LOST What Horselover Fat, Kilgore Trout, Stephen King, and the LOSTies Have in Common

Last season, in Eggtown, Locke gave the imprisoned Benry a book from Benry's own bookshelf to read.  It was Valis by author Philip K. Dick.

In the book, the main character named Philip and his alter ego named Horselover Fat (in Greek Philippos means "lover of horses" and the German word for Fat is Dick, so while in the book, the main characters are ultimately the same person, they are also both the Author) talk about the ability to travel through time without leaving your body.  Fat describes this as remembering the past and future.  His claim is that everyone is born with the DNA of those who came before and those who will come after combined inside of them, therefore you just have to access their memories in order to see scenes from the past or future, in essence traveling through time without your body leaving.

This is very similar to what Desmond does in the episodes "Flashes Before Your Eyes" and "The Constant".

The episode "The Constant" actually has Desmond's present day consciousness traveling back and forth in his own timeline.  While this is, in part, a clear nod to the Series Finale of Star Trek: The Next Generation (or TNG as those of us in the know call it) it is also very similar to the novel Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut.

In Slaughterhouse Five, the main character is Billy Pilgrim who is unstuck in time.  His consciousness travels without regard to any linear constraints.  While he doesn't suffer the same lethal side effects that bother Desmond and Minkowski in the episode, the rest is exactly the same.  Desmond is (like Picard in the TNG finale and Pilgrim in Slaughterhouse Five) unstuck from time.

Another character in Slaughterhouse Five (and indeed in many of Vonnegut's books) is Kilgore Trout.  Kilgore Trout is often considered to be Vonnegut's alter-ego in the books that he writes, placing himself in the story that he's creating.

Because of this, last season, I hypothesized that one of the main characters was the "Author of the Situation" that everyone found themselves in.  This is still a very valid argument with strong cases to be made for Benry Gale and Charles Widmore.

But what does that have to do with what is happening this season?  After all, the time traveling going on at the Island now isn't like the time travel discussed by Horselover Fat or witnessed by Kilgore Trout, this is actual time travel.

As the LOSTies are moving about the Island they are traveling to different time periods.

When put like that, it isn't too different from The Dark Tower series written by Stephen King (a series that the creators have claimed, along with the author's The Stand, was a major inspiration for LOST).  In The Dark Tower series, the main characters travel and as they do so they move from one reality to another.  For those familiar with current time travel theory in physics, multiple (or sometimes referred to as parallel or alternate) dimensions plays a huge part in making time travel theoretically possible.  So traveling through multiple realities (or dimensions) in The Dark Tower series is similar to traveling through time in the mind of current scientific thought.  (Actually, it is exactly the same thing.  As, in reality, time is not linear as we picture it and react to it, it is hypothesized that perhaps traveling to a different time would in actuality be traveling to that time in a different dimension, which in turn would solve all of those pesky paradoxes popularized by films such as Back To the Future.)  Now I agree that what is happening on LOST right now is not anything to do with alternate dimensions, they are clearly traveling in their own timeline, but what occurs in The Dark Tower isn't exactly time travel.  The point is that there are similarities to both and the creators have said that The Dark Tower is an inspiration for the show.

So, what does that mean?

Well, in the series, one of the characters, who is instrumental in saving the Dark Tower, is none other then Stephen King.  That's right, the author puts himself into the series.  Even more directly then Philip K. Dick or Kurt Vonnegut did.  Alternatively, there was an unfinished book by C.S. Lewis as well entitled The Dark Tower.  It was the first attempt at the second book in his science fiction trilogy, but was abandoned and Lewis instead wrote Perelanda.  Both Perelanda and the unfinished The Dark Tower have a fictionalized Lewis as the narrator.  In other words, he has like King, Dick, and Vonnegut, placed himself in the story.  What is even more interesting, of course, is the fact that Charlotte on LOST is named Charlotte Staples Lewis, a clear reference to Clive Staples Lewis better known as C.S. Lewis.  Also, by the way, the unfinished book The Dark Tower is about interdimensional travel.

While I believe that the show has a character or characters that has "Authored" the entire situation (Benry and/or Widmore, I'm leaning towards the and) that are heroes are embroiled in, I also believe that our heroes themselves have the opportunity to be the "Author of Their Own Situations" as well.  In fact, a couple of them already have.  While traveling through time, the LOSTies have the chance to write the future (their own past). 

They have the ability to be the cause of events that have already taken place.



Going forward, this is going to be something I watch for in the other LOSTies, to see what effects they have while in the past on the future (and therefore their own pasts).

Until Next Time, are there any other instances of this that you have noticed and will being the Author of their Own Situation be able to save them from the disease that is now affecting Charlotte Staples Lewis, Miles Straum, and Juliet?

