Review:

And here it is people, one of my favorite episodes of all time.  I could watch it over and over and love it every time.

In this episode we get to see what happened to the poor Tailies for the 48 days before we saw them.  So while we were feeling sorry for the main survivors, thinking that their lives were stressful, we had no idea the kinds of things that could have been happening.  The non-Tailies were lucky that they got Ethan, the less competent Other.  All he was able to do was botch a kidnapping of Claire, then get himself killed.  On the other hand The Tailies went through hell.  If you haven't watched this episode recently I suggest you do, it's quite an ordeal.

The problem is, it makes me dislike the whiny people that we watched for all of season one. 

10/10 without a doubt.  I love on-island flashbacks and I love when the writers mess with the shows format.

(Note: Just for fun, since the writers changed the format of this episode, I thought I'd change the format of my revlysis.  I got rid of all the names of the survivors who aren't in this episode.  And I'm putting pictures on the side in chronological order.)

Character Impressions:

Libby

-Libby's first scene is glorious.  She tricks the poor guy with the broken leg, so that she can set it.

-Libby got creeped out by Nathan, kinda weird considering he wasn't a bad guy.  (see below)

-Libby definitely has a calming effect on groups, without her infallible cheerfulness I doubt The Tailies could have kept going.

Ana Lucia

-Ana Lucia and Eko were the heroes of the day of the crash, and for the whole other 48 days.

-The scene between Goodwin and Ana Lucia, before she kills him, is so incredibly stressful.

-I might have been a little confused and suspicious when Ana Lucia came back without Goodwin, from her hike to use the radio.

-That would be very hard to believe that little Jin was an Other.  I guess that's why they took him out of the pit first.

Eko

-I like that the kids trust Eko so much.  I personally would be scared of him, he looks pretty threatening even in a suit.

-Eko had to pull all the dead bodies out of the water.

-As for Eko's vow of silence, I believe he is trying his best to have a fresh start on the island, he wants to remain innocent. 

Bernard

-Why does poor Bernard have to be the person stuck in the tree.  He doesn't need that kind of stress, he looks like he could have a heart attack at any time.

Cindy

-Cindy was aware that flight 815 was flying in the wrong direction.

-Cindy wasn't on the list that Ana Lucia found on The Other that she killed.  Did The Others take her as an afterthought?  Or maybe just to make the kids more comfortable.

-I wonder why I'm so intrigued by this character, there isn't really anything great about her, but I was so desperate for her to come back.  When she did, in that awful Jack tattoo episode, it was so anticlimactic.

-It's kinda odd that Claire and Cindy were the only two Australians on the whole plane.

Goodwin

-Goodwin really liked Ana Lucia.  He was constantly giving her appraising and almost approving glances.

-Goodwin's story was that he was in the Peace Core.  Ethan's story was that he was Canadian.  These are the most innocent people that The Others could think of imitating. 

-Goodwin must have been pretty scared when he saw that Eko had killed two of the other Others.

-Bernard asked a good question, if Nathan really was an Other, why would he still be there?  The question obviously doesn't apply to Nathan, but it does apply to Goodwin, he stayed there because he wanted Ana Lucia to join The Others.  What did he see in her?  Maybe he was hoping to get her to come back so that she could kill his wife.  Seriously though, what was so special about her, was it her proactiveness, or maybe it was her willingness to kill.

-Goodwin: "Maybe their not really attacking us."  He's actually right, The Others didn't attack them, kidnapping is pretty awful, but they never harmed anyone.  I think it was not in the best interest of The Others to be so secretive, I'll bet an open and public meeting between the survivors and The Others would have accomplished a lot.

The Kids

-Cindy is put in charge of the children.  It's almost a good thing that she was taken too, so that they had someone they knew.

-Those poor kids went through a lot.  It's hard to imagine how stressful it would be for them to be stranded on an island with no one they knew.  The on top of that people keep on getting kidnapped and people kept on dying.

Flashbacks (what we knew then):

-I totally suspected Nathan.  They made it completely likely that he was an Other.

-It's kinda funny watching The Tailies struggle through things without guns, they have their sharpened sticks and shrapnel machetes.  The main survivors don't know how easy they had it with all ther guns.  I guess it's probably better that Ana Lucia didn't have one, she's a little trigger happy.  But we'll forgive her cause she did a good thing when she killed Shannon.

-I found it disappointing at the end of this episode when we get back to the main survivors.  It zooms in on Sayid's angry face and all that excitement of the new people disappears when you realize that we're back to the same old characters.

Flashforwards (what we know now):

-The Others have a massively harder time than the main survivors.  So many more of them died in the initial crash.  They were all in the water, and they had to swim in.  Then when they got in they had no equipment, no doctor, some kids.  On top of that The Others came on the third night and tried to kidnap people.  Then they started to suspect each other when they found the list.  It's amazing that any of them survived and didn't go crazy.

-I would love to know what kind of criteria Jacob had when he created the lists.  Goodwin implies that Eko was on the list, he says that on the first night they took the strongest, including Eko.  He also says that Nathan was not a good person, that's why he wasn't on the list.  Then he says the children are better off now.  I can understand why they'd want kids, they're easy to brainwash, but what could they have done with Eko?  And what if some of the people they took were stronger and more resistant to the brainwashing, did they just kill them?

-In the Dharma station, The Arrow, they find a box full of interesting objects: a glass eye, a bible, and a radio.  If you ask me I'd guess that at one time Patchy lived down there, before he moved to his farm, obviously.  It's a little surprising that there was a bible down there, but maybe he's a christian.

-The Arrow also says quarantine on it, on the inside of the door.  That seems like a bit of misdirection.  Or possibly it could be that this was the original Hatch.  Maybe, like the Swan, there were surveillance cameras and they tested what people would do there with nothing to do, maybe to see how long it would take them to go crazy or leave the station.  It's a pretty weak theory, I have to admit.  Another clue as to what it is was the fact that Horace had an arrow on his uniform.  I don't know what that means, and as much as I like Horace, that gives me no clue.

-I hope that season 5 episodes are similar to these episodes, where there is no flashbacks or forwards it's just one continuous story, that's what I would expect. 

- Izi

HORDES of Nazi racoons are out to conquer Europe.

They are just across the Channel from Britain after marching through France, Belgium, Holland and Denmark in a furry blitzkrieg.

Nazi racoons on warpath | The Sun |News

And for bonus reading, Here is tha Fark thread on it:

http://forums.fark.com/cgi/fark/comments.pl?IDLink=3834064

Paul Nesbitt

Nine years ago Japelin, a virtually unknown artist from Wroclaw, Poland, entered a painting in the prestigious Warsaw Festival of the Arts. "I did not expect much." Japelin confessed to our senior arts correspondent, Paul Nesbitt, over chicken steaks and bagels. "I used a lot of oils. Sun colors mostly. A lot of straight lines. The painting was based on a dream I had in which a Polish soldier was trying in vain to fill a bucket with hermit crabs. It was night time, cold and black; all but the moon which was bright green, a germ. I didn‘t think the judges would understand my work." However, to Japelin's surprise the judges unanimously and enthusiastically awarded him 1^st prize, praising the painting (which is entitled Mowny Intruz; Talkative Intruder) as a, "Masterful and adventurous debut!" Soon after being awarded top honors at the festival, young Japelin's career took off. His reputation as an artistic genius spread far and wide and he was soon being commissioned by royalty to paint murals and portraits in his trademark abstract and mystical style. Presently, he teaches art at the Academy of Arts in Cairo, Egypt. He is married to Lynn-Bathgate, a professor of organic chemistry and author of the best-selling children's book, "Underground Monkey."

The following is an exclusive interview conducted by Paul Nesbitt. It is accompanied by a series of original sketches which Japelin scribbled on the back of a placemat during his lunch will Paul and is graciously allowing us to publish. Enjoy.

Paul Nesbitt: Can you tell us about your childhood?

Japelin: Of course. Growing up my family was very poor. We were starving. It was bad. We were close to eating the tablecloth. *Japelin chuckles* We lived in a small city named Wroclaw in Poland. My father worked at a steel house on the banks of the Odra River. You could see the smoke stacks from our apartment. They were bald giants, sitting against the mountains, slurring their speech and spewing black flower petals into the sky. He worked very hard and worked very long hours. I barely ever saw him. When he came home from work I was usually in bed. Every night I would try and stay up to see him. I passed the time counting my appendages, my ears, fingers, toes, nose... counted my teeth. On the nights I was able to stay awake, I would sit on his lap and he would sing me this song and I would fall asleep...

