn't outright kill them, but also, who would really believe them anyways? "Yea, and the sky went purple, and there was a smoke monster, and a one-eyed Russian that was wicked indestructable!"

All said like the kids at the end of "The Goonies," at which point Hurley starts doing the Truffle Shuffle.

Ryan | Apr 17, 2008 9:53:58 AM | #

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LOL, Ryan, nice one!

Jeff | Apr 17, 2008 10:05:40 AM | #

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I'm wondering if the existence of the Oceanic 6 is a play against Widmore somehow. Like, having them outed to the public in tandem with Ben's "evidence" against the fake crash is a way to shut Widmore down, or at least keep him from meddling with the Island. And while he's down, Ben's swooping in for the kill.

Jeff | Apr 17, 2008 10:08:06 AM | #

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Ryan-I think that when Abbaddon emphasises "There were no survivors." to Naomi's "what-if" question, you may be missing his implied order to her. This implied order becomes compounded when you consider that from Whidmores perspective, anyone who has been coopted by Ben's peeps, can no longer be considered a survivor.

Brian of the North (at a Thai rest.) | Apr 17, 2008 10:21:59 AM | #

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Well, I dunno if you were being rhetorical when you asked it, Ryan, but I think Abbadon insists there were no survivors because that IS the Widmore cover story (assuming he was responsible for the fake Oceanic 815 crash). The world now believes they are all dead, and they want the world to continue to believe that.

But that Naomi, she's a smart cookie. So are Frank and Miles. They see through the lie. But Abbadon insisted everyone on Oceanic 815 is dead because the commando team's job is to kill everyone after they finish their goal.

Heck, maybe Abbadon just wanted Frank, Miles, Charlotte and Daniel to come back alive so they can be debriefed before being silenced/bought-off/killed about the REAL status of the Oceanic 815 passengers.

Other Sean | Apr 17, 2008 10:42:49 AM | #

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Other Sean: I guess if you're hiring someone to run your secret highly risky covert op into a secret island, you'd be OK telling them "And by the way, there might be a huge number of people might still be alive there."

Unless he and/or Widmore truly believe no one could have survived the crash. Then it becomes "find Des, earn his trust, and disrupt the signal blocking communication to the island so we can grab Ben."

In any case, there are so many steps to Widmore/Abaddon's plans that it borders on insanity if you actually lay them out. Then again, you could say the same about most Linus plans as well. I wouldn't want to go bar hopping with any of these guys, as by the time we planned our route, it would be the following Wednesday.

Ryan | Apr 17, 2008 10:55:00 AM | #

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I also agree that Abaddon is implying the cover story and not the fact that there really aren't any survivors. Especially when Naomi says, "Right. But what if there are survivors?"

Jeff | Apr 17, 2008 11:24:18 AM | #

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I'm kinda with Other Sean on this one, Abaddon's insistance that there are no other survivors is quite more than a statement, I think it's an order. Consider this, Ryan, Ben's prediction that the arrival of the freighties would mean the death of everyone on the island. Perhaps Naomi's hiring (for her skills) by Widmore/Abaddon doesn't require Abaddon to expand upon the "no survivors" comment. Though I think if you watch in high-def, Abaddon nudge-nudges & winks when he says "no survivors". Say no more!

Brian of the North | Apr 17, 2008 11:36:46 AM | #

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Wuhhhhhhh! eh? Wuhhhhhhhh!

Jeff | Apr 17, 2008 11:41:08 AM | #

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I've been sick with the flu (or something evilly similar) for the past few days, so I haven't even attempted to meander my way through this week's posts. My apologies, for I enjoy reading everyone's thoughts, but I'm barely able to parse the ingredients on a box of Shredded Wheat (all half dozen or so of them), let alone what might be happening on future installments of Lost. All I can say is, "Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalt!" Oooh, now my headache's back...

Dark Disciple | Apr 17, 2008 12:44:39 PM | #

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Dark D--Why not switch to pancakes with syrup?

Brian of the North | Apr 17, 2008 12:59:37 PM | #

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BOTN-

you've clearly been butterworthed...