BSG Blood on the Scales, first thoughts

AS ALWAYS *SPOILERS* if you aren't caught up yet!

Great conclusion to the mutiny storyline that had been building since the webisodes.

I'm sad that I was right about Gaeta, but I appreciate how the episode with his death was handled.  It was clear that he was beginning to recognize his mistakes.  He gave in at the end to the inevitability of his death and perhaps even welcomed it.  He has clearly not been the same since losing his leg and then you add in the complicity that he had with many people's deaths on New Caprica (again, watch the webisodes if you haven't) or at least the complicity that he was made to feel, and it's understandable that Gaeta hasn't been thinking clearly.

I like how the show tied in his unclear thoughts with his bothersome leg and when his thoughts finally cleared and he knew that what he had done was handled wrong (if perhaps not for the wrong reasons, more on that and Zarek in a minute) his leg finally stopped bothering him.  Great finish to the episode and the character.

As for Zarek, one of the most interesting points of the episode (and the series thus far in my opinion) was the scene with Zarek and the Quorum.  Zarek tries to justify his and Felix's actions to them citing all the illegal and undemocratic actions taken by President Roslin and Admiral Adama and we are reminded once again (as we often are by this show) that the actions taken by our Heroes are often wrong as well.  Sure their motives are almost always good, but their actions are often not and Felix and Zarek recognized that and in many ways were reacting to that.  But, much like our heroes, the actions that they took in regards to the illegal and undemocratic actions were just as and in some cases (the murdering of the Quorum) even more illegal and undemocratic.

Felix came to terms with that at the end, I think.  But I'm not sure that Zarek did fully.  Tom Zarek has always been a complex and well drawn character and he remained so to the end.  There is no question that he believed that what he was doing was right and for the good of the whole, but at the same time he had a desire for power that clouded his judgement.  I'm not sure if he realized how much his need to be in control jeopardized everything else that he wanted.  And ultimately helped bring him down.  In a way it was Zarek's actions that finally made Gaeta see clearly and stand down at the end.

I'm interested to see what happens next.  There are a few repercussions from this episode that we haven't seen, mainly whether or not Anders is okay, but I wonder if this unsuccessful coup will bring the fleet back together with a purpose after the disappointment of a devastated Earth or if there will still be those who feel the current leadership is not what they desire.  At the very least, it has given the President the will to once again serve.

Also, I'm glad I was right about Hot Dog.

Until Next Time, this was definitely an exciting episode that at turns had me excited to the point of cheering and saddened to the point of tears.  What a great show.

LOST The Little Prince, first thoughts

As always SPOILERS if you aren't caught up....

First of all I wanted to say...

I TOLD YOU SO!!!!!!

To all who doubted my guarantee that Jin was not in fact dead but alive and out in the ocean near the Island somewhere, I gladly accept your shock and awe at my prediction being proven true.

I also knew that tonight's episode would feature Danielle Rousseau, although I was expecting it to be a much larger role rather then just a reintroduction.  The reason I was not at all shocked to see Rousseau was because of tonight's title, The Little Prince.

For those of you who don't know, The Little Prince is a hugely popular children's book written by Antoine de Saint-Exupery who is French (shocker, I know, you never would have guessed that from his name.)  Because of that, I anticipated that we would finally get the back story on everyone's favorite crazy lady.

Now, if you want some in depth analysis on the book and why it might relate to LOST, well Doc Jensen has you covered on that, so feel free to read his thoughts from prior to last night's episode airing.

On to the episode, going with The Little Prince motif, the wreckage from Rousseau's ship shows that the name of her ship was Besixdouze, which in French translates to B 6 12, which is the asteroid that the titular character from The Little Prince is from.

Also of interest in the episode, the side of Benry's van says Rainier-Canton.  Ah a LOST anagram moment, let's see if we can figure out what it may mean.  Ah hah, Reincarnation.  Interesting.  Remember that this same van held the dead body of John Locke just a couple of episodes back.  Something to think about.

So, C.S. Lewis is suffering from what Faraday is calling extreme jet-lag and he says that it is worse for those with longer connections to the Island.  We've seen Charlotte have it the worst, leading much credence to the "She was born on The Island" theory.  Next we saw the nose bleed strike Miles.  All the proponents of the "Marvin Candle/et al is Miles's daddy" theory probably gave a huzzah.  (And incidentally gained me to their side.  I definitely now believe that not only was Miles also born on the Island, but the baby we saw in the premiere with Marvin Candle/et al is going to grow up to be Miles.)  Then we saw the nose bleed strike Juliet who has been on The Island for a few years due to her status as an Other.  But it is important that both Charlotte Staples Lewis and Miles the Ghostbuster got the symptoms first showing that they both have a closer connection to The Island (i.e. they were born there).  The fact that Juliet also got a nose bleed bodes poorly for our castaways however.   It is now only a matter of time until they are also affected by the extreme jet lag caused by time shifting.  As Sawyer so eloquently points out, "Time Travel's a bitch."