My mother sold brown paper for money underneath the Poznan Bridge. There was a bazaar underneath that bridge. People sold all sorts of things underneath large, canvas tents; calendars, pigs with leather collars, coconut bread. My mother knew I liked to draw so every now and then she would sneak me a couple of sheets of brown paper. I spent all of my time drawing. I drew everything I saw; tree branches, my mother's wrists, the floorboards... And yes, this made me happy. My mother's boss soon caught on that she was giving away paper and he beat her very badly. He was always drunk. I met him once when my mother brought me with her to his office to pick up her pay. He had pictures of women dressed up like pilots on his wall and the office was very smoky. He talked very fast and repeatedly pounded his fist on his desk. *Japelin begins to hand roll a cigarette* So anyways, after the beating she was walking home and she fell unconscious and was found dead later that night by a farmer. After the funeral I swore I would never draw again. I felt responsible. I burned all of my brown paper and threw my pencils into the Odra.

Paul Nesbitt: How did you and your father cope?

Japelin: Well, my father never recovered from my mother's death. He quickly began to lose his mind. Every night he would come from work with a bag filled with stones. "Japelin! My Japelin!" He'd exclaim, bursting through the door. "Look at all of the stones your Papa found today!" Being a small boy, I did not see anything wrong with this behavior. I was happy to see him happy. I was happy to be able to sit there, sorting through stones on our living room floor, picking out the ones we liked best. We planted them in my mother's garden. He was convinced that when it rained my mother would come back. Needless to say, she never did.

One night while my father was walking home from the steel house, a group of bandits mistook his bag of stones for a bag of money. They stabbed my father to death and ran off into the night.

Paul Nesbitt: Not having parents at a very young age, where did you go? How did you survive?

Japelin: *Japelin laughs* I barely survived. I ran away from Wroclaw. I felt like the jay rabbit from Smit's, "The Canvas Bag".

Paul Nesbitt: One of my favorites.

Japelin: Mine too. Mine too.

Paul Nesbitt: How did you afford to run away?

Japelin: My father had stashed some money away in a violin he kept under his bed. I took the money and hopped on a train. I made it all the way to Antwerp in the Netherlands. I didn't know what I was doing. I didn't want to be sad anymore, that's all. Once I got to Antwerp I had no money left. I walked around the city, growing weaker and weaker. I quickly developed a very bad fever. One night I stumbled my way into a church because I heard singing and it made me feel better. I passed out in a pew and I was out for a few days. When I came to I was in a very bright room and there was a man and a woman looking over me - Father De Vries and Sister Bakker. They had saved my life.

Paul Nesbitt: Was it at this particular church that you became acquainted with the author, J. Arthur Goodwin?

Japelin: *Japelin chuckles* Yes. The story has become something of a legend now hasn't it? You see, the church, which was named, "The Church of the Holy Light", also served as an orphanage. They took in homeless children, fed them, taught them how to read and write, and of course, taught them religion. I shared a bedroom with Goodwin. He was originally from Norwich, England. His parents were political revolutionists who were conspiring to assassinate the Prime Minister. They sent him across the English Channel on a tobacco boat to protect him from danger and had made arrangements for Goodwin to stay with Father De Vries. *Japelin smiles* He's the reason I got back into drawing, you know.

Paul Nesbitt: That's what I hear. How did it all happen?

Japelin: We were up late one night, talking about lord knows what, when we got reminiscing about our lives prior to The Church of the Holy Light. I mentioned that I used to draw but had given it up after my mother's death. *Japelin smiles* Goodwin got real quiet. Then he climbed down from the top bunk and walked over to our desk and turned on the light. I had no idea what the hell he was doing. He took out a piece of paper and a pencil and said to me, "Draw a horse, Japelin." I refused. I told him that I had promised myself I would never draw again. He repeated, "Draw a horse, Japelin." Again I refused. But Goodwin was stubborn and he was not going to let me sleep without drawing that horse. I reluctantly agreed. It had been years since I had last drawn. I drew a straight line, then a circle, then another straight line. Oh, to be drawing again! Goodwin stood over me, watching in silence. When I finished, he put a hand on my shoulder and whispered, "We are not the rain drops, Japelin. We are the storm. The unseen. The wounded dog that drinks from the mud puddle. The wolf-cat that chokes on the jasmine leaf. While the hunters sleep with their backs against the mighty oak, dreaming of stagnant waters, we will create! Look at this horse, this beautiful horse! I will give it a name. Hoffman!" And then he stood up on my mattress and began clapping and screaming, "Japelin! You have created Hoffman! You have created life! This horse, this horse of yours, he can grunt and gallop. He can do anything!" He woke up the entire orphanage. *Japelin wipes a tear from his eye* Only Goodwin. Only Goodwin. So from then on out I drew and drew and drew. I owe Goodwin everything.

Paul Nesbitt: That's incredible. How long did you stay at the church?

Japelin: Until I was seventeen. That's when I decided that I wanted to share my art with the world and traveled to Warsaw to enter my painting in the festival of the arts. *Japelin points at his watch* I'm terribly sorry Paul but I have a seminar at 2 o'clock. I'm afraid I am going to have to cut this short.

Paul Nesbitt: Please, do not apologize. *We both stand up and shake hands* It's been an honor Japelin.

Japelin: Please tell the boys at Funny Blood I said hello and that I really enjoy their work.

Paul Nesbitt: Will do.

J. Arthur Goodwin

It wasn't easy. No, it was never easy for Rudolph Sledge to kill 'em when they were down for the count. The floor was dirty like a napkin that was used to clean a frying pan. He crept closer to his enemy in a stance that demonstrated dominance and a deep knowledge of kung fu. His enemy was a German who looked like a vanilla wafer. His crime? Selling illegal rifles to pissed off Koreans.

Rudolph didn't know where to kick the German. If he gave him the kick of death to the ribs then his head would explode. He didn't want to do that. He didn't want to get blood on his new shirt. It had a monster truck driving over a pyramid printed on the chest.

Rudolph was now standing over the German with a difficult choice to make: let him go, or kill him right then and there in the basement of a beauty parlor. "Get it over with." moaned the slimy little prick on the floor. His skin was dark like a candy bar that had been left on a picnic table melting in the Spanish sun. "How the hell did I get mixed up in this shit?" thought Rudolph.

Then, out of nowhere his ruthless enemy pulled a gun out of his pocket and pointed it at Rudolph. "The game plan has changed asshole!" screamed the unflappable German. Rudolph was stuck like a filament in a glass bulb. This was it. He would never go to the Rocky Mountains with his daughter, Tess. That was his dream. His only dream.

"Any last words, Sledge?" asked the German. "Yes. Yes... I want you to tell my daughter that I love her, that I tried my best to be a good father. I just wish I could have brought her to the Rocky Mountains. That's all I ever wanted."

The German cocked the gun. Have you ever heard the sound of the evening train, gliding over the steel rails charging on to the unknown? That's what it sounded like to Rudolph Sledge. And then he had an idea. "Before you paint the fuckin' walls red with this old dog's blood could you get me that can of root beer on that table behind you?"

"Sure. No problem." replied the German. With his back turned, Rudolph kicked the dickhead square in the temple. The world had been fuckin' rocked by that kick, esé. The German fell to the ground, clutching the ice-cold root beer. Rudolph Sledge tore the root beer out of his dead hand and let that cold shit run down his throat, nice and easy.

The owner of the beauty parlor came running down the stairs, out of breath and with a shit load of questions. She had rollers in her hair and was holding a broom. "What was that terrible noise!? What happened!?" she screamed.

"Go back upstairs, sweetheart." Rudolph Sledge replied, tossing the empty can of root beer to the floor. "I was just on my way. I gotta go take my daughter to the Rocky Mountains."

The End

Goodwin '78

So here's, like, the deal. Having done TexasGigs/The Fine Line for nearly 6-years, I developed somewhat of an irrational sense of obligation to keep up the same pace (and information) I had since the inception. That's a helluva lot of bloggin, my friends. Also, the enormous amount of time spent in smoky bars to obtain live or recorded audio/video, late night, too much booze, loads of negativity, blah, blah, yada, yada. Bleeech. I'm, how you say, spent.

Plus, for a couple of years, there was a need for what I was blathering on about. Now, the InterWeb is chock full of the same information. Just turn around...a-ha!...another local music blog!

Twas time to move on to something different, and hopefully, better.

The name "Life Outside the Bubble" is full of meaning. Here's the gist:

1. My life outside of my recently dissolved matrimonial state.

2. My life outside the day-to-day-to-night-to-night involvement in the local music scene.

3. My life doing things (Scooters'n'Kayaks'n'whatever other trouble I can wrangle up) that are outside of my comfy little bubbled-life.