:-)

mri | Apr 17, 2008 1:17:56 PM | #

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Is "butterworthed" the new POWNED?

Ryan | Apr 17, 2008 1:29:21 PM | #

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Let's put it this way...nasal drainage, upset stomach, syrup, pancakes. You do the math. And I thought the word was "pwned"? (I'm 39 years old, what do I know about net-speak, lol) I nominate "Butterworthed" for the new insult of the year...even if 81.5% of the people you use it on will just look at you and go, "Huh?" Or maybe, "Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalt!" That hasn't gotten old yet, has it? LOL

Dark Disciple | Apr 17, 2008 1:39:21 PM | #

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I think you have to drop all the vowels ... makes it easier to text it. But then again, I'm even older than Dark and too cheap to invest in expensive technological toys. So what do I know?

"u bn BTRWTHD, brutha!"

btw, I'm switching to Log Cabin now, altho that brings images of Jacob to mind. Oh dear. Maybe back to my child hood favorite -- butter and powdered sugar, or better yet, skip the pancakes and waffles altogether. healthier anyway.

djc | Apr 17, 2008 1:48:01 PM | #

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All things lead to the Butterworthing of the islanders. Both Boone and Echo were "pancaked", however.

Brian of the North | Apr 17, 2008 2:02:38 PM | #

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BOTN-

HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

and someone needs to make an LOLLost with "u bn BTRWTHD, brutha!" even if we're the only ones who get it.

but what the hell is POWNED or pwned? i'm clearly behind on net-speak.

mri | Apr 17, 2008 2:09:48 PM | #

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Yea, clearly I messed up the net geekspeak, but the development of all forms of "Butterworth" into the general lexicon might possibly be the greatest achievement of this blog to date.

It brings me no small amount of happiness.

Ryan | Apr 17, 2008 2:11:16 PM | #

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so, we can be butterworthed, but can we become butterworthy?

:-)

mri | Apr 17, 2008 2:14:14 PM | #

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mri: if I knew what font they used, I'd totally do that.

Ryan | Apr 17, 2008 2:15:24 PM | #

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i'm going to meditate on my butterworthiness now...i'm feeling unbutterworthy to continue commenting.

:-)

mri | Apr 17, 2008 2:19:27 PM | #

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mri, according to a not-so-reliable source (a third grader who used it in my presence and wasn't exactly able to explain it adequately to my "aged" self), to pwn means to pummel, defeat decisively, put away and own (hence the pronunciation "pohned"). No idea why somebody decided to make it pwn, but then i've never figured out the need for n00b, either. Too many extra centimeters to reach up for the zeros, when the o's are right handy. So now I must take some more meds in an attempt to btrwth this nasty ick I've come down with. And I like the idea of somebody who isn't even worth being btrwthed saying, "I'm not Butterworthy, I'm not Butterworthy!" Like syrup, the new word needs to spread, yes?

Dark Disciple | Apr 17, 2008 2:49:44 PM | #

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Oh, and I prefer cinnamon/sugar on my pancakes, as opposed to syrup. Nowhere near as messy and just as tasty.

Dark Disciple | Apr 17, 2008 2:51:05 PM | #

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BOOYA, I was right about the Season Finale. It's a 2 part finale, but over 3 hours.

The following was snagged from an ABC teleconference today:
"- May 15th Season finale Part 1 - No Place Like Home Part 1
- May 29th Season Finale Part 2 (2hours) - No Place Like Home Part 2"

Jeff | Apr 17, 2008 2:52:51 PM | #

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I see a final scene of Smokey getting sucked, growling, into a bottle of "btrwrth" (like Barbara Eden in "I Dream of Jeanie" but without the cute suit).

Is Smokey btrwrthd or is he the butterworthER? (esp given how thoroughly and effectively he pancaked Eko!)

One more week, new episode. One more week...

djc | Apr 17, 2008 3:15:32 PM | #

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DD-

thank you for the explntn. see look?! i made up my own!!!