Moving on to off-Island.  I have to say I'm shocked at the extreme pace that the O6 storyline is moving along at.  We've already got practically everyone together and those that aren't easily could be by the next episode.  We were given an answer on how easy it might be to get Hurley out of jail, Sun is right there with Aaron (she'll just have to be convinced that Jin is still alive), Walt lives in LA, and Desmond is headed there as we speak.  I thought that it would be a season long endeavor to get the O6 et al together to travel back, now I'm not so sure that it won't happen much sooner.  Of course, then figuring out how to get back to the Island might still present a problem.

Overall it was an interesting episode in that it answered a crap load of questions.  How are we getting Hurley out of jail (Benry's got a lawyer already on it).  Who was trying to get Aaron from Kate (Benry and that same lawyer, who by the way was the dad on My So Called Life, I loved that show, he also appeared on this week's 24, glad to see him on good tv shows again).  What happened to Jin (exactly what I said happened to him, which I predicted only moments after last season's finale by the way, go ahead, look it up.  The only part I didn't nail was who would pick him up from floating in the Ocean).  Why is Charlotte Staples Lewis getting these nose bleeds and headaches (well, this was answered in a way, it's still hard to understand Faraday sometimes).

For everyone who claimed that the show never answers anything and just always causes more questions, that might have been the case in the beginning of the show, but now as we are moving towards the end of this fantastic television show, that is no longer the case.  The answers are starting to outnumber the mysteries in each episode and that will most likely continue to be the case the rest of the way.  Better get started on those DVDs and then catch up on ABC.com people, we'll be here when you're caught up.

Of course, there were some questions presented in this episode.  Who is working with/for Sun?  (My guess is Widmore and his people, meaning the real question is whether it is "with" or "for" or if Sun is the one who is actually working for Widmore

Until Next Time, I will have some new thoughts based on my "Author of Your Own Situation" thing from last season before the next episode, so look forward to that.  I appreciate your thoughts and comments!

BSG The Oath, first thoughts

Wow.  It really ramped up the action this episode.  I don't really have too much to add this week, just a few things, as mainly I really want to see the second half!

1.  I have no doubt that Gaeta will die, and that saddens me greatly.  He has always been one of my favorite characters and the episode where the tribunal wanted to shoot him out an airlock for collaborating is one of my all time favorites because I so badly wanted him to survive.  I hate the actions that he's taking, but the show has done a good job making me believe that he would take them.  (again if you haven't already, try and see the webisodes The Face of the Enemy, it helps explain these actions in much better detail.)

2.  Was there any doubt that the President would be getting back involved.  It was almost a LOST like moment for me when she said she wouldn't be involved.  Say something like that on The Island and you are guaranteed to be doing whatever it is you swore you would never do.  Looks like Galactica isn't that much different.  So, as bad as Gaeta's little rebellion is, it might have an unintended consequence that will be extremely important.  It appears to have given the survivors (another term I use regularly in my LOST posts)  back their president.

3.  Thank the gods for Starbuck getting some action (not the kiss between her and Lee perverts, like gun type action).  I loved how she said that she was finally feeling alive again.  She is truly in her element and since she and Lee stayed on the ship (along with Tigh and Adama) I don't like Gaeta's chances here.

4.  I know a lot of people don't like Lee, but I do.  I just wish that he didn't constantly get played by Zarek all the time.  Of course, I think that Zarek understands Lee better then most people do (which is funny because the actor playing Zarek played Apollo in the original series, so he has spent some time in Lee's shoes as it were), and therefore is able to do and say the things that he knows Lee will react to.  I love how throughout the show, the President and, or his father would play on his honorable nature when it helped them but rail against it when it was contrary to what they wanted.  Zarek knows how constant Lee is and always seeks to use Lee's nature to his advantage.  Roslin and Adama only do that if Lee happens to agree with them.  I wonder if Lee realizes that his enemy knows him better then his father and the president he has served so long and so faithfully.

5.  Of all of the minor characters who we saw involved in the coup, only Race Track was one we know well.  I guess I'm glad it was her and not Hot Dog.  Based on who Gaeta called to destroy the Raptor with Baltar and Roslin on board, I'm totally holding out hope that Hot Dog remains one of the good guys.

Until Next Time, for more on the psyche of Felix Gaeta read this outstanding post.

LOST Jughead, first thoughts

As always, SPOILERS if you haven't seen the episode yet.

Let's start with the big one, Charles Widmore was an Other.