4. Stuff that doesn't pertain to Highland Park. (a few of you might get that reference)

5. Other stuff I don't wanna share.

What you will find here:

1. More video than written word

2. More culture than just music

3. Music

4. Personal blather

5. Other stuff I do wanna share

So that's 'bout it in a nutshell. Music talk? Yep, just not the way I talked it before.

Oh, and I'm hoping to continue contributing to Quick if they'll have me. I dig those folks.

Now, I gotta go do something other than sit here blogging...I'll be sure and take my camcorder...

PS: The Fine Line will always be around. There's too much audio/video stuff to shut the ol' gal down. I still love her...just need a new young thang on my arm...heh...

For my current and future musical needs (and coverage) - I'll be hangin' mostly in Fort Worth, as well as Austin and further down south a'ways...oh, and - Sons of Hermann and The Double Wide in Dallas for my musical needs.

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Eva Mendes

Paula Patton

Mercedes Bass

Olatz Schnabel

Emmy Rossum

Diane Kruger

Zani Gugelmann

Ginnifer Goodwin

Leighton Meester

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS)

After hubris comes the fall. On April 22nd Sir Fred went cap in hand to shareholders, asking them for £12 billion ($24 billion) in Europe's largest capital-raising to date. He says he may also have to pawn some family silver: he hopes to raise another £4 billion by selling the bank's profitable insurance business.

It is always sad to see these fat cats, that get £5 Millions (!!!) a year in salary plus bonuses and shares, they manage to cripple the businesses they are supposed to be running, and as soon are they questioned by shareholders and media they rather get away using back doors, tradesman entrances, and rubbish gates....just like rats!

The famous musical "The Phantom of the Opera" written by Andrew Lloyd Webber has been playing at the QPAC, Brisbane since February of 2008 and is concluding around the end of April.

I have been lucky enough to see it twice, and both times I have loved it and thoroughly enjoyed it.

And this leads me to the thought that, the next time I'll probably get to see the Phantom again in Brisbane is when I am aged 27. I hope to be the Phantom by then.

I passionately love this musical, every song is beautiful, the drama is wonderful and the sad scenes tug at the heartstrings; evoking such intense emotions.

I love The Phantom of the Opera.

The main cast are as follows;

1. Phantom - Anthony Warlow
2. Christine - Ana Marina, Julie Goodwin
3. Raoul - Alexander Lewis

Anthony Warlow performed each time with stunning precision and drama, all notable in his powerful sound production and convincing acting as the Phantom. Perhaps the scene with most impact was when the Phantom sings "All I ask of you (reprise)" where he expresses his anguish after Christine and Raoul express their love for each other. This in my opinion is a crucial moment in the drama of the story and a convincing and believable expression of true sadness needs to be achieved. Anthony Warlow, mostly uses vocal colour changes, falsetto and sobbing to express this. He was successful the first time however not so much the second time around. The second performance was excessively fast in comparison to the much earlier event which I saw during MID-February, and after timing, it is estimated that the second show was in fact, concluded half an hour earlier than the former. Anthony Warlow does a stunning job in "Music of the Night" with his vocal capability, however the pacing of the song has a lot to be desired.

Julie Goodwin as Christine was sensational. Her voice was very settled, very fitting to the music and most importantly, fitting to the part. Her facial expressions and movements somehow felt very 'right' as a Christine and her performance of "Remember me" was just beautiful.

Ana Marina as Christine was quite a good choice, however her voice had a lot to be desired. For some unknown reason, she tends to cut her notes at the higher end short and she applies vibrato way to quickly. The overall effect being that she is one of those princesses who try to sing like a songbird or a sparrow. Her dramatic acting is very convincing, she is very nice to look at and yes, she is a beautiful woman (yeah, shes hot as..).

Alexander Lewis' performance capabilities have improved astronomically. I could not tell if it was the same singer or not when I heard him the second time. The difference between the improvement was heaven and earth. His voice matured and he delivered a successful performance.

In ten years time, I most certainly hope I have achieved the role of Phantom. This is one of my most intense ambitions and it MUST be achieved. The orchestration is beautiful, the little sequences of musical notes in between scenes and those that evoke the sense of mystery capture my heart. Every melody in the Phantom musical is brilliant and beautiful. Special mention goes to "All I ask of you"'s melody, as it is very haunting and resembles such a crucial point in the story.

I believe I have what it takes to be the Phantom because of the emotions that I have felt throughout my life. I also have a tendency to take more liking towards bad guys and evildoer roles - in which case in Phantom that he does ALL this in the name of love.

The Phantom of the Opera is and will be my favourite show of all time. I love it so much.

Although Anthony Warlow is brilliant, my favourite Phantom has to go to John Owen Jones.

That seems irrelevant, but in retrospect I see it as a foreshadowing of the certain "death" I would bring myself. The problems I would create on my own. The way I would torment myself mentally until it would show on the outside.

Tear stained faces and circular scars arent a pretty picture.

My life started its downward spiral at the simple age of four. I was a loner even then. The kids at school avoided me and this was in preschool - where kids are supposed to fingerpaint and skip through meadows holding hands and singing ... well something like that. I had to be home schooled as well as go to "Holy Cross Elemantary" which would soon be known as my hell on Earth.

At the same time my cousin Jenny started to intoduce me to "sex" which was honestly just making out - but I was four, so I really had no idea. I felt as though I was doing something so terrible and I have never been good at keeping secrets ... so I began to torture myself with how much I enjoyed something that I felt was so wrong. When Jenny wanted to stop what we had been doing (we played this "game" everytime they would visit, which was at least 4 times a week) I was crushed. I never wanted to stop. I loved the feeling, I loved the rush it gave me. I felt wanted which was a first. Even at merely four years old, I felt unwanted. I was a born failure.

My father has always hated me I don't remember much of the things he has said to me but the things that stick out strongly in my mind are:                                                                                                      

1. Age 4 - "Shut the fuck up you cow"

2. Age 7 Said To my mother about me - "I'll never understand her, I never will and I'm not about to try"

I've learned not to trust men. He was my bestfriend, unless he was drunk... then he was my biggest fear. When drunk, he was a monster. He would beat my mother, scream at the entire family, or just black out. The worst times of my youngest years were Sunday mornings. Dad would insist upon making breakfast and make Mom help. He would yell and throw things if the toast wasn't done right, the glasses had too little in them, or she wasn't fast enough. She was never fast enough because he would give her a drunken beating the night before. To this day her tailbone and hands are still fucked up. She stayed with him, for us kids. She suffered through thirteen years of torment with that man. The man I am ashamed to call my father, the man my brother has turned into, the man my sister admires.

This was all before I was ten. The year I was ten, that remains one of the most frightening years of my life. My father's brother and his family had moved in with us my uncle was an alcoholic, his wife was an idiot, and his kids were pure copies of their parents, Jenny (yes, that's their daughter) and Patrick Jr. Nothing compares to the anger that consumes a drunken Goodwin man or the stupidity that takes hold of a drunken Goodwin women -- we just can't hold out liquor. This is the roots of my alcohol hatred. 

My uncle Patrick may have been an unfaithful husband (I have a cousin I've never met named Chris, whom was birthed by another woman Patrick had slept with) but he was overly protective of his wife. One afternoon my mother and my aunt got into a fight about something so pety I don't even remember what it was. My aunt calls up her husband and feeds him this story about how awful we are treating her, that my mom was hitting her ... so on and so forth. So it was Uncle Patrick to the "rescue". He comes storming into the house drunk out of his mind, pushes my mother into a chair and sits us three kids on the floor huddled against her. He points his finger less than an inch from Mom's face screaming "If you talk back to my family or lay one hand on them again, I'll kill you!" then in turn points to each of us one at a time saying "and I'll kill you. And I'll kill you" then when he gets to me, I've stood up and wrapped my arms tightly around Mom, he points to me and says "And I'll definitely kill you". I've always been brave in the face of what was sure danger. I just squinted my eyes and glared into him, perfecting what I inherited from my mother, "The Limner Death Stare". Now only a few of us Limner descendants can get this down and as for me I can only do it in the heat of the moment. Well anyway... my uncle retreated, we had won, for the time being. He took Lisa, Patrick Jr. and Jenny out for the night and they didn't return until two in the morning. I had to hold Mom as she broke down and waited for Dad to get his cheating ass home. Which was something i knew about before she did. When he arrived home he opened a beer and told her that this wasnt't something he would get in the middle of. He never helped and he never told those ingrates to get out of our house. After about four months and two free camping trips they got their sorry asses out of our house. Three more months later, so did my father. The divorce process was easy, seeing as though Dad didn't even bother to fight for us, he had Gina. Who we would meet in January. I liked Gina I really did. The best part was I was smarter than her. I was ten she was twenty-six. The only thing she knew more about was sex because a bimbo like her knows how to do one thing - lie down. Gina and my father, Robert are now married. I can only pray that the chemo my father has had to undergo has made him sterile. No more kids should have to deal with his drunken abuse. As for Gina, I feel bad for her, even though she was the reason for my parents divorce (which I thank her for). Her punishment for home wrecking is having to deal with my fucker father for the rest of her sad, miserable life.