*snort*

mri | Apr 17, 2008 3:22:30 PM | #

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Hell, by the time this show is over, we'll all be writing like the ancient Greeks and Romans and forgoing vowels, altogether (cue "Airplane" verbal gag: "We'll all be writing like the ancient Greeks and Romans and forgoing vowels."). Wn't tht b 1 fn kttl 0v fsh? My head hurts now, better stop before I'm too btrwthed to go to work tomorrow. Waaaaaaaaaalt!

Dark Disciple | Apr 17, 2008 5:51:37 PM | #

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Something tells me hanging out with you guys drinking beers, eating pancakes and watching Lost would be one hilarious, sloppy affair :)

Jeff | Apr 17, 2008 6:09:36 PM | #

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"A shmoke und a pancake. You know, a flapjack und a shigarette? No? Shigar und a waffle? No? Pipe und a crepe? No? Bong und a blintz? No? Well, then there ish no pleashing you."

god i love IMDb...

mri | Apr 17, 2008 6:16:22 PM | #

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and who said that the 4 weeks won't pass by like nothing ...

ryan, if the season finale is a 3-hour episode, and split up between May 15th (1 hr.) and May 29th (2 hr.) ... is it possible that ABC will repeat the 1st hour again on May 29th ... giving us a whole lot of LOST on a same night???

Erwin | Apr 17, 2008 7:30:09 PM | #

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No, probably not, because that would make too much sense. It would definitely be awesome if they did, but if thats the case it will likely be an enhanced version. And after hearing that those are actually done by promo monkeys, and not anyone on staff for LOST, I personally find them annoying and somewhat insulting to the hard-core fan.

Shaggysteve | Apr 17, 2008 7:37:52 PM | #

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Shaggysteve-

couldn't agree with you more on the "enhanced episode" crap.

by the way, i'd like to add to our lexicon here.

wtW? - what the WAAAALLLLLT?

mri | Apr 17, 2008 8:05:19 PM | #

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Alrighty ... we've gone off the deep end, and it is endlessly entertaining paddling around in it with you people. This is what happens when Lost goes off the air for a few weeks...? We are so btrwrthd when it comes to the break between seasons!

Btw, in lieu of a new blog post from Ryan tonight or for a few nights, I've been meaning to ask if we came up with a name for the "Book Club" Ryan broached a few weeks ago?

http://blog.zap2it.com/lost/2008/03/lost-island-liv.html#comments

Any new nominations in light of the chats over the past few weeks?

djc | Apr 17, 2008 11:18:21 PM | #

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The coinage of the word btrwthed is simply inspired.

Thanks for the laughs, guys.

Bryan | Apr 18, 2008 1:47:07 AM | #

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I think the Book Club HAS to be called "Teh Btrwtheds" at this point.

Ryan | Apr 18, 2008 6:16:25 AM | #

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I'll be on vacation for a week, so you guys have some flap-jacks for me. Your welcome (for the Mrs. Butterworth concept). Now I'll never escape the creep factor. Just remember, she's always there...in your cupboard...waiting. Ryan, thanks for getting me through this long hiatus. Working in the television business, and having my focus on tv daily, a lengthy hiatus is like watching paint dry. Yours is the only blog I go to.

Brian of the North | Apr 18, 2008 6:23:29 AM | #

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Bnd of btrwrthds?
(as in "Band of Butterwortheds"?)

djc | Apr 18, 2008 6:25:24 AM | #

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Geez, step away for one day and lookie what I missed here on the LOST blog.

MRI what about that schmoke and a pancake for one who came late to the breakfast party?
Btrwrthd!!!!! LOLOLOL, hilarious!!!!! You all are getting really silly now. Good thing LOST is back in less than a week.

Oh great, now I forgot what I wanted to actually write about LOST. Oh well, have a great weekend folks.

Chris

Chris | Apr 18, 2008 6:25:33 AM | #

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i think we should be "the butterworthy."

mri | Apr 18, 2008 6:35:35 AM | #

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Have you guys seen the latest promo. If you can bear sitting through all the Grey's Anatomy and Ugly Betty crapola, there are some enticing new shots in there: http://spoilerslost.blogspot.com/2008/04/episode-409-shape-of-things-to-come-abc.html

Jeff | Apr 18, 2008 6:43:20 AM | #

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mri - loved the wtW, by the way.