I have to admit, I thought it was a possibility that "Jones" was Widmore, A. because he had an English accent while wearing a US Uniform, so that meant it probably wasn't his and B. because he said "my Island" in a very similar way to old Widmore, but I was a little shocked by Widmore being an Other.  I wondered if at some point he was the leader of the Others similarly to Benry and John, that he had been chosen by the Island to lead the inhabitants, but was somehow ousted and that's why he called it "my Island", but didn't think he would be an Other subordinate.  Very interesting.

The episode also served to tie him to Dharma, however.  He has been tied to Dharma previously by bidding on and winning the journal of the first mate of the Black Rock (the slave ship in the middle of the Island with the Dynamite in it), the ship of course was owned by Magnus Hanso, the great grandfather of Alvar Hanso who helped set up Dharma.  In this episode, there is a hanging on his office wall, which we don't get a great look at, but which clearly has "Namaste" written atop it.  Namaste, of course, is a common Dharma greeting.
So, while we have learned that Widmore was at one point an Other, I think we should also keep in mind his ties to Dharma.

Faraday's mother

Widmore gives Desmond an address he says belongs to Widmore's mother.  I, along with most everyone else I've talked to or read theories of, believe Faraday's mother to be Ms. Hawking, the woman who Desmond met in the episode Flashes Before Your Eyes, when he tried to buy Penny's engagement ring from her and she told him that it wasn't the way it happened.  We learned at the end of The Lie last week that Ms. Hawking is indeed in LA (since that's where Benry is, and they interacted at the end of the episode), so this strengthens the theory that Ms. Hawking is in fact Faraday's mother.  (Also there is the fact that Faraday tried to tell Desmond his mother's name but was unable to due to the time shift.  His inability to say the name to Desmond as well as our inability to hear it leads me to believe it would be a name we would know, hence Ms. Hawking).  So the question is, does Widmore actually know that Ms. Hawking is in LA or is he trying to mislead Desmond.  And if he does know that Ms. Hawking is in LA, does he know that she is working with Benry?

Widmore tries to warn Desmond to keep Penny safe.  This is important because of events in The Shape of Things To Come when Benry came to Widmore in his penthouse suite.  Benry told Widmore that he would kill Penny since Widmore killed Alex.  And, of course, at the end of this episode, Desmond and Penny are headed towards LA where Benry awaits.  Not good.

Faraday's Research

So, Widmore also funded Faraday's research.  Probably because of having run into the castaways in the past (including Faraday, although we haven't seen them meet yet) and hearing of their tales of time travel.  My guess is that their travels and interactions with the Others directly leads to Widmore leaving the Island and subsequently trying to get back.  He also is apparently covering up Faraday's research.  I have to assume that the "fumigator" works for Widmore.

Meanwhile, Theresa Spencer (or maybe Spenser) appears to be suffering from the same thing that afflicted Desmond in The Constant.  She appears to be unstuck from time.  Her sister Abigail Spenser (or Spencer, but I like Spenser) is watching over her (and, of course, it is all payed for by Widmore).

Why do I think it is Spenser and not Spencer?  Because of the poet Edmund Spenser.  He wrote the epic poem The Faerie Queene as well as a book called A View on the State of Ireland in which he talked about ways to subdue Ireland (an Island) and it's natives (sound familiar?) and one of the ways was the destruction of the land to cause famine, an idea he got from something the English had done to Ireland earlier which in what was known as (get this) The Desmond Rebellions.  Not sure where the Theresa or Abigail come from, but I'm feeling pretty confident about the Spenser.

Speaking of ruining land and causing famine, a pretty effective way to do that would be a Hydrogen bomb, which begs the question, how important is the bomb?  Faraday tells Ellie how to deal with it, so theoretically, the issue could be over.  If Richard believes them (and why wouldn't he when they disappear in a flash of light so theatrically) then surely he follows Faraday's advice and buries the bomb, rendering the bomb into merely a MacGuffin device.  However, if it is a MacGuffin device, then why is the name of the episode also the name of the bomb?  That seems to add a little more importance to it.  So I shan't be surprised if the bomb comes up again, and at the moment am inclined to believe it will (sorry Hitch).

Of Interest



I loved the quote that young Widmore gave us...

"Follow me? Their leader is some sodding old man. What, you think he can track me? You think he knows this Island better then I do?"

Hilarious.

I also loved, loved, loved that Desmond named his son after Charlie.  Awesome, and I totally buy it.

Until Next Time, I'm off to watch Life on Mars now, because it is awesome.  I hope that you all watch it also, because I am tired of awesome new shows getting canceled way before their time.

BSG A Disquiet Follows My Soul, first thoughts

Battlestar is always at it's best when it focuses on the small things.  Sure, the majority of the episode dealt with how humanity (aka the majority of the fleet and a few members of Galactica) is handling the realization that everything they had placed their hopes and dreams in were false, and that's certainly not small things, but the episode was grounded with the relationship of Roslin and Adama and her finally taking her life into her own hands as opposed to being what everyone else needs her to be, and the discovery that Tyrol is not, in actuality, the father of Cally's baby.  (I thought for sure that it was going to be Baltar, but it turns out it was Hot Dog).

