What I Want From Lost

After six years of a program as insane as Lost, it's hard to think of an ending that would be 100% completely satisfactory. And that's just satisfactory to me. It would be impossible for the writers to come up with an ending that would please everyone who watches the show, let alone just little ol' me. And, frankly, the way they are giving out answers right now is leaving a bad taste in my mouth. After 6 years of characters sitting around not externally questioning the most basic of things happening in this crazy place, we now get them asking flat out questions and receiving flat out answers. It just doesn't feel right. I think the answers need to be shown, not spoken. They need to be shown so that discussions can still be had. But, I'm sure a lot of the audience would disagree. So already, there's a problem.

But this isn't about the audience as a whole. It's about ME and MY needs. What do I want to see happen? How do I want it all to end?

Questions I Want Answered

1. Let's start at the beginning. Let's start with Adam and Eve.

Who are these two? Are they just a random couple from some point in time? Are they from the Black Rock? Or are they a pair of Losties? Could they be Rose and Bernard? Did they maybe die at some point during the time travel process? Why is one of them holding one black rock and one white? This must have something to do with Jacob and Smokey, right? If so, that's some pretty awesome future foreshadowing from the writers from way back in season 1. Could they be the original Jacob and Smokey? Why do we assume one is an "Eve"?

2. What is the Smoke Monster?

Yes. We know the Smoke Monster is black smoke that can take the shape of dead people on The Island and is very judgemental and brutally honest. It may or may not be evil, but most like is evil. But what is it? This show always tries, no matter what weird shit it does, to stay within the realms of reality. Even with the time travel. But to have some smoke flying around The Island that is alive seems pretty unexplainable to me. So how are they going to do it? Are they going to do it? And, if Smokey can't leave The Island, how did he appear as Christian Shephard off Island to Jack? Was that Smokey? The smoke alarm did go off before he appeared. Or will the writers just say it was a drug induced Jack hallucination?

3. What is The Island?

The Island itself is an integral character on the show. Everything that happens always comes back to The Island. I am not someone who believes UnLocke when he says The Island is "just an Island". We did learn that Jacob is not protecting The Island, but is just there to keep Smokey bottled up. But still, The Island has managed to create Smokey. It has some crazy magnetism happening. It heals people. People can't have babies on it. Why is it controlled by a Frozen Donkey Wheel that makes it skip through time and magically makes the person who turned it appear in the Tunisian desert? Why?

4. The Statue

We know it's been there a long time. We know how it got destroyed. We know Jacob lived there. We know something lies in its shadow. But what does it represent? Who put it there? Who were The Island originators? Adam and Eve?

5. Why are the Losties the chosen ones?

Why did Jacob choose this particular group of people? How come, no matter what universe they are in, their lives will always cross paths? Why are they so special?

6. Speaking of Jacob....

What the hell is he? I refuse to believe he is human. Is he ash? He turned into ash when he died. Was he white smoke to Smokey's black smoke? How does he have powers to give people eternal life? Oooh...just thought of something. Maybe the Christian Shephard that visited Jack off Island was actually Jacob in disguise. He seems to have no problem going on and off Island. Hmmmmm....

7. Waaaaaaaaallllllttttttt!!!!!!

I know he grew up and that caused a lot of problems for the writers, but this kid was supposed to be pretty damn special at one point in time only to be completely forgotten about. I don't even think he was listed among the candidates. How come? The show is now 3 years in the future of when it originally started, so I think it would be safe to bring him back. He is allowed to be older now. Let's have some closure there. He can't just be destined to Hot Pocket commercials.

8. Widmore/Ben/Smokey/Jacob

What is the relationship between these 4 people? Who is good? Who is evil? Or are the lines not so black and white?

9. Desmond and Penny....but mostly Desmond

Desmond seems pretty special, too. Why is he seeming all messed up now? Will he and Penny get to live happily ever after? Because that's really all I care about in the end.

10. Rose/Bernard/Vincent

Wait. I do care about one more thing. Where are Rose, Bernard, and Vincent? Did they travel through time, too? Are they dead? Are they still living on The Island in their little hut living off Dharma rations? Are they rolling their eyes every time Widmore sends one of his bombs over? And where is my Vincent episode I was promised way back in season 1?

I can't believe those are the only questions I can think of. Does that mean the show has answered most of the others? Or does it mean the show has made things so convoluted that I can't remember anything?


How I Want It To End

In a perfect world....

