Lost S5, Part IV, Episode 13, Scene 108

[SpaceChampion]

The proof? The Lamp Post {Hey, let's throw Narnia into the name pile. It's fictional but so what? Maybe Desmond will get back to the Island by entering a Wardrobe in Oxford :wideeyed: } which seems to be how DHARMA found the Island in the first place. From Wiki and ignoring the whole acronym aspect of the name which seems to be garbage anyway {Department of Heuristics and Research on Material Applications. Roughly it means they study problems and solutions. How vague, I should create a Think Tank like that, I wonder if I could get away with it}:

Awesome. Now I see the connections with C. S. Lewis. The Lamp Post is misdirection. The Narnia books have nothing to do with Lost. Surely some of you have read Lewis' other series, the Perelandra books, and specifically That Hideous Strength? Another vaguely named organization in that is the N.I.C.E. - National Institute of Coordinated Experiments, which was a front for some evil (in a satanic sense) bastards. Lewis made it run by evil atheist scientists, unfortunately, but the parallels with DHARMA are now obvious to me. As much as I find Lewis's (and Lost's) superstitious elements silly, both stories are compelling. I just hope the Lost ending isn't another case of divine intervention. As awesome as this season has been, I'm thinking it inevitable.

But... if they do it, somehow I think it will be far more palatable than BSG's divine intervention ending. It will be interesting to contrast the two when Lost is over.

[SpaceChampion]

Their not exactly NICE, but what's villainous about DHARMA in the 70s?

Maybe they are N.I.C.E.

[Samalander]

I think it's important to note, that, it appears the island itself has taken a side in this conflict and it's chosen representatives are none other than our Lostie protagonists. No sooner does the the plane crash and John Locke gets the use of his legs back, Rose is cured of cancer, Jack gets visions of his father, etc. It's like the island, who shares it's gifts sparingly with the Others (unless inside the temple) has gone all out for the Losties. I believe they are it's chosen champions.

[Jaxom 1974]

I think it's important to note, that, it appears the island itself has taken a side in this conflict and it's chosen representatives are none other than our Lostie protagonists. No sooner does the the plane crash and John Locke gets the use of his legs back, Rose is cured of cancer, Jack gets visions of his father, etc. It's like the island, who shares it's gifts sparingly with the Others (unless inside the temple) has gone all out for the Losties. I believe they are it's chosen champions.

Sorta like they're the ringers it's brought in to fix everything else that's gone wrong? Interesting. Though I still kinda like the idea that things are happening because of all the time looping the losties have done and that things are finally settling into the pattern that was meant to be...

[Isis]

Surely some of you have read Lewis' other series, the Perelandra books, and specifically That Hideous Strength?

I read the first one, which was fine. The second one was thrown across the room and then trampled on returned to the library unfinished because it was so painful to read.

[SpaceChampion]

I read the first one, which was fine. The second one was thrown across the room and then trampled on returned to the library unfinished because it was so painful to read.

I didn't read either for the first two books, and only read the third because it was for a class I was taking at the time. The demonization of institutional scientists was appalling, but fascinating in a train-wreck kind of way.

[Guest Raidne]

IMHO, Dharma is trying to save the world, and that motivation virtually guarantees that they are, in fact, evil. People can justify damn near anything if they think they're saving the world, and they never actually succeed at the end they're aiming at, so in the end their actions are always evil without any justification that might mitigate the means used. See, e.g. Watchmen.

[Werthead]

We already know DHARMA's agenda. It's to save the world.

The Lost Experience didn't exactly say that. It seemed to be suggesting that the values of the Valenzetti Equation could be altered which in turn would help avoid the end of the world, but the values themselves are based on things like the rate of global warming and the proliferation of nuclear weapons. DHARMA's on-island research could help change some of those values (using Island-derived technologies to perhaps create renewable energy sources or something) but not really all of them.

I've been wondering if DHARMA also saw the Island, which has a malleable relationship with the outside world and can be moved in time and space, as an ark on which they could ride out the apocalypse if and when it comes. Not so much saving the world but ensuring they survive it.

[awesome possum]

"The Constant" is playing right now on Sci-Fi

[Trebla]

According to wiki...

SPOILER: Richard

Richard will be the featured character on the May 6th episode titled "Follow the Leader". FANGASM! Answers! BTW...wasn't there supposed to be a Black Rock episode this season? I wonder if this will be it?

[Werthead]

Interview with the producers here which addresses some interesting matters.

'The Fifth Toe' is apparently now a euphenism :D

Regarding Richard:

SPOILER: Lost

It was reported that two old-school wooden ships had been hired at significant expense, even for Lost, for filming. The report was that it was earlier in the season, but it could have been for the last few episodes I suppose, assuming the whole thing wasn't a foiler.

[Myrddin]

Interview with the producers here which addresses some interesting matters.

Those two guys are hilarious. Even reading the interview, I can "hear" their voices fromt he podcast.

ETA:

When asked about which Lost like books they would recommend, Damion replied:

I think my own personal poll would align with Carlton, which would be the “Narnia” books. A, it’s a series of books that sometimes tracks the same characters but sometimes abandons those characters to track entirely different characters, and B) it’s a more epic story that builds toward an equally epic conclusion. There will be many parallels, we feel, between that universe and the “Lost” universe when all is said and done.

Interesting.

[Crazydog7]

I will say that even though I stopped really caring about the show when they killed Echo this season has finally gotten its feet under itself. It may be just transitory but it feels like the writters actually have a plan for the first time in a long time.

[unJon]

I take it there were no Easter Eggs in tonight's scenes episode since no one has posted yet. :unsure:

[Ran]

No Lost this week would explain it, I believe.

[unJon]

No Lost this week would explain it, I believe.

There was a Lost this week. It was a scenes episode thought. Hence my comment re: Easter Eggs, which they sometimes put in those episodes. Maybe everyone else was like me and just didn't watch it.

[Ran]

Oh, right. Yeah, I'm thinking a lot skipped them. What sort of Easter eggs do they tend to put into them anyways? Scenes that never aired?

[Slurktan]

I watched it, sort of. Didn't seem to be anything new. It wasn't even particularly "current" as it hadn't had any of the 6's adventures back on the island yet.

[grozeng]

I watched it, sort of. Didn't seem to be anything new. It wasn't even particularly "current" as it hadn't had any of the 6's adventures back on the island yet.

I think that was intentional. Comcast had the description as something like "Catch up with what the Oceanic 6 did during their 3 years off the island".

[Trebla]

one minor nugget I noticed. The narrator stated that Charles Widmore as responsible for the fake plane and bodies. I believe that still has been debated.