Taking away the other Half Cylon, the show added some intrigue to the full Cylon being born to Saul and the 6, as 6 acknowledged the importance of the baby saying, "This means we can survive without resurrection." 

There will most certainly be more on this as the show finishes.

Meanwhile, bigger picture, Zarek and Gaeta are planning a revolution, upset with the way things have turned out, and very suspicious as to any further alliance with the rebel Cylons.  For those confused as to why Felix is so adamantly anti-Cylon these days, check out the webisodes at SciFi.com.

Ultimately, I think that there are only two ways the show can end.  The humans and rebel Cylons end up destroying Cavil's fleet and ultimately decide to resettle Kobal, leading to a future in which the humans head to resettle the 12 colonies and the Cylons head to resettle Earth as the 13th colony (something that was hinted at in the Cylon's price for their technology, they wanted to essentially be the 13th colony), proving once again that all of this has happened before and all of it will happen again.  Or, the characters will realize that and somehow break free of the circle landing on a new home and finally ending the cycle for good.

At least that's how I see it.

Until Next Time, sadly only eight episodes left, but BSG: The Plan (a movie written by the great Jane Espenson and directed by Edward James Olmos) is finished with production and moving into post and Caprica is set to air next season, so at least the universe will continue.

LOST Because You Left and The Lie, first thoughts

LOST is back and with two power packed (and far more blood and gore filled then normal) episodes.

I loved how the opening scene was very similar to the opening scene from Season 2.  We follow someone although we don't know exactly who it is.  They put on a record and go through there morning routine.  This time, however, instead of Desmond it is Marvin Candle/Edgar Halliwax/Mark Wickmund/Pierre Chang.  And instead of the music working fine until an explosion stops the recording, this time the music repeats over and over one line while skipping.  (Skipping record).

So the scientist with many names goes to record on of his award winning orientation films when he is informed of trouble at the Orchid Station and goes to warn the workers there that if they mess with the power behind that wall "God Help us All!" and gives some talk about Time Travel.  The construction worker doesn't buy it and laughs about it to none other then Daniel Faraday.  I think now is a good time to watch this if you haven't seen it already.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo6Q7gzUjI8

It's the beginning of the latest ARG where you could become a member of the newly reformed Dharma Initiative.  Ignore the beginning and the end and just pay attention to the part featuring Marvin Candle et al and the person who is working the camera is most certainly Daniel Faraday.

We know from the episode that our main characters who remained on the Island, all of them who weren't natives it appears, are somehow unstuck from time.  Skipping like a record (see) according to Faraday.  Faraday claims that they can't do anything to change the past, but it appears that he is trying to do just that.  How?  Because apparently some people aren't as beholden to things like time as the rest of us are.  Desmond is one of them.  Flashes Before Your Eyes from Season 3 and The Constant from last season both appear to be episodes that will bear rewatching for this season.  After Faraday gives Desmond that message, he awakens in the present remembering it.

Faraday sends him to find his mother, as he is about to reveal her name however he shifts again.

I'm betting that his mother's name is Mrs. Hawking.  Someone that Desmond is familiar with, as was Brother Campbell the monk that Desmond served under, and as we find out at the end of the premiere, so is Benry Gale.

Using what appears to be a Foucault pendulum (popularized in the Umberto Eco novel Foucault's Pendulum, which certainly makes Mr. Eko's name more interesting) Ms. Hawking has apparently established a way back to the Island.  She tells Benry that he has 70 hours.  This is, of course, made more difficult by the fact that Hugo has turned himself into the police.  Also, he'd better succeed or "God Help Us All."  Making that a bookend phrase, interesting.  It starts and ends the premiere night.

Following Sayid's advice, Hurley did the opposite of what Benry wanted, but in doing so he ignored Ana Lucia's advice.  When Hurley was trying to flee the (not so) Safe House with a drugged/passed out Sayid he got pulled over by the police.  When that happened I was sure that it would be Ana Lucia's partner most recently seen in last season's premiere (also a Hurley-centric).  My friend Alec called it though right after I suggested it would be her partner.  Very impressive.  I, on the other hand, was momentarily shocked when it turned out to be Ana Lucia herself.  Once I got over my shock I remembered Hurley sees dead people.  Ana Lucia's advice to him was to avoid the police and specifically not to get arrested.  The advice didn't stick with Hurley for very long.  Ana Lucia probably pushed it out of his head by also saying that Libby said hi.  Damn we'd better get some Libby satisfaction soon.  What is up with her?  I still want to know why she was in the mental institution with Hurley.