Well, in a perfect world, this is not the direction the show would have taken. Time travel mucks everything up and it still aggravates me that we are now dealing with the repercussions of time travel and a damn Alternate/Sideways Universe/Timeline. But it is what we are dealing with and I have learned to live with it.

So....


*I want this Alternate Timeline to mean something. It has to matter or this whole final season has been bullshit and the show should have ended with Juliette smashing Jughead with a rock. So that is desire #1.

*I also want Desmond and Penny to live happily ever after. This is the only happily ever after I am demanding from the show. I think if everyone had a happily ever after it would be extremely lame.

*I want Kate to go away. This is the only unhappily ever after that I really really want.

*I want Jack to be the new Jacob because he's the only one that makes sense.

*I do not want John Locke to come back from the dead. Dead is dead, remember writers? You killed him off and turned him into this Thing, so leave it be. That goes for all other dead characters, too. Charlie, Juliette, Faraday, Boone, Shannon, Libby, Ana Lucia, Mr. Eko, NotFBIChick, Arntz. Leave them be.

*Ben has to matter. And the show needs to end with him kicking ass in some way.

I don't think that's too much to ask for. It's a lot less than I thought there would be. But like I said, maybe I just can't think of all of them because there are just too many and my brain can't/won't go there. But I feel like a lot has been explained. For example:

1. The Whispers

Stupid lost souls on The Island. Worst answer ever.

2. Dead folk showing up

Always been Smokey

3. Jacob's purpose

To keep Smokey contained on The Island.

4. The Numbers

Random numbers assigned to each Candidate by Jacob. Ahhhh...but why do the numbers always appear to Hurley? Why did the mental patient repeat them? Why were the put on the hatch? Why did they have to be input every 108 minutes? Why were they listed on the medicine that Desmond took when he was in the hatch? Okay, so they haven't been completely answered.

5. Richard's deal

He was on the Black Rock (which was tossed mid Island during a terrible storm - another answered question) and was "saved" by Smokey, but then took sides with Jacob who gave him eternal life in return.

6. Jack's tattoos

This was a questioned that burned in everyone's mind from the very first episode. How and when did Jack get those tattoos? I mean, it's not like other people don't have tattoos, right? (I'm totally kidding)

These, along with the questions I still want answered, have been the main questions all along. In the end, I'd say with a show as nuts as this one, the writer's have done a pretty damn good job keeping it all together.

Oh...And....

I bought a new guitar!!!!

This picture doesn't do it justice. It really is so very pretty. Oh, and it sounds good, too. AND it has a built in tuner. That is going to be so helpful.

It's sad to say goodbye to my old standby. It's been my friend for many many years. But it was time to retire. I will get it fixed someday. I still really love the way it sounds.

You will be played again someday.

Target Field!

Last Wednesday I got to go to Target Field. It was beautiful. The stadium is really something to see. After so many many years in a Football dome, it was other worldly to be in an outdoor ballpark right in my own city. When I looked up, I did not see a stained, off white, parachute...I saw the moon. The grass was green and real. The wind blew and gave me chills. The seats were pointed towards home plate and not towards gridlines. The sun set on the buildings. It was wonderful.

And the Twins won.

Double Header

Like I said in my Lost post below, a lot has been happening lately. For example: This weekend I had two shows! I performed in the lobby of the Rossmor building during the St. Paul Art Crawl. Hey, a show's a show, right?

I got a full hour each time. I got to make a set list. It was all very exciting.

I wasn't mic'd or amped, but the acoustics in that space were amazing. No mic or amp needed.

And I also whipped up a cd to sell. Well, I was giving it away and asking for donations. I sold 3 of them...to friends. But, that's something. It has 5 songs on it all recorded at home. I put the packaging together myself, and it shows. But I wanted to have something to hand out.

My plan is still to make a "real" record. I just need to figure out how. I could continue to make them at home, but I want a drummer. I think my songs would really benefit with drums added. Or I could just put out a pure folk album. But I have too many ideas for my songs to just do that.

I also need to get a new guitar. Every time I pick up my guitar, another piece is missing from it. It's falling apart. I have other guitars, but I don't like to play them. They just don't feel right, or sound right, to me.