If one is "butterworthy" what list are they on? Jacob's? one of Ben's many lists?

I've so totally lost track of the meaning behind being btrwthd or btrwthy.... I know it had something to do with a take on Stephen King novels, something about clowns and then suddenly pancakes entered the picture and Mrs. Butterworth got very scary.

djc | Apr 18, 2008 6:44:28 AM | #

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Yeah, I'm way outta this loop :) Here I am waxing all geek-like, writing 750 word essays about Widmore and I've missed the btrwthd pwnage boat!

Jeff | Apr 18, 2008 7:09:49 AM | #

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An unanswered question just popped into my head: why do the Others have a fake village and ratty clothes in season 2? You guys have any ideas?

Jeff | Apr 18, 2008 7:32:35 AM | #

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Jeff--Answer: They shop at the Salvationless Army?!

Brian of the North | Apr 18, 2008 7:38:46 AM | #

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Ba-doom, ching!

Jeff | Apr 18, 2008 7:45:26 AM | #

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Maybe they were wearing the Hostiles clothes from before Ben purged the Dharma-ites and they took over Otherton. The grungy clothes, beards, etc., made them seem like they were living in the jungle. If they wore neatly pressed khakis and sun dresses it would seem a bit odd to the Losties who at the time thought they were stranded on an island far from civilization. Well, at least it would seem MORE odd than a group of not-so-nice people poaching off them from the dark parts of the jungle.

Just my thoughts on the subject.

djc | Apr 18, 2008 7:50:10 AM | #

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Dark Disciple, et al - I'm certainly no expert on these things (at 37, I'm also too old), but I think the 'pwn' term comes from the same internet subculture as 'l33t sp34k', aka 'leet speak' or 'elite speak' ... a rather geeky tendency to replace certain letters with certain numbers (or other letters). This is where n00b, pr0n, w00t!, and so forth, come from, as I understand it anyway.

Some substitutions are straight-forward, like '0' for 'o', '1' or '!' for 'i' or 'l', '9' for 'g', '5' for 's'. Others take a little more imagination: '3' for (backwards) 'E', '4' for 'A' (you can also use '@' for 'a'). I've also seen uses of '|', '/\/\', '\/\/', '|)', '+', and so on. Those crazy skript kiddies and their krazy ways!

There also seems to be a component of playing off common typos, such as 'teh' instead of 'the'. Either option (or both) could explain 'pwn', as 'p' is next to 'o' on the keyboard, and 'p' is kinda like an 'o' with a tail on it.

Then mix in the whole text messaging crowd and thr tndncy to thrw out lttrs L n R...

DanC | Apr 18, 2008 7:52:33 AM | #

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BOTN-

wow!!!!

ryan-

looks like the blog has been btrwrthd. if you want it back, you have to post more stuff for us to talk about besides syrup, wtW, and (now my new favorite) the Salvationless Army. unless you're cool with us geeking out for another week. :-)

mri | Apr 18, 2008 7:53:01 AM | #

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The hippie clothes seem to derive from the Hostiles, it's true, but remember, Toms' fake beard seems to have come from Dharma.

http://www.lostpedia.com/wiki/Image:Fake_beard_and_glue.jpg

Which means part of Dharma was into the subterfuge that the Others engage in as well. Why would the Dharma Initiative need theatrical glue? Were they staging productions of "South Pacific" in new Otherton? Unlikely.

So the Season 2 Others are an interesting combo of visual sources, some Hostile, some Dharma. Makes sense in some ways, given the composition of their ranks, but the implications of the theatrical glue still fascinate me.

Ryan | Apr 18, 2008 7:58:10 AM | #

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Ryan, while I agree that their grungy clothes are a throwback to Richard Alpert and the Hostiles, I don't think DHARMA was into subterfuge.