Meanwhile Dr. Jack and Benry Gale discuss how to get the band back together and Kate and Sun have a chat.

The gaping plot hole in the O6 story has been snuffed out by someone.  According to their lie, Kate was 6 months pregnant when she was arrested in Australia (shouldn't be hard to disprove) and Sun should have conceived before the crash (since the father of the baby supposedly died in the crash) and yet we know that she conceived on the Island.  These lies are the ones that can trip them up and Kate's already seems to be.  Sun tells her to react with violence.  Man losing Jin has changed her.  (Still standing by the belief that he's not dead, by the way, and if you noticed his name is still in the opening credits, so that bodes well for me being right).

So, some of the questions raised in these episodes

-Who shot the flaming arrows and who subsequently caught Juliet and Sawyer?  (side note, lots of things in these episodes were nice throwbacks to earlier episodes not just the opening scene, but Frogurt's death was very reminiscent of Leslie Artz's at the Black Rock).  They weren't Others and they weren't Dharma.  Of course we don't know that the Flaming Arrows and the Off With Her Hand folk are the same people, but it stands to reason.

-When are they at the end of the episode, and is there any pattern to the flashes?  I'm betting no on the latter, but if there is a pattern, Faraday should be able to find it.



-Who is the lady at the Butcher shop who knows Benry so well she isn't surprised he pulls up with a dead Locke?  Is she an Other or something else?

Well, it's getting late so I'm going to wrap it up, but one interesting thing I noticed.  When Locke sees the drug runners plane crash and is climbing to check it out he gets shot in the leg by Ethan Rom (what goes around comes around, as Richard says).  If you think way back to season one episode 19 Deus Ex Machina when Boone and Locke first find the plane, Locke's leg gives out on him as if somehow being in that spot his body remembers the injury that he hasn't yet received and yet had already happened for Ethan.  Not sure if it is just coincidence, but it sure is something to think about.

Until Next Time, they're obviously going to have to get Hurley out of jail.  Now that Prison Break is ending I wonder if Michael Scofield is available (speaking of constant headaches and nose bleeds happening to TV characters).

BSG: Sometimes A Great Notion, first thoughts

Wow.  Holy Frak and Wow.  Those were my first thoughts.

Some thoughts during the episode?  HOLY FRAK! I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING!

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!

I was shocked and dismayed by Dee's death.  I had no idea that it was coming and the manner in which it occurred blew me away.  I was a little surprised that she was capable of it, and it just didn't seem like something that would occur to her right at that moment.

As I've reflected on it, however, I've come to realize that she was preparing herself for it the whole day. 

Watching Hera and playing with her, then going on a date with Apollo and reliving the happiness that they shared for too short a time.  She was soaking up the good and refusing to live any longer with the bad.  It was heartbreaking and it was powerful.  She will be sorely missed.

Earth was inhabited by Cylons.  This was a bigger reveal to me then the idea that Earth has been decimated by a nuclear holocaust.  The show has told us over and over that "All of this has happened before and all of this will happen again."  Clearly that is the case if the thirteenth tribe were Cylons.  I suppose that the remaining humans and Cylons are ultimately supposed to return to Kobal and settle there.  Then, when the tribes leave Kobal, the Cylons will go separate from the humans and go to Earth, the humans will go back to the twelve colonies.  Then thousands of years later, the humans will end up creating Cylons having no memory that they once lived with Cylons and the newly created Cylons will evolve and start a war with the humans. 

Meanwhile the original Cylons will somehow have destroyed themselves on Earth two thousand years earlier. 

Everything has happened before, everything will happen again.

Except I take some hope from something Apollo said in the mid season finale.  He answers D'Anna saying that it doesn't have to happen again.  They can change it.  As of now, they don't seem to be headed in a "let's change things" direction, but there are 9 episodes left.

What is really interesting was the realization by our Final 4 that they had lived on Earth and been there when the devastation occurred.  Why are they back and amongst the fleet that was headed towards Earth?  And how are they back?

We got a little clue at the same time we discovered the Final Cylon.  Ellen Tigh (and unlike what seems to be a lot of people I like this revelation) tells Saul (who had both eyes, ah, good times) that everything is in place. 

They'll be reborn and live again together.

This tells me a couple of things.

One, that at least the two of them had some idea that this holocaust might occur, and probably Anders, Tory, and Tyrol knew as well.

And two, by reappearing in the right time when it would be necessary to return to Earth, the reappearance of the Final Five either caused the Cylon War or it was actively planned by the reborn Cylons.  Ellen always seemed to know a little more then she let on.

So, will Ellen be back?  After all, Tigh killed her long before they blew up the Resurrection Hub.  And she was somehow privy to a way to bring her and Tigh back to life nearly two thousand years after they died many, many light years away.  I think that she will be.