Songs performed for each set:

Set 1 on Friday
Perspective
Cast a Spell
World of Pain
Holes
Good to Know
Align
Old Fashioned Hat (Anais Mitchell cover)
Minnesota
Lipstick
Acid Tongue (Jenny Lewis cover)
Good

Set 2 on Saturday
Walking Strange
Cast a Spell
World of Pain
Perspective
Good to Know
Old Fashioned Hat (Anais Mitchell cover)
Minnesota
In the Company of Elvis
Back at the Start
Acid Tongue (Jenny Lewis cover)
Good

Lost, The Final Season, Episode 12, "The Last Recruit"

Oh, dear. I am really really behind. Times have been busy and the time to post, what was sure to be a very long, recap of last week's show was not given to me. Now it's been almost a week and the episode is becoming a hazy memory. I know a lot happened both on and off The Island. We got another answer pointed out to us in the most matter of fact way that it was almost cheesy. We got the Jin and Sun reunion. Yes, our long national nightmare is over. These two crazy kids have found each other again. We got explosions. But let's start off Island.

Off Island

This was not a one character specific episode. The off Island parts focused on uniting all our Losties in the Sideways World. How did it happen?

Sawyer/Kate/Miles

Sawyer has Kate handcuffed to a chair at the police station. They do their usual flirt until Miles comes along and says there has been a shooting at a local restaurant. They look at surveillance tape and see Sayid exiting the building so...

Sawyer/Miles/Sayid

...they head to Nadiya's house where Sayid is freaking out and packing up a suitcase. He tells Nadiya he will never see her again, but her family will now be safe. Sawyer and Miles show up and Sayid sneaks out the back only to be busted by Sawyer. He cuffs him and takes him away.

Jin/Sun

Meanwhile, Sun is being brought to the hospital after being shot in the abdomen. As she's being wheeled in, another person is being wheeled in next to her. She freaks out. "It's him! It's him!" It's John Locke. Has the trauma brought back her Island memories?

John/Ben

John is being wheeled into the hospital, of course, because he was run over by Desmond. Ben joined him on the ambulance ride over.

Desmond/Claire

Claire heads to an office building that houses an adoption agency. She runs into Desmond, or

Desmond runs into her. He creepily follows her up to the offices, questioning her the whole way. He convinces her that she should really have a lawyer for the adoption process and that he knows someone who can help her that works in the building. She agrees and he brings her to the lawyer who happens to be NotFBIChick! She's certainly a woman of many trades. She says she's expecting Claire. Whatever for?....

Claire/Jack

Jack and his son are heading to the very same office building to listen to the reading of his father's will. The lawyer just happens to be...NotFBIChick. She brings Jack into the room where Claire is. Turns out Jack has been trying to track her down since his father left her something in his will. All is explained to Jack that Claire is his sister . This is all a shock. He gets a call from the hospital that he is needed for surgery. He apologizes and heads to the hospital.

Jin/Sun Again

Sun wakes up from surgery. Jin is there. He tells her the baby survived and all is going to be okay.

Jack/Locke

Jack gets to the hospital and finds out more about his patient. He is a man who was just hit by a car and already suffers from a spinal injury. He is John Locke. Jack is sure he can fix him. He enters the surgery room and looks at John's face. "I think I know this man".

I'm pretty sure that covers all of the off Island encounters. Let's move to the Island.

On Island

Where to begin? Let's see if I remember. Oh, yes.

We left off with Jack, Hurley, Sun, andthe Pilot entering UnLocke's camp. UnLocke says he wants to speak to Jack alone. They talk about a bunch of crap and Jack asks UnLocke if he took the form of his father when Oceanic 815 first crashed. UnLocke answers yes. So there you have it. Unfortunately, there are a whole bunch of inconsistencies with this revelation. One being that dead Christian Shephard appeared to Jack off Island at the hospital. If UnLocke can't leave the Island without a billion circumstances being met, how did he do this? Oh, well. Not all the answers will be perfect (see last week's post regarding the whispers).

Everyone hangs out for a while and then Tina Fey shows up. I really hate this chick. She has a walkie talkie. She tells UnLocke she wants what he stole back (Desmond). Unlocke refuses. She responds by having her goons set off a bomb nearby and tells him that they don't get Desmond back, they will bomb their site.

We then cut back to the camp where UnLocke tells everyone of the plan. Half the team, led by UnLocke will head to Hydra Island. The other half, led by Sawyer, will head to the beach to pick up the sailboat that was left their by Desmond a long time ago. Or something like that. I was never quite sure what the plan was.

UnLocke pulls Sayid aside and asks him to go kill Desmond. Sayid heads off to the well and finds Desmond hanging out at the bottom. He points the gun, but then Desmond starts talking. He questions Sayid's motives in killing an unarmed man. When he finds out what UnLocke has promised him (the return of Nadiya), he asks Sayid what he will tell her when she asks how they were reunited.