                                     * THE SHOW MUST GO ON*

The Coalition was brought together by a broad coalition called the "Big 6".  They included organizers James Farmer of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE),  Martin Luther King, Jr. of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), John Lewis of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), A. Phillip Randolph of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, Roy Wilkins of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and Whitney Young, Jr. of the National Urban League.

At the time, President John F. Kennedy discouraged the march out of concern (fear) that it might make civil rights legislation harder to pass; that white racist lawmakers might feel that the march, organized by six black men might be perceived as a threat.

At the time, Malcolm X forbade any members from the Nation of Islam to attend and gave a directive that if anyone from NOI should attend, they would face immediate suspension.

Two noteworthy speeches were produced as a result of that day.  The first, from John Lewis of SNCC, who represented a younger, more radical view of the issue of civil rights.  The other and certainly the most famous was delivered Martin Luther King, Jr.

Lewis' speech provided a more fiery flavor:  "The revolution is at hand, and we must free ourselves of the chains of political and economic slavery. ... We cannot depend on any political party, for the Democrats and the Republicans have betrayed the basic principles of the Declaration of Independence."

King provided a more potent, subtle, yet powerful message.  It spoke of equity, it spoke of similarities, it spoke of a world where the basic principles of the Declaration of Independence would be provided to everyone regardless of color.  That the real issue is class, poor white, poor blacks, poor asian, poor latinos, experience the same unending oppressive, angry, resentful, and sometimes hopelessness feelings.  It does not change with color.

Today, in the New York Daily News, Michael Goodwin provided an editorial, his response to Obama's speech.  Goodwin indicated that Obama looked and sounded defeated.  That somehow he had been worn down to the point where he good not muster his normal "soaring rhetoric".  That Obama is now being so plagued by doubt by the American voting public and so aware of his impeding doom, "He looked uncomfortable, even unhappy..."

I don't know where Mr. Goodwin got his information.  I don't know if Goodwin's view is a shared view among the majority of people who viewed the speech.  I know that I have read the blogs of others, seen viewer opinions on message boards, both in favor and in opposition to the speech.

I can't recall, in my lifetime, the last time a presidential campaign created such a divide or illicited such strong emotions, on both side.  I can't recall the last time I have ever experienced from others the hopefulness and helplessness at the highs and lows of both Democratic candidates.  I do know that Senator Obama's speech was an open call for honest and serious dialogue.  It was not the time for rhetoric, for preachy tones, for rousing the masses.  It was not time for whipping people into a frenzy, for defeat, for reactionary or defensive posturing.

On March 18, 2008, as on August 28, 2963, it was time for honest dialogue, it was time for putting the cards on the table, it was a call to all Americans  to put aside petty politics, to move past the misguided analysis of the election.  It was a call to stop acting like hypocrites and deal, truly deal with our pain, our biases, our resentments, our anger, our stereotypes, our feelings on all the things that divide us and look at what connects us.  Race, is a social construct used to divide.  It was created as a means of justifying the treatment of enslaved Africans.  It was then further used to create divisions in the African American community as well as in the Caribbean and South America.  Almost any ethnic group, any culture that has been harmed through colonialism understand this social construct, because we live it.  In order to ensure that poor whites in the south could be kept under the thumb of rich whites, there was an additional element infused.  Poor whites did the dirty work of the rich whites, their sons and daughters often ending up as bitter, twisted, and resentful... becoming as dangerous as the poorest, angriest, and sometimes criminal African Americans that you can meet.

The conversation is a somber conversation, it is a solemn conversation, and it is a serious conversation.  It needs to happen, it has to happen, to move beyond the past, to move beyond our baises.  As I said, there is no room for rhetoric here.

And Senator Obama cannot give up on Jeremiah Wright, he cannot give up on inmate 6784-9753, he cannot give up on the welfare mother, he cannot give up on the autoworkers, he cannot give up on the college student, he cannot give up on this country, a country who has given birth to him, who has educated him, who has given him possibilities and responsibilities.  Notice, the inmate, the welfare mother, the autoworkers, the college student, and this country are colorless, anyone could fit those roles...  and so we should not give up on Senator Obama, because no one could fit his role.

This episode is well deserved to be called a good episode but unfortunately it is not in the league with what the season has delivered so far, with the exception of Eggtown. This episode did not have me on the edge of my seat, only with the chemistry between Locke and Ben also the small reveal made me like this episode a lot more. The whole Juliet back story may have some significant relationship reveals/answers towards a future episode, in reference to Ben and Harper, which I'm 99% sure Juliet will meet up with both again at a later point, but how significant on the overall plot is to be desired.

The main focus is relationships involving Harper, Ben and Goodwin. Harper is Juliet's Therapist who Juliet has not taken a liken too. She talks to a man called Goodwin about how she feels with the death of another pregnant woman. He asks do you have anyone to talk too and suggests "Harper" in which she responds "we only talk because we have to talk and I feel she is a spiteful person". Goodwin replies "she is my wife".
From a previous flashback we know that Goodwin and Juliet have had sexual relations. Ben seems too catch on that there is something going on between them and Harper tells Juliet to back off. "You might hurt his feelings" directed to Ben. She is also comments "You look like her". At first thought Ben's Mother came to mind but I found this kinda weird but then again Ben is pretty unique. N.B The actress who played Ben's mother is in fact Michael Emerson's wife. Goodwin contemplates to go public with their relationship. Juliet is concerned about Ben's feelings and is surprised that Goodwin knows Ben has a crush on her. Goodwin says he has more important stuff to worry about than their relationship and what would he do to him. When the Plane crashes he sends Goodwin as a scout full well knowing he will come home in a body bag. Ben tricks Juliet to come on a date and talks to her about Goodwin and Ana Lucia's relationship making her jealous of the two. Juliet is shocked to see Goodwin dead and asks the reason of Ben bringing her here. He responds with "you mean instead of his wife" Juliet realizes Ben knew this would happen and asks why you let this happen.
(Now for the most thrilling part of the flashback) He asks isn't it obvious "YOUR MINE". Ben stole the show from Juliet. I felt he was the stronger character and gave a more interesting look on the episode . Though I did not think a whole episode of flashbacks was needed for this, a few connections with the main action would have been a lot more satisfying.

Juliet is on a mission from Ben relayed to Harper. (I have no idea how she managed to appear and disappear so quickly maybe we will find out when the whispers are explained also got info from Ben.) She is to go to the Tempest (another Dharma station) and stop Faraday and Lewis from releasing toxic gas and killing the people on the island. When she arrives she finds out that they are here to safely secure the site so as no purge can happen. Juliet realizes that Ben will do anything to kill the freighties, collateral is no object in his plans.
Juliet is also concerned for Jacks health as he is in the same situation to Goodwin was.
I liked the fact we saw a new dharma station but was disappointed in the lack of explanations for why this station was originally built. Rebecca Mader is growing on me more every episode not just because she is hot but because she makes her character an interesting and believable one. Faraday(Jeremy Davies) kicks ass (full stop)

The Sub Plot used in this episode is probably the most interesting part of the episode. Roll on Locke and Ben Flashback. There chemistry is just great and it never fails to deliver. The many theories of Charles Widmore being a bigger player in Lost has been shed with light in the last two episodes. He bought a journal connected to the Black Rock that washed up on the island and belonged to a Hanso relation of Alvar Hanso who funded Dharma. Also the attempt to pull information from an other and the fact his daughter shares the same goal but for different reasons.
The spy on the boat must have been some good information for Locke. The final scene with Ben jauntily proceeding to his house and his impressive one linermake him one of the best characters on the show, funny and just weird. To be honest I was smiling with him, lets make this a bumpy ride shall we.

Hope to see more of Ben and Locke and the freighter peeps in the next episode Ji Yeon. Apparently this is the most shocking of the seven but with a Jin and Sun Flashback/Flashforward I just can't see it. Though I thought the same when Jack was revealed as the season finale. Just don't let me down.