I'm always fascinated by the Cylon numbers.  Why are the 7 known Cylons (excluding the Final Five) numbered 1 (Cavil), 2 (Leobon), 3 (D'Anna), 4 (Simon), 5 (Doral), 6, and then 8 (Boomer, Athena).  Why is 7 skipped?  We know the Final 5 are different then the other Cylons, and I'm wondering if 8 might actually be one of them.  From the beginning, 8 has shown herself to be different from the other Cylons.  Athena is an accepted member of the humans, and it was an 8 that broke the tie by severing herself from the rest of the 8s and siding with Cavil.  I don't know, but it certainly bears thinking about.

As for Starbuck, I honestly have no idea what to think.  She found herself and her ship destroyed and dead on Earth.  It was the signal from her destroyed Viper that her new Viper was able to follow.  What the frak does that mean?  Is Starbuck a clone of some kind?  Was a duplicate Starbuck created by traveling through some sort of wormhole?  Is Ellen somehow behind all of this?  Or is the Cylon God?  I really don't know what to think yet.

But I'm way ready to find out.

Until Next Time, I was blown away by the episode and am excited about the start of the final 10 episodes.  This is without a doubt the best television show I have ever seen and for my money is the best television show ever produced.  What'll they throw at us next?

The Return of BSG

The greatness that is Battlestar Galactica returns tonight on the Sci-Fi Network and I am extremely pumped (although also a little sad that this is the beginning of the end).

I now can say with some certainty that this is the greatest television show ever on television, and I will be extremely heartbroken when it ends.

However, we still have ten episodes to go until that happens, so let's not get too far ahead of ourselves and instead bask in the glory that is the final season while we have it.

IF YOU AREN'T CAUGHT UP ON BSG, READ NOT PAST THIS POINT FOR THAR BE SPOILERS!!!

Sorry about going pirate there, don't know where that came from.

Anyway, the rumor is that we'll know the final Cylon by the end of this episode, so we have one more chance to try and figure out who it might be.  My money is on Tom Zarek.

Here's what I wrote in an earlier post and I'm sticking by it...

Speaking of the Final Cylon, I think I know who it is.

Tom Zarek.

I actually have very little doubt.  Here's why.

1. He's certainly one of the most important characters not on the Last Supper photo.

2. He's the Vice President of the Fleet, but isn't really in the Roslin camp.  The Cylon's have the four we know about in important places, Tigh is Adama's right hand man, Tory is Roslin's closest confidant politically, Anders is along on the Starbuck mission, and the Chief (up until this week) was in charge of maintaining all of the ships, the humans best weapon against the Cylons.  Outside of Adama or Roslin (which would invalidate the need for Tigh or Tory) Zarek is in the most important position in the fleet, especially with Roslin dying.

3. His first name is Tom.  Seriously, that's my argument.  Think about it, what do we know about the newest four Cylons, what do they have in common?  Saul Tigh, Galen Tyrol, Samuel T. Anders, and Tory Foster.  First of all, why do we know Anders's middle initial at all?  Is it just a nod to Star Trek (after all, it could stand for Tiberius)?  Maybe, but I think it is also a clue.  Of the four we know, there are two whose last name starts with a t, one whose middle name starts with a t, and one whose first name starts with a t, I think ultimately it will be two whose first names start with a t, two whose last names start with a t, and one whose middle name starts with a t.  Not that I think they'll make a big deal of the T thing or that it has any meaning, but I do think that it is a clue pointing to Tom Zarek.  If we find out Felix's middle name starts with a t, though, I might switch to him.

I'm still liking all of that logic.  Felix Gaeta is still a possibility, of course.  Some other interesting theories I've heard include Zach Adama and Ellen Tigh.  Those two made me think of Adama's wife as well.

Luckily, we won't have too much longer to wait.

Other burning questions...

What happened to Earth?  (not to mention us, it's inhabitants)

Who or what is up with the 6 in Baltar's head and the Baltar in Caprica 6's head?

What happened to Starbuck when she died? (and how is she back)

What does the prophecy of "Harbinger of Doom" mean?

How did Tigh get 6 pregnant when they're both Cylons?

And What will be the resolution of the Cylon Civil War and Cavil's Cylon's beef with humanity?

Until Next Time, soon we will know the answer to these and any other lingering questions, but mainly let's enjoy the ride of the last ten episodes of Television's Greatest Show Ever.

To Get You Ready

I am generally a lot later on my top ten lists then most people.  That's due in part because I'm slow on seeing some films and I want my list to be as comprehensive as possible.  (I still haven't seen Doubt, Slumdog Millionaire, The Wrestler, or Valkyrie among others this year).  Plus I like to do it around the time of the Oscar nominations and the actual Oscars.  If they wait that long to name the best movie of 2008, so can I.  But seeing as it is now 2009, I thought it might be fun to look and see what the top 10 films of ten years ago were, so without further ado...