They head out with Sawyer and Kate in one group and Jack, Hurley, Sun, and the Pilot with UnLocke. Sawyer tells them to find a way to get away from UnLocke and to meet them at the boat and they will sail to the sub and get off the Island. He tells them to leave Claire behind because she's nuts. Sayid, too.

UnLocke is leading his group when he says he has to go check on something. This gives Jack and his crew the

chance to run, and they do. But Claire sees them and follows.

UnLocke finds Sayid and asks if he killed Desmond. Sayid says yes. But did he really?

Jack and his crew make it to the sailboat. They are just about to embark when Claire show up with a gun. She wants to know why they keep abandoning her. Sawyer wants to leave, but Kate demands that Claire be brought along. So she wins. They head out to sea and everyone goes about their business. Sawyer goes up to Jack, who's looking a little uncertain. Jack tells him that he thinks they are making a mistake and that they are meant to stay on The Island. That if UnLocke really wants them to get off The Island, that should be a sign that they should stay. Sawyer gets pissed because, don't forget, he's been on The Island for over 3 years now. Jack's been able to live a normal life for a while. He tells Jack to get off the boat. So Jack does. He jumps and swims to shore where he runs into UnLocke and an army of Red Shirts.

Sawyer and his Sailors make it to Hydra Island. Tina Fey and her gang greet them with guns.

From behind her out walks Jin. Sun sees him and we get our reunion about a year too late. This just did not have the emotional impact that I thought it would. They hug and are happ

y and blah blah blah and then Tina gets orders to take them all in, as prisoners. I guess Widmore is pissed. Hey, at least most everyone is in the same spot. He orders the bombing to begin.

Back on the main Island, the bombs start going off around UnLocke, his Red Shirts, and Jack. UnLocke pulls Jack to safety and tells him, "You're with me now".

The end.

I can't believe I remembered that much. I'm sure I forgot a ton and for that, I apologize. Life has become very busy. There have been s

o many things I've wanted to post about, I just haven't had the time. I will try to get back on the ball.

Lost is not on this week. Why? I don't know. There are only Four. Episodes. Left. That's it. It's all very sad. I'm not even sure what I want from this show anymore. How do I want it to end? What do I want resolved for these characters? What do I need explained? I think I'll get to that later this week since I won't have an episode to recap.

Enjoy your Lost free week!

Walking Strange

Last night was open mic night at O'Donovan's again. There was only a couple of us there to play, so I did 7 songs. I think that's my new record. I debuted a new song titled "Walking Strange" and discovered it's not quite ready yet. I think it would be an awesome song with a full band, someone to do an awesome blues guitar solo. Seriously. But, with just me, it didn't quite become anything...and the lyrics aren't quite stuck in my head yet as I thought they were. I wrote down the lyrics and brought a cheat sheet up on stage, but that does no good when you can't read it.

My nerves are going away, though, so that makes it all the more fun. I really enjoyed myself last night. I can tell my comfort level on stage is going up because I can talk to the crowd more. I really need a new guitar, though. Mine has become so unreliable. I can't believe that out of the 3 guitars I have, none of them work when plugged in. I know they are all old, but come on! The one I used last night does work, but the PA sound has to be so adjusted for it that it just doesn't sound quite right. And who knows what will happen if I ever try to plug in at another venue. I'm thinking a new guitar might become a priority.

Last night's set:

Walking Strange
Back at the Start (I love singing this song, but it is very slow and I worry people get bored)
Good
Acid Tongue (Jenny Lewis cover. This was so much fun and got a good response. I will definitely be doing it again)
Cast a Spell
Everest (Ani Difranco cover. I felt I owed it to the woman to play one of her songs, but it didn't go so well. I probably won't cover her again)
Lord, I Have Made You a Place In My Heart (Greg Brown cover)

What It Takes

Music is exhausting. It's amazing how much work it can be when you are really giving it a go. I spent a big chunk of time tonight completely reworking one of my songs in preparation of the EP I plan to release next weekend (!) for my gigs at the St. Paul Art Crawl. The organizer for the event kept saying it was okay to sell merch, and so I wanted merch to sell so I'm whipping this together quickly.

I've got a plan to release a full length album this summer. A proper one. But this is just a stop gap. I'm excited, though. It will be nice to get some actual physical product out there. I plan on just asking for donations, so I'm curious what I will come away with , if anything. Honestly, I'm not expecting anything. A dollar would be great. One dollar. I will be happy.