Remember, there was a school and a community centre in New Otherton. I think it's fair to assume the theatrical glue was for actual theatrical productions, perhaps put on by the kids of DHARMA employees.

My guess is that Ben ordered the Others who were "in the field" to dress like the Hostiles and make it appear as if they were a bunch of hillbillies. Whether they would have had enough time to construct the village and put up fake DHARMA doors is the question that really boggles my mind. Was it already there before the crash? If so, why?

Jeff | Apr 18, 2008 8:10:24 AM | #

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I'm also not unconvinced the O6 will get off the Island using Desmond's sailboat. I dunno why, it just seems like that boat is still in play.

Wouldn't it be cool to see the six of them all leaving together and still liking each other, juxtaposed with not wanting to even speak to one another in the future?

Jeff | Apr 18, 2008 8:33:44 AM | #

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The only hole in that, Jeff, is that the glue is specifically marked with the Staff logo on it, meaning it was intended for use in that facility. Least, that's my impression of it. Your theory's possible, but doesn't explain the logo or why it was found in the Staff hatch.

In addition, I think the Tempest is a great example of how two-faced some of Dharma's true intentions might have been from the start. The Purge came from gas derived from the Tempest, which suggests the cover story of the building as a power station was continued, not invented, by Ben.

This suggests to me that weapons magnate Alvar Hanso might have been continuing his work behind the veneer of the Initiative, or someone had ulterior motives on the island.

Ryan | Apr 18, 2008 8:36:26 AM | #

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That's a good point about Hanso, Ryan. In fact, didn't you report in your Blu Ray special blog post that Darlton revealed not all of the DHARMA Initiatives projects were about trying to help mankind? Especially given the large number of firearms present on the Island, it seems as if there is a military undercurrent to the Initiative (reference Anna Lucia talking about the US Army knife and the armory in the Swan).

Jeff | Apr 18, 2008 8:44:53 AM | #

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Re: theatrical glue...Dharma had a mental experiment aspect to it that could have called for disguises. Other than that, I guess it might not be glue, but perhaps another viscous sticky liquid, used in the enhancement of breakfast entrees. (now you've been btrwrthd)

Brian of the North | Apr 18, 2008 9:43:20 AM | #

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"u bn BTRWTHD, brutha!"

This is soooo going to be my new macro in WoW BG after getting a kill. Nice!

OMG this is definitely the best blog comments section so far this year. Beat that, TV Gal!

"Just remember, she's always there...in your cupboard...waiting."
(cue the movie-voice guy)
In a pantry... in your home... waiting for you... It's Mrs. Butterworth. Terror has a new face this summer, and its face is sweet... and syrupy. Mrs. Butterworth... you'll never want to go into your cupboard again.

My understanding is that "pwn" originated from a typo and caught on. As mentioned before, I play WoW... a lot... and I see the evolution of a lot of the geek speak. It's just another one of those ways for the kids (cause us adults online NEVER do that at ALL) to express themselves in their own individual way.

But I'm totally stealing BTRWRTHD!!!

AdSlinger | Apr 18, 2008 9:47:24 AM | #

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Given all this talk of Lost and WoW, I fully expect someone to overdub the "LEROY JENKINS" audio atop Hurley running over the Others at the end of Season 3.

My wife figured out the LOLcats font, we may put together a few choice Photoshops this weekend with variations on "BTRWRTHD!!!" Personally, I'm praying it's possible to throw a blacklit Mrs. Butterworth onto the Blast Door Map.

"I iz in ur mapz!!!"

Ryan | Apr 18, 2008 9:52:46 AM | #

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Ryan, are you aware of LOLLost? http://lolost.com/

Jeff | Apr 18, 2008 9:58:03 AM | #

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Ha, no, I knew about this one though.

http://lollost815.wordpress.com/

I'd like to think our syrup-inspired take is original, though! Heh.