The Top 10 Films of (Party Like It's) 1999

The honorable mentions...

ANY GIVEN SUNDAY  Still the most realistic football movie ever made and an underrated sports movie.  Plus the film that made us realize that Jamie Foxx could act.

GALAXY QUEST  An hilarious spoof of the Star Trek genre and a damn good sci-fi film in its own right.

MAGNOLIA  P.T. Anderson's trippy follow up to Boogie Nights.  I'm still not entirely sure what it was about, but man was it interesting.  Also featured Tom Cruise's best acting job until Tropic Thunder.

MYSTERY MEN  A brilliant spoof of the comic book genre that was way ahead of its time.  If this movie came out now it wouldn't be so underrated.

STAR WARS EPISODE 1: THE PHANTOM MENACE  I know that I'm in the minority, and there is no question that the new trilogy is no where near the genius of the first trilogy, but the story that George concocted for the prequels helps make the entire series the most brilliant story ever told.  Darth Vader is the hero.  I had been saying that way before the prequels were released, but it was nice to be vindicated.  If only there had been less Jar Jar this probably would have made the top 10.

10.  EYES WIDE SHUT  -  The last film from Stanley Kubrick is a fascinating look at guilt, especially the guilt our society feels associated with sexual feeling.  I find it a little ironic that a film about the over sensitized view our society has about sex was edited to include fully clothed digital people in place of the action in the orgy scene.

9.  OFFICE SPACE - One of the most quotable films of all time, I will never get tired of watching this movie, and no, I haven't finished those TPS reports as of yet.

8.  SOUTH PARK: BIGGER, LONGER, AND UNCUT -  What a brilliant film this is, funny, smart and irreverent.  When I saw this film in theaters, the opening scene involving the boys seeing The Terrance and Philip Movie featuring the song "Uncle Fu@%&#".  In the movie, animated adults get up and leave the theater disgusted.  Meanwhile in the very theater that I was in, adults got up and left the theater disgusted.  That my friends is some prescient satire.

7.  TOY STORY 2 -  What was originally going to be a direct to video feature ala Aladdin 2: The Return of Jafar and Lion King 2: The Return of Scar (okay, I made up the second one's subtitle, but talk about synergy, Disney missed an opportunity there if you ask me) turned into a film even better then it's predecessor as well as the movie that proved what Pixar could do.  (And what they've continued to do with every movie since.)

6.  DOGMA - Kevin Smith's fantastic look at modern, organized religion.  In my opinion this is the movie to watch to understand the take that my generation has on religion (those of us who are religious).  The so-called experts talk about how The Church is dying, and this film was way ahead of its time in explaining why.  It's time for a new approach.

5.  THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY - A movie that gets better each time I watch it and without question the best acting job the overrated  Matt Damon has ever done.  Man he was creepy in this film.

4.  THE GREEN MILE - One of the best Stephen King adaptations ever, and little surprise it is from the writer/director who brought us the best, The Shawshank Redemption.  At the time this was by far my favorite movie of the year and one of my favorite movies of all time, but then I hadn't seen the next three on this list yet.

3.  BEING JOHN MALKOVICH -  Pure genius.  Charlie Kaufman is probably the greatest screenwriter of all time and this film introduced us all to his crazy, insane brain, where this is a conversation.  "Malkovich?"  "Malkovich malkovich."  "Malkovich malkovich malkovich."  "Malkovich!"  Pure Malkovich, I mean genius.

2.  THE MATRIX - I didn't see this in theaters and am eternally thankful for the technology that has since allowed me to recreate the theater experience in my home (in what is generally referred to as Home Theater, talk about a perfect name for something).  I didn't see it in theaters because I had a full on Keanu Reeves ban at the time.  It was my opinion that anything he did would suck and therefore not worth my time.  Add that to the fact that the directors prior film is among the worst movies ever made in my opinion (Bound) and I felt like this would be pure drivel doing nothing but giving a bad name to my all time favorite genre, Sci-Fi

1.  FIGHT CLUB -  Another film that I'm glad for the Home Theater experience.  I don't know why I didn't go see this movie in theaters, but somehow I missed it.  When I did see it I not only decided that David Fincher was one of the greatest directors ever to walk the earth I also fully came over to the side of good in realizing that Brad Pitt was not just a pretty face, the dude could flat out act.  And still can as evidenced by this years Brad Pitt/David Fincher collaboration.

Until Next Time, congrats to Heath Ledger (who we all met 10 years ago in the classic 10 Things I Hate About You) as he won the Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe last night.  Not much longer till he wins Oscar glory as well.  It should have been the first of many.