Welcome to the Mind of a Writer

Kate and the 'bounty share' share a tense moment.

By SHARON K. GILBERT

ALTHOUGH the title of this episode is ‘Tabula Rasa’ (latin for ‘blank slate’, an 18th century philosophical term coined by Jean-Jacques Rousseau), it might better be titled ‘Lies, Lies, and More Lies”. This is the first of the character-centric stories, writing upon the slate for step-daddy killer, Kate.

The implication of the title is that somehow the island has offered each passenger a ‘fresh start’. As we ‘watch’ the interactions and choices of the Oceanic ’42′, we must remember the Man in Black’s line: “They come, they fight, they destroy, it always ends the same.” Inherent within that curious statement is a presumption of initial innocence, as if the passage into death through the ocean (a symbol of rebirth) has ‘washed away’ their sins, leaving them with a ‘blank slate’. The question is, what will each do with the new start? Read the rest of this entry →

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Locke explains backgammon to Walt.

BATTLE LINES

By SHARON K. GILBERT

AS JACK continues to tend to the medical needs of the ‘man with the shrapnel’, Kate and Sayid decide to climb a nearby mountain in order to use the transceiver (recovered from the cockpit) in the highest location possible. Joining them are Shannon (just to spite her brother Boone), Charlie (“I’m a coward”), and Sawyer (“I’m a complex guy”).

Back on the beach, John Locke and Walt have a short scene that is pivotal to the entire series, for it sets up the ‘game’ the Man in Black and Jacob are playing with the survivors:

JOHN: “Backgammon is the oldest game in the world.”….”Two players, two sides. One is light, one is dark. Walt, do you want to know a secret?”

We never hear the ‘secret’ that Locke passes along to Walt, but then that’s the point. Two major themes play out in the episodes of LOST: Good vs Evil and Faith vs Reason. To emphasize the point, the writers use Christian names (such as Jack Shephard and  Christian Shepard) alongside the names of well known philosophers. However, in the mix, we are teased with ‘secret knowledge’ that hints strongly at gnosticism. Black and white is a reference to more than ‘good and evil’ but also to the secret societies (a group that flourished during the 17th and 18th century period known as The Enlightenment). Read the rest of this entry →

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Zoom in on Jack's pupil...is that someone leaning over him?

Eyes to See

By SHARON K. GILBERT

YOU HAVE to admire the symmetry of LOST.  The first episode, first scene begins with Jack’s eye opening. The final scene, final show ends with Jack’s eye closing.

Knowing the end from the beginning gives those of us who are ‘rewatching’ keener vision as the scenes unfold. We almost become allies to Jacob, watching the candidates’ progress. Remember the Man-in-Black’s line to Jacob in the Season Five Finale?

MIB: They come. They fight. They destroy. They corrupt. It always ends the same.
Jacob: It only ends once. Anything that happens before that is just progress.

As we move through the ‘progress’ of each episode, we, like Jacob, can now judge the fitness of the candidates. And we can discern the writers’ attempts to hide or even reveal the end from the beginning. For instance, Vincent spends a great deal of the six seasons ‘hiding’, yet he is there to initiate Jack into the first moments and again to comfort him in his final moments. Read the rest of this entry →

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Set your clocks back to September 22, 2004, and join me as the passengers of Oceanic Flight 815 once again nosedive into the mysterious island of the world of LOST.

With the final episode now two weeks behind us, I’ve decided to move back to square one and see if knowing the ‘end’ grants new insights to the ‘beginning’. The memes and religious overtones stamped into every episode will provide fodder for college film studies classes for decades, so let’s jump the gun and start a ‘study’ of our own. Over the coming months, I’ll be viewing one show per day and posting my thoughts about the characters and plots in LOST. You can participate by commenting with your own thoughts.

So, since this is Tuesday, it is only fitting that tonight begins our journey ‘back to the beginning’.  If you’re a Netflix subscriber, then you can ‘stream’ the first 5 seasons on your computer or Roku player (or other WiFi player). I’ve added all five seasons to my ‘queue’, so I’m ready to go.  This afternoon, I will be screening the first half of the two-part pilot episode, and tomorrow morning, I’ll post my impressions.

Are you ready? Grab your Apollo bars, some Dharma cola and chips, and prepare to ‘press play’.

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“I reached into the Dark and made new life. I am the God of all Daleks.” (The Emperor)

“Driven mad by your own flesh…You hate your own existence.” Doctor to Dalek Emperor.

“YOU KNOW the Doctor, you understand him, you will predict his actions.” Thus said one of the Daleks in Parting of the Ways, the final episode of Doctor Who, Season One (originally broadcast in 2005). If you’re not familiar with the Doctor or the Time War or the Daleks, then I strongly recommend you plan a weekend’s viewing, beginning with Season One, starring Christopher Eccleston as the enigmatic Time Lord known cryptically as ‘The Doctor’. Read the rest of this entry →

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