Ryan | Apr 18, 2008 10:01:49 AM | #

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This one's good, too: http://lollost.blogspot.com/

Jeff | Apr 18, 2008 10:02:54 AM | #

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ok, i just totally freaked myself out. design contest kids: what would a Dharma brand bottle of Mrs. Butterworth look like? Mrs. DeGroot? Mrs. Widmore? Mr. Friendly in drag?

mri | Apr 18, 2008 11:02:30 AM | #

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woohoo, new Official Lost podcast is out!

Jeff | Apr 18, 2008 11:18:50 AM | #

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God loves you as he loved pancakes.

Ryan | Apr 18, 2008 11:22:08 AM | #

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Stepping away from the syrup for the moment...thanks for the explanations of "pwn" and the like, DanC. Unfortunately, even people as adept with language as I is (hee-hee-hee) missed several boats when it came to l33t-speak, et al. Instead, I took four years of Latin, which is about as useful on-line as semaphores to a blind man. Ah well, as somebody wise once said, "He who stops learning, stops living." I think that might've been Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalt Whitman, but I might be wrong. :P

Dark Disciple | Apr 18, 2008 12:00:15 PM | #

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You guys played Lostscape yet?
http://abc.go.com/primetime/lost/index?pn=lostscape

Jeff | Apr 18, 2008 12:00:59 PM | #

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DD-

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALT Whitman? niiiiiice. i think we have found our official poet of this blog. we have syrup, so now how about WAAAAAAAAAAALLLLT-er Cronkite: official newscaster of this blog, or WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLT-er Mathau: official grumpy old man, or Sam WAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLT-on official creator of the Dharma-like big box store?

mri | Apr 18, 2008 12:22:52 PM | #

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Man, if you think l33t speak is hard to understand, just try lolcat speak!

Jeff | Apr 18, 2008 12:31:54 PM | #

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DD, being somewhat of a geek myself, I had a brief flirtation of fascination with l33t-speak, though me using it is probably about the same as me trying to use words like 'sick' or 'off-the-hook' or whatever euphemism for 'cool' the kids use these days... Latin is something I wish I *had* learned, given that it and Greek form the basis of so much of the English language (not to mention several others as well).

And though I don't play WoW, I think Ryan is correct about 'pwn' being a typo that caught on in the gaming community - I think that's where w00t actually came from as well, though obviously influenced by l33t-speak as well. I seem to recall that w00t may have derived as a kind of acronym for 'we own (the) other team'.

DanC | Apr 18, 2008 12:33:58 PM | #

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Speaking of games, I think the official song for the blog could just possibly be Still Alive by Jonathon Coulton, the famous end-credits song for the game Portal (a seriously awesome game).

Here's a sample - first verse:

This was a triumph
I’m making a note here: huge success
It’s hard to overstate my satisfaction
Aperture Science
We do what we must because we can
For the good of all of us
Except the ones who are dead
But there’s no sense crying over every mistake
You just keep on trying till you run out of cake
And the science gets done and you make a neat gun
For the people who are still alive

I believe there a videos at YouTube with the song as played in the game - just search for 'The Portal Song'.

DanC | Apr 18, 2008 12:44:29 PM | #

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Ah, The Portal ending song! Love it :)

Jeff | Apr 18, 2008 12:47:32 PM | #

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DanC: Funny you should bring that up.

http://www.ryan-mcgee.com/movable/archives/002562.html

Ryan | Apr 18, 2008 1:05:52 PM | #

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Speaking of pwn-type typos, for a little while in a Yahoo game room I used to visit under a different name, I accidentally came up with a word that made the rounds for a few months: think of the word "fickle," then replace the I with the next letter to the left on a standard keyboard. I should've copywritten it, but eh. Interesting Kama Sutra-like position was the eventual definition of my faux-word (use your imagination, lol). And I agree, DanC, Latin and Greek (as well as Old German/French and many Middle Eastern languages) form the backbone of English, which was the real reason for my taking Latin. That, and I didn't have to get up at 7:30 in the morning to take a damn lab course, as with Spanish or German. :P I'd love to go back and take other languages, but I'm afraid my mind isn't as, er, open as it was a couple decades ago, lol. Although there was that brief flirtation with Welsh...