Gerald Douglas Oxby Disappearance

Fort Zachary
In the beginning of august 1981 Gerald Douglas Oxby, disappeared along with his sailing-boat. After a few weeks his girlfriend, Kim Goodwin, called his mother in Wales. She was worried about Oxby and the sailing-boat they owned together. “Antares” was a 57 feet long sailing-boat that Oxby had been working on for a year or more. It was probably placed in the old navy harbour and marina at Fort Zachary in Key West (not in use any more).

His girlfriend threatened
On the phone Kim Goodwin explained to Oxby's mother that a man Oxby knew had threatened her with a gun. The man who was threatening her was the last person who was ever seen with Oxby. Kim Goodwin did not describe this man on the phone. 

Oxby's girlfriend in Key West, Kim Goodwin, later wrote a few letters to his mother in Wales (UK). In one of them she explained, that she had tried to persuade the police in Key West to look into the disappearance of Gerald Oxby. But the police refused, so instead she turned to a private detective agency based in Key West.

Private investigators threatened
The “Richardson Detectives” came to the conclusion, that Oxby probably had fallen victim to a crime. Initially, they suspected that Oxby had left with the sailing-boat with the purpose of cheating Kim Goodwin from her share of the boat. In this link you can see one the first letters the two detectives wrote to Oxby's mother in Wales:

Read letter from detectives (pdf)

Another letter from the detectives mentions that also the detectives had received threats from the man who knew Oxby.

Police negligence
Because the Key West police refused to investigate, Oxby has never officially been reported missing. So no one has been looking for him since he disappeared in August, 1981. The only hope is that ordinary citizens - like you - are willing to help.
According to the Office of Vital Statistics, his body has not been found in the State of Florida. This means that there is a theoretical possibility that he is still alive.

Note:
In many ways the attitude of the local police and the pattern of events resembles another disappearance in Key West. Mrs. Diana Lynn Harris went missing probably in the same week of August as Oxby. But it could also have been earlier: probably between the middle of July until early August.
She was only 27 years old but her daughter is still looking for her. The daughter's investigation has been going on for years and it draws on evidence that the local police in Key West was involved in organized crime. Furthermore, the police for years, seemed deliberately to work against the daughter's efforts, building a suspicion that they were implicated in her mother's disappearance.

Please read Oxby's son's full story about his Dad here,
www.missing-oxby.dk

In “The Tempest,” Prospero had been the Duke of Milan, until his brother Antonio plotted with Alonso, the King of Naples, He was exiled with his daughter Miranda, but the supplies given to him by Gonzalo allowed him to survive on the island. Prospero freed the sprites imprisoned by the witch Sycorax, thus obtaining the servitude of the sprite Ariel. Sycorax’s son, the half man/half beast Caliban, was put in chains. When a ship with the players (Alonso, his brother Sebastian, his son Ferdinand, Gonzalo, Antonio) sails near the island, Prospero commands Ariel to conjure up and storm and an imaginary fire on the ship, which causes the people onboard to jump over the sides. They wash up on the island, and Ferdinand is separated from the rest. Ferdinand and Miranda meet each other and immediately fall in love. As the play ensues, Antonio tries to convince Sebastian to kill the king, and the castaways Stephano and Trinculo try to convince Caliban to kill Prospero. Power plays from off and on the island interlace.

Shakespeare borrowed from ancient sea adventures from the “Argonautica” to “The Aeneid.” [He would blend ancient tradition with contemporary stories of wonder in faraway lands and tales from the New World.] In such mythic works, harpies (who in ancient mythology were finally depicted as creatures who were half women/half birds) were sent by the gods to punish those who had angered them. In “The Tempest” near the play’s end, Ariel prepares a feast for the castaways and then shapeshifts into a harpy. However, rather than rip these characters to shreds, she tells them that they are evil men, which leads to their “redemption” and ultimately reconciliation with Prospero. Seeming to appear and disappear out of thin air – along with the disquieting whispers – Harper Stanhope of “The Other Woman” may be an allusion to the harpies. Intriguingly her personality and appearance have the qualities of contemporary usage as a bad-tempered or vindictive woman or as someone who preys on others. Certainly she has a score to settle with Juliet, who transgressed in having an affair with Harper’s husband.

An aside: Do we necessarily believe Ben, the puppet-master, when he professes his obsessive love of Juliet?

Lost is a United States serial drama television series that follows the lives of plane crash survivors on a mysterious tropical island, after a passenger jet flying between Sydney, Australia and Los Angeles, United States crashes somewhere in the South Pacific. Each episode typically features a primary storyline on the island as well as a secondary storyline from another point in a character’s life. The show was created by Damon Lindelof, J. J. Abrams and Jeffrey Lieber, and is filmed primarily on location in Oahu, Hawaii. The pilot episode was first broadcast on September 22, 2004. Since then, three seasons have aired. The show is produced by ABC Studios, Bad Robot Productions and Grass Skirt Productions and airs on the ABC Network in the United States. Its incidental music is composed by Michael Giacchino. The current executive producers are Abrams, Lindelof, Bryan Burk, Jack Bender and Carlton Cuse. Because of its large ensemble cast and the cost of filming in Hawaii, the series is one of the most expensive on television.

From the Lost Wikipedia entry.

Warning: Spoilers ahead.

This episode is all about Juliet. It chronicles her first arrival on the island until 2004. As a new Other, she gets involved with a man at camp, which has disastrous consequences for her. Ben sees her as his own personal property, which is kind of strange since he's a total nerd.

The main storyline revolves around Charlotte and Faraday's escape from the beach to the Tempest. They plan on doing something there. Ben sets his agents in motion through Juliet and Jack is along for the ride.

I have to say that nothing really significant happens in this episode. The kiss that Jack and Juliet share was a bit forced and didn't really push the storyline forward. There aren't really any explanations about the Tempest station. It's only mentioned that Ben deployed poison gas once already to kill people on the island.

There are no flashforwards. Ben gives information to Locke about Charles Widmore (Penny's dad), who's the person looking for the island. His people are the ones on the freighter. Locke also learns who the spy is, however we don't hear that part of their conversation. Locke is acting like a dictator, taking all of the decisions. This will bite him in the ass soon, because the Barracks are filled with individually minded people.

This also marks the first time that we see an Other in this season. This is a therapist named Harper Standhope. She appears out of nowhere to deliver a message to Juliet and disappears. It's like some kind of vanishing act, reminding me of the first season of Lost. What are the Others up to now?

This episode was a bit disappointing after the last one, The Constant, which was one of the best episodes of Lost. I just hope that the rest of the season isn't filled with filler episodes like this one.

* * * * *

The episode opens up with Juliet making a miniature Japanese rock garden. She’s waiting for someone. She’s waiting for Harper Standhope. She’s starting her therapy. She’s arrived on the island a week ago. Before they can talk they are interrupted by Tom. He says that Ben wants to see her. This chronicles Juliet’s initial arrival on the island. Ben welcomes her to her house at the Barracks.

Jin saw Faraday and Charlotte go into the jungle. Jack is looking for them. They took all of their things. It’s pouring rain. The search will be hard. Juliet hears strange voices and whispers in the rain. When she looks around, she finds Harper in the rain. She came to deliver a message from Ben. She says that Faraday and Charlotte are heading for the Tempest. If they deploy the gas, then everyone on the island will die. Jack finds them. Jack and Juliet hear the whispers in the jungle and Harper is gone.

In the past, Juliet is crying in her lab. She finds a man looking for some gauze. He heard that Henrietta died. Pregnant women are dying on the island. She is here to find out why. The man is Harper’s husband. Juliet has time to say that Harper is a spiteful person who hates her. The man lied about his injury. It wasn’t an electrical burn, it was a chemical burn. His name is Goodwin.

The Tempest is an electrical station that powers the island. Juliet says that it’s safer for Jack if she doesn't talk about it. She asks for Jack’s help. They plan on marching all night.

Charlotte and Faraday are looking at their map. Kate walks up to them. Charlotte pulls a gun. Charlotte tells some lies about satphone batteries. Kate sees the satphone in Dan’s bag. She finds gas masks. Charlotte knocks her out.

In the past, Juliet discovers that the immune system is attacking the foetuses in the pregnant women. Goodwin drops by while she is briefing Ben. Ben knows that something is going on. She goes on to see Harper, who gets all jealous because Juliet’s been talking to Goodwin. Harper asks her about Ben. Juliet says that he’s been good to her. Harper mentions that of course he’s been good to her, she looks just like her. Before she can elaborate, she starts on her little jealous verbal barbs. Harper asks her when did she start sleeping with him. Juliet doesn't know what is going on. Harper says that she followed her and watched her do it. She tells her that there will be consequences if she continues to sleep with Goodwin. Ben will punish Goodwin.