Dark Disciple | Apr 18, 2008 1:07:03 PM | #

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Did you know you can donate one or all of your vital organs to the Aperture Science Self Esteem Fund for Girls? It's true!

Andy | Apr 18, 2008 1:10:06 PM | #

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I'd consider it, Andy, but I just don't have the heart...

Dark Disciple | Apr 18, 2008 1:19:56 PM | #

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DD - Dude, Welsh was the first foreign language I fell in love with - mostly, I admit, because I thought it looked freakin' cool. All that from just a line or two at the end of a 'poem' in Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising series (don't even get me started about that movie; it is so obviously an abomination I refuse even to rent it).

I was going to minor in linguistics in college, but was afraid I didn't have room in my schedule to take all the language classes required (I think you had to do at least a couple years in at least a couple languages). Kind of regret not doing it anyway...

Ryan - I bought the Orange box for EXACTLY the same reason. I don't really do multiplayer games, but figured 4-for-the-price-of-1 was still a good deal, even if 2 of those 4 are just expansion packs for HL2 (haven't even finished the 1st EP, as I'm at the point where you're escorting folks from A to B, and I HATE escort missions even more than multiplayer).

Nice write-up on the game. That game is so freaking brilliant, esp. how everything seems normal at the start; the creep-factor is phased in so gradually and seamlessly - it's awesome. I may just play it again tonight...

DanC | Apr 18, 2008 1:24:27 PM | #

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LOSTscape?

They have this new minigame on the ABC.com Lost Site i've played it a little and there are items to collect, i think there might be clues to the remaining episodes in there perhaps?

i think it's something to tide us over till the episodes start again

BUT

all the items lead to videoclips, i'm hoping there's a easter egg clip with info about the finale or something =p

http://abc.go.com/primetime/lost/index?pn=lostscape

Jacob_jstar | Apr 18, 2008 2:14:35 PM | #

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Sorry to have gone down such a 'rat-hole' (to quote the MacBreak Weekly guys), but the more I think about Portal and that song...the more Dharma-like it seems to me. All sweetness and light and cool science-y stuff at the beginning, only to gradually realize there's a really creepy, rotten core...

DanC | Apr 18, 2008 6:34:33 PM | #

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Is it just me, or does it seem we have lost a few of our regulars? Don't get me wrong, I enjoy this blog regardless, and look forward to each of your inputs. I've just haven't noticed a couple of people on here in a while who used to contribute regularly. Those namely being Blue Sean and Mark O. Estes. Where have you gone, our LOST comrades?

Shaggysteve | Apr 19, 2008 10:01:12 AM | #

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I don't mean this to be offensive or rude at all, so let me say that right up front. I think you'll find that, after awhile, some viewers and long-time fans of Lost just get tired of picking apart the show and just want to sit back and not think about it for awhile. The only problem with getting so thoroughly into a show like Lost is that it can become a trifle overdone for certain people. I, for one, have said all I think I need to say about where I think the show is and where it's going, so I don't feel the need to repeat myself multiple times. This may be why certain people don't reply for long stretches of time. Also, real life does intrude on hobbies and other things that make our existences more enjoyable, so maybe there are things they need to spend more time on right now. I hope they're all right, of course, but I'm sure when the show starts back up again, we'll all be kicking the Dharma-issue soccer ball around in here again. I can only speak for myself (although the voices in my head sometimes make me sound like a cross between Vincent Price and Boy George...not at all pretty...so I can't promise I'll actually sound like me, hee-hee-hee), but I've really enjoyed reading all the posts and responses in here the past few weeks. I've just chosen not to be apart of the, er, serious discussion for awhile now. I'm quite honestly a little fatigued about it all right now and just want to relax for a bit and shudder about being btrwthd while I sleep tonight. Until then, y'all take care of yourselves and keep on keeping on. Zod willing, we'll all see each other again in Spaceballs II: The Search For More Money. There's that voice in my head again...

Dark Disciple | Apr 19, 2008 1:25:34 PM | #

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Pardon if repeated, but I just noticed this (mild spoilers from Darlton):

http://blog.zap2it.com/lost/2008/04/lost-gone-but-3.html#comments

(Sorry, I can't figure out how to hyperlink it.) I also scanned this week's comments above and didn't think I saw it posted by anyone else.