At the Barracks, Claire wants to know what is going on with Miles. She wants to talk with him. She makes a good point. John refuses. She says that she might be less intimidating than John.

Locke brings Ben his food. Ben tries to empathize with Locke. He tries to intimidate him. Ben says that they have a common enemy, the one that the freighter people are working for. Locke doesn't plan on giving him any freedom.

In the past, Juliet is still sleeping with Goodwin. Goodwin says that he’s been sleeping on the couch for over a year. She says that he shouldn’t do anything about this. Ben might react violently. Goodwin is working with chemicals, enough of them that could kill everyone on this island. Goodwin isn’t worried about Ben.

The scene shifts into the future, when Oceanic Flight 815 crashed onto the island. Ben sends Goodwin to the tail section and Ethan to the beach.

In the present, Jack and Juliet find Kate knocked out. Juliet leaves. Kate tells him about the gas masks. Jack notices that Juliet is gone.

Locke has taken Ben into his house. He wants to show him something. Locke made a deal with him. He tells Locke to open a safe behind a picture. 36-15-28, that’s the combination. He finds a VHS tape inside with the label Red Sox. Ben says that he taped over the game.

The footage is of Charles Widmore, Penny’s dad. He’s been trying to find the island. He’s got a captive. It’s one of Ben’s people. Ben doesn't know what Widmore wants with the island. Widmore wants to exploit the island. In the footage, we see men beating Ben’s operative. Ben gives him a file with all of the info he has on Widmore. Locke wants to know who the man on the boat is. Ben agrees, but tells him that he might need to sit down.

Kate and Jack are tracking Juliet. Kate says that she needed to find something out about Miles. The people on the freighter know who she is.

Juliet arrives at the Tempest. She knows that they’ve been inside. The keypad has been broken. She puts her bag down and takes out her gun.

Juliet arrives for a dinner party at Ben’s. It turns out that Ben had a romantic dinner planned for her. He thanks her for taking care of some of the kids from the tail section. Goodwin’s been undercover for three weeks. Goodwin wants Ana Lucia to join The Others. Ben isn’t sure.

In the present, Juliet hears warnings from the automated system. She sees someone in a biohazard suit typing furiously. It’s Faraday. He says that he is sorry. Dan says that he is trying to render it inert. Charlotte surprises her and they start to fight. Juliet takes control. She still has a gun pointed at them. Charlotte says that Ben has used the gas before on the island, that’s why they are trying to render it inert. At the last second, they are successful.

In the past, Ben asks Juliet to come with him. He shows him Goodwin’s body. He’s been dead for a while. Ben says that Juliet is his. He’s totally crazy. He’s a freaking nerd, he can't score with that bird, even if he keeps her on the island.

In the present, Juliet comes out with Charlotte. Kate and Jack arrive. Juliet says that Ben wanted her to kill them. Juliet says that these people came to wage war on Ben. Ben’s going to win, no matter what. She tells him that Ben thinks that she is his. He knows how Juliet feels about Jack. They kiss.

Hurley and Sawyer see Ben out and about. He’s all happy about something. We didn’t see who his man on the boat was.

* * * * *

Related Posts

• Lost S03E15
• Lost S03E16
• Lost S03E17
• Lost S03E18
• Lost S03E19
• Lost S03E20
• Lost S03E21
• Lost S03E22-23
• Lost S04E01
• Lost S04E02
• Lost S04E03
• Lost S04E04
• Lost S04E05

See also the Lost section in the Articles page.

But don’t get your hopes up. After all, s04e06 is a Juliet episode, and the running theme is annoying-ass couples, which can only mean one thing…

"Hey friend! Are we late?"

No, right on time actually! Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our guest recappers for the Annoying Couples Edition of Lost Recaps: Mad About You's Paul and Jaime Buchman.

"Thanks! Good to be here! We don’t get out much anymore."

Well, to be frank, we blew most of our yearly budget on last week’s guest recapper, so you were our only option. No offense.

"None taken. Just let Murray know where we are so he doesn’t get worried."

Um, okay, will do. So how will we know who's writing?

"You won’t. That’s the fun of it. We’re both at a keyboard and we’ll take turns typ -"

Okay, okay, whatever.

So Juliet is this week's star of the show, and her hair is flashbacktastic.

A brunette walks into the room. It’s Harper Stanhope. And just like that, we meet Annoying Couple #1: Juliet & Harper's foreheads. Time for two bad attitudes and near-expressionless foreheads to go tete-a-tete.

And we've just barely scratched the surface. It's Others therapy time! Let's go.

Juliet doesn’t think she needs therapy, but she probably do. She doesn’t like being treated like a celebrity, doesn’t like being the center of attention, isolated, alone, yadda yadda yadda. Harper says, "Well, maybe you feel that all eyes are on you, honey. But you’re not a celebrity, sister girl. And soon enough, you’ll realize that your curly blonde hair doesn’t make you any better than the brunette psychiatrist lady."

"Oh, I know, I never meant that…"

There’s a knock. It’s Tom! Ben wants to see Juliet, so this session is over. "Welcome to the island," says Harper. "I don’t like you at all," says her body language.

Juliet leaves her extremely flexible therapy session to find Ben has a special gift for her – her very own house. "Welcome to your humble abode," he says. And welcome to Annoying Couple #2!

"Welcome to your humble abode." In addition to the flowers, he's picked out a collection of opera, TiVo, the Clapper, the Magic Bullet…Ben went all out for this two-bedroom, two-bath beauty. But I’m only gonna be here for six months, says Juliet. "Right, of course," lies Ben, "But we want you to feel at home."

Riiiiiiiiiiiiight.

Now Sun’s helping Juliet on the beach, and Jack shows up looking for Charlotte and Faraday, cuz they're stuff's gone. Jin saw them go into the jungle. Well, why didn't ya tell me, says Jack. What’s the big deal, Jack? You said they were friends? No time to talk, time for Jack Mode! Grab the torches and let’s go run around the jungle, just Jack-Modin’ it.

Yup.

Juliet, who I think is supposed to be sexy this week, hears the infamous jungle whispers all around her, and suddenly – it’s Harper!

"Hello, Juliet. Long time no see."

LOSSSSSSSSSSSST.

After the break, we're right back at it with Annoying Couple #1. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to deliver a message from Ben. The two people you’re looking for, Faraday and Lewis? They’re headed to the Tempest. And if they figure now to deploy that gas, then everyone on this island is going to die."

"Why don’t you stop them?"

"Because Ben wants you to go."

"How can Ben possibly know where they are when he’s a prisoner?"

"Ben is exactly where he wants to be."

"How am I supposed to stop them?"

"By pointing a gun and pulling the trigger." Island Weirdness a Go Go! It's a good thing Botox is water-resistant.

Then Jack shows up. "Hey! Who are you?"

Whoa, Jack can see her, too. Didn’t see that coming.

"I’m an old friend of Juliet’s. I just told her where the people you’re looking for are headed. Maybe you and your gun can go, too."

Then Jack hears the whispers, turning around to look for their source. And just like that, poof! She’s gone.

Cut to Juliet crying in her lab. Sucks to live on this island, huh? She hears someone in the supply room. It’s Goodwin!

He burned his arm and is looking for gauze. Juliet helps him out. Goodwin knows she’s Burke, the baby doctor, and heard Henrietta just died. But he’s like, Don’t worry about it, no one expects you to stop pregnant women from dying overnight. Tell that to Henrietta’s family! He suggests she talk to a friend, maybe Harper, but Juliet says no, Harper sucks. "She’s my wife," says Goodwin. Boy, is Juliet’s face red. But Goodwin doesn’t seem to care about his wife, not with that curly mess of hair in front of him.

"Much obliged, Ma’am. I know this place can wear on you, but if you need to talk, I’m around."

"Good to know. Oh, um, if you promise not to tell your wife what I said about her, I won’t tell anyone that you lied about how you hurt your arm. I know a chemical burn when I see one."

"You got a deal. Oh, by the way, I’m Goodwin."

"Juliet."

And so goeth the nascency of Annoying Couple #3, Juliet & Goodwin.

"God, that was cute, the way they met like that? Reminds me of when we first met. We were at a newsstand, and we were both trying to buy the Sunday New York Ti-"

Okay, that’s great, guys, but let’s try to stay in the moment and keep recapping this episode of Los –

"No, it was so great, seriously, you gotta see it, it's like the best newsstand scene in any show ever. Just watch it!"

Um...huh. Wow.

Who said you were allowed to add videos to the post, Paul and/or Jaime Buchman?

"Sorry. No one had ever embedded a Mad About You video before. We saw a chance and took it."

That’s understandable, I guess. Still not sure how two fictional characters would be able to do that from a technological standpoint, but there’s no time for all that right now.

Back on the island, Annoying Couple #4, Jack and Juliet, argue about going after Annoying Couple #5, Faraday and Lewis. Juliet tells him they’re headed for the Tempest, an electrical station that powers the island, but that’s all she’s saying. Jack tries to find out more, but she’s not in the mood. "What I need is for you to help me. Will you help me?" You can tell she picked up some good mindjitsu from Ben, because it works, and AC#4 goes after AC#5.

Meanwhile, AC#5 is having troubles of their own, as Dan expresses second thoughts about ability to do what he gotta do. Charlotte says, "Dan, look at me. I’m creepy! I mean, I know you can do this. We should get going."

And then Kate shows up Charlotte’s about her to shoot her, but Dan’s like, Nah, she’s okay.

Kate starts to ask questions, and Charlotte starts to make crap up. She says the sat phone went dead, but Kate sees it in her pocket with its light on. Don’t look dead to me! Kate turns to Dan and asks him what’s in his bag, which he shows her – just as Charlotte brings the hammer down on that broad!

Dan looks at Charlotte, who shrugs and says, "What?"

She don't give a what, that's what.

We rejoin AC#4 on their little mission. Jack asks Juliet what the deal is with Harper. Old friend? "Not exactly. She was my therapist." Therapist? "It’s very stressful being an Other, Jack." Boo hoo. She tries to change the subject by generalizing that Jack must have stuff from his past he’d rather not talk about. Yeah, you read them all in my file, snaps bitter Jack. "Trust me, Jack, you don’t want to see my file," retorts Juliet.

Now Juliet’s at her microscope while Ben pretends to listen, but is really just checking her out on his Annoying Couple mission. She tells him how the white blood system plummets and the immune systems be turning on the fetuses and stuff. No word on the cause yet, just what we already know, that it only affects women who conceived on the island. Zzzzzzz. Ben puts his hand on Juliet’s. Gross!

Gross!

And who pops in but Goodwin. He’s got egg salad on rye for Juliet, which is probably AC#3 code language for coitus. Ben’s no dummy. He stares Goodwin down like a tiny John Lithgow. Stare, Ben. Stare!

No time to dwell on that. It’s time for AC#1. Harper asks Juliet what she thinks of Ben, but more importantly, drops the bomb: "I see you and my husband have become friendly." Oh yeah, he’s great, really helpful. "When did you start sleeping with him?" Juliet thinks of a good way to parry. I don't know, the first time we had sex, I guess? Juliet tries to weasel out of it, but Harper don’t take no mess. "I know. I followed you…watched you." Freaky deaky! Juliet is so busted. Coitus codes can’t save you now, girlfriend.

"I’m sorry."

"It doesn't matter. What does matter is that you listen to me and believe me. Now if you continue to have a relationship with Goodwin, there will be consequences. I don’t want him to get hurt."

"I would never hurt him."

"I’m not talking about you, dumbass! I’m talking about Ben."

God, so many annoying couples, who can keep track?

"I think I’ve got it. There’s the blonde and the brunette's foreheads…then the shrimpy guy and the like this blonde...then that handyman guy and the blonde…then there’s the guy from Party of Five and that other one, and that crazy redhead and the guy from Saving Private Ryan and...who else. Honey?"

That was a rhetorical question.

"Ah. Mea culpa."

But whose culpa is it? That's what I'd like to know. Stupid unattributed Buchman quotes.

Finally, we encounter a significantly less annoying couple: John Locke and a rabbit. He’s cutting into some delicious, bloody animal meat.

Mmmm. Some people are grossed out when they see where meat comes from, and I understand and respect that. But I personally find it quite appetizing. Claire’s not fazed either. She persuades Locke to move on from the revelation of whose boat it isn’t, and think about whose boat it is. Seriously! Even Claire knows that.

But no time for those two. It’s Annoying Couple #6, Locke & Linus! Yes, time for some bitchy banter with the boys.

"Rabbit today?" Ben’s the worst person ever to cook for. Locke’s not taking the bait, he’ll be back for the dirty laundry. But Ben wants to fight, because he gets off on that sort of thing. "So has the revolution begun yet?" And just like that, Locke’s back in the room for some tete-a-tete.

"What are you talking about?"

Talking that ying-yang, playboy! What you thought it was? Ben rags on Locke for having no plan – whereas he "always has a plan."

Locke: "Does it involve you raising 3.2 million dollars? That’s a lot of money. Wait, I think this will get you started."

"A dollar? That’s not much help. He’s still got practically 3.2 million dollars to raise."

It was sarcasm.

"Oh. Forgive me. She didn't know it either, by the way."

A-HA! I've broken the code. You're both to blame. Honestly, have either of you watched Lost before?

"Nope. Not our cup of tea. Not our steez."

Right. Great.

So Ben makes his case to Locke that he can help. "We have shared interests, or at least a common enemy." Who, the freighter peeps? "Not them…the one they work for." Say word? "Word. Let me have my freedom, sleep in a bed, eat with utensils, watch Making the Band 4 and I’ll tell you all types of good stuff." Locke ain’t taking his word for it, so Ben stands up in dramatic fashion.

"Alright then…I guess I’ll have to show you."

Yes, show us!

But when we come from a break, we get another type of reveal altogether – Juliet's body. Noooooo!

Way too much Juliet's body. I guess there are Juliet fans out there who have been waiting for this. I’m not sure who they are, or how to help them. Anyway, Juliet’s not alone, she’s AC#3’in it with Goodwin. And it’s the cheesiest beach picnic EVER.

Shameful.

They talk about their annoying-couple status ad nauseum. It’s the kind of lame relationship talk you’d expect from, I don’t know, Mad About You.

"Hey! Take that back."

You're still here?
"Yes. And we were never annoying like those two. So take it back."

Uh, okay? I'm still recapping the show here.

“Look, forget about Lost. We've paid attention to most of this episode, more or less, and honestly? Not that funny. Whereas Mad About You was and is the funniest show ever. Remember Ursula, the waitress? Remember how her twin sister was Phoebe from Friends? And remember when we went to Central Perk and mistook Phoebe for Ursula? That wasn’t annoying, that was HILARIOUS! Just watch a few minutes of that scene in this video and you can't deny that -"

NO! No. For the love of all that is holy, no.

Where were we. Oh right, Juliet & Goodwin. She thinks they should keep things secret so as not to upset Ben, but Goodwin’s like, Whatever. Ben? What he’s gonna do?

Cut to Oceanic Flight 815 being ripped apart in the sky. Then Ben yells, "Goodwin!" Ahhhh. So that’s why he sent Goodwin. Now Harper’s here. It’s an annoying couple quadrangle!

Back to Jack & Juliet, the world’s least dynamic duo, running this way and that. They hear noises. It’s Kate! She’s a bloody mess. Jack takes cares of her somewhat lovingly, and Juliet looks none too pleased.

What’s wrong, Juliet? Not feeling Jack & Kate rekindling as Annoying Couple #7? Tough noogies. If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. Juliet offers to go get Kate some water, which gives AC#7 some quality time together. Jack tells her Dan & Charlotte are headed for the power station, and Kate says they had gas masks, so clearly things is serious. Time to motivate.

Where’s Juliet, though? Jack calls out for her: "Juliet? Juliet! Juliet. Juliet. Juliet? Juliet! JULIET!!! Juliet! Juliet? Juliet. Juliet? JULIET!?!"

No Juliet.

Back to the barracks with AC#6. Locke is very clear with Ben abou the rules of this arrangement: no tricks. No trickery! That means no tomfoolery, no folderol, no lollygagging and definitely no hogwash.

"No tricks, John. We don’t even have to leave the living room."

Locke’s still skeptical, but Ben seems for serious.

"It’s behind that picture."

Locke removes the picture and finds a safe. So far, so good. Ben gives him the combo: "36 – 15 – 28." The safe opens. Ben is super cereal this time! So what do we win?

Ah, the Red Sox, we’ve seen that before. Or have we? "I taped over the game," says Ben. Oh, cool. John puts the tape in the VCR.

It’s Widmore again!

Ben breaks it down. "This is Charles Widmore. This is the man whose boat is parked offshore. This is the man that's been trying to find the island."

"Who's the man in the blindfold?"

"One of my people who had the misfortune to get caught."

"How does Widmore know about the island?"

"I don’t know. But he does."

"What does he want?"