...just sharing. (Oh, and last post by Mark O was about 10 days ago saying that he was reading some Steven King and might "step away" from the blog to avoid any spoilers contained in comments/posts.)

djc | Apr 19, 2008 10:21:28 PM | #

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DRAT! Wrong url. Pardon!

http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-losttease041708,0,1464680.story

djc | Apr 19, 2008 10:22:47 PM | #

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I guess that the "regulars" have been btrwrthd.

Brian of the South (now in Florida) | Apr 20, 2008 6:47:42 AM | #

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I can understand the need to step away to read Stephen King...some of his books are a bit, er, meaty. With only a few exceptions, though (Bag of Bones and Dreamcatcher spring to mind), most of his long tomes (such as The Stand) are worth slogging through. Unlike, say, James Joyce, who takes 75 paragraphs to say what most normal writers could in only two. What a waste of time reading Ulysses was, oy! Maybe the Dharma dudes or the Widmore Collective or Ben's Badass Benevolence Society can let us use their time-traveling tech to go back and reclaim the days or weeks we wasted reading dreck. Or (and this is proof I've been working with young children for too long) we can import the "McReary Time-Reary" reversal spell from Wizards of Waverley Place. Btrwth me! Must've been that earthquake the other day, oy again!

Dark Disciple | Apr 20, 2008 12:57:57 PM | #

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Ah, DD, don't *even* get me started on James Joyce - Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man ... what a steaming pile of hooey. I want all those hours back, with interest. Had to read that for Advanced Comp my senior year of HS. Along with Death of a Salesman, The Stranger (Camus), and The Fountainhead (Rand). What a load of crap all that was.

Never actually finished the Ayn Rand book - about the time the main character rapes this chick and it's all OK because she wanted to be raped, well, I just told the teacher I refused to read it and he said OK and gave an alternative book (A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch; not all that pleasant a read, either, really). Only time I ever made use of being a sort of teacher's pet (I'm sure he's still disappointed I didn't go to Harvard or Yale or Stanford).

Ah well, I digress greatly from the topic (but after 90-some posts, is there much left to say that IS on topic?)

Time for some Bu773rw0r7h1n9!

DanC | Apr 20, 2008 2:01:04 PM | #

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Never have read Rand, but a friend of mine was a big fan of meandering through impossible-to-comprehend, supposedly-"classic" novels, with The Fountainhead being a personal favorite of hers. I read A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch in college and didn't mind it all that much. At least it was better than Ulysses. But then, reading the New York City Yellow Pages in ancient Greek transliterated into Sanskrit with parenthetical notations in Romany would be better than Ulysses (Romany being the language of the Gypsies, for those of you not in the know).

Getting back to Lost, wasn't Sawyer reading The Fountainhead in an early episode, and wasn't it mentioned in previous blog posts? See, I do read everything, and it's now clear--everything is related to the plots of Lost! It's a conspiracy! Btrwth me! Hee-hee-hee...

Dark Disciple | Apr 20, 2008 8:22:08 PM | #

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DD-

yes, the Fountainhead was mentioned earlier in the form of Capt. Gault (Who is John Galt? is a question which pops up repeatedly in the book).

for the record, love Ayn Rand. while The Fountainhead is a bit dense, Atlas Shrugged is amazing.

mri | Apr 21, 2008 7:20:31 AM | #

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If the Lost Island is in fact the original Garden of Eden- thinking the producers will want to emulate Indiana Jones rather than "End of Days" then that could make Jacob a God equivalent and Smokey would be your Satan/Serpent- able to change shape (through mental link?) knows your deep dirty secrets. Obviously there was never a need to have babies while Adam and Eve were in the Garden, it was only after that they went out on their own and were capable of death that procreation became there only means of extending life. It's also a reasonable explanation of why time operates a little differently on the island.

Mike | Apr 24, 2008 10:20:46 AM | #

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