Ben delivers a long, lame, not-analogous analogy about the Virgin Mary in a Pop Tart. Meanwhile, dude in the video gets knocked around by Widmore. Does he have brass knuckles on? And does he see what's filming him before the tape cuts off? I think he does.

"Charles Widmore wants to exploit this island, and he’ll do everything in his power to possess it."

Ben gets a file out the cabinet.

"Everything I know about Charles Widmore is in this file. Some of it’s vague, some of it’s guesswork, some of it’s concrete. But this is everything, and now it’s all yours."

"Sorry I didn’t tell you all this sooner, but it was the only bargaining chip I had left."

Locke wants more out of this relationship. "There’s one more thing I need to know. Your man on the boat…I need you to tell me who it is."

"All right…but you might want to sit down."

I already AM sitting down! Tell me tell me tell me! Oh, he’s talking to John.

After the break, we see Kate do her trail-tracking thang. Juliet’s been here. So have Faraday & Lewis, a half-hour ahead of her. But Jack wants to be an annoying couple, stop walking through the jungle and get pointless answers. So Kate tells him that the Freighter Folks know she’s a fugitive. "Do they?" Yes, Jack, they do! Can we go find those muggerfunkers and save the island now? That would be great!

Juliet is at the Tempest already, because she’s about her business. Oh, nice, it’s action time. But no! We’re back in the golden age of the Others, and it’s time for annoying couple action with Ben & Juliet! Nooooo! She's got the dinner rolls, he's got the ham. Oh brother.

Juliet knew she was coming over for dinner, but not this kind of dinner. "I thought this was a dinner party?" Emphasis on "party" if you didn't catch it, Ben.

"You and me! I guess I should have made that clearer.” Oh, you sly dog! He’s even got opera on. Playa please! You are not the macaroni with the cheese.

Juliet ruins the mood with talk of Goodwin, who’s been gone for three weeks at this point. Ben says Goodwin’s busy, "but his assignment will be over soon. I promise you." Scout’s honor!

We’re back at the Tempest. This scene feels like a low-budg version of Desmond’s back-and-forth between 1996 and 2004. We follow Juliet as she peers down into the control room, where Dan is suited up and pushing buttons. This whole scene feels like it belongs in Smallville, but the Tempest is no Level Three, Juliet’s no Chloe and Dan’s no Earl Jenkins.

"Warning! Manual entry. Override denied," says the computer lady. So there’s still time to stop him. Juliet rolls up on masked Dan with her gun out. His reaction is a bit of a surprise.

"Juliet, what are you doing here?"

Haaaa, Juliet knows what’s up! That's what's up.

After the break, Juliet tells Danny Dunn to step away from the Automatic House, but he can’t. Uh oh, countermeasures are beginning. "One minute to contamination." That sounds bad.

Juliet’s like, why you trying to kill a-body, doggs? "No, no, i'm not trying to release it. i'm trying to render it inert. i just want to make it safe."

Oh, cool, fair enough. Juliet pauses long enough to get hit in the back – hard! – by Charlotte.

The ladies tussle. They scuffle. Dan keeps plugging away at the computer. They keep fighting, because that makes sense. Juliet gets the upper hand and puts the gun on Charlotte, who says something sensible for the first time ever.

"Juliet, look me in the eye and tell me you are certain that Benjamin Linus wouldn’t use this gas to kill everyone on this island!" Good point. "We know he’s used it before. If you want to stop us, you’re going to have to shoot us both." I didn’t hear Dan agree to that scenario. But the face! Oh, the Charlotte face.

The dramatic countdown continues. "Three…two…one…" BANG! Everyone on the island dies from the unrendered, still-nert gas. Nah, they live.

"Man, that was a close one." Funny. We all knew that the island wasn’t going to get gassed, so the suspense was pretty canned in that scene. Even Juliet is like, I did all that for nothing? Damn.

Back in the golden age, Ben walks in on Juliet. She’s reading about spinal surgery and stuff like that. Oh, right, Ben’s tumor. Whatever. Ben needs her to come with him, so she does.

Out on the island, Ben takes Juliet to see something. Come on, it'll be fun! And, in a ditch. "I’m sorry, Juliet." Sorry for what? Oh, dead Goodwin.

Yeah, he real dead, son. And Ben don’t look that sorry neither either.

"I can only assume they found out he wasn’t one of them. Guess I should have listened to you."

"Why are you showing me this? Why did you bring me out here?"

"What, instead of his wife?" Annoying couples, converge!! It’s like Annoying Couple Voltron up in this muggerflugger.

"You knew this would happen. You sent him out here because you knew this would happen. You wanted this! You wanted him to die! Why?"

"Why? You’re asking me why, after everything I’ve done to get you here, after everything I’ve done to keep you here? How could you possibly not understand that YOU’RE MINE!"

Ohhhhhhh. Wow.

"Take as much time as you need."

Wowww! Ben's pretty crazy.

Back in post-Tempest time, Juliet and Charlotte walk out and run into the super-late Jack & Kate. Juliet says it’s all hood, but Kate says, not all hood, they knocked my ass out. Charlotte says they did what they had to do, and makes some more outstanding Charlotte faces.

Go Charlotte!

Jack takes their word for it, mainly because he’s got a hankerin’ for some annoying-couple time with his girl Juliet. "You okay?" He touches her face gingerly, and I throw up.

"He wanted me to kill them. Ben. he told me to kill both of them."

"How can he TELL you anything?"

"I don’t know, but he knew how to get to me, and he knew where they were going and what they were doing. Don’t you understand?" No, after four seasons, we really don’t. Feel free to explain some more. "These people came here to wage war against Ben. And Ben’s gonna win, Jack. And when he does, you don’t wanna be anywhere near me."

"Why not?"

"Because he thinks that I’m his. And he knows how I feel about you."

And they kiss sweetly.

And I just crapped myself something fierce.

"Fierce!"

Indeed. Twas a fierce pants-crapping.

These two in love or something? "He knows where to find me." Oh, Jack, you romantic, fearless son-of-a-gun.

"Honey, let's go. Let's take Murray for a walk. Actually, you know what? I'm gonna pick your ass up and take you both for a walk. How about them apples."

How about 'em. Bye, Paul and Jaime Buchman! And Murray.

But there's a little more Lost to go. Time for horseshoes with the first not-annoying couple of the episode – Sawyer and Hurley!

Where have you been, fellas? We could have used more of you. It's a contest, so Hurley naturally wins. It’s like ping-pong and croquet all over again. But the ep isn’t ending with their game of horseshoes. It’s ending with their shock and surprise at seeing Ben, strutting around with his clean clothes, free as a bird.

"See you guys at dinner."

Sawyer looks like he just crapped his and Hurley’s pants at the same time.

Hey guys, this could be a good thing. If the time-travel thing starts heating up, the crap in your pants will be your constant.

*BBHHBBBWWWONGGGGGGGGGG*

And that’s it for the Annoying Couples Edition. What did you think about The Other Woman, and more importantly, what's going down next week? Leave a comment with your Lost thoughts below. And check out the trailer for Episode 7 if you haven't already.

See you next week, Lost fans!

Everyone's out to get Ben. Or at least - they should be! (Caution: Spoilers from Lost's "The Other Woman" below!)

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Tonight we learned that Bill, err Ben, tried to kill every living person on the island - again. So my question is... Why on earth is Ben still alive?!

Would you trust this face?

Ben is like that sleazy politician that you want to believe in because he's in your party and can quote Bible verses. He's like the candidate who smiles and chats you up, while secretly texting his hitman to take you out later.

I'm entertained watching Ben and would like to learn more about his character (such as how he knows about everything going on the island, even though he's locked up!) But someday, someone has to take Ben out. Who will it be? 

My money's on Vincent. ;-)

(Edited to add: I just saw a great theory about who Juliet looks like and why Ben is so interested in her. You can find it in this blog post at Seat42f. Check out the portrait behind Ben in the picture...)

• Ben ammetterà di aver voluto Juliet solo per sé. E avrebbe fatto in modo che Goodwin non lasciasse il gruppo della sezione di coda proprio perchè voleva che fosse ucciso. Tutto questo sarà chiaro a Juliet quando Ben le mostrerà il cadavere di Goodwin.  
• Juliet scoprirà che Daniel e Charlotte sono più "good guys" che "bad guys" e che sono lì per fermare Ben. Per questo non sparerà loro.

- Nel flashback dell'episodio 4x06 scopriremo se Juliet era sposata con Goodwin.- Nell'episodio 4x07, uno degli Oceanic Six morirà nel Flashforward. Si tratta dunque di Jin o Sun, che continueremo comunque a vedere durante la serie visto che la morte avverrà nel